The waterway between Laotieshan and Beichenghuang Island is the widest waterway between the Bohai Strait, accounting for about 40% of the width of the entire Bohai Strait. If the Nanming Navy invades the Bohai Sea, it can only pass through here.
This is the maritime gateway to the Bohai Sea and the Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan region, and the Manchus and Qing Dynasties have always cared about it. Although the strait is more than 40 kilometers wide and can accommodate two Beijings or three Nanjings, the Manchus and Qing Dynasties obviously still tried their best to defend it.
This can be seen from the arrangement of the forts at both ends.
On Laotieshan Mountain in the northern section, the Qing army set up artillery groups on the top of two mountains.
An artillery group is located on the top of two low hills near the strait, a few hundred meters away from the coast. Each of them consists of three forts. Each fort is equipped with a 210 mm gun and two 155 mm guns.
The other artillery group is located on the two main peaks of Laotieshan Mountain with an altitude of more than 300 meters, about three kilometers away from the coast. Each of them consists of two forts. Each fort is equipped with a 280 mm gun and two 254 mm guns.
The Laotieshan coast artillery group includes a total of 2 280 mm guns, 4 254 mm guns, 3 210 mm guns, and 6 155 mm guns.
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However, the Beichenghuang Island artillery group at the southern end is much smaller. Beichenghuang Island is very small, only two or three square kilometers, and there are no mountains. The highest point is only more than 100 meters above sea level. Therefore, Beichenghuang Island
There are only three forts, each with two 210mm guns and two 155mm guns.
The Beichenghuangdao artillery group has a total of 6 210mm guns and 6 155mm guns.
In this way, the total number of shore guns used to block waterways reached 2 280 mm guns, 4 254 mm guns, 9 210 mm guns, and 12 155 mm guns.
Among them, the 280mm gun with the largest caliber and the longest range has a maximum range of 27,000 meters; the 210mm gun, which serves as the main force, has a maximum range of 24,000 meters, and the smallest 155mm gun has a maximum range of 17,000 meters.
In other words, theoretically, the artillery on both sides of the Qing army can completely cover the 40-kilometer-wide strait... But, this is only theoretical.
Although the range of artillery in this era has reached tens of thousands of meters, and some abnormal ones have even reached hundreds of thousands of meters, before the emergence of fire control radar, the distance of 15,000 meters to 20,000 meters was already the limit of human vision.
The accuracy rate is almost zero. After firing hundreds of rounds, it would be good to have one near-miss.
Therefore, when formulating the plan, the Ming navy generals did not regard the Qing forts as a consideration at all, and simply ignored them. As long as the Ming fleet lined up in a straight line and passed in the middle of the waterway, it ensured that there were 20,000 soldiers on both sides.
At a distance of 300 meters, the Qing army's fort can be said to be symbolic.
But what the Ming generals were more worried about were the mines in the middle of the waterway. Perhaps the Qing army themselves knew that the strait was too wide, and their shore artillery on both sides could only have the effect of forcing the enemy fleet to the middle, so they deployed mines in the middle of the waterway.
For minefields, your ships must go both ways when entering or exiting.
According to the intelligence of the Ming army, the mine belt deployed by the Qing army in the middle of the strait is a rectangle 30 kilometers long from north to south and 10 kilometers wide from east to west, blocking the middle of the strait. Any ship that wants to enter or exit the strait must use the safe waters of 5,000 meters on both sides.
Passed. And this 5,000-meter-wide "safe zone" was right under the nose of the Qing army's fort.
This time the Ming army brought 20 minesweepers for this purpose.
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Twenty minesweepers of more than 300 tons lined up at the front and began to push forward at a speed of 10 knots. Behind each boat was a wide minesweeper. Wherever the minesweepers passed, floating mines on the sea were swept away.
detonated; the iron chain of the anchor mine under the sea was also cut off, and it floated up and detonated.
For a moment, there were loud noises in front of the fleet, and tall water columns rose and fell one after another.
Naturally, the Qing army's forts on both sides couldn't just watch. Although they knew that their cannons were basically "in vain if they don't fire, and they would be in vain if they hit", they still had to fire, otherwise they would be "letting the enemy drive" and would fall.
Brain.
Bright spots flashed on the two peaks of Laotieshan Mountain, and at the same time more than a dozen smoke clouds floated gently.
Three observers on the starboard side of the bridge of the Hongwu shouted at the same time:
"At two o'clock, Lao Tieshan opened fire on us!"
Immediately afterwards, a dozen bright spots flashed on the low hills of Beichenghuang Island, and a dozen smoke clouds floated up.
The three observers on the port side also shouted at the same time:
"At ten o'clock, Beichenghuangdao opened fire on us!"
The fleet commander stared at the minesweeper directly ahead with his binoculars, watching the explosions one after another, and just nodded:
"Um."
Then he turned around and said:
"Hey, pour me another cup of tea."
The observer's voice came from the microphone again:
"Captain, all ships have sent signals asking if they should fight back."
The captain asked the fleet commander:
"Lord Commander?"
The fleet commander smiled slightly: "No need to fight back."
"Yes, no need to fight back!"
At this time, a dozen water columns rose up from the sea a few hundred meters away. A moment later, another dozen water columns rose up from another place on the sea.
The impact point was so far away that the scream of the air was not even heard beforehand.
On the bridge of the Hongwu, the signal lights issued commands forward and backward: maintain the formation, maintain the distance, maintain the original speed, we are safe, don't be nervous.
The minesweepers in the front were still clearing mines swaggeringly, and the warships in the back were still swaggering in.
Every few minutes, several giant cannons at both ends would flash fire, and then a few minutes later, a giant water column would rise up where the fleet's eight poles could not reach.
In the gaps between the flashes of the 280mm and 254mm cannons, the 210mm and 155mm shore guns flashed with fire from time to time, and water columns rose up from both sides of the fleet. But so far, there has not been a single near miss.
Didn't show up.
The fleet commander put down his telescope and walked outside to the open-air bridge with hot tea. While drinking tea, he watched the water columns rising from time to time in the distance.
He looked at the observers holding large telescopes around him and said with a smile:
"How's it going, boys? Scared?"
None of the observers put down their telescopes, but just shook their heads with a smile. It was the first time for them to see this formation. Although they knew that they were unlikely to be shot, after all, there were more than a dozen cannons firing at them in the distance.
I always feel a little nervous.
While observing, several young men laughed and said:
"Sir, we know there is nothing to be afraid of! Even if we stop here and shoot them for a day, it will be great if they can hit two or three shots."
"Qinglu's more than 200 mm artillery shells, even if they get hit a few times, it's almost like scratching an itch."
"If they can really hit us, the gunners of the Qing Dynasty will be able to buy lottery tickets!"
…
Black clouds began to appear in the sky, and then muffled noises continued to be heard. This was the anti-aircraft guns near Lushun shooting down the Ming army's reconnaissance planes.
Between the dark clouds in the sky, a four-plane formation of fighter jets shuttled rapidly, not even planning to take evasive action.
Since the Dongjiang Fleet Base of the Ming Army is only 100 kilometers away from here, fighter jets are used for reconnaissance. Fighter jets have small targets, are fast, and have strong self-defense capabilities. Although the Qing Army's artillery fire is quite dense, it wants to hit such a small target.
Such a fast target is obviously more difficult than hitting a Ming warship 20,000 meters away.
"No enemy planes found around!"
"No enemy torpedo boats found around!"
"The enemy ship is still in Port Arthur and has no movement to leave the port!"
"No enemy ships were found in the direction of Weihai!"
The investigation results are continuously transmitted to the base from all directions and then to the fleet flagship.
Obviously, the Qing army saw the Ming army's arrival of battleships and did not want the few cruisers to come out and die.
This was the first time that the Ming fleet entered the Bohai Strait on a large scale. The Qing generals in Lushun did not dare to neglect and immediately reported to the higher level. The usually inefficient Qing military administrative system has now become more energetic. This news
It only took half an hour to report to Emperor Guangwu. The dedicated telephone line from Lushun headquarters to the imperial study room in the palace was also opened.
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In the Forbidden City in Beijing, Emperor Guangwu stared at the report and could hardly believe his eyes.
Since the end of the last century, the Ming fleet has never invaded the Bohai Sea on such a large scale. At most, submarines have sneaked in. The Bohai Sea has always been the "inland sea" of the Qing Dynasty, and the Bohai Strait has always been considered an insurmountable gateway for the Ming army.
In fact, regardless of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, every sane person knows that it is not that the Nanming fleet cannot enter, but that the Manchu and Qing Dynasties have been on a strategic offensive against Nanming since the Reform Movement of 1898, and Nanming is unwilling to cause trouble.
But it seems different now.
He immediately summoned all the main military generals below to hold an emergency military meeting.
Emperor Guangwu paced frantically in his study room, looking at the clock on the wall and then at the map.
On the map, a black dot was drawn with a pencil at the entrance to the Bohai Strait. This was what he drew on the report he received five minutes ago.
He stared at the phone on the table, hesitating whether to order the three cruisers from Port Arthur to leave the port to intercept. The order had to be given now. According to reports, the Ming Dynasty fleet was moving at a speed of 10 knots, which meant that it would not be until later.
In ten minutes, they will pass through the minefields and enter the Bohai Sea. At that time, the sea is open, and the enemy ships can change formations at will, seize positions, and even form a T-shaped position to meet the pursuers. Then the three cruisers of our own side will
It's really a death wish.
Now the only main force of the Qing Navy is four heavy cruisers and three light cruisers.
Among them, the Tianming, the heavy cruiser Yongzheng, the light cruiser Xuantong are in Lushun, the heavy cruiser Kangxi, the light cruiser Guangwu are in Weihai, the heavy cruiser Chongde, and the light cruiser Shunzhi are in Qingdao.
This is all the assets, the rest are some destroyers and torpedo boats.
There are battleships in the Nanming fleet coming today.
Moreover, Guangwu knew in his heart that the quality of Nanming's battleships' weapons and the quality of their sailors' training were far superior to their own. In a real fight, two cruisers could overwhelm all three of Lushun's cruisers without the need for battleships.
If one more battleship were added, it would be able to overwhelm all the remaining cruisers of the Qing Navy.
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The pencil in Guangwu's hand was almost broken... If he conserved his strength and did not order an interception, God knows what the purpose of this Nanming fleet entering the Bohai Sea was?
He stared at the composition of the Nanming fleet written in the report, read it several times, and suddenly picked up the phone and asked:
"Is there really no troop transport ship in the Nanming fleet? Go check it again for me!"
Putting down the phone, he held his chin again and stared at the map of the Bohai Sea region.
Although the Qing Dynasty is vast, its coastline is not long, and most of it is an alluvial plain, which is extremely gentle. It is not like the coastline of Nanming, which is all bumpy and convex. There are a lot of good ports. The three major ones in the Qing Dynasty are Lushun, Weihai and Qingdao.
A decent military port.
The two military ports in Lushun and Weihai are like two doors, guarding the gateway to the Bohai Sea. But once you enter the Bohai Sea, there are no more military ports along the coast. In other words, as long as the Ming fleet does not enter the range of the shore artillery, it will
Watch out for torpedo boats so the Qing army can't do anything to them.
The phone rang, and he replied that he had verified again that there were indeed no troop transport ships in the Ming fleet.
Guangwu pinched his chin and thought fiercely. Without a troop transport ship, it would not be an invasion landing. Without a troop transport ship, just two aircraft carriers, could it be that they were here to bomb Beijing?
If the Nanming bombers took off from the Changshan Islands, Beijing would already be within the bombing radius, but the range of the fighter jets was not enough. Could it be that the two aircraft carriers carried fighter jets to escort the bombers taking off from the Changshan Islands?
However, why is Nanming bombing Beijing inexplicably now? The Qing Dynasty did not attack it, so how dare it take the initiative to attack the Qing Dynasty? Besides, what is the use of just bombing it? Nan Ming did not mobilize its troops accordingly!
Is it because they want to vent their anger? It’s not right to vent their anger. After the Qing Dynasty bombarded Nanjing last time and even invaded Nanjing, Nanming did not bomb Beijing. Now it is bombing despite everything going well. What does it mean?
…
At 9:15 a.m., Guangwu received the latest report - the Nanming fleet had passed through the minefield and opened a safe corridor about 5,000 meters wide across the minefield. Now the entire fleet has increased its speed and is operating at 25 knots.
traveling westward at a speed.
"Could it be that...our cannons didn't..." Guang Wu held the phone and asked with difficulty and pain, "...didn't even one shot... hit the enemy ship?"
"Your Majesty..." Commander Lushun responded with difficulty and said sadly, "Not a single shot..."
Guangwu said nothing. He was extremely disappointed with the Strait Fort, which he had placed high hopes on before, and hung up the phone.
The generals of the navy and air force arrived one after another. Since Guangwu finally did not make up his mind to send a cruiser out of the port to intercept, the military meeting now focused on what the Nanming fleet wanted to do when entering the Bohai Sea, and what to do.
The generals and marshals looked at each other in amazement, and invariably looked at their noses, noses, and minds, all acting like giant Buddhas. Facing the furious emperor, no one dared to say a word. The ministers all knew that this new master was moody, and he had been in trouble before.
I have been taught a lesson many times, and several ministers resigned from their posts because they said the wrong thing in front of the emperor, or made suggestions that did not suit the emperor's wishes.
Now no one is willing to risk their own lives for the sake of the country. It is safest not to say anything. You must let the emperor make his own decisions and make his own decisions. Even if you know it is wrong, you cannot say it. No matter how big the consequences are in the end
It doesn't matter if the loss occurs, since the emperor can't blame him anyway, he can just keep his hat on.
"Why don't you say anything? Huh?"
Guangwu felt angry when he looked at the obedient servants in this room.
"Okay, you won't say anything, I will say... Very good, this Qing Dynasty belongs to me and has nothing to do with you, right? Then I will make my own decision."
He slammed the table and said through his teeth:
"They must not be allowed to bomb Beijing! Send a decree and order the Qing Dynasty's independent torpedo aircraft squadron to take off immediately to destroy the invading enemies at sea. We must not allow enemy aircraft carriers to enter within 200 kilometers of Tianjin!"
Air Force Minister Bai Jia-Fuxiang was heartbroken, knowing that this torpedo squadron was going to be scrapped. The enemy would send two aircraft carriers, which would be more than a hundred fighter jets. And for this kind of mission, the enemy would definitely send the torpedo squadron that had just experienced the air battles of the Ming and Qing Dynasties to the enemy.
The veteran pilots were sent here. However, the dozens of torpedo plane squadrons on our side were all newbies. They did not fly once all year round, so they were targets in the sky. In addition, God knows how well the airports below usually maintain aircraft. He knew very well that the aircraft were used to maintain aircraft on a daily basis.
Once the funds are allocated, it would be good if one-third can be used on aircraft.
If he were to make the decision, the torpedo planes should stand still and let the enemy planes fly over, and then use fighter jets to intercept them. This is the safest way. If the torpedo planes are forced to participate, it will have to wait until more than half of the local fighter planes are present.
After releasing it, let the torpedo planes attack the enemy's empty aircraft carrier. That way, you can get a few more aircraft back, and maybe you can really sink one and a half enemy ships.
But he would never dare to suggest this. He knew that with the emperor's temper, he would never allow the enemy planes to bomb Beijing while the torpedo planes stood still. That would be equivalent to admitting that the torpedo plane squadrons of the Qing Dynasty did not dare to go to the sky and were just for show.
.And Beijing is the capital of the Qing Dynasty. Once the capital is bombed, even if only one bomb falls, it will cause a huge shock to the already unstable people's hearts. The Qing government tried hard to make the people believe in the myth that the Qing army was invincible.
It will be seriously challenged. In that case, there will be more things like this in Baoding.
I'm afraid he has to bear all the consequences of this alone. Just because he made this suggestion. Everyone knows that in today's court, as long as you express an opinion or make a suggestion, the resulting consequences will be
All consequences will be pushed onto you, and you will become everyone's scapegoat.
Therefore, Bai Jia Fuxiang's throat rolled up and he only said four words: