"Andrey. Petrovich has really already boarded the ship for Odessa? ”

Nikolai could not believe his ears and instructed Skoropatsky and Konstantin to mutiny in Odessa, but there was no way out. He did this somewhat to the detriment of his fate, after all, his boss Li Erwen said that someone is very powerful and difficult to deal with, and he must prepare for the worst.

The worst plan is nothing more than to abandon the whole plan, and Nikolai has already packed his bags anyway, and is ready to return to Petrograd as soon as the time comes. Who would have thought that someone would ...... It's so easy to deceive, Odessa has a wind and grass and he leaves, this is called very powerful? Tough to deal with?

Nikolai, who was a little dazed, asked again in order to be sure: "Are you sure Andrei. Petrovich is gone! ”

"It's true!" "At seven o'clock in the morning," said the messenger, "I saw him and Eberhardt hurrying aboard the Mercury Memorial, along with the fool Ivanov...... Under the cover of two destroyers, they left the port at a rapid pace! ”

Interrupt me a little here, there may be many friends who are very unfamiliar with the Mercury Memorial, and there will even be military fans who say that there is no such cruiser in the Black Sea Fleet and even the old Russian Navy sequence, the author you are making nonsense!

The conscience of heaven and earth is really not made up, and the reason why everyone has not heard of the Mercury Memorial can only blame the evil translation. If the translation of the same ship is different, there will be a great misunderstanding. The most obvious example is the USS Endeavour aircraft carrier of the US Navy, is it also unfamiliar? In fact, it is not unfamiliar at all, this product is the enterprise number.

It's just that the translators back then were half-witted. I gave the literal translation into the enterprise. The situation is similar for the Mercury Memorial. Change the name and everyone will know each other. In the Red Navy sequence, the ship is called the Comintern. That is, the literal translation of the so-called Pamiat. Mercuria.

Why do you want to talk more about this period of history? It's not exactly a word (laughs), but also to let everyone know about the traditions of the navy, but also to complain about the translation of all evils (which delayed me a lot of time). This Palmyat. It is important to highlight the Mercuria, because its existence is very meaningful!

Historically called Pamyat. There are several warships of the name Melkuria in the history of the Black Sea Fleet, to be exact, according to the tsar's promise, as long as there is a Russian navy, there must be a Parmyat. Mercuria. Or maybe the Mercury Memorial!

The reason is simple, on May 14, 1829, the then first generation Mercury (a brig armed with 18 guns) met two battleships of the Turkish Navy (with 110 and 74 guns, respectively). It should be said that the difference in strength is very large, and it is simply one-sided.

However, the result of the battle shattered the glasses to the ground, and the heroic little wrecked ship Mercury defeated the strong and repelled the Turkish battleship after four hours of fierce fighting!

When the Mercury joined the main force of the fleet the next day, the hull was damaged in 22 places, the mainmast was damaged in 16 places, and the sail cables were broken in more than 280 places. What's even more amazing is that. This ship is still combative!

As a result of this battle, the Mercury received the honor of flying the stern flag of the George ship and the Russian Navy will forever have a ship named "Mercury Memorial" (Pamyat actually means "Mercury Memorial" in Russian).

One more word. The Russian Navy needs not only the "Mercury Memorial", but also the "Azov Memorial", which is also a famous ship with a legendary history. In the Battle of Navarino in 1827, the battleship Azov sank five enemy ships in one fell swoop, including the flagship of the Turkish Navy.

An army, whether it is the army, the air force or the navy, in fact, the most important thing is this inherited fighting spirit, and a glorious title can often condense a military soul. If an army has no military soul, it is really the scum of War 5. So, or put Pamiat. It is only right that the Mercuria calls it a memorial to Mercury, otherwise it would be easy to make some historical jokes, such as Chang Kaishen and Mencius.

To get back to the point, this generation of the Mercury Memorial is an old protective cruiser with a displacement of 6600 tons (commissioned in 1907) with a maximum speed of 23 knots and 12 152-mm guns. There are a total of 4 ships of the same class.

Among them, the Mercury Memorial is the fourth ship, and the third ship of the same class, the Kagur, also served with her in the Black Sea Fleet (the third ship Kagur was originally named Ochakov, in fact, the fourth ship is the Mercury Memorial was originally called Kagur. However, in 1905, the Ochakov had just been commissioned and mutinied, and the Russian Navy considered the name unlucky and changed it to Kagur, and in 1917 the Provisional Government gave the name Ochakov again. The original ship No. 4 was changed to Mercury Memorial because its name was occupied).

Overall, by 1918, the Mercury was a slightly old warship, and in the Black Sea Fleet, there were two other protective cruisers of the same grade as him, namely Askard and Kagur. Coincidentally, these three protective cruisers have almost the same technical performance.

Among them, the Ascade is similar to the famous Varyag, both have beautiful four chimneys, exactly the same armament, and the Ascade is a little faster in speed, 23.8 knots. As for the Mercury Memorial and Kagur, as mentioned earlier, the same batch is four, which is called the Bogatier class (or translated as the Warrior class), and this batch is three chimneys.

But don't look at the chimney missing, but whether it's the Varyag or the Ascade, or the Mercury Memorial, it should actually be the same batch of battleships. They are all built in accordance with the same technical requirements and unified bidding.

The reason why it was divided into three different classes is that the Russian Navy ordered the ships separately from different shipyards in different countries, such as the Bogatir and Asked, which came from the Volken shipyard and the Krupp shipyard in Germany, respectively. And the Varyag is a product of the American Krump shipyard. The only truly Russian-made ones are Mercury, Kagur and Oleg (produced by the Admiral Shipyard in service with the Baltic Fleet, lost on December 11, 1919 along with the famous Azov).

So, if a battle breaks out between Ascade and Mercury Remembrance. It would be a close show!

Of course. Li Xiaofeng didn't know all this. Under the cover of the destroyers Ruthless and Fury, the formation headed for Odessa at high speed at a speed of 18 knots. It must be said that the Black Sea is really a small bath, and it takes a few hours to travel from Sevastopol to Odessa by land, and by sea.

It is precisely because the Black Sea is so small that naval battles here are also characterized by chance and suddenness, and the two fleets will collide headlong if they do not get it right. If you don't get rid of the enemy in a hurry, it's likely that the weaker side will turn around and flee back to your home port, and you really can't chase it at that time.

And this is also for what reason, whether it is Eberhardt or the later Kolchak, although he has mastered the control of the Black Sea, he has never been able to completely destroy the Turkish fleet, and he has no problem at all with the fast Goeben. Because each time the Goeben realized that the situation was not good, it turned around and fled back to Istanbul, under the cover of coastal batteries, with the little strength of the Black Sea Fleet. If you go, you will be humiliated.

I have to say, in this little bath. It is really too difficult to fight a sea battle similar to the Battle of Jutland with a bang. Not only may these two large fleets not be able to swing, but also because the Turkish Navy does not cooperate. The scum-like Turkish Navy has nothing to do, if it weren't for the geographical advantage, it would have been blown up by the woolly bear a long time ago.

For Eberhardt, who had just returned to command, the trip was still a pleasant one, and when he was forced to leave the Black Sea Fleet in 1916, he did not expect to return to the ship again. Standing in the bridge of the Mercury Memorial, looking at the vast Black Sea in front of him, he was very touched for a while.

"When you besiege your face for forty winters, dig deep trenches in your beautiful garden, and your youthful costumes are so envied that they will become ragged ruins, and no one will look at them...... The use of your beauty will be more worthy of praise, and if you can say, 'I, a peaceful child, will settle my account, and forgive my old ......,' which will rejuvenate you in the twilight of old age, and make your cold blood feel refreshed. ”

Alberhardt chanted affectionately, his eyes already glistening with tears. However, the sailors on the bridge did not quite understand the old man's sudden arrival, and a young sailor curiously bumped his companion with his elbow and asked, "What kind of poem is this?" ”

Although the latter recognized a few words, he didn't know anything about this kind of purely literary thing, he shook his head and asked the political commissar beside him: "Comrade political commissar, what is this?" ”

Fortunately, the commissar was somewhat cultured, and replied with a snort: "Shakespeare's sonnets." Of course, the political commissar did not forget to add a sentence in his heart: "The decadent bourgeois old aristocracy, what kind of poems and motherly style are chanting at this time, not like a soldier, no wonder he was removed from his post back then......"

If Eberhardt could hear the voice of this commissar, he would probably explode, but his feelings and feelings were immediately artificially diverted. Ivanov, the head of the Cheka, leaned on the chart table with a pale face and inhaled heavily, both his face and his faintly trembling legs showed one thing - this grandson was seasick.

Indeed, the weather was not good, the waves were relatively large, and the fog was so foggy that even the Ruthless and the Fury, a few nautical miles ahead, could not be seen very clearly, and only black smoke could be seen billowing from the chimneys of the two destroyers.

"Andrey. Mr. Eberhart. Ivanov squawked like a mosquito.

It's not that Ivanov was too dizzy and didn't lose his breath, but he didn't know what to call this former tsar's dogleg, although this person was already the director of the navy, but the rich aristocratic style in him was really blind. It is really awkward to let him call this person comrade, but it seems inappropriate to call him by his name, after all, the great leader of a certain immortal seems to value this old man very much, and he must give him the necessary respect.

"Is it really right for us to do that? After all......" Ivanov was a little reluctant to speak, but he was quickly interrupted by Eberhardt, "you don't need to care if it's appropriate, you need to carry out orders without compromise!" ”

The old man did not seem to want to talk about Ivanov's tangled question at all, and he asked the navigator with great pity: "How long will it take to reach Odessa?" ”

"At our current pace, three hours!"

"Good!"

Alberhardt nodded in satisfaction, and he could tell from this that the Mercury Memorial and the Ruthless and Fury were in good condition, and that long periods of high-speed sailing were a great burden on the boilers and engines, without good maintenance. These three battleships will not last long.

From this point of view. Two revolutions, though, had no small impact on the Black Sea Fleet. But the fleet has not completely fallen apart, and with this layer of assurance, Eberhardt can be somewhat relieved about the battle that follows.

Eberhardt turned his head to look at Ivanov, who had a vegetable face, and shook his head, seeing that this cargo was a landlubber on land, and it couldn't withstand the wind and waves at all, and if he let this cargo continue to stay in the bridge, he might vomit at some point.

Although the old man served in the Navy for decades. The scene of vomiting was not a problem at all for him, he had long been used to it, and he couldn't stay in the navy if he wasn't used to it. However, he still didn't want Ivanov to spoil the air and good atmosphere on the bridge, and vomiting was sometimes contagious.

"You two, help Comrade Ivanov back to the cabin and let him rest!" The old man unceremoniously ordered the two sailors who had been curious about his poetry.

The two were stunned and looked at the commissar not far away, and it was not until the latter nodded that they went up to help Ivanov away.

"I can still hold on." Ivanov refused insincerely.

But Eberhardt wouldn't agree. "Okay, you're not in the Navy. No need to hold it up! When you arrive in Odessa, you still have important work to do! ”

Ivanov is actually polite, as the head of the local Cheka, he has to earn some face for himself, but Eberhardt said it earnestly, and he is also happy to push the boat.

When Ivanov left, the atmosphere in the bridge seemed to be a little more harmonious, Ivanov brought a lot of pressure, and both the sailors and the political commissar in charge felt uncomfortable with him.

Eberhardt glanced at the commissar with interest and asked, "Are you the captain?" ”

"No, I'm just a political commissar, but I'll be in charge for the time being!"

Eberhardt asked again, "What about the captain?" ”

The political commissar pursed his lips and said, "Because he was suspected of counter-revolutionary, he was arrested by the Cheka." ”

Eberhardt sighed, and didn't ask this question with interest, no wonder these people were uncomfortable looking at Ivanov just now, it turned out that the root was here.

Eberhardt suddenly asked, "What naval academy did you graduate from?" ”

The commissar's face twitched, and he replied after a while: "I didn't go to a military school......"

Alberhardt was shocked and asked incredulously, "Then how can you be put in charge of commanding the warship?" Isn't that a joke! ”

The commissar seemed to be a little unhappy on his face, but he still answered honestly: "Although I did not go to military school, I served in the Baltic Fleet, and before that I was the captain of the Aurora. ”

"Oh, that's fine!"

Eberhart breathed a sigh of relief, he was really worried about meeting a layman just now, so there was really no way to get it on this trip to sea. The navigator is also a skilled officer, and it is not too outrageous to let a knowledgeable person in charge of command.

For the next few hours, Eberhardt kept asking questions, trying to get as much talk as he could from the commissar. After all, for a commander, the most important thing is to know oneself and know one's opponent, although one cannot know one's opponent for the time being, it is okay to be able to know oneself.

At 10 o'clock in the afternoon, when the Mercury Memorial slowly approached the coast of Odessa, Eberhardt finally ended the "cross-examination", not that the old man already knew everything he wanted to know, but that the situation in the port of Odessa was not optimistic.

Although it was still far away and could not be seen really, judging from the black smoke that filled the harbor, the situation was very bad, and Eberhardt was about to give the order to prepare for battle, but the commissar who he had underestimated was the first to speak: "Let the comrades be ready for battle!" ”

As the order was passed on, the gun emplacements of the Mercury Memorial began to get busy in an instant, the sailors put on their life jackets, packed up the cables, prepared the fire extinguishing equipment, removed the gun clothing, and the ammunition lifter began to lift the ammunition from the below-deck magazine onto the deck.

The various orders began to be carried out in an orderly manner, and Eberhardt was pleased with the orderly atmosphere, although it was not perfect, but it was clear that the commissar's leadership skills were still qualified.

"Well done!" The old man praised it for the first time.

However, the commissar did not say anything, his eyes were firmly locked in the direction of Odessa, and he began to steer the steer himself.

In the mist, the eight 152-mm guns on the side of the Mercury Memorial were already aimed in the direction of Odessa, and if there was any abnormal movement, they would attack categorically. In this eerie calm, only the ticking of signals could be heard from the telegraph room.

"Comrade Political Commissar, the ruthless number is calling!"

The voice caught Eberhardt's attention, and before he could say anything, the commissar had already preemptively ordered, "Read! ”

"Our ship has made contact with the Captain Baranov...... At about 3 o'clock this morning, three ships, led by the Ascade, including the Lieutenant Shestakov and the Lieutenant Commander Sarken, mutinied...... Under the control of the White Army and counter-revolutionaries, the three ships fled from Odessa in a hurry after destroying the Prut River and severely damaging the Rear Admiral Kontrachenko! ”

This was not good news, of course, and the sudden outbreak of mutiny seemed to herald the black cloud overwhelm, but for Alberhardt, it was a relief. When he left Sevastopol, he was given the task of quelling the mutiny. Otherwise, the fleet committee would not have sent a capital cruiser and two relatively new ruthless-class destroyers to Odessa, and Li Xiaofeng would not have been transported alone without such pomp.

The main task of the fleet was to quell the rebellion and eliminate all counter-revolutionaries. A relatively minor task is transporting an immortal. For Eberhardt, the first thing to quell the rebellion was to figure out who had defected – the Prut River? Or the Ascade?

Before coming, Eberhardt had been worried about this problem, and what he was most afraid of was not knowing who the enemy was, otherwise, he would not dare to enter the port with peace of mind. And now, the problem is solved, he just needs to figure out where the enemy is.

"According to the reaction of the port battery, the Askard led the Admiral Shestakov and Lieutenant Colonel Saken to the northeast, probably to Nikolaev!"

Eberhatt nodded and ordered categorically: "Inform the Ruthless and the Fury, turn the rudder in the direction of Nikolaev!" ”

The commissar was stunned and asked, "Comrade Cheka on the ship, what should I do?" Their mission is to go to Odessa......"

Eberhardt waved his hand and said impatiently: "Get a transport boat for them, our task is to destroy the counter-revolutionary enemy, there is no extra time to waste on them!" (To be continued......)

PS: It's too painful to complain about the translation of all evil naval materials here, especially the translation of Russian Navy ships, whether domestic or foreign, it makes people vomit blood. Most foreigners simply convert the Russian alphabet into the English alphabet, and then leave it alone, such as the Mercury Memorial, the Russian translation into English is Pamiat Merkuria, and it is obvious that these two words have no meaning at all. Then when we translated it in China, it was transliterated directly, and people who didn't know it thought that this Parmit. Mercuria may be a personal name. For example, the previous series of Soviet and Russian cruiser construction history from the domestic "Modern Ships" made the same mistake and turned the Azov Memorial into a Palmit. Azuwa. There are many similar situations, so I have to spend a lot of time comparing them one by one when I adjust my state these days, otherwise I can still have a little more words.