The turquoise sea is crystal clear, and the sea and sky are the same color. In early spring, a large number of migratory birds migrate north, forming a beautiful picture. Off the coast of Mawei, under the cover of dozens of torpedo boats, the battleships Fujian and Shanghai returned by sea and entered the mouth of Mawei Sea. After several months of running-in at sea, the two battleships traveled a long distance, cut through the waves, turned around Hainan Island, and returned to the Mawei shipyard, where they officially joined the naval sequence after acceptance.

At present, the Shanghai Shipyard and the Lushun Shipyard are each building 4 battleships. The two battleships of the Shanghai shipyard are nearing completion, while the two battleships of the Lushun shipyard have completed their skeletons. In addition, after the Mawei Shipyard completed the construction of the Shanghai and Fujian battleships, it will immediately launch two battleships with a larger displacement of 8,000 tons. Under the blazing flames of war, the Chinese Empire kicked off a boom in the large-scale construction of warships.

The Shanghai battleship and the Fujian battleship are 5,200 tons, with a length of 110 meters and a width of 25?5 meters. The main guns of the front and rear of the battleship were 250 mm, and there were 18 guns on each side of the side swivel guns, with a total of 36 guns, which were 130 mm and 80 mm rifled guns, and the guns of the entire battleship were 38, and the firepower was very terrifying. The capacity of the two battleships was 325 people. After a maritime survey, the East China Sea Fleet was re-formed, led by two battleships.

With the approval of the headquarters, Dai Hui officially served as the captain of the Shanghai, and Zheng Haitao served as the captain of the Fujian. At this time, the battleship was driving on the waterway of the Min River, and the momentum was very spectacular. "Report to the captain, there are still 10 kilometers from the Mawei military port. Please instruct! A naval officer entered the command cabin to report. Dai Hui put down the binoculars and said, "Order to slow down and prepare to dock." The officer was ordered to leave, and the deputy captain said, "Captain." After four months of maritime, all the indicators of the warship are good, and after passing the acceptance, we are officially incorporated into the fleet, and finally look forward to this day. ”

Dai Hui said: "I can't look forward to this day, seeing the enemy showing off his might on the sea, it is a lie that I am not in a hurry. But the president warned us. At present, the Imperial Navy is still very weak and cannot compete with foreign warships. I estimate that there is still no war in the navy this year, so let's hurry up and train our skills! "Between words. The battleship began to slowly approach the dock, and Dai Hui saw the stars twinkling in the crowd of people who greeted him on the dock, and sorted out his military uniform and walked out of the command cabin.

The zigzag spiral ladder was lowered, and Dai Hui's military uniform walked down straight. For months. After the erosion of the sea breeze, his face turned black and red, and his cheeks showed a pair of bright eyes, which were bright. "Report to the commander, deputy commander, Dai Hui led the fleet to successfully complete the maritime mission and return smoothly." Fan Tao stepped forward and shook Dai Hui's hand and said, "Captain Dai, it's hard work." I'm glad to see you come back smoothly, which means that there is no problem with maritime affairs. It is estimated that a two-day acceptance will take place. If it passes the acceptance, it will be officially incorporated into the East China Sea Fleet. To tell you the good news, the headquarters has officially appointed the Shanghai as the flagship. ”

Dai Hui was very excited when he heard this, and Deputy Commander Liu Buzhan said: "Don't think that everything will be fine when the maritime affairs are completed, the next step is the most important thing to train troops at sea with live ammunition, and the formation of combat effectiveness is the most important." Then Zheng Haitao, the captain of the Fujian, also came to the front, and everyone chatted for a while, and then the commander Fan Tao invited the two captains to a banquet to pick them up and wash the dust. During the banquet, Fan Tao said solemnly: "I am very ashamed to say that I am not satisfied with the two, although Deputy Commander Liu and I are in high positions, we cannot talk about brilliant achievements, we have only participated in one naval battle, and we have returned defeated. But you are different, after all, you have participated in brutal naval battles, and you have won and accumulated a certain amount of experience. ”

"At present, you are commanding large warships, and in terms of qualifications and experience, it should be said that you are very immature. There is no way, the young navy of the Chinese Empire must grow up in the flames of war, and the two of you presidents are very important, do not disappoint the president's expectations. Fan Tao's majestic words contained earnest trust. Please rest assured that your subordinates will never fail to live up to the President's hopes and the Commander's trust. Dai Hui and Zheng Haitao said in unison.

After Fan Tao and Liu Buzhan finished greeting the battleship and deploying the training of the new battleship, they returned to the capital. After Dai Hui and Zheng Haitao saw off Commander Fan Tao and Deputy Commander Liu Buzhan, they settled the sailors on the ship and went to the officers' guest house on the dock. The sky was full of stars, and the two raised their eyes to look at the brightly lit military port wharf and the adjacent industrial area, and their hearts were full of emotion.

"I didn't expect that the Mawei Military Port and the industrial zone have undergone earth-shaking changes, when we left Mawei, it was Vientiane renewed, and now the sea has changed into mulberry fields, this feeling is really unbearable." Zheng Haitao was moved. Dai Hui echoed: "Yes! At the beginning, the four of us embarked on the road of blue waves from here in high spirits, you and I Jixing Gaozhao served as the captain of the battleship, and Wen Biao also served as the captain of the Northern Expedition, but Sun Dingbang Our good brother can only bless us in heaven. ”

Speaking of Sun Dingbang, the two of them fell into silence with a heavy heart. Soon Dai Hui said firmly: "For the sake of the motherland, maybe one day, we will also reunite with Dingbang, I am ready." "Galloping across the ocean and forging the dream of the Imperial Navy is our goal, even if it is blood-stained on the battlefield." In the dark, Dai Hui and Zheng Haitao's eyes showed ambition and pride, and the two seemed to have a good heart, and walked side by side towards the lamplight.

Half a month later, near the Zhoushan Islands, a mighty and majestic fleet appeared, and the newly formed East China Sea Fleet, headed by the flagship battleship Shanghai and the Fujian battleship, and more than 30 warships of all sizes, set out for a joint military exercise in the waters of the Zhoushan Islands. At present, in addition to the large battleships Shanghai and Fujian, this fleet with a certain offensive nature also has 6 medium frigates, 6 corvettes, 10 torpedo boats, two minesweepers, and 4 supply ships. All sail warships have now been converted into supply ships.

The headquarters of the Imperial Chinese Navy has clearly stipulated that all combat ships must be all-steel warships, and sail warships are not on combat duty. Therefore, all the warships of the East China Sea Fleet, except for four supply ships, are all steel warships. At present, the North Sea Fleet has only one large steel battleship, the flagship Northern Expedition, and the rest are frigates and gunboats, which are mainly used for coastal defense. And the South China Sea Fleet basically consisted of torpedo boats and light gunboats.

On this day, the wind and waves were 5 levels, and the fleet practiced formation, and at the same time practiced the combat effectiveness of the two main warships. At this time, Dai Hui was standing in the command module, holding a telescope in his hand, and constantly issuing orders in his mouth. With the signal sailors waving the command flag, all warships practiced defensive and offensive formations. The waves in the sea were three meters high, and the battleship was constantly rocking. Torpedo boats and light gunboats were often swallowed up by the waves, but all the sailors were not afraid and bravely kissed and hugged the waves.

At night the wind and waves subsided, and the battleship dropped anchor between the islands. A traffic boat stopped on the side of the Shanghai, and the captain Zheng Haitao boarded the ship. "Brother Dai, the joint drill of our fleet is very rusty, it doesn't seem to be a day's work!" Dai Hui said with a smile: "Our navy has just formed a scale, we can't be in a hurry, especially you and me, as the chief officer, we can't be impatient, generally speaking, today's drill is good, and the two of us need to celebrate." ”

The two of them had a drink, and Dai Hui said: "It is estimated that the wind and waves will not be small tomorrow, I am ready to test the strike power of the main battleship, what do you think?" "Okay, I agree!" Zheng Haitao has no opinion. The next day, the waves were even more ferocious, with waves up to 4 meters high. The two capital battleships were neck and neck in the waves, and soon an unnamed island appeared in front of them, and the two capital battleships stopped moving, and then the bow guns began to roar, and the deafening sound danced in the wind.

"Report to the captain, the first round of strikes at the target on the Nameless Island, two of the 5 shells hit.!" The officer in charge of the lookout shouted loudly. Dai Hui said in a deep voice: "Continue to fire 5 rapids!" "After five shells, there were still two hits. The deputy captain said: "Captain, the weather is so bad, and the battleship is swinging badly, this result is already good." Dai Hui said: "In the future naval battle, we can encounter a lot of unexpected situations, God will not take into account that the naval battle will give you a calm battlefield, so we must have high standards and strict requirements, everything from the actual combat." Listen to my orders to play another round, 5 rapid fires. ”

The cannon sounded again, and a large cloud of black smoke erupted at the muzzle, which was quickly carried away and diluted by the sea breeze. Although the sea temperature was not high, the gunners sweated profusely. 250-mm shells had to be reloaded by two people to complete. The shouts of the gunners were drowned out by the sound of cannonballs, but they still shouted hoarsely, as if the nameless island ahead was an enemy battleship. Dai Hui held up his glasses and his face was expressionless, and soon he waved his hand to stop the shelling.

The battleship continued to advance, then the left rudder was full, and the side-rotating guns began to bombard, and the saturation strike entered a climax. At night, the wind is calm, and the sea is like a mirror in the moonlight. "The night of the military port is quiet, the waves gently shake the battleship, and the young sailors rest their heads on the waves??????。" Dai Hui stood on one side of the deck, and on the deck of a frigate opposite, a sailor sang emotionally, attracting Dai Hui's attention. The sailor's voice is very magnetic, hoarse with a heroic air, showing the difference between the sailor's love for warships.

Dai Hui walked under the front main gun, gently stroked the smooth cannon body and said to himself: "The future naval battle will be more cruel, the era of giant ships and cannons has arrived, I will wait for when!" (To be continued......)

PS: The Imperial Navy began to set sail.