What's wrong with building a steel torrent in a dungeon?

In this way, the dwarf's Endless Ocean Fleet, a total of nearly 80 warships, lined up in a column in the port of Wal. The visual effect was very shocking.

After watching the military parade, both the Northern Alliance and the Chinese Alliance cast sympathetic and gloating glances toward Fran.

No force will suffer any consequences if it angers the dwarves on the sea.

The Pampas Empire where Allende was located had angered the dwarves. The dwarves only sent twenty warships to destroy the naval power of the Pampas Empire and then blockaded the entire coastline of the Pampas Empire. No goods could flow in from the sea. Not only that, the dwarves also continued to attack the buildings along the coast. In just one month, all the cities along the coast of the Pampas Empire were reduced to ruins.

Today, the city of Orilla relies on the sea far more than the Pampas Empire, and Fran's factories also rely on overseas raw materials. If they follow the same approach, and the entire Endless Ocean fleet attacks the port of Bieson together, the emerging power of the city of Orilla will probably be destroyed.

Several forces of the Vienna Alliance wrote to Fran, asking if she needed help. The orcs even said that if Fran needed it, they would directly attack the dwarves! New and old accounts are settled together.

Fran was very grateful to the orcs, but she also knew that the real battlefield was on the sea. Even if the dwarves really launched an attack, it would not help the battle situation much. Instead, it might give the Chinese Alliance an opportunity to counterattack.

The powerful sea force gave the dwarves great confidence! So the dwarves told Fran to surrender immediately and cede land and pay compensation! Otherwise, they would not only find the Feather Tribe and kill them all, but also go straight to Huanglong and destroy the entire Biesong Port.

For a time, the entire Biesund port was in chaos, and the prices of various commodities soared. The price increase of raw materials also led to panic buying by various forces, and the demand for Vienna coins also soared sharply.

The price increase of various raw materials also led to price increases for producers, and the strongest producer in the world was naturally Orila City. If it weren't for Fran hoarding a large amount of raw materials in the warehouse, I'm afraid many of her production lines would have been forced to stop working, because every piece produced could be a loss.

Fran knew that no matter what, she had to stabilize the port of Bieson first!

Want to pursue stability! It is obviously impossible to show weakness to the dwarves. The more you show weakness, the greater the final loss will be. The appetite and greed of the dwarves are not something that the city of Aurora can satisfy. Then the only way to maintain stability is to resolutely resist the dwarves and let everyone see Fran's determination to maintain her own interests.

In this way, Fran assembled all the ships that could fight, and gathered more than 20 warships in total. Half of them were Yukikaze-class warships, and the rest were either warships converted from merchant ships (many of Fran's merchant ships were equipped with steam engines and artillery), or previous technology verification ships, and there were even warships with artillery installed on sailing ships.

On the other hand, the dwarves had more than sixty warships heading north to attack the city of Aurora, accounting for more than half of the entire Endless Ocean Fleet. These included two Ares-class warships and ten Ironwall-class warships. The remaining warships sailed towards the direction of the Feather Clan.

Over the years, no other force except the elves has ever caused the dwarves to dispatch such a large fleet.

However, there were more enemies in Fran. Seeing this, the forces of the Huameng also sent their own navy to support the dwarves. As a result, the city of Orila had more than 40 more enemy sailing ships.

Twenty warships against a hundred warships, and the enemy's tonnage is much higher than ours!

The disparity in this naval war is even greater than the Northern Alliance War that took place more than a year ago. Moreover, in the last war, at least they had allies such as Margaret and the orcs on their side, but this time they can only rely on themselves completely.

Chapter 243 Know Yourself and Know Your Enemy

"City Lord, there's really no need for you to come here in person."

On the flagship, Harald's eldest son Bjorn looked at Fran and said helplessly.

"why?"

"The navy is not like the army!" Bjorn said. "On land, if you are defeated, you can still break through and escape, but on the sea, you are useless! We can't lose you right now."

"Don't worry! I won't die that easily!" Fran looked at the vast sea and said, "And if we really lose the war, it won't matter where I flee to. Once the trade route of Orila City is cut off, everything will be over."

Everyone was silent.

The aggressive dwarf fleet has already set off and will arrive near the Calradia continent in a few weeks. However, the only good news is that they don't seem to be in a hurry to find the Feather Tribe, after all, the Feather Tribe's island will not move! And as long as Fran is defeated, the Feather Tribe will have nowhere to escape even if they want to.

Fran's warships soon arrived at Beichen Island, an island near Biesund Harbor.

This is the closest supply island to the port of Biesson. Its sovereignty belongs to the Duchy of Biesson, but it was occupied and developed by the Venetians in its early years. The Duke of Biesson had no naval power and could only allow the Venetians to occupy the island.

However, the situation changed after Fran became the new Duke of Bieson. The Venetians knew that with Fran's character and strength, if she wanted to take back the island, they would definitely not be able to refuse, so they might as well sell it for a good price.

So these Venetian merchants took the initiative to find Fran, and then returned the island to Fran for 300,000 magic crystal coins.

Fran Jian didn't bother with the other party because he was so sensible. After all, the Venetians had been building there for so many years and had built a lot of infrastructure. He could just regard the 300,000 as the cost of repairing their infrastructure.

After that, Fran built Beichen Island into the most important island near Bieson Harbor. Not only did she store a large amount of coal, food, fresh water and other necessary materials for sailing on the island, she also secretly armed it with artillery and built it into the gateway to Bieson Harbor. Often, the fleet of Orila City would use this as a base to patrol around and protect the peace and tranquility of the surrounding waters.

After arriving at Beichen Island with Christina, Fran immediately summoned the naval generals and held a meeting.

"Beichen Island is the gateway to Bieson Port. We must defend it! Otherwise, the dwarf fleet will march straight in!" said Fran.

At this time, Harald's other son, Haverdan, who was wearing a white shirt, raised his hand and said, "Don't worry, City Lord! We are ready! We will stand together with Beichen Port! But..."

"Just what?"

Hafdan paused, then said, "It's just that you, the city lord, really don't need to risk your life to come here! And you made such a loud speech. If the dwarves knew about it... I'm afraid they would rush here directly."

"You're right!" Fran said, "I just want the dwarf to rush over."

"Why?" Bjorn and Halfdan looked at Fran.

"The dwarves are not fools. What if they bypass Beichen Island and attack Bieson Port directly?" Fran said.

"Uh..." Several generals looked at each other.

"The Port of Bieson is our cargo transit center and a capital distribution center! Capital is like the most sensitive canary. They will leave at the slightest sign of trouble! If they leave, it will bring immeasurable damage to the entire Orila City and the entire Viennese Alliance! So we must try our best to isolate the war from the Port of Bieson and prevent it from suffering any losses."

"In that case! We should just attack the dwarf fleet directly! Fight to the death in the Endless Ocean! Don't let them get close to the continent of Calradia!" Hafdan patted his chest, but was soon stepped on by someone.

Bjorn glanced at his brother and said, "Now most of our forces have gone to help the Feather Tribe. The warships staying in the port are not all our forces! How dare you go out and have fun at this time? If we lose, even if it's just a narrow victory, it will be very disadvantageous in the future."

Fran nodded and said, "Bjorn is right! Although our naval power has improved rapidly in recent times, our foundation is still far behind that of the old naval empire. Moreover, we don't know the actual combat effectiveness of the dwarf fleet yet. It's always better to be cautious! With the island's defense facilities, at least our chances of winning will be better."

"So the city lord wants to use himself as bait to lure the dwarves over." Bjorn said, "With the cooperation of the artillery on the island, our pressure will be much less."

"We can't help it. Before Mr. Harald comes back, we only have these twenty warships at our disposal! We can't fight the dwarves in a war of attrition!"

The generals nodded helplessly, and then began to make the final deployment before the war began.

These twenty-odd warships are not as good as mass-produced regular warships. There is a big gap between their speed and firepower. This also means that the commander must deploy the formation more reasonably to allow each warship to play its advantages.

Of course, they still have two trump cards in their hands at this time.

The first is the firepower deployment of Beichen Island. These artillery pieces were built in secret. No one except the core personnel knows how strong the current firepower is! If used properly, it will bring a fatal blow to the dwarves.

The second trump card is the Feather Tribe!

Almost all of the more than one hundred Feather Tribe members who arrived with Peter Sheleko had rich experience in "plundering". In other words, they were all warriors and had a deep hatred for the dwarves! Therefore, not long after arriving in Orila City, these Feather Tribe members all joined the navy, began to try to use firearms, and learned new ways of fighting.

Although the dwarf warships are covered with iron armor, their decks are still mainly made of wood, and they have never had the habit of defending against air attacks (after all, there is no air power in this world). If used properly, these more than one hundred Feathered Warriors will have a miraculous effect.

Every day, dense artillery sounds can be heard around Beichen Island, feathered creatures flap their wings in the air, and sailors coordinate with each other in various tactical moves.

With the help of the Feather Tribe, the whereabouts of the dwarf fleet is no longer a secret! Every day the Feather Tribe would set out from Beichen Island and observe the movements of the dwarf fleet from afar in the sky. The dwarves had no way to deal with this. It was obviously impossible for them to use city crossbows to attack the enemy far away. This also made them give up the possibility of deception and sneak attacks, and they could only send their army directly forward.

Chapter 244: Decisive Battle

Dwarf, flagship of the Endless Ocean Fleet.

In the cabin, several dwarves began arguing over a map.

"Excuse me, attacking Star Island right now is not a very good option." A dwarf dressed as a fleet commander said, "I still believe that our primary target is Bieson Harbor, which is the lifeblood of Orila City."

"Captain Laferon!" A dwarf dressed as a priest said, "Don't forget that Fran is on Star Island. The enemy's main fleet is also stationed there. As long as we capture this island, the war will end immediately."

The other dwarf captains also nodded.

"Flan is not a fool! Since she dares to go to Xingchen Port at this time, she must be confident." Laferon shook his head and said, "We know nothing about the enemy now! The information about Fran's naval strength and Xingchen Island's firepower deployment is close to zero. But Biesong Port is different! Our spies have figured out the firepower configuration of Biesong Port. The defense there is weak now, which is just right for us to raid."

"Don't forget that Biesund is a trading port! It's not just the Chamber of Commerce of the Vienna Alliance that trades there, but also the Chamber of Commerce of our Huameng Alliance. Rashly looting such a commercial port will be very detrimental to our public opinion. I think those elves must be ready to attack us in public opinion and portray us as barbarians."

"We are not going to plunder the Port of Bieson!" Laferon said, "We just need to occupy the Port of Bieson! It is not only a trade port, but also the military port of Orila City! After occupying the Port of Bieson, this so-called Star Island will be without a foundation!"

"You think things are too simple!" said the dwarf priest. "Don't forget that the army of Orila City is equipped with a large number of firearms. We are invincible at sea, but it may not be the case on land, especially without golems! Have you forgotten that they have even defeated the elves?"

"Okay..." Laferon sighed, then said, "I admit that what you said just now makes sense. But... I still don't agree with attacking Beichen Island rashly. I still suggest launching a wave of exploratory attacks first! Find out the performance of the battleships of Orila City and the firepower configuration on the island!"

"Captain Laferon!" the dwarf priest said, "You are too cautious! What are you afraid of? You are now commanding the strongest fleet in the world! Are you afraid of just a few wooden planks?"

"But..." Laferon said, "There's nothing wrong with being cautious! We have sufficient supplies and plenty of time. There's no need to take such a big risk. There's no benefit for us to end the war one day earlier."

"Who said there are no benefits?" The dwarf priest said, "Politically, the benefits are huge! We haven't had such a big naval battle for more than 20 years. Many forces are suspicious of us just like they are suspicious of the elves, wondering if our warships have rusted and if our combat effectiveness has declined. We must win a crushing victory to prove ourselves!

"The strong don't need to rush to prove themselves!" said Laferon.

"Humph!" The dwarf priest's face immediately turned cold, and then he said: "Hall of Valor sent me here not only to repair your mechanical core! The general direction of command is also under my control! You must listen to me!"

After saying this, Laferon lowered his head. His tone softened significantly, and then he said, "Of course I know the full responsibility of the commander. I just want to remind you."

"I don't need your reminder! We will launch an attack the day after tomorrow morning! We will destroy all the warships in Orila City in one fell swoop, capture Beichen Island, and capture Fran alive!" The dwarf priest said, "Please strictly follow my orders, understand? Captain Laferon."

"Yes, Your Excellency the Priest." Laferen said helplessly.

"The meeting is dismissed!"

Surrounded by a group of clergymen, the dwarf priest left the cabin with an air of superiority.

Coming to the deck, he said angrily: "This Laferon is really going backwards! He is so cautious about attacking a small city like Orila. No wonder the Endless Ocean Fleet has not achieved any victory in the past few decades under his leadership and has completely become a guard for caravans! How can our powerful Dwarf Empire allow such a coward to be the captain?"

In the cabin, Laferon sighed heavily and said, "If you don't understand the real situation of the navy, but you hold the power of the navy, something will go wrong sooner or later. The chaos within the Imperial Navy is caused by these people."

"What about us? Not following the orders of that damn priest?" asked Laferen's adjutant.

"We have to execute it." Laferon sighed, and then said: "With their interference, our Navy Department has no autonomy except for the South China Sea Fleet. Deploy according to the orders of our priest, but you must privately organize six javelin warships for me. After the battle begins, they will leave the battlefield as a reserve. If something unexpected really happens, we will have to rely on them."

"clear!"

Star Island.

"From the current situation, the dwarf fleet has no intention of attacking Björn Harbor." Björn said, "Their tactics are very simple and crude. They just attack here directly."

"This is a good thing!" Fran said, "But we can't help but be on guard. What if they are just feinting..."

"Don't worry!" Haferdan said, "We have left a reserve team. If the enemy still does not split up their forces when the battle starts, the reserve team will directly join the battlefield!"

"Okay!" Fran said, "I don't understand naval affairs! When the battle begins, the supreme command will be handed over to you, Bjorn! I, an outsider, will not interfere!"

"Yes! I will lead our warships to a glorious victory!" Bjorn saluted Fran.

The next evening.

The dwarf warships can be seen on the beach of Xingchen Island. Those Ares-class warships are like giants, marching towards this side slowly and heavily. In the bunkers on the beach, countless ammunition has been transported over and the gunners are ready. On both sides of Beichen Island, twenty warships are hidden deep in the night, like hungry wolves waiting for their prey to appear.

At the dawn of the third day, the dwarf warships were already clearly visible.

Two Ares-class warships were in formation, with mountain-like crossbows on the towering sides. Crossbow arrows made of fine iron were placed on the crossbows, waiting for the order to pour forward. Under the shadow of these two warships were a group of javelin-class warships. Although they were small in size, they were extremely fast.

This is also the dwarfs' usual tactic, using the Javelin-class battleships to disrupt the enemy's line at lightning speed, delaying the enemy's main naval force, and then the slow Ares-class battleships press on and crush the opponent with powerful firepower.

This tactic can be said to be invincible.

However, such tactics are often used against navies that are far inferior to their own. Even the elves' tree ships are far inferior to them in long-range attacks.

But now, the Xingchen Island beach was densely covered with a large number of artillery. Because it was a shore-based battle, the caliber of these artillery was very large, and the artillerymen were eager to try and compete with the opponent's God-given city crossbow.

The battle has begun!

Chapter 245: Artillery Versus City Crossbows

"For the glory of the dwarves! Charge! Brave warriors!"

After the priest of the Hall of Valor prayed, fifteen Javelin-class warships and five Ironwall-class warships formed the vanguard and took the lead in attacking the beach on the south bank of Beichen Island. The south bank was the most suitable landing location on Beichen Island, and most of the important facilities (ports, headquarters) were also built near the south bank, so it became the first choice for the outbreak of war.

At this time, the twelve warships stationed on the south bank were led by Bjorn. These twelve warships were a mix of Yukikaze-class warships, merchant ships, and even sailing ships. The images of the different warships were very different, and those who didn't know would think they were in a warship museum. Such a scene made the dwarves on the opposite side burst into laughter.

There were so many different types of warships in the same fleet! It seemed that the enemy was a mob, so they had no scruples and launched an attack on the twelve mixed warships. However, they had just sailed halfway when bursts of gunfire suddenly rang out on the beach.

"What?"

Although the dwarf commanders had never used artillery in person, they still knew something about it! Firing so early, did they mean they were already within the artillery's range? Impossible!

They had also studied the Feruman War and the Battle of Oliragle, and had a general understanding of the range of artillery! But how come the range of artillery increased so much in less than a year? This must be Fran's bluff! Delay their offensive! However, the flying shells ruthlessly shattered their fantasy.

Boom boom boom!

At such a long distance, the accuracy of the shells was not very high, and most of the shells hit the water, with only two shells hitting the target. But just two shells that hit the target were enough to intimidate the dwarves.

One of the shells smashed through the deck of a javelin-class warship, killing and wounding the sailors in the cabin, and the speed instantly slowed down. Another cannonball hit the side of an Ironwall-class warship. The round shell failed to penetrate the iron armor on the side of the ship, but it also left a huge dent on the armor. The powerful impact instantly moved all the dwarves.

This... this artillery is too powerful!

This was the first time that the dwarves had come face to face with the power of artillery on the battlefield. Even though they had seen descriptions of artillery countless times in records and intelligence before, they were still shocked when they experienced it personally. Moreover, the dwarves' information about artillery usually came from field battles.

In order to improve mobility, the size of field artillery cannot be too large, and its power is strictly limited. However, shore-based artillery mounted on land has no such restrictions, and naturally the caliber can be as large as possible! Its power and range are obviously not comparable to field artillery. The firepower of the shore-based artillery obviously exceeded the dwarf's expectations. The commander of the vanguard force was a little panicked, but the speed of the warship had increased at this time. Even if he wanted to, he dared not slow down. Once he slowed down or turned, he might hit the warship next to him, and it was more likely to cause the entire fleet to fall into chaos. In desperation, they had to grit their teeth and move forward to attack.

After a slight adjustment, the artillery fired again.

As the distance got closer, the accuracy of the artillery became higher. This time, four shells hit the warships, including the one that was blown through the deck and slowly stopped. For a moment, wailing sounded on the sea, and the warship that was hit by the second shell began to leak, and the hull slowly tilted. Round after round of artillery ruthlessly crushed the dwarf warships. One third of the twenty warships were destroyed in an instant, but they were also close to the warships of Orila City. The duel between warships was finally about to begin! Fran looked at the behemoths on the sea, and her heart was about to jump into her throat. The dwarf warriors cheered and began to adjust the city crossbows on the side of the ship.

Finally, we have a chance to show who is the best! Let me show you the power of the overlord of the sea!

"Go! For the glory of Orila City!"

"Go! For the glory of the dwarves."

Bjorn piloted the flagship Solomon and led the attack on the fleet, while the warships behind him were lined up in a row.