Chapter 211 Encounter

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In the vast East China Sea, a huge fleet is slowly sailing north. In the middle of M are four 10,000-ton giant ships like hills, which are the four battleships of the First Fleet of the Western Sichuan Navy, and the first one is the "Sichuan-class" battleship, the first ship, and the "Xikang" is behind. The next two are the "Plateau-class" battleships "Plateau" and "Qinghai".

To the left of these four 10,000-ton battleships were four slightly smaller "Chengdu-class" heavy cruisers. 4 "Mianyang-class" light cruisers and 6 destroyers were scattered around. As for the six fastest "Leshan-class" light cruisers, they had already advanced to the front of the fleet, searching for traces of the Japanese Combined Fleet. The other three cruisers ordered from the British, "Ya'an", "Suining" and "Neijiang", were to protect the supply fleet in the rear.

"Report to the Commander! Headquarters emergency! On the bridge of the "Sichuan", the communications officer reported that the telegram received was handed over to the commander of the fleet, Deng Shichang.

After the telegram, Deng Shichang said sternly: "We have officially declared war on Japan. Send a report to all ships, and if you encounter the fleet of small Japan, don't spare your hands, give Lao Tzu a hard blow, and you must completely destroy them! The death of those colleagues of the Beiyang Navy Division made Deng Shichang's heart hold his breath all the time. Now, it is finally time for little Japan to pay for its blood debt.

"Yes, Commander!" After the communications officer recorded the message, he immediately went down to send the message.

After receiving the telegram from the flagship, the morale of the soldiers of the western Sichuan Navy was high. They've been training hard for nearly two years, aren't they just waiting for this opportunity? Next, it's time for them to prove their worth with this victory!

At the same time, thirty nautical miles west of Amami Oshima Island in the East China Sea, a large fleet was also heading south. This is exactly what the Japanese Combined Fleet headed south from the Japanese Sasebo Naval Port. This time, they left the military port with flowers and the blessings of their loved ones to fight for the future of the empire, and the soldiers of the Japanese Navy, one by one, were very excited. After defeating the Beiyang Navy Division last year, their morale was greatly boosted and their self-confidence was bursting. Even if they faced the Sichuan West Navy, which had larger warships and stronger firepower this time, they still did not have the slightest fear, as if they already knew that the final victory in the war must belong to them.

This time, the flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet was still the "Matsushima", and the specific queue was still divided into the first guerrilla group and the main team. The 1st Guerrilla Brigade consisted of "Yoshino", "Takachiho", "Akitsushu" and "Naniwa". "Yoshino" has a displacement of 426 tons, a speed of 225 knots, and the main guns are 4 55-mm rapid-fire guns. "Takachiho" has a displacement of 709 tons, a speed of knots, and two 260-mm naval guns as its main gun. "Akitsuzu" has a displacement of 50 tons, a speed of 26 knots, and the main gun is 4 50-mm rapid-fire guns. "Naniwa" has a displacement of 709 tons, a speed of knots, and two 260-mm naval guns as its main gun. The First Guerrilla Force played a tremendous role in last year's First Sino-Japanese Naval Battle, and in particular, it used rapid-fire artillery to deal with the Beiyang Naval Division's "Dingyuan" and "Zhenyuan" ships, and achieved very good results. This made the Japanese Navy superstitious about the power of rapid-fire guns.

The main squadron of the Japanese Combined Fleet consisted of the first formation of the flagship "Matsushima", "Chiyoda" and "Itsukushima", the second formation of the main squadron consisting of "Hashidate", "Hiei" and "Fuso", and the "Saikyo Maru" and "Akagi" on the left side of the main fleet. Among them, the three battleships "Matsushima", "Itsukushima" and "Hashidate" are the famous Sankei ships of the Japanese Navy, with a displacement of 427 tons, equipped with a 20 mm main gun, typical of the idea of a small boat with a cannon, at that time in order to restrain the "Dingyuan" and "Zhenyuan" ships of the Beiyang Naval Division. It's just that in the actual war, they did not play the role they expected. On the contrary, rapid-fire guns played a great role. However, this time, in the face of the 10,000-ton battleships of the Western Sichuan Army, the Japanese Navy pinned its hopes on these three Sanjing ships.

Compared with the First Fleet of the Kawanishi Navy, the Japanese Combined Fleet has only twelve warships, and both the tonnage and the main guns are lagging behind the First Fleet of the Kawanishi Navy. The First Fleet of the Western Sichuan Navy had two "Sichuan-class" battleships, two "Plateau" class battleships, four "Chengdu"-class heavy cruisers, six "Leshan-class" light cruisers, and four "Mianyang-class" light cruisers, a total of 18 ships, and the tonnage was more than twice that of the Japanese Navy. Perhaps, this time, the Japanese Combined Fleet can only rely on their bushido spirit to win. The premise is that it needs to be useful.

On board the Matsushima, the flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet, Vice Admiral Sukehiro Ito, commander of the fleet, and Rear Admiral Heihachiro Togo, chief of staff, were sending a telegram from the Japanese Admiralty. Heihachiro Togo was originally the captain of the Naniwa, but in last year's war, his Naniwa made a great contribution, so he was promoted to rear admiral and became the chief of staff of the Combined Fleet.

"The Empire has declared war on the west of Sichuan, then, it is time for us to achieve another victory for the Empire!" Lieutenant General Ito put down the telegram in his hand and said firmly. Even though the enemy was stronger this time, he was still full of confidence. When facing the Beiyang Navy Division last year, wasn't it the same? But in the end, it was the Japanese Combined Fleet that won the victory.

"Your Excellency Commander, this time the Western Sichuan Navy is stronger than the Beiyang Naval Division, I think we should be cautious!" Rear Admiral Heihachiro Togo said. With the four 10,000-ton battleships of the Western Sichuan Army alone, only the naval guns of the Sanjing ship could damage them. And if your own battleship is hit by the opponent's main gun, the consequences will be very severe.

"Is the chief of staff timid? Although the navy of western Sichuan is strong, it is only that they have money. More powerful warships can be built for them. However, their soldiers are just a group of rookies who have not experienced war. Once faced with a battlefield full of artillery fire, it is very difficult to say whether they will be able to give full play to the performance of their battleships. When the time comes, the well-trained warriors of the Imperial Navy will definitely teach them a painful lesson. Even these 10,000-ton giant ships that captured them are not a problem! Ito looked confident. For Togo Heihachiro's timid behavior, he was very dissatisfied. It's just that Heihachiro Togo is the person of Japan's "Father of the Navy" Yamamoto Gonbei Shige, and he can't be too harsh.

"Yes, Your Excellency, Commander!" Heihachiro Togo said hurriedly. However, even so, he still had a premonition in his heart that he didn't want to, as if this war would not be so easy to win.

April 2 is a day destined to be remembered by history. In the waters of the Far East, the second naval battle broke out after the entry of naval warships into the age of steam. Moreover, the scale and intensity of the naval battle were far greater than last year's naval battle in the Yellow Sea. The outcome of this naval battle will also completely change the situation in the Far East.

"Hell! Where the hell did those damn Japanese go? Why hasn't it been so long that even a single hair has arrived, so it can't be scared to run back to the Japanese military port, right? On the light cruiser "Leshan", the captain Li Deming was complaining. Beginning on the 26th, the fleet left the Taiwan Strait, and six "Leshan-class" light cruisers took the lead in entering the East China Sea to look for traces of the Japanese fleet. But for two days, the Japanese Combined Fleet was not found. And now, their position has almost reached the Ryukyu Islands.

It was morning and the fog on the sea was heavier, and Yan zhòng affected the realization of the lookout hand on the mast. However, as the sun rises, the fog at sea will slowly dissipate.

After reporting the position to the flagship, the light cruiser "Leshan" continued to sail north at a speed of knots. This is already part of the waters of Japan.

At 0:00 a.m., the fog completely cleared and the sight became better. At 0:00, the lookout raised the alarm. Directly north of the battleship, a large column of black smoke appeared.

"The Japanese fleet has been discovered! Send a message to the flagship immediately and get ready for battle! Li Deming immediately gave the order. The soldiers on the "Leshan" immediately got busy. The armor of the naval guns was removed, and the hideous muzzles were raised, pointing to the north.

As the two sides approached, the Japanese fleet also discovered the "Leshan".

"Report to the captain, in front of us are the 'Yoshino', 'Takachiho', 'Akitsuzu' and 'Naniwa' of the Combined Fleet of Japan. In last year's Battle of the Yellow Sea, it was the 1st Guerrilla Force of the Japanese Combined Fleet, which consisted of these four warships. The operational staff officer of the "Leshan" reported to Li Deming.

"The main force of the combined fleet of Japan should be right behind! Send a message to the other warships to get them to move closer to us. First, the No. 1 guerrillas of Little Japan are powerful, or are we powerful! Li Deming ordered. The other five "Leshan" class light cruisers are also not very far from the "Leshan". Li Deming thought that he couldn't pick four with the "Leshan", so he immediately gathered his companions.

The No. 1 Guerrilla Unit of the Japanese Combined Fleet also discovered the "Leshan," and the commander of the No. 1 Japanese Guerrilla Force, the captain of the "Yoshino," Yoshimoto Yoichi, immediately ordered the fleet to approach the "Leshan." However, they did not have the wireless telegraphy technology to notify the Japanese Combined Fleet at a distance of thirty nautical miles. However, Heyuan wanted to see at a glance that there was only one western Sichuan battleship, and he was in a hurry to sink this western Sichuan battleship, and he couldn't care about anything else. At least he thinks he has a good chance of winning with four against one.

PS: The fourth update is here! Tomorrow's three watches, no update in the early morning! In addition, the update time will be slightly adjusted from tomorrow, and one chapter will be updated at one o'clock in the morning, one at two o'clock in the afternoon, and one chapter at night, for a total of three chapters. When four chapters are updated, one chapter will be updated around one in the morning! Thank you all for your support of Little Fish!! (To be continued.)