Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 375

Chapter 375: Chapter 62, The Joke of the Naval Community

The vast, boundless blue ocean was filled with waves that surged continuously, crashing against the rocks and letting out earth-shattering roars, spraying white foam into the air.

Russian Army Admiral Popov stood proudly on the gangway, listening to this moving symphony. In these days, he had led the Russian navy to annihilate many pirates, and his personal purse had swelled considerably.

The California Government was quite generous to this “protector.” Not only did they allow them to keep all the spoils of war for themselves, but they also offered tempting bounties.

Killing a pirate earned 50 US dollars, capturing one alive brought in 500 US dollars. Clearly, the California Government still worried about the Russians killing innocents to claim achievements, so they adjusted the bounty amounts, using high rewards to encourage the capture of pirates alive.

“General, the island ahead is St. Clement Island,” said American Navy Colonel Magill excitedly. “Just three days ago, a gang of pirates took over this place, posing a serious threat to our maritime security, you must eradicate these bastards.”

Magill’s deep loathing for pirates was not without reason. The number of American warships on the West Coast was limited, and they were gradually being depleted in the fight against pirates.

The navy’s failure to defeat the pirates had become a shame for the American Navy, and it was also a disgrace in his military career. Unfortunately, the main force of the American Navy was now on the East Coast, and the Federal government simply didn’t dare to divide their troops.

The few shipyards on the West Coast had not escaped pirate attacks, and even ship repair had become difficult, not to mention building new warships.

Now, they had to pin their hopes on the Russians. Admiral Popov’s fleet, though somewhat outdated, was still stronger than the ships Magill had initially used.

Before the Civil War broke out, the American government didn’t really prioritize armaments, and the limited navy was stationed on the East Coast. The West Coast hadn’t developed much at that time, and with no external threats, naturally, it wasn’t taken seriously.

All the American naval vessels on the entire West Coast, when added together, didn’t amount to twenty ships, with an average age of over 10 years, so it’s best not to mention their combat capabilities.

Of course, the navy was still the navy, always stronger than the pirates. Despite the backing of some powerful figures behind these pirates, no one was crazy enough to sell military ships to pirates.

In the early days of the war, they were still able to suppress the privateer fleets (pirates). But as the number of battles increased, these warships gradually wore down in the conflict, and in the end, they were suppressed by the pirates.

Now, with the help of the Russians, and at the strong request of the California Government, the American Navy and the Russians had formed an allied force, ready to eliminate the pirates who were entrenched in the archipelago of the straits.

Admiral Popov looked at Magill with disdain, then said carelessly, “Rest assured, they’re just a bunch of pirates.”

The overly confident Popov was unaware of what kind of enemy he was about to face and was thus stepping into the gates of hell.

…

“Lieutenant, our men are ready, just waiting for the Russians to take the bait,” said a pirate leader ingratiatingly.

“Shut up, Will, you idiot, you should be calling me captain now. If you reveal our identity, you’ll be facing a military court!” British Army Lieutenant Gernie scolded sternly.

This was no joke; the Royal Navy impersonating pirates would definitely cause an earthquake if word got out.

After all, those bigshots at the rear would never admit their identity, so this black pot would have to be carried by them alone.

If it weren’t for the Russians disrupting everyone’s money-making, they wouldn’t have taken such excessive measures.

Under the guise of pirates, annihilating a fleet of Russians would certainly slap the face of the Tsarist Government, but it would equally raise suspicions from outsiders.

The pirates on the West Coast were mostly those driven away from the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia by the Royal Navy, so naturally, their combat ability was rubbish.

If they had the strength to completely wipe out this Russian fleet, they would have landed and looted San Francisco already, why would they settle for merely robbing passing commercial ships?

Realizing his mistake, Will hurriedly corrected himself, “Yes, captain!”

Gernie glared at him, and said irritably, “Send someone to notify the other captains to get ready; they won’t be absent from this farce. Without professionals involved, how can we prove the strength of our pirate alliance?”

“Pirate Alliance”—that was the scapegoat the British came up with for this incident. If a bunch of scattered pirates had managed to defeat the Russian fleet, no one would believe such a tale.

In order not to cast doubt in the outside world, the behind-the-scenes manipulators put forward the idea of a Pirate Alliance. This explanation was much more plausible, even though the pirates’ strength was limited; but as they say, enough ants can kill an elephant.

As long as there was no clear evidence left behind, even if the Russians guessed they had been subjected to a covert operation, John Bull could cover it up.

…

Through his telescope, Major Gernie could see the Russian fleet approaching. Naturally, what awaited them were real pirates, and as the Royal Navy’s version of “pirates” lying in ambush behind the island, they certainly could not show themselves too early.

As long as the battle broke out, Gernie was not worried about the Russians escaping. After all, the Tsarist Government was poor. From the outbreak of the Near East war to the present, the Russian navy had been almost completely stagnant.

Of course, the great contributions of Admiral Mianshikov, with his army background, should not be overlooked.

Ever since he promoted the use of army drill manuals in the navy, the naval land combat capability of the Russian navy had increased significantly. Even because of better rations in the navy, the young men all developed strong physiques, and their combat effectiveness even surpassed that of most of the Russian Land Forces.

In terms of naval land combat capability, probably only Prussia, which had directly transformed its army into a navy, could compare, and other nations would have to rely on marine corps.

Luckily, the British were prepared to engage the Russians at sea. If they had waited for the Russians to land before fighting, they would have understood what peak naval land combat capability meant.

What gave Major Gernie confidence was the speed of the warships. The Tsarist Government could not afford to retrofit all its warships with steam engines, which would require a large investment and was not very economical.

Even John Bull, for all his financial clout, had only converted a part of his fleet. Sails still remained one of the main sources of power at the time; usually, when there was no rush, everyone preferred to use the cheaper form of energy.

For the complete annihilation of the Russians, John Bull had naturally sent out fast ships equipped with steam engines. When running at full speed, these warships could generally reach speeds of 14 to 17 knots.

On this fine day, with a gentle breeze blowing, if the Russian warships could make 10 knots, it would be akin to divine blessing. This was a gap of an era.

Upon seeing the pirates scurrying about in confusion, the very experienced Admiral Popov ordered, “Attack!”

Watching the pirates flee in all directions, Admiral Popov felt a great sense of achievement, as if it were the happiest moment of his life.

Without any hesitation, the Russian-American Joint Fleet pursued in the direction the pirates were fleeing, with danger closing in on them.

Soon they reached the turn of the island, and signals were sent from the pirate ships; the “pirates” lying in ambush to the north suddenly burst forth.

The roaring of the cannons appeared in an instant, stunning Admiral Popov. How could the enemy have an ambush?

Before he could comprehend the situation, the Russian-American Joint Fleet had fallen into a complete disadvantage on the battlefield; even the pirates who had previously scattered were now joining the combat.

Formations and the like ceased to exist. In their zeal to pursue the pirates, the Russian-American Joint Fleet had rushed in en masse and now, after being ambushed, they were in disarray.

Realizing something was wrong, the experienced American warships instinctively began to escape. This was a lesson they had learned over the past few years: if you can’t win, run as fast as you can.

Seeing his comrades fleeing, Popov was so angry that smoke seemed to be coming out of his ears. They were fighting on behalf of the Americans, and now that danger had struck, the Americans had taken off without a word.

“Retreat!” Popov gritted his teeth and ordered.

If they started to run now, they would be fortunate to get away with even half of their warships. Gunfire was still roaring; the “Moscow” warship was hit five times consecutively, finally meeting its solemn end as it slowly sank.

There was no need for orders from Popov; everyone on board had already begun to abandon ship on their own initiative. Cramped into lifeboats and waving white flags, they slowly moved away from the battlefield.