"Begin the attack!" When the two fleets drew within about 12 kilometers of each other, Bernard issued the firing command.
He didn't raise his voice; he simply gave a very ordinary command in the way he usually spoke.
The aide-de-camp hesitated for a moment, then snapped to attention, saluting as he loudly repeated the commander's order, "Fire!"
"Boom!" The battleship's main cannons, long since ready, roared almost simultaneously, although only one gun from each turret belched flame.
Seconds later, another elevated gun barrel also ejected flames. The deafening and overwhelming roar rose again as the blast wave from the guns dispersed the waves beside the ship's hull.
This sudden barrage took the Shen Hai Navy by surprise; they hadn't expected the Tang Army's cannons to start attacking from such a distance.
However, soon the shells began to fall, spouting water columns about two hundred meters from the Shen Hai Navy's battle line, posing virtually no threat.
