Accompanied by the rapid combat alarm, the four British MK28 dual-mounted 50-diameter 203mm naval guns on the Soviet Navy's "Kirov" large cruiser turned one after another, and the black holes finally pointed to the southeast. The normal line of sight was difficult to penetrate the rain curtain to observe the scenery of the distant sea, but the pulsed radar waves of the Ai MC-IIA detection radar can promptly detect surface ships more than 20 kilometers away. Experienced radar operators can infer the size of the target based on the echo pattern, and the closer the distance, the higher the accuracy.

In the bridge battle room, Chief of Staff Major Yuri Vasilev analyzed based on the latest enemy situation report: "The enemy ship No. 1 continues to sail towards me, and the ship No. 2 changes its course and sails northward. It seems that it is going to attack us!"

Colonel Cherov nodded, shook his head again, and turned to the former British naval general who was hired by the Soviet government: "The enemy only has two warships, and he dares to divide his troops. I guess he is very confident in his strength, so he is fearless. General Kane, in your judgment, will those two warships be the Japanese navy's sub-main battleships?"

Major General Kane replied slowly: "If the so-called sub-fighter is a strong heavy cruiser, then I can almost certainly tell you that since the Japanese commander on the opposite side dares to divide his troops and attack, at least one heavy cruiser and one light cruiser, and the one who intercepts our return north is likely to be the enemy's light cruiser, and the one who is heading towards us is the heavy cruiser. Another possibility is that both are heavy cruisers, or... one of them is a battle cruiser."

"The only remaining one of the four King Kong-class ships?" Colonel Cherov raised his eyebrows, "That's an old ship that is nearly 30 years old."

Major General Kane sneered: "Don't look down on it, it's a pure British battlecruiser. The main gun has a caliber of 14 inches and the main gun's body tube is 45 times the diameter. The effective range is much further than ours. The penetration power of long-range shooting is much stronger than ours. The technical parameters after modernization are unknown, but it is basically certain that our main gun can threaten its vital parts only at a closer distance, or even destroy its main gun."

Colonel Cherov responded calmly: "I have no intention of slandering the British Navy's shipbuilding technology. Twenty years ago, it was still a relatively advanced warship. However, it is now the 1940s. The speed of 27 or 8 knots is too slow for a secondary battleship. We can go east at full speed and defeat the enemy's second ship's block. At that time, it can only wave a big stick in vain, like a clumsy giant, right?"

Major General Kane accepted his gentle expression for the explanation of the Soviet captain, but he immediately reminded: "If it was not a King Kong, but a heavy cruiser that the Japanese Navy has served in recent years, then we have no advantage in speed, and we are not sure whether they have practical radar equipment. The situation is very subtle now, so we should be cautious."

Although this sounds a bit harsh, as a proud Russian, Colonel Cherov humbly accepted it, and the "Kirov" continued to sail northeastward at its current speed. After about ten minutes, a report came from the radio compartment: The radar detector was alerted!

I was really worried about what I came from. Colonel Cherov and Major General Kane looked at each other. They originally wanted to deal with enemy ships in the rain. Since the Japanese Navy also used carrier-based radar, regardless of its performance, it is difficult to conceal the movements of the "Kirov".

After talking to the radar room, Chief of Staff Major Vasilev reported to the captain: "The target distance is less than 20 kilometers and has entered the range of the naval gun."

Colonel Cherov and Major General Kane both raised their telescopes and tried to find the enemy ship in the southeastern sea. Not long after, the watchman reported that the enemy ship was found. At this time, Colonel Cherov's brow frowned again, because judging from the blurry outline at the end of his sight, the enemy ship No. 1 was smaller than the King Kong-class battlecruiser that once dominated the ocean. Although the tonnage and firepower of the heavy cruiser was not as good as that of the early battle cruiser, the speed and rate of fire were better. If it were a new ship built in recent years, the sight-seeing and fire control technology should be better.

After thinking for a moment, Colonel Cherov shouted: "Transfer... turn the half-rudder right by 10 degrees, and use ordinary bullets to alternately shoot the target warship with normal bullets."

Major General Kane habitually touched his nose: "Is this the intention to test the enemy's firepower?"

"If I say I plan to kill it, at least let it lose some motivation, would you think I'm too reckless?" Colonel Cherov asked.

The British thought about it: "No, this may be the most direct and effective way to resolve trouble. I hope the 'Kirov' can receive the blessing of the goddess of luck in this battle."

The Soviet captain obviously didn't hear anything in the other party's words, so he immediately turned his attention to the sea in the northeast.

The combat commands were quickly conveyed, and in the four main turrets of the "Kirov", the gunners became busy under the command of their respective non-commissioned officers.

"Recharge ordinary grenades... unlock the bolt... enter the chamber... close the cannon No. 1 is in place!"

"Recharge ordinary grenades... unlock the bolt... enter the chamber... close the second gun in place!"

“…Turt No. 1 is ready!”

“…Turt No. 2 is ready!”

“…Turt No. 3 is ready!”

“…The No. 4 Turret is ready!”

In the shooting command room on the upper part of the bridge, the technicians used traditional optical ranging equipment to measure the target orientation, calculated the shooting elements through the most original manual method, and then passed them to the main turrets.

"Firing position 49°22′55″, shooting elevation angle 21°5′36″, Turret No. 1 has been adjusted, shooting is ready!"

"…The No. 2 Turret has been adjusted and the shooting is ready!"

"…The No. 3 Turret has been adjusted and the shooting is ready!"

"…The No. 4 Turret has been adjusted and the shooting is ready!"

After all the four main turrets were completed, in the shooting command room, the shooting commander immediately used the Russian version of the unified shooting command system to proofread the aiming status of all main guns. After confirming that it was correct, he ordered the fire without hesitation.

A roar like thunder quickly swept away in the rain curtain. Several dark red shells flew into the distance with trajectories that could be distinguished by the naked eye. After more than half a minute, a series of water columns suddenly rose from the sea and sky, which looked very eye-catching from a distance.

The most senior non-commissioned officer on the ship used an optical rangefinder to observe the bounce point. Before the water columns had completely dissipated, he said loudly: "The landing point is close. Given the relative speed of the warships on both sides, it is recommended to keep the shooting elevation angle unchanged, the horizontal shooting angle is reduced by 25′, and fire after 30 seconds!"

The thin-skinned shooting commander corrected through a backup rangefinder and then ordered: "The shooting position is 48°57 minutes and 55″, the shooting elevation angle is 21°5′36″, and the guns are adjusted to the various elements, with a time limit of 30 seconds!"

In pure manual loading, the 30-second volley interval is too compact, but alternate shooting does not require the loading time, only the shooting parameters need to be adjusted, so 30 seconds is more than enough for well-trained gunners.

The two rounds of artillery fire of the Soviet Russian warship ended, and the hazy shadow of the ship in the distance began to change its outline, which means it adjusted its course, whether it turned left or right, the rear main gun gradually gained the shooting angle, but it did not seem to be in a hurry to open fire. When the Soviet Russian warship fired two and a half rounds of volleys, some of the bounce points were already very close to the Japanese ship, and the sea in the distance finally flashed.

In the battle bridge of the "Kirov", Chief of Staff Major Yuri Vasilev exclaimed softly: "The Japanese ship is on fire!"

Major General Kane frowned. The Soviet Navy's large Kirov-class cruiser was an improved version of the British bravery. Although its performance has been improved, the nature of heavy cruiser firepower and light cruiser protection has not changed. If it is against a Japanese heavy cruiser with an older age, such as the ancient eagle-class built in the early stage, the chance of winning is more than 50%. However, if it is the Kaohsiung-class built in the later stage or even the highest level, then adjusting its mentality as soon as possible and trying to get rid of the enemy ships is a more rational choice.

Of course, in surface artillery battles, both sides are not only fighting for innate conditions such as tonnage, speed, and firepower. The commander's on-site command is also very important. When the enemy's shells are single and close to the ship or even hit the ship, the commanders need to change the course to make their warships avoid the enemy's next round of attacks, and at the same time find ways to make their shells hit the other side.

After about half a minute of waiting, the Japanese ship's artillery fire roared, and five mid-caliber shells landed near the starboard side of the Kirov, which could almost cause near-loss damage to the hull. The first round of artillery fire of the Japanese ship was so accurate. Not only Major General Kane, but many Soviet officers and soldiers on the ship were amazed in their hearts: If this continues, do you still have a sickle and a hammer?

More than ten seconds later, the main gun of the Kirov roared again. Although the result of this round of alternating shooting was still in low temperatures, Colonel Cherov eagerly ordered a volley at the enemy ship, and at this time the distance between the two ships narrowed to 15,000 meters.

In the first round of volleys, the performance of the Soviet Russian warships was still unsatisfactory, which may be related to the poor shooting stability system of the Soviet Russian warships. In the second round of volleys, the "Kirov" ushered in a major explosion in the ship's product. The cross-fire and direct hit came at the same time. Seeing a fireball rising from the Japanese troops, the Soviet Russian crew members here suddenly jumped.

The bombardment of the 8-inch ordinary grenade almost destroyed the optical rangefinder of the "San Ju" and the precise shooting control command system. The flames and smoke dissipated, leaving behind a port battle position with casualties. Before this, the Japanese heavy cruiser had been revolvingly shooting at a slow speed, and the artillery fire was obviously much higher than that of the Soviet warships. It seemed to be like the strategy of boiling a frog with warm water to win a one-on-one victory, but in the end, it was suddenly slapped. How could the conceited Japanese invaders swallow their anger?

From then on, the "Sanjiu" bombarded the target at a high-fire rate of 2-3 rounds per minute, and it originally had 5 dual-equipped 203mm guns (without the restrictions of the Washington Navy Treaty, it was used to use dual-equipped 203mm guns from the beginning, instead of first using triple-equipped 155mm main guns, and then changed to dual-equipped 203mm, as in history). The fierce artillery fire quickly gained the harvest. The Japanese ship made its first hit in the fourth round of volleys, and a second hit a minute later. The Soviet and Russian warships suddenly filled with smoke!
Chapter completed!