To some extent, the commander of the 2nd Sentai Team, Yuzaburo Kato, who took the initiative to raise the flagship flag, is a person who will not lose his cool under any circumstances.

He came from a family of Eishu feudal clans, and his older brother Tananosuke served as a squad leader for the feudal clan in the Shoyoshi Raid in Ueno. Kato entered the Naval Academy in Tsukiji, Tokyo, on October 27, Meiji 6. He had just turned twelve years old. And on October 25, Sheng Haizhou had just become the secretary of the navy. At that time, the Navy was divided into preparatory and undergraduate departments, and he was just nineteen years old when he graduated and became an alternate second lieutenant in the Navy. His grades in school were not particularly outstanding, and he was an inconspicuous person, but his grades at graduation were second.

He drank well, was silent and expressionless, was not an interesting person, had a super ability to analyze things, and had the ability to synthesize various matters, and could quickly draw conclusions on problems. However, his body was a little weak and weak, but he kept going.

His calmness and indifference gave the impression of a cold-blooded animal, but deep down it was not, as many people around him thought.

In the Battle of Tsushima, Kato, the chief of staff of the Combined Fleet, used his own calmness and tacit cooperation with Togo to finally won the naval battle.

At this time, Garten, who raised the flagship flag and exercised the command of the combined fleet, held the railing behind the sandbag of the bridge with a pale face. For the last week, he has been suffering from nervous stomach pains due to stress. In order to endure the severe pain, he grabbed the bar with both hands and used enough strength on his feet.

Just then, the radio assistant Junichiro Kase rushed in.

Kato pulled the telegram and looked at the contents,

"Good"

Kato's expression was the same as usual.

The Zhenyang Fleet, which was anchored off the coast of Kaohsiung, was dispatched, and they didn't even have time to rush to Kaohsiung Port to replenish fuel, and the First Fleet of the Zhenyang Fleet was dispatched in a hurry, which somewhat relieved Kato.

"We still have a chance to destroy the Second Fleet"

Enduring abdominal pain and looking at the two ships Dingyuan and Fuyuan, the flagships of the Chinese Second Fleet, which were shrouded in flames, Kato whispered in his heart.

Kill

This is the most fundamental purpose of this naval battle, and from a strategic point of view, the naval battle in the South China Sea will be meaningless if the Second Fleet is not destroyed. Even if you lose even half of the ships, you must destroy all the enemies, otherwise it will be strategically meaningless, and it was Togo and his fleet that were burdened with such a heavy mission before.

And now, Kato knows that it is time for him to carry this heavy mission.

"Even if only a few of the battleships and cruisers in the Second Fleet of the Zhenyang Fleet have escaped into Sanduao, or to join up with the First Fleet, it may not only disrupt our sea supremacy in the future, but will even cause us to be unable to force the First Fleet to exist in the harbor and anchor in the harbor, if this happens, it can be said that Cheng Biguang is victorious."

At this time, the battleship "Dingyuan", which was under the heavy care of the United Fleet, completely turned into a ball of fireworks. In several battles since the beginning of the artillery battle, hundreds of Japanese shells, large and small, fell on the "Dingyuan". At this time, on the battleship "Dingyuan", the damaged sailors completely disregarded their personal lives and rescued the battleship in the face of the fragments of shells.

The flames on the deck were in the air, the wooden deck was burned into charcoal, and after the sailors used high-pressure water hoses to wash away the flames, they immediately began to drag away the wet sand to extinguish the dark fire, and the shells that kept falling would always take the lives of one or two sailors each time, but the sailors of the deck damage management team were all unmoved, and only dutifully fulfilled their mission.

Despite hitting hundreds of shells, under the desperate rescue of the damaged sailors, adhering to the tradition of German warships that have always paid attention to protection, the "Dingyuan", which has turned into a ball of fireworks, not only still leads the fleet to the north at a high speed of 17 knots, but also constantly adjusts the course, keeps the team's longitudinal line aimed at the combined fleet, and constantly fires shells.

"Shoot until the last shell"

In the roar of the cannons, the gunners continued to reload and fire, and only after the command center sent new distance and other data, they would temporarily stop the shells.

There was a bang, the gun shaft shook for a while, and the gunners behind the gun shaft all looked like they didn't care, loading the bombs, loading the launch canister, and launching, the armor protection of the gun shell installed by the Dingyuan-class battleship in the shipyard played a role in the peace, at least from the start of the naval battle, except for the barrel of a side auxiliary gun was blown off, the gunner did not suffer much loss. ,

"Asahi rear turret explosion"

On the top of the Dingyuan command tower, on the somewhat unusual mast, Second Lieutenant Sezev, who was in charge of observation, constantly reported the situation in the Asahi command with the help of a high-powered telescope.

This tall mast gave full play to its role at this time, and the rangefinder officer on the mast could constantly correct the firing distance with the help of a high-powered rangefinder, and the observer officer could constantly report the information of the enemy ship's orders.

From the very beginning, Sezev stood on the observation platform, observing the hits of enemy ships, and after another officer received his task, he quickly adjusted his gaze to the distance in order to rest his eyes.

When he looked at the Combined Fleet, which seemed to be wandering in the foreword of the fleet in the distance, there was a relatively idle warrant officer Jin Ming standing next to him, but it would be very idle, the observation platform was not a rangefinder station, and in a naval battle, the starboard side that was not in battle only needed to remain vigilant.

However, he was looking at the cannonballs in the air with great interest. Japanese shells are different from those of other countries in the world. It was filled with Shimose explosives, and it was filled with the Ijiin letter tube, which was slender and long.

At the Naval Academy, he had heard several Russian naval officers describe this shell, which in the Arthur fleet was nicknamed "leather bag".

Although for Jin Ming, this was his first time participating in a naval battle, he knew the appearance and power of this purse, not only from Russian officers, but also from his father, Jin Ming's father was an old Beiyang, and during the Battle of Dadonggou, the Japanese rapid-fire guns and flowering shells killed almost all the gunners.

From the first mention of the blossom bullet by his father, the blossom bullet was engraved in his mind. But when I saw it for the first time today, I had a strange re-understanding.

"It's like a burning stick being thrown at me."

Jin Ming muttered in his heart. The appearance of those "burning sticks" flying around in the air can be seen clearly with the naked eye. It wasn't very loud. The ten-inch shells fired by the Dingyuan were sharp and piercing, while the long shells fired by the Japanese were a little dull.

"This is the "leather bag" that you said Instructor Najekovsky said."

Sezev, with his eyes rested, asked Jin Ming, at this time it seemed that they were chatting at home, completely ignoring that they were at war, and even under their feet, the Dingyuan would continue to release flames.

The "leather bag" flew over the head of the "Dingyuan" and landed into the sea. In this case, the shells of the Second Fleet would fall into the water and create a huge mist, while the Japanese shells would explode as soon as they touched the surface of the sea because they contained the reactive Ijiin tubes. Therefore, even if it does not hit the hull, countless fragments will be generated towards the ship. The splinters hit the broadside and deck buildings with a short, high-pitched sound.

Then another shell hit the starboard side of the stern, and the flames that had just been extinguished by the damaged sailors burned again, and the characteristic of the Shimose explosives was not to explode inside the warship after penetrating its armor, but to ignite both steel and wood in its vicinity.

At this time, a huge pillar of fire rose from the chimney in front of the Dingyuan, and the stern of the ship also burned, although the fire was very strong, but it was always quickly extinguished by the damage management soldiers, and the flames that rose and went out from time to time have been enveloping the Dingyuan from beginning to end.

"It's a flying torpedo"

Silzeko, a German naval officer aboard the cruiser "Haisui", looked at the shells in the air and wrote in his battle observation pen,

"It's a mine called a cannonball. After the explosion, it will produce a smoke that will not disperse for a long time, and even if it falls into the sea, it will produce debris that will damage the hull of the ship, killing and injuring sailors......"

As a German naval officer, Sylzeko appeared on the cruiser Haisui to observe the Chinese and Japanese navies up close, especially the actual combat effectiveness of the Zhiyuan, and now he is the first naval officer in the German Navy to experience a large-scale naval battle.

"Change seven ships into one, tactically, the Chinese have the advantage"

As he muttered in his heart, the rumble of cannon in his ears reminded him that it was not safe to stand on the bridge, and that the cruiser Kaisui, as the lead ship, was only used as a vanguard ship to prevent a sneak attack by Japanese cruisers or destroyers, and in such a naval battle where the capital ships were engaged, it was even a spectator. ,

"Captain, you see...... Asahi"

A sudden shout only focused everyone's attention on the Asahi who was completely enveloped in a huge burst of flames, bursting and rushing out of black smoke hundreds of meters high, and in that black smoke, you could even see a broken turret being thrown into the air.

"It must have hit the ammunition depot, it must have penetrated the ammunition depot"

Listening to the excited shouts around him, Sylzeko stared at the battleship Asahi that was breaking in two and sinking rapidly, and in the distance, if you pay attention, you can see the battleship Shikishima half-sunk in the sea like a dead fish.

Take a look at the pocket watch.

At 16:07, an hour after the outbreak of the naval battle, the Chinese Navy had sunk two Japanese warships, including their flagship, while at this time, the Chinese Navy was only two warships that had suffered heavy damage.

"The era of high-explosive shells is over"

For no reason, Sylzeko muttered in his heart, facts speak louder than words, in the face of new armor-piercing shells, there are no impossible battleships, the combined fleet has won two wars with high-explosive shells, and now, the Chinese rely on being one step ahead of the world and winning the war with new armor-piercing shells.

"Captain Wu, congratulations, the Goddess of Victory has unfurled her skirt to you"

When Wu Yunli heard this, he shook his head, he looked at the combined fleet in the distance, and now it seems that the second fleet has the upper hand, but judging from the launch speed of Dingyuan and Fuyuan and the slower and slower speed, the situation of the two ships is not very good now.

And this naval battle ...... But it's just getting started

At 16:07, the binoculars were lowered and it was determined that the battleship Asahi had been sunk.

"Turn right twice and open the distance"

Cheng Biguang, who was expressionless, ordered to turn two points to starboard to open up the distance, and at the same time, after a large explosion in the front turret of the Asahi, the iron-faced Yuzaburo Kato also ordered to turn a little to the left to disrupt the opponent's ranging.

"Target, Tango"

After giving the order to turn, Cheng Biguang once again stared at the battleship "Tango" that raised the flagship flag, sinking the enemy's flagship is more effective than sinking other warships, which can not only interfere with the enemy's fleet command, but also affect the enemy's momentum.

When Togo commanded naval battles, the Japanese navy fired an average of one round per minute, but now it is about one minute and twenty seconds, which means that their morale has been affected, while their own fleet is still firing a salvo every 20 seconds, and they are gaining the advantage step by step.

"Armor-piercing ......"

Yuzaburo Kato scolded hatefully, in order to be able to approach the distance of the armor-piercing projectile, he kept trying, but the second fleet cleverly kept pulling away. So that the end is maintained at a position of about 10 km, at this distance the old armor-piercing shells simply cannot penetrate the armor of Chinese battleships, as for high-explosive shells...... But it failed to work as well as it should.

On the surface, the Combined Fleet has always been at the forefront of the Second Fleet, but in fact, Yuzaburo Kato realized that it was not the Combined Fleet that was in front of the Second Fleet, but Cheng Biguang deliberately guiding himself.

As long as Cheng Biguang kept his distance, keeping a distance of even 8 kilometers, it was impossible for the old armor-piercing shells used by the Combined Fleet to sink his battleship, and during the Battle of Tsushima, the Combined Fleet was close to three kilometers and switched to armor-piercing shells to win that naval battle, and now? The naval battle lasted for an hour, but Cheng Biguang commanded the fleet like a monkey, skillfully maneuvering, maintaining a distance from the combined fleet, and using new armor-piercing shells to inflict heavy damage on the combined fleet at a long distance.

At 16:12, the battleship "Tango" was shot for the first time, in the front part of the bridge, but it did not cause major damage. The Second Fleet's warships fired a round of shells at each other every 20 seconds, while the Combined Fleet's battleships and cruisers fought back, and the sea in front of them was like a forest of barrages, and the sea was dyed yellow.

The entire sea and sky echoed with the roar of cannons of caliber more than ten inches.

"Maybe ......"

Although Yuzaburo Kato was very calm, after several attempts to approach were skillfully defused by the other party, a sense of foreboding rose in his heart, and he even retreated.

At this moment, a black cloud suddenly appeared in the sky, and then the wind rose, and the wind blew in the direction of the Second Fleet.

"The Wind Blows"

When Yuzaburo Kato felt the wind rising, he immediately raised his head. The taciturn veteran still didn't say a word at this time, but a bright smile appeared on his face at this time, and it was the first time that everyone had seen Kato look so happy. ,

Strong winds began to blow in the direction of the enemy. If you have the upper hand, you can increase the hit rate of the artillery, and now, the Combined Fleet is in the upper wind, and the upper wind will also interfere with the shelling of the Second Fleet

This is common sense in naval warfare that any naval officer or even a sailor understands, which means that naval warfare is tilting in favor of the combined fleet.

"The Wind Blows"

A sigh came from the bottom of Cheng Biguang's heart, and sure enough, when the salvo was fired again, the serious deviation of the shell, in naval warfare, the most feared thing was to be in the downwind, the wind would affect the aiming, affect the trajectory, and the upwind was the most advantageous position.

At this time, the battleship "Dingyuan" was already miserable, first of all, the rear mast was blown off, and the chimney in the rear was blown away and turned into two chimneys. The hull of the ship was littered with traces left by the explosion of shells, and a dozen large holes were punched out of the slightly thinner horizontal deck, the largest of which was nearly a meter in diameter. The entire bow of the ship was smashed.

The smashed part was hit again, and every time the sea slammed into the bow, the sea water poured directly from there. But even after suffering such heavy losses, the main and secondary guns on the Dingyuan ship still continued to glow, and the gunners continued to fire at the enemy ship.

At 16:48, a shell of the Combined Fleet hit a bullet hole in the deck, and the shell exploded directly under the deck, blowing up a large hole five or six squares in the deck, and for a while, the smoke penetrated into the steering engine room through the snorkel, and the people there had to evacuate, and at this time the sun was setting, and the warships of the Second Fleet were completely exposed to the silhouette of the setting sun.

"Sink Dingyuan, the third team is ready to attack and pursue"

Yuzaburo Kato, who finally gained the upper hand, gave orders one after another, at this time, he completely forgot the previous uneasiness, and now the goddess of victory is beckoning to him, and the time and place are now all part of the combined fleet

"Turn right 3 degrees and pick up some distance"

Despite being in an unfavorable state, Cheng Biguang still gave the order with a calm expression. It's just that his order is not the typical Nelsonian order to "get closer", but to distance himself again.

"5:29"

Glancing at his pocket watch, Cheng Biguang suddenly laughed, looking at the slightly dark sky, he knew that the outcome of this war had been decided at this moment

"We won the war".

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