The war between the Chinese Empire and the Japanese Empire was inevitable. Although, at one time, many people thought that war might not have broken out at a time when the Chinese Empire had changed dramatically in its attitude and hoped to avoid the outbreak of war with temporary concessions. However, the subsequent development of the gaffe was a big surprise to everyone.

Yang Du, the prime minister of the Chinese Empire, made a public speech condemning the shooting of innocent Chinese civilians by the Japanese marines, and officially read out the edict of declaration of war issued by the Emperor of the Chinese Empire.

At the same time, all major cities of the Chinese Empire broke out in protests against Japan and in support of the war against Japan. Although, many people are just beginning to live a good life and do not want their lives to be ruined by the war. However, little Japan actually killed Chinese on Chinese soil, which is simply unbearable. All bloody Chinese erupted into angry roars at this time.

Wu Haoxuan, the crown prince of the empire, ordered that the imperial army and navy should enter the highest state of combat readiness from this time on. The defenders of the Yalu River defense line, ready to defend themselves against a possible attack by the Japanese army. At the same time, a group of elite troops were transferred to the defense line of the Yalu River, preparing to wait until the navy defeated the Japanese navy, and then cross the Yalu River and annihilate all the Japanese land forces entrenched on the Korean Peninsula.

In addition, the Imperial Army was ordered to march into the Japanese concessions in China. Japan has a total of five concessions in China, including the Jinmen Concession, the Hankou Concession, the Gusu Concession, the Yuhang Concession and the Yucheng Concession. When the Chinese Empire and the Japanese Empire declared war on each other, these concessions were naturally to be recovered.

Faced with the Imperial Army's forced entry into the concession, the Japanese were unable to resist at all, and could only watch as their property was confiscated and then rushed onto passenger ships. After the declaration of war between the two countries, diplomats from both sides have also begun to evacuate.

Actually, after the declaration of war. The two sides have entered a state of war. The battle will be on the verge of breaking out. However, this time, the armies of both sides were very restrained, and only confronted each other on both sides of the Yalu River, and there was no exchange of fire. In this war, the initial protagonist will be the navy. Victory or defeat of the Navy. It will be directly related to the outcome of this war.

Sasebo Naval Base, located in the northwest corner of Japan's island of Kyushu, is also the home port of the Japanese Combined Fleet. From the Sasebo Military Port, you can directly enter the Yellow Sea. More than 10 years ago, during the Sino-Japanese War, the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy also set off from here and annihilated the Manchu Beiyang Naval Division in one fell swoop, laying the way for Japan's rapid rise. And now, inside the Sasebo military port. Once again, the masts were like a forest, and the flags were flying. The Combined Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy will once again go out to win a great victory for Japan.

In the military port, Admiral Goro Ijiin, commander of the Combined Fleet, and Admiral Heihachiro Togo, the head of the Naval Command, who had arrived from Tokyo, were analyzing the next war. For Japan, this war is undoubtedly also extremely important. This will be a matter of Japan's national fortunes.

"Lord Togo, the Combined Fleet is ready. 12 battleships. All 8 armored cruisers arrived. This time, we're all in the game. I will definitely be able to destroy the navy of the people of China in one fell swoop. The entire sea of the Far East will belong to the Great Japanese Empire. "The commander of the Combined Fleet, Admiral Goro Ijiin, was very excited. However, in front of Heihachiro Togo, he appeared very humble. Although, he is now also one of the three commanders of the Navy, with the same rank as Togo Heihachiro. Also admiral. However, his status in the navy, he is far from being comparable to Heihachiro Togo.

Heihachiro Togo is the god of war who commanded the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy and defeated the Russian Navy in the Battle of Tsushima, and his status in the Japanese Navy is comparable to that of Gonbei Yamamoto, the founder of the Japanese Navy. Ijiin Goro. Before, he was just a subordinate of Heihachiro Togo.。

"Ijiin-kun, this battle is not trivial, and it is related to the national fortunes of the Great Japanese Empire. We have to fight to win. Otherwise, the efforts of the Great Japanese Empire over the past decades will be in vain. Heihachiro Togo said solemnly.

Japan's national strength has never been comparable to that of a truly powerful country. Therefore, they can only gamble on the operation of the country in one war after another. If the bet wins, then Japan will reap huge benefits. But if the bet is lost, Japan will also collapse. Therefore, the duty of these Japanese soldiers is to ensure that they can win in one war after another.

"Yes, Togo-sama." Ijiin Goro nodded. Of course, he knew the importance of the battle, but he also believed that the Japanese navy had an overwhelming advantage over the Chinese navy. The victory in this naval battle must have belonged to the Japanese Navy.

"Ijiin-kun, you can't underestimate the enemy. The navy of the Chinese people, although there were few capital ships, were only four. However, those are the latest dreadnoughts. And our warships are all old ships that have been in service for more than ten years. Even the battleships Katori and Kashima were dreadnoughts. We can only offset the quality gap with quantitative superiority. In addition, I have always suspected that the Chinese have taken the initiative to show weakness and negotiate with us just to delay time. Now that the two sides have declared war, it seems that my prediction was correct. Heihachiro Togo sighed. When the Chinese Empire proposed peace talks, he strongly opposed them, believing that they were nothing more than a delaying tactic by the Chinese Empire. But it's a pity that the short-sighted guys in the cabinet thought that the Chinese Empire was really scared and wanted to win without a fight. As a result, the Chinese Navy was given almost a month to prepare in vain. If the war had broken out a month earlier, the Japanese Navy would have had a good chance of winning. But a month later, Heihachiro Togo faintly felt a little crisis.

"Togo-sama, are you worried about something? Even if a month passes, the number of capital ships of the China Navy will not increase. Although, following the navy of the Chinese returned, there were two more battleships of the Germans. However, if the Germans dared to intervene, the British would certainly not stand idly by. Ijiin Goro said.

Heihachiro Togo nodded, he knew it too. In addition, he guessed that the Chinese Navy must have used it to maintain warships during this month. He didn't know why he had that bad intuition.

"Ijiin-kun, in short, it's right to be cautious. The fleet you lead this time will be all the belongings of the Great Japanese Empire. Heihachiro Togo admonished.

The two 'Satsuma-class' battleships of the Japanese Navy, although they still have a few months to be able to enter service. However, it is clear that it will not be able to catch up with this war. The other two 'Hanoi-class' battleships have just started construction. Therefore, if the combined fleet commanded by Admiral Goro Ijiin had three longs and two shorts, then the Japanese Navy would be completely finished.

"Yes, Togo-sama." General Goro Ijiin nodded.

Subsequently, the Combined Fleet of the Japanese Navy conducted a departure ceremony. Senior General Heihachiro Togo read out the edict of Emperor Meiji. In the edict, Emperor Meiji called on the officers and men of the Japanese Navy to fight hard for the future of Japan, defeat the Chinese Empire, and establish Japan's status as a great power.

The current Emperor of Meiji, although he has not lived for long, has been completely deified. The will of the emperor is undoubtedly the mission of these Japanese soldiers. Countless Japanese naval officers and men had a fanatical glint in their eyes.

"Long live His Majesty the Emperor, the Imperial Japanese Navy will win!"

The officers and men of the Japanese Navy shouted one after another, and their eyes were full of fanaticism.

"Ijiin-kun, I'll leave it to you next." General Heihachiro Togo said solemnly.

"Lord Dongxiang, my subordinates will definitely return victorious." Admiral Goro Ijiin looked confident.

On the morning of January 22, 10, 4608 A.D., the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy began to leave the Sasebo Naval Base and enter the Yellow Sea to prepare for a decisive battle with the Chinese Navy.

At this moment, the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy has gathered all the main forces of the Japanese Navy. It was divided into the first battleship detachment, including two 'Katori-class' battleships, 'Katori' and 'Kashima', three 'Shikishima-class' battleships, namely 'Shikishima', 'Asahi' and 'Mikasa', and one 'Fuji-class' battleship, 'Fuji'. Among them, the battleship "Katori" was the flagship of the detachment fleet, and at the same time the flagship of the entire combined fleet. The commander of the Combined Fleet, Admiral Goro Ijiin, was also the commander of the 1st Battleship Detachment.

In addition to this, there was a detachment of 2nd battleships, including the battleships Iwami, Hizen, Sagami, Shubo, Tango, and Ikiki. These six battleships were all battleships of the Russian Navy captured during the Russo-Japanese War. However, except for the battleship "Iwami" and the battleship "Hizen", which are relatively new, the other four battleships are all old battleships that have been in service for more than ten years. The commander of the 2nd Battleship Detachment was Vice Admiral Shigetaro Yoshimatsu.

In addition to the 12 battleships, the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy also had a fleet of armored cruisers, including the armored cruisers 'Kasuga', the armored cruisers 'Nisshin', the armored cruisers 'Izumo', the armored cruisers 'Iwate', the armored cruisers 'Asama', the armored cruisers 'Tokiwa', the armored cruisers 'Azuma' and the armored cruisers 'Yakumo', with Rear Admiral Yamaya as commander of the armored cruiser detachment.

In addition, the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy included several dozen light cruisers and destroyers. (To be continued.) )

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