More than 300 kilometers north of the Azores, a fleet flying the Chinese flag is sailing, and this fleet has only six warships. However, this was a fleet of the most elite cruisers and destroyers of the Imperial Navy. The fleet included two 'Nakshatra-class' cruisers and four 'Earthshatter-class' destroyers.

On the cruiser "Xingri Ma", Colonel Niu Zhiyuan of the Imperial Navy was standing on the bridge of the ship, observing the north with a telescope. According to the information received by the Imperial Navy, it is likely that the British Navy's home fleet will march on the Azores from this direction. To the left of the cruiser Xingrima, about five kilometers apart, is another cruiser of the Star class, Zhang Yuelu.

In addition, there are four 'Earthshatter-class' destroyers scattered around, namely the 'Didark', the 'Geoaxis', the 'Earth's Hui' and the 'Disa'. Both cruisers and destroyers were the newest battleships to enter service in the Imperial Navy.

The Nakshatra-class cruisers had a displacement of up to 4,200 tons and were armed with three twin 155-mm main guns and six 105-mm secondary guns. Of course, the most powerful are the six 450 mm medium torpedo tubes hidden in the bow of the ship. This torpedo, although not very powerful, was enough to tear through the underwater armor of the battleships of the British Navy if it hit the target at the waterline or under the water. It only takes one or two hits to hit the target, which is enough to cause heavy damage to the capital ship of the British Navy, and if two more hits are made, it can even directly sink the opponent's capital ship. In addition, the 'Nakshatra-class' cruiser reached a terrifying speed of 24 knots, which is far more than any warship in the British Navy's active service. This allowed the 'Nakshatra-class' cruisers to easily shake off the British Navy's pursuit. It is especially suitable for use as a lightning strike ship and a reconnaissance ship.

The destroyers have a displacement of 2,000 tons and a 155 mm gun in the bow and one in the stern. There were also 4 105-mm secondary guns. These naval guns. All of them are rapid-fire guns, capable of firing more than three rounds per minute. Unlike the British Navy's ships of the same type, which were equipped with 8-inch guns and 6-inch guns. The rate of fire is slow, and it would be nice to be able to fire one shell in a minute at most. In addition, the Geosha-class destroyers have four 450 mm torpedo tubes in the bow. In addition, the speed of the 'Earthshatter-class' destroyer reached 25 knots, which was very terrifying.

The Imperial Navy's idea of building warships mainly consisted of large ship cannons, while small ships used rapid-fire guns and torpedoes. In this way, the caliber of the guns of the small ship is smaller, but the firepower is more fierce. In the face of the enemy's light warships, they can still pose a deadly threat. Moreover, the torpedo in the bow of the ship can pose a threat to the enemy's battleships.

"Sir, the flagship is calling to ask if anything unusual has been found?" A major officer asked Colonel Niu Zhiyuan.

"Sue sù flagship, the British have not been found yet!" Colonel Niu Zhiyuan said.

"Yes, sir!" The major officer nodded and turned to leave.

"Shit, where did those Brits go? Isn't it possible to slip back to the military port? In that case. Isn't it in vain? Colonel Niu Zhiyuan said secretly.

As the captain of the cruiser 'Xingri Ma' and the commander of this detachment, Colonel Niu Zhiyuan is a celebrity even in the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy. Not to mention. His status is equally prominent, his father is Field Marshal Niu Meng, the first chief of the general staff of the empire.

The three sons of Marshal Niu Meng. Served in the Navy, Army and Military Intelligence respectively. But. is still the boss Niu Zhiyuan's appetite for Marshal Niu Meng. After all, he was a pirate in the first place. Colonel Niu Zhiyuan can also be regarded as a son inheriting his father's business.

Of course, from the current point of view, among the three brothers of Colonel Niu Zhiyuan, the highest military rank is the third Niu Zhiyang, because of the successful rebellion against Prince Akbar of Afghanistan, Niu Zhiyang has been exceptionally promoted to brigadier general, becoming the second general after Marshal Niu Meng of the old Niu family. This put a lot of pressure on both Colonel Niu Zhiyuan and Lieutenant Colonel Niu Zhiwu, who served in the army.

"When this battle is over, with his exploits, Lao Tzu should also be able to be promoted to brigadier general. When the time comes, it won't be worse than Zhiyang's kid! Colonel Niu Zhiyuan said secretly.

At this moment, Colonel Niu Zhiyuan did not know that about fifty kilometers to the north of him, a fleet of several light warships was heading south. This was the advance flotilla of the British Navy's Home Fleet, consisting of two 'Orlando-class' cruisers and four state-of-the-art 'Southampton-class' light cruisers. The fleet is rapidly moving south at a speed of 12 knots. Behind them, less than a hundred kilometers away, were the main forces of the home fleet of the British Navy.

Brigadier Admiral Russell, who was the commander of this fleet. His flagship was HMS Manchester. Commodore Russell preferred ships with a larger displacement to the faster 'Southampton-class' destroyers. A large displacement means a larger hull, more firepower, and at the same time thicker armor. In this case, the probability of surviving a naval battle will undoubtedly be higher.

Originally, Commodore Russell had the opportunity to become the captain of the capital ship of the British Navy, but he lost the competition. As a result, in the home fleet, he ended up with only one commander in command of six light warships. However, the 'Orlando-class' cruisers with a displacement of more than 5,000 tons can also make do with it.

"Damn the Chinese, those damn yellow-skinned monkeys, this battle, the great Royal Navy will definitely be able to defeat them all and drive them down the Atlantic to feed the sharks." Almost every day, Commodore Russell cursed the Chinese navy, as if that would make it so sure that the British navy would win the battle.

"Whew!" Suddenly, a terrible siren sounded over the fleet. Brigadier General Russell immediately rushed to the front of the bridge, grabbed his binoculars and looked south. The silhouettes of several small warships appeared in his binoculars.

"Damn! Discover the Chinese battleship. Report to the flagship now! Brigadier General Russell shouted at his throat.

"Yes, General!" A communications officer replied loudly.

"Order all ships to be ready for battle, and let those damn yellow-skinned monkeys taste our awesomeness!" Brigadier General Russell shouted, and at this moment, he was excited.

And the detachment led by Colonel Liu Zhiyuan of the 5th Fleet of the Chinese Navy also discovered the British fleet at the same time. A terrible siren sounded over the fleet. The officers and men of the fleet rushed to their respective posts as soon as possible. Everyone knows that the war began!

At two o'clock in the afternoon of January 5, 1855, a small fleet of the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy and the Home Fleet of the British Navy met unexpectedly in the waters more than 300 kilometers north of the Azores.

The detachment of the Imperial Navy began to change formation. Two Nakshatra-class cruisers were at the front, while four destroyers of the Earthshatter class, with a much smaller displacement, followed.

"Sir, the six battleships of the British are two 'Orlando-class' battleships and four 'Southampton-class' light cruisers!" A staff officer reported to Colonel Niu Zhiyuan.

"Well, it's evenly matched. However, the British 'Orlando-class' battleships had a powerful 8-inch main gun, in addition to six 155 mm secondary guns and four 105 mm secondary guns. The firepower is much more powerful than ours 'Nakshatra-class'. As for the 'Southampton-class' light cruisers, the firepower is about the same as ours'. If you can't use a torpedo, it's not easy to defeat the opponent! Colonel Niu Zhiyuan frowned. The most important weapon of the latest cruisers and destroyers of the Imperial Navy is torpedoes. However, none of these torpedoes were allowed to be used until the decisive battle with the enemy began. With artillery alone, the cruisers and destroyers of the Imperial Navy were undoubtedly at a disadvantage.

"General, although the enemy's 'Orlando-class' cruisers are powerful, the 'Orlando-class' has a relatively long service life. The artillery they used was old-fashioned rack-mounted, with a low rate of fire, far inferior to our rapid-fire guns. In addition, with an advanced fire control system, the accuracy of the shelling of our warships is obviously much higher than that of the enemy. Even if we don't use torpedoes, we won't necessarily lose this battle! Said the gunner of the cruiser "Star Horse".

Colonel Niu Zhiyuan nodded, from this point of view, the Imperial Navy does have some advantages.

"Order all ships, prepare to engage the enemy!" Colonel Niu Zhiyuan ordered.

In order to maximize their firepower superiority, the Imperial Navy used to fight in columns. And the British Navy, whether it is a column or a horizontal team, is very good. This undoubtedly shows that the training and suzhì of the British Navy are much stronger than those of the Chinese Navy. However, a series of exercises conducted by the Imperial Navy have proved that the most effective way of naval warfare is to use the column formation to seize the T-shaped prefix at the first time.

"Haha! Those timid Chinese, they actually use the column method. Order the bow guns of the ships to prepare, and tear them apart for me! Brigadier General Russell laughed.

The British Navy has always attached great importance to the firepower of the bow, and among the various warships of the British Navy, the bow even retains a sharp ramming angle. Once encountered, the enemy warship can be torn apart with ease.

"The fleet was ordered to turn, and the speed was increased to 15 knots. All artillery fire is aimed at the enemy's flagship! Colonel Niu Zhiyuan also issued a series of orders. The detachment of the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy immediately began to move.

The six battleships began to deflect to the right, drawing a large arc across the sea. At the same time, all the guns on the battleship were aimed at the battleship Manchester, the flagship of the British Navy's detachment! (To be continued......)

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