Thinking of the legendary experience of the "Henry" submarine, which set the first record for human underwater combat, Lin Yiqing sighed in his heart.

This submarine has a notoriety as an "underwater coffin" because of the continuous accidents during sea trials and the record of "ending up together", but Lin Yiqing knows that this is not the case. If it is really an "underwater coffin", after the end of the American Civil War, no one will continue to study it and build many improved models of it!

According to Lin Yiqing, who loves history, after discovering the sinking location of the "Henry", when the archaeological staff first removed the remains of the shipwrecked crew in the submarine, and then used three-dimensional imaging technology to mark the exact location of the remains in the computer, it was found that each crew member still stuck to their respective posts. Moreover, the fragments of the bones left behind were not mixed, and in some places, the skeleton was still leaning against the crank. This indicates that they did not move, had no intention of escaping, and were not drowned in the sea.

Lin Yiqing settled down, stepped forward to the submarine that was almost exactly the same as the "Henry" and relied on manpower, and took a closer look.

The submarine in front of me is extremely similar to the "Henry", but it is not exactly the same, this submarine is larger, the hull is more slender and sturdy, the sinking resistance should be more than a grade higher than that of the "Henry", and it is equipped with rudders in the front and rear, and it is also equipped with periscopes and snorkels.

What is even more surprising is that Lin Yiqing found the wheel frame on the submarine, proving that the submarine has wheels and can travel on a shallow and flat seabed, which can allow the submarine to avoid running aground. It can be said that it is a very advanced design.

Lin Yiqing came to the hatch. I opened the hatch with my own hands. Went inside the submarine.

The reason why he looked so carefully was because he had always had doubts about the sinking of the "Henry".

If there was no water in the submarine, then what happened to the "Henry" after sinking the "Hausa Tonek"? Could it be that its crew just breathed the rest of the air and then died of lack of oxygen? Or maybe the crew just stayed quietly inside the submarine, waiting for the tide to lift the "Henry" out of the sea?

In the face of powerful waves and rapids, they could never return home. In this way, they suffocated one after another due to lack of oxygen. Maybe they miscalculated the amount of time they could stay at the bottom of the sea, they thought they could hold on to the bottom of the sea, let's say 1 hour, but the error was calculated, and everyone waited in tension and excitement, their adrenaline began to rise, and by the time someone noticed it, it was too late. Maybe no one paid attention to the lack of air and the fact that they should rise to the surface, but because they couldn't experience that history. So Lin Yiqing couldn't tell what the situation was.

He remembers, however, that archaeologists' exploration of its front hatch revealed a startling discovery to the people behind him – the front of the hatch was a little higher than the observation window. It looks like it's slightly open. It is possible that the hatch has been opened. Could it be that before the submarine sank, the inside of the submarine was flooded? If the boat is flooded and seawater continues to pour in, it can be expected that at least the crew on both sides of the submarine will try to escape to the middle hatch as the water level rises, resulting in chaos in the boat. But in fact, no such sign was found in the boat. Could it be that the crew had lost consciousness long before entering the water? Or were they dead before the submarine sank?

Whether they were swallowed by a strong shock wave, or whether they sank in the water, or suffocated to death is still a mystery of history......

Lin Yiqing looked at the huge rocker and round glass portholes inside the submarine, as well as the new periscope, and recalled the days of his internship in the submarine force, and a strong longing for that time suddenly surged in his heart.

"Lin Jun? Lin Jun? Nomura Shinosuke's voice came, Lin Yiqing turned to look, and saw Nomura Shinosuke coming in through the hatch.

"Nomura-kun, be careful of the meeting." Seeing that Nomura Shinosuke arched in a little recklessly, and was still carrying a katana, looking very clumsy in the small space of the submarine, Lin Yiqing reminded him.

Nomura Shinosuke and Lin Yiqing are about the same size, but he is not like Lin Yiqing After all, he has been in the submarine force, and he is very familiar with walking inside the submarine.

"It's okay, it's okay." Nomura Shinosuke smiled and waved his hand, "How is it?" Lin Jun? This dive boat isn't bad, right? Do you think we can use it to attack the enemy now? ”

"A very good boat." Lin Yiqing nodded, "Dongxiang-jun has always been worried about not being able to defeat the 'Fusang', I just discussed the tactics with him to increase his confidence, but if you want to defeat the 'Fusang', you can't just rely on the 'King Kong' and 'Hiei', you also need to have other means of attack, and this diving ship is undoubtedly one of the good supplementary tactics." ”

"Great!" Nomura Shinosuke said happily, "Actually, after I saw this ship, I have always felt very glad that this ship did not fall into the hands of the thief army, otherwise, it will definitely pose a great threat to our ironclad ship!" ”

"You're right, Nomura-kun." Lin Yiqing came to the periscope, turned on the lens, and looked at the Satsuma samurai who were looking at the submarine curiously outside, "The ironclad ship is unprotected underwater, and if it is attacked by mines, it is easy to be sunk." If this submarine falls into the hands of the thieves, it will cause us great trouble. ”

"Yataro Iwasaki, this old thief! It should be broken into pieces! Thinking of Yataro Iwasaki, the president of Mitsubishi Trading Company, the original owner of this submarine, Nomura Shinosuke couldn't help but scold.

Hearing Nomura Shinosuke talk about Yataro Iwasaki, Lin Yiqing's eyes couldn't help but appear in front of his eyes The image of the unruly beautiful girl named Iwasaki Yuka who is still stuffed in the Osaka branch of Mitsubishi Trading Co., Ltd.

"Pick a crew and start training! We need to tell this Mr. Iwasaki how wrong he is as soon as possible. Lin Yiqing felt a little sympathy in his heart for the girl who had been abandoned here by his father and brother, and immediately turned his mind to how to form a combat force of the submarine he was in as soon as possible.

At this time, Lin Yiqing didn't know that when he was talking with Nomura Shinosuke in the submarine, the Japanese government fleet led by the ironclad ship "Fuso". We have already embarked on the journey to Osaka.

"A ship was spotted right ahead. More than two! ”

On the ironclad ship "Fuso". The lookout suddenly shouted hoarsely.

Rear Admiral Inoue Yoshikao, who was sitting in the command tower and was a little dazed, heard the shouts of the lookouts and immediately rushed out and came to the flying bridge.

He held up the binoculars and stared at the sea in the distance, and sure enough, he saw a few faint black smokes.

"It's a troop carrier of the thieves!" There was surprise in Inoue's voice, "We've finally caught them!" ”

Hearing the commander's excited words, the captain of the "Fuso" Tsuboi Kosansa was a little unimpressed.

There are more foreign steamers in this area. And at such a distance, only a small amount of smoke can be seen through the telescope, how can you know that it is a Satsuma troop carrier?

A layman is a layman after all!

However, out of respect and politeness to the commander, and understanding the urgency of Inoue Yoshikao's eagerness to intercept the enemy, Tsuboi Kozo did not say anything, but raised the telescope again and observed carefully.

As the Japanese fleet continued to approach, the figures of the four steamers on the sea gradually grew larger, and when Tsuboi Kozo saw the "Cross Maru" flag fluttering on the mast of the steamer and the dense Satsuma soldiers on the deck, his mouth opened wide in surprise.

It seems that the layman Inoue Yoshixin has really been right!

Truly. In front of the Japanese fleet were the four steamers of the Satsuma Army, namely the Tsuyama Maru, the Shinmi Maru, the Takamatsu Maru, and the Kagawa Maru. The ship was carrying the infantry artillery team and the husband service team of the Satsuma Army reinforcement "Zhenwu Team", with a total of more than 1,200 people, as well as the corresponding guns and baggage.

"Quick! Let's rush over! Sink them! Inoue Yoshishin was so excited that he drew his saber, pointed at the Satsuma ship in front of him, and roared loudly.

Tsuboi Kozo immediately gave the order for battle, and soon the "Fuso" raised the combat signal flag and began to accelerate.

The Satsuma steamship on the opposite side also apparently spotted the figures of four government warships, and Tsuboi Kozo saw that the Satsuma soldiers on the deck were in confusion, and some Satsuma soldiers hurriedly got into the cabin, and several Satsuma officers were cursing and yelling there, as if urging the soldiers to do something, and Tsuboi Kozo could almost see the look of horror on their faces.

After a while, a group of Satsuma soldiers hurriedly lifted an army cannon onto the deck.

"Stupid thief! I'll let you all go to Hades in a moment! Inoue Yoshishin couldn't help but sneer when he saw that the Satsuma Army was planning to resist with the army's artillery.

In his mind, he had already begun to imagine the slaughter of these Satsuma thieves by his own warship.

But at this very moment, the unexpected happened.

One by one, the four Satsuma ships began to speed up and speed forward!

With the whistle blaring, the Satsuma steamers were all at full speed and sailing desperately. Seeing that the Satsuma steamer wanted to escape, Inoue Yoshishin ordered loudly: "Send a signal, notify the ships!" Full speed pursuit! Don't let them run! ”

A series of signal flags were raised again, and four government warships were keeping an eye on the four Satsuma steamers, chasing after them.

Despite the fastest speed, Inoue was depressed to find that the distance between the Fuso and the Satsuma was getting bigger and bigger.

"Bang!" With a dull sound, the gunboat "Kiyoki", which was the fastest of the government warships and rushed to the front, and the closest to the Satsuma steamer opened fire, and a shell whistled towards the Satsuma steamer and landed on the sea not far from the stern of a Satsuma steamer.

Seeing the enemy ship firing, the Satsuma soldiers on the Satsuma ship took off their armor from the army cannon they were carrying on the ship, pushed it to the stern of the ship, and fired a shot at the Japanese ship.

"Well played! Let's catch up too! Fire! Inoue Ryoshin watched this scene and ordered loudly.

But no one listened to him, and Kozo Tsuboi, who was beside him, did not convey his orders.

"Why don't you open fire?" Inoue Ryoshin felt his subordinates' disregard for his orders, he turned his head, glared at Tsuboi Kozo, and asked again.

"The enemy ships have not yet entered the effective range." Tsuboi Kozo scolded "idiot" in his heart, but he patiently explained to him, "And although our main gun caliber is large." But the range is closer. Must be chased within close range. to be able to shoot. ”

"Then hurry up and catch up!" Inoue's face turned red.

Tsuboi then gave the order to "go full speed," and Inoue felt the Fuso tremble like a wheezing bison.

Inoue Yoshishin felt the vibration of the "Fuso", but the speed of the "Fuso" did not seem to get faster, but seemed to be slow!

Because he clearly felt that the distance between the "Fuso" and the Satsuma steamer was gradually increasing!

"We're too slow." Tsuboi Kozo had a premonition that Inoue Yoshika might have questions, so he sighed pretending to be worried and blocked Inoue Yoshio's mouth.

At this time, the gunboat "Kiyoki" under the command of Kawahara Koichi Nakasa was still at the forefront, and it fired another shot at the Satsuma steamer. But this time the shell missed, flew over the head of the Satsuma steamer, and landed in the sea on the other side and exploded.

Although the "Kiyoki" is one of the fastest warships in the Japanese Navy, it is after all a gunboat of the old style built by Japan, and because the artillery is also laid out in the way of "shipside guns", the gun positions are all on both sides (the "Kiyohui" is equipped with a total of 6 75mm Krupp breech guns, that is, 3 guns on each side), and it cannot shoot directly at the front, and in order to shoot at the Satsuma steamer, the ship needs to be adjusted. And while the sailors on the "Kiyoki" were scrambling to prepare for the next fire, the Satsuma steamer took the opportunity to run a little farther.

I saw the shells fired by the "Qinghui" falling far away on the sea and exploding. Kenhiko Nakajima, the leader of the Satsuma samurai "Zhenwu Team", who was standing next to the cannon on the deck of the "Kagawa Maru", sneered.

"No need to fight." He said to the gunner, who had already reloaded the shells.

"My lord, you really don't need it?" The gunner asked with some hesitation.

"You idiot! A cannonball is expensive! It's all bought from foreigners for money! Don't just waste it! Nakajima scolded.

"But, the enemy ships are catching up!" The gunner said with some anxiety, "Our ships are not fast enough, and we can't get rid of the enemy ships!" ”

'What are you afraid of!' The Hiei' will clean them up! Nakajima looked in the direction of the side of the ship, sneered, and said confidently.

In that direction, a column of smoke was becoming clearer and clearer.

The gunners complied and stopped, but still looked at the sea with some nervousness.

At this time, looking from the stern of the "Kagawa Maru", the "Kiyoki", which was chasing after it with great momentum, is now very close.

This time, due to the good adjustment of the ship's position, the "Qinghui" actually began a salvo on the side of the ship, and three clouds of white smoke came out of the side of the "Qinghui" when they heard the three cannon sounds of "Tom Tom", followed by a piercing whistling sound, and three 75-mm shells flew like meteors and landed on the sea not far from the port side of the "Kagawa Maru" and exploded, stirring up a high column of water.

The sea water fell from the sky and landed on the deck of the Kagawa Maru, and the Satsuma soldiers on the deck were swept to the ground, and several of them almost washed the sea into the sea, and let out a cry of horror.

Despite the danger of the situation, Kenhiko Nakajima still stood beside the cannon with an unchanged face, staring at the sea.

A cannon shot was heard in the distance, followed by a piercing hissing, and the people on the deck of the Kagawa Maru saw a huge cannonball whizzing down from the sky, entering the water and exploding in the sea not far from the "Kiyoki", setting off a huge column of water.

Like a frightened puppy, the "Qinghui" whistled for a long time, turned the bow of the ship sharply, spun around in a large circle on the sea, and fled into the distance without his life.

Seeing the embarrassed appearance of the "Kiyoki", the Satsuma samurai were stunned for a moment, and then they all burst out laughing.

Not far away, the huge figure of the ironclad ship "Hiei" appeared. At this time, the ironclad ship rushed at full speed like a female elephant guarding calves, separating the "Kagawa Maru" and the other three ships from the government fleet.

"The Hiei is here! That's great! A Satsuma barracks commander let out a sigh of relief and said, "Now we can teach them a good lesson!" ”

Listening to the words of his subordinates, Nakajima Kenhiko remembered the scene just now, although he was still calm and calm on the surface, his heart was actually beating wildly.

The performance just now was actually mainly to reassure his subordinates, and he was not sure in his heart that the new pillar of smoke was the "Hiei" ironclad ship that escorted these transport ships.

In order to ensure the safety and smoothness of the sea route, Lin Yiqing took out the main warships such as the "Hiei" ironclad to escort the Satsuma reinforcements heading to Osaka, while Nakajima Kenhiko's group of four merchant ships were separated from the escort ships because of the sea fog.

As soon as he saw the government warship, Nakajima Kenhiko, who had never fought a naval battle, and the Satsuma samurai under his command couldn't help but panic, but for Nakajima Kenhiko, who was brave and good at fighting and sticking to the "Samurai Spirit", it was obviously not his style to be restrained, and he ordered the army cannon to be raised, intending to fight hard with the government warship, but what he didn't expect was that the "Hiei" would appear at the right time at this critical moment.

Seeing the "Hiei" ironclad ship flying the banner of "Cross Maru" appeared at the rear of the troop transport fleet, and behind this ironclad there were many Satsuma warships, and the Satsuma soldiers on the deck couldn't help but cheer loudly. (To be continued......)

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