"Dangdang! Spot enemy ships! ”

On the tower of the battleship Hanoi, a Japanese sentry shouted and rang the bronze bell beside him. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

"Enemy ships spotted!"

"Enemy ships spotted!"

One after another, Japanese officers and men successively conveyed the news to the bridge duty room, and an officer on duty immediately rushed to the command cabin to report to Vice Admiral Ito, commander of the Combined Fleet.

"Nani!"

Ito was startled and hurriedly got up.

He hadn't slept well since yesterday, and he had become apprehensive when he passed through Hamamatsu Prefecture and learned about the U.S. Navy's attack on Pearl Harbor.

China and the United States declared war, the Allies and the Entente declared war on each other, the countries of the world were choosing sides, and the people of the whole world were in trembling like him.

In Ito's view, the US Navy's attack on Pearl Harbor was a failed operation, because a premature start of war would not be conducive to the US-Japan alliance defeating the Chinese Empire, let alone the Allied bloc defeating the Allied bloc, after all, the total economic output of the Chinese Empire was close to the sum of the total economic aggregates of the Entente bloc, its industrial strength was twice that of the United States, and the gap in military strength was several times that of the United States.

Under these circumstances, it would be unwise to go to war with the Chinese Empire.

However, Ito also understood the hardships of the United States, and saw that the gap between China and the United States in terms of economic aggregate, industrial strength, and military strength was getting wider and wider, and there was a situation in which the country could not catch up with the United States, and the gap was getting bigger and bigger, and the higher the cost of waging a war against China in the future, the more severe the losses, so it was understandable to preemptively launch a sneak attack.

However, after the US Navy attacked Pearl Harbor, whether or not the main force of the Pacific Fleet of the Chinese Imperial Navy was completely annihilated, the Chinese Empire did not say a word about this matter, and the United States has not yet received news, which makes people very worried and painful.

If the sneak attack is successful, the main fleet of the Chinese Imperial Navy will be completely wiped out, and within three years, the Chinese Empire will remain in a passive state in the Pacific theater, and then the Japanese and US navies will be able to do whatever they want, and it is even possible to break through and win the entire Pacific theater, directly break through the Korean-Ryukyu defense line, and destroy the industrial base on the eastern coast of the Chinese Empire, then the war will inevitably be won by the United States and Japan.

However, if the main force of the Chinese Imperial Navy is not destroyed, then the consequences will be unimaginable, which is equivalent to a hornet's nest.

At this moment, when he heard the moment he discovered the enemy's situation, Ito Yuheng suddenly raised his heart to his throat.

"It can't be the Imperial Chinese Navy, right?"

Ito asked as he walked hurriedly.

"Yes General, we found the battle flag of the Imperial Chinese Navy?"

As soon as Ito heard the battle flag, he instantly understood that the other party was here to fight, and hurriedly asked, "How many?" ”

"At the moment only 6 battleships and 4 battlecruisers have been found, and an unknown number of destroyers (with obstructed views)."

Is there only ten capital ships?

Ito Sukehiro breathed a sigh of relief, if there were only ten capital ships, the Japanese Combined Fleet could fight in one battle. As for the destroyers with an unknown number of plastics, they have not yet been put in sight.

At this time, the capital ships of the Japanese Combined Fleet had two Kawachi-class battleships (Kawachi and Settsu), four Shikishima-class battleships (Shikishima, Asahi, Hatsuse, and Mikasa), two Katori-type battleships (Katori, Kashima), two Satsuma-class battleships (Satsuma and Yakumo), four Kongo-class battlecruisers (Kongo, Hiei, Haruna, and Kirishima), two Kurama-class battlecruisers (Kurama, Ibuki), and twelve Tsukuba-class armored cruisers (Tsukuba, Asama, Tokiwa, and Yakumo). , Iwate, Izumo, Iwami, Hizen, Tango, Iki, Zhoufang, Sagami).

In addition, there were 12 frigates of the fleet, 12 parade submarines (others at the base), 12 parade fish and radium boats (others at the base), and the parade reconnaissance ship Yaeyama (others at the base), and did not bring supply ships and tugboats to follow the fleet.

On the whole, the main forces of the Japanese Combined Fleet are all there, but most of the auxiliary ships remain at the Sasebo Naval Base, which looks a little thin at the moment.

However, if the other side only has ten capital ships, then Ito Yuhiro is still not afraid.

Ito Yuhiro quickly came to the bridge, and the captain of the Kawachi, Omoto, knew that he immediately made a more detailed report to him.

"What type of battleships are they?"

"According to the comparison of photos, the 6 battleships are all dreadnought-class, the board number is the Worryless Ship [BB-17], the Innocent Ship [BB-18], the Flawless Ship [BB-19], the Regretless Ship [BB-20], the Infinity Ship [BB-21], and the Endless Ship [BB-22]."

"However, the other four battle cruisers are the most powerful Ice Ocean class in the Chinese Empire, and the ship numbers we observe are the Pacific [BC-9], the Atlantic [BC-10], the Indian Ocean [BC-11], and the Arctic Ocean [BC-12]."

Ito was stunned.

"Why are there still Ice Ocean-class battlecruisers? Shouldn't they have been destroyed by the American Navy at Pearl Harbor? ”

Omoto replied, "Maybe they weren't at Pearl Harbor at the time!" ”

Ito Yuheng suddenly frowned and asked, "Is there anything else you have found?" ”

"Not yet! No hostile information was found in other directions! ”

Ito looked around, stopping at the southwest, where there was a blurred area.

"What's going on over there?"

Omoto replied, "The typhoon has just passed, so it must be sea fog!" ”

Sea fog?

Ito was a little nervous, he always felt that there was a strong murderous aura in the sea fog.

"Your Excellency General, do you want to face the battle, please give the order?"

China and Japan had already declared war on each other, and in the eyes of these Japanese officers and soldiers, the main fleet of the Imperial Chinese Navy had been wiped out at Pearl Harbor, so there was nothing to fear.

Ito Yuhiro was entangled in his heart, he felt that things were too strange, just after the typhoon, this Chinese Imperial Navy fleet appeared off the coast of Japan, and appeared in the rear of the combined fleet, is it a coincidence?

If it weren't for the coincidence, there must have been a more powerful fleet around to spy on.

Ito vaguely felt that there was danger, but unfortunately he didn't have much time to think, because the Chinese Imperial fleet had already opened fire.

The rumbling sound of cannon rang out, from far and near, instantly interrupting Ito's thoughts.

With a loud bang, a shell landed one kilometer in front of the Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet, and the huge explosion stirred up a huge wave more than 100 meters high, and the sound was huge.

On September 17, 1894, at 11:13 a.m., the Imperial Chinese Navy opened fire first, firing the first shot of the Sino-Japanese naval battle.

At this moment, all the officers and men of the Japanese ship were dumbfounded, how powerful Nima's cannon was!

After flying a distance of more than 30 kilometers, it was able to explode a huge wave 100 meters high!

If that ship is hit, Nima will be crippled if she doesn't die!

At this moment, the Japanese army was frightened, and the high morale that was originally eager to try was instantly extinguished.

"Enemy attack!"

"Prepare for battle!"

The Japanese commanders of each ship subconsciously issued orders, and the main guns were loaded one after another to search for targets.

However, most of the Japanese ship's main gun shooters could not pull the trigger, because the other side was too far away, more than 30 kilometers, which was beyond the maximum range of most Japanese ships' main guns.

At present, only two Hanoi-class battleships in the Japanese Combined Fleet have a range of 30 kilometers for their main guns, which are the most powerful 15-inch 50-diameter guns imported from the United States, with a range of up to 30 kilometers.

As for the effective range, the official data of the American Navy says that it is 20 km, but the Japanese Navy has not fired a single shot so far (the shells are too expensive), so it is not clear at all.

Omoto looked at Ito and said, "Your Excellency, what are you hesitating about?" If we don't fire back today, from now on, the Imperial Japanese Navy will never be able to stand up again! ”

Ito Yuheng was instantly stimulated, and his original concern was ignored, and he nodded suddenly.

"Prepare for battle!"

After giving this order, Ito felt that his hands were trembling, and took out a cigarette, but he couldn't light anything.

Ito Yuheng is like this, not to mention other Japanese officers and soldiers, with the shadow of being wiped out by the Chinese Imperial Navy twice, and when facing the Chinese Imperial Navy for the third time, it is inevitable that his legs will be weak and his heart tremble.

However, soon a Japanese officer shouted that the main force of the Imperial Chinese Navy had been completely wiped out at Pearl Harbor, and that what was in front of him was only a small fleet, which was not at all an opponent of the Combined Fleet, so there was no need to be afraid.

To a certain extent, this made the Japanese naval officers and men a little more relaxed and less nervous.

Subsequently, the Japanese Combined Fleet began to form a battle formation, and the rear team changed to the front team, preparing to turn back to meet the Chinese Imperial Fleet.

Seeing the Japanese Combined Fleet turn around to meet the battle, and the commander of the battleship Arctic Ocean, Deng Shichang suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

Just now he deliberately let the main gun fire, just to provoke the Japanese, afraid that they would run away.

"The Japanese took the bait and sent electricity to the flagship!"

Soon, the flagship called back, acting as originally planned.

Deng Shichang was in great spirits and immediately commanded the fleet to approach the Japanese Combined Fleet.

Just now, just a main artillery attack was carried out from a distance of more than thirty kilometers, which was the maximum range, and it was almost difficult to hit the enemy ship.

The Bingyang-class battlecruisers, in fact, are wolves in sheep, and they are completely the sister ships of the Fury-class battleships, equipped with four triple 406 mm main guns (16 inches), which are unrivaled in power, with a maximum range of up to 42 kilometers and an effective range of nearly 30 kilometers.

Therefore, Deng Shichang was full of confidence, and he wanted to be the first to sink the battleship Hanoi, the flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet.

In contrast, the battleship Hanoi had only 8 15-inch guns, with a small caliber and a ****** power that was also a grade weaker, with a maximum range of only 30 kilometers, and an effective range of no more than 20 kilometers.

As for the other Japanese battleships, most of the main guns were below 13 inches, and they were almost impossible to break the defense of the Bingyang-class battleships, and Deng Shichang didn't pay attention to them at all.

Deng Shichang commanded four Bingyang-class battleships and six Dreadnought-class battleships, and another twenty Great Egret-class destroyers escorted the escort, and he was not afraid of a sneak attack by submarines of the Japanese Navy.

On the contrary, the submarine forces of the Chinese Empire under the surface of the sea are deploying encirclement networks, which will deal a devastating blow to the Japanese Navy when the time is ripe.

Boom! Boom!

The guns roared, and the 12 main guns of the battleship Arctic Ocean opened fire in order.

This is a comparison of shots, with each impact point reported by an observer on the mainmast tower, and a seaplane in the air providing more accurate data on the impact point.

Therefore, even after a distance of more than 30 kilometers, every shell of the Arctic Ocean was constantly approaching the Japanese battleship.

Shot after shot, Ito's heartbeat almost stopped.

He was quite shocked, because he saw that the impact point of the explosive shell was getting closer and closer, if the first shell was a few kilometers away, now only five shells had passed, and the impact point was already less than three hundred meters close to the Hanoi.

The huge explosion caused the huge waves to get higher and higher, and the shock wave was clearly felt to be getting stronger and stronger.

"It can't be!"

Ito was shocked, if this continued, soon the opponent's shells would fall on the battleship Hanoi, or even directly on his own head.

"Ships immediately evade!"

The Hanoi took the lead in making evasive moves, and the other Japanese ships were already frightened, because they knew very well that the other party's 16-inch shell was a 16-inch shell, and once it was hit, it would be dead and severely disabled, so they followed to evade.

The entire Japanese Combined Fleet evaded one after another because of the continuous approach of several shells, and the original attack formation changed in an instant, and the speed slowed down.

When the two sides were 25 kilometers apart, Deng Shichang ordered the four Bingyang-class battleships to keep their distance and no longer approach the Japanese fleet, so they attacked at this distance. And the six Dreadnought-class battleships, their main guns have a caliber of only 305 mm, at this distance, they can't exert their power at all, and they can only be reduced to the bodyguards of the four Bingyang-class battleships.

"Fire!"

At 11:42, the battleship Arctic Ocean fired its first salvo of main guns, and the target was still the Japanese battleship Hanoi.

At the same time, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Atlantic also fired a salvo of firepower, targeting Japanese ships such as Settsu and King Kong.

4 super-dreadnought battleships, 48 406 mm caliber guns in a salvo, the momentum is earth-shattering.

An armor-piercing blast bomb weighing 1.2 tons roared into the sky, drawing a long parabola, and smashing at the Japanese ship more than 20 kilometers away.

Half a minute later, shells were wrapped in flames, like meteors falling.

In an instant, the sea was boiling, and columns of water hundreds of meters high rose into the sky, and huge waves rolled and spread in all directions, like a tsunami.

Ito Yuhiro looked up at the air, and the splash of sea water smashed into his face, which turned out to be hot, which showed that the explosive energy was so huge that it boiled the cold sea water instantly.

The Japanese soldiers on each ship turned pale with fright, looking at the shells that landed one after another, as if death was coming to beckon.

With a loud bang, a fiery red mushroom cloud rose into the air, instantly attracting the attention of all Japanese soldiers.

"It's the Oniki ship!"

"The Oniki ship has been hit!"

"The ship is finished!"

……

An exclamation of surprise rang out on every Japanese ship, and in the eyes of all the Japanese officers and men, the misery of the ship was reflected.

A 406-mm armor-piercing blast shell directly penetrated the horizontal armor of the Uki ship, piercing the Japanese Navy's most advanced armored cruiser.

The 1.2-ton giant artillery shell exploded violently, instantly blowing the armored cruiser of more than 6,000 tons in half, blazing with black smoke obscuring the sky.

The 720 Japanese officers and men on the ship instantly turned into burning men, and jumped into the sea desperately in a scream.

Seeing this scene, countless officers and men of the Japanese ship were instantly frightened. (To be continued.) )