The earth-shattering explosion not only distracted the enemy but also led to an unexpected outcome: it caused the enemy to make a misjudgment.
First to be affected were the two Main Force Squads approaching from the south.
After completing the opening show, where they set two battlecruisers ablaze with precise artillery fire, the eight Battleships of the two Main Force Squads turned northward to chase the 21st Sub-fleet, which was heading toward Watcher Strait. Due to navigational constraints, the eight Battleships could only use their forward Main Guns to fire. Combined with the disruptions caused by their rapid movement, the effectiveness of the shelling was less than ideal, with over a dozen consecutive shots missing their targets.
Unfortunately, these two Main Force Squads could only reach speeds of twenty knots.
Under normal circumstances, these Battleships belonging to the Newland Navy, not known for their speed, would never have been able to catch up to the battlecruisers renowned for their swiftness.
However, the situation was far from normal.
In order to avoid the Fast Battle Squad, the 21st Sub-fleet could only sail northwest. Soon after, "Ji River" and "Gui River" broke formation to deal with the surprise Light Cruisers, so their speed heading north was not very fast, and they did not manage to put any distance between themselves and the pursuing Main Force Squads.
At that moment, the two Main Force Squads had already caught up.
Just at this critical juncture, the "Ji River" suffered a massive explosion.
The blaze from the explosion obscured the view, preventing the Battleships' lookouts from clearly seeing the vessels to the north, and thus unable to fire upon the northern Battleships.
As they passed the area where the "Ji River" and "Gui River" exploded and sank, the eight Battleships even slowed down.
As a result, the eight Battleships could no longer catch up to the four battlecruisers ahead.
Next, the Fast Battle Squad commanded by Betty was also affected.
After the "Ji River" exploded, under the lead of "Queen Yisha," the five Battleships of the Fast Battle Squad ceased firing in succession.
It was not until 7:43 a.m. that "Queen Yisha" resumed artillery fire.
It is said that "Queen Yisha's" lookout made a mistake, believing it was the "North River" that had exploded and was convinced that it was the "Nanjiang" that had sunk earlier.
Actually, it was not the lookout's fault.
Because "Ji River" and "Gui River" had turned southwest and significantly slowed down, from the position of "Queen Yisha" at the time, the two vessels indeed seemed to be in the same direction as the 21st Sub-fleet, and the blaze from the explosion surely affected the lookout.
From 7:35 to 7:43 a.m., there were only eight minutes.
And it was in this brief eight-minute period that a miracle occurred.
At 7:37 a.m., following several smaller explosions, the fire aboard "North River" miraculously went out.
Two minutes later, the fire on "Nanjiang" was brought under control, and two damaged steam turbines were repaired.
Soon after, "Nanjiang" signaled it could continue sailing.
Before 7:43 a.m., the situation with the fire on "Nanjiang" was controlled, and its speed subsequently reached sixteen knots, with the prospect of increasing to twenty knots.
The result was that the Fast Battle Squad missed the prime opportunity to sink the two "North River" class vessels.
Actually, this was also the last opportunity to sink the two "North River" class vessels.
At 7:45 a.m., twelve Light Cruisers from the 41st and 42nd Sub-fleets burst out of Maze Channel, and under the artillery cover from the six Armored Cruisers of the 32nd Sub-fleet, they moved towards the Fast Battle Squad, which was blockading the channel. They then launched a torpedo attack.
Under threat, the Fast Battle Squad immediately adjusted their tactics and began firing at the approaching cruisers.
To avoid the torpedoes launched by the Light Cruisers, the five Fast Battleships were also forced to retreat southeast, effectively lifting the blockade of Maze Channel.
At 7:58 a.m., following closely behind the cruisers, the 11th and 12th Sub-fleets emerged from Maze Channel and deployed their formations to the east of Watcher Strait.
Before this, the third Main Force Squad of the Joint Fleet had already arrived.
Although both commanders were clear that as the decisive battle of the fleets took shape, continuing to fight would inevitably result in even more devastating losses, even if more enemy ships could be sunk, after the arrival of the main force, both sides found themselves stuck in a quandary.
With pants already taken off, how could they do nothing at all?
If they sounded the retreat now, neither Betty nor the Domestic Fleet Commander would be able to explain themselves to their superiors, and they would have to bear all the blame.
If they couldn't retreat, their only option was to fight a battle.
Thus, the main gun battle began.
Even without considering the Second Battle Patrol Squad, the Joint Fleet had an absolute advantage of seventeen against twelve.
Unfortunately, numerical superiority didn't necessarily turn into combat effectiveness.
Among the twelve battleships of the Joint Fleet, the four of the Third Main Force Squad were dreadnoughts, with twelve-inch main guns, essentially filler.
Additionally, the two "Mozhou-class" ships of the First Main Force Squad had barely entered service, and their basic training was incomplete, so their rate of fire accuracy was bound to be poor, preventing them from exerting their powerful combat strength. Otherwise, the First Main Force Squad wouldn't have chosen "Binzhou" as the flagship.
Discounting the Third Main Force Squad, the Joint Fleet actually had only thirteen super dreadnoughts.
On the other side, the Domestic Fleet of the Imperial Navy had two main sub-fleets with twelve super dreadnoughts, with the six from the 11th Sub-fleet being the latest "Longxing-class."
In some sense, the courage of the Domestic Fleet to decide on a pitched battle with the enemy came from these six super dreadnoughts.
In a battle to the death, it was still uncertain who would be the victor!
However, the main gun battle had nothing to do with the 21st Sub-fleet.
Before 8:10, after the "North River" and "Nanjiang" caught up, the "Lu River" entered the Maze Channel led by a light cruiser.
At this time, the southeastern night sky was already reddened by gunfire.
The rolling thunder of artillery was like summer night lightning.
In the dim night, the heavily damaged "North River" and "Nanjiang," their superstructures almost completely destroyed, were like two monstrous creatures covered in wounds.
It was unbelievable that these two warships had not only avoided sinking, but could still navigate under their own power!
The armor protection of the "North River"-class was truly commendable.
After entering the channel, He Yongxing stepped out onto the open-air gallery.
For half an hour, he remained motionless, facing southeast.
It was not until the cruiser ahead sounded its steam whistle.
They had reached the central part of the strait, and the six ships of the 13th Sub-fleet were just ahead.
As the "Lu River" approached, the leading battleship sounded its steam whistle, saluting their comrade-in-arms that was covered in scars and had just endured the baptism of battle.
Afterward, a few cruisers came by.
At this time, Gui Boyong arrived on the open-air gallery.
"First, transfer the wounded from 'North River' and 'Nanjiang' and ensure that all those who are seriously injured receive immediate and full treatment. Once that's done, have the commanders of both ships report their damage. By any means, we must bring these two warships back!"
Gui Boyong nodded in agreement and then pulled open the hatch.
After glancing at the two warships astern, He Yongxing turned and walked into the Command Bridge.
Bai Zhizhan didn't follow; he now only wanted to stay quietly for a while, quietly rejoicing that he was still alive and intact.