The Caribbean sun shone on the sailors, and the wind on the sea did not make people feel hot, it was supposed to be a pleasant sea voyage, after all, there was no wind and waves on the sea, for the sailors, it was a good day.

But at this time, for the people in this fleet, they did not have any sense of a good day, and everyone became more and more nervous.

"Enemy ship spotted on the port side!"

Again, smoke billowed from the horizon on the far side of the coast on the port side, and another fleet awaited their self-defeat in front of them, as the clouds of war brewed over the seemingly calm Caribbean Sea.

This time there were four new "Monit" ironclad ships, which played a decisive role in last year's Battle of Mobile, but the fact that these low-freeboard, shallow water heavy gunboats, were now sent to sea, shows how desperate the Americans are......

"They don't have any better warships......"

Looking at the four slowly approaching armored ships from the binoculars, the corners of Ding Ruchang's lips twitched slightly, revealing a mocking smile.

He is no stranger to the Monette type ironclad, this standard displacement of 987 tons, the freeboard exposed to the water is only 0.45 meters, two Armstrong 10-inch rifled guns, its turret armor is 8 layers of 25 mm iron plates, two deck layers of 12.7 mm iron plates, 5 layers of 25 mm iron plates on the side, two vibrating steam engines and two boilers, 320 horsepower, driving a four-bladed propeller, and a speed of 9 knots......

This is the information he learned from his time at the Fleet Staff, and he learned about these warships because they are the only force in the U.S. Navy that can pose a threat to the Caribbean Fleet.

"When the storm came, the weakness of the ship's unadapted navigation in bad weather was clearly exposed. Because the ship's side was so low, huge waves rushed up to the deck, and sea water poured in through the cracks in the turret, looking like a waterfall from the inside, and the Monette nearly sank on two occasions under the struck of a great storm. ”

The Naval Intelligence Service provides information not only on technical details, but also on its navigational operations. In fact, Ding Ruchang is no stranger to this type of shallow water heavy gunboat, after all, the rebel fleet was able to sweep the Yangtze River back then, relying on several iron-hulled shallow water heavy gunboats.

"It's just the Chinese Navy playing the rest of ......"

Not to mention Ding Ruchang, even those naval officers and men, who also looked coldly at the four US ironclad ships that rushed into the battlefield, they completely turned a blind eye to their threat, and even their eyes were full of desire for war.

For soldiers, it is war that realizes the value of soldiers, and soldiers have always longed for war. Instead of being afraid of war, not to mention the fact that the "invincible name of the Imperial Navy" was also a source of their strength.

In contrast to the strong desire of the naval officers and men to fight, the sailors were very nervous, not all of them were Chinese sailors, and in order to transport troops and supplies, the military chartered all the seaworthy ships in the port of Cologne, including Chinese ships, as well as French, British, and Allied merchant ships. And now, as sailors, they know that this will be a showdown between two countries.

In the face of the direct threat from the American fleet, most of the crew members on the ship had already begun to operate the gunwales on the side according to the response procedures, but most of their guns were used to defend against pirates, and the gunners were nervously preparing to load the guns.

Most of these gunners have been trained to handle guns, and they are all sailors who have been trained in guns, but in this case, they still can't help but get nervous, will they fire?

All hearts are asking the same question.

In the past, they did not flinch when faced with pirates, but now, they are facing a threat from the navy, the threat of a country's naval fleet.

At this time, the huge fleet on the horizon had revealed his full picture to them, and a fleet of ten wood-hulled cruisers and four ironclads appeared in front of the sailors, the gun windows on the side of these American warships had been opened, and the large-caliber naval guns were aimed at the fleet.

At this time, the afterglow of the sky will be caressed by the sea breeze into fish scales, and the sea surface will reflect a little golden red.

The atmosphere in the Caribbean is already tense to the extreme, and everyone is watching nervously, watching each other, no one knows what will happen in the next stage.

Over and over again, the U.S. warships waved flags asking the fleet to leave the area, and this time they didn't even mention anything to leave with them or to get on board to inspect it. In fact, for the US troops on the warships, they know very well that their own strength is not worth mentioning compared with the Chinese fleet, and the Chinese Navy has completely annihilated the US Far East Fleet whose strength is not inferior to theirs more than ten years ago, and it has also torn the pride of the British Navy to pieces in Cologne.

"In the whole world, no country can challenge the Imperial Chinese Navy!"

After the British Navy gloomily put away their pride, in the face of this navy with 18 capital combat ships and 24 armored cruisers, the navies of those countries that even stayed in the wooden shell age naturally did not dare to challenge this fleet.

The consequences of the iron armor on the wooden shell are catastrophic!

Because of this, even if Farragut's strength is stronger, he can't laugh at all, and he even begins to worry, once the Chinese open fire, what choice should he make? Perhaps, he simply did not have a choice.

The era of wooden-hulled warships is over......

But even if he understood this, what was the point? For Washington, they who want to defeat the South don't care about ironclads at all, because there are no ironclads in the South, and they need to be able to blockade the South, not build an expensive navy equipped with a small number of ironclads.

In response to the signals sent by the US warships, the escorting "Nagasaki" constantly responded with the flag slogan "This is the high seas, and merchant ships enjoy the right of passage protected by public international law".

"You have intruded into the territorial waters of the United States, please evacuate immediately!"

"These are the territorial waters of the Confederate States of America, and the United States of America has no right to block the entry of ships of various countries into ......"

Well, the two sides are fighting there again and again with flags, and the Federal Navy constantly says that the Chinese are invading the territorial waters of the United States, and the Chinese fleet does not recognize this as the territorial waters of the United States, and their reason is very simple - the Union State is a diplomatic country of China, in this case, China will naturally not recognize that this is the territorial waters of the United States of America.

Over and over again. The muzzles of the guns on both sides were aimed at each other, the distance between the fleet and the fleet was getting closer and closer, and the sailors on the warships of the two countries were mostly holding their breath nervously at this time, perhaps because the sun in the Caribbean Sea was a little too hot, so the gunners of the two countries felt as if their clothes had been soaked with sweat.

Everyone knew that the battle was imminent, and as the distance got closer, the fortresses, the ones guarding the port of Mobile, also appeared on the horizon.

"Sir, we're within range of the Gannis Fortress!"

The officer's nervous words sounded on the bridge, compared to the American warships, the fortress is the biggest threat, and the coastal defense fortress outside the port of Mobile has been occupied by the Federal Army, and has become the stronghold of the Federal Army to guard the port.

Perhaps they are not worried about the naval fleet of the Americans, but for the fortress, they cannot but worry, after all, for the fleet, the threat of the coastal defense fortress is far greater than that of the naval fleet, because the artillery on the fortress is of a larger caliber and more powerful.

"Signal. Order the flotilla to move on! ”

Ding Ruchang, who was standing in the bridge, ordered loudly, without the slightest hesitation in his order, and even his expression seemed very relaxed.

"Yes, sir!"

The order was immediately issued to the ships through the flag, and for the merchant ships of all countries in the fleet, when they received this flag, everyone was swallowing nervously, and when they wanted to escape from the danger in front of them, they saw the Chinese soldiers on the deck all standing there with loaded guns, and they believed that these Chinese marines would never let them escape the battlefield as they wished.

And those smuggling ships of the Union countries, although they are not "guarded" by the marines, they are very clear that they have no other choice.

At this time, the merchant fleet was getting closer and closer to the US fleet, so close that the sailors could even see the appearance of the American sailors, and see the black holes of the guns on their warships.

"Sir, Chinese still hasn't turned to ......"

"They won't stop......"

Putting down the binoculars, Farragut already knew the answer, Chinese would not retreat, and he ...... Can he fire?

"Send a telegram again, ask Washington, what should we do?"

On the fortress of Gannis, Colonel Henry yelled at Major Martini beside him, and on his battery, the gunners operating the 200-pounder Armstrong guns looked nervously at the commander, who were also waiting for orders, waiting for orders from Washington.

Looking at the approaching but unflinching Chinese fleet.

There was only one thought in everyone's hearts - damn it, what the hell is going on?

"Damn it!"

Henry scolded those generals and marshals in Washington in his heart, did they really think that they could prevent the Chinese from entering this port without firing guns?

They don't know at all, and if they don't open fire, it's impossible to stop at all Chinese...... Until now, Washington has not been able to make up its mind if it were to try to break into the port of Mobile if it were to become a small third-rate country. I am afraid that Washington has already ordered interception at any cost, but in the face of China, the country with the most powerful fleet in the world, the United States hesitates, and even in the face of their naked interference, Washington is still unwilling to cause war in the first place.

"Any fire. It could lead to a complete rebellion in China to the south, and at that point, it would lead to a situation that no one wanted to see, and the Chinese army would continue to flow south from Canada, and their navy would attack every federal port and coastal city, and then, what would we do to stop them? ”

But even if they don't fire, how can they stop the Chinese from entering the port?

"Washington can't make up its mind!"

The reality of no response made Henry understand the situation of the politicians in Washington, who wanted to intercept the fleet. But they are not willing to provoke a war with China!

No one wants to take the initiative to provoke this war, even though it seems like it is now...... inevitable, but, it seems, for the Americans, they still have to endure and wait......

What is it like to sail under the muzzle?

In the past, Ding Ruchang didn't know, but now, in the face of threats from the sea and land, he has deeply experienced this feeling, which is a feeling of suffocation.

"I won't fire the first shot!"

Ding Ru silently muttered the instructions in his heart, and at the same time prayed that the Americans would never dare to open fire. Because he knew that once he fired, at such a close distance, what kind of damage would be caused to the warship by the fortress guns on land, and the real fatal blow was to the merchant fleet, the warship could withstand the fire, and the merchant ship could withstand it? Not to mention that there are so many Marines on board?.

Outside the Port of Mobile at this time. In the most absurd of scenes, a fleet of a dozen warships was added to another huge fleet of three warships and twenty-six merchant ships. Unexpectedly, they were helpless, allowing the other party to pass through the gaps in their formations, and the crews of both sides looked at each other nervously.

And when they crossed the blockade of the American fleet, they also saw the threat of the sea fortress, and the muzzle of the coastal defense fortress was also pointed at them, this was a date under the gun, and the two sides competed for will!

"Whew!"

When he rushed out of the interception line of the American fleet, it was not until the moment when he was about to sail into the bay that Ding Ruchang finally breathed a sigh of relief, and only then did he notice that his palms were completely soaked with sweat.

"Sir, the fleet is sailing by! Congratulations, sir! We beat the United States! ”

Yes, they defeated the United States!

They defeated the United States in will!

It was a battle of courage. The only thing that needed to be contested was the courage of the officers and men on the ship, to see if they had the courage to pass through the guns of the American fleet and sail under the guns of the American coastal defense fortresses, and in the end they did it, and they succeeded in defeating the American Navy in courage.

"Command!"

While the officers and men on the ship were shouting excitedly for their courage, Ding Ruchang calmly gave the order.

"Slow down and keep an eye on the water! Watch out for mines! ”

Relieved, Ding Ruchang gave the order to move forward in the port of Mobile so that humanitarian relief could be carried out there......

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