The Japanese fleet was on guard, and the Beiyang Fleet was fierce. Both sides of the war are waiting for the arrival of dawn, but what neither Qingri nor Japan expected is that there are still people waiting for the arrival of dawn and waiting for the peak showdown of the two navies!

The Yellow Sea, the Far East Fleet of the British Royal Navy. Three huge warships advanced towards the mouth of the Datong River in the night. At the head was the pride of the British Royal Navy, the new second-class battleship Centurion. The new turret 10-inch gun, the 4.7-inch gun with dense side chords and the 6-pounder rapid-fire gun show that it is powerful! The heavy 12-inch armor belt provided it with objective protection, allowing the battleship to ignore any cruiser-class artillery strike. (There is no evidence that the Centurion used hardened armor, so whether it could withstand the 12-inch gun, the author is not sure.) ）

And what the British are most proud of is that the output of this battleship reached 16,000 horsepower, which is enough to make this battleship run at a high speed of more than 20 knots! (Historically, it was enough to deal with other Russian and French ocean-going cruisers except Rurik!)

The vertical bow of the ship rises high and cuts through the water. The Centurion moved quickly with the two battleships behind it at a high speed of 15 knots. The 2 Edgar-class cruisers in the back are the production version of the cruisers after the British Empire entered the nineties, compared to the second-class battleships of more than 10,000 tons in front. The Edgar class is a bit shabby, and all other xìng abilities can't compare to the Centurion except for its speed.

But no one can take their existence lightly! These low-cost, moderate, and fast-paced warships were the faithful guardians of the British Empire's ocean-going routes. The construction of as many as 9 ships fully shows that this is a battleship with an extremely high price ratio! Although it could not deal with the Russian new cruiser, it did not have an advantage over the cruisers of the Sea of Azov. But with excellent endurance and speed. This class of warships will continue to fight for the British Empire's sea lines of communication.

"Commander, where are we going?" William Chell, captain of the Centurion, asked.

"Go see a big play, but it's bigger than Shakespeare's play! Because the actors in the factory are the fleets carefully built by the two countries with decades of financial and material resources. And the stage is the vast sea. The two sides will stage a battle with iron and blood that will change the national fortunes and historical trend of the two countries. The victorious side will have control of the Far East. And the losing side will fall into the abyss. After saying that, Felimant turned his head and said to William Chell: "And we will be honored to be a spectator of this historic battle, isn't it a great honor?" ”

"Your Excellency, are we just going to be bystanders? If in the unlikely event that the Qing Kingdom loses this battle, then will we sit idly by and watch the collapse of our allies? William Chel asked cautiously. The alliance between the British Empire and the Qing Dynasty, which had basically come to the fore, gave the British Navy a glimpse of an opportunity to make a difference.

"We just need to be a bystander, the battleships produced in Italy are completely fine, and the outdated things of the Japanese Navy are sent into the sea!" It was at this time. The door to the command room was opened. An Italian appeared in front of William Chell.

"Dear Mr. Vittorio, to be honest. I was shocked to hear that you had decided to watch the battle in the Far East. You don't have to be here, you can still get the details of the naval battle in Rome. Felimante stepped forward and said. From the standpoint. Britain tried to counterbalance the maritime power of France and Russia. The right allies had to be chosen, and Italy, which had a strong navy only in the Mediterranean, was undoubtedly a weight against France. And on the question of the Far East, both the British and the Italians supported the Beiyang, provided that there were common interests. It wasn't a big deal to get Vittorio on board and watch the naval battle with him. …,

"Mr. Vittorio, you are too confident in your battleship." William Chel's face was a little displeased.

"Nope. I have full confidence in General Xu Jie and the battleship we designed together! Vittorio corrected with a smile.

"Well, I have to admit that General Xu's understanding of naval warfare and his grasp of fighters are very good. Whether it was the Battle of Toshima or the subsequent Tokai Massacre, as well as the Battle off the coast of Izu, the performance of the Beiyang Rapid Fleet could be described as perfect. It is really amazing that 3 warships with a gross tonnage of 15,000 tons and 5 warships with a gross tonnage of 25,000 tons actually had a draw. William Chell nodded and said.

After carefully analyzing the reports of several battles between the Beiyang Fleet and the Japanese fleet, William Chell recognized Xu Jie's tactical level, whether it was the Battle of Toshima or the subsequent battle in the East China Sea that took advantage of the great reduction in the strength of the Japanese fast fleet, or the cut-in tactics of taking advantage of the speed gap when fighting the Japanese guerrilla fleet. These are all examples of battles that can be written into textbooks! Advocating the strong is a kind of human being, and William Chell is naturally not exempt from vulgarity, especially as a capital ship captain, he can better understand how difficult it is to be an excellent fleet commander, and naturally he is more respectful of the successful.

"How about we make a bet now?" Vittorio said with gusto.

"Bet on what?" Felimante on the side also came to be interested.

"Bet on how many battleships can be left in the Japanese fleet." Vittorio laughed.

"No, it's not fair, let's bet on how many tonnage warships the 12 capital ships of the Japanese fleet will be left after this war." William Chell disagreed.

"Well, it's up to you. I bet that the tonnage of the warships that the Japanese will return will not exceed 20,000 tons. Vittorio said with two fingers and a shake.

"Personally, I think it can definitely exceed 20,000 tons. Although there are 6 warships of more than 7,000 tons in the Beiyang Naval Division, only 3 can catch up with these two ships with a large speed advantage. And Kurama and Yoshino can get away from the pursuit at high speed. William Chell said.

"I agree with Captain William." Felimante said.

"Okay, I'll press £500." As he spoke, Vittorio pulled out a check.

"Mr. Vittorio, do you think we're all billionaires?" William Chell said as he took out £50.

"I'm pressing £100." Then Fremante turned to William Chell and said, "Tell the lads that we're going to make a big bet!" Bets can be placed on all interested parties. Which German friends are included. ”

"If there's nothing else, I'll go down and rest for a while, after all, tomorrow will be a big show." Vittorio smiled and turned to leave the command module.

"Do you really think that the Japanese fleet can return 20,000-ton warships?" After Vittorio left. Felimante asked.

"Isn't it?" William Chel asked curiously.

"I actually agree with the Italian. But I was a vice admiral in the British Royal Navy, and the Japanese fleet was dominated by British naval warships. Fremante sighed and said, "The £100 has gone into someone's pocket. ”

And just after Fremante's order was transmitted, nearly 3,000 crew members and ship-accompanying observers on the three capital ships almost all joined the prediction of the prospects of this naval battle! With the commander and captain taking the lead, up to the first and second officers. Down to cooks and boilermakers. It's as if they have all turned into naval specialists, and they use cups. Plates, and even knives and forks are used as battleships, deducing over and over what the two sides may encounter. After combining his own half-understood knowledge of naval warfare with the "reminders" of others. Throw more or less pounds in your pocket into the block.

The British are like this. The Italians and Germans who accompanied the ship were naturally not to be outdone. The only people who can come to this battleship as observers, except for the designers, are naval personnel. There is a certain understanding of the Navy. So this seemingly joking gamble actually tests the professionalism of the participants to a certain extent. …,

The betting situation of the game can also be distinguished by nationality. The Italians were basically the same as Vittorio, while the vast majority of the British believed that the Japanese could return at least 20,000 tons of warships. Some even thought that the war would end with a Japanese victory.

"Dear Mr. Vittorio. If the Japanese win, how much are you going to lose? "In the officer's lounge. A Scotsman asked Vittorio.

"£5,000!" Vittorio said with a hand outstretched.

And at one table, a group of Germans and a group of Englishmen are placing bets.

"I'm pressing 200 pounds, betting that the Japanese won't have 20,000 tons of warships left." A German with a Frederick mustache said. "Well, Scheer, I'll make you remember this day. I'm betting against you. A British naval officer said mockingly.

"That's great, I love it when people follow up, and I'll add another £50." The face of the German official named Scheer changed, and a kind of expression mixed with this jī movement and ruthlessness made people feel his hideousness.

"Gentlemen, this German friend is going to bet with us." Although there was a hint of ridicule on his face, the trills in his words made people know at a glance that this kid was afraid.

"Schulte, don't be afraid, if he dares to follow, let's bet with him. We lend you money. The British ** official on the side coaxed.

"Okay, I'll follow." The British ** officer named Schulte said.

"Very well, I'll add another £50." Scheer grinned and slapped £50 on the table.

"300 is 300. Is there a friend who would like to help our German counterpart? Schulte couldn't help wiping a cold sweat and said, with a mocking tone.

"I agree with Mr. Schell. £100. A British ** official sitting at the table next to him said in a deep voice.

"Goodnow? Do you know what you're talking about? Did you just throw £100 into the sea? Schulte said in surprise.

"I believe I'm going to win, and my arguments are based on rigorous deduction. I'm sure I can win. There was no hint of bōlan in Goodnow's tone.

"Oh my God, he's an Englishman." I don't know who said this, and then the whole crowd became even more noisy.

"Friend, are you going to have a drink? After this war is over, I will treat you to a Chinese feast. Scheer turned and said to Goodnow in a friendly voice.

"No, I'll make a lot of money when the time comes." Goodnow said with a smile.

"Then cheers to the pounds we're about to get." As he spoke, Scheer picked up the wine glass in his hand.

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