In the old Russian navy, it was generally believed that Eberhardt was a general who was more cautious than enterprising. This old man prefers to take steady steps and rarely fight against the enemy with bold and sharp spear.

This also led to his impression on the officers and soldiers of the Black Sea Fleet, which was more conservative, but was Eberhardt really a pedantic and conservative admiral?

It should be said that no! On the contrary, I think he is very smart and realistic. For example, this can be seen from his battle with Su Shun. At that time, when facing Su Shun and the Goben, which has a fast speed and a better technical performance, forcing the other side to fight to eliminate the consequences in one fell swoop. If every Russian naval officer could seize this opportunity, he would definitely not let it go.

The question is, does this opportunity exist? Will the Goben engage in a knightly duel according to the Russians' intentions? Su Shun is not that stupid. Before the Queen Maria-class dreadnought, the Goben did have great technical advantages against the Black Sea Fleet. At that time, he probably wouldn't reject a vigorous naval battle, destroying or severely damaging his opponents in one fell swoop.

However, with the service of Queen Maria, the advantages of Goben were greatly weakened in 1915. Except for the speed of Goben, the other advantages of firepower, armor, and Goben basically no longer exist. In terms of quantity, the opponent also had a three-to-one advantage.

In this case, Su Shun will fight head-on with the three dreadnoughts of the Black Sea Fleet, plus the other three or four dreadnoughts in front of the dreadnought, unless Su Shun's brain cramps. Otherwise, the most pragmatic way is to avoid head-on conflicts and attack Lengzi. After all, the Goben also has the advantage of speed and can freely choose to fight or retreat.

Facing a mouse-like opponent, the most important thing is to stabilize the position and not to be disrupted by him, otherwise, the result will be to be fished by troubled waters. This was what Eberhardt did at that time. On the one hand, he attacked the Turkish Navy's maritime transportation line, cut off the fuel supply of the Goben, restrict the activities of the Goben, and on the other hand, he actively carried out the offensive and mine-breaking, and took a two-pronged approach to completely let Su Shun go.

It should be said that this way of dealing with it is not a problem, but the intermediate officers of the Black Sea Fleet generally have impetuous emotions, and there is only one kind of thinking in their minds. That is fighting, that is decisive battle. If you cannot solve the Goben with a dignified battle, it is failure, and that is incompetence.

These simple-minded guys have never thought that fighting is more than one upright way, not only to let the battleship fight a vigorous naval battle is called battle, harassment, and mine-burning is also a battle. And to be honest, in the Black Sea, the latter is cheaper and more efficient.

The simple and direct bear can't turn this way. Most Russian captains' thoughts are similar to those of the current Galanin. They rushed forward, fired fire, and opened fire. They were all in the fire. They were paralyzed and sunk against the opponent. This was the naval battle, and this was the meaning of the existence of the navy.

Eberhardt has surpassed this superficial understanding. In a sense, he is like an old fox. Although due to the situation, the old man had to correct the route of the Mercury Memorial and engage in a regular flight battle with Askerd, this does not mean that he is ready to use artillery to solve all problems.

As mentioned earlier, Eberhardt's wishful thinking is to use torpedoes to solve the problem, try to compress the distance of artillery battles, shorten the artillery fire interference caused by destroyers during sprinting, and improve the success rate of lightning strikes as much as possible.

Under this dominant idea, even if you want to play artillery battles, the old man still needs to pour water. In fact, he thought about why when he was cross-fired before, he chose to turn right instead of left? Like a political commissar, choosing to turn left will indeed win the shooting angle quickly and facilitate counterattack. However, if you turn left, you will inevitably go around the stern of the Askerd. As the artillery battle goes on, it is very likely that the two sides will have to exchange positions, and then they will face two problems.

The first problem is that with the exchange of positions, the Mercury Memorial was inevitably surrounded by Asked, the Lieutenant of the Navy of Shestakov, Lieutenant Colonel of the Navy of Zakken and Donetsk, and the situation was very serious at that time. To put it bluntly, it was impossible to beat four hands with two fists, and many ants bite the elephant to death.

The second question is also the most important question. With the exchange of positions, the originally retreating Wuruth and Angry did not have any cover when completing the lightning strike operation. The two destroyers must face the Askerd's artillery fire. It is hard to say whether they can succeed.

To put it bluntly, if the torpedo they shot did not hit Asked, the next one would be Mercury Commemorative. It would be a fool if it was dried up by its own torpedo.

In fact, there is a third problem, that is, the direction of the sunlight. The battle time is in the afternoon. As the sun sets, aiming from the east to the west will inevitably be disturbed by the sunlight. Don’t underestimate this point. This interference is still very strong and can directly affect the accuracy of range measurement and aiming. In an artillery battle, range measurement and speed measurement are extremely important, and their accuracy is directly related to the quality of the shelling.

Eberhart didn't want to be beaten up, nor did he want to waste a precious opportunity to strike lightning, nor did he want to aim at the distance to the sun in a bad mood. Therefore, he rejected the political commissar's suggestion before and chose to turn right.

Turning to the right means that Mercury Memorial will sail in the same direction as Askerd, that is, conducting a same-way war. Generally speaking, compared with the anti-aircraft war that passes by, the same-way war has lower requirements for fire control, which is conducive to achieving results.

The old man made a choice that was actually quite cunning. In terms of the current situation, the Mercury Memorial was less disturbed than the Asqued, and he could aim and shoot calmly, while the latter was inevitably disturbed by light, which means that the old man took advantage of it.

The actual situation is similar. As the same air war unfolded, the Mercury Memorial and Asqued "rewarded" each other, and the eight 152mm artillery on the side carried out round after round of shelling. But overall, Asqued suffered a loss. He could no longer shoot as calmly as before the Mercury Memorial, and could not achieve any results. Instead, as the artillery battle deepened, it got two guns.

One shot hit the upper middle of the hull, and the 75mm grenade broke the traffic boat hanging there in two pieces. The splashed wood chips made the sailors in the cannon position under the traffic boat suffer a little. The sharp wood chips easily pierced the clothes, piercing the sailors into blood. A pitiful unlucky covers his face and howls, and the red blood flows out from his fingers.

Another gun was slightly better, and the 152mm armor-piercing projectile opened a small window in the middle of the hull. After penetrating the three-meter-thick coal seam, it stopped at the top of the inclined dome armor, causing minimal losses.

The shelling effect of Askerd is really unsatisfactory. Even the Mercury Memorial side cannot stand. Every time it takes a spurt, the Mercury Memorial will maneuver at a large angle under the command of Eberhardt.

The mechanical fire control equipment in this day and age basically has no solution for large angles and high speed maneuvers. As long as one party adopts this maneuver method, it means that all the fire control solutions performed before will be invalidated. You have to re-test the shell landing point, re-solve and correct them.

After such a set of procedures, it took a long time. After Asked finally finished the test shot and re-entered the active shot, or luckily shot a cross shot, the Mercury Commemorative's new round of maneuver began again.

This shameless and vulgar tactic directly made Galanin overturn the table, "OO You XX. Coward, coward..."

The sound of this snorkel can be heard outside the bridge of the Askerd, and the violent shelling sound cannot cover it up, which shows how angry Galanin is. In fact, anyone who encounters this situation will be angry and swearing. It is really no wonder Galanin.

Why? The reason is very simple. As I said just now, this year, the fire control equipment composed of simple mechanical computers and rangefinders can be solved for maneuvering at large speeds and angles. This pressure is not only for the targeting and shooting party, but also for the Mercury Memorial in maneuvering.

The violent maneuver also prevented her fire control equipment from working, and she also could not effectively solve the track of the Askerd, and she could not make accurate decisions.

Generally speaking, the purpose of conducting artillery battles is clear, which is to sink or defeat the opponent. If Eberhard does this, he will start to turn around and avoid it when he is a little disturbed. This is not a artillery battle, but a work-making effort. To put it bluntly, this is delaying time.

But who made Eberhardt's essence delay time? He didn't want to confront the right battle, and he didn't plan to use artillery battles to determine the outcome. He was to buy time for the ruthless and the angry ones. Only the stupid Galanin believed in a head-on confrontation, and he was stupid!

"The other party is too good," said the captain of the Askerd, looking carefully at the furious Galanin and whispered: "Master Commander, I think the enemy may just want to delay time!"

Although Galanin sometimes has a little simpler mind, this guy is not completely brainless. A technical army like the navy, a brainless person cannot get in. In fact, he has realized this. The opponent's slick tactics are obviously not for a head-on decisive battle. Is there any reinforcements behind the enemy?

This is what Galanin is most worried about. Unlike his fleet, most of the main forces of the Black Sea Fleet are controlled by the Fleet Committee. The Fleet Committee can send the main fleet to encircle and suppress him. Maybe the Mercury Memorial is the vanguard?

If the enemy really has reinforcements, no matter who comes, even if it is only the sister ship of Mercury Memorial, Kagur, is enough to kill Askold. What's more, the main ships may be, such as the Free Russia. If the opponent delays time just to wait for reinforcements, then he must make a choice early.

Should I continue to fight or should I rush to the wind?

Galanin was very hesitant. To be honest, if he retreated, he didn't know where to retreat. From the moment he escaped from Odessa, his fleet became a homeless man on the sea. Unless his accomplices in Sevastopol could successfully subvert the rule of the fleet committee, there would be no way to go to heaven and earth.

"Let the destroyer launch a lightning strike!" It took Galanin a long time to make a decision, and he was determined to take a gamble.

The Lieutenant of the Shestakov Navy and Lieutenant Colonel of the Zakan soon received the flagship signal. The captains of the two destroyers were a little trembling. After all, their ships were too small and too slow, and it would be not easy to occupy a favorable lightning strike position. If one is not done properly, they will be sieve by the Mercury Memorial.

However, taking the path of rebellion means that they have no more choice but to execute the orders above. Soon, the two old destroyers began to accelerate again, and went straight into the battlefield from the side and rear of the Askerd. Even the blind man could see their intentions.

The political commissar reminded: "The enemy is ready to use torpedoes!"

"I saw it," Eberhardt put down his telescope and ordered calmly without changing his face: "Go forward at full speed and tell each gun position to place firepower on those two destroyers!"

The political commissar was a little hesitant, and he felt that it was inappropriate to do so: "No matter whether the Askerd is inappropriate?"

To be honest, the political commissar’s concerns are very correct. Let the Asked be allowed to have absolutely problems, without the suppression of artillery fire. Asked can maintain its course calmly and aim calmly, which is quite beneficial for improving the hit rate.

Eberhardt replied calmly: "A shell cannot sink us, but a torpedo can send us into the sea!"

The political commissar stopped talking immediately. The threat of torpedo is indeed greater than that of shells, especially now. Mercury Memorial has no cover, and the enemy destroyer can penetrate directly without any obstacles. In this case, the first thing to pay attention to is indeed the torpedo.

However, the political commissar was still a little resentful. If the Urgent and the Angry were by their side, there would be no such trouble. With them, the enemy's destroyer would not be able to get through. After all, the political commissar still felt that Eberhart's decision was wrong, and felt that the Urgent and the Angry should not be allowed to be the protagonist, but the Mercury Memorial should be the protagonist and use cannons to solve the problem.

However, no matter how much he is resentful, it is useless. Now Eberhard is the master of his family. With the support of a certain immortal, in this small fleet, the old man's words are imperial edicts, which must be implemented unconditionally. Otherwise, Cheka would happily arrest the political commissar and throw him into the confinement room of the bow anchor cabin. To be honest, it is both ventilated and cool at this moment, and can also take a cold shower, which is a good place for people to recover from sobering.

On the sea, the Lieutenant of the Navy Shestakov and Lieutenant Colonel of the Navy Zakan were a bit slow, giving people a feeling that they could not use it. There is nothing we can do about it. After all, these two destroyers were a little long, and the boiler equipment after more than ten years of wear and tear were definitely not as powerful as in the early years. What's more, their speed was not fast. The speed of 25 knots really did not have much advantage in front of the Mercury Memorial.

That is, the Mercury Memorial was damaged before, and the head was buried a little, and the maximum speed could not be increased. Otherwise, it would be very difficult for these two destroyers to seize the launch position. Especially when Mercury Memorial transferred most of its firepower to them, this pressure would be even greater.

Water columns of varying thicknesses and heights rose around the hulls of the Navy Lieutenant Shestakov and the Navy Lieutenant Colonel Zakan. The splashing shrapnel made the sailors on the deck lower their figures, and some simply chose to avoid them.

As they got closer and closer to the Mercury Memorial, the pressure became greater and greater. The Lieutenant of the Shestakov Navy who was rushing in front almost became an elf wandering among the blades. From time to time, shells passed by it. The sailors trembled with fear and hoped to end this dangerous journey sooner.

I don't know if it was because of the lieutenant of the Navy Shestakov, or if the Mercury Memorial artillery was defeated by Eberhardt's previous mobile tactics, the old destroyer actually entered the launching position.

"Five meters in depth, one thousand distance, three volleys! Launch!"

With the command of the gunman, the sailors operating the torpedo tubes could not wait to press the electric gate. With three muffled sounds, three torpedoes with cold light rushed towards the Mercury Memorial with murderous intent.

"The torpedo was found on the port side!" the observation whistle screamed.

However, Eberhardt and the political commissar of the commander Tower were not particularly nervous, at least they didn't look nervous, "Right full of rudder!" Eberhardt ordered.

Under the personal operation of the political commissar, the Mercury Memorial suddenly leaned right and deflected at a considerable angle. Three torpedoes rushed forward from the front of her ship's bow in a thrilling moment. At that moment, the officers and soldiers on the entire bridge breathed a sigh of relief - shush...

However, the crisis was not over. After the attack by the Lieutenant of the Navy Shestakov, the Lieutenant Colonel of the Navy, who followed her, also fired a torpedo. There was a time difference, and the attack was launched when the Mercury Memorial was turning its rudder, the hull was a little floating, and the rudder efficiency was the most difficult to operate.

"Torpedo!" This time the observation whistle on the mast emitted trebles of octaves, which shows how dangerous the situation is.

In the face of danger, neither Eberhardt nor Mercury had any solution. It was basically impossible to turn the rudder again. Even now, the hull felt a little out of control due to its low rudder efficiency. Anyway, the political commissar's heart was completely raised, and he felt that he was just a fish to be slaughtered on the chopping board.

At that moment, time was almost frozen. The first torpedo passed through the stern of the ship. The second torpedo was disturbed by the wake of the stern of the ship. It deflected at one angle and was also staggered. However, the third torpedo was not disturbed at all. It rushed towards the hull of the Mercury Memorial without any obstacles, and it was likely to complete a brilliant explosion in the next second.

The time seemed to be very long, but it seemed very short. Just as Eberhardt and the political commissar were both angry and down the dantian and were ready to fight the impact of the explosion, a voice came from the observation whistle above his head: "Comrade Director, Comrade Political Commissar, the torpedo passed through the bottom of the ship..."

PS: Bow to thank Comrade Juventus and Comrade Potato for instant killing!
Chapter completed!