On the Changlong flagship, Commander Xue Du said in a deep voice, his eyes falling on the dozen Japanese warships not far away.
Within their encirclement, the wreckage of some warships were scattered on the water, bobbing up and down with the ripples of the water, and emerging from the water from time to time.
A lifebuoy floated on the water, with a few words clearly written on it, which was the name of the battleship, "Goshawk"
Everyone on the flagship understood that they were late!
"You bastards, I'm not done with you!" On a frigate, the captain who had the best relationship with the captain of the Goshawk frigate gritted his teeth and cursed, "Pay with blood, just wait."
On the six warships, the sailors were all filled with indignation and glared at the Japanese warships opposite.
At this time, the Japanese warships turned around and converted into a formation to confront the First Fleet, and then sailed over head on. It seemed that they planned to start a battle with the First Fleet.
Commander Xue Du Xue had a gloomy face and shouted sternly, "Come forward to meet us."
Using the flagship Changlong as the benchmark, the four warships moved toward the Japanese warship from both wings, while the remaining frigate stayed behind, ready to support the ships in front at any time.
The First Fleet only has a total of six battleships, which is half less than the Japanese. Among them, the ratio of the more powerful destroyers is one to four, which is a huge difference.
If they had not received the message from above and had confidence in their hearts, Xue Du and the others would not have been able to win even if they tried their best.
But now that they had confidence in their hearts, they were naturally full of energy and took the initiative to launch an offensive formation and hit the Japanese fleet.
Although the distance was relatively far, both sides were relatively fast, so they quickly entered the range of the naval guns.
With two bangs, the Japanese army fired first, and the shells whizzed past and landed on the right side of the Changlong flagship, splashing water into the sky.
Xue Du stood in the captain's cabin, his eyes unblinking, as if the two shells did not fall against the warship but were thousands of miles away, staring at the enemy opposite.
On both sides, the four frigates did not fire their guns, but pressed forward silently, forcing the Japanese warships on the opposite side.
The Japanese warships opened fire one after another, and the shells flew across the sky and fell in the queue of the first fleet. Most of them failed, and they only caused water splashes in the sky.
The First Fleet was moving forward while taking various evasive maneuvers. Therefore, although the Japanese fired first, the hit rate was not high. Only one frigate received one shot, which only shattered a piece of the deck.
The distance between the two sides was approaching at high speed, getting closer and closer, and they had entered a relatively sensitive warning line.
"Fire."
When they arrived here, the warships of the First Fleet opened fire. The guns of different calibers kept spitting out tongues of flame, covering the Japanese fleet in an instant.
It seems that they did not expect the First Fleet to be so desperate and rush all the way to this distance, so most of them just stayed there dumbly and became the targets of the First Fleet.
Boom boom boom——, the artillery shells jumped in the sky, were launched from the ships of the First Fleet, and then landed on the deck of the Japanese warship, exploding into dazzling flames.
Those decks and everything were torn apart by the explosion of the cannonballs, and it looked as if someone had removed a layer.
The first round of bombardment lasted for about three minutes, and both sides suffered casualties. However, it was obviously the First Fleet that took advantage and caused greater casualties to the other side by using force.
However, this was an advantage obtained by the first fleet through the surprise attack. It would not be useful the second time because the opponent was on guard, so it had to enter a tug-of-war.
As a result, the disadvantages of the First Fleet were revealed, and they began to gradually fall into a disadvantage.
The opponent is equivalent to two ships against one, which makes the first fleet, which was already lagging behind, more and more passive, and it has begun to feel like it is being suppressed by others.
The four Japanese destroyers were lined up in a row, and around them were protected by the eight frigates, forming a very solid defensive front.
The offensive formation of the First Fleet was quickly frustrated. They could not break through the opponent's defensive formation at all, so they had to modify their combat plan. The Japanese army also changed their countermeasures accordingly, and it was a lively fight.
On the Changlong flagship, Commander Xue Du looked solemn as he kept issuing orders and directing the fleet to make adjustments to reduce losses.
In the captain's room of the flagship, Commander Xue Du looked serious, holding red and blue pencils in his hand and scribbling on the map, constantly revising the battle plan.
These plans are all improvised, and are modified and constantly adjusted at any time, because the battle situation is changing rapidly and there is no fixed formula to follow.
Chief of Staff Jiang Tatsu hurried over from the side of the captain's room and said hurriedly, "Commander, the Haruyun was severely damaged and has basically lost its combat capability. I think it is best to evacuate as soon as possible."
The Haruyun was a frigate, the oldest and most backward among these warships, but it was also the warship that rushed forward in this battle. She fought bravely and held off the two Japanese frigates.
So far in the battle, the Haruyun has been scarred, even the mast has been blown off, a big hole has been blasted in the hull, and the bow has begun to sink.
Commander Xue Du's brows turned into knots. He stared at the map in front of him and said to himself, "No, once she withdraws, what will happen to the two extra warships?"
It is already very difficult for six warships to cope with twelve warships. If the Japanese army has two warships freed up due to the withdrawal of the Haruun, the pressure on other warships will definitely increase suddenly.
At that time, it is likely to cause a chain reaction and lead to a collapse.
Chief of Staff Tatsuya E knew this, so after saying that, he shut his mouth and said nothing.
After thinking for a while, Xue Du dropped the pencil on the map, then grabbed the radio and shouted, "I am Xue Du, the Chunyun. Persevere, persevere, and we must hold back the Japanese."
"The Haruyun understands and will fight to the death to complete the mission." The captain of the Haruyun sent a reply, stating their intention.
The battle continued and became more and more intense, and the six Chinese warships suffered more and more scars, with less than 60% of their combat effectiveness left.
There was a roar, and finally, the blazing flames spread to the ammunition depot of the Chunyun, causing the ammunition to explode. The violent explosion turned the Chunyun into a sea of fire, and was wrapped in the flames that covered the sky and the sun.
.
"Commander, farewell!" This was the last telegram sent by the Haruyun, and then the warship sank quickly and disappeared into the river.
Holding the telegram in his hand, Xue Du's nose felt sore and tears appeared in his eyes, but he immediately endured it and said, "You are my best soldiers. I am proud of you."
"Commander, what should we do now?" Chief of Staff Jiang Da was worried. The two frigates that had escaped the control of the Chunyun were turning around and heading towards the flagship of the Changlong.
…………
I felt very unhappy when I was teased last night, and I was too lazy to say anything. I will not make any promises in the future!