(Thanks to book friend Ansenyxd and book friend Neri for the monthly pass!) ）

"Ye Zhichao, that bastard, should have been shot at all, more than 40,000 people in two towns, the weapons are not backward than the Japanese, and they still stick to Pyongyang, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and they were defeated by others in just one week, not to mention the loss of troops, and they also threw away all North Korea! The Manchu Qing is really hopeless! In the staff headquarters, Xiong Wu scolded angrily after sending back the information about the Korean battlefield!

"The Manchus have decayed, and now, it's time for us to replace them!" Cai Yun also said. At the same time, Wang Yuze, who was sitting on the side without saying a word.

For these things, Wang Yuze has long been clear. However, even so, he was very shocked. The Manchu Qing and Western Sichuan have fought for so many years, although they have lost every time, but at least they should have learned something! I didn't expect that in the face of Japan, a small country that has just risen, it is still so unbearable. Come, Sichuan West replaced the Manchus and gained power in China, which should be an irreversible providence!

At present, Japan is frantically transporting troops to Korea, except for the Guards Division, which remained in the country, the rest of the divisions and regiments are all transported to Korea. The strength of 22 divisions is huge, more than 400,000 people. However, the huge logistical pressure, the fact that it had not yet seized sea supremacy, and the very fragile logistics supply lines also made the Japanese army stop its aggressive posture and confront the Qing army across the Yalu River.

On the Manchu side, they also actively dispatched troops. The Qing army suffered a great defeat in Korea, losing tens of thousands of people. This made the Empress Dowager Cixi and Prince Gong very angry, and ordered the troops on the front line to keep the enemy out of the country no matter what. At this moment, the leader in Fengtian is the famous Manchu general Fengshan. Although three years earlier, the new Praetorian Guard army led by him had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Western Sichuan Army. But mainly because the army led was inferior to the western Sichuan army. His personal ability is still very outstanding. Now, Fengshan directly sits in Shengjing, commanding thirteen towns of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and 260,000 new troops. In terms of troops. The Manchus were no longer dominant. In terms of morale and soldiers, the Manchus were at an absolute disadvantage.

Wang Yuze knew that next, it was time for the Japanese Navy to appear. After the Japanese were defeated by the Combined Fleet, the Japanese Navy, which had seized sea supremacy, would provide favorable support for the army's logistical supply lines. When the time comes, Japan will inevitably attack in a big way.

And will the Beiyang Naval Division be able to withstand the attack of the Combined Fleet stationed in Japan? Although, the strength of the two sides is actually not much different. But one side is like an old man in the twilight, and the other side is full of vitality. Even if you haven't fought yet, you can guess the situation.

Kawanishi Navy. It has also entered the first level of combat readiness. The four "Chengdu" class heavy cruisers have all been put into service, and the second batch of four "Leshan" class light cruisers have also been put into service, which has once again doubled the strength of the western Sichuan Navy. In the current situation of the mother, the four "Chengdu" class heavy cruisers can almost be used as capital ships. In the face of the Japanese Combined Fleet, it was even more decisively advantageous.

In the Yellow Sea in the morning, there is some mist on the surface of the sea, although it gives people a refreshing feeling, but it affects the sight. Fortunately, the sun has come out. The mist on the surface of the sea gradually lifted.

On the sea, two Western Sichuan Army warships flying the flag of the giant dragon on a blue background are sailing towards the northwest of the Yellow Sea. Billowing smoke billowed from the chimneys, obscuring the sky. These two warships were the "Leshan"-class light cruisers "Leshan" and "Qijiang" of the Western Sichuan Army, which were the first to be put into service. Wang Yuze ordered the western Sichuan Navy to send warships to the northwest of the Yellow Sea to observe the impending major battle between the Japanese Combined Fleet and the Beiyang Naval Division. Deng Shichang, commander of the First Fleet of the Western Sichuan Navy, personally led the two fastest warships. All the way from the North Sea. At the same time, a merchant ship of 2,000 tons provided the two warships with coal and fresh water, etc.

"Where are we now?" In the bridge of the "Leshan", Deng Shichang asked.

"Report to the commander. In two hours, we will arrive at the sea area of Dadonggou! Li Deming, the captain of the "Leshan", replied. Li Deming, who is 31 years old Chinese New Year's Eve, was sent to study in the German Navy five years ago, returned to China with the fleet last year, and was appointed the first captain of the "Leshan" with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He liked this battleship with a maximum speed of 26 knots.

Deng Shichang nodded, as a former member of the Beiyang Naval Division, he was well aware of the strength of the Beiyang Naval Division. He did not think that the Japanese Navy's fleet, which had a maximum of more than 4,000 tons of warships, would win the Beiyang Naval Division. You must know that even though it has been in service for more than ten years, the "Dingyuan" and "Zhenyuan" ships of the Beiyang Naval Division are still the strongest warships in Asia except for the battleships of the West Sichuan Navy.

It was now early morning of September 7, 94, and the "Leshan" and "Qijiang" of the Western Sichuan Navy were rushing to the area of engagement between the Beiyang Naval Division and the Japanese Combined Fleet provided to Wang Yuze. In addition to the Kawanishi Navy, observation ships sent by Britain, Germany, France, the United States, and Russia are also scattered throughout the Yellow Sea. Everyone knows that the time has come for the Beiyang Navy Division and the Japanese Navy to have a showdown.

On the morning of September 5, the main force of the Beiyang Fleet, including 0 warships and auxiliary ships, arrived at Dalian Bay under the leadership of Ding Ruchang and escorted more than 4,000 reinforcements to Korea.

On 7 September, in the morning, the troop carrier was unloaded. At 9 o'clock, the dragon flag was hoisted on the flagship of the Dingyuan of the Beiyang Navy Division and began to return. At 0:02, the 1st Guerrilla Group of the Japanese Combined Fleet was the first to discover the Beiyang Naval Division. The signal flag of "more than three enemy ships found in the northeast direction" was hoisted. At 0:00, the sentry on the mast of the Beiyang Navy Zhenyuan ship went to the southwest and found the Japanese fleet with a few clusters of black smoke on the sea. Ding Ruchang immediately ordered all ships to raise fire and live ammunition to prepare for battle. At 2:05, the First Guerrilla Group of the Japanese Combined Fleet was in the first place, and the main team was in the rear, forming a single column formation, approaching the Beiyang Naval Division. At 2:50, the fleets of the two sides were 500 meters apart, and the Dingyuan ship, the flagship of the Beiyang Naval Division, opened fire first. The 1st Guerrilla Group of the Combined Fleet made a left turn at a distance of 5,000 meters from the Beiyang Naval Division and sailed to the right flank of the Beiyang Naval Division. The Combined Fleet sailed to the right flank of the Beiyang Naval Division. Risking exposing the fleet to the front of the Beiyang Naval Division. Ten seconds later, the Zhenyuan ship also fired shells, and immediately after, all ships of the Beiyang Fleet fired artillery bombardment. Three minutes later, the Japanese flagship Matsushima also began to fire back. At 2:05, Matsushima, the flagship of the Combined Fleet, began firing back with artillery. The Dingyuan mainmast was shot, the signal rigging was destroyed by artillery fire (one said that the flying bridge collapsed due to the old decay of the warship), and Ding Ruchang, who supervised the battle on the flying bridge, was seriously injured. In an instant, hundreds of guns from both sides were fired at the same time, and the smoke of gunpowder filled the air. The sea is boiling.

The Beiyang Naval Division had a total of 95 artillery pieces, 556 torpedo tubes, a total displacement of 200 tons, a total strength of 226, an average speed, 02 knots. The Japanese Combined Fleet had a total of 26 artillery pieces, 56 torpedo tubes, a total displacement of 4040 tons, and a total strength of 96 troops. The average speed is 45 knots. Among them, the average speed of the Japanese 1st Guerrilla Force reached 94 knots. Also according to the statistics of the British Navy Almanac. At that time, rapid-fire guns fired six times faster than the original rear-loading guns, and from this calculation, the firepower of the Japanese fleet was actually three times that of the Beiyang Fleet. Japan's combined fleet has great advantages, and these are the achievements that Japan has made over the years in developing its navy with the strength of the whole country. In contrast, the training funds of the Beiyang Naval Division were insufficient, and the military funds were even misappropriated by the Empress Dowager Cixi, so that by now they have lagged behind Japan.

Soon after the battle began, the flagship of the Beiyang Fleet, the "Dingyuan", was not repaired for 7 years due to its launch for 2 years. The main gun turret caught fire, Ding Ruchang was burned, and the letter flag was destroyed. Ding Ruchang refused to be carried into the inner cabin by his entourage, and insisted on sitting on the deck to supervise the battle. But he could only muster the morale of a ship. The four ships of the Japanese No. 1 Guerrilla Force took advantage of their speed advantage to attack the "Chaoyong" and "Yangwei" on the right flank of the Beiyang Fleet, and the two ships were hit one after another and caught fire, withdrawing from the battle. The Japanese ship "Yoshino" was also hit by the Beiyang Fleet and caught fire, but was quickly extinguished. Around 0:00 a.m. "Chaoyong" sank, and Huang Jianxun fell into the water, and the "left one" torpedo boat approached to rescue him, throwing a long rope to help. Huang Bu died calmly, and most of the officers and men on the ship also died heroically.

When the Japanese 1st Guerrilla Force circled the right flank of the Beiyang Fleet, this team also attacked with the main force of the Beiyang Fleet. The Japanese warships "Hiei", "Akagi", "Fuso", and "Saikyo Maru" were intercepted by the Beiyang Fleet. "Dingyuan", "Laiyuan", and "Jingyuan" severely damaged the Japanese ships "Hiei" and "Akagi". The captain of the "Akagi" Sakamoto Yataro was killed. "Saikyo Maru" was also hit hard. At about 4:05, the Japanese fleet circled behind the Beiyang Fleet and formed a flanking attack with the 1st Guerrilla Force. The Beiyang Fleet was attacked by the enemy, and the formation was even more chaotic.

"Jingyuan" continued to meet "Yoshino", besieged by Yoshino, Naniwa, Akitsuzu, and Gao Qianqiu, and the middle cong bullet caught fire, and the whole ship bravely resisted, and the officers and men of Jingyuan "fired cannons to attack the enemy, and rushed water to fight the fire, and they were still in order." The warships were one enemy and four enemies, and they resisted the battle for a long time. In the fierce battle, Lin Yongsheng, the pipe leader, unfortunately "died of a sudden cannonball, a split brain", and the first mate Chen Rong and the second officer Chen Jingying were also killed by the cannonball. In the end, under the siege of Naniwa, Yoshino, Akitsuzu, and Takachiaki, the ship was hit by a lot of bullets, and soon after, "the port bow sank into the water", and at 2 degrees 40 minutes and 7 seconds east longitude and 9 degrees 5 minutes north latitude, the bow of the ship capsized and sank to the east. Of the more than 200 officers and men on board, all but 16 were rescued.

After the sinking of "Zhiyuan", the "Jiyuan" pipe belt Fang Boqian and the "Guangjia" pipe belt Wu Jingrong escaped from the battle (whether Fang Boqian and others escaped from the battle or not, there are different methods). "Jingyuan" and "Laiyuan" withdrew from the battle due to too many bullets, and took refuge near Oshikashima to urgently repair the damaged aircraft.

The two ships of Dingyuan and Zhenyuan fought bloodily, and were hit by many bullets, and caught fire several times.

At 0:00 p.m., the 05-centimeter cannon of the Zhenyuan ship hit the Japanese flagship "Matsushima" twice in a row. After being shot in the No. 4 turret on the rear deck of Matsushima, the flames ignited explosives and a large explosion occurred. Matsushima's shaft tilted 5 degrees, white smoke rose and a fire broke out.

Soon, Jingyuan and Laiyuan completed the repair and returned to the battle. The Japanese warships Akagi, Hiei, and Nishikyo Maru were wounded, the situation of the flagship "Matsushima" was not optimistic, and the "Yoshino" and "Fuso" were also wounded.

The Beiyang Fleet pursued for a while, and also returned to Arthur. This was the end of the naval battle in the Yellow Sea, which lasted more than five hours.

The results of the naval battle: the Beiyang Fleet lost 5 warships, "Zhiyuan", "Jingyuan", "Chaoyong", "Yangwei", and "Guangjia" ("Guangjia" ran aground after escaping the battlefield and was self-destructed a few days later), and more than 1,000 officers and men were killed or wounded; Five ships of the Japanese fleet, "Matsushima", "Yoshino", "Hiei", "Akagi", and "Saikyo Maru", suffered heavy damage, and more than 600 officers and men were killed or wounded. Although the Beiyang Naval Division suffered heavy losses in this battle, it was not completely defeated. However, in order to preserve his strength, Li Hongzhang ordered the Beiyang Fleet to hide in Weihai Harbor and not to patrol the sea to meet the enemy. Japan seized control of the Yellow Sea.

(The Battle of the Yellow Sea, most of the cited information, I hope book friends will bear with me!) ）

PS: The third update is here!