The news from the Esmeralda obviously greatly surprised Deng Shichang, the organizer of the Nicaragua parade of the South American Combined Fleet, and when the Combined Fleet left the Ecuadorian port of Esmeraldas, there was no news that American warships had appeared around the port of San Juan do Sul, and the news from the Chilean consulate in Nicaragua, although the Ecuadorian government took a tough attitude, in fact it was very worried about the unanimous condemnation from its South American neighbors. Prime Minister Martínez is discussing with President Acevedo what kind of compromise to make to resolve this diplomatic problem.

But now in front of us, there is real trouble, the column of smoke rising from the harbor looks like at least 3-4 American warships appeared in the port of Nicaragua, the most terrible thing is that he still has no knowledge of this, this is the taboo of soldiers, however, at this moment, Deng Shichang naturally will not have any idea of retreating, even if the American fleet appears here, even if there are only two Chinese warships here, but this does not affect the influence of the Chinese Navy in the Pacific Ocean in the slightest.

"Advance from the inner channel and order the combined fleet to follow our ship!" Deng Shichang immediately rushed down the lookout and issued an order loudly, and at the same time ordered the battleship that had already removed the gunwear to immediately enter combat readiness, and the admiral flag fluttering high quickly issued a clear order to the equally unexpected United Fleet battleship.

Standing in the slightly low bridge command room of the Zhenyuan ship, this once China's largest giant ship has been fully accelerated, however, even if the power transformation is carried out, the congenital lack of bilge design makes the maximum speed of the battleship not directly improved, but this does not affect the indomitable courage and fighting will of every battleship officer and soldier, this ironclad ship has been launched for 17 years. Still have the determination to defeat all the enemies in front of you!

"Report!" The lookout officer rushed into the command room. "General. The Esmeralda sent a message confirming that the enemy ships were 6 American battleships, the flagship was the American battleship USS Wisconsin, and at least 2 more battleships were missing! ”

The battleship Wisconsin, without the need for the adjutant to dig out the information, Deng Shichang can also immediately understand the strength of the opponent, the United States of America in the first war of Cuba. The main fleet, dominated by Indiana-class battleships, was completely wiped out, and in the end, only one Maine-class second-class battleship was left to decorate the façade, while the Maine-class battleships were completely decorative, and finally led the United States to completely lose its maritime influence on the East Coast within the next year.

However, although the strong industrial capacity of the United States lacks the ability to produce domestic high-end Xia-class and Han-class battleships, it does have industrial reserves for mass-produced battleships, and in less than three years, the US Navy has successively received a total of seven Chishach-class battleships and Illinois battleships delivered by Newport News Shipyard and United Steel Shipyard.

The battleship Wisconsin, which appeared in the harbor, was the last of the Illinois-class battleships, in fact. As a result of the crushing defeat in the Cuban War, the Illinois-class battleships submitted for production later than the Chishach-class battleships embodied the idea that the U.S. Navy should be more threatened by the Far East. The Chishach-class battleships were already outfitted at the factory at the time of the naval battle between China and the United States, so the overall performance improvement was limited compared to the Indiana-class that was completely destroyed in the Cuban War.

The displacement of the Chishach-class battleship is 12,000 tons, which is only less than 1,000 tons more than the Indiana class, and the speed is much faster, reaching the average 17 knots of the battleships of this era, but the firepower is also a copy of the Indiana class.

The displacement was directly increased from the initial design of 12,000 tons to 14,500 tons, and the main gun was also increased from two twin 12-inch, 40 times the diameter of the main gun to three 12-inch twin main guns, and the power was the focus of the Americans to improve, the Illinois-class battleships installed 32 vertical Conway boilers, and the use of the best four-expansion steam engine in the United States, when the first Illinois battleship was launched, it achieved an amazing result of 30% more than the design power, and the power reached 29,000 horsepower, the top speed exceeded 20 knots......

At 10:25, 20 minutes after the contact between the two sides, Deng Shichang finally got the news from the front of the queue, but this is obviously not good news, if the Zhenyuan ship under his command is changed to the Esmeralda battleship, with the strength of the Xia-class battleship, Deng Shichang does not have to worry about the result of the confrontation with the Wisconsin.

However, almost all the warships of Chile and other countries are China's exports, and in addition to the strong tonnage, armor and artillery caliber, the most critical radio and fire control technology is not included in the transaction, so the combat effectiveness of this combined fleet is far inferior to that of the Chinese fleet of the same tonnage, and although the Zhenyuan ship has undergone a series of modifications, the 305mm main gun using the gun position firing commander obviously does not have the combat effectiveness of the domestic capital ship!

However, this is obviously not a situation that Deng Shichang has to consider at all, and letting the four South American countries jointly put pressure on Nicaragua is just to show Beijing's attitude, Beijing needs the fleet to exert influence, and as a fleet commander, he must go all out to achieve it...... The opponent in front of you, even the battleship Wisconsin, the strongest American in the world today!

"The commanders of the Chilean and Peruvian navies sent a banner saying that they want to communicate with the American fleet first and then enter the port!" Just as Deng Shichang was looking towards the bay in the distance, the adjutant brought new news.

Deng Shichang showed a trace of disdain on his face, these South Americans are completely like a wall-to-wall grass, seeing the Yankees' fleet, although the overall strength of the combined fleet is not weaker than the opponent at all, but they immediately have the idea of retreating, and they will not let these guys do anything harmful to China's interests!

"Reply to the Chileans, Peruvians, and we will communicate with the Americans so that they follow the town and be ready for battle!" Deng Shichang patted the table and made a decision without hesitation, and the situation unfolding in front of him at this moment, from his point of view, there was no chance for the Yankees to bargain.

Although the strength of the U.S. fleet is not yet clear, the U.S. fleet came out of the port of San Juan do Sul and had to reach the mouth of the bay, which is nearly 10 kilometers wide outside the port, and the 10 warships of the South American Combined Fleet under its jurisdiction had in fact completely occupied the most important T-shaped position in the operation outside the bay...... It can be seen that the Yankees did not expect to encounter the Combined Fleet at this moment and place.

It's just that he didn't come to war with the Yankees, which is the most tricky problem for Deng Shichang, but if the Yankees dare to open fire, he will not hesitate to announce a counterattack, even if the American battleships have a new battleship like Wisconsin, the terrain will make the other party suffer.

At 11:03 a.m., when the Combined Fleet outside the Gulf completed its maneuver and formed a double-column horizontal line lined up with two Chinese warships Zhenyuan and Laiyuan as the leaders, the American battleships in the Gulf finally cautiously sailed into the bay from the harbor, and the right flank of the bay formed a single-column formation and sailed towards the double-column horizontal fleet at the mouth of the bay at a speed of 12 knots.

The Western Pacific Fleet has been greatly strengthened in the past three years, and half of the navy's new-type battleships have been incorporated, including the flagship USS Wisconsin, the USS Alabama, and the USS Kentucky, three of the latest battleships, in addition to several cruisers and destroyers, and the combat strength has increased far more than the sum of the past ten years.

Eleven days ago, he had accepted this urgent assignment to escort U.S. Secretary of State William Brown. The trip to San Juan del Sul to conduct important diplomatic consultations with the Nicaraguan government, and President Roosevelt's order specifically emphasized the need to send the main fleet there, which is why the Western Pacific Fleet will make this trip.

Secretary of State William did not care about the outcome of the negotiations, but the strength of the navy was clearly taken very seriously by the Nicaraguans, and the negotiations were completed after only one day, but no one could have expected that just as the fleet left the port, he would be surprised by the large fleet - and the multinational combined fleet, and at this moment, he could clearly see the red military flag fluttering on the Chinese warships in the first sequence!

"General!" Adjutant Wiles came in and reported loudly, "The Chinese have sent flags asking us to leave the main channel immediately, and they want to enter the port of San Juan do Sul!" ”

Brigadier General Dewey frowned...... The outlet of this bay is very wide, and there is no need to worry about running aground with six or seven large ships in parallel, and it is clear that the Chinese do not care whether the American fleet occupies the shipping lane, but whether the American fleet will bow its head and walk away!

At this time, Secretary of State William? Hai had already walked into the command room under the escort of the naval soldiers, and he was obviously surprised by the sudden trouble, and as soon as he entered, he couldn't wait to ask: "Brigadier General, what is the situation now?" Who is the opposite fleet? Is it necessary to challenge the Navy of the United States of America? ”

"We had absolutely no idea what was going on!" Brigadier General Dewey turned his head to look at the high-ranking White House member with a surprised face, as a military man, he didn't have much respect for politicians, but out of duty he had to ensure the protection of the Secretary of State, "Secretary William, you must stay here, the Chinese warship opposite us is asking us to leave here immediately...... In my judgment, they wouldn't mind firing a cannon here! ”

"The Chinese fleet?" The sudden news made William? Hai was taken aback, and he immediately asked: "I heard the report that there are only two Chinese warships, and the others are Chilean and Peruvian warships, do these Americans dare to attack us?" ”

Before Commodore Dewey could answer Secretary William's question, he heard the door of the command room be slammed open, and the watchtower officer rushed in at once, "Commodore General, the fleet on the opposite side is rushing towards us at full speed, and according to the current speed of both sides, in 20 minutes, we will collide together!" (To be continued......)