Dog. After learning the report of the official of the telegram, the officers on the Ninghai were all furious: they had long known that the Japanese would not give in, but no one expected them to be so scoundrels. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

"Sir, what should I do?" After the report, Captain Zheng Wenqi, the chief telegraph officer, asked about the countermeasures, and he really couldn't stand Little Japan's reversal of black and white.

"What else can I do," Colonel Gao Xianshen laughed angrily, "Since this matter has come out, then we will also make it clear that we will be able to call on the electricity to save others, especially the US Navy, from misunderstanding." Tell the world that we captured it legally, but the Japanese ship refused to stop it, and the Japanese side will be fully responsible for all the losses caused by this. ”

"Yes, sir!" The plan had been in place for a long time, but I didn't expect the Japanese to be so shameless, and Captain Zheng Wenqi went in a hurry after saluting. Five minutes later, the Ninghai also began to send a telegram to the outside world: "The Ninghai of the Chinese Navy legally captured the Japanese ship in accordance with the London Declaration of 1909." Since the Japanese side refused to stop the ship, all losses caused by it will be borne by the Japanese side......"

In the eastern Pacific, the Ninghai is chasing the Tatsuda Maru, like a warrior chasing a disgraced fleeing noblewoman, and in the invisible air, the two sides are also fighting - doesn't it mean that I am of unknown nationality? I will tell you that I am the Ninghai of the Chinese Navy, and declare that it was captured legally in accordance with international law, and if it is sunk, it will be sunk, and the responsibility is not mine.

The first person to receive the Ninghai clear radio announcement was the Tatsuda Maru nine nautical miles ahead. After receiving the report from his subordinates, Captain Kimura Hei's pupils suddenly contracted: it seems that he underestimated the determination of the Shina Navy, and they actually dared to send such a message, naturally they were not afraid of sinking Tatsuda Maru, and the US Navy he expected would not interfere with the actions of the Shina Navy even if they received the telegram, and from the level of international law, such actions were legal.

The idea is that this idea does not mean that Kimura will order the ship to stop, and once the ship is stopped, he will be a sinner. For now, the best outcome is that the shells of the Shina Navy hit the power system of Tatsuda Maru, causing her to slow down and finally have to stop the ship, so that his personal reputation and the lives of more than 900 people on board are guaranteed.

Kimura prayed in his heart for Amaterasu's blessing, and after a brief confusion at the 14th Military Region Command of the U.S. Navy in Honolulu, four hundred and thirty nautical miles away, Admiral Orien G. Morfin, the commander of the military region who received the Ninghai telegram, immediately revised his previous order - after receiving the report, he thought that the Tatsuda Maru cruise ship had encountered pirates, and now he knew that it was a legitimate capture. But just then another cable arrived from Los Angeles, the port of departure for the Tatsuda Maru, where it headed for San Francisco and finally left the West Coast of the United States for Honolulu.

"General, the steamship company has verified that there are seventy-nine American citizens on board the Tatsuda Maru." The secretary read out the contents of the telegram, which was the result of an inquiry that was sent to the shipping company immediately at the request of the Admiral after receiving the telegram from Tatsuda Maru.

"Oh my God! My God!! "The admiral thought that there would not be many American citizens on board the Japanese cruise ship, but now there are 79 of them, which means that once the Japanese cruise ship that refuses to stop is sunk by the Chinese navy, these 79 American citizens will be buried in the sea." Send a telegram to Washington right away, no! Report directly to Mr. President, we cannot afford to lose a single American citizen again! ”

Last month's search for Emilia Earhart in the South Pacific is still unfinished, but all indications are that the United States has lost the brave female aviator. The Admiral does not want any more American citizens to die or go missing on this ocean, for whatever reason.

The revised order was sent to the U.S. Navy, which demanded that the warship closest to the accident site immediately go to the target area to rescue U.S. citizens. It is said that it is the closest to the target sea area, but in fact the closest to the target sea area is the warship near the Hawaii military port, the distance of 400 nautical miles, at least 12 hours, and according to the course reported by the Tatsuda Maru, the cruise ship is heading to the north-west, which is equivalent to saying that the navy will take at least 15 hours to rush to the scene, and it is very likely that the Tatsuda Maru has been sunk by the Chinese Navy's Ninghai at this time.

It was 5:30 a.m. in the morning in Hawaii, Washington, and it was just dawn when Harry Hopkins, the president's confidant and aide to Hawaii, who had received an urgent telegram from Hawaii, had to call the White House — a bureaucracy that throws problems at someone else like throwing away a hot potato. Now that the potato is being thrown from Hawaii, Hopkins has to send it to the White House immediately, otherwise once the Tatsuda Maru is sunk, the death of seventy-nine American citizens will be a stain on the president's administration.

"Is it really that bad?!" President Roosevelt, who was urgently woken up, forgot about the unhappiness and began to worry about the lives of seventy-nine American citizens.

"Yes, sir." Hopkins replied solemnly. "The Japanese cruise ship refused to stop, while the Chinese Navy was pursuing, perhaps while shelling. Admiral Morfin believed that the difference in speed between the two was only two knots, which meant that the shelling would take a long time. ”

"Are the Chinese going to sink this cruise ship?" Roosevelt lit a camel cigarette. In the war in the Far East, China had always hoped that Britain and the United States would mediate, but the Japanese refused to be mediated by Britain and the United States, so he did not believe that the Chinese would harm American citizens.

"Yes, sir. Judging by the telegram sent by the Chinese Navy, if the Japanese did not stop, they would definitely sink the cruise ship. "Mr. President, according to the Wartime Sea Capture Act, the Chinese Navy has the right to sink enemy ships that do not stop, if the Japanese refuse to stop them. But if the Japanese stop the ship, they are obliged to guarantee the safety of every passenger on the cruise. ”

"But it's threatening freedom of navigation at sea,......" Roosevelt muttered, now concerned that the Chinese combust cruiser threatened the safety of merchant ships in the eastern Pacific.

"No, Mr. President. China and Japan did not declare war, and they could only capture merchant ships registered in Japan or flying the Japanese flag, with the exception of ships of third countries and neutral countries. Clearly, Hopkins had asked professionals before he came and had a clear idea of what was legal and what was illegal.

"Immediately send a note to the Japanese ambassador asking them to stop the ship immediately in accordance with international law!" When Roosevelt heard that the cruiser was only aimed at the Japanese, a faint smile appeared on Roosevelt's face, but this smile was fleeting, and then his face became serious. "In addition, I would like to have a phone call with the Chinese ambassador, Mr. Wang."

One is an official diplomatic note and the other is a direct telephone call. Although this is in line with diplomatic practice, a discerning person can see the bias at a glance, and Hopkins said shrewdly: "Mr. President, maybe you should also talk to the Japanese ambassador Mr. Saito directly on the phone......

"You're right." Moments later, Roosevelt agreed with Hopkins' suggestion. He snuffed out the cigarette butt in the ashtray and said, "Go ahead and get the Japanese to stop their damn cruise ship!" ”

At the urging of President Roosevelt, the White House phone calls soon reached the Japanese and Chinese embassies. Saito Hiroshi and Wang Zhengting were both taken aback, the former was surprised that the cruise ship had escaped under the guns of the Shina Navy in disregard of the safety of its passengers, and that if it was sunk, international public opinion would definitely condemn Japan first, because Japan had violated international law first. Of course, international law recognizes surrender, but it is a shame to surrender in Japan, and the Japanese are just that, the problem is that there are seventy-nine Americans on board;

Hiroshi Saito was so worried, while Wang Zhengting, who hung up on President Roosevelt's phone, was worried that the sinking of the cruise ship by the Navy would cause an international dispute. Not to mention the Americans above, even the hundreds of Japanese above died in the ocean, which also hindered the Sino-Japanese armistice. As a result, the two frightened and agitated ambassadors hurriedly telegraphed China, suggesting that it was advisable for them to settle the matter peacefully.

The Ninghai, which had sent a telegram three quarters of an hour ago, did not know that the chase in front of it had been noticed by US President Roosevelt, and that it would alarm Chang Kaishen and Konoe Fumiji half an hour later. At the moment, the power system has been supporting for five hours and can collapse at any time, but the distance between himself and the Tatsuda Maru has just been shortened to 13,000 meters, and the hit rate of the shelling is still inaccurate.

The anxious Colonel Gao Xianshen looked at Tatsuda Maru who was fleeing in the distance with a telescope, and asked if the engine room was normal every few minutes, he needed too much for an hour! If the engine room can hold out for an hour, the gunner will be sure to injure the Tatsuda Maru, and the speed of the Ninghai can be reduced at that time.

Colonel Gao Xianshen was paying attention to the engine room, and the deputy captain, Colonel Chen Hongtai, and the chief engineer, Captain Yao Fahua, were already in the engine room. It was as hot as a steamer, and sweaty engineers were shoveling coals into the hearth; The steam valves were all opened, and in the sound of steam spraying, three four-cylinder three-expansion steam engines were booming. Prosperous... Prosperous... Boom...', driving the huge crankshaft to move at high speed, pushing the paddles to rotate at three hundred and fifty revolutions per minute, at this time, the actual power of the Ninghai has exceeded the rated maximum power for five hours, and the situation is not optimistic.

Colonel Chen Hongtai endured the heat wave and constantly inspected the engine room, and from time to time smiled and encouraged the engineer soldiers: "...... The people of the country say that they can disband the navy, and they all say that the navy betrays the country. We're going to show them what the Navy can do! ”

As the colonel spoke, the main guns on the foredeck fired another bombardment of Tatsuda Maru, and he continued, "Did you hear that?" The brother above is firing a cannon, but the distance is too far to miss, which requires us to work harder: as long as we chase for another hour, the Tatsuda Pill will be ours! ”

An hour is approaching two nautical miles, and with the turbulence caused by the current speed, even if it is pulled closer to five nautical miles (9,260 meters), the main gun may not be able to hit the Tatsuda Maru, but at this time it can only chase one meter at a time. As for the last resort, it is resolutely not used until the last resort, and if there is a problem in that state, the entire power system will be completely destroyed.

Colonel Chen Hongtai cheered everyone on, while Chief Engineer Captain Yao Fahua went around inspecting the barometer and thermometer, trying to keep everything within the tolerance of the power system. His experience in the engine told him that the Ninghai was slightly overloaded at this time, and the slightest mistake or mistake would cause a sharp reduction in speed. The most likely thing is that there is a leak in the pipeline that is subjected to high temperature and high pressure steam, although it can be repaired with spare parts afterwards, but it is already afternoon, and after the distance is pulled away again, the Ninghai will not be able to catch up with the Tatsuda Maru even if it is dark, which is an unacceptable result for the three hundred and fifty-one officers and men of the whole ship, including him.

'Boom! At 15:37, under the command of Sergeant Major Chen Gengbing, the former chief of the main gun, the twin main guns of the Ninghai roared again. At this time, the distance between the two sides had been reduced to 11,000 meters, although it was much closer than before, but the shelling could only stir up some intimidating splashes around the Tatsuda Maru.

An hour earlier, Major Gan Lijing, the gunner, had suggested a salvo of the main guns, but the captain of the ship, Colonel Gao Xianshen, rejected his suggestion - in order to reduce weight, the Ninghai carried only 120 shells per main gun on this voyage. Having consumed a lot of shells for the sake of a cruise ship, the colonel was reluctant to fire a salvo, taking into account the difficulties of replenishing ammunition. His real idea was to wait for the distance to be shortened to 10,000 meters, and when he entered the firing range of the three-year 40-fold diameter 76mm anti-aircraft guns, he would order these six secondary guns to fire a salvo, and their maximum range at 45 degrees would be 10,800 meters, and each would have 500 rounds of ammunition.

Seeing that the distance was getting closer and closer, the colonel had already asked the sub-artillery crew to take their places, and at this time on the Tatsuda Maru, Captain Kimura Ping was wiping his sweat. This was by no means because of the shelling of the Ninghai, but because he had just convinced the white representatives of the first class: an American ******, a British knight, and a retired officer of the Italian Navy.

All three knew that it was the Chinese navy that was being pursued, and they were also very aware of the wartime capture regulations: according to the regulations, the Ninghai must first properly accommodate the crew and passengers before sinking the Longtian Maru - in the eastern Pacific, the Chinese navy certainly had no way to sail the cruise ship into the Yangtze River, and sinking the Longtian Maru was their only option. While this was a huge loss for the Japanese cruise lines, it was a relief for the passengers, at least not to flee at high speed in the face of artillery fire.

The delegates were furious when they approached Captain Kimura, who was putting the safety of his six hundred passengers at risk, but Kimura, who had been prepared, took out several newspapers, one of which turned out to be The Times. The above is the news of the Tongzhou massacre, and he confessed that Zhina is a shameless and cruel race, and last month in Tongzhou, they not only slaughtered women and children, raped young girls, but also stuffed brooms and wooden sticks into their pussy. Finally, these innocent civilians were tortured by disembowelment, gouging out their eyes, and beheading. If the Tatsuda Maru was captured by the Shina Navy, not only would the Japanese not be able to escape such torture, but the whites would also be exterminated.

The reports were written in black and white and the photos were miserable, and the three deputies were speechless at once because of the true and false things that Japan used to educate the national humiliation. Seeing that the momentum of the three was not there, Kimura Ping mentioned the Nanjing incident ten years ago: that time the Chinese army was not only aimed at Japan, but the British consul in Nanjing was also beheaded by soldiers in public, and the consul's wife was gang raped by soldiers; Countless expatriates and women from all over the world, including the United States, have been killed and raped......

It has to be said that the sophisticated Kimura Taira was an excellent lobbyist, and in the newspapers and photographs, he not only rejected the white deputies' proposal to stop the ships, but also put them completely on the side of Japan: as in the fist rebellion thirty-seven years ago, everyone was united to resist the barbarian attack.