"Boom!" The sound of violent explosions continued. On the sea, the mighty and majestic warships of the Chinese Empire bombarded Sasebo. The entire Sasebo military port was shrouded in smoke of artillery fire.

On the ground, the 1st Marine Division of the Huaxia Marine Corps, together with more than 30,000 Korean troops led by Kim Minjun, had already surrounded the Sasebo Army Harbor Regiment.

After a day of fighting, more than half of the coastal defense batteries at the Sasebo base were successfully captured by the Chinese army. Although the Japanese resisted desperately, they were unable to resist the combined attack of the Chinese Empire's navy and army, and the remnants of the Japanese Combined Fleet, which was attacked by the enemy, were already in danger.

At this time, the Japanese Combined Fleet had only nine battleships left capable of fighting, and four more battleships were destroyed and stranded during the day's battle, which could only be used as fixed batteries.

At present, in the command room of the cruiser Chitose, the flagship of the Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet, Vice Admiral Ijiingoro, the new commander of the Combined Fleet, looked anxiously at the Huaxia battleship on the sea, and his face was full of despair.

"Your Excellency, Commander! If the current situation continues, it will not be long before all the land batteries will fall, and then we will be flanked by the enemy's internal and external attacks, and we will have to turn into target ships, and we absolutely cannot sit idly by. A major general officer next to him couldn't help but persuade.

"But do you think that even if we break out of the port, with our current strength, we will be able to break out of the blockade of the Huaxia Fleet?" Ijiin Goro said with a gloomy face.

"Then we will fight with them, even if we can sink one of their warships, it is better than sitting here and waiting to die." The rear admiral said with a resolute expression.

"Yo Xi! You're right, it's better to fight with them than to wait for death here, even if you can sink one of their warships, it can be regarded as loyal to our Great Japanese Empire and His Majesty the Emperor! Ijiin Goro couldn't help but clench his fists and said loudly, "Pass the order, all the warships that can still move." No matter how big or small, rush out of the port for me to fight with the Huaxia people, even if it is a collision, I will sink a few of their warships! ”

"Hay!" The major general responded respectfully, and turned to deliver the order.

"Wait! Inform all ships that if they have the opportunity to break out of the encirclement, they will rush out at any cost, even if they can only break out of one warship, it can be regarded as retaining a seed for our navy! Ijiin Goro said helplessly.

"Hay!" The rear admiral turned and strode away.

Under the orders of Goro Ijiin, all the remaining warships of the combined fleet that could still be operated, including small gunboats and torpedo boats. The patrol boats all rushed out like a swarm, rushing towards the Huaxia Fleet without any past, and they were determined to die, hoping to die with the Huaxia Fleet.

But unfortunately, the Chinese fleet did not give them any chance, and all the Japanese warships that rushed out in less than an hour were sunk.

The cruiser Chitose also ran aground shortly after rushing out of the military port under heavy fire from the Huaxia fleet.

Ijiin Goro, who was covered in blood, was not dead at this time, and with the help of his adjutant, he struggled to stand up. "Go! Let people blow up the warship, even a shell, even an iron nail can't be left for the Chinese! ”

"Hay!" The adjutant replied respectfully, turned and strode away.

With a trembling right hand, Ijiin Goro pulled out the pistol at his waist. Then he aimed at his temple and decisively pulled the trigger.

On September 20, 1902, the Chinese Imperial Heavenly Soldiers successfully occupied the Sasebo Naval Base, and the Japanese Combined Fleet was completely destroyed.

That is, on the day when the Heavenly Soldiers occupied the Sasebo Military Port. Lieutenant General Hu Guangde, commander of the First Army of the Chinese Empire's Eastern Expeditionary Army, led the 8th Division of the Imperial Army to successfully reach the periphery of Kumamoto.

So far, the largest permanent establishment of the Chinese Imperial Army is a division, and the more advanced armies are not permanent establishments. Only in wartime. According to the shape of the battlefield, the army-level establishment will be set up for the front-line command, but this is only a temporary number, and it will generally be canceled after the war. However, there are exceptions, and there are currently two permanent army numbers in Huaxia, that is, the Tiger Ben Army and Liu Yongfu's Black Flag Army. After the establishment of the Chinese Empire, the National Army was renamed the Chinese Imperial Army, in order to commemorate the original Tiger Army, Ren Chao retained this number, and combined the 1st Division, 2nd Division, and 3rd Division of the Imperial Army into the Tiger Army. These three divisions were arguably the three most elite divisions in the entire Imperial Army. As for the Black Flag Army, it was specially established to commemorate the legendary experience of Liu Yongfu's Black Flag Army, which was subordinate to the Southwest Military Region and had two divisions under its jurisdiction.

"We have just received a briefing on the situation of the war, and the Marines have successfully captured Sasebo, and we have only just arrived in Kumamoto. We must not let their navy give it a beat. Hu Guangde said with a displeased face.

"Commander, this hellish place in Japan, with its mountains and peaks, rugged roads going south, and the fierce resistance of the little devil militia, we have killed all the way, so we have delayed time." The commander of the eighth division couldn't help but complain.

"I don't want to listen to these excuses, I just want one result, that is, to plant the dragon banner of my Huaxia Empire on the head of Kumamoto." Hu Guangde shouted loudly. After the establishment of the Chinese Empire, the five-clawed golden dragon flag with a red background was adopted as the national flag. Unlike the Yellow Dragon Banner, the national flag of the Qing Dynasty, the Yellow Dragon Banner has the meaning of "I am the country". And the dragon banner of the Chinese Empire is intended to mean that our Chinese people are the descendants of the dragon.

"Yes! Please rest assured, the commander, we will immediately organize an attack and guarantee that we will take Kumamoto within a day. The commander of the Eighth Division said loudly.

"Is there any recent progress in the North Korean army?" Hu Guangde asked.

"They were still fighting fiercely with the Japanese army in Kurume, and because of the fierce resistance of the Japanese army, coupled with the fact that from time to time the Japanese broke through the blockade of our naval fleet and rushed to Kurume to support, several attacks launched by the Korean army on Kurume failed. However, the Korean army also succeeded in pinning down a large number of Japanese troops. The chief of staff of the army next to him replied respectfully.

"And how many defenders are there in Kumamoto Castle at the moment?" Hu Guangde then asked.

"We have already found out that there are only five or six thousand regular troops of the Japanese army in the city, as for the militia group? The number is unknown, but it should be in the range of thirty or forty thousand. The Elder of the Eighth Division replied honestly.

"So much?" Hu Guangde couldn't help frowning.

"What's the use of having so many Japanese militias, it's just to deliver food to us, they have 30,000 or 40,000 people, and we have 30,000 or 40,000 bullets waiting for them!" The commander of the eighth division said with a disdainful face.

"Very well, I just like your confidence. Just remember, don't be careless. His Majesty the Emperor is still waiting for the good news of our victory, so he will do his best to take Kumamoto. ”

"Yes! Guaranteed completion of the task. The commander of the Eighth Division assured with a stern face. (To be continued......)