The naval battle was completely controlled by the Northern Expeditionary Army, and the 3rd and 4th detachments of torpedo boats, outflanked from the right, also began to attack, and the first to be unlucky was the Portuguese battleship with its sails on fire. The sailors of the battleship did their best, and just before they could catch their breath, two torpedo boats appeared on the side side. As two torpedoes broke through the waves, the Portuguese sailors were so frightened that they scrambled to jump into the sea.

There were two violent explosions, and the Portuguese battleship shattered into pieces. After the smoke of the explosion, two large holes appeared in the central hull. Then there was a massive influx of seawater, and the hull flipped on its side. Another Portuguese battleship, which was following behind, was hit in the rear by a torpedo, and the hull swayed a few times to stop moving. Presumably, the captain of this battleship saw the fate of his companion and immediately hoisted the white flag and surrendered.

Bobby, the commander of the fleet on the flagship, saw that the torpedo boats were attacking the sail battleship with all his might, and had no time to pay attention to the flagship, so he fled at full speed. At this time, eight gunboats came in pursuit, and heavy artillery fire was fired at the Lincoln. The gunboat's main gun was 76 mm, which was not much of a threat to the thick-skinned Lincoln. Perhaps the devil sent a miracle, but at this moment, a floating wreck of sails was suddenly wrung into the sea by the propellers of the battleship, and the Lincoln rushed forward for some distance without moving.

"Commander, the Lincoln is parked?" An officer shouted. Fan Tao raised his binoculars and saw that there were no waves at the tail of the Lincoln, and said happily: "Great, it's just providence." Stop the attack on the Lincoln, I'm going to capture this ship. Knowing that something was wrong with the propeller and knowing that he could not escape, Bobby ordered several small gunboats that were acting as cover around him to retreat.

A few hours later, the gunfire stopped, and God seemed to cooperate, and although the weather was still overcast, the rain stopped. The sea was a mess, littered with the wreckage of battleships. At this time, Dai Hui commanded the torpedo boats to surround the Lincoln and wait for Zuihou's attack. On the sea, other warships of the Northern Expeditionary Army began to salvage the Allied sailors who had fallen into the sea.

On the flagship Lincoln, Bobby stands with a decadent face. A group of officers next to him stared at him with wide eyes, waiting for Zuihou's decision. Bobby has a very complicated heart, if for the sake of American honor, he must order to sink the self-sinking valve, let the battleship sink into the sea, and he will also die with the battleship. After thinking about it, the Americans' desire to survive prevailed, and Bobby ordered the white flag to surrender.

An hour later, Fan Tao and the others boarded the Lincoln. The two sides carried out a simple surrender ceremony on the deck, and Bobby handed over the military flag, saber, and short gun to Fan Tao, and a tragic and comical naval battle came to a successful end. In the battle, the allied Zhoushan Islands blockaded the fleet, four Spanish medium gunboats fled, and four small gunboats, including four wounded small gunboats, fled.

The unexpected capture of the Lincoln was the biggest gain, along with a Portuguese sail ship wounded and surrendered, and the other six sail cruisers, including 12 small gunboats, were sunk. The losses of the South Sea Fleet were: two sail cruisers sunk, four cruisers and four gunboats wounded. Torpedo boat losses were: 4 sunk, 7 wounded, a classic naval battle.

Half a month later, he was towed back to the military port for renovation, and the Lincoln showed a new face, he was named the Awakening, and became the new flagship of the South China Sea Fleet. On this day, the fleet set sail again in a majestic manner, with the aim of moving south to clear the blockade gunboats of the coalition forces on Kinmen Island and to welcome the 1st Torpedo Boat Group into the Taiwan Strait. Then move to the East China Sea and merge with the East China Sea Fleet to completely open up the transportation line.

Fan Tao stood in the command cabin and looked at the vast sea and said: "It's really upside down, we actually have two steel battleships now, I really didn't expect it." The adjutant said: "I'm afraid that the coalition forces will not have the courage to fight again in this battle, and the coalition forces' Taiwan blockade fleet is a hodgepodge, and all countries have suffered so much, I am afraid that they will collapse." Fan Tao said with a smile: "I judge that the blockade gunboats of the coalition forces on Kinmen Island may have fled." ”

Sure enough, when the fleet arrived at Kinmen, the allied gunboats had already fled and all withdrew to the Penghu Islands. Soon the 1st Torpedo Boat Brigade came to converge. Fan Tao ordered the 1st Torpedo Boat Group to be stationed in Kinmen, leaving behind four gunboats and four sail cruisers to form a cruising fleet in the Taiwan Strait to ensure the safety of transportation in the coastal waters. Then Fan Tao led the fleet and the 2nd Torpedo Boat Group to the north, completely opening up the sea transportation line in the East China Sea.

In the capital, McMahon received a report from Ben An, commander of the blockade fleet in the Taiwan Strait, that he was once again stunned. The generals of other countries were shocked to hear that they accused the poor command of Intrin'an and demanded that Intrin's responsibility be investigated. There was a mess in the headquarters. After a long time, McMahon sighed and said: "The Northern Expeditionary Army once again shocked us, they actually sent a fleet to cover the torpedo boat attack, which we did not expect. ”

McMahon said: "We made a low-level mistake, thinking that the warships of the Northern Expeditionary Army were all old-fashioned warships, and we didn't expect to hit us again by mistake. Gentlemen, our adversaries are growing stronger day by day, and we must admit this inexorable truth. I announce the lifting of the blockade of the Taiwan Strait and the East China Sea. In the current state, the warships of the Northern Expeditionary Army are not yet capable of confronting us in the open sea, and the next step is to draw up a new maritime strategy, and we will launch a naval sabotage war against the attack torpedo boats of the Northern Expeditionary Army. ”

McMahon continued: "Gentlemen, I understand your accusations against Ben An, but it is not fair to put the blame on him. Now we must be united in order to face the mighty Northern Expeditionary Army. McMahon knew in his heart that their accusations against intrinsic security were actually directed at him, and that his command ability had been questioned by various countries. In particular, the media in the United States commented on him the most. If there is pressure, McMahon is even more stressed.

Soon the typhoon season came, and during this season all kinds of ships had to enter the harbor to take refuge, and warships were not included. Dai Hui led the 2nd Torpedo Boat Brigade to dock at a military port wharf on the Huangpu River. After replenishing the battle damage at Mawei Military Port, Dai Hui led his troops to officially join the East China Sea Fleet and stationed in Shanghai. On this day, Dai Hui went ashore and found the battleship Northern Expedition anchored in the dock of the adjacent shipyard.

"The Northern Expedition weishenme entered the dock?" Dai Hui asked. The officer who answered said: "Captain Dai, just in time for the typhoon season, the shipyard took this opportunity to replace the cannons of the Northern Expedition battleship. It is said that the front and rear main guns will be replaced with 203 mm naval guns, and the side guns will be replaced with 130 mm and 76 mm naval guns. Dai Hui said happily: "Great, in the future, we will have the ability to compete with the coalition warships." Dai Hui stood on the wharf of the military port, looking at the huge industrial area on the other side, and his heart was full of pride.

"Cousin!" The crisp voice of a lifetime came. Dai Hui turned his head to look and found two young women standing slim on the side, looking at him with a smile. Dai Hui's eyes lit up and hurriedly walked over and said, "It's Cousin Mei, why are you in Shanghai?" "Cousin, I came to Shanghai to apply for the girls' school. After inquiring about you, I found you at Shanghai Naval Port, and this is my classmate. Dai Hui greeted the other woman and said, "Cousin Mei, your aunt and brother-in-law are all right!" ”

He also said that he hadn't written to his family for more than a year, and his aunt washed her face with tears every day. I heard that you were fighting at sea, and the whole family was worried about you. Have you forgotten me? Dai Hui is from Changsha, and he and his cousin are childhood sweethearts, but since he entered the military academy and understood the dangers of marriage between close relatives, he endured his inner attachment and decided to break off the relationship with his cousin. Due to the brutal naval battle, he could be killed at any time, so he did not write a letter to his family.

"Cousin, I'm a soldier now, and I'll be bloodstained at any time. This is the end of the relationship between you and me! I will not write to you in the future, and you will not have to come to see me. As for the family, I will make it clear. "Dai Hui must be hard-hearted to cut off his relationship with his cousin." You! Cousin Mei's face turned red, and tears suddenly flowed out. Dai Hui turned his head to look at the river, expressing his determination. Seeing this, Cousin Mei ran away angrily, and the other woman said angrily: "You are Chen Shimei, did you forget about others when you became an official!" Shameless! The woman turned to chase after her.

Dai Hui looked at his cousin's figure running away, and he couldn't say anything in his heart. Looking at his cousin's distant figure, he decided to write a letter to his cousin and inform him in detail of the dangers of his close relatives' marriage, so that his cousin might be able to think about it. As for whether his parents can accept it, Dai Hui plans to wait for the end of the war, if he is alive, let the established facts speak.

At Mawei Military Port, Commander Fan Tao stood on the pier and looked into the distance. Soon a steam freighter docked, and after the ship was stable, the Minister of Shipping, Shen Baozhen, stepped off the ship. "Lord Shen, you have been fortunate along the way!" Fan Tao raised his hand in salute. “haha！ Commander Fan was so majestic that he not only wiped out the coalition blockade fleet, but also captured a steel battleship, which was really gratifying. "Lord Shen has an overreputation, could it be that Lord Shen came to see the captured warships?" Fan Tao asked.

Shen Baozhen said with a radiant expression: "The old man came to Mawei this time, but he has a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, and the commander-in-chief personally ordered the construction of two steel warships in Mawei. At present, the waterway and sea route are opened, and the steel produced in Wuhan and Guangzhou can reach Mawei directly, so the conditions for building large steel warships are ripe. ”

Fan Tao heard this and said excitedly: "Lord Shen, do you want to reveal what the tonnage of the battleship is?" Shen Baozhen said with a smile: "Two steel warships, with a displacement of 3,500 tons and a speed of 25 knots. "Good boy! 3500 tons, an absolute behemoth, did not expect that we ourselves would be able to build such a large battleship. Fan Tao heard some dancing. Shen Baozhen continued: "Commander-in-Chief Deng told that the naval gun should reach 250 mm, and it is required to be completed within two years. ”

"The news brought by Lord Shen is very encouraging to the morale of the officers and men of the navy. Lord Shen, the wine and food are ready, and your subordinates will pick up the wind and wash the dust for you, even if you celebrate in advance! Then the group walked towards the headquarters.