A group of foreign devils with feuds, even if they are temporarily pinched together, they will inevitably be inseparable from each other, and they will make their own calculations in private.

However, in the face of a strong opponent with common interests, they reluctantly joined hands and put on a posture of cooperation.

There is no need to doubt the British art of commanding. As the world's number one naval power today, even the temporarily integrated fleet is well organized for them. The 10,000-ton heavy warships were the vanguard, and the second echelon of light auxiliary ships followed on both sides of the rear, running hundreds of nautical miles from Japan, still in good order.

On the afternoon of the 15th, the lookout on the main mast of the battleship "Counterattack" with his head held high in front noticed the abnormal situation on the sea in the distance and immediately issued a warning: "A suspicious ship has been found ahead!" ”

After repeatedly observing with a telescope, Vice Admiral Seymour said very calmly: "It's a Chinese fast gunboat!" They're obviously here to spy on our movements, don't worry, that little guy doesn't pose any threat to us. ”

On the surface, it is so light, but in private, Mr. Commander-in-Chief has a bunch of belly slander: "It's really bad that the Chinese discovered it so quickly, it seems that they have been careful about the embankment." ”

The information could not be concealed from the other partners, and after informing all the warships under the guò flag, the French were not calm at first, and specifically asked: "Is it too arbitrary to ignore it completely?" What if the Chinese fleet is hiding in the shadows, ready to strike at us at night? We think we should get rid of that damn scout ship! ”

The Germans threw away the sarcasm first: "Do you have a ship that can catch up with that damn reconnaissance ship?" Gentlemen, that's a dexterous guy capable of running 25 knots or more! ”

"Damn the Chinese guys! How the hell did they come up with such a fast guy?! ”

The French gritted their teeth and cursed, but there was nothing they could do. Nowadays, everyone knows that China's own warships are so fast that they are outrageously fast. Whether it's a 200-ton torpedo boat. Or a frigate of more than a thousand tons. One counts as one. can run at unattainable high speeds. It is precisely because these elusive creatures have been cruising in China's waters that countries have not been able to quietly enter and exit as usual.

Lieutenant General Seymour signaled relief to them: "This is all normal, and we don't need to worry. On the contrary, I think that the Chinese may be a wake-up call for us by exposing their vigilance. In addition, they will not give up their advantage to attack at night. ”

He's not talking nonsense. In this era, the shape of the warship has not completely departed from the traces of the sail era, and the ships built only dare to move forward quickly when the sea conditions are good enough. To do high-speed maneuvers in bad weather is to find death.

At night, the field of vision of both sides is not wide enough, and most of the battles take place within 3,000 meters, in addition to the sneak attacker can get a chance to quietly approach and give an attack, their own formation will inevitably be confused. If the light is black, the flag will not be clear at all, and the signal will be affected by the explosion and confused.

Of course, the foreign devils did not know that the Chinese had radio contact. Although the naval officers of the country, who had served in the Beiyang Naval Division, learned of similar suspicions, the conceited British stubbornly believed. High-tech gadgets that Westerners can't invent, Chinese will never be able to come up with.

The superiority of the Chinese Navy is obvious. High speed, high maneuverability, long range. Although there is a little bit of the power of the night sneak attack operation, the "ghost ship", it does not have a decisive effect.

At night, these advantages are greatly negated, and they will be foolish to give up their strengths and fight against powerful enemies. Once you are approaching and start firing, just wait to be drowned by the powerful warships of various countries with heavy shells!

The others could not come up with a better construction, so at Seymour's insistence, the fleet remained on alert and sailed straight for the mouth of the Yangtze River.

The reconnaissance ship that deliberately exposed its hiding was the "Jiaozhou" frigate. Captain Sa Zhenbing was the first batch to join the naval refresher course after the Sino-Japanese naval war, and the first batch to change jobs. The ship he commanded was the second of this model, and in more than half a year, it had been running up and down like an arm.

At the beginning of his departure, he led the warship out of the main force and quickly sailed to the waters of Jeju Island to patrol and monitor the actions of the navies of various countries. From the moment the enemy ship left the port, he had been carefully tracking it from a distance of forty kilometers with the help of radar. It wasn't until Liu Buyun issued the command to "fight the grass and scare the snake" that he came out to expose his figure.

Seeing that the foreign devils didn't react violently, the trainee deputy captain who was observing with him said disappointedly: "It's a pity, if one or two enemy ships come to chase us, we can knock them out a little bit of strength by the way." ”

He didn't feel at all that his little guy of more than 1,000 tons, with only four 127mm guns, was as weak as a chicken that had just come out of the shell in front of the enemy's 10,000-ton battleship. These days, speed is power.

Sa Zhenbing smiled faintly, squinted at the majestic figure at the end of his vision, and said leisurely: "The British are very cunning and will not be fooled. As long as we can keep them awake, our goal has been achieved. The matter of the battle should be left to the capital ship to solve. ”

Despite this, his heart was full of regrets. Who wouldn't want to command a powerful battleship to engage the enemy? However, up to now, the Chinese Navy has only two capital ships in Dingzhen. The rest of the so-called cruisers, of two or three thousand tons, were unceremoniously put into a separate book and failed after fully understanding the truly fast cruisers that would be built in the future.

That is, now the shipbuilding forces cannot keep up, and there is no way. Once all the shipyards are up and running, the huge number of cruisers of seven or eight thousand tons or even more will be put into service one after another within a few years. Only then will he have the opportunity to show his ambitions.

Now, I have to endure it.

Sa Zhenbing stared at the enemy ship for a while, closed his eyes to relieve the sourness of his eyes, and after two minutes, he opened it suddenly, and said categorically: "Push forward the enemy ship and attack the light ships behind it." Don't give them any breaks for the rest of the time! ”

"Yes!" The trainee deputy captain excitedly repeated the order loudly and personally steered the "Jiaozhou" to speed up towards the enemy ship!

This unusual move immediately caused a commotion in the Allied fleet, and the British and French ships in the right flank column immediately responded. The sailors are ready to take up their gun positions! Especially the small and backward French warships. Immediately prepare to drill forward to the left side of the British battleship to find cover. Since it's going to start. Of course, it's the rough skin and thick flesh that goes up to be a shield, and those who can work harder.

Seymour gave an order: "All ships remain calm, do not care about the feint of the little bug, as long as it dares to continue to approach and expel it with secondary artillery." ”

They have all suffered losses, and no one dares to be too careless. In case a guy who gets close to the other party to get cold, it really outweighs the loss.

The warships of various countries in this operation generally used rapid-fire guns as their secondary guns. This was true both the British 152mm guns and the French 140mm guns. Using advanced smokeless propellants, the range can reach more than ten kilometers away. Although there is no accuracy, there are many threats, and once it is hit by a grenade, the small body of the "Weihai-class" frigate really can't bear a few hits.

The rapid advance of the "Jiaozhou" has allowed the officers and men of the navies of various countries to see with their own eyes what is called high speed. At a speed of 25 knots, it galloped from the northern waters at an angle of 30 degrees, and in a short time the distance between the two sides was sharply reduced to more than 12 kilometers. Through the guò telescope, you can already see its graceful and slender little figure more clearly.

"What a pretty little one! There is no extra burden on the body. I really don't know how the Chinese designed it. ”

Lieutenant General Seymour was not sparing in his appreciation. Although in his mind, there was no more beautiful battleship in the world than the "Sovereign-class" battleship, but now he had to admit that the "Jiaozhou" with its clean lines seemed to be superior. In particular, there are many masts without branches, and the masts are perfectly integrated with the van bridge, and the well-proportioned inclined single chimney reveals a unique beauty of industrial products.

In the minds of all the British Navy, probably only the British Empire could have designed such a wonderful warship. Most of China's naval talents were born in the UK, which means that the warships in front of them must have noble British blood. Two compliments are not excessive.

However, Seymour did not dare to be careless at all, and the starboard 152mm secondary gun of the "Counterattack" opened fire one after another, and in the muffled roar of "tom tom", three shells flew out, and thick smoke erupted, covering half of the hull.

The "Revenge" and the two "Nile-class" battleships opened fire one after another, and the shells fell one after another at a distance of about 10 kilometers, and the clear water columns that smashed up rose into the air, which was quite spectacular.

It's just that from beginning to end, not a single shot can threaten the "Jiaozhou".

Sa Zhenbing's eyes flashed, and he shouted: "Come and don't be rude, fire back!" ”

The bow 127mm gun shook slightly, and the grenade was discharged at high speed, falling into the water and exploding less than 200 meters away from the "counterattack"!

Lieutenant General Seymour was taken aback! Such an accurate archery was actually completed at such a high speed, what the hell is on the opponent's ship!?

He had never seen such artillery, and such amazing accuracy was beyond expectations, if the Chinese warships were all of this level...... I'm afraid the battle will not be so easy in the future.

He muttered in his heart, this cannonball should have been blinded, right?

After more than ten seconds, the second shell came one after another, and the landing point was even closer than the first!

Lieutenant General Seymour's brows furrowed, and he could no longer be calm. No wonder the Japanese Navy lost so badly, their weak armored ships of several thousand tons, when they encountered such freaks, they couldn't withstand accurate grenade strikes at all, and they were about to be finished if they suffered too much!

His battleships, as strong as they were, were also very weak. Whether it is two main guns, or other secondary guns, the armor protection is flawed. While most of the gun mounts, action and loading machinery are wrapped in heavy armor, the main gun is exposed and cannot prevent fragmentation from nearby explosions! The secondary cannon also only has a symbolic anti-fragmentation shield, and once it is hit by an enemy ship's shell, even the smallest caliber armor-piercing shell can still be easily destroyed!

Now, Seymour has seen with his own eyes what is called "ultra-long-range" high-precision artillery, and the arrogance and self-confidence in his heart began to crumble like a pile of sand.

It must not be the first to be shelled, which would greatly hurt the face of the British Royal Navy. Seymour ordered the ship's secondary guns to fire at an accelerated pace, looking for a chance to destroy the other side with a dense rain of bullets. At the same time, the smoke will also bring a little cover to the hull, making it difficult for the opponent to aim.

Fortunately, the "Jiaozhou" was determined not to hurt the enemy, and after pressing 10 kilometers, it turned left and turned the rudder. It formed a parallel staggered posture with the British and French fleets. Run all the way to the middle and fire and rush to the end.

The ships in the rear, although small in tonnage, have weak firepower. That's just relative to the capital ships of tens of thousands of tons. None of them had a displacement of less than 3,000 tons, the caliber of the main guns was more than 200mm, and the number and power of the secondary guns were not weak.

The First Sino-Japanese Naval War had a great impact on the navies of various countries. The three high-speed capital ships, with high speed, high rate of fire, and high protection, decided the victory or defeat, and various countries have modified and upgraded their capital ships. The original short-barreled secondary guns were all updated to new guns that used new propellant charges and high-explosive warheads, and the main guns basically did not exist in the black gun-powder model.

The ships that went to the Far East this time had a guaranteed speed and rate of fire, and faced the "Jiaozhou" that was rushing wildly. None of them were passively beaten, and each intercepted it with secondary fire.

The "Jiaozhou" was like a dexterous dolphin running on the sea, lightly grazing the edge of the opponent's bullet rain and skimming the end of the formation, until it ran out of the range of its tail guns, and then slowly slowed down and turned, and after making a big circle, it maneuvered to the left flank of the enemy ship formation.

This time it was the turn of the Germans and Russians to get nervous! Without waiting for it to get closer, the Russian battleship that was dragging behind opened fire to intercept it first, and at the expense of ammunition, it formed a dense wall of explosions in front of it, forcing the "Jiaozhou" to bypass it from a distance.

Sa Zhenbing does not seek to kill. Let the battleship catch up at 20 knots and fire. Let the artillery warm up one by one.

Without the pressure of hitting indicators, half of the recruits on the ship can relax, but they can play to the level of training in peacetime. Just when the battleship was about to run to the front and go neck and neck with the German flagship "Elector", an armor-piercing shell actually hit its amidship, shattering one of the air intakes!

The Germans were taken aback! Can this happen? There is no heavenly reason!

Commander Dietrich was even more embarrassed! After tossing around for such a circle, the other side fired dozens of cannons, the ships of other countries were safe and sound, and their flagship was actually the first to be hit, which was simply a slap in the face to the German Empire! Even if the shell didn't cause any damage, he couldn't get over it!

He angrily ordered, and the main cannon immediately opened fire to kill the hateful flea!

The 40 times diameter 280mm twin main gun that the bow has been rotating and aiming immediately fired!

The roar of heavy artillery immediately attracted everyone's attention, and Vice Admiral Seymour saw the explosion from a distance, and he didn't know how far away from the almost undetectable "Jiaozhou" he didn't know how far away, and a mocking smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "The Germans are still so impatient." Don't they know that it is almost impossible to hit when firing at high speed? ”

Soon the lookout came with observations, and it turned out that the Germans had been shot! There was a burst of laughter in the command room, and the gentlemen were speechless at the bad luck of the Germans.

Sa Zhenbing didn't expect to be able to hit it crookedly, shook his head and smiled: "It seems that luck is on our side, this beginning is very good." ”

After firing several shots at the "Elector", the "Jiaozhou" accelerated to the left front, and soon disappeared between the vast sea and sky.

"She just ran away?" All the generals of the warship, including Seymour, were confused, could it be that the purpose of this small ship was to harass it, waste a bunch of ammunition by the way, accelerate the wear and tear of the boiler and main engine, and consume its coal? If you're full, how can you hold on?

There is no way to catch someone to ask about this matter, Vice Admiral Seymour can only judge from experience, probably that the reconnaissance ship is testing the performance of the warships of various countries. More, perhaps they were so carried away by their previous victory that they planned to take a chance and see if they could make a difference.

Of course, there is no doubt that the other party will not stop there. If nothing else, she will still monitor the movements of the fleet in the future, and it is reasonable to attack from time to time.

Seymour sighed: "We have to be glad that the Chinese can't build large warships." If they can create a 10,000-ton ironclad ship with such high speed and precision strike capability to attack us, the results will be very worrying. ”

It's not just a worry, it's a disaster.

The British admirals were generally high, and it was clear that once a battleship similar to the "Sovereign-class" sailed at a speed of more than 20 knots, and the rate of fire and range of the main guns were increased to the extent that the Japanese claimed, it would definitely pose a total threat to warships all over the world.

It is conceivable that a big guy with at least four 305mm long-barreled cannons, with a firing range of more than 15 kilometers and a rate of fire of one shot per minute, is always striking from five kilometers or even ten kilometers away.

On the contrary, as long as she is hit, your own battleship will have to drink a pot!

"The Chinese must not be allowed to continue to develop. It was only a matter of time before they were able to refit the 'Dingyuan-class' ironclad ships and make warships of the same tonnage. Once they were able to build that kind of powerful warship in batches, Britain would want to guarantee that the control of the Far East would become a castle in the air! ”

Lieutenant General Seymour is convinced that this time, he must win!

As night fell, the allied fleets of all countries reduced their speed to 10 knots, and the two columns formed a dense formation, forming two arcs, guarding the weakly armored ships in the middle, and taking precautions.

Not disappointing them, Sa Zhenbing commanded the "Jiaozhou" to make a comeback, launching five rushes in one night, and constantly smashing shells far into the enemy formation with the help of night cover. The sailors became more and more accustomed to the rhythm of the attack and the sea conditions, and from the third raid onwards, shells constantly hit the enemy ships. The flames of the explosion rose to their heart's content, and weakened the morale of the coalition forces layer by layer.

In the early morning of the 16th, the sky was bright, and on the distant sea, the majestic figure of the "Dingyuan Ship" slowly emerged. (To be continued......)