Chapter 250: Target Yokosuka

Rather than carrying the infamy of undeclared war and the possibility of failure to intercept the Russian fleet to meet the Russian fleet, it is more cost-effective to first knock out the Japanese ports and the arsenal of the Japanese Navy and Army that can supply the Russian fleet. Japan's military industry and heavy industry at that time were mainly concentrated in two places, one was the Tokyo Bay area, where the Yokosuka Shipyard and the Tokyo Artillery Range were located. The other area is along the Seto Inland Sea, where there are important facilities such as the Kure Navy Factory and the Osaka Artillery Range.

The only port in Japan where large ships can be repaired and maintained is the port of Yokosuka in Tokyo Bay. The hull construction of the Hashidate, one of Japan's famous Sankei ships, and Akitsuzu, was completed in the port of Yokosuka, where there were docks, shipyards, and anchorages for large fleets, as well as gun emplacements, basically everything required for a good fleet base. At the same time, there were a large number of ships and supplies in the Gulf of Tonkin, which were necessary for Japan to wage war.

Although the Kure Shipyard is also very technically strong, it is located in the Seto Inland Sea, and such a large-scale fleet entry will definitely be discovered, and if the Japanese army urgently sets up a minefield, it will bring great trouble to the attack. On the other hand, Tokyo Bay is much wider, and even at its narrowest point, it is 8 km wide. After entering Tokyo Bay, the Yokosuka shipyard and military port and their supporting facilities, as well as the army artillery factory in Tokyo, will be within the range of naval artillery strikes by the Beiyang Rapid Fleet, and Tokyo is the capital of Japan, and if it is directly hit at the capital, it will also be a deterrent to Japan's determination to fight.

In order to carry out this plan, it is necessary to ensure two points: First, the concealment of the plan, although the Japanese navy has basically ceased to exist. However, there are still batteries guarding Tokyo Bay, and in the face of the 240mm naval guns and 280mm howitzers in the Japanese fortress group in Tokyo Bay, the Beiyang Rapid Fleet is still under great pressure. Moreover, if Japan had received the news in advance, it would have carried out an evacuation, which would have directly affected the effect of the strike.

The second is to face the possible presence of mines. First of all, it must be emphasized that Tokyo Bay is not a military port. Every day, hundreds of ships sail out of the Gulf of Tonkin, so it is clearly inappropriate to place a minefield at the mouth of a narrow bay. Moreover, because the Japanese Navy has always had an advantage, the Japanese Navy has devoted more energy to the open sea, including mines and other weapons, which are also deployed in the Korean Strait and the Tsushima Strait. It stands to reason that the Japanese army will not have too many mines left. They will no longer place a mine in front of their own house to affect their ships to sail out. After all, this thing can be played with when it hits a shot.

"Actually, if we were to deal with the Yokosuka shipyard and the military port, there would be no need for our fleet to go deep into Tokyo Bay. The 10-inch gun of the Garibaldi class can shoot a range of nearly 20km at large elevation angles. And shipyards and military ports are big targets. The requirements for precision are not too high. Luang Weili said, looking at the map.

"That's all about Tokyo Artillery Range?" Deng Shichang said with some dissatisfaction.

"Every battleship is precious, and stability should be the main thing at present, if you force your way through the Uraga waterway directly without destroying the opponent's shore artillery group, let alone being hit by mines or torpedo boats, even if those 240mm howitzers damage the battleship is not something that the Guiyuan class can easily bear. And we have limited time. Saying that, Lang Weili looked at Lin Yongsheng and said.

"I agree with Lieutenant Admiral Luang Wai Li that we have very limited ammunition, and that we need to use heavy guns of more than 8 inches in order to deal with those batteries and shipyards, and I only have 120 rounds of ammunition per main gun. Even if they rush in, there will probably not be enough shells to attack important targets in Tokyo Bay. And we don't know how much time the Russians will give us. After the departure of the fast fleet, the Beiyang Fleet will be very weak. And their position is more fixed, they need to clear the minefields of the Korean Strait and the Tsushima Strait. The Russians can easily find them. Lin Yongsheng also chose a conservative plan. …,

"How efficient are our minesweepers?" Xu Jie asked.

"It's not very good." Luang Weili's answer was simple.

"Then we can't go to the Uraga Waterway without going in, right?" As soon as Deng Shichang heard Lang Weili's words, he was immediately excited, in his opinion, the Beiyang Fast Fleet came all the way without attacking Tokyo, which was close at hand, and it really shouldn't be.

"We don't know much about the hydrology of Gulf of Tonkin and whether there are minefields, it's too dangerous to make a hasty attack, and can you imagine the risk that the fleet would face if it forced its way through the Japanese shore defense artillery fire? As long as one 240mm cannon is fired, as long as one shot hits the right place, you may lose a Guiyuan-class. "Lin Yongsheng, as the commander of the detachment, must be responsible for the fleet.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we can actually think about the problem in a different way. Actually, we don't need to smash everything in Tokyo Bay, we just need to keep them out of Tokyo Bay. Yang Yonglin, who had been silent, said.

"You're saying we're also laying a minefield in the Uraga waterway?" Xu Jie asked with a smile.

"Not only in Tokyo Bay, but also in the Kii Waterway, the Bungo Waterway, and even outside the Sasebo Military Port, we can block it with mines. Didn't the adults hoard a batch of mines before that? We use them all. And then every time the fleet came over again, we continued to lay mines. Yang Yonglin said as he gestured on the map.

"I think it works. It's still too late to prepare, and the minelayer can be remodified. It should be in catch. Xu Jie nodded. You can't set Tokyo on fire. But the actual effect is definitely not bad. And this Yang Yonglin is really powerful. No wonder in that plane, Lin Tai would vigorously promote Yang Yonglin. Cultivate it, it is more suitable to be in charge of the navy.

"And how do we observe the effectiveness of our naval artillery strikes?" Zhao Yuanjie asked suddenly.

"If indirect fire is used, it is impossible to observe the shelling situation at the height of the mast, and if you don't make trouble for half a day, it will be in vain." Lin Yongsheng's face changed.

"This, I don't know if Lu Dao can find a few people who can release hot air balloons from the Tianjin Wubei Academy to put a small balloon to take a look. The lower end of the balloon is directly connected to the battleship with a rope, so it can't run. Xu Jie said.

"Well, you mean to put people in hot air balloons to watch the shelling? Very thoughtful. Luang Weili was also struck by the surprise thought.

In fact, as early as the Franco-Prussian War, the French had already used hot air balloons to transport information after the siege of Paris. We're just making a slight improvement. Xu Jie said proudly. If there is a gun school machine, can't there be a gun school balloon?? Xu Jie said in his heart.

"And when are we leaving?" His own opinion was not adopted, and Deng Shichang was a little depressed.

"Don't worry, we will go to the Korean Strait with Admiral Ding and them first, otherwise, the Japanese will be very uneasy if they can't see the Beiyang Fast Fleet." Xu Jie sneered.

"Let the improved minelayer go directly to the vicinity of Hachijo Island in Japan, they are slow, so they have to go first. We booked a meeting 20 nautical miles west of Hachijojima Island in 5 days. Xu Jie said.

Two days later, the main squadron of the Beiyang Fleet and the fast fleet appeared on time at the western entrance of the Korean Strait. The Japanese Navy's observation posts along the coast of the Korean Peninsula soon spotted the fleet.

"Is it the Beiyang Fleet? They finally showed up. Shao Zuo, who was holding the telescope, said with some trembling.

"I really don't know where they conjured up 3 10,000-ton second-class battleships." A recorder next to him muttered as he took notes.

"It's a new type of battleship for the Italians. Damn the Italians, they completely ruined the victory of the empire in hand. Shao Zuo said indignantly putting down the binoculars in his hand. This self-delusion is very marketable in the Japanese Navy. They gave everything to the fact that the Italians sold their battleships to the North Sea in wartime, in violation of the neutrality treaty. And do not think about who designed these three battleships, and do not think about who has the higher quality of the Beiyang Fleet and the Japanese fleet in actual combat. Of course, they chose to ignore the support of the Russians for Japan and the fact that Italy did not declare neutrality! …,

"Let's get ready for a debrief." Shao Zuo said to the herald.

In the following hours, the observation posts set up by the Japanese army on the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula reported to the Beiyang Fleet, and this terrifying existence that had made the Japanese fearful for decades and completely defeated the Japanese fleet not long ago finally appeared!

"It seems that they are just clearing mines and then attacking our army's supply lines at sea." Looking at the information sent up, Tsuboi Kozo said.

"It's normal, if you don't sweep the minefields, the Beiyang Fleet won't easily enter the strait." Akiyama said.

"What are we going to do?" Tsuboi asked.

"No way. They sweep mines, and we continue to lay mines. Until the arrival of the Russian fleet. Akiyama said with a wry smile.

"It's ironic that there is no commander of the fleet." Watching the Beiyang Navy Master show off his might at the door of his own house, Pingjing Hang was thirty points depressed.

"Your Excellency Commander, you have to bear with me, Kurama and the other three ships are now being repaired at the Kure Naval Yard, and after a slight correction, they can go to the Yokosuka Shipyard for overhaul. After merging with the Russian fleet, the Reich could still have 1 10,000-ton second-class battleship, 3 armored cruisers, 1 first-class protective cruiser and 4 second-class protective cruisers. Such a fleet would have absolute superiority even in the event of an encounter with the Beiyang fast fleet. Akiyama Shinyuki comforted.

"You don't have to comfort me, as a fleet commander. I am very familiar with the situation of the fleet, and it will take at least 2 to 3 months for these three battleships to be fully repaired, and the Beiyang Fleet will not give us that much time to recondition. Maybe they're thinking about intercepting the Combine's worst ships on a certain route. And with the arrival of the Russian fleet, most of the supplies of the navy will be tilted towards the Russian fleet, and we will probably not get enough supplies. Tsuboi laughed miserably.

"It is a great irony that the maritime security of the empire is ultimately pinned on foreigners." A trace of inexplicable sadness welled up in Akiyama's true heart.

Just as the two were discussing the future battle plan of the Japanese Combined Fleet, they were surprised that the remaining three warships of the Japanese fleet would never return to the Yokosuka Shipyard in Tokyo Bay!

The long-awaited naval battle is about to begin~~. Well. Not much more. I hope everyone can be satisfied with the following chapters~~~.