Chapter 496: Changes

"General, don't hesitate, this is our only chance." Yoon urged.

"Yes, General. Don't hesitate. If you miss this opportunity, it will be really hard for us to resist the French attack." George also said.

"This is an opportunity for us, but if there is a slight mistake, our losses will be great. If the 7th Fleet is hit hard again, I am afraid that Washington will directly send me to the military court." McCain said with some concern. In fact, worrying about Washington's punishment is only one aspect, and the other aspect is for his own sake. The reason why he has such a status today is entirely because his 7th Fleet is one of the most elite fleets in the United States. If the 7th Fleet suffers any damage, Nak will shake his foundation.

"General, if things are wrong, we can order the fleet to withdraw. In that case, even if there is any loss, it will be completely acceptable." Yoon said. He was cunning and knew what McCain was thinking. Because he himself was like that. His infantry division was also regarded as a guarantee of his status.

McCain thought about it for a while and finally decided to gamble this. Although this would take a lot of risks, if the plan was successful, it would also bring him a lot of benefits. Compared with the interests, the so-called risk seemed a bit insignificant. In addition, as Yoon said, if the situation was wrong, he could order the fleet to retreat. In that case, even if there was a certain loss, it would not be very large and should be within the range that could be tolerated.

He did it as soon as he said, and since he had decided, McCain immediately prepared. As the commander of the 7th Fleet, he was used to fighting with his soldiers, no matter how unfavorable the situation was. This is also the reason why he was loved by all the officers and soldiers of the 7th Fleet of the United States. It is also the professional ethics of a navy general. Another advantage of his doing this is that he can effectively command the fleet and avoid excessive losses from the fleet.

Under McCain's order, all the officers and soldiers of the 7th Fleet of the United States took action. Many soldiers had a hint of worry, but more of them were firm and excited. As a naval soldier of the United States of America, he was unshirkable to fight against the enemy tenaciously, although this responsibility might have caused them to lose their lives. In the battle tonight, from the shocking explosion, they could imagine how fierce the battle on the front line was, which made them who were already accustomed to the smoke of gunpowder. Unfortunately, they did not receive the order to fight, so they had to hide in the military port. But now, the order of their great commander has finally come down. Most of the American officers and soldiers were holding their breath in their hearts, and they must let the rampant Frenchmen know the power of the US Navy. Under this idea, they worked harder.

Time passed slowly and the sky gradually became brighter. By 5 a.m., a trace of fish belly had appeared in the sky. This meant that the sky was about to be bright. At this moment, the sea surface was much clearer. Although it was still a little blurry, it was probably possible to see the shadows of both sides in the war. In this case, the French fleet was still very advantageous. Because the US fortress was too large, compared with these giants, the French warships were much smaller. Therefore, in terms of hit rate, the French fleet was much higher than the US military.

"How many US fortresses have we destroyed so far?" asked Kirk Brad, commander of the French Atlantic Fleet, on the 'Sea God'.

"General, so far, we have destroyed 20 US turrets. The remaining 8 are 5 large turrets and 3 medium turrets. And these turrets have been more or less damaged, and their combat effectiveness has been greatly reduced. I think even if we compete head-on now, we will not be at a disadvantage." Vitri said. After a few hours of rest, he returned to his post.

"And, since most of the US military's turrets were destroyed by us, there have been many loopholes in their defense. I think it's time for us to send the Marines to land." Vitri continued.

"It seems that our mission has been exceeded. Only the Marines landed are not busy. First, the soldiers are very tired after a night of high-intensity combat. It is time for them to rest. Second, the US fortress has not been completely killed. Although there are loopholes, if the Marines landed, they may still suffer considerable losses. Third, the 1st Infantry Division of the 2nd Iberian Army will take two days to arrive. After they arrive, we will launch two-sided attacks on St. Paul, which will be better." Kirkbrad said.

Vitri nodded. He was just a proposal, so he did not continue to insist.

"That's all today! Order the warships to prepare for retreat." Kirkbrad said with a smile.

Vitri quickly conveyed Kirkbrad's order. After receiving the order, the French warships began to stop shooting and began to turn, preparing to evacuate the sea area.

The actions of the French army were observed by the US military and quickly reported to McCain.

"General, just got the news, the US fleet began to retreat." Yoon reported to McCain with an excited look. At this time, at St. Paul's military port, all 32 warships of the US 7th Fleet were ready and could be put into battle at any time.

McCain did not say, but silently buried his head and began to pray. This was his habit. Every time at the beginning of the battle, he would pray devoutly to God.

Three minutes later, McCain raised his head and showed a firm look in his eyes. "Anchor and get ready to set off." McCain ordered. Then, accompanied by the guards, he prepared to board his flagship "Apostle". The "Apostle" is a newly launched "North Carolina" class warship that only joined the battle sequence of the US 7th Fleet half a year ago. However, the powerful firepower, fast speed and heavy armor of the "Apostle" deeply attracted McCain. So McCain named the battleship "Apostle". This is the best name he thought as a devout Catholic.

"General, please let me go with you." George suddenly said the moment McCain was about to board the ship.

McCain was stunned, then felt relieved, with a gratified smile on his face. "No need, George. I'll go. The fortress still needs your command." McCain said with a smile.

"But General, I hope to fight with you. Besides, the command of the fortress can be given to General Yoon." George insisted.

McCain pondered for a few seconds and finally agreed to George's request. He knew that there would be some danger this time. George was his most trusted subordinate, so he didn't want George to take risks too. Another reason was that he wanted the fortress to be in his own hands. This did not mean that he did not trust Yoon, but Yoon belonged to the army after all, and was separated from them by a system. But seeing George insisted repeatedly, he finally agreed.

After boarding the ship, McCain immediately ordered the fleet to set sail. The 32nd warships of the 7th Fleet of the United States sailed towards the sea in a mighty manner.

At this time, it was the time when the French fleet began to turn. The American fleet suddenly came out of the port.

The shrill alarm sounded immediately over the French fleet. It turned out that the light cruisers and destroyers who were at the last side used to guard against the US 7th Fleet discovered the movements of the US military and did not have time to report to the flagship, and directly conveyed dangerous information to the fleet in the form of an alarm.

"Marson, the 7th American Fleet has appeared and is now rushing towards our fleet." Vitri shouted in a somewhat panic tone.

Kirkbrad shook his head helplessly. Vitri was still too young and showed it completely through what happened just now. It seems that if you want to entrust Vitri with important tasks, you have to hone it, Kirkbrad thought so.

"It seems that the other party really knows how to choose the time? He can actually launch an attack at this time." Kirkbrad said. However, there was no panic in his tone.

Indeed, the US military chose the attack opportunity very well. At this time, the French fleet was already very tired after a night of high-intensity battle. The US 7th Fleet rested for one night, waiting for work. Another point is that the current French fleet has just turned the bow and is preparing to evacuate this sea area. Most of the soldiers have relaxed. If the French fleet turns around again, it will definitely cause confusion in the queue. The last point is, according to the law.

The current formation arrangement of the national fleet is, with battleships and battlecruisers at the forefront, followed by center of gravity cruisers, and finally light cruisers and destroyers. Those destroyers and light cruisers were the first French warships to face the attack of the US 7th Fleet. During this period, people's common sense was that the heavier the tonnage, the more cannons, and the more powerful the warships with the larger the caliber of the gun. If French destroyers and light cruisers were divided according to this, they obviously belonged to those warships with relatively weak attack power.
Chapter completed!