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On August 23, 1914, with the announcement of Okuma's declaration of the China Declaration, the Japanese Second Fleet, which had arrived outside Jiaozhou Bay, immediately began to clear the shipping lanes.

And the artillery of the Chinese army, which had taken over the coastal defense batteries of the German army, also immediately opened fire on the minesweepers sent by the Japanese with the heavy artillery of the Krupp fortress. The war between the two countries began without either side declaring war.

The Chinese army had 130 shore defense guns left by the Germans (very powerful), a strong fortress, and hundreds of mines in Jiaozhou Bay.

"Arrogance!" Standing on the bridge of the battleship Satsuma, Vice Admiral Kato Dingyoshi, commander of the Japanese Second Fleet, lightly threw the telegraph paper in a ball, threw it on the deck, and raised the binoculars to look at the coast.

The Chinese president has just delivered a speech at the National Assembly on resisting aggression and fighting to the end, and has announced China's wartime measures, which mainly include: Dividing the coastal area of Qingdao into a combat area, and if the Japanese army makes a military move beyond this combat area, it will be regarded as an all-out aggression against China, and China will certainly take the most severe military retaliation, and even attack the Japanese mainland; We have completely suspended commercial exchanges with Japan, banned all goods from leaving Hong Kong to Japan, and controlled overseas Japanese......

In Kato's view, China is arrogant and stupid in making such a move, and it is completely provoking Japan. The combat area, hmph, Japan did not take the capture of Qingdao as a simple purpose at all, but after obtaining Qingdao, it continued to advance to the hinterland of Shandong and occupied the Jiaoji Railway and Jinan, so that they could be satisfied. Interrupt commercial exchanges, interrupt the supply of mineral resources, hmph, after Japan wins, it will get more and greater benefits.

Yes, everything is aimed at victory, and in a world where the law of the jungle is the strong, justice and morality are nothing but a fig leaf, which can be torn off if necessary.

Although it is different from the Russo-Japanese War, Britain and France were not able to provide Japan with financial and material support, and even showed diplomatic caution, and the United States was even more dissatisfied with Japan. But none of this matters, when Japan wins, these guys will pounce and get a piece of the pie. Facing up to reality is always the norm for qualified politicians to follow.

Buzzing, with a strange sound, a few black dots flew in the sky, getting bigger and bigger.

Chinese reconnaissance aircraft? And it's three, Kato raised his binoculars and stared at the national flag logo painted on the fuselage, frowning. As soon as Qingdao approached, there were planes of the Chinese army coming to reconnoitre, and their own fleet also carried two seaplane carriers (the USS Wakamiya seaplane), with a total of four Newport-type seaplanes! Two of them have already taken off for reconnaissance and should now be back to report the situation.

For hundreds of years, cavalry has seen itself as the eyes of the army, as it can search for enemy information and report it to the command.

However, when the aircraft was developed, the role of cavalry was greatly reduced. Because an airplane can quickly complete a reconnaissance mission at an altitude of several hundred feet, and quickly send intelligence to the command center.

After the invention of the aircraft, it was soon used in the military, and mainly for reconnaissance. However, the planes were not equipped with weapons at that time. At that time, the plane flew slowly and steadily, and pilots and observers could observe the ground situation from the plane and take pictures with their cameras. Armor and weapons are not required on board. Pilots from opposing sides often salute or wave cordially to each other when they meet in the air.

Kobayashi Keizan was returning with a seaplane flying next to him.

The sky is very blue and the field of vision is very open, but Xiao Lin has no intention of appreciating it, and there has always been a question in his heart, maybe it should be a hidden worry. At the beginning of the battle in Qingdao, the disappearance of two seaplanes always made him feel that it was not as simple as the command guessed that the wreckage was not as simple. But he couldn't think of any other reason.

At this time, three Chinese Air Force planes were carrying out calibration and alert missions, and Kobayashi and another Japanese plane were getting closer and closer.

Chen Zhong felt quite depressed, because he was flying a fighter plane, which could fight, but there were no Japanese planes for him to shoot. When I went back to write the application, it was more enjoyable to transfer to the bomber brigade. With a little excitement, he imagined dropping bombs and blasting his enemies to the ground.

A friendly plane suddenly swayed from side to side, making a gesture that it had discovered the situation. Chen Zhong couldn't help but perk up, could it be that God had fulfilled people's wishes and had the opportunity to fight.

Kobayashi spotted three Chinese planes flying head-on and was not very frightened, because he did not know that the Chinese planes already had the ability to shoot him down.

Although aircraft have been used for military purposes for a long time, equipping them with weapons has not yet been taken seriously by the military of various countries, and there are also technical difficulties.

Of course, some bold and "provocative" pilots feel that it is a "humiliation" to let enemy pilots fly planes to conduct reconnaissance in a "dashing" manner over their own airspace. As a result, a number of hostile actions and a variety of "weapons of air combat" have already begun to appear.

During the Mexican Civil War, an American pilot hired by the Peasant Army and the pilot of the only Mexican government reconnaissance plane shot each other with a pistol in the air. In addition to shooting with pistols, pilots sometimes carry bricks and arrows as "weapons" to smash the propellers of opposing aircraft.

The Russian pilot Nestalov was even more "creative", he actually installed a knife in the rear of the fuselage, ready to use it to cut the skin of the opponent's fuselage, which can really be called a "disemboweling" tactic. Another Russian pilot, Kazakov, also had a unique approach. He installed a steel cable and a grappling hook in the lower part of the plane, and a **** was attached to the grappling hook. He tried to catch the enemy plane with a grappling hook and destroy the enemy plane with ****.

However, these are nothing more than seemingly non-existent air battles, not comparable to the machine guns on Chinese planes. Kobayashi Keizan would never have imagined that he would become one of the first planes to be shot down in an air battle and would be imprisoned in China as a prisoner of war for several years.

Chen Zhong was very happy that he finally had a chance to show his skills, and he sent a signal as a long plane, this one belongs to me, and that one belongs to you. Then he maneuvered the plane and went around the back of the enemy plane.

After the aircraft is equipped with machine guns, how to occupy a favorable firing position in air combat has become a crucial issue for the Chinese Air Force to study. Through actual combat experience, the pilots found that the attack behind the enemy plane was the most effective, followed by a head-on attack, and the attack on the flank of the enemy plane was the worst. So the pilots tried to occupy the most favorable position for attack, that is, to go around the rear of the opponent and shoot.

Obviously, Chen Zhong's purpose is to be safe, and he must not let this hard-won prey slip away. But his companion was obviously more anxious than him, and after receiving his signal, he viciously pressed towards a Japanese plane, and when he reached a suitable distance, he opened fire violently, and a tongue of fire flew diagonally towards the Japanese plane.

The Japanese plane was caught off guard, and was volleyed into the air by machine guns, and planted downward in the smoke and flames.

Kobayashi Jingshan was taken aback, and hurriedly turned the nose of the plane, preparing to escape. Chen Zhong jerked the nose of the plane and gave chase, and another Chinese fighter plane also came to intercept it.

Despite the fact that the flight performance of the aircraft at this time was not high, and it could only perform level flight and turns with a small slope, the performance of the Chinese aircraft was significantly superior to that of bulky seaplanes with pontoons.

Although Kobayashi Jingshan also made evasive moves, he still did not escape the fierce pursuit of the two planes. The plane was hit, it began to smoke, and then the flames also rose, and Kobayashi Keihisa struggled to maneuver the plane that was about to lose control, and planted it towards the pond not far away......

Kato was dumbfounded, the Japanese were dumbfounded, witnessing the world's first air battle, and their minds went blank.

Chinese planes began to hover over the Japanese fleet again, and the appearance of the pilots was clearly visible to Kato in the binoculars. After a while, one of them continued to fly towards the distant sea, while the other two were still hovering over the busy Japanese ships in the offshore waters, occasionally releasing smoke grenades of various colors. The heavy artillery of the coastal fortress roared again, spitting out flames and smoke.

Kato saw an old coastal defense ship burst into flames in the explosion, and the Japanese soldiers on the deck waiting to change to a small boat not only suffered heavy casualties, but many soldiers were thrown into the sea with the shaking of the ship. Immediately after, another ship was hit and caught fire.

And just when the Japanese were still immersed in the shocking thinking that airplanes can fight in the air, the Chinese Air Force has come up with a new trick. Four airships suddenly arrived, and unlike the load of airplanes at that time, airships could carry thousands of kilograms of cargo.

Of course, the airships that flew over the heads of the Japanese dropped bombshells, five hundred pounds each. Due to the fact that airships could fly very slowly and even hover in the air, and at that time there was a lack of effective anti-aircraft weapons. Therefore, the aerial bombardment of the airship appeared to be very easy, and sixteen bombs sank and damaged six Japanese ships with a high hit of thirteen.

The successive blows made the Japanese furious, but Kato had some foreboding. This was already completely unexpected, and the war seemed to have become strange.

Soon, Kato's ominous premonition became a reality, and this blow did not come from the air, but from the killer lurking under the sea.

The rumbling of artillery shook the sea, and behind the entire Japanese fleet, there was a wide sea, and the artillery battle in front was fierce, but it was still calm here.

An object quietly protruded from the sea, and through the periscope, Zhou Jing, the captain of the V-3 submarine, saw the outside world. For those who live on submarines, it is a real pleasure to take a look at the scenery on the water. But at this time, Zhou Jing had no intention of being greedy for "sex", and was just focusing on searching for the first "good meal". When he saw dozens of Japanese ships of different classes and sizes anchored at sea, his excitement could not be suppressed.

The large Japanese warships all put on a posture of no one in sight, the towering chimneys from time to time spewed out white smoke balls, and rows of shells whistled out from the warships and flew straight towards the coastal positions. Around these large warships, some small ships scurry back and forth, acting as bodyguards.

Zhou Jing had finished his observation, and secretly thought in his heart that if he wanted to fight, he had to fight big, otherwise it would not be enough to shock the enemy's military heart. Moreover, Japan's large warships seem to be unsuspecting, and they are prone to surprise victories. Small warships are not worth fighting, but they are a great threat to submarines, and once they appear, they will run away with their lives.

The V-3 submarine bypassed several Japanese warships and quietly headed for the coast. It is like a hungry wolf foraging for food, pounced at every opportunity. About half an hour later, Zhou Jing saw a Kongo-class battlecruiser, and also saw two Japanese destroyers cruising around the Kongo-class battlecruiser.

It shouldn't be difficult to take out the Kongo-class battlecruisers, but the difficult thing is how to get out after the battle starts. After pondering for a while, Zhou Jing felt that it was impossible to attack the King Kong-class battlecruiser without protection, and it was not a long-term solution to delay it any longer, and the opportunity could not be missed, and it was necessary to act immediately.

"One or two torpedoes in the bow are ready for a salvo!" Zhou Jing made up his mind and decided to take a risk.

"Ready-go!"

Two torpedoes flew out of the launch tube and headed straight for the Kongo-class battlecruisers.

"Boom! Rumble! "The deafening explosion resounded in the sky. Like a giant stinged by a bee, the Kongo-class battlecruiser leaped to its feet, and when it fell back into the water, a huge white column of water rose into the sky.

Both torpedoes hit the target, and one hit the fuel compartment of the Kongo-class battlecruiser, causing a series of explosions that reflected the sea in flames. The debris of the explosion was scattered like hailstones mixed with water sprays.

In the midst of fierce battles, there was a sudden and miraculous moment of silence, and both the Japanese army and the Chinese defenders set their eyes on the behemoth that had been destroyed.

Only a quarter of an hour later, the Kongo-class battlecruiser had capsized and sunk, and no amount of effort could save its fate. The sea was crying and wailing Japanese officers and soldiers who were rising and falling, and several small ships rushed to the rescue, and the scene was chaotic.

Prolonged cheers erupted from the positions of the Chinese defenders, and some soldiers shed tears of excitement. The rampant enemy was punished one after another, and of course they had to rejoice.

Zhou Jing was also happy about his victory in the first battle, but more important things kept him busy. When the V-3 submarine fired a torpedo, the torpedo track was discovered by a Japanese destroyer, and in order to avoid being searched and captured by the Japanese ship, Zhou Jing thought hard about it, and a brilliant and bold idea came to his mind.

Zhou Jing did not manipulate the submarine to escape, but directed it to hide around the sinking Japanese ship. This is very risky, and at any time there is a risk of losing balance under the impact of powerful vortices. But doing so also made the Japanese army never dream that the most dangerous places were the safest. Zhou Jing commanded the entire crew and carefully maintained the stability of the submarine.

Sure enough, the Japanese destroyer was busy for a while, searched for a long time, and saw no trace of the submarine, thinking that it had fled, so it turned to normal patrols and rescues. Zhou Jing seized the opportunity and drove the submarine through a series of underwater movements and successfully escaped from the tiger's mouth.

However, the V-3 submarine did not go far, it quietly turned to the other side, and after careful observation, Zhou Jing chose the prey again, which was an old battleship. Although the ship is already very old and looks a little old, the huge body is still daunting. Zhou Jing did not want to wait any longer, because the Japanese army had obviously increased their vigilance, not only destroyers and other alert ships to defend strictly, but also began to lay anti-torpedo nets.

The firepower on this old battleship was still very strong, and it bombarded the fortress garrisoned by the Chinese army with rumbling artillery fire, but it did not expect that a pair of hateful eyes had already stared at it from under the sea.

Zhou Jing commanded the submarine to approach quietly, then drove the submarine to turn around and aimed the torpedo at the target with the torpedo on the stern.

"The stern torpedo is ready to fire!" Zhou Jing gave a categorical order, and then he shouted loudly: "Ready-release!" ”

After firing the torpedo, Zhou Jing immediately commanded the submarine to dive, and the divers operated nervously, listened attentively, and waited for the arrival of an unusual moment. Ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds...... a loud "boom" sounded, and everyone breathed a long sigh of relief.

The torpedo hit the side of the Japanese ship, and the sea water poured into it through a huge hole. Japanese officers and soldiers tried to plug the hole, but their efforts ultimately failed. Fortunately, due to the shallow waters where the Japanese ship was located, after the hull sank, the upper deck of the ship was still exposed, and some Japanese officers and men survived.

The Sino-Japanese war around Qingdao unfolded in a way that surprised connoisseurs, and the Chinese navy dispatched eight submarines to carry out a fruitful attack on the Japanese fleet gathered in the sea of Qingdao, and achieved great results.

Of the eight submarines that participated in the operation, six attacked, firing a total of 19 torpedoes and sinking nine Japanese ships, including a Kongo-class battlecruiser, an old battleship and a second-class cruiser, as well as six transports, with a total tonnage of 34,000 tons. The Chinese navy, on the other hand, was also sunk and damaged one submarine each.

In the late 19th century, with the rise of Mahan's idea of "sea power", the idea of "big ships and huge cannons" overwhelmed everything, and the battleships, the giants of the sea, were pampered, and submarines, like other types of ships, could only be used as a foil for battleships. Before the war, no one could have predicted the role that submarines would play in naval warfare, so with the exception of Germany and China, submarine forces were not fully developed, let alone effective anti-submarine means.

Without submarine detectors and sonars, submarines are like dragons in the water, almost to the point where they can walk the sea as they please.

British military observers were the first to realize the threat they were already facing, and as an island nation, shipping at sea was a matter of life and death. China and Germany had cooperated closely in submarine manufacturing and operations before the war, and China was weaker than Germany in terms of strength, but it had achieved such results, and the more well-trained submarine forces that Germany had established before the war would certainly pose a great threat to Britain if they were dispatched.

It was only then that Japan realized that China was not a defenseless adversary, and that they lacked an accurate understanding of the submarine force that China had been secretly building and effective countermeasures. (To be continued.) )