The construction of the Golden Mountain Fort began in November 1880 and was expanded twice before the First Sino-Japanese War, making it the largest of the Fort Arthur Ports. After the First Sino-Japanese War, Guangxu rebuilt the Golden Mountain Fort again, and the whole fort was made of concrete, sand and pebbles, and the thickness of the concrete walls was more than 1.5 meters. Four 305-mm guns were transported up the hill, and trolleys were installed in the three expanded ammunition depots under the guns to facilitate the transportation of ammunition.

At the beginning of the reconstruction, the opposition of the court never stopped. The ministers of the DPRK and China all believed that the reason why Lushun was lost in the First Sino-Japanese War was actually due to the unfavorable land war, and there was no need to strengthen coastal defense and waste food and wages. Guangxu and Ben did not listen and went their own way, and concentrated all manpower and material resources to rebuild the Golden Mountain Fort. In just one year, all the expansion works have been completed. And Guangxu proved to be prescient.

Withuff was looking helplessly at the Golden Mountain Fort and sighed. It's been three days, and it's been three days since his fleet launched an attack on Arthur. Three days earlier, he had led the Russian Far East Fleet to the open sea of Arthur, and had planned to take Arthur under the pretext that the ship had been damaged and needed to enter the port for repairs. For this plan, Vladivostok not only specially transferred 2,000 army soldiers to Weihaiwei in batches, but also secretly transported a batch of guns. It was to be expected that the Qing State would refuse the Russian fleet to enter the port, but he thought that he would just break in under the pretext of repairing the ship. After all, Russia is so strong that the whole of Europe must listen to Russia's opinions, and the name of the European gendarme is not called in vain, and the weak and cowardly Qing people do not dare to provoke a strong Russia. Unexpectedly, his fleet was bombarded with a warning just as soon as he approached Lushun, and the Qing people really dared to open fire. When the 305-mm shell exploded in the sea, he had to stop the ship. However, even the people he sent to negotiate failed to enter the port, and a patrol boat received his envoy, and then brought back a sentence: If you want to repair the ship and go to Dalian, Lushun will not accept it.

Humiliation, the Qing people humiliated him. Withoff thought so, so the great commander of the Russian Far East Fleet, who was furious, ordered the destruction of the small patrol boat in front of him. and ordered the fleet to launch an attack on Arthur.

The wishes are good, but the truth is cruel. The frightened patrol boat hid back in the harbor unharmed, while the Far Eastern Fleet paid the price of sinking a light cruiser. A single explosion of a 305-mm shell on the light cruiser completely ruined the future of the warship, but what angered the entire Russian Far East Fleet the most. The boat sent to search and rescue the sunken ship was also shelled, and Withuff pointed at Arthur in the command compartment and scolded: This is immoral.

Withuff thought of many ways to attack during the day instead of attacking at night. But when night falls, several thick lights patrol the sea, and his long-planned sneak attack plan collapses. But this could not be difficult for the commander of the great Russian Far East Fleet, Withuff, who ordered a strong attack in the night, with artillery fire from both sides firing back and forth. The defensive fulcrum of the entire Lushun is the Golden Mountain Fort, as long as it is destroyed here, it will not be a problem to take Lushun. But the problem was that Whithoff found that the bombardment of Golden Mountain by concentrating the fire of the whole fleet did not seem to have any effect at all. The firing of the four 305-mm guns never stopped, and even the other small-caliber guns did not seem to be affected. So much so that his fleet was shot one after another.

Since it is not possible to storm Lushun from the sea, then take a detour. Early the next morning. The Russian Far East ship appeared off the coast of Dalian. Dalian did not have a powerful battery, so this civilian port fell with one shot. The big sign hanging on the port also reads in Russian: There are no soldiers here, so don't be innocent and destroyed. Withoff thought that this would also be the territory of the Russian Far East, and he would take it directly. Since Lushun could not be captured from the sea, it should be taken by land, just like Japan in the Qing-Japanese War. To increase the chances of winning. Withoff sent not only all two thousand army soldiers, but also five hundred sailors.

But Withoff forgot that Arthur was a military port, surrounded by forts. The current garrison Qing army is no longer the Qing army in the Qing-Japanese War, the key is that he doesn't know that there is now one more battalion of marines in Lushun. The Russian soldiers, who were only lightly armed, encountered the well-armed Qing army, which was equipped with large and small caliber artillery and machine guns, and the Qing army, which was not only able to hold off the Russian attack. He even put on a posture of encircling Russia. The Russians retreated to Dalian but still lost nearly a thousand casualties and prisoners, and it was only then that the Russians realized that Dalian was not only an empty city, but also without a single grain supply.

As for the wounded and prisoners of Russia, Deng Shichang, the commander of the navy stationed there, thought that they should all be treated and then handed over to the military department. In this way, it was possible to exchange several more places for the construction of light cruisers from the Ministry of War. But the Marine battalion commander thought. They should all be sent back, and soon they will be sent back by the fleet, just in time to consume their food. Deng Shichang thought that this statement was very correct, so he put this matter. So in the early morning of the third day, the Qing army sent nearly 1,000 wounded back to Dalian under the white flag. It's just that the Russians are confused. Why are all the wounded serious?

When the Russians questioned the wounded, all the Russians were angry. Those who were not injured were seriously injured by the Qing army, either cutting their big feet or breaking their hand bones. The Russians, who knew Chinese, also brought back a message: there was a large amount of wound medicine available for sale in the Qing army. It's just that the price has risen tenfold.

"Ordered the fleet to turn around and return to Vladivostok." Disappointed, Whithoff took everyone aboard the ship and prepared to leave when his plan to attack Arthur both by land and sea failed. Food is running out, and ammunition is almost gone. He decided to return to Vladivostok first to resupply, and after landing in Dalian, he received a report on the war situation in the Northeast from a telegram from the Russian Legation in China: the Russian army had arrived at the city of Jilin. As long as the supply is completed, when he comes to Lushun again, he will definitely be able to take Lushun with the cooperation of the army.

"Report." The door of the conference room was pushed open, and the communications officer appeared outside the door: "I have just received a telegram from Arthur that the Russian Far Eastern Fleet left Arthur at four o'clock in the afternoon, and fifteen battleships, including four battleships and four heavy cruisers (Russian second-class battleships), left at a cruising speed of ten knots and headed northeast. ”

The communications soldier handed over the telegram and left, and the captains of the ships gathered in the conference room gathered around the map.

"Russian ships are different from old to new, and they can't get up to speed, and if they exceed ten knots, many auxiliary ships will not be able to keep up with the fleet. Therefore, we judge that the cruising speed of ten knots is the best speed of the Russian fleet. According to calculations, the Russian fleet will enter the Tsushima Strait between 5 and 6 a.m. tomorrow morning. The navigator said after gesturing on the map with a ruler compass.

After the chief of navigation finished speaking, the new chief of staff of the fleet, Feng Qi, said: "In addition, according to Lushun's war report. For three days in a row, the Russian Far East Fleet carried out high-intensity strikes on the artillery batteries of Arthur. We have studied the bomb load of each ship of the Russian Far East Fleet, combined with the data provided by Arthur. The result is: Even if the Russian fleet was fully loaded with ammunition, only 20% would be left after three days of shelling Arthur. However, the Russian ships need to carry an additional 2,000 soldiers, weapons, and supply resources, and after a comprehensive assessment, the General Staff believes that the remaining ammunition of the Russian ships is less than 10%. ”

"That's a." Li Liang, the captain of the Longxiao, slapped his palm on the map: "Let's line up in Tsushima." When he saw the Russian hair, he rushed forward. The Russians, who don't even have ammunition, can't run as fast as us. What else is there to think, such a battle cannot be won, and it is intolerable to heaven. After speaking, he put on an expression that everything was enough, and he sat down with a big grin.

Feng Qi, the chief of staff, shook his head. He was single-handedly brought out by Cheng Cheng, chief of the General Staff, and inherited Cheng Cheng's usual cautious character, not only him, but also the staff officers of various ships. On the other hand, the other captains of the Pacific Fleet are just like Wu Deren, the commander, all of whom have TMD 255. When Feng Qi looked at Wu Deren, he found that he also had such an expression and immediately said: "Commander Wu, the Russian ship has four battleships and four heavy cruisers." It's better to snatch them all. ”

When Wu Deren heard it, he immediately said yes. Regarding the order to sink all the Japanese Combined Fleet at Rongcheng Bay, Lao Wu always thought that his brain must have been short-circuited when he gave the order at that time. Yoshino, what a good fast cruiser was lost by his own mouth. This made Wu Deren regret it until now. The warships ordered from abroad will not be able to return until the beginning of the next year, and it is not clear where the emperor will get when they come back. Wu Deren, who had always thought that his fleet was not large enough, decided to incorporate the Russian Far East Fleet into his battle sequence.

"Don't sink Lao Tzu. All of them have to be caught alive. After speaking, he said to Liu Buyun, commander of the Beiyang Fleet: "When we get it back, we will divide it." ”

Yingtai, the sky is only white light. Guangxu got up, and Kou Liancai held the dragon robe and waited for the emperor to dress. That's when I got dressed. The shouts of the guards rang out outside the door. Yang Du rushed over with a telegram.

"Your Majesty, the General Staff is calling. The Russian Far East Fleet entered the Tsushima Strait at 5:23 a.m. this morning and is now engaged in a fierce battle. ”

"Got it." Guangxu stepped out of the room, and it should be time to end the big rise for many days. Guangxu looked up to the east: "Today, the court meeting should have a result." ”

The morning in the Tsushima Strait was comfortable, and when the first rays of the sun shone on the sea, a huge fleet sailed into the Tsushima Strait. The cool sea breeze woke up the fleet. Withuff stretched out in the sun. Damn Qing Guo installed too many large-caliber artillery in Lushun, if it wasn't for the lack of sufficient ammunition in advance, if it weren't for the incompetence of the army, he should have slept in Lushun at this time. Lushun is the ice-free port of the Far East that His Majesty the Tsar dreamed of, as long as he returns to Vladivostok to replenish supplies and bring all the army. Withuff believed that when he came to Arthur again. Arthur must have surrendered to the cannons of his own fleet. At that time, he will become the first man in the navy, and he will become the most prominent nobleman in all of Russia.

And in the mountains and forests at the southern tip of Tsushima Island, a telescope locked onto the fleet. With the ticking sound of telegrams, the composition, queue, speed, and voyage of the entire Russian Far East Fleet were transmitted through the radio waves to the command room of the Great Qing Task Force hiding on the northwest side of Tsushima Island.

"It's time to get to work." Wu Deren ordered the fleet to set sail. But he grabbed the binoculars and stood at the window. The fleet broke through the waves and headed head-on for the Russian fleet, which knew nothing.

"Report, discovery of the Russian fleet."

In the distance, the column of smoke at sea level was already reflected in Wu Deren's telescope. Wu Deren's excited hands began to tremble, and his fleet was finally able to expand again: "Drive at full speed." The ships remain in formation and are not allowed to break away without an order. The distance is calculated, and each gun position is ready for shelling. Wu Deren looked at the order as he calculated the firing distance.

Long-range artillery bombardment has always been the main training subject for gunners of the Pacific Fleet, and today's main gunners must be gunners who can have a 30 percent hit rate at a distance of 5,000 meters. According to Lord Lee Eun-bok, the idea was proposed by the emperor. When the emperor proposed, he fired the cannon in advance just to make more noise, in case the blind cat touched the dead mouse, it could hit the enemy's morale hard. However, Wu Deren understood that at a time when all countries were strictly abiding by the principle of 3,000 meters of engagement, this artillery shell fired 2,000 meters in advance would make people who did not know about it pay an unimaginable price to them. For this reason, the entire Pacific Fleet has focused on training long-range artillery bombardment since the beginning of its formation in Chile. From the first 3,500 meters to the current 5,000 meters, the coal burned for training alone is a huge amount of money. The construction of a simulated movement system for warships on the north and south shores of the Diaoyu Islands is aimed at saving the cost of artillery shells. Every month, warheads of the same shape and weight as real shells are retrieved from the island, and they are as high as tens of tons. Even the emperor sent a telegram asking if it was possible to reduce shooting training. Today, it's time to put the results of the training to the test.

"It's five kilometers away."

"Fire." When the gunner reported the figure of 5,000 meters, Wu Deren gave the order to open fire.

At 5:52 a.m. on May 25, with the flickering of the main guns of the battleship Longyin, the Battle of Tsushima officially began. The first head-to-head confrontation between the Qing and Russian navies began.