The sudden explosion alarmed the Japanese ships in front, and the nearest "Hashidate" was the first to notice the anomaly, and hurriedly opened fire on this side with its tail gun to cover it.

But their actions mean nothing at all.

Yang Hao's four gunboats were at least three kilometers away, and in the dark, he could see a little bit of the brief light when firing, and then converged together, and it seemed easier to see a big ship firing from a distance. If you want to fight back against them, you can't even do the least amount of ranging, let alone let the shells hit the target.

There were continuous explosions near the "Saikyo Maru" and on the hull of the ship, and the sudden bright light obscured the qiqi, and the Japanese ships in front of them really couldn't see anything.

The "Izumi" at the front also extinguished the fire on the ship at this time, and faintly heard the explosion behind it, and Ito Yuheng was puzzled at first. After all, their speed is so fast that the Beiyang Fleet simply cannot catch up, except for torpedo boats.

But then he suddenly realized that he could no longer stabilize the awesome energy that was under control, and shouted: "Xijing Pill!" Bastard, how could you let an enemy ship approach it! ”

No one could answer his question.

Communication in this era itself is very problematic, and at night a little farther away, the ships may run away. And because of the previous surprise attack, they didn't mess up the whole team, which is already very remarkable.

Ito was suddenly caught in a dilemma.

If you turn around and save it, not to mention whether you can save it or not, it is not easy for the battleship to turn around. Besides, do you know that it is not a trap deliberately set by the enemy?

But if you don't save it, what will your Excellency the Chief of Military Affairs do?! Could it be that he was sacrificed?

After all, it's the damn attack that caused the trouble! If it weren't for their sudden attack. Broke up the formation. The guide is disjointed before and after. The three slow-moving warships were forced to leave the team, how could the "Saikyo Maru" be left alone?

The new chief of staff, Izuba Shige, reminded in a low voice: "Commander, the whole army is essential!" We had to defeat the enemy fleet in order to think more. ”

He couldn't say it too directly, and it was too late to turn back. After all, the "Saikyo Maru" is not a battleship, and in addition to updating the power of such a large size, the artillery only has a 120mm rapid-fire cannon that is a bit threatening, and other small cannons are okay with fishermen.

Right now? Look at the explosion so violently. The results are pessimistic!

Captain Shimamura Suo also followed closely: "Please be sure to think of the whole army!" It's about the empire, and we have no choice! ”

Ito sighed helplessly. Knowing this, he should have brought the second guerrilla group as well, at least in terms of the number of ships. It's still the pride that is to blame!

They thought that with seven Chilean warships, their strength would completely overwhelm each other, and they would be able to win the battle, where did they think that there would be so many accidents?

Just as they hesitated, the "Xijing Maru" was completely hopeless.

Yang Hao didn't make a move, and he was ruthless when he moved. The rapid firing of four gunboats, in the absence of an external threat. Unscrupulously fired more than a hundred shells in one go! A third of them landed on the deck, and the explosion destroyed almost all of the wooden structure.

See the fire blazing. Yang Hao greeted the radio with a radio call, and the speed of the four gunboats increased to more than twenty knots, and they boldly rushed up to surround the "Xijing Maru" at close range.

The blazing flames illuminated the sea with a radius of several hundred meters, and the sudden appearance of the gunboat was extremely aggressive, making the surviving people on board, as well as the Japanese soldiers who jumped into the sea, feel an indescribable fear!

Shiki Huashan still insisted in the command room, frantically scolding the crew for rescuing the ship, firing back fire, and in a trance, he also saw Yang Hao's X203, and he was immediately furious!

"That's them! Fire, shoot him! Damn the Shina people, ...... Yaga! ”

His anxiety, madness, and savagery are vividly expressed in his distorted face and spitting and scolding.

The servants he brought out were still trying their best to persuade him to escape from the ship. Shiki Kayama shouted and refused to cooperate.

At this moment, Yang Hao's gunboat passed through like a shark from the front! Pointing diagonally at the muzzle of the cannon here, a string of firelight erupted continuously!

The hull of the merchant ship, which had little armor to speak of, was continuously pierced through holes, from the sides of the bow to the left with the sharp turn of the gunboat. Not only that, but the twin 14.5mm heavy machine guns mounted on the two wings of the gunboat also opened fire! The thick bullet mixed with the tracer swept up like a gong, and it hit countless fist-sized holes when it landed!

The 76mm high-explosive shell is not powerful enough, and that is for large warships.

The "Saikyo Maru" is just a merchant ship that has been requisitioned and transformed, and how can the thin shell withstand such a barbaric toss?

When Yang Hao ran behind him, the other three gunboats followed closely and went around in a circle, and dozens of explosions continued one after another, finally blowing this merchant ship carrying the core members of the Japanese Navy into pieces!

"Boom!"

The ammunition for the 120mm rapid-fire gun of the "Saikyo Maru" was detonated, and the most violent blow was delivered on the already tilted and shattered hull!

One-third of the hull of the ship was swallowed up by the explosion and completely broken into pieces, and Shiki Kayama and all his attachés were reduced to flying ashes together, and there were no bones left!

The explosion was so conspicuous that the brilliant pillars of fireworks rose hundreds of meters into the air, not only dispelling the fog, but also illuminating a large area of the sea. Against its backdrop, the posture of the four gunboats flying on the waves is particularly vigorous and enchanting.

On the "Dingyuan", which had already turned his head, Liu Buyun saw this scene and couldn't help but exclaim: "Well done!" That's how it's supposed to be played...... Oh, I can't imagine that just four gunboats can be so fierce! ”

He didn't know that it was the "Saikyo Maru" that blew up, but it didn't matter. None of the Japanese ships that can participate in the war today are not good at stubble, and it is so difficult to sink one, which shows that Yang Hao's achievements are extraordinary!

When the compliment was finished, he frowned.

Yang Hao, after all, is it a private force, so powerful, is it really okay? It won't be long before the court hears the rumors, and what to do with it when the time comes, it's really unpredictable!

sighed for a while, he couldn't control this matter. He immediately left it behind, and looked around carefully, and saw that the six battleships of the first attack team were all in place, and the second wave of four was still entering the sequence from Youfang. The torpedo boats of the third wave, under the guidance of the "Dongsheng", maneuvered to the north for a short time and then turned back, turning due south.

In this way, the entire Beiyang Fleet once again formed a formation posture of two roads in front and one diagonally passing through.

The time unconsciously came to 6:30, more than an hour had passed since the first encounter, and the eastern morning light began to disperse the fog on the sea, and the visual condition quickly improved. Standing on the mainmast lookout, it can be seen that it is no problem to go more than ten kilometers away.

The Japanese fleet, which had been rushing at high speed all the way to the west, reunited and formed a group, cutting the water diagonally from the northeast to the southwest, blocking the road to Weihaiwei and Lushun.

The Beiyang Fleet, which also completed the rendezvous, gathered ten warships in the front group into an olive-shape, with two ironclad ships as the sharp edge, Pingyuan came to the second second, and the rest of the ships followed. Between the two rows, the battleships are staggered with each other, so that they can be sure that they will not collide when turning.

And the distance between the two sides is also more than ten kilometers to the south, the British Far East Fleet, composed of nine warships, lined up in a loose formation to watch from afar.

Before, they had been listening to the excitement for a long time, and now, they can see it with their own eyes.

On the flagship "St. John", the commander, Major General Pellitman, dressed in full costume, overlooked both sides from the high conning tower. In his binoculars, the mighty figures of the three ironclad ships were so distinct, incomplete flags, showing what a terrible battle had taken place in the hour just now.

However, after counting the number of warships on both sides one by one, Pelitman sighed in surprise: "Incredible! The number of Japanese warships was actually several less, but the Beiyang Fleet had a neat lineup. So, in the battle just now, they had the advantage? ”

In his guess, the Japanese army, which was superior in speed, firepower, and numbers, should have the upper hand without dispute.

Even if an encounter broke out, with the overall strength of the Japanese army, victory was almost unquestionable.

But the one in front of him subverted his cognition, and he couldn't help but refocus his gaze on the two ships in Dingzhen, and nodded thoughtfully: "It seems that it is still the powerful ironclad ship that has played a huge role." There is no doubt that in future naval battles, battleships with thicker armor and larger main guns will inevitably be the protagonists. ”

He decided to write a paper on today's findings and present it to the Royal Navy's top brass. It is believed that this world's largest ironclad will trigger a large-scale military change.

"You can't miss any details."

Perletman instructed the crew next to him with pencils, paper, or binoculars.

At 6:35, the two ships in Dingzhen emitted thick black smoke together, and at a speed of 12.5 knots, they rushed straight into the enemy formation! (To be continued......)

PS: ps: Thank you book friends for getting out of the way!