The "Impatient" rushed like an arrow to the Japanese cruiser formation hundreds of meters away -- a column, not a horizontal one, and the Japanese had no intention of changing the formation and seemed happy to maintain the current state. www.biquge.info Of course, it is not surprising that they occupy a T-shaped horizontal head and are in an ideal firing position, and no fleet commander will be willing to give up this advantage.

"It's like we're rushing to the gates of hell." The co-captain grunted.

Kolchak glared at him hard, warning him with his eyes. "I don't want another next time", he didn't say it, not because he didn't want to, because he didn't have time: there was something more important to say.

He shouted at the gunners, "Blow off the Japanese searchlights!" ”

It was bad enough to be forced to charge at two cruisers that were in a good position firing gunfire, and their searchlights turned the Impatient into the star of the stage—a target aimed at a dozen guns. Kolchak was just bold, and although he seemed a little reckless, he was not a fool.

"Move fast!" He urged.

The gunners scrambled to action, adjusting their muzzles and firing shells where their captains wanted them to go.

However, all of these gunners missed. Kolchak had an urge to hit them on the head with a stick. "What are you idiots doing? Aim and fire! ”

"Alexander. Vasilyevich! The voice of the vice-captain came again.

Kolchak turned an angry face at his lieutenant, but the lieutenant pointed to his other side. He was stunned for a moment, then turned around, and the anger that had just been replaced by confusion immediately returned to his face.

His helmsman, standing like a log, breathing rapidly and pale, though still grasping the steering wheel with both hands, made no movement—evidently the poor fellow was frightened by a situation he had never encountered before.

The two Japanese cruisers were entertaining the "Impatient" with heavy artillery fire, all the gun emplacements were spewing flames outward, with a scream, shells of various calibers continued to pass over the sides of the destroyer's hull and in the air, and finally smashed heavily on the sea. The dense barrage they created made the Impatient sway as if it would be hit by a cannonball at any moment, and then turned into fireworks with a thunderous roar.

His mind must have been so filled with these thoughts that he forgot his duty.

It's a miracle that the Japanese haven't hit the "Impatient" yet.

Damn cowards! Kolchak was furious, and his hand was raised, ready to give the helmsman a resounding slap in the face.

Before he could do so, however, the Navigator had already taken action - he pulled the helmsman away and took over the wheel himself.

Without saying a word, Kolchak patted him on the shoulder, then took out his drawing tools and pen and made a gesture on the chart.

After a while, he stopped his movements and squeezed a word out from between his teeth: "Hell! ”

"What's the matter, Alexander. Vasilyevich? The co-captain asked.

"Nothing." Kolchak shook his head. He did not want to mention his mistake: at first, he planned to release mines at the moment when the Impatience passed through the course of the two cruisers, but this was a foolish idea, and even if the Japanese had never changed course, the probability of the second cruiser hitting a mine was only 1 in 10,000. If you think about it, how can the Japanese always maintain a fixed route?

It's stupid. Even if it was a hastily made, unthought idea, and not indicative of his true abilities, Kolchak was still reluctant to mention it.

After thinking for a few seconds, he called the name of the co-captain. "Vladimir. Konstantinovich. ”

The co-captain knew he had a task for himself. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to operate the torpedo tubes yourself." Kolchak said, "Aim at the second Japanese cruiser and wait for my signal." As soon as you see it, launch a torpedo. After a second thought, he added, "Two together." ”

A searchlight suddenly went out.

The vice-captain cast an attentive glance at the Japanese cruiser, and then quickly retracted his gaze to its original position. "You're going to launch a torpedo while we're cutting into the course of the Japanese?"

"No, until then......" Kolchak's body shook a little. A shell, perhaps six inches, nearly hit the Impatience, and the Navigator had to maneuver sharply to avoid being hit by the next ballistic shell. However, the speed of the small boat was close to its maximum speed, and the drastic change of course made it sway more widely, and no one could stay steady.

"Hold on!" One officer shouted, "Don't let anyone be thrown into the sea." ”

The co-captain stretched out his right hand and grabbed the bulwark, using most of his strength. Then he said to Kolchak: "The shaking is too violent, and it is not an easy task to aim at the cruiser of the Japanese." If they change course, the difficulty increases. And the timing of the launch is also a matter of care, if it is too late, the torpedo will only pass under the hull. ”

"You are responsible for aiming and firing torpedoes." Kolchak snapped, "I'll decide the timing." ”

The vice-captain knew he couldn't say anything more. He saluted Kolchak and turned to the back of the ship. Kolchak, on the other hand, turned his attention back to two Japanese cruisers.

The distance has been cut in half. In the faint light of the moon, he could make out the Japanese sailors running around, as well as some of their movements: some were carrying shells and cartridges for the artillery, others were huddling around several machine-gun-looking weapons, busily busily with the efficiency of a soldier, and then aimed them at the Impatient.

"Take cover!" Kolchak shouted and quickly crouched down.

He moved very quickly, but the others were not so fast, many did not even react, and the hull of the destroyer had been knocked, dense, loud, and terrifying - the "Impatient" rushed into a rain of bullets. The Japanese sailors seemed to have sensed the intention of the destroyer, which seemed to be mad and desperate to rush towards itself. They shouted loudly, and with the fanaticism of the Japanese samurai, poured fire on it to compensate for the gunners' inaction.

From the foredeck of the destroyer came the wailing of sailors, followed by an explosion, and a slight tremor. The gunners of the cruiser finally proved their worth.

"We've been shot, Captain!" The navigator panicked.

"Keep your composure, just small-caliber shells." Kolchak said, his tone calm, although the moment of the explosion took place, his heart rose to his throat like everyone else.

His head lifted a little, allowing his eyes to stick out from behind the bulwark, scanning the gun emplacements in front of the bridge. "Is anyone still alive?"

"Yes, Captain." A voice replied.

"Then stand up and keep fighting!" Kolchak raised his voice, "Soldier, get rid of another searchlight!" ”

He heard inhalations and complaints, but the gunners carried out his orders anyway.

Kolchak's head immediately retracted. The cruiser's machine guns were still firing, and the enthusiastic Japanese sailors had drawn their rifles and pistols - he could already hear the sound of these weapons. Bullets were flying everywhere, and the officers and sailors on the destroyer, whether they wanted to or not, could only cautiously shrink behind cover, while doing their best to return the enemy's firepower.

Hardly useful, more than one person thinks so. Their faces were already white, and the successive shocks of the destroyer further strengthened their fears. But the crew remained at their posts - there was one last hope.

A wounded sailor climbed onto the bridge. "Captain, the co-captain ordered me to report to you that he is ready and is waiting for your signal."

The first good news of the day. Kolchak raised his head again, cautiously observing his target, calculating, waiting for the moment when it was needed.

The light of the second searchlight suddenly disappeared.

After another second, the Japanese large-caliber guns stopped firing: the "Impatient" had already entered their firing dead end.

The alarm bells have been sounded. Only then did the commanders of the two cruisers realize how good luck their opponents were, and how careless they were. They began to change speed and course, but these bulky large warships - relative to a destroyer - could not respond quickly enough to such an emergency. One of the cruisers began to slowly turn to the left, and the other to the right. Unfortunately, however, the Impatient had already reached what Kolchak considered to be the best position.

"Launch the torpedo!" He shouted, at maximum volume.

The sound of an object falling into the water was heard from the rear of the destroyer. Kolchak looked to the right, and two white tracks immediately came into his sight. They stretched almost straight forward, closer to the end of the reluctant attempt to get rid of them. Kolchak felt his heart contract violently, and his breathing stopped for a moment.

Then he saw what he wanted to see.

With two loud bangs, mixed with fragments of the ship's hull, fireballs erupted from the waterline of the shaking cruiser, rapidly expanding, spreading, and rushing into the sky. Then the warship began to tilt to the left.

"We succeeded, God, we succeeded!" The crew cheered. The navigator was not the loudest one, but he was the closest to Kolchak.

A smile also appeared on Kolchak's face, but it was fleeting. With a fierce face, he yelled at the elated officers and sailors, "What are you doing? Now is not the time to celebrate, this battle is not over! Loaded with torpedoes, all artillery continued to fire at the cruisers of the Japanese! ”

And the mutterings that only he and the navigator could hear. "You have to be fast."

"It's not easy, Captain." The navigator whispered. After the excitement passed, the reality made him lack confidence again. "We lost a lot of sailors, and the Japanese fired at us like madmen......"

"Shut up." Kolchak glared at him.

But it was exactly like that, the Japanese were angry and furious, and poured more bullets on the bow of the destroyer. Reloading the torpedo became a difficult task, and no one dared to stand up straight, otherwise he would lie down with a single hole in his body.

This was not a problem that could be solved by one person, and Kolchak knew that he could only watch the situation unfold naturally, even if it was by no means what he wanted to see. The Impatient continued to enjoy crossfire from the left and right, and the only fortunate thing was that the fire stopped, as it was in a blind spot between the two cruisers - but only temporarily. The first cruiser was accelerating its turn, and the destroyer had already passed through its course, moving from approaching to distancing.

Soon, the artillery fire will return.

Kolchak stared at his second target, feeling the anxiety in his heart gather little by little, and then he saw the flames.

The Impatient began to rock from side to side again.

"Oh God!" The navigator cried out and began to pray, God for protection. Kolchak didn't stop him, though his eyebrows were unconsciously twisted together - but in a few seconds he wanted to kiss the Navigator.

Because he suddenly raised his volume: "Look, captain, the stern of the Japanese cruiser!" ”

Purely reflexive, Kolchak looked over. A group of sailors gathered in the stern of the first cruiser, but instead of shooting at the "Impatient", they were busy pushing something into the sea......

Mine!

Kolchak almost stood up. Although he was puzzled as to why the Japanese cruisers carried mines, in his head was more of an idea that came up with an instinct.

"Shoot at the stern of that cruiser!"

Although they did not recognize what the Japanese sailors were pushing off the warship, and in fact they probably did not notice it at all, the sailors who operated the 75-mm guns in the stern of the ship did so.

Close miss, left side.

Close miss, still left.

It's a close miss again, still on the left!

Still close misses, without any surprises, to the left.

Kolchak's eyes were about to burst into flames, and he even had the urge to rush to the gun position, kick the gunner away, and manipulate the gun himself. It was only before he succumbed to the psychological pressure and turned his ideas into reality that he saw a flash of fire appear in the tail of the cruiser.

At first it was a tiny clump, but immediately, it spread. A violent chain of explosions swept across the entire deck, creating a rainbow of fireworks explosions.

Kolchak let out a long breath.

"Pull away, load the torpedoes and come back and get rid of them once and for all." He commanded, in a light tone, as if he had exhausted all his strength before, and he was completely unaware of it.

Right now.

"So, this is the real battle situation?"

"Yes, General." The lieutenant admiral, who stood straight, replied in a stereotypical tone, continuing to raise his chin. "I wrote it all in my battle report."

"That's right, it's all in your report, I've already read it." Makarov picked up Kolchak's battle report, stared at it for a moment, and then opened the drawer and took out another report. "This is your co-captain's report. According to his account, in that battle, you led the Japanese cruiser formation into our minefield with your wit, bravery, and the fearless fighting spirit of the Russian Navy......"

"This is nonsense, it doesn't correspond to the facts, General." Kolchak said.

"That's true." Makarov nodded, put down the two reports, crossed his hands, and held his chin. "Let me guess, that's why you're upset?"

"Yes, General. One of them. ”

"All that's left is your disgust at the Admiralty and your associates doubting your record, am I right, Lieutenant Colonel?" Makarov laughed, then put away his smile and announced solemnly: "But I think your deputy captain's report is better than yours." ”

"Because you have already communicated his report to St. Petersburg, and you do not want to change it so as not to increase the suspicions of the Admiralty?"

"Because I conveyed his report to St. Petersburg, and I do not wish to change it so as not to aggravate the suspicions of the Admiralty, yes, Lieutenant Colonel." Makarov does not deny Kolchak's claims, even if they implicitly accuse him. Makarov did not feel that he had done anything wrong, after all, the vice-captain of the "Impatient" handed in the combat report immediately after returning to Arthur, and, although some parts of his report did not correspond to the facts, it was indeed better than Kolchak's report.

It's more public.

"It seems to me that a captain who defeats the enemy with wit, bravery and daunting fighting spirit is more able to boost the morale of the army than a captain who defeats the enemy with a little luck - I am not saying that your report does not show your wit, bravery and fearless fighting spirit, Lieutenant Commander Kolchak, I only say that your lieutenant's report is more capable of reflecting these noble qualities." Makarov stopped Kolchak's attempts to interject, "There is always a big difference between propaganda and reality." ”

The vice admiral folded the two reports, put them in a drawer, and finally said: "Moreover, your lieutenant's report can make me forget that someone has disobeyed my orders and presumptively directed his warship to the enemy-controlled seas. ”

A warning. Kolchak finally lowered his chin, a little. "So I should accept that fact?"

"You have to accept that fact. In my opinion, accepting it doesn't have a bad effect on you. "You are a great officer and captain, and a great explorer, but you still have a lot to learn in areas other than military and exploration." ”

"I see, General."

However, Kolchak's expression told Makarov that in fact, he did not understand. The vice admiral sighed helplessly, and then waved his hand at Kolchak. "This is the end of our conversation, Lieutenant Colonel, disband."

Leaning on his legs, saluting, Kolchak walked out of his office.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

PS: It's very tragic, I got myself into it when I wrote this paragraph, and it took a lot of time to come up with the plot - the original idea was to let Kolchak lay mines to bomb the Japanese cruiser, but it was vetoed by Yi Shui...... (To be continued, if you want to know what will happen next, please log in to the www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!) (To be continued.) )