The kingdom's ships are powered by both oars and sails, with large ballistae and catapults mounted on the deck.

The empire's ships use bottom-flipper power;

This power setup allows the empire's ships to place ballista ports where oars were previously mounted;

while a sophisticated catapult replaces the ballistae on the deck.

If equipped with magic ballistae on the ship, the destructive power will surely be more terrifying.

However, for the royal family of Inran to wage this war, a considerable amount of money has already been spent and there is no more budget for acquiring magic ballistae.

In contrast, Dibiles, which is less than half the size of Inran in territory, still has money in its treasury that can be used for military expenses.

Comparing the two, it is not difficult to know:

While Inran is stronger in overall national strength than Dibiles, its economic capabilities are actually somewhat inferior to the latter.

In other words, if a prolonged war were to be fought, Inran, while maintaining current military spending, would inevitably collapse internally before the enemy.

Unable to sustain long-term consumption with the enemy, Inran is thinking of resolving the conflict quickly;

Hence, this young knight commander plans to determine victory or defeat in one battle, and is determined to completely destroy the opposing naval forces today!

Le Song once proposed an offensive strategy:

Regardless of which continent's fleet, many wooden warships will always be included in the formation;

So, the catapults on warships should not be used to hurl stones, but rather to launch flaming oil bombs;

Thus, when the catapults unleash their barrage, the wooden warships hit will ignite immediately.

The catapults on the Empire's warships can launch ten-pound oil bombs up to four hundred meters, undoubtedly a form of long-range attack.

Upon the azure sea, every launch by the Empire's fleet forms an elegant arc in the sky.

When the distance between the two sides is beyond ballista range, the Empire's fleet seizes the initiative to launch thousands of oil bombs first.

For the kingdom's fleet, it becomes a beautiful yet disastrous meteor shower.

At the start of the naval battle, the kingdom's fleet's flanks suffered heavy losses.

Subsequently, the kingdom's ships turned around, attempting to break through the enemy's fleet.

However, the Empire's utilization of the vast sea kept their fleet at a safe distance from the kingdom's ships for a considerable amount of time.

The kingdom's fleet's catapults could not match the enemy fleet's longer range and could only passively endure the attacks.

Retreating would result in being pursued; launching a desperate assault may momentarily catch up with the enemy, leading to a dire situation.

The kingdom's burning warships, enveloped in billowing smoke, had to come to a halt.

On the deck, soldiers, also ablaze, were forced to jump into the sea.

For a moment, the sea resembled a boiling pot, and the soldiers of the kingdom rolled about in the "pot" like dumplings.

Many small boats were lowered to rescue the fallen, but many were destined never to return to shore.

The Empire's warships held the advantage in range, so the kingdom's ships had to approach the targets to launch effective counterattacks.

To reverse their unfavorable situation, Andrexis undertook a highly risky maneuver.

He directed his flagship to move away from the protection of surrounding friendly ships, acting as bait to lure the Empire's warships closer.

"Your Excellency, as long as we have a safe haven, why risk it?"

"Yeah, while our losses aren't too great, let's choose to retreat quickly so we have the capital to deal with the enemy in the future."

"This battle, it's already close to impossible for us to win!"

The three monarchs' suggestions were listened to by Andrexis with seriousness, but he was not prepared to adopt them.

His mind was made up, and if he couldn't win today, he had no intention of returning to his homeland alive.

Andrexis was so stubborn because he saw too clearly.

He knew: if they could not gain control of the seas in this naval battle, Dibiles wouldn't survive until the next incursion from the kingdom's forces, and would be conquered by enemy nations.

If the motherland no longer existed in the future, Andrexis would have no way to repay his debt; in such a scenario, he would rather die at sea today!

"If you encounter danger, find a way to save yourselves. As for me---"

Clang!

The sharp Western sword was drawn, Andrexis tightly gripped his sword, the determination in his bloodshot eyes showing resolve.

"I'll stake my life on this, to fight for that slim chance of victory."

With that, his gaze locked onto an enemy ship approaching the flagship, and he swung his sword forward in a decisive move.

"Crack," a blinding light shone forth as his sword sliced through the opposing medium-sized ship.

After this onslaught, the enemy ship rapidly sank;

the Imperial soldiers on board met their fate, falling into the sea without a chance to struggle.

"Come, you little pups from the enemy forces, let me teach you what it means to fight with everything you have!"

Following that attack, Andrexis provocatively directed his challenge towards all the enemies on the surrounding ships.

One advantage the Empire's forces did not possess was in the individual combat prowess of their strongest knight commander, who, while not at the pinnacle of an "Army Breaker," was at least considered an upper-tier combatant.

Due to Andrexis' daring efforts, the kingdom's fleet eventually managed to "lock onto" some of the enemy's warships;

the soldiers on board began using their catapults to hurl torches, oil fire bombs, and other projectiles, attempting to set fire to some of the Empire's ships.

After that, both sides found themselves within the firing range of each other's ballistae.

Upon observation, Andrexis noticed:

The enemy warships were maximizing their firepower as much as possible from their broadside.

The kingdom's ships steamed ahead, using their sturdy bows to smash into the enemy vessels broadside, hoping to breach their defenses.

Just as the tides seemed to turn in their favor, Andrexis made a critical error at this juncture:

He believed the enemy's ships' decks only had long-range catapults and lacked close-quarters combat equipment.

Therefore, he ordered his soldiers to launch a device called the "pincer."

This device, akin to a mechanical arm, could clamp onto enemy vessels, while a thick rope on the other end could be used to draw the ships closer.

Andrexis had misjudged the combat capabilities of the enemy's ships, and he would soon pay a heavy price for it.

When the kingdom's sailors launched the "pincer," there was a moment of apprehension among the knights, followed by sheer elation.

Using signal flags, he instructed all ships to momentarily conceal the ballistae on the sides of their hulls and create an illusion of being unable to resist being drawn closer.

Preparing for a boarding battle was always the norm in naval warfare.

The kingdom's generals loudly encouraged their sailors.

Sailors secured the rope on the other end of the "pincer" to a winch and began turning it with all their might.

As their ship closed in on the enemy's warship, the kingdom's soldiers armed themselves, ready for the imminent boarding combat.

When the ships were pulled together, a fierce melee ensued.

The numerous kingdom's soldiers believed:

They were about to leap onto the enemy's decks and engage in hand-to-hand combat by any means necessary, besides using fire tactics.

As the two fleets closed in, numerous Empire warships were encumbered by the "pincer," gradually shortening the distance between the two sides.

Despite many of their own ships being hit by oil bombs during this process, Andrexis still believed:

Victory would surely belong to their side!

He personally shot the "pincer" and "grabbed hold" of the enemy flagship, the "Mermaid Princess."

The two flagships drew closer, and soon, the knight commander and Andrexis could clearly see each other's faces.

Tens of thousands of kingdom's soldiers gathered, awaiting the moment of collision.

Just then!

"This is the Empire's victory... Signal to fire all cannons, all cannons!"

With an order from the knight commander, the ship being dragged along, the "Mermaid Princess," unleashed an unprecedented force;

The flagship veered across, aligning its broadside with the bow of the "Sea Knight."

The three monarchs were stunned.

According to their understanding:

The catapults on the enemy's ships should have been rendered ineffective at such close range.

Consequently, the actions taken by the enemy at this moment were tantamount to courting disaster;

In the next second, the "Sea Knight" would cleave the "Mermaid Princess" in two!

The three monarchs and all the kingdom's soldiers had these thoughts.

However, in the next moment, the situation took a unexpected turn.

The broadside of the "Mermaid Princess" revealed five tiers of windows, with a multitude of densely-packed windows, numbering at least a couple hundred.

"Are they trying to extend oars to escape?"

One monarch raised a question, and his companion informed him:

"That's impossible; with the distance between the two sides so close now, they wouldn't have the time..."

Before the sentence could be fully spoken, the panicked cry of the sailors echoed in the ears of the aristocrats:

"Ballistae, it's ballistae!"

"What!?"

The monarchs could hardly believe their eyes, but the scene unfolding before them was indeed real.

Through the open windows of the "Mermaid Princess," they could clearly see the ballistae inside, large bolts gleaming menacingly.

In an instant, the windows emitted smoke from the cannons' discharge, igniting the bolts soaked in oil.

With a swish, a rumble, a snap.

The "Sea Knight" was hit by over a hundred bolts; the kingdom's soldiers prepared for melee combat on the foredeck were all knocked down by the impact force.

As they got back on their feet, Commander Andrexis bore several new wounds.

Were it not for his formidable strength, facing the simultaneous onslaught of over a hundred bolts, he would have surely perished on the spot.

Death did not frighten him;

But dying meaninglessly, especially as a defeated enemy, was something he could not bear.

"It's not over yet! I can't allow the enemy to win like this..."

With determination, Andrexis straightened the knee that had just bent, much like an injured lion gearing up for a final stand.

Just as the kingdom's soldiers were feeling relieved and grateful for the king's survival, they felt an irresistible force surging up from the deck.

Shortly after, many of them witnessed a forceful impact to the back of their comrades' heads, then everything went dark as they lost consciousness.

It turned out that the ballistae on the fifth level of the "Mermaid Princess" had been elevated.

The powerful bolts swept across the entire foredeck of the "Sea Knight";

Some bolts even flew into the air, carrying the bodies of the kingdom's soldiers.

At this moment, the front of the "Sea Knight" completely caught fire.

The imperial army, through powerful crossbows, shot out sharp bolts, tearing through the hull of the "Sea Knight" with its devastating force.

One bolt swept through six layers of cabins on the "Sea Knight," killing a large number of rowing sailors inside, causing the cabins to catch fire as well.

The flagship was on the brink of destruction, while the "Pliers" had lost its manpower.

Now, the "Mermaid Princess" suppressed the strongest opponent and was about to eliminate it in an instant.

The imperial fleet of warships opened the windows of the gunwales, firing countless burning bolts from the crossbows.

Before long, the royal navy's ships were all catching fire, burning, and sinking.

Fragments, debris, bodies, floated in the sea in large numbers.

The tide has turned!

The once mighty warship that dominated the entire western sea couldn't help the fleet turn the tide in this naval battle.

The vassal states faced devastation, the main forces were on the verge of collapse, and a disastrous defeat in the naval battle...

Everything seemed to prove that the great nation with a long history was on the verge of complete annihilation.

Before an empire, an era ends, sacrifices seem always necessary.

Perhaps the royal navy's thousand warships were the first batch of sacrifices.