In August, in the Yellow Sea, the sun shines like fire and the waves fly like snow.

The golden dragon pattern shines on the bow of the armored battleship "Ruixiang".

The naval battle flag of the golden dragon on the red ground fluttered dazzlingly against the background of the blue sky. Under the battle flag, the gray warship hull stirred the sea water, breaking through the waves and pulling out a radiating water trail.

.

Lieutenant General Lin Taitsang, commander of the Zhenyang Fleet and commander of the East Asia Combined Fleet, is sitting on the towering bridge of the "Ruixiang", drinking tea leisurely. There are only two people drinking tea with the commander-in-chief, one is the chief of staff of the combined fleet

Major General Sa Zhenbing, the other is the commander's first-class adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Ye Fei who just graduated from the master's class of the Imperial Naval University three months ago.

A canvas awning was placed on the top of the bridge to provide shade, and a pine desk replaced the tea table. There were kettles and tea leaves on it, and narrow-mouthed and long-tubed navy water cups were held in each person's hands - drinking tea on the rocking battleship.

It can't be too particular.

Lin Tai once took a sip of warm tea, covered the cup, took a long breath, and looked forward. Countless wisps of black smoke were drawn by the wind into diagonal lines and stretched into the sky, dividing the blue main body.

Harmonious sea and sky.

The ones emitting the black smoke were the light cruisers and destroyers escorting the left and right groups in front of the battleship group.

"The situation is getting more and more tense, I'm afraid there's going to be a fight." Lin Taizeng said casually, staring ahead.

"We're going to fight after all," Sa Zhenbing said, with no emotion in his tone.

Ye Fei looked at the commander, then at the chief of staff, stroking the tea cup and said, "May I ask, sir, if you are sure of victory?"

Lin Tai once glanced at him and said nothing. Sa Zhenbing smiled and said to him: "This is not what you should say. You can analyze it yourself."

Ye Fei pursed his lips uneasily, and when he saw the commander's expression asking him to do as the chief of staff said, he lowered his head and began to analyze.

"In terms of ship strength, our army has four battleships with the Dian name and two with the Rui name in active service. The former is equipped with four main guns of 40 times the caliber and 305 mm in length, and the latter is equipped with the same six main guns.

, each equipped with ten to twelve secondary guns with a caliber of 45 times and a length of 150 mm, with a speed of 17 knots, and a main armor belt thickness of 10 to 13 inches. There are six armored cruisers in active service, such as Yunzi and Suzhou.

Both ships are equipped with four main guns of 40 times the caliber and 305 mm in length, and eight to ten secondary guns of 150 mm in length of the 45 times the caliber. They have a speed of 20 to 22 knots and a thickness of the main armor belt.

It is six to ten inches. The active cruisers include ten Fengzi, ten Yuzi, four Jianzi and four Daozi, a total of twenty-eight. Among them, Fengzi and Daozi are equipped with 24 times the caliber 21

There are two to four 0mm main guns, six to eight 150mm secondary guns with a caliber of 30 times the length, and a speed of 21 to 22 knots; the Yuzi and Jianzi are each equipped with a gun with a length of 45 times the caliber.

Four 50mm main guns, ten 120mm rapid-fire guns with a caliber of 45 times the body length, with a speed of 25 to 26 knots. Thirty-six destroyers, equipped with an additional 75 to 1

20mm guns and four to six torpedo launchers. There are 62 torpedo boats, most of which are equipped with 75mm guns, multi-barreled machine guns and two to four torpedo launchers."

Ye Fei raised his head and found that the commander and chief of staff were listening to him seriously or pretending to be serious, so he mustered up the courage to continue: "As for the Pacific Fleet of country e, there are seven battleships in service, five of them

Each battleship is equipped with four 305mm main guns, and the other two are each equipped with four 254mm main guns. All battleships are equipped with eleven to twelve 152mm secondary guns. The thickness of the main armor belt is eight to ten

inches, with a speed of 17 to 18 knots. There are a total of five armored cruisers in active service, the two largest of which are Rurik and Perak, both of which are over 10,000 tons. Each is equipped with four 203mm main guns and 16

The other two ships have a displacement of 6,700 tons, each with eight 152mm main guns, and a speed of 20 to 23 knots.

There are also seven light cruisers, thirty-seven large and small destroyers, and two minelayers."

"We are all aware of this information." Sa Zhenbing said, continuing to smile at Ye Fei.

"The crux of the problem lies on land." Lin Taizeng spoke, but he didn't smile. He rarely smiled in the first place.

"Once the war breaks out, the army will try its best to surround and capture Vladivostok. The e-state fleet is likely to be forced to move along the coast in order to defend their most important military port in the Far East to support land operations. At that time, our combined fleet will have no choice but to stay in the e** port.

Cruise nearby, looking for opportunities to destroy the E-State fleet, and support land operations when necessary. If that is the case, both sides will inevitably lay mines on a large scale and block key coastal waters. Our sophisticated warships and well-trained officers and soldiers will also be easily approached.

Destroy the mines on the shore."

After Lin Taizeng finished speaking, he opened the lid of the tea cup and took another sip of tea.

"Existing mine protection can only prevent torpedo attacks when anchored in the port, and it must be very difficult to clear mines under the eyes of the enemy." Sa Zhenbing added.

"So, Adjutant Ye, what do you think? We may win in the end, but we may also have to pay a huge price."

Ye Fei took a sip of the tea and felt that the tea was very astringent, but he did not dare to say it. This was not the time to say that the tea was astringent.

"We should make preparations in advance to induce or 'force' the e people to go to sea for a decisive battle."

"The e people may go to sea for a decisive battle, but we are likely to be unable to achieve a decisive victory, or even achieve any truly valuable results. As a result, we will still have to fall into the circle of fortress offensive and defensive operations, which will be full of dangers and costs.

A costly battle.”

Lin Taizeng sighed, but there was obviously no cowardice in his tone.

"We cannot always be immersed in the good memories of the Battle of Daedonggou. After all, we have also tasted the bitter fruits of failure in the previous battle off Incheon. To be clear, the Pacific Fleet of country E is not much weaker than us. We must

Be careful and make every effort to outsmart the enemy while preserving the battleships. Remember that Country E has more than one Pacific Fleet and the Navy of Country E has a total of twenty battleships. If the people of Country E gather more than half of the main force of the navy,

In the Far East, we will definitely not be our opponents. The E people will send reinforcements. They will not sit back and watch the Far East be occupied by us. The E people will send entire army divisions from Europe, and they will also send huge fleets from the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea.

We want to disable the existing Pacific Fleet's combat effectiveness before their support fleet arrives, but even if we achieve this step, we will pay unbearable heavy losses, and by then it is likely that we will no longer be able to fight against the support fleet sent by the e-country people."

"So, does it mean that the outcome is uncertain?" Ye Fei listened with rapt attention, feeling that a figure like the Commander-in-Chief is, after all, powerful and talented, and can often see problems from a height that ordinary people cannot reach.

"For lower-level officers and soldiers, they need to have the belief that they will win. However, for senior officers, they must consider the overall situation and make clear judgments. Even if the result is undoubtedly defeat, they cannot be discouraged and can only rely on their own

We have the ability to do our best to execute the orders of our superiors. Today, we have a slight advantage in technology and equipment over the Pacific Fleet, but the outcome of the war is not determined by small differences in equipment. The sailors of country e are skilled, disciplined, and strong

With a sense of honor, the new commander of the Pacific Fleet, Lieutenant General Makarov, is knowledgeable, energetic and has a strong sense of responsibility. He launched a comprehensive rectification as soon as he took office. Since June this year, he has conducted multiple mixed formation navigation training and

Three combat exercises, and before that, the entire E-State Pacific Fleet only conducted one mixed formation sailing training in two years. Our opponents are not weak. We must first have this understanding so as not to underestimate the enemy in wartime.

Causing unnecessary losses."

Ye Fei nodded repeatedly and was about to speak, but Sa Zhenbing held his pocket watch and said: "The tea time is over. The fleet combat maneuver drill will begin in ten minutes, and the live ammunition shooting training will begin in one hour. Everyone will

Call me up."

Lin Taizeng nodded and asked the messenger around him to call all the other adjutants, staff officers and other headquarters personnel to the bridge.

Ten minutes later, a piercing whistle sounded, and the huge battleship group began to turn.

"Heading 318, accelerate to 15 knots."

Colonel Hong Feng, the captain of the armored battleship "Ruixiang" gave an order, and "Ruixiang" twisted its huge steel body with a standard displacement of 14,800 tons. Thick black soot spewed out from three thick chimneys, and it assembled

The beautiful bow decorated with golden dragons cut through the water waves, pointed north-northwest, and headed towards the Bohai Sea, the inland sea of ​​the empire.

"Fleet Level 1 Alert!"

Lin Tai, the commander of the combined fleet, gave a stern order on the bridge, and then the sirens spread throughout the fleet. The crews took their positions, and the main and secondary guns of each ship also began to be debugged. The huge battleship's main gun turret turned left and right, and the gun barrel moved up and down, with momentum.

Town people.

"It's like this. I applied for the Naval Academy just to see this exciting scene. No, there are more. I want to see it with my own eyes and join the battlefield in person, witness and command the battleship group to attack the enemy.

The ships fired in salvo, and seeing them turn into torches on the sea one by one, that's why I joined the navy."

Next to Lin Tai, Ye Fei had already begun to dream of becoming a future fleet commander. He missed the Sino-Japanese War because he had not completed his undergraduate studies at Naval University. He later served as destroyer gunnery commander, deputy captain, captain, light ship commander, etc.

The deputy captain of the cruiser was sent to the Imperial Naval University's master's degree program in tactics three years ago because of his outstanding performance. After graduation, he did not serve as the chief officer on the ship, but was appointed as the adjutant of the commander - this is

A job that is enviable to everyone. After passing this level, the road to promotion in the future is like a green light.

However, at an altitude of 10,000 meters, no living thing would notice the lucky Ye Fei on the battleship "Ruixiang". From there, looking down at the sea, you would only see steel snakes spitting out countless curved smoke pillars.

Lower the altitude and look around from the top of the mast of the battleship "Ruixiang". Behind you, there is the "Ruixiang"'s sister ship "Rigi", which is also spraying dirty smoke from three large chimneys into the clean sky.

, the two at the front, one and three twin 305mm main gun turrets are still rotating left and right for debugging. Further back, four D-type battleships "Feidian" with a standard displacement of 12,800 tons each, "Zhen"

"Electricity", "Thunderbolt", and "Yundian" are each emitting darker plumes of smoke from the two huge main chimneys. There is a square main turret with an inclined surface at the front and rear. Some of them have stopped debugging, and some are still turning.

Turn around. Behind the battleship Dian, the Suzhou-class armored cruisers "Suzhou" and "Hangzhou" with a standard displacement of 11,800 tons were not to be outdone, and they slashed their huge bodies into the blue sea, especially the stern of the ship.

Snow-white foam and boiling waves flew up from behind. Further behind, six Yunzi battleships with a standard displacement of 10,500 tons were "Chuiyun", "Baoyun", "Lingyun", "Caiyun" and "Baiyun"

, "Xiangyun" is busy shooting black clouds into the sky. Behind the main battleship formation of the entire combined fleet are two Japanese Navy armored cruisers "Fuji" and "Izumo", which were ordered from the United Kingdom. They are standard

It has a displacement of 9,800 tons and is equipped with four 305mm main guns and ten 150mm secondary guns. However, its armor protection is weaker than that of the Chinese-made Yunziha and Suzhou-class, with the main armor belt being about six inches.

, and the coverage area is less than 30% of the area on both sides.

In front of the main battleship formation composed of these sixteen 10,000-ton giant ships, sixteen high-speed light cruisers and thirty-two fleet destroyers were arranged in six columns, moving slowly as the vanguard of the fleet.

Looking from the mast top of the battleship "Ruixiang", the first column on the left is all the "Songxue" class destroyers with double chimneys. From front to back are "Baixue", "Feixue", "Songxue" and "Linxue"

, "Miyuki", "Musuki", "Sanyuki", and "Luoxue", a total of eight ships. The second column from the left is all three-chimney "Suigetsu" class destroyers. The standard displacement of this class of ships is 960

tons, equipped with three single 120mm rapid-fire cannons and two triple 460mm torpedo launch tubes, with a speed of 30 knots. From the front, the entire array is "Haoyue" in sequence.

"Xueyue", "Songyue", "Shuiyue", "Jiangyue", "Huyue", "Haiyue" and "Guiyue", a total of eight ships. The third column from the left is the first four ships

The "Baojian" class light cruisers are, in order, "Dragon Sword", "Tiger Sword", "Baojian" and "Wind Sword". This class of ships has a standard displacement of 4,310 tons and a maximum speed of 26 knots.

The armor belt only wrapped the thickest five inches of armor around the boiler and engine room. Behind the "Sword" class, there were four four-chimney "Burmese Rain" class light cruisers, in order "Spring Rain", "Qiu Yu",

"Gu Yu" and "Wu Yu", this class of ships has a standard displacement of 3,620 tons, a speed of 25 knots, and is completely unarmored. The fourth column from the left is led by four "Burmese Rain" class light cruisers.

, followed by "Xiayu", "Heavy Rain", "Thunderstorm", and "Sanyu", followed by four light cruisers of the Japanese Navy, namely "Asahi", "Kasuga", "Nissin", "

"Rijin" was originally a "Dragon Ax" class imported by China from Germany. It was transferred to the Japanese Navy for a fee in 1902, but was still incorporated into the Combined Fleet. Its standard displacement is 3,500 tons and its speed is 25 knots.

It is equipped with four 150mm main guns and eight 120mm rapid-fire guns, without armor protection. The fifth column from the left is the second column from the right, followed by the fleet destroyers "Ning Yue", "

"Jingyue", "Qingyue", "Pingyue", "Mingyue", "Tingyue", "Lingyue", "Xingyue", the sixth column from the left and the second column from the right, in order:

Fleet destroyers "Ray Snow", "Frost Snow", "White Snow", "Misty Snow", "Wind Snow", "Cloud Snow", "Light Snow", "Xue".

The sun rose to the zenith, and a long line of target ships floated out from the clear sea sky. The huge group of battleships plowed the bright sea and headed towards those with their white eyes open.

The large-sailed target ship quickly approached.

"Target, enemy battleship Sevastopol, fire!"
Chapter completed!