Seven o'clock, east of Watcher Strait.
The gun battle had raged for over two hours, fiercely contested but not yet tragic.
From start to finish, the five Queen Yisha-class Battleships had blocked the exit of Maze Channel, keeping the engagement distance over ten kilometers. Whenever the 21st Sub-fleet tried to press in, seeking to steal the T position or attempt to break through the channel at speed, the Fast Battle Squad would perform tactical maneuvers to pose a stance for a decisive fight, forcing the 21st Sub-fleet back. No matter how the 21st Sub-fleet wrangled, the Fast Battle Squad responded with constancy to every change.
It had to be admitted that Betty was a Fleet Commander of unwavering will, with very clear objectives.
The Fast Battle Squad was not willing to come out, and the 21st Sub-fleet didn't take the risk.
The time for a desperate breakout had not yet come.
After nightfall, unless blocked, the Fast Battle Squad definitely couldn't maintain a blockade ten kilometers from Maze Channel with artillery fire to prevent the 21st Sub-fleet from breaking out under the cover of darkness.
Because the Main Force Squad of the Domestic Fleet was inside Watcher Strait, if the Fast Battle Squad were to blockade, they would inevitably be caught between two fires.
If it were possible to annihilate the Fast Battle Squad, taking down five Fast Battleships, even at the expense of the 21st Sub-fleet, it would be worth it.
The Domestic Fleet had emerged in full force, ready for a do-or-die battle against the Joint Fleet!
However, the situation had changed half an hour earlier.
First came a telegram from the "Guangyang," which was the flagship of the 33rd Sub-fleet. Soon after, the lookouts spotted four enemy ships to the north.
Yes, it was the Second Battle Patrol Squad's four battlecruisers!
Then, the Fast Battle Squad in the south turned and charged towards the 21st Sub-fleet at high speed.
This was troubling.
With half an hour until darkness, even if He Yongxing immediately sent a telegram, and the Domestic Fleet Commander overseeing the 11th Sub-fleet acted upon receiving the message, they couldn't reach East Ocean within half an hour. Arriving after dark, even if the 21st Sub-fleet hadn't been wiped out, would be of no use. By then, more than a dozen Main Battle Ships would have to retreat, surely clogging the channel and causing even more trouble.
Moreover, the 21st Sub-fleet being caught between two enemy fleets might not hold out until dark.
By this point, Betty's tactical intentions were crystal clear.
If the 21st Sub-fleet kept its grip, it would join forces with the arriving Second Battle Patrol Squad and avenge the First Battle Patrol Squad before nightfall. If He Yongxing chose to retreat in the face of difficulty, let Yamashita take the bite, and Betty stayed to seal off Maze Channel. Once reinforcements from the Main Force Squad arrived, the Fast Battle Squad would join the pursuit alongside the Second Battle Patrol Squad to send the 21st Sub-fleet to the bottom of the sea.
Fortunately, He Yongxing had anticipated this.
When the Fast Battle Squad turned to charge, the 21st Sub-fleet didn't evade north as before but instead turned east.
Now, the problem was in Betty's court.
If the Fast Battle Squad continued north, seeking revenge for the First Battle Patrol, they would surely face a heavy blow from the 21st Sub-fleet before the full power of their fifteen-inch Naval guns could be unleashed—especially from the sixteen 400 mm Main Guns on the two North River-class ships.
Having already lost three battlecruisers, would Betty dare to risk the Royal Navy's assets?
If the Fast Battle Squad followed the 21st Sub-fleet in turning, it would have to leave the channel exit.
If the Fast Battle Squad stayed near the channel exit, the Second Battle Patrol Squad might not continue chasing the 21st Sub-fleet.
Betty wasn't a fool, nor was Yamashita incompetent.
If Betty was unwilling to risk it, why would Yamashita send the Saiyi Navy's trump card to a certain death?
The four Jingang were also Battle Patrols; their defenses weren't much stronger than the "Lion" class sunk that morning, and they were just as vulnerable to 400 mm guns.
Given the temperament of the Saiyi Navy, even with daring officers like Takano from the Young Turks and conservative leaders like Yamashita, they still might not dare to engage in a fight to the death with the 21st Sub-fleet.
Ultimately, it's still about time.
If they could disengage before dark, then after nightfall, it might not be possible to locate the 21st Sub-fleet.
Of course, Betty first had to consider not allowing the 21st Sub-fleet to occupy the advantageous "T" position.
The result was that soon after the 21st Sub-fleet turned, the Fast Battle Squad also followed suit. However, in order to block the exit of the Maze Channel, the Fast Battle Squad did not accelerate to keep up with the 21st Sub-fleet, and after completing the tactical turn, they still maintained a sufficiently long combat distance.
This aptly reflected Betty's ambivalence.
She wanted to achieve a major victory, to avenge the First Battle Patrol Squad, but didn't want to take risks, trying to avoid possible losses as much as possible.
If even she felt this way, how could she expect others to behave differently?
To the north, the Second Battle Patrol Squad also turned to head east, but they didn't approach the 21st Sub-fleet, staying honestly outside the range of the Main Gun.
After half an hour of sprinting, the 21st Sub-fleet had already "advanced" by approximately fifteen kilometers.
Unless the Fast Battle Squad was prepared to leave from outside the exit of the Maze Channel, they would have to turn before seven o'clock, rather than continue to follow the 21st Sub-fleet eastward. It was precisely for this reason that after seven o'clock, the 21st Sub-fleet could head south to bypass the Fast Battle Squad, or more accurately, to get to the south side of the Fast Battle Squad. Then they could proceed at full speed in the northwest direction, not only aiming for the Maze Channel but also without worry of being caught in a crossfire.
Simply put, it was about relying on speed and utilizing the enemy's scattered formation to maneuver around the Fast Battle Squad for more than half a circle.
Yet again, the key was time.
As long as they timed their turn accurately, the 21st Sub-fleet could always remain behind the day-night line, which is to say, hidden in the darkness.
If everything went smoothly, the 21st Sub-fleet could slip away right under the noses of the Fast Battle Squad and the Second Battle Patrol Squad, with the cover of night.
Unfortunately, battlefield conditions are ever-changing, with too many unpredictable factors.
For the servicemen and officers of a fleet that had been battling all day, they were extremely exhausted. The afterglow of the sunset could easily cause the lookouts to have illusions.
Besides, with the Fast Battle Squad and the Second Battle Patrol Squad both over twenty kilometers away, what was there to worry about?
Disaster struck then.
Just past seven o'clock, the "Gui River," located at the very end of the formation and the last to turn, was hit. Three large-caliber Armor-piercing bullets almost simultaneously struck the front and rear bridges. From the Captain down, hundreds of officers and men were killed in action, and both lookout teams suffered either dead or injured.
Half a minute later, the "Ji River," just ahead of the "Gui River," was hit. At least two Armor-piercing bullets struck the hull and detonated inside. Although the impact was above the waterline, which didn't threaten the engine room, the increasing influx of water could slow down the speed as well.
In the following minute or so, six Battleships were subjected to intensive gunfire.
Before and after, it was really just about one hundred seconds.
In those one hundred seconds, events nearly rewrote the fate of the 21st Sub-fleet.
In fact, during those brief one hundred seconds, no one understood what was happening; it seemed as if the thousands of officers and men across the entire Fleet were stupefied by the sudden barrage of gunfire.
By three minutes past seven, as they were overtaken by the day-night line and enveloped in darkness, the lookouts on several Battleships finally deciphered the situation.
The gunfire was coming from the east, or more precisely, the southeast.
At least eight Main Battle Ships, positioned just ten kilometers away, divided into two dense formations—upon this, the lookouts inferred that they were from the Joint Fleet's Main Force Squad.
Now, they were in trouble!