Lushun, the largest military port in East Asia in the world today. Within the Minato area. Spacious berths stretch out into the deep water like long arms. When it was built, the largest fleet in Asia was moored in this military port, and the Dingzhen two ships stood out from the neighbors. What a spirit.

Today, in the Lushun Military Port, warships covered in gunpowder smoke are moored in a disorderly manner. The absence of a single intact warship means that the fleet has just ended a thrilling war.

Yes, the Beiyang Naval Division was defeated. The Beiyang Naval Division, which had the largest warship in Asia, was defeated at the hands of Yue himself, who had always looked down on him. The dejected sailors let out a wail of pain, and they slowly walked down from the warship in twos and threes. The emotion of defeat spread throughout the water division, but in their hearts, they were defeated and defeated.

The speed of the Beiyang Naval Division is too slow, and it is clear that we have already damaged the enemy ship, and if we rush forward to make up for a few more shots, we can sink the opponent. However, we could only watch the enemy ships leave, because we could not catch up with them. What about us? Once damaged, the siege of enemy ships ushered in. Yes, we did not have as much live-fire training as we did, and the rate of fire of our artillery was not as fast as our own, but we can proudly say that we were more accurate than our own. But why didn't the shells that hit the enemy ship explode? It was clear that it had hit the ammunition depot of the Matsushima, the flagship of the Combined Fleet, but why didn't the shells explode? Why? No one can answer them.

At this time, Lang Weili, the commander of the Beiyang Naval Division, stood in front of the window of the command cabin of the flagship Dingyuan bridge, looking at the sailors on the dock without saying a word, but his heart was extremely sad. This battle was lost too unjustly. As soon as he took the battle, he said that he hit the first shot, and the Dingyuan signal rigging was destroyed with one shot, and Lang Weili, who was supervising the battle on the flying bridge, was seriously wounded, and now his left hand is still hanging from his neck. At sea, the hit rate of the first shelling is basically negligible, and the British Empire has never had a record of hitting the first shelling in countless naval battles. And he did it, which cannot be calculated by the hit rate. Isn't this what the Chinese often say - providence?

lost Dingyuan's command, but fortunately Jingyuan raised the command flag in time, but Deng Shichang was not a qualified fleet commander. At the beginning of the war, he was still able to command the fleet to meet the enemy very well, and it was during this time that the warships that had been severely damaged were damaged. However, when the first guerrilla force of the original took advantage of the high speed to repeatedly attack the formation of the Beiyang Fleet, as the supreme commander of the fleet, he commanded his Jingyuan to attack Yoshino, and finally Jingyuan sank. Lang Weili also wanted to redeem the defeat, he sent light signals to Zhenyuan countless times, wanting Zhenyuan to take over the command, but until the end of the naval battle, Zhenyuan never raised the command flag. The Beiyang Fleet, having lost its command, began to fight on its own, and defeat was no longer inevitable. Because there was no signal rigging, he could not give a single command during the entire naval battle, and the light signal was useless in the battlefield full of gunpowder. Lang Weili could only watch as the Beiyang Fleet sank little by little under enemy fire.

"My lord, let's go down." Liu Buyun walked to Lang Weili's side and said slowly: "This defeat is not the fault of Lord Admiral, we have done our best, but the shells do not explode, it is really fate." We only need to report the truth to the emperor, and the emperor will not blame the adults. What's more, the second ship of Dingzhen was hit by more than 200 rounds of bullets and did not sink, and we still have the strength to fight. ”

Luang Weili seemed to have a smile on his face, but it was gone in the blink of an eye. With the support of the sailors, Luang Weili slowly walked down the side. Liu Buyun limped behind, and when the signal rigging fell, it not only injured Lang Weili, but also injured Liu Buyun.

"I've seen Lord Admiral, I've seen Lord Liu." As soon as Lang Weili stepped onto the dock, a soldier in a yellow coat greeted him: "Please ask the Admiral and the captains of the ships to go to the Admiral's Mansion to listen to the order." The minister appointed by the emperor, Tang Shaoyi, has been waiting for a long time. ”

So fast? The naval battle ended in the afternoon, and the fleet returned to port. The results of the naval battle have not been reported yet, and the emperor's will has arrived? Lang Weili Liu Buyun looked at each other, and his eyes were full of doubts.

"May I ask my lords, where is Lord Deng Shichang and Deng now?" The soldier asked.

"I don't know. Jingyuan sank in the afternoon naval battle, and after Lord Deng fell into the water, the nearby warships had gone to the rescue. I really don't know where Lord Deng is now. Liu Buyun replied in a low voice. As the only senior general of the Beiyang Naval Division, Deng Shichang who is not from Fujian, his personality and professional ability have been recognized by all the officers and men of the Beiyang Naval Division. Thinking of the scene when Jingyuan rushed to Yoshino without hesitation, Liu Buyun also sighed in his heart.

The soldier in front of him heard Liu Buyun say this, and turned back to the two soldiers who came with him nervously: "Go to each ship separately to look for it, and be sure to find Master Deng." ”

In the Lushun Military Port, the huge Admiral's Mansion was silent, and the air was frozen and even a little anxious. Tang Shaoyi paced back and forth anxiously, walking to the door from time to time to look out. After a long while, the dejected pipe bands walked in weak steps before it was too late.

Tang Shaoyi saw someone coming and rushed to the door. For every pipe band who came back, they asked the same sentence: "Where is Deng Shichang and Lord Deng?" "All you get is shaking your head. Before Tang Shaoyi came, the emperor repeatedly told him to find Deng Shichang alive, and he also knew that the emperor had given Deng Shichang's first mate Chen Jinhua a secret decree to ensure that Deng Shichang returned to Lushun alive. But no one has seen Deng Shichang at the moment, can it be ......

When all the pipe belts arrived, Chen Jinhua was late with Deng Shichang on his back. Seeing this, Tang Shaoyi, who was afraid of getting a letter of condolence, finally let go of his hanging heart and hurriedly stepped forward: "It's good to be back, it's good to be back." Lord Deng, Lord Deng? Tang Shaoyi saw Deng Shichang, who was glazed-eyed, and hurriedly turned his head and asked Chen Jinhua: "Master Deng, what's wrong?" ”

Ignoring the advice, Lord Deng insisted on ramming Yoshino. I didn't want to be hit by an enemy ship, and the bow torpedo exploded. When Jingyuan sank, God blessed Lord Deng only fell into the water and was not injured, but Lord Deng had to sink with the ship. In desperation, I could only knock out Lord Deng and bring him back. Unexpectedly, Lord Deng has been like this since he woke up. No response was seen in how it was called. Chen Jinhua said, but his eyes were red: "Perhaps, Lord Deng is still thinking about the sunken Jingyuan." Let me also persuade Lord Deng again. With that, the five-foot man knelt down.

"Hurry up, please. You are all true men who fight for your country. We will do our best to comfort Master Deng. ”

With the help of everyone, Deng Shichang was helped to sit on the chair. Chen Jinhua let out a long touch and withdrew his tears. As he spoke, a hot meal was served. Tang Shaoyi stood up: "When you went to sea to Dadonggou, the emperor urgently summoned me to the palace. The first thing the emperor said when he saw me, you didn't believe it, and the emperor said: The Beiyang Navy Division will be defeated. ”

"Your Excellency, don't be excited. Although at that time I didn't know why the emperor said that. But the emperor told me very clearly. You must have been ambushed by the Combined Fleet, and the shells hit but didn't explode. ”

"How does the emperor know?" Many pipe bands looked at Tang Shaoyi in surprise.

"Because the time and route of your voyage were leaked to Yu himself, because your shells are all inferior shells, and they are not filled with gunpowder but sand." As soon as Tang Shaoyi's words came out, he was shocked.

"Who did that?" A hoarse and murderous words came, and the sluggish Deng Shichang slowly stood up, staring at Tang Shaoyi fiercely with blood-red eyes, and there was a posture that he was not just devouring alive.

Tang Shaoyi, who was frightened by Deng Shichang, hurriedly said: "It was Liu Fen, the secretary of the Tianjin Ordnance Bureau, who leaked the information, and Zhang Shicheng, the general office of the Tianjin Ordnance Bureau, sold the imported high-quality artillery shells to Yue himself and replaced them with inferior shells. So you're not defeated. ”

A sigh sounded, and the death of countless heroic soldiers was not worth it. But Deng Shichang suddenly knelt down, crawled on the ground and cried: "I don't care." ”

"Cry, just cry." Liu Buyun comforted Deng Shichang on the one hand, and his eyes were also full of tears. This is a lost bag.

Tang Shaoyi squatted down in front of Deng Shichang and said word by word: "Does Lord Deng want revenge?" Do you all want revenge? ”

Think, think about it, who wouldn't want to. But no one spoke. Lang Weili quietly looked at everything in front of him, although he was the commander of the Beiyang Naval Division, he must be British, and this must also be the war of the Qing people. Although he is also a nest in his heart, as a senior naval manager, he knows that the reason for this defeat is not a simple leak of intelligence and the non-bombing of ammunition, but the rigid system and stubborn thinking in the Beiyang Fleet. He didn't refute Tang Shaoyi, because the defeated Beiyang Fleet had no morale. If you want the fleet to regain the courage to fight, you need to find a simple and obvious mistake for everyone to vent about. And only in this way will the Beiyang Fleet not really sink.

I only heard Tang Shaoyi continue: "Liu Fen and Zhang Shicheng have been taken by the emperor, and the whole family has been confiscated. The only thing that awaits them is to open the knife and ask for the canonical punishment. Because of their existence, the Beiyang Naval Division was still glorious despite its defeat. None of you retreated, none of you fled. In the end, when four ships have been sunk, didn't he still beat him away? ”

"But we lost in the end." Liu Buyun said dejectedly.

"No, you are not defeated. It was intelligence that was defeated, ammunition was defeated, and the emperor was defeated. ”

"Bold Tang Shaoyi......" Tang Shaoyi's slander of the emperor attracted a voice of reproach.

"I didn't say this, the emperor said it himself. The emperor said that if these two moths could be found earlier, then the Beiyang Naval Division would not be defeated. As the emperor, he failed to find these two moths early, which was the emperor's fault, so the emperor was defeated. ”

"Emperor Shengming—" All the pipes and belts present knelt down. They knew that as soon as the emperor's words came out, they would no longer be held accountable for the failure of this naval battle, and they no longer had to worry about the court condemning.

Tang Shaoyi remembered the emperor's serious words towards him.

"There is no such thing as a sure battle. Sailors can be defeated, warships can be sunk, but people's hearts cannot be defeated. What I am most worried about is not that there are no warships available, but that the Beiyang Naval Division lost this battle in the hands of the people who have never looked down on it, and I am afraid that they will be afraid from the bottom of my heart. That's why I want you to go to Lushun, no matter what they say. Whether it's slow speed, cannonballs, or whatever, you have to be able to give a good reason and refute them clearly. Morale can be puffed up. I want them to understand that the Beiyang Fleet still has the unsinkable Dingzhen 2, and there are two warships in Britain waiting for them to lead, and I need them to take revenge. ”

Recalling the emperor's resolute expression, Tang Shaoyi stood in the center of the field and said in an unquestionable tone: "The ammunition is not explosive, I have brought various specifications of shells filled with the latest yellow explosives, you boldly use them, and the quantity is enough." In Shanghai, eight of the latest 76mm twin-mounted rapid-fire guns and eight 150mm secondary guns have been shipped, and their destination is Lushun. But they must be just merchant ships, and they are now powerful. So can you escort them safely to Lushun and put them on the already injured warships, so that the Beiyang Naval Division will become stronger. After speaking, Tang Shaoyi asked loudly, "Can you?" ”

"Yes!" No questioning, no hesitation.

Lang Weili, who had not spoken for a long time, smiled, and when he returned from the naval battle, the group of dejected captains was gone, replaced by a group of wolves bursting with vengeance. Lang Weili stood up: "Lord Tang said well, the Beiyang Fleet was defeated in this battle, but it was the warships that were defeated, and each of you was not defeated." Now His Majesty the Emperor has brought us new shells and artillery. Will we still lose? No. Because I am a ......" Speaking of this, Lang Weili suddenly asked: "What is the name of that kind of stupid person in Chinese?" ”

"It's stupid, sir."

"Hehe, I don't understand why you say eggs are the stupidest. But obviously, he is the egg. Luang Weili's light-hearted joke made the atmosphere on the field lively, and the emotion of defeat was swept away: "Most of you have studied in the British Imperial Navy, do you remember that sentence?" Only a battleship could sink a battleship. In your mouth, the Dingzhen II is just two ironclad ships, but in my eyes they are two battleships. Just by virtue of the small cannons of my cruiser, you don't see more than 200 rounds of ammunition in Dingzhen, and you are still standing. Let me tell you, there is no direct hit of the 305mm heavy artillery, unless you yourself hit the warship on the rocks, otherwise it is impossible to sink the second ship of Dingzhen with those small cannons of you. ”

Liu Buyun and Deng Shichang, who came back to his senses, glanced at each other, and they both remembered the situation when the emperor summoned the two of them a year ago. At that time, the emperor said that 200 rounds of long-range artillery could not settle down.

I only heard Lang Weili say: "Lord Tang, no matter what, if you want the Beiyang Fleet to go to sea to fight, the current warships still have to be repaired." I wonder if His Majesty the Emperor has any arrangements for this? ”

"Hehe, I forgot to say it. I was accompanied by 3,000 workers, who had been mobilized from various shipyards in the Qing Dynasty, including all the best workers at Mawei Shipyard, Jiangnan Shipyard, and Dagu Shipyard, not including those present at Lushun Shipyard. In Mukden, Zhang Jian's Asian mining industry has prepared a large amount of steel, and now the Fenglu railway has been opened to traffic, just wait for you to report the demand, and it can be delivered to Lushun within two days. Tang Shaoyi changed the topic: "Please remember, Gu Youyun: Stay in Qingshan and don't be afraid of no wood to burn." This is also the reason why the emperor has repeatedly let you come back alive, because in Britain, we still have two of the latest heavy armored cruisers that need to be led. ”

"Before I read out the emperor's will, the emperor had a message: You are all my sons and daughters of China, and it is you who drive warships to support the coastal defense of the Qing Dynasty. So you don't have to kneel to receive orders. Tang Shaoyi took out the emperor's holy decree from his sleeve: "Fengtian carrier, the emperor's edict said: The division of rivers and rivers that runs on land is called a water division." The one who travels above the sea is called the fleet. In the battle of the Yellow Sea, you proved with your unyielding backbone that you are worthy of the name of the fleet. From now on, the Beiyang Naval Division was officially renamed the Imperial Beiyang Fleet of the Qing Dynasty. All pipe bands were renamed Captain. The first Fleet Commander is now appointed as Luang Wili. At the same time, Liu Buyun was dismissed from all positions in the Beiyang Fleet, and immediately returned to the capital. Deng Shichang was appointed as the flagship of the Imperial Beiyang Fleet of the Qing Dynasty, the Dingyuan Fleet, and concurrently served as the deputy commander of the Beiyang Fleet. Chin this. ”

"Lord Tang, why is this emperor?" Liu Buyun asked anxiously.

"Why?" Tang Shaoyi smiled: "First of all, I want to congratulate Lord Liu on his ascension, and quietly tell Lord Liu in advance." After returning to Beijing, he will be the chief of staff of the Qing Navy. The chief of staff means that in the future the fleet will have to listen to you. In other words, it is up to you to decide when and where they will go, and of course how they will do it is the matter of the fleet commander. ”

After announcing the will, Tang Shaoyi asked about the naval battle, and Lang Weili explained it in detail. In the midst of everyone's gossip, it took more than an hour for Tang Shaoyi to figure out what the naval battle was all about.

After listening to the naval battle, Tang Shaoyi looked around and looked at everyone's resolute faces: "The navy is an offensive branch of the army. As long as you still dare to go to sea to fight, then the Beiyang Fleet will not fail. (To be continued.) )