Chapter 231: A New Beginning

When Xu Jie led three Garibaldi-type armored cruisers (PISA is counted as Garibaldi-type derivative ships) to return to the assembly area in the afterglow of the setting sun, the sound of salutes resounded in the Yellow Sea. K Update welcomes the returning warriors.

Half an hour later, the Beiyang Fleet ships once again came to the conference room of the Tianjin. Unlike the somewhat dull atmosphere before the war, after the victory in this naval battle, the Beiyang Fleet has completely mastered the sea supremacy, and as long as the torpedoes in the Korean Strait are cleared, the supply lines of the Japanese Army will be directly under the attack of the Beiyang Fleet. It can be said that if there was no external force to intervene, this battle would have decided the outcome of the Sino-Japanese War.

The results of the battle were quickly counted, and the main force of the Japanese fleet was completely wiped out in this battle, except for the three battleships Kurama, Yoshino, and Hashidate. The success of the Meiji Restoration for more than 20 years was in vain under the blow of the Beiyang Fleet. Except for Dingyuan and Laiyuan, most of the other warships of the Beiyang Fleet suffered skin injuries. However, for Beiyang, which has only one 10,000-ton dock, it is also quite a huge workload to maintain as many as 9 warships of more than 5,000 tons. And after such a huge battle, the report and summary must also be prepared. Lessons learned, accountability and follow-up must be prepared.

Reporting is easy. The difficulty lies in the pursuit of responsibility, and objectively speaking, the outcome of this battle is not perfect. The Dingyuan was injured because of Liu Buyun's rashness, and in order to cover the retreat of the flagship, Lin Yongsheng's fleet did not join Xu Jie's fleet. directly led to the lack of troops in Xu Jie's hands. Fundamentally, Liu Buyun's mistake was the only relatively big mistake in this naval battle. How to report it has become a problem in front of the Beiyang princes.

On this issue, the princes of Beiyang fell into silence, Liu Buyun's mistake was very serious, but subjectively speaking, Liu Buyun's cutting tactics in order to cut off Japan's route were not wrong, but there was a mistake in the estimation of the opponent's speed and firepower. was caught between 4 warships totaling nearly 30,000 tons. It will definitely not work if it is not investigated, but if it is investigated, it is a very important question to compare Liu Buyun as the chief soldier of the Beiyang right-wing, as the head of the Fujian Party.

"Lord Liu's rash approach at the critical moment has brought great trouble to the fast fleet, I don't know if there is anything that General Liu needs to defend?" Luang Weili broke the silence in the room and said.

"Liu Zongbing also wants to take advantage of the enemy's lack of convergence and cut into the opponent's formation. In order to break each one, there is no mistake subjectively. "Lin Tai was the commander-in-chief of the left wing of the Beiyang Fleet, and he must say something at this time.

"There is no subjective error and does not exculpate all guilt. The escape of the Kurama and Yoshino brought great trouble to the follow-up battle of our Daqing Dynasty. This is a serious mistake. Lang Weili said solemnly.

"The Japanese fleet has been almost completely destroyed, and even if Kurama and Yoshino are repaired, they will not be able to be completed in two months under ideal circumstances. And even if it is done, the sea supply lines of the Japanese Army have been cut off, what can 2 cruisers do? Ye Zuqi said with some dissatisfaction. If it weren't for the fact that Lang Weili was the deputy admiral of the Beiyang Fleet, I am afraid that these words would be detained.

"The Russians are coming. That's 6 cruisers, and one of them is a fast cruiser with a tonnage larger than the Tianjin, and even in the big fleet, there is not a single battleship that can guarantee that it can catch up and fight! Luang Weili said heavily. Before this battle, Admiral Felimante of the British Royal Navy had already reminded us. If the repair of these two Japanese warships is completed, this joint Russian-Japanese fast fleet will pose a mortal threat to the Beiyang Fleet. ”…,

Zixiang confessed. This battle failed to win a big victory, and the Yin Zixiang knew that it was wrong. From today onwards, I, Liu Zixiang, will temporarily give up the official position of the commander-in-chief of the Beiyang Right Wing, and the court will be sent down after hearing this. Suddenly, Liu Buyun stood up and said.

"Lord Liu has passed, after all, the improvement plan for this battle was proposed by the adult, although Lord Liu has done it, but it also has merit." Deng Shichang got up and said.

"Everyone naturally understands very well whether it is merit or fault, and even if it passes, it will not be dismissed, right? Lord Liu said it seriously. Chen Guangbi said, talking about the conversation, and began to transfer Lin Yongsheng's fleet to the command of the Beiyang team, which indirectly ensured the combat effectiveness of the Beiyang team, so on this point, the leaders of the Beiyang team had to help Liu Buyun speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to point out that it is not up to us to decide how to deal with this matter, and we can give our opinions and write a report. But we must not overstep our bounds. Xu Jie, who had not spoken, said with a smile.

"It's actually a very simple matter to write, and the minutes of our meetings and the records of the battlefield are combined into a report. We only use objective statements of some facts, and as for how to deal with them, it depends on Li Zhongtang's intentions. Xu Jie didn't want to dwell too much on this issue.

First of all, whether it is Xu Jie or Ding Ruchang, he really has no right to dispose of a general soldier. Secondly, because of this incident, the discord between the old Beiyang and the new Beiyang really outweighed the loss. The Beiyang Fleet can have its current scale and combat power, and Xu Jie naturally has made great contributions. However, the performance of the old Beiyang in the naval battle of Gunsan Bay and this naval battle is indeed good on the whole. Especially in the naval battle of Gunsan Bay, it is not easy to fight a draw battle with inferior troops. If the head of the Fujian Party is severely punished because of a rash person, it will not be good in terms of sentiment or reason.

Xu Jie doesn't want to play a one-party dominance, although the current situation makes the Beiyang Fast Fleet occupy an absolute advantage in the Beiyang Fleet, but the officers and soldiers of the old Beiyang Xu Jie also want to win over. If he separated so early, it is estimated that Xu Jie would not want to take the entire Beiyang and even the larger alliance into his own hands!

"Lord Xu is right, we just need to write the report, how to deal with it, that's the matter of Li Zhongtang and the center." Xu Jie exonerated Liu Buchan, can Ding Ruchangyan hear it? Going down the slope is undoubtedly the best choice, and Ding Ruchang does not seek to cover up Liu Buyun's mistake in the report, because it will not be good if this annoys the pipes of the Beiyang Fast Fleet. After all, because of Liu Buyun's mistake, the Beiyang Fast Fleet was divided, and it is impossible to say that Deng Shichang and others have no opinion! It's just that Deng Shichang excused Liu Buchan on the old relationship.

"Since Lord Xu agreed, then I have nothing to say." The old-fashioned British think that wrong is wrong, right is right, relatively speaking, they pay more attention to the result, but because Xu Jie has a very special status, he is only a general soldier in name, but in fact, the Beiyang Fast Fleet can have such a scale because of his plan. What's more, in the most difficult time, Xu Jie also helped himself, so Lang Weili had to sell this face.

"Okay, in that case, let's move on to the next topic, what are we going to do after this battle is over?" Xu Jie looked around the venue and asked.

"Naturally, it is necessary to hurry back to Hong Kong to repair the battleship, and then clear the mines in the Korean Strait under the cover of the fleet, so that the main fleet can enter the Korean Strait to attack the Japanese supply line." Ye Zuqi said.

"The real test has not yet come, the Russians are coming, and this battle is probably inevitable. But we could not act against the Russians until they declared war. That's the key question. If we wait until the Russian fleet has completed its correction before we start, our Beiyang fleet will be passive, and the fast fleet will go around in circles with the Russians in the vast East China Sea, while the Beiyang fleet itself will have to be vigilant to prevent a surprise attack by the Russian fleet. Xu Jie carefully analyzed. …,

Although the overall strength of the Russian fleet was not as strong as that of the Beiyang Fleet. However, the main warships of the Russian fleet have a high speed, and the Beiyang Fleet has an advantage. In the event of a bite, the losses of the team were huge, and now that the situation on the battlefield had changed, the Russians could take advantage of the high speed to guerrilla attacks everywhere. However, the Beiyang Fleet needs to be carried around, and it is much more troublesome to guard against a sneak attack than a sneak attack.

"Before that, I personally believe that the remaining warships of the Japanese fleet must be completely eliminated." Xu Jie continued.

"Even if the fleet is ready, it will take time to clear the mines. Going to attack the Japanese fleet anchorage is clearly not going to work in a short time. Ding Ruchang shook his head and said.

"If my estimate is correct, the Kurama and Yoshino must return to the port of Yokosuka for overhaul, which is the only place in Japan where large warships can be repaired. I planned to take Yokosuka directly after the completion of the fleet rearmament, and although some shore defense guns at the entrance to Tokyo Bay were more troublesome, they were not insurmountable. Apart from a few mines, there were few other problems. And we are a surprise attack, even if the Japanese army is on guard, it is estimated that we will not think that we will take Tokyo Bay directly, right? Xu Jie told his plan.

"If the Russians were to enter the war, the port of Yokosuka could also be used as a base for the Russian fleet. If you attack at that time, it will be too difficult. If we can get rid of this port before the Russian fleet arrives, then the Russian warships will be disposable. Luang Weili supports this.

"What about the Beiyang Fleet itself?" Ding Ruchang asked.

"I suggest that the tasks of the Beiyang Fleet are mainly in the following two aspects: First, cover the minesweeping team to clear the minefields in the Korean Strait and prepare for the subsequent attack on Japan's maritime supply lines. Second, to provide cover for the army evacuated from the mouth of the Datong River, our Beiyang Army lacks heavy artillery, and if the other side follows, the cover of the navy will play a very important role. Xu Jie said and handed a plan that had been drafted to Ding Ruchang and the others.

"Lord Xu is really ruthless, this is to completely sweep the coast of Japan clean." Ding Ruchang looked at the plan in his hand and said, it turned out that in Xu Jie's plan, not only Tokyo Bay, but also all major coastal cities in Japan were in his plan to crack down. Kure Port, Osaka, Yokohama and other cities are all alternative targets for the fast fleet.

"If the battleship can go to land, I don't mind bombing all the cities in Japan." Xu Jie made a joke.

"By the way, there is one more thing, about the supplies and accessories that the Beiyang Fleet needs, you can contact according to this list, and the British friends will be happy to help the Beiyang Fleet against the Russian fleet." As he spoke, Xu Jie handed a document full of his name and contact information to Ding Ruchang.

"The naval battle off the Datong River only represents the end of a phase, the beginning of a new one, and if we want to win the victory completely and regain control of the Far East, then we have more to do." Xu Jie said meaningfully.

Thanks to the book friend techie81 for the tip. When I got up this morning, I found that the subscriptions were 100+ less than usual. The author's heart is cold~~~. Ask for subscription, ask for recommendation~~~~.