Liu Buyun was sweating profusely, stood on the flying bridge, glanced at the battlefield in front of him with thick smoke for a while, and kept urging: "Hurry up!" Hurry up! ”

Li Dingxin, the deputy manager, couldn't help but say: "Junmen, the boiler has burned to the extreme, there is no way to go faster!" It's useless if you're in a hurry! ”

"Damn! I'm really going to die in a hurry! ”

No matter how hard he gritted his teeth, the power limit of the "Dingyuan" itself was dead. The maximum was 15 knots, and that was when it first started. Now, after seven or eight years, the machine has aged, its performance has shrunk, and it can run 14 knots, and it has used its strength to eat.

The steel monster loaded with 7,670 tons, according to Yang Hao's words, must be equipped with at least 20,000 horsepower to run smoothly. Now it is only 6200 horsepower, which is not even comparable to the Japanese cruisers.

Drop the chain at the critical moment, that's what it says.

From the time it received the flag, the enemy's traces were discovered, and when the battle began, the "Dingyuan" was 20 kilometers away from the Japanese front. It is located on the southwest side of the troop carrier and the escort fleet, and at the fastest speed, it will take about 20 minutes to reach the front.

But theoretically and practically, they are two different things.

At the beginning of the battle, not only did both sides not slow down, but the capital ships were speeding up! The already slow enough "Dingyuan" couldn't catch up even more. No matter how Liu Buyun urges, the boiler workers are tired to death.

Until the "Tomei" hit the "Yoshino", triggering a change of direction of pursuit by the Japanese ships, the pace of continuing eastward advance slowed down slightly. This gave the ironclad a chance to close the distance.

It's just that with such a toss, their originally staggered and parallel course almost cut to the tail of the four Japanese battleship formations at this moment. It was closest to the "Takachiho", which was close to the left flank. But it's also 18 kilometers away!

Half an hour of accelerated running. Finally, it was shortened to about 10 kilometers. The black smoke of the inferior coal-fired guide zhì soared into the sky, and it was difficult to see him!

Looking northeast from the "Dingyuan", the smoke and flames of the explosion erupted from time to time. Liu Buyun subconsciously thought that it was how miserable his own warship was bombed! If he takes a slow step, there may be one more casualties, so it's no wonder that he is in a hurry, and he can't wait to grow wings and fly over!

The "Laiyuan", which was a little faster than him, held the bottom of the Japanese guerrilla fleet at intervals of two kilometers from the right side. After looking around, he found that there was no other enemy in the vicinity. Qiu Baoren immediately asked for his life with the flag, took the lead in turning the rudder left, approaching the Japanese ship, and preparing to attack!

Under the manifestation of the behemoth-like "Dingyuan Ship", the "Laiyuan", which also had a combat power that could not be underestimated, was left behind by the Japanese army.

Gao Qiansui and Nanisu saw the mighty figure on the sea level with their front and back feet. In the telescope, the 305mm main gun that has been pushed forward in the two open batteries is like two spikes. Plunge into their hearts!

Heihachiro Togo stared at this big guy very unwillingly, and gritted his teeth crunching: "One day!" Someday. The Empire will also have such a giant ship! But until then, let me have a good fight! Let's see if it's true to its name! ”

He raised the flag and warned "Yoshino" and "Akitsu Island", and at the same time asked Tsuboi Kozo if he could immediately return to fight.

The corners of Pingjinghang's eyes twitched, and he chased and killed the weasel in one group, and the helplessness of getting into the lion's den arose. He was really afraid of something, and what he was most worried about was hitting his head on the iron plate. Now, let's meet the ironclad first!

In particular, he was very worried that there might be more than that. If both of them are dispatched, and the rest of the following warships are also here, how can they fight their own four warships!

Before leaving, Commander Sukehiro Ito gave instructions: "If you encounter a small group of enemies, you can ignore them." When a large number of enemy ships are discovered, they are thrown into battle. ”

If he strictly complied with it, he should not have opened fire on the "Jiyuan Ship" as soon as he came up. Instead, you should keep an eye on and hold off the other party, and at the same time inform the main fleet to come to a pot.

Now, all plans are disrupted, and he has to face the most serious choice.

Look at the shocking big hole on this ship, the "Jiyuan ship" that is still desperately attacking ahead; Look at the body is also a big hole, and the "wave speed" of smoke is emitting. Tsuboi Hangzo gritted his teeth and decisively ordered: "Refuse to attack the ironclad ship!" Concentrate all your forces and sink the troop carrier! We must guarantee victory in the land war. After that, break through to the north. ”

He could not be sure when the main fleet would arrive. As far as the previous arrangement is concerned, there are no more than ten hours, don't think about rushing over. At that time, I am afraid that these ships will be finished, and the gains will outweigh the losses.

It is better to force a northward breakthrough and stalk the weak links of the enemy ships. After annihilating the transport ship, with a minimum speed of more than 18 knots, it calmly threw off the enemy ship and left the battlefield.

"Damn!" Heihachiro Togo snorted and slammed his fist against the wall, shaking his hands numb. It seems that after all, it is necessary to temporarily avoid its edge, and the shadow of the two ironclad ships will still shroud the Imperial Navy for a long time!

The "Naniwa" was the slowest of the four ships, but now it ran to the front. Seeing that the "Yoshino" on the left was still lacking in skills, Heihachiro Togo decisively ordered the ship to open up at full speed and rush straight ahead. It is expected that in ten minutes, they will be close to "Yoshino", and at that time, the two ships will not only be able to support each other, but also concentrate their fire on a single target.

The gurgling smoke continued to billow, and the light battleship cut through the sea and closed in to the north.

In the rear, "Takachiho", who was just about to turn around, returned to its original route. While firing at the "Laiyuan" with the tail cannon to intercept it, it accelerated forward.

Liu Buyun grabbed the telescope given by Yang Hao in his hand and saw the changes in the entire battlefield clearly. In particular, the four Japanese warships were like four arrows swooping forward, and you don't have to guess what they want to do.

"Humph! Well calculated! It's just that this official can't wait for his wish to come true! Catch up with me! ”

The left rudder of the "Dingyuan" was 30 degrees, and the oblique spur was inserted into the core area of the battle. The mighty bow pierces the heart of the Japanese ship!

On the "Dongming", Yang Haiwei was keenly aware of the changes in the situation. He turned his head to look at the "Guangyi" who was forced to retreat, and then glanced at the "Chaoyong" ship that had just come from the left flank and rushed towards the "Naniwa" from the rear of the ship, and shook his head.

These ships are unreliable. Too small displacement, blindly pursuing a large-caliber main gun, but having a low speed that is strictly delayed. And the unreliable torpedo, which is useless.

It's better to dominate this battlefield by yourself.

After controlling the front turret and firing three more shots at the "Naniwa", Yang Haiwei changed course again and stabbed into the rear of the "Jiyuan ship".

By this time, the "Jiyuan Ship" had already bombarded seven or eight enemy ships. The distance between each other is getting closer and closer, and the slow front main gun, under the cover of the terrible barrage that is several times denser on the other side, cannot be aimed at all!

Shen Shouchang, who bravely stood in front of him and commanded, shouted so loudly that his voice was almost hoarse, but he still couldn't make up for the inherent shortcomings of the battleship. One was careless, and a 152mm grenade exploded at the base of the Commander Tower! The terrible impact not only torn a crack in the armor and shattered the fragments, but also severely injured him!

The next moment, another shell hit the main gun. Although the seemingly heavy 254mm armor did not penetrate, the fire outside burned the deck. The blazing flames spread ferociously along the hull of the ship, and in the blink of an eye, it made the main turret and the command tower almost unfroze!

However, they were not without results. At the same time as being shot, a 210mm armor-piercing bullet that was accidentally crooked opened a shocking hole in the body of the "Yoshino"!

The shell not only pierced the steel armor on the waterline, but also penetrated into the airfield and damaged a boiler. It's a pity that the shell didn't explode, otherwise, it would inevitably cause fatal damage to the other side!

At this time, the speed of "Yoshino" was also knocked out at once. Thick smoke billowed from the boiler room, and the Japanese army, who was afraid of major damage, was busy slowing down.

The "Jiyuan Ship" also took the opportunity to turn to the left to avoid it, but it was blocked by the "Qiujinzhou" head-on, and it couldn't help but say that dozens of shells hit it in a row, and once again hit the right side of the command tower! It exploded violently, killing three officers and soldiers on the spot!

Fang Boqian, who was hiding in the cabin, made a loud bang on the top of his head, and the bulkhead was actually squeezed open a crack! Billowing smoke poured in from the outside, and smoked him out of the inside.

When he arrived on the deck, he saw that it was so miserable, and two enemy ships rushed at him. It is likely that the next round of shells will cause uncontrollable damage. And he is very likely to end up with the battleship. At this moment, the thinking of being a qualified official prevailed.

Fang Boqian shouted hoarsely: "Raise the white flag!" We are out of the fight! ”

"Ahh White flag?! ”

The officers who fought bloodily were stunned! They all stared at him in disbelief, thinking that their ears had misheard.

Fang Boqian's eyes were bloodshot, and he shouted awe-inspiringly: "That's right! We hoisted the white flag to tempt the enemy ships to think that they were going to surrender, and took the opportunity to get out of the battle and extinguish the fire! Hurry up and obey! ”

His obscenity made no one dare to refute the officers and soldiers who were accustomed to obeying orders. Shen Shouchang, who had resisted the sound before, had already been injured and retreated, and there was no obstruction, a white flag, raised to the top of the mast.

Several ships in the middle of a fierce battle are stunned! The officers and men loaded on the "Flying Whale" in the distance were also dumbfounded!

Yang Haiwei sneered: "After all, he still did such a stupid thing, it's not a pity to die!" ”

No matter how much you toss, history always has its inertia. And some people's temperament cannot be changed overnight. When a similar environment returns, their choice remains the same!

On the "Yoshino", Tsuboi Kozo and Kawahara laughed wildly: "Qing Navy, is this the will to fight?" It's a shame that we still think of them as enemies of life and death! The rise of the empire is doomed! Go on the offensive and show no mercy! ”

The two Japanese ships still swooped forward firmly.

At this moment, the graceful hull of the "Dongming" appeared from the smoke of gunpowder, and a cannonball pierced the waterline armor of the "Yoshino" and exploded! (To be continued......)

PS: ps: Four more! Keep asking for a monthly pass!