Travel through the Qing Dynasty and become emperor

Page 593

Commodore General Ivans also got the news that the fleet was attacked. His already slightly melancholy personality was even more gloomy at this time. He smoked the pipe in his hand, and then puffed out the smoke forcefully. It was as if he wanted to spit all the anger and depression in his chest into the air.

"Captain, we have found the Chinese!" His adjutant went to the deck: "25 nautical miles ahead, we found the Chinese fleet, about 6 warships."

"So few?" Ivans frowned: "Alright, let's lure them into the ambush circle first, and don't be afraid that the main Chinese fleet will not come to rescue, then it will be the best chance to avenge our merchant ships! "

When the first ray of sunlight rose from the sea, two strange fleets encountered each other, saying that they were strange because neither of them wanted to eat the other.After the two fleets that had no intention of fighting fought each other more than a dozen times, the "Indomitable" took the lead to withdraw from the battle, and then other warships also escorted the flagship while fighting and retreating, retreating to the south, and the Chinese fleet also cooperated in pursuit. go up.

"Attention, Ivans has successfully attracted the Chinese fleet." Felimantle said: "Order the left wing fleet to prepare to meet Ivans, and the right wing fleet to prepare to outflank. This is a squadron, and their main force is two ships. Battlecruisers, let them not underestimate them, and at the same time, don't rush to destroy them, they must bring the main Chinese battleships here!"

"Yes, Your Excellency, Commander. I'll go get ready now." Horton saluted and left the deck in a hurry.

As soon as it reached the scheduled sea surface, the "Indomitable" stopped immediately.Afterwards, the string cannon fired against the "Shanghai" which was at the forefront. Although the "Shanghai" was huge, it avoided it flexibly? The shells from the "Indomitable" followed by the 300mm cannon on the "Shanghai" spoke. The shells fell around the ground of the "Indomitable", and the huge water column stirred up made Brigadier General Ivans, who was in command of the battle, a little unstable.

"Damn Chinese, when did they build such a terrible battleship!" Ivans tried his best not to let himself fall.Muttering and cursing in his mouth: "The left-string naval guns focus on firing, waiting for our fleet to come up!"

"The left-string naval gun focused fire!" 5 minutes later. The "Nanjing" and four cruisers also caught up, and the three cruisers and two destroyers of the combined fleet also joined the battle group one after another.

Dragon's Roar Chapter 974 Desperate to the South China Sea (3)

In front of the "Shanghai" and "Nanjing".The British cruisers seemed a little powerless. To them, the two battlecruisers were rampaging like steel giants, and their own firepower seemed to cause no casualties to them.

The battle started at 10:10 a.m., and at 27:15 a.m., the British cruiser "Sax" was hit by the boiler of the "Shanghai" and lost its power. It immediately became a living target for the Chinese. Si could only watch helplessly as the "Sachs" sank, and then the destroyer "Wandering" was sunk. Before it started, the United Fleet Squadron lost two warships.Seeing that he could not deal with the powerful Chinese battlecruisers, Ivans, who had been fighting for a long time, immediately adjusted his combat methods.Concentrate fire on the Chinese cruisers.This trick really worked. Two Chinese cruisers were shot and injured successively. One of them was so seriously injured that it was no longer possible to undertake combat missions alone, while the other one withdrew from the battle circle under Xue Yue's order and retreated towards Singapore.

At this time, Xue Yue saw a large number of warships of the United Fleet appearing on the flanks through the telescope. He really ordered the two cruisers to withdraw from the battle, and immediately retreated at a high speed. The "Nanjing" held the enemy here, but the seriously injured cruiser "Kunming" However, it seemed that the ship could not escape the fate of being sunk.

Now on this piece of sea, the Chinese only have two battlecruisers and one immobile cruiser left, and the main force of the United Fleet has surrounded them. It seems that his mission has been completed, and Evans sighed for a long time. in one breath.The Chinese may escape, but where can they escape in the encirclement that the British fleet is about to form?

Suddenly, Ivans was horrified to find that the two Chinese battlecruisers had concentrated their artillery fire on their "Unyielding", and they seemed to have no intention of escaping at all, and they were determined to sink their own battleship.The "Indomitable" tried its best to avoid the rain of shells. The warships on both sides saw that the flagship was in danger, and they also desperately fired at the Chinese warships, trying to attract the attention of the Chinese to themselves. But the Chinese simply ignored it. , and their artillery fire was too fierce, and it didn't take long for the "Indomitable" to be injured a lot. Even Ivans was unfortunately broken by two ribs by shrapnel. Ivans lay on the ground in pain, watching helplessly His battleship became the target of the Chinese ravages. The sea water entered the hull of the "Indomitable" wantonly, and the "Indomitable" was like an old woman at a young age, her footsteps became heavier and heavier, and her footsteps became more and more faltering.

With a "boom", the arsenal on the "Indomitable" was hit by a shell, and there was a huge explosion. The long-awaited sea immediately rushed into the "Indomitable". At this moment, Ivans knew I'm finished.The brigadier general struggled not to let himself die, he still had a little bit of perseverance to look forward to a miracle, his country's powerful fleet could clearly be seen, but at the moment before the victory, he couldn't accept such a tragedy fate?He heard someone calling his name incessantly by his ear, and then he felt his body being lifted up and put on a small boat, but his consciousness became more and more blurred.

"We lost the battleship 'Indomitable', the two cruisers 'Sachs' and 'Wandering'." The expression on Horton's face was surprised, "Also, Commodore Ivans was unfortunate just 2 minutes ago. He stopped breathing and completed the mission of a British naval officer." Bernie couldn't believe such a result. Although the Ivans fleet was responsible for the mission of luring the enemy, it hadn't hit anyone yet, and even the Commodore himself and his "unyielding" "Sinking into the sea together, this is simply a disgrace to the United Fleet.

"The Chinese fleet still has two battlecruisers and one cruiser that has lost power and is still fighting, and the two cruisers have fled." Horton continued his report: "Should we pursue it?"

Bernie thought about it, and said decisively: "Don't worry about escaping. The battlecruisers are the main force of the Chinese. Before the arrival of the Chinese reinforcement fleet, at least one of them must be killed and one will lose its combat effectiveness. I believe the Chinese will not The hatred of abandoning their main battleship, the Indomitable, we will avenge them soon!"

The encirclement of the two ships "Shanghai" and "Nanjing" has gradually formed, but at this time there is only a gap in the southeast corner, and that is the only direction to break through.

"Order the two ships to concentrate all their firepower to attack the direction of the southeast corner, and the two ships break out at the maximum speed!" Seeing that the goal has been achieved, Xue Yue quickly issued the order to break out.

The captain of the "Shanghai" asked: "They have lost all power, and I am afraid they will not be able to act with us!"

Xue Yue looked at the "Kunming" which was unable to move, and said: "Tell them, as long as I, Xue Yue, is alive, the 'Kunming' will definitely be rebuilt, and the names of every crew member on board will be entered into the Hall of Valor, a heroic spirit for generations to come." Don't leave!"

The "Kunming" soon called a semaphore: "The lowly ranks swear to live and die with the warship. At this time, there is death but no life. Never be a prisoner! Long live the Chinese Empire! Long live His Majesty the Emperor! Long live the Chinese Navy!"

The "Shanghai" and "Nanjing" suddenly turned their bows rapidly.Bombarding the southwest corner with fierce artillery fire with all the main guns, the French heavy cruiser "Violet", which was rushing to its position, was bombarded by the two ships.

The "Violet" is an old-fashioned French battleship. Under the ultra-long-range attack of the two imperial battleships, the 110mm single-barreled gun was useless.The two Chinese warships rapidly sailed to a distance of less than 3000 meters. Eight 8mm main guns and two 305mm secondary guns fired at once. A shell hit the engine room of the "Violet". The gunner on board was killed. After the "Violet" was shot, the main engine stopped, and the ship tilted to port, but the ship was still firing back.Soon there was a big explosion on the ship, almost lifting the ship from the sea, the entire hull was completely shrouded in smoke, and the captain had to give an order to abandon ship.

It took less than 10 minutes from the attack of the Chinese battleship to the sinking of the "Violet", the two Chinese battlecruisers were like two ferocious sharks, and the battleships that dared to block them were swallowed mercilessly by them.

A British destroyer on the side saw the "Violet" being fiercely attacked and was about to come up to rescue, but who knew that it was bombarded by the side string guns of the "Nanjing", and the destroyer itself was severely damaged. Fortunately, China The British warship had no intention of fighting, but took the road away, and the British destroyer avoided the same fate as the "Violet".

The Chinese warships that left the battlefield so quickly left the British stunned. Their extremely high maneuverability, the superb combat skills of the sailors, and the commander's commanding ability on the battlefield were already shocking.Horton, the captain of the "War Spite" who saw everything from a distance, was going crazy. The combined fleet lost a total of one battleship and three cruisers.A destroyer was also forced to withdraw from the battle under heavy damage, while two damn Chinese warships easily left the battlefield. This is simply a great humiliation.

Bernie was also furious, and a good ambush plan was messed up. If the two Chinese warships were not wiped out, it would be a very big blow to the morale of the Far East Fleet sailors.

"Order the second and fourth fleets to catch up and destroy these damn Chinese warships!" Bernie said almost gnashing his teeth: "No matter what, we must let them lie down in the deepest part of the sea!"

Bernie made a mistake that no good commander should make.He allowed his emotions to dominate his rationality, and once the commanders were in such a worrying situation, they would have to pay the price for it.

"Your Excellency, what about the Chinese warship?" Horton was talking about the Chinese cruiser "Kunming" that was moored in the sea and lost its ability to move.

Bernie said impatiently: "Let them surrender immediately, these bastards, according to my point of view, can send them to the noose!"

But the news that Holden brought a few minutes later took him by surprise.

"The Chinese refused to surrender." Horton had a look of disbelief on his face: "Their semaphore told us, 'Our honor is loyalty', and they were sinking! "

Bernie hurriedly picked up the binoculars and looked in the direction of the Chinese warship.

On the Chinese cruiser "Kunming", Colonel Huo Yongming, an officer of the imperial navy, gathered all the crew members of the ship together. They sang the imperial military song and naval battle song over and over again, without any fear in their eyes. It is full of determination to die for the country.

"Crazy, a bunch of crazy!" Holden didn't know whether it was a curse or a compliment: "Don't they know the value of life?"

Bernie sighed: "This is the real soldier. They have unparalleled loyalty and determination to the country. They disregard life and death, fanatical but brave. Facing such an army, for the first time, I wonder whether we can achieve the final victory." Victory created a little bit of worry."

Speaking of which, Bernie also raised his hand, saluting the unyielding fighters.

At this time, the commanders of the two squadrons chasing the "Shanghai" and "Nanjing" were going crazy. The Chinese warships are extremely hateful. Their speed is higher than that of battleships, and their firepower is stronger than that of cruisers. No, the cruiser can catch up but can't beat it.

"It's almost done, send a report to Commander Zheng." Xue Yue said calmly: "Tell the commander that the task of luring the enemy fleet has been completed, and the enemy fleet has entered the designated sea area. Now the 'Shanghai' and 'Nanjing' will go back and face each other. The brothers of the 'Kunming' took revenge."

The two ships "Shanghai" and "Nanjing" slowed down their speed, turned their bows in a few minutes, and put on a decisive battle posture against the pursuing combined fleet.Major General Fagan, who commanded the pursuit, let out a long sigh of relief. The Chinese were finally willing to stop. If they continue to chase, God knows how long it will take to stop.

Dragon's Roar Chapter 975 Desperate to the South China Sea (4)

However, Major General Fagan also admitted that these two weird-looking battlecruisers are still very effective. The high-speed exciting performance, thick armor and powerful firepower have caused the United Fleet to suffer a lot.Fagan arranged for the four battleships "Rose", "London", "Little Bee" and "Sunset" as the main force to surround the Chinese warships, while cruisers and destroyers wandered outside to assist in the attack.

At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the warships of the two sides began to exchange fire at a distance of 6000 meters. The waves stirred up by the shells caused some small-tonnage ships to shake non-stop.The Chinese warships that were fleeing all the way seemed to have made up their minds not to back down for half a point at this time. They stubbornly fired round after round of shells and exploded around the joint warship.

The British destroyer "Sparrow" rashly attacked the "Shanghai" from the left flank, but its intention was immediately discovered. The artillery fire on the left side of the "Shanghai" concentrated on it, and the poor "Sparrow"'s draft was torn a three-meter-wide hole, and the sea water rushed into the "Sparrow" unscrupulously. The captain of the ship watched helplessly as the ship sank but could do nothing. He paid a heavy price for his recklessness.

2:25. The heavy cruiser "Cyclops" and the light cruiser "Dame" were shot one after another, and the "Cyclops" was forced to withdraw from the battle, while the fate of the "Dame" was much more tragic. "The torpedoes sent out on the USS ended their mission in Asia.

At 2:30, two shells hit the "Shanghai" one after another, but relying on its solid armor, the "Shanghai" was only slightly injured, which did not affect its continued fighting.But the situation of the "Nanjing" on the other side is a bit bad. Unfortunately, its boiler room was hit by a shell, which slowed down its speed all of a sudden.

Of course, Major General Fagan would not give up such a good opportunity, and immediately continued to entangle the "Shanghai" with the "Rose" and two cruisers, while using six cruisers and four destroyers to cooperate with the "London" and "Little Bee" The "Nanjing" and the "Sunset" bombarded the "Nanjing". Within 15 minutes, the "Nanjing" suffered at least a dozen shells. Although the armor was hard, but it was hit so many times at once, the "Nanjing" Gradually showing a look of being unable to hold on, at this time Xue Yue was determined to rescue the "Nanjing", but the enemy ships in front of him dragged it to the battlefield. Although Xue Yue commanded the battleship to sink a cruiser, but only Can watch "Nanjing" under attack.Major General Fagan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the two warships had nowhere to escape. As long as the "Nanjing" was sunk, the remaining one would be doomed to defeat.

"Major General, Major General!" His staff officer stumbled over as if he had encountered a ghost.

"What's the panic?" The well-educated Fagan frowned. He didn't like the panic of his subordinates, which would damage the image of the combined fleet officers.

The staff officer tried hard to swallow his saliva: "A large number of warships appeared on our rear and two wings. It must be Chinese warships. I think we are surrounded!"

Feigen's face turned pale immediately, and he forgot all his good education and image: "Say it again, are you sure it's an enemy warship?"

"Yes, I promise!" The staff officer looked at the panicked major general and said, "Many warships are far more powerful than us. Mr. major general, we can't fight any more. Hurry up and evacuate, or we will all die here."

"Retreat, retreat!" The nervousness of his subordinates affected Fagan: "Immediately send a report to Admiral Bernie, telling him that we have encountered a large number of Chinese fleet attacks, and now we are preparing to withdraw from the battlefield, asking for assistance, asking for assistance!"

Major General Fagan made a major mistake in command. If he did not order a retreat but resisted the defense on the spot, then the entire Far East Fleet might not have suffered a devastating blow. It was this wrong decision he made that caused the war to stop. From the beginning, it developed in a direction that was unfavorable for the combined fleet.

The warships that were fighting suddenly received an order from the commander to withdraw from the battlefield urgently. Although they felt strange, they still carried out the order firmly. After all, no one wanted to die, and retreating was better than attacking.

The retreat seemed flustered and disorderly. The "Shanghai" and "Nanjing" took the opportunity to launch a separate counterattack. Under the strong attacks of the two ships, the British battleship "Little Bee" was hit one after another, and there were explosions one after another. It sounded on the "Little Bee", and it was forced to raise the white flag to surrender after losing the ability to sail.In the chaos, a French light cruiser collided with the "Little Bee". As a result of the collision between the two ships, the hull of the light cruiser, which was much lighter than the battleship, split in two and sank on its own. under the ship.