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

Chapter 361: Prelude to the Freeport Naval Battle

Half a month later, a speedboat full of engineers arrived at Freeport. These engineers were all from Grey Harbor, most of them were orcs, but there were also engineers from other races.

Long before the war began, a large number of engineers were stationed in the Gray Harbor.

First of all, the Grey Harbor itself is a place with huge industrial capacity. Many people who don't want to go to Biesund Port will choose here.

Secondly, when they heard about the war with the elves, many people in the colonies of the Elf Empire signed up enthusiastically, wanting to add their own strength to the fight against the elves. The city of Orila was too far away from the Troll Empire, so they all chose Gray Harbor in the end.

As the war on land became increasingly intense, many people with lofty ideals set out from Gray Harbor and headed for Freeport to do their part.

Therefore, before the naval battle began, many engineers had already gathered in the Free Port. Now the arrival of this batch of reinforcements has made the Free Port even more powerful.

After the engineers arrived at the Troll Empire, they quickly built a temporary repair station in the free port and began to maintain and modify the speedboat. They added many grooves on the deck to fix the flying thunder gun, and also added auxiliary sights for the flying thunder gun.

Afterwards, Bjorn and Hafdan also began training on the speedboats. At the same time, they also drew four steamships from the Orc Empire and temporarily installed a large number of firepower points. Since they were fighting near the coast, they did not need to consider things like supplies and range.

With these big guys as a foundation, even if the battle situation is unfavorable, they can barely maintain the front line and prevent the elven troops from landing on the coast of the Troll Empire.

Afterwards, Zhu Chongba also came to the Freeport with Bjorn and Haverdan.

Of course, he was not assisting the two in the naval battle! What he had to do was to ensure that if the Freeport fell, they would at least have enough power to prevent the elven troops from landing and prevent the city of Grom from being pierced from behind.

Looking at the warships docked in the harbor, Zhu Chongba was still a little worried.

Even compared to the warships transformed from orc merchant ships, the warships looked like pocket toys. You have to know that the size of the Elf Tree Ship is larger than the orc warships, and even larger than the Fuso-class warships of Aurora City.

Comparing the tonnage of the two, it was simply an asymmetric naval battle.

They want children to drive a big truck and use a toothpick to stir the water tank.

Not only Zhu Chongba, but other free port staff were also extremely worried.

But they finally chose to believe Bjorn and Haverdan, and believed in Furla who made the plan behind the scenes. After all, Furla had created so many miracles.

After a while, the elves' vanguard warships appeared on the sea level near the free port. From a distance, one could vaguely see the ancient trees towering on the ships.

The Saint Cyrux fleet has arrived and a naval battle is about to break out.

Although the scale of this naval battle could not be compared with the Endless Sea Battle more than a year ago, its importance far exceeded that of the Endless Sea Battle.

If the Endless Sea War was just two maritime powers fighting for dominance over a certain sea area, then this Freeport War will determine the future direction of the two countries.

Whoever wins this naval battle will establish the foundation for victory in the normal troll war, so both sides are putting in their best efforts.

On the elves' side, the entire Saint Selux fleet was dispatched, and the naval commander Hamilton personally went to the front line to command. On the Troll Empire's side, Zhu Chongba had mobilized all the forces that could be mobilized, and the entire Vienna Alliance also helped as much as possible.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the four vanguard warships of the Saint Cyrux fleet had arrived at the warning area of ​​Freeport. Haverdan put on his iconic white cloak and personally led the warships to fight.

Although the elves' vanguard force only had four ships, Haverdan did not dare to delay. He personally boarded the steamship, then ordered seventeen warboats, and rushed towards the enemy in a mighty manner.

Although steam ships are converted from merchant ships, they still have the necessary artillery and armor! Although the power system is a product of the previous generation, it is still usable after all, and the speed is almost the same as that of tree ships. It may not be able to withstand the entire fleet, but it should be enough to deal with the vanguard troops.

At 6 p.m., the two sides finally approached each other, and the sound of artillery fire resounded throughout the sky above the Free Port.

The battle to defend the free port has officially begun.

However, the first shot was not fired by Freeport, but by the elves.

Although the transformation of the elves' warships was forcibly interrupted, they were at least equipped with some artillery. In addition, their ships were heavy in tonnage, and the caliber of the artillery they were equipped with was much larger than that of the orcs' warships.

It’s a pity that although the range is long, the accuracy is far from enough.

The first cannon shot flew straight into the sea, creating a wave of moderate size.

Seeing this, the tree boats behind also took turns attacking the leaf-like boats. Unfortunately, due to the distance, the density of artillery was too sparse, so they could not cause any effective damage and all of them returned to the sea.

Judging from this accuracy, the elven fleet probably needs more than just the modification of firearms, but also personnel training. However, time does not allow them to do so.

Soon, the warships approached the tree boats, and they took turns bombing each other.

Although the firepower of a single warship was not strong, due to the large number of them, the shells flying from all directions instantly exploded on the tree boat, creating sparks.

Unfortunately, these sparks did not cause any damage to the tree ship because there were a large number of light shields surrounding the tree ship, just like the shields guarding the ancient trees. The only difference was that they were not as durable as those guarding the ancient trees.

After several rounds of volleys, more than a dozen light shields shattered into light fragments and dissipated in the air. The entire outer shell of the tree ship looked like a leaky roof.

The tree boat in the front was obviously frightened by the terrifying firepower, and turned its head and retreated in panic. At the same time, the three warships behind it rushed in from the rear.

The elves are so confident in the maneuverability of their tree ships that even the dwarves' mechanical cores cannot compete with them of the same tonnage.

But after the emergence of the steam engine, this situation was instantly reversed.

The steam engines on these warships were all the latest models from Orila City, and the core components were handcrafted by the magicians of Rainbow City. They could be said to be the most sophisticated and efficient machines in the entire main plane. With the surging power, the speed of the warships was directly one step ahead of the elves' tree ships. They attacked frantically around the retreating tree ships.

After several rounds of artillery bombardment, the light shield on the tree ship instantly became shattered. Although the divine magicians behind the vines were frantically pouring in divine power, they could not keep up with the speed of the shattering.

A shell landed on the deck and instantly ignited a raging fire. Although the fire was quickly extinguished, a large charred mark was left on the deck, and black ashes rose up.

Not long after, another shell hit the gap, and the extinguished flames rose again. The elf soldiers on the deck suddenly became flustered.

The approaching warship was constantly torn apart by the wolves. More and more places were on fire, and it would soon be sent into the sea.

But at the critical moment, the three warships in the rear had already rushed forward and protected the injured warship. The soldiers on both sides looked at each other on the side of the ship, and then quickly reloaded their ammunition.

Chapter 362: Victory in the First Battle

"attack!"

"attack!"

As the commanders on both sides issued orders at the same time, billowing smoke emerged from the gun muzzles on the side of the ship.

Boom boom boom!

The cannons on the warships fired one after another, instantly making the elven warship unable to raise its head. Although the firepower of a single warship was not strong, there were too many of them. In comparison, the cannons on the elven warships were much worse, and the intermittent bombardment could not cause much damage to the petite warships.

The elf commander knew very well that he would be the one who would suffer if he continued to shoot at the enemy, so the three warships started to move at full speed, trying to get close to the warship and attack it with vines. The vines on the side of the tree ship also began to stir.

Haverdan saw through the opponent's purpose at once and quickly ordered the warship to dodge in another direction to increase the distance from the elven warship. At the same time, his two steamships moved upward to confront the opponent.

Although the steamship is not as fast as the elves, it is equipped with sufficient firepower. Continuous artillery fire is heard, and streaks of tail flames draw arcs, shooting towards the elven warships in the distance.

boom!

A cannonball hit the sky above a tree boat. The high-speed falling cannonball actually penetrated the defense shield on top of the tree boat and smashed directly onto the deck. For a moment, the elf warriors on the deck lost their balance and began to shake. An unlucky soldier was even crushed into a pulp.

The power of a single shot is so terrifying.

This is just a steamship converted from a merchant ship. If it were the fleet of Orila City, how terrifying would its firepower be?

The elf commander knew that it was impossible to defeat the enemy's large number of warships with the strength of their four warships. Moreover, their purpose was just to test and spy on intelligence. Now that this goal has been achieved, after forcing the warships to retreat, the tree ship immediately turned around and began to move away.

If Haverdan had only merchant ships converted into warships, he would have no choice but to let the four warships leave at such a slow speed. But he had a highly maneuverable wolf pack, and they would not be satisfied unless they tore off a few pieces of meat from them.

The wolf pack, which had been preparing to evade, drew circles in the sea and chased the tree boat again. A small boat was obviously much easier to turn than a large boat. When the warships began to chase, the tree boat had only completed half of the turn, and when they finally completed the turn, they were surrounded by warships again.

Boom boom boom

The wolves surrounded the tree boat, constantly moving around and bombing, and soon black smoke began to rise from the two tree boats on both sides.

The elves' tree ships, from defense to driving, all rely on the divine power of the divine magicians. When the divine magicians are busy defending, the speed of the tree ships inevitably decreases. Seeing this, Haverdan immediately urged the steamboats to catch up and then launched an attack on the opponent.

Since the warboats were afraid of close attacks from the tree boats, they always kept a certain distance from them. This allowed Haverdan to bomb boldly without worrying about hitting their own people.

Seeing the fire on the tree ship getting bigger and bigger, the commander-in-chief of the vanguard fleet was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, but facing the rain of shells, they had no way to deal with it. More importantly, from the direction of the steamship in the distance, there were still terrifying shells flying in.

These cannonballs were not small water pipes from warships, and being hit by one was no joke. As the distance between the steamship and the tree boat got closer and closer, the cannon's hit rate became higher and higher.

A bitter choice was placed before the elf commander.

If they strengthened their defenses, their speed would inevitably become even slower. Once caught up by the steamship, I'm afraid no one in the entire team would be able to escape.

But if they gave up their defense and advanced at full speed, they might be torn to death by the wolves' fierce artillery fire before the steamship caught up with them.

In this situation, there is only one best option left - sacrifice a few of the warships to save the others.

This is the optimal solution in theory, but the key is... which warships should be sacrificed?

Hafdan was sure that the other party would definitely use this method to protect themselves at the critical moment, at least to send out the information here. In order to prevent them from having room for discussion, the warships tightly bit each other. If they could not communicate, a chain of suspicion would arise. After all, no one wanted to be the one sacrificed.

However, despite all of Hafdan's calculations, he had not expected that the Elf Empire's fleet had already developed a strategy to deal with the situation.

The vines on the four warships suddenly rose high. The surrounding warships thought the elves had some hidden cards, so they retreated to the side. However, they soon discovered that the vines did not seem to intend to attack them, but swept towards the flagship in the middle.

What's the point? Would they rather destroy their own ships than be conquered by artillery fire?

These vines were not attacking their flagship. They climbed up the side of the flagship and began to grow wildly. In an extremely short time, they built a green bridge between the two ships.

"The elves are planning to..." Harvdan in the distance dropped his jaw in shock, and then asked, "Abandon the ship to save the people?"

"That's impossible!" said a deputy. "Let's not talk about whether the flagship can hold as many people as possible. If the other abandoned warships are not manned by elves, what's the difference between them and abandoned coffins on the sea? We can just ignore them and continue to pursue."

Soon, groups of elves appeared on the green bridge and quickly evacuated towards the flagship under the gunfire. When the last elf jumped onto the warship, a soldier immediately picked up an axe and chopped off the bridge.

"Order the soldiers to attack in a roundabout way?" the deputy asked tentatively.

"No! Wait a minute..." Harvdan said, "The number of elves that escaped is wrong! Too few. How could there be only so few sailors on a whole ship? Those tree ships are still capable of fighting. Tell them not to underestimate the enemy!"

"Yes!"

Sure enough, not all the elves escaped. There were still many sailors staying on the abandoned tree boats, continuously firing at the surrounding warships. If they had rashly entered the vicinity of the tree boats just now, the consequences would have been disastrous.

After the green corridor was cut open, the flagship in the middle suddenly started to run at full speed and charged forward at an incredible speed. Not only that, the artillery fire that landed on its head was blocked by the light shield. A light shield was just broken and quickly replaced.

In contrast, the speed of the surrounding warships was getting slower and slower, and their light shields were not replenished after being broken.

"I see." Hafdan said, "They only evacuated a few officers and divine magicians, and the remaining ordinary soldiers were ordered to stay in the warship. They became abandoned pawns to protect the main force!"

"Hmph! The commander can't even stand together with his men. The elves' navy is just like this." The adjutant on the side sneered.

"Tell the front that there is no need to chase that warship. With so many divine magicians gathered together, we may not be able to penetrate their defenses even if we catch up. Find a way to stop the remaining three warships and tow them back."

"As you command!"

"And..." Hafdan thought for a moment, then said, "Try to capture them alive. We are not elves, and we never engage in massacres."

Chapter 363: Know Yourself and Know Your Enemy

The battle lasted just over an hour before it was over.

Without the divine magician, the elves' tree boat lost its greatest support. The broken light shield could no longer be repaired, and its speed gradually decreased. Finally, it was like a helpless wooden board, floating alone on the sea dyed by the sunset.

The designer of the treeboat obviously did not consider what to do once all the divine magicians on board died, so there were no sails, no oars, and no power on the treeboat at all, and it could only drift around on the waves.

Even without these warships in front of them, the elf soldiers left behind on the ship might not be able to go back on their own.

People who don’t know might think that these remaining elf soldiers are warriors worthy of admiration, and their deeds will even be sung in the Elf Empire and become heroes.

But Hafdan, who was familiar with the nature of elves, knew very well that these soldiers were probably asked to stay. They were forced to use their lowly lives to exchange for the survival of those noble ones.

This is why Haverdan asked for mercy.

They may also be victims of the war, and I believe the Elf Guild can handle them better.

Without any defense, the tree boat was soon riddled with holes, and each firing point was hit hard by the warboat. Almost all the artillery equipment was pulled out, leaving only archers shooting arrows in vain.

If there were sharpshooters, their arrows might be able to cause some damage to the warship, but the arrows of ordinary soldiers could not cause any harm to the concrete shell at such a long distance.

In the end, the elven archers gave up even the necessary resistance. The soldiers on the warships easily boarded the tree boats and captured all the elven soldiers inside.

This was the largest number of elves captured since the start of the Troll War. There were more than 500 elves on the three ships. They were escorted to the Freeport one by one on warships, and then temporarily imprisoned in the dungeon.

As the shadow of the dungeon fell on their faces, every elf showed a look of despair, and some elves began to cry. They didn't know what the cruel and barbaric trolls would use to entertain them.

But at this time, Haverdan had no time to take care of them. He had more important things to do, that is, these three huge tree boats.

Among the three tree boats, one had been hit by the most firepower and was riddled with holes and began to tilt to one side. Although the other two were charred all over, their main structures were not damaged, so they took great pains to pull them to the vicinity of the free port.

"How is it? Can we make them move?" Haverdan asked the mechanic beside him.

"Are you kidding me?" The mechanic said unhappily, "What do you think a battleship is? Can it move just by saying so? The elves can propel them by relying on the countless vines hidden under the ship, while ours is powered by a steam engine. The systems on both sides are completely different."

"What if we equip it with a steam engine?"

"What do you think a steam engine is? Can it be used after it is installed? There is no transmission device, power furnace, chimney... What can it do without?" The mechanic was already looking at Haverdan with contempt. It was like a developer, helplessly looking at the various rude demands made by a clueless product manager.

"What if it's a modification?" Haferdan said, "It would be a waste to just leave such a big shell aside as a decoration."

"Sure!" said the mechanic. "Give me a shipyard, skilled workers, designers, and a complete shipbuilding system. We will definitely be able to complete the transformation for you. But it will probably take a year to complete the transformation. As long as you can wait."

"Well..." Hafdan said helplessly, "Then let's sink it, lest some elves lurk up there and cause trouble."