The British fleet from Uruguay, led by Admiral Stoddat. The ships included the armored cruiser "Defense", the heavy cruiser "Carnavon", "Cornwall", the light cruiser "Bristol", etc., plus several armed cargo ships.

Such armament, against the background of the general start of the construction of super-battleships in the world today, is already quite not advanced. Whether it is in terms of ship type or basic speed and firepower, it is backward in all aspects.

The reason why the British still keep these guys in their hands and deploy them as strong thugs is based on the deterrence of their invincible number one power in the world. It can be said that if there had been no full-scale war, basically no country would have dared to sink them without idleness.

But once you enter the war, the outcome will be completely different. Not to mention the battleships of various countries, the battlecruisers that all European countries are building with all their might, can serve them anywhere.

In view of this, when the British Admiralty finally made a slow decision to intercept the four German battleships, it also simultaneously conveyed instructions to the Uruguayan detachment, asking them to be careful and defend themselves, and wait for the local battleship formation to arrive there before launching a strike together.

But the sluggish decision-making of the British government and navy led to a fatal mistake. The arrogant Major General Stoddart was not at all happy to wait for someone else to come. When he learned that Rear Admiral Craddock, who was about to be transferred back to home last year, would lead the North African-Mediterranean detachment to rush over and bring them into the operational sequence and unify the command, Stoddart was not very satisfied. So he sent a telegram to the Royal Navy asking for the initiative to spy on the German fleet, and at the same time took the fleet to the road first.

This was given the title of Commander of the Commander-in-Chief Strike Fleet. Vice Admiral Stedi was angry. But at this time, it is useless to get angry. He also has to take care of the emotions of the generals, doesn't he? He just gave him a reserved admonition. He took the main fleet to speed up to the South Atlantic.

Perhaps in the minds of Lieutenant General Steddy. Major General Stoddart should respect his opinion. Worst of all, with his rigor and high quality, he was able to remain calm and cautious enough after knowing the strength of the German fleet to avoid any trouble.

Even if the other party acts first and is suspected of stealing credit, this is not a bad thing. It is not uncommon for the admirals of the British Royal Navy to have their own personalities. After all, once the great job of intercepting the German fleet is done, the credit is not at all one or two people who can swallow it.

Your Excellency the Lieutenant General believes that Mr. Major General must be aware of the overall situation, and he has nothing to worry about.

However, Lieutenant General Stady apparently forgot one of the most critical issues. The Germans won't listen to him!

In order to spy on the German fleet in the vicinity, the Stoddart detachment must be within the lookout distance of the other side. As soon as the target is discovered, will the Germans ignore it?

If it was a time of war, it would not be so. As long as the two sides face each other, they will inevitably kill each other.

But Lieutenant General Stedey is like most of the British bureaucracy today. It was agreed that Germany would not start a war easily. Don't look at the tension that everyone made before, as if they were going to start fighting at any time, in fact, they all knew very well. Not ready. Who can afford the consequences?

It was under such a fluke mentality, or most of the British upper echelons were actually not willing to fight, so that they held a kind of political or consensual means to force the Germans to comply, and to hide the war invisibly, as long as they could calm the situation.

Even if the Germans had actually obtained four powerful battleships, the British still had a fluke mentality - let the Germans see the determination and strength of Britain, and force them to return the battleships or retract them back to China, not to break the equilibrium between the Atlantic and Europe.

The idea was skewed, the decision went wrong, and the result was terrible!

The first to pay the price was Major General Stoddart, who also held the idea of "Lao Tzu is the best in the world" and "Germany does not dare to go to war".

He insisted on leading the fleet around Cape Horn and into the Pacific region. Along the way, he kept communicating with the Chilean side, and knew that the German fleet had been repairing in a neutral port for a full week. It was not until two days after the Uruguayan detachment was informed of its departure that the departure of the ship began.

That is to say, the Stoddart detachment has already taken the lead in blocking the front, and as long as they can hold on for a little time, their first blood feat can be obtained.

Rear Admiral Stoddart did not hesitate to order the fleet to speed up, and two days later, they spotted the German fleet near the Coronel Sea.

From the high mainmast, His Excellency the Major General looked extremely solemn when he saw the four majestic figures through the optical rangefinder.

Last year, he had seen from afar the four battleships in the Chinese visiting fleet. Some of the most powerful spies even took relatively clear photos. Therefore, he can be said to be very familiar with the external characteristics of the "Hebei-class" battleships.

At a glance, he could see that these four warships with the flag of the German Navy were almost indistinguishable from those in China. It really doesn't make sense, and the difference is so small that it's almost impossible to see.

Only in this way did he feel jealous from the bottom of his heart. In line with the principle of anticipating the enemy's leniency, the warships on the opposite side can at least have 80 percent of the combat effectiveness of Chinese warships, and they should have a spectrum. In this way, its single combat effectiveness is strong enough to surpass any active British battleship!

The caliber of the main gun, the largest in the UK is 13.5 inches, and the opponent may be 14 inches! Because the British naval officers knew the Germans' behavior, they were also desperately pursuing the caliber of the main guns! Some intelligence believes that they are also working on super battleships with 381mm guns, and there is no reason to buy China's 12-inch 305mm guns ten years ago.

This is already a fatal gap. As everyone knows, since the day of its appearance, China's self-made artillery has always maintained the advantages of fast rate of fire, high accuracy, and great power. In this regard, on the contrary, it is the United Kingdom, the ancestor of the navy, that is constantly surpassed by other countries in the manufacture of cannons.

What a shame! Shame on the ancestors!

The second is speed. Up to now. All British battleships struggled to exceed 22 knots at speed. It's not that they don't want faster. It's technically difficult to implement.

But the Chinese Navy has been building warships since then. It seems to go straight to more than 25 knots - this has been seen by many navies in all previous battles. What is especially feared is that they can fire in a quick maneuver, which gives them more opportunities than anyone else.

Well, the battleships that the Germans got lost these advantages? No way.

The thickness of the armor or something, there is no need to discuss. The British can count the superior technical equipment, and without exception, there is a possibility of being surpassed.

Major General Stoddart sank for several moments. The entire fleet was ordered: "Maintain optimal speed and be ready to maneuver at any time." ”

The so-called "see the enemy and destroy it" in the tradition also scores the situation. This is not the era of sail warships, relying on superior command and control, they can defeat the strong with the weak and the more with less.

In a battleship driven by a steam turbine, unless the level of the two sides is too different, the key to victory or defeat depends on the performance of their respective main guns and armor. At least for now, the level of torpedoes in various countries has not fully caught up. If you don't have the ability to break through 7000 meters, don't expect to take out the battleship with that. The success rate is too low.

Major General Stoddart pondered for a moment. None of its own ships has the qualifications to provoke, even the current optical rangefinder observation distance is extremely dangerous! Once the Germans are killed, it will be a problem for them to escape!

Several armed freighters were simply ordered to retreat first, and they were added to the battle.

In addition, Stoddart can only watch from afar, and is ready to follow and follow when the Germans force a breakthrough, rather than a hard interception.

By this time, the German fleet had also discovered the presence of the British.

The optical rangefinders of the four battleships were significantly shrunk compared to those used by the Chinese themselves. But compared to what the Germans made themselves, it had quite an advantage.

Again, it's much better than what the British are using now. In addition, the battleship's majestic bridge has a height advantage, and the British see it more clearly.

The four battleships saw the British fleet, and the German officers were immediately excited, and they sent telegrams to the flagship, asking whether to immediately start a battle against the enemy.

Major General Spee only thought about it for a moment, and then decided: "Attack the enemy in front of you!" ”

Deep down, he felt like he was making a bit of a fuss. With its own four powerful battleships, bullying a bunch of gadgets, the largest armored ship is no more than 14,000 tons, it is simply a knife to kill chickens.

"I hope that the British on the other side will get acquainted with each other a little bit, and let's retreat in the face of difficulties."

Thinking so in his heart, Major General Spee gave an unusually calm order to raise the battle flag.

The mournful sirens immediately sounded on the restless sea, the four battleships raised their flags one after another, the officers and sailors hula poured into their posts, the majestic main guns showed hideous figures, the steam turbines spewed billowing smoke, and an unprecedented tension and excitement permeated every battleship.

This scene made the faces of the British people in the distance suddenly change greatly!

Major General Stoddart only felt a wave of anger rise in pain, burning his chest!

After so many years in the army, he never thought that one day, someone would dare to challenge him so openly!

Yes, he decided that the German guy on the other side was deliberately embarrassing himself! Although he is only leading a bunch of old, weak, sick and disabled ships, after all, this is the world's largest British Empire warship, and the invisible divine light bonus in it is definitely much stronger than the real combat power.

When the two countries did not declare war, how could the Germans dare to be so arrogant and presumptuous? Could it be that just with four oversized warships, you think you can really be invincible?!

Joke!

The stubbornness of the British immediately prevailed, and the unwilling concession was suddenly thrown into the country of Java. The naval spirit inherited from Nelson's time, when faced with a powerful enemy, cannot be deterred by timidity, it is a shame that cannot be shaken off for the rest of your life! He, disdainful.

Since the Germans are so arrogant, even if their fleet is invincible, at least let them know that there is something more precious in this world, that is, the indomitable will, the spirit of never giving up!

Rear Admiral Stoddart calmly gave the order and first sent a telegram to the British Navy: "The enemy ships raise the battle flag, and I will lead the fleet to meet the battle." ”

Subsequently, he ordered each warship to set up a combat position, and according to the position of the sun, accelerated to try to seize the superior position.

In response, Major General Spee sneered contemptuously and unceremoniously criticized: "The British are still self-righteous, and they have always refused to recognize reality. This world is no longer the era of their overall leadership, and the German Empire will surely become the king of the world! Today, let's help them take a good look at the real world, what it is really like! ”

The four battleships separated from a column left and right, staggered in front and back into parallelograms, the speed was increased to 22 knots, the eight boilers and four main engines were all running, and the sharp bow of the ship slashed the waves, surging like a giant in the wilderness!

After taking over, the Germans had already renamed the four battleships, adopting the names of the first four Electors, Brandenburg, Wiesenburg, and Wools. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? It was the one who went to the East China Sea to find fault with the most powerful German warships at that time, but all of them were sunk and destroyed. The Germans didn't feel taboo at all, and they used four names again.

I really don't know if they deliberately disgusted the Chinese.

In any case, the four battleships were indisputably powerful. After the speed of 22 knots soared, the British battleships on the opposite side immediately ran out of sight. Grab the T-head? That's a fantasy! The two sides switched from confrontation to competing for positions, and it didn't take long for them to separate.

The British lost the first game and were forced into a backlit position, which was very disadvantageous for the battle.

At this time, the sunlight is also very strong, and from the opposite side, it seems that the entire wave has turned into a tiny mirror, and the light pierces people's eyes, let alone standard shooting.

What's more, the British used the latest optical rangefinders on the new battleships, but the old ones were still using the old ones. It takes a lot of money to fire a shot, and its deterrent effect is greater than that of actual combat. Used to challenge battleships? It's purely self-inflicted.

Major General Stoddart, however, did not think so, and decided that he had to say goodbye to the Germans to see if the dignity and glory of the British Empire were so persuasive.

So, he was tragic.

The two battleships had just crossed the 18-kilometer line, and when all the main guns of the British battleships could not hit the target, the German battleships fired first! Each of the four battleships aimed at an opponent, a single test shot, ranging correction.

The shells whizzing in the air and the explosion after falling into the water shocked the British.

At this time, Major General Stoddart finally understood that the Germans were not bluffing, they were really reckless of the seriousness of the consequences, and they were going to kill the killers!

But so what, he can't cower and can't afford to lose that face!

Gritting his teeth, he categorically ordered the ships to press forward at full speed, and if he could break through the blow of the Germans from the front, it would not be a chance to get rid of it.

The idea was good, but the result was terrible.

Ten minutes later, the first casualty appeared. The "Cornwall" accidentally hit the waterline armor with an armor-piercing projectile, which directly penetrated, and the explosion triggered a fierce explosion and exploded in half!

Sunk! (To be continued.) )