The level of damage management in Britain was quite high, and the 12 warships that were damaged were quickly repaired. The iron armor remained broken, and in the absence of good wood and time, the damaged wooden base was temporarily sealed with simple wood.

On 11 November, the north wind came and the British fleet began to move south. This time, we have to drive from the southern tip of Japan to Singapore in one go, and we can save a lot of fuel by riding the north wind, but the journey is not so simple. The Grand Fleet tensed its nerves at every moment, and the only thing that could soothe the mood was to draw. Based on the Chinese warships, the British officers used their brains to draw a lot of warship outline maps. One of them, a draft of a warship with a hexagonal division of the main gun battery, was appreciated by the officers of the upper echelons of the navy, led by Vice Admiral Pope. Unlike China's pure centerline layout, the hexagonal main gun layout was one main gun emplacement on each of the fore and aft decks, and two main gun emplacements on each side of the middle part of the ship. Six turrets form the apex of the hexagon, and in the middle of the hexagon are the chimney and conning tower.

The advantage of this design is that four main guns can be used for side operations, and three main guns can be used for frontal or rear operations. With the addition of a series of secondary gun emplacements, the British Navy's artillery was greatly enhanced. More importantly, this layout can make full use of the technology of the main body of the ship, which is now mature in the British Navy. The Chinese Navy's warships of more than 4,000 tons are indeed very fierce, and compared with the new British 10,000-ton warships, no matter how fierce they are, they are only more than 4,000 tons, and there will be a big gap between firepower and armor. At least Britain really can't see any possibility that China's warships of more than 4,000 tons can follow the 9-inch guns.

By early December 1874, the British fleet had returned to Singapore unharmed. Prior to this, the British Parliament also strongly criticized the campaign. The parliamentarians questioned what the Secretary of the Navy did and what the Admiralty did to eat. The Minister of the Admiralty also had to give an explanation in Parliament.

The Chinese Navy fought with the British Navy without fear, damaging many converted ironclad ships, and the British Royal Navy knew that it had hit a hard stubble. As the hegemon of the world, he knows his own business. With bases all over the world's oceans, the first thing the British Navy should pay attention to when building ships is seaworthiness, and warships must have good ocean-going navigation capabilities. Armor and seaworthiness are a contradiction, and too thick armor will greatly affect seaworthiness. Compared with the British Grand Fleet, which had to fight all over the world, the Chinese ironclad ships with ports and repair factories did not have to worry about this problem.

Of course, the British Admiralty will not admit defeat, and the Admiralty Secretary assures that it will be able to send powerful ironclad ships to engage China, and unarmored ships are no longer suitable for the current situation. The current war zone is no longer in northern China, but in the South China Sea, which is within Singapore's radiation.

Thirty years ago, British wooden battleships roamed the Chinese seas and forced China to surrender. It was just over 30 years before Britain was forced back into Singapore, a situation that greatly annoyed British parliamentarians.

Annoyed to annoyed, the military budget of the Navy has not been cut by a penny. Because of the unfavorable situation of this battle, the British Parliament also agreed to a bill to expand the budget of the British Navy. After the Crimean War, Britain's naval superiority was so great that there was no problem of not being able to draw troops for the time being. In order to solve the problem of the Chinese navy, the parliament agreed to the Admiralty's plan, once the Grand Fleet returned to Singapore and other warships could return to various theaters to continue their service, the main ironclad ships would be transferred to the South China Sea to start a war with China.

In the first three months of 1875, the world situation seemed quite calm. China's Foreign Ministry has rejected more than a dozen requests to visit Chinese warships and shipyards. Now the world's major industrial countries are waiting with bated breath for the outcome of the war between China and Britain. The whole world is well aware that it is impossible to fight a large-scale land war between China and Britain, and it is the navies of both sides that will decide this war.

The Royal Navy has been showing off its military power for a century, and it is one thing to like China or not, and all the industrial countries want the British Navy to be defeated, which means that China's new warships are leading the world trend. You can never surpass the UK by following the British ass and learning from the UK. China is leading the new trend of the world's navy, which means that all industrial countries are on the same starting line as China. In the future development, it is difficult to say who will kill the deer.

In March, Weeser went to visit the Nanjing shipyard. In June last year, the first finalized cruisers of the Chinese Navy were launched, and the construction of new ships began immediately. At this time, in Wuhan, Nanjing, and Shanghai, each shipyard had its own 3,000-ton hydraulic press, and the speed of new ship construction was greatly increased. In mid-February 75, a new wave of 12 cruisers had been launched for sea trials after being inhabited, and outfitting would begin after the sea trials were completed. Of the vacated slipways, only two slipways began to build warships.

There were too many problems with the 6500-ton battleship, and progress was slow. The Navy had to come up with a new plan to build two 5,600-ton heavy cruisers, which would be armed with 200 mm guns. This is a summary experiment of the technology and experience that cruisers and battleships have accumulated, in preparation for larger tonnage warships in the future. In addition, the construction of large ships also consumes too much financial resources. In July, 24 cruisers were probably enough to hold up China's maritime frontiers. It would be a waste to build 36 cruisers.

There is no way to export these warships, and now export means that a large amount of technology, including tube-retreat artillery technology, is flowing to the world. Sooner or later, foreign countries can develop similar technologies, but they will be one day late. After foreign countries have similar technology, it is estimated that few countries will buy these warships.

By March 1875, Britain had already mobilized most of its ironclad ships to Singapore. Regardless of what the parliament thinks, the Admiralty is very unanimous in its view that if China really dares to wrestle with the British Royal Navy, it will be the largest naval battle with China before the launch of the new British warship. It is also very likely that it will be the last naval battle in the near future.

The war so far has proved that the history of armored ships and sail power should be withdrawn from naval warfare, and the new ironclad ships need to invest too many resources, and Britain's powerful production capacity is already stretched. Is there a more stupid option to devote so much of its resources to a tug-of-war with China?

Britain is now worried about China's immobility, and in order to force the Chinese fleet to come out for a decisive battle, Britain has chosen a target. That is China's Ambuna Islands.

The Abuna Islands are the Natuna Islands, located in the South China Sea between the Malay Peninsula and the island of Borneo, consisting of 272 islands, with an area of 2,110 square kilometers, the altitude is not high, and the highest point is in Ambuna Island, about 959 meters above sea level. High temperatures throughout the year, abundant rainfall, and abundant tropical forests. Producing timber, coconut, cocoa, rice and corn, the two main towns are located on the north and south shores of the main island. It has been included in the territory since the Song Dynasty, when foreign ships knew that they had entered China's territorial waters as long as they passed through the Ambuna Islands. When Zheng He was going to the sea, he used the Ambuna Islands as a relay station.

New China had built forts on the strategically located Ambuna Islands, and if Britain set out from Singapore to attack the South China Sea, it would be easy to find out by China's reconnaissance network with the Anbuna Islands as its core. If there had been a Chinese fleet in the Ambuna Islands at that time, the Chinese fleet would have been able to follow the British fleet, and if the British dared to shell Chinese ports, the Chinese fleet would have been able to implement the tactics of entrapment.

If the Anbuna Islands could be captured, the British fleet would have the opportunity to attack the provinces of the South China Sea. In the event of a major mistake by the Chinese Navy and annihilation by the British ironclad fleet, the situation in the South China Sea could be greatly improved.

On 7 March, the British ironclad fleet approached the Ambuna Islands.

On March 8, the Chinese navy from Lan Phuong province appeared north of the British ironclad fleet.

The British fleet had spotted the Chinese warships following the British Grand Fleet two days earlier, and they turned a blind eye to the Chinese warships. The British fleet hoped precisely to be discovered by the Chinese fleet, hoping that the Chinese fleet would take the initiative to attack.

Lieutenant General Pope was not removed from his post because of the disadvantage of the Battle of the Tsugaru Strait, and he also participated in the naval battle. The Tsugaru Strait is cold, and fighting there can't help but feel heavy. The weather in the South China Sea in March was mild, and the trajectory of Chinese warships in gray paint seemed much lighter to Vice Admiral Pope's eyes.

Compared with the huge warships of the British ocean-going ironclad fleet, which can easily exceed 6,000 tons and nearly 10,000 tons, China's cruisers of more than 4,000 tons appear slender and short. But in Vice Admiral Pope's view, the young and fierce Chinese Navy did not have the slightest intention of being afraid. The Chinese warships on the horizon were like wolves running slowly after seeing their prey on the vast plains, calmly and calmly outflanking the British fleet.

At this time, the elite of the Chinese Navy had twelve cruisers and eight destroyers, and the sortie included twelve cruisers and six destroyers. The lookout on the flagship Qingdao saw a total of twelve British warships coming towards the British Navy on the opposite side. China and Britain are thousands of miles apart, and the real military exchanges are basically wars. The lookout's return was also relatively brief, "The opposing side has twelve ships, divided into three horizontal formations, and adopts a V-shaped wedge formation. The first team consisted of two Ravages, the Thunder, Sultan, and Gladun, the second row consisted of four Sultan-class ironclads, and the third row consisted of four Dardeaulian-class ironclads. In the distance, there were three more Minotaur-class ironclads showing no signs of entering battle. ”

"Oh! The British are really elite! Ding Ruchang said calmly. In addition to the excitement in the eyes of the other commanders, Hyworth was excited. Even the oldest in the fleet, Ding Ruchang is only 39 years old this year. The average number of personnel in the fleet is 26 years old, which is far from the twilight of life.

"Order, the flagship raises the V-shaped flag." Ding Ruchang pondered for a while and then said.

The navy is basically educated in English, and everyone knows the pronunciation of V, which is exactly the same as the pronunciation of the surname of Generalissimo Wei Ze of the Liberation Army. Members of the Navy also know that the word Victory means victory. The V-shaped flag perfectly combines two meanings, it is the flag of the decisive battle, but also the flag of victory. Chinese Navy members feel that this is the most suitable choice.

The Z-shaped flag was also raised on the British Fleet Flagship Ravage, opposite the Chinese fleet, the flag raised on the flagship of the famous British Navy hero Nelson during the Battle of Trafalgar, which decided the fate of Britain.

After the two flags were raised, the commanders of both sides did not need to say anything. The Chinese fleet, which is painted in gray, and the British fleet, which is painted with a Victorian black hull and white buildings, are both fleets that are entering the battlefield with an average age of less than five years. The glorious history of the Royal Navy of the British Empire for more than 300 years and the glorious record of the Liberation Army in conquering all victories and fighting are carried by them. Whether it is the continuation of British hegemony in the South China Sea, or the establishment of China's hegemony in the western Pacific, the two fleets that are closing on each other have absolute confidence in their victory.

The V-shaped wedge formation is the naval combat experience that the British Navy learned from the Battle of Lisa, and the broadside facing the enemy is the tactic of the Chinese Navy. A long serpentine formation of 12 Chinese cruisers rushed to the right flank of the British fleet, and at a distance of 6 nautical miles from the British Navy, it was divided equally into the first fleet of eight warships and the second fleet of four warships, and the first fleet began to turn diagonally to the right, trying to form a horizontal line directly in front of the British fleet. The Second Fleet was slightly tilted to the left, trying to take a relative position parallel to the right flank of the British Fleet, but on opposite course.

On the Wuzhou, the flagship of the Second Fleet, Deng Shichang, the commander of the shelling, shouted to all gun positions of the ship through a microphone: "There are turrets on the enemy's deck, you can fight as much as you want!" ”

The commander of the Second Fleet also heard this, he first laughed, and then ordered the naval flag to unfurl the following content, "The enemy has a turret, shoot as much as you like!" ”

At a distance of 4,000 meters, the main guns of the British Navy of caliber of more than 300 mm opened fire, and at this distance, where it was completely necessary for God to decide where to land, the British shells did not pose the slightest threat to the Chinese warships. The British wanted to show the power and range of British naval guns. Huge shells smashed huge waves on the sea.

The Chinese Navy was not moved at all, and the artillery loaded the new burst shells with two cartridge belts, added them to the breech, and adjusted the elevation angle of the firing elements to a greater extent than before. As soon as they entered a distance of 2000 meters, the Chinese 150 guns spat flames at the British fleet.

The British ironclad ships participating in the battle of the Ambuna Islands were all new ironclad ships, with turrets placed on the upper deck, and 9-inch or even 11-inch main guns were generally used, and the rate of fire was basically three to four minutes per shot. The Chinese artillery on the opposite side was still 6-inch guns, and the rate of fire reached an astonishing four rounds a minute.

Exploding shells rained down on British warships, and these shells were of little use against ironclad over 260 mm, that is, more powerful than tickling. Shells that hit the deck could not penetrate more than 100 mm of ironmail. However, the British turret had a huge firing window, and the huge flames and a large amount of shrapnel from the explosion rushed into the turret through these firing windows. Some of the gunners were killed and wounded by the scorching shrapnel, and the flames and scorching air currents burned the skin and respiratory tract of the British gunners. This killing is no less than shrapnel.

Less than two hours after the battle began, all the batteries on the warships that Britain were able to engage with China were silenced at least three times. A warship has a crew of about 800 to 900, most of whom are boilers and cannonballs. The number of artillery crews was much less than that. The ship's three-wheel gun crew was killed and wounded one after another in the turret, and the British warship's naval guns were no longer available.

Vice Admiral Pope could think of armor being pierced, of a ship being sunk, of a battery being blown up. He could never have imagined that while the armor and artillery were safe and sound, the artillery would be depleted. The British fleet's operating personnel and chain of command were still working normally at this time, but the British warships lost the ability to continue fighting. Lieutenant General Pope wanted to look up to the sky and shout: "Is there anything more than this!!" ”