On the battleship Fuxi, the flagship of the Imperial Navy, Vice Admiral Liu Guanxiong, the commander of the fleet, woke up the staff officer on duty. After a night's rest, Admiral Liu Guanxiong was once again in good spirits.

"What about the Chief of Staff?" Admiral Liu Guanxiong asked.

"Someone has been sent to call. This is the telegram received last evening, as well as the order given by the Chief of Staff. The staff officer handed a document to General Liu Guanxiong and replied at the same time.

Admiral Liu Guanxiong nodded and read the document confidently.

"As we expected, little Japan is really going to come out and fight us. But that's exactly what we mean! A smile appeared on Admiral Liu Guanxiong's face. After the war, he looked forward to a decisive battle with the Japanese navy. It's just that the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy has been huddled in the Sasebo military harbor and has no intention of going to war at all, so that the Pacific Fleet has nowhere to go. Now, the Japanese Navy's broken fleet can be regarded as a real existence, and the Japanese also think that their plan to divert the tiger from the mountain has been successful, so they can't wait to go to sea to fight the Chinese Navy. It's just that even without the 'Five Emperor-class' battleships, the Imperial Navy's 'Three Emperor-class' battleships are not easy to mess with, and they can still blow up the 'Kii-class' battleships of Little Japan.

"Calculate the time, the main force of the Combined Fleet of Little Japan should not be far away. The 1st light cruiser formation, the 1st destroyer formation was ordered to depart. Search for the main force of the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy. If you encounter the main force of the Combined Fleet, do not fight with it and withdraw it. Admiral Liu Guanxiong ordered. After a large number of warships were dispatched to form an encirclement and suppression fleet, the main fleet of the Pacific Fleet of the Imperial Navy was already slightly inferior to the Japanese Navy in terms of the number of warships.

"Yes, Commander." The staff officer nodded. Immediately went to give orders.

Ten minutes later, the seven 'White Tiger-class' light cruisers of the 1st Light Cruiser Formation and the six 'D-class' destroyers of the 1st Destroyer Formation accelerated away from the main fleet and began to search north.

As the main fleets of China and Japan continue to draw closer, a large-scale decisive battle is inevitable. The navies of the two countries are about to be in this area. Engage in a fight. If the Chinese Navy wins, then the Japanese Navy will suffer a crushing defeat. At the same time, the entire sea supremacy of Japan's coastal waters will be controlled by the Chinese Navy. Next, China will launch a large-scale landing operation against Japan. And if the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy wins, it will not be so easy for the Chinese Navy to take control of the sea. The Japanese Navy will even gain the strength to confront the Chinese Navy. Wait until the Japanese Navy's 'Yamato-class' battleships are in service. If the Chinese Navy wants to defeat the Japanese Navy, it will undoubtedly be even more difficult. Therefore, for both China and Japan, this naval battle is of great importance.

The 1st Light Cruiser Formation of the Imperial Navy, consisting of seven 'White Tiger-class' light cruisers. The 'White Tiger class' light cruiser is the third class of the Imperial Navy's 'Nakshatra-class' light cruisers. The standard displacement reached more than eight thousand tons, and the full load displacement reached more than nine thousand tons. It's close to 10,000 tons. The maximum speed is 34 knots. It is armed with three triple 55-caliber 155 mm main guns, and the secondary guns include 12 105 mm rapid-fire guns, 12 88 mm high-level dual-purpose guns and eight 47mm rapid-fire guns. In addition, there are six 533 mm heavy torpedo tubes in the bow. Compared to the previous two-class light cruisers, the 'White Tiger' class light cruisers were relatively stronger in defense. At the same time, it is also faster. After all, with an increased displacement, more armor and a larger power system can be added.

You know, twenty years ago, this was almost the displacement that only battleships had.

As for the destroyers of the 'D-class' of the 1st destroyer formation. It is a formidable warship with a displacement of nearly 2,000 tons. The destroyers of this class reached a maximum speed of 36 knots, and were still armed with two twin 105 mm guns, eight 88 mm rapid-fire guns, and eight 47 mm rapid-fire guns. Unlike the destroyers of many countries, which are similar to the naked * run, the destroyers of the Imperial Navy have also been equipped with a thin layer of armor in key parts, starting from the 'D-class'. In particular, the command tower, power compartment and waterline are the key places for defense. Of course, this thin layer of armor may not be able to withstand the enemy's main artillery in actual combat. However, there is no problem in resisting shrapnel. Especially in the future, when aviation operations will prevail, the shrapnel of aerial bombs will also be very lethal. If you can protect key parts with armor, you will undoubtedly have stronger survivability.

Seven light cruisers and six destroyers of the Imperial Navy, began to search to the north. At the same time, six light cruisers and 12 destroyers of the Japanese Navy were also searching south. Both search fleets, both sailing at a speed of more than 25 knots. This allowed the navies of the two countries, which were originally tens of nautical miles apart, to meet in less than an hour.

The flagship of your 1st light cruiser formation in the Pacific Fleet of the Imperial Navy is the light cruiser 'Kuimu Wolf', and the captain of the ship, Colonel Yang Qingzhen, is also the commander of the formation.

"Order the ships, pay attention to the search. Little Japan could appear at any time. Pay attention to keeping in touch with the 1st Destroyer Formation. Colonel Yang Qingzhen ordered. This time, the Imperial Navy once again had a decisive battle with the Japanese Navy, and it was most likely their battleship that fired the first shot. This made Colonel Yang Qingzhen very excited.

"Yes, sir." A staff officer nodded, and immediately went to telegraph.

By 6:12 a.m., the sea was already bright. The 1st Light Cruiser Formation of the Imperial Navy, 25 nautical miles north of the main fleet, spotted the light ship formation of the Combined Fleet of the Japanese Navy heading south.

"Sir, it was discovered that the formation of the Japanese Navy, with a total of six light cruisers. According to the confirmation, it was supposed to be the 'Nagara-class' light cruiser of the Japanese Navy. A staff officer reported.

"'Nagara-class' light cruisers? Very well, order the ships to prepare for battle. Since you have bumped into them, let's find a way to deal with them before the main showdown. Send a telegram to the 1st destroyer formation, telling them to pay attention to reinforcing us. Colonel Yang Qingzhen ordered.

"Yes, sir." The communications officer nodded.

"By the way, don't forget to send a telegram to the flagship. It is estimated that the main forces of the Japanese Navy are not far from the north. We probably only had an hour or so to fight. Colonel Yang Qingzhen said.

"Yes, sir." The communications officer hurriedly went to send a telegram.

When the 1st Light Cruiser Formation of the Imperial Navy discovered the light ship formation of the Japanese Navy, the 1st Light Cruiser Formation of the Japanese Navy also discovered the Imperial Navy.

On the flagship light cruiser "Nagara", the captain and commander of the formation, Kensuke Fujii Osa, only thought for less than half a minute before giving the order to prepare for battle. Although, the Chinese Navy has one more light cruiser than they are. The Chinese Navy's light cruisers are also larger than the Japanese Navy's 'Nagara-class' light cruisers. However, Kensuke Fujii did not think that they would fail.

"Send a telegram to the flagship, we have encountered the light cruiser of the Shina people and are preparing to confront it, please prepare the flagship for battle. In addition, the 1st destroyer formation and the 2nd destroyer formation are coming closer to us, and we need reinforcements from them. Kensuke Fujii ordered.

Although, the 6 light cruisers of the 1st light cruiser formation of the Japanese Navy of the 'Nagara class' could not be the match of the 7 light cruisers of the 1st light cruiser formation of the Imperial Navy. However, Kensuke Fujii thought to himself that they could still get two destroyer formations, even if they were supported by 12 destroyers. Even a lightning strike is enough to make the Chinese Navy pay a heavy price. The final victory must also belong to them.

As a result, two formations of light cruisers, both of which had the belief of victory, began to accelerate their charge.

"Huh? Little Japan didn't choose to run away, could it be that they thought that their 'Nagara-class' light cruisers were our opponents? In that case, then don't blame us for bullying the small with the more, and the small with the big! Order the ships to prepare to take out the light cruisers of small Japan, and at the same time, pay attention to vigilance. If you encounter the main force of Little Japan, retreat immediately. Colonel Yang Qingzhen ordered.

"Yes, sir." The communications officer immediately gave the order.

The seven 'White Tiger-class' light cruisers of the 1st Light Cruiser Formation of the Imperial Navy began to accelerate towards the light cruiser formation of the Japanese Navy.

The Japanese Navy's 1st light cruiser formation's 'Nagara-class' light cruiser has a standard displacement of 5,170 tons, a full load displacement of 5,570 tons, a maximum speed of 32 knots, and is armed with 7 50 times caliber 140 mm single-mounted guns and 4 40-caliber 80-mm single-mounted guns. This kind of firepower is completely incomparable with the 'White Tiger-class' light cruisers of the Imperial Navy, and the same is true for defense. After all, the Imperial Navy's 'White Tiger-class' light cruisers, which were almost twice as tonnage as the Japanese Navy's 'Nagara-class' light cruisers, could carry more guns, add thicker armor, and install more powerful power systems.

The Japanese Navy's 1st Light Cruiser Formation, which was completely inferior in quantity and quality, dared to confront the Imperial Navy's 1st Light Cruiser Formation, which made people admire their courage.

However, courage is important in naval warfare, but it is not the decisive factor in determining victory or defeat at sea.

At 6:38 a.m. on August 23, 4621, the battle began. Seven 'White Tiger-class' light cruisers of the Chinese Navy and six 'Nagara-class' light cruisers of the Japanese Navy broke out in an encounter, which also brought the prelude to this naval battle. (To be continued.) )

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