Chapter 040 Coal Smoke
In the waters of the Miaodao Islands, the flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet, Matsushima, and the commander, Admiral Youheng Ito, sat in the tower and was at a loss.
On the surrounding sea, eight warships were lined up in turn, following the Songdao. A total of nine warships, in addition to the flagship Matsushima, also have the large gunboat Isshima, the frigate Fusang, the cruiser Chiyoda, Kaohsiung, and three small gunboats.
This is one-third of the ships of the United Wing.
Before that, more than a dozen warships of the joint fleet, including Naniwa, Yoshino, Takachie and Akizushu, left the fleet one after another and went to Lushun.
In Lushun, three warships, including the Naniwa, were sunk by the enemy, and three other warships were seriously injured.
Eight months ago, in Dadonggou, Yidong Youheng led a joint coalition against the powerful Beiyang Marine Division, achieving a glorious record of sinking three enemy ships and injuring five, while none of his warships was sunk.
However, in Lushun, a small port, the enemy actually relied on shore guns and torpedo boats to sink the main battleship of the joint fleet! This is the biggest blow to the joint fleet since its launch!
This is an incredible failure!
What makes Ito Youheng more frustrated is that the joint fleet has almost nothing in Weihaiwei.
The joint fleet went for the Beiyang sailors, but in the eight-day battle, the joint fleet wandered on the sea outside the port of Weihaiwei.
The Beiyang Marine Division relied on the forts around the military port and huddled in the military port and did not come out. The army's attack of Weihaiwei from behind was blocked. Finally, Japan signed an armistice agreement with the Qing Dynasty.
Politicians pursue peace, while soldiers pursue military achievements!
In the past ten years, Beiyang sailors have been a dream demon in the hearts of Japanese people! Destroying the Beiyang Marine Division is the dream of the joint fleet and the lifelong pursuit of Yidong Youheng! For this dream, General Yidong Youheng exhausted his life's efforts.
It took Japan 20 years to realize this dream. However, when victory was within reach, God opened his hands - the war ended inexplicably!
The joint fleet lost the reason to continue to stay in Weihaiwei. At this time, the joint fleet received an order from the base camp and ordered Yidong Yuheng to leave Yoshino and other warships to continue to attack Lushun. Other warships quickly returned to Hiroshima and prepared to carry the Guards Division to Taiwan.
The Qing Dynasty has signed an agreement to cede Taiwan, and the task of the Guards Division is to quickly complete the actual occupation of Taiwan.
After the news from Taiwan that the Qing Dynasty gave up Taiwan reached Taiwan, the local military and civilians refused to recognize the agreement between the Qing Dynasty and Japan and refused Japanese officials to go ashore. There are even local gentry indigenous people in Taiwan who are planning to establish the Republic of Taiwan and are ready to organize forces to resist the Japanese occupation by force.
Japan protested to the Qing Dynasty and asked the Qing Dynasty to order the Taiwanese people to stop resistance. However, the Qing Dynasty said that Taiwan was no longer the territory of the Qing Dynasty and could not issue orders to the Taiwan authorities.
The base camp had no choice but to decide to send a guard division to Taiwan.
The Guards Division is the last standing division in Japan. Other divisions were dragged into the Qing Dynasty, and it was difficult to get out in time.
After receiving the instruction from the base camp, the captains of the battleships of the joint fleet on the sea outside the Weihai Guard Port were excited. They collectively came to the flagship Songdao and asked Commander Yidong Yuheng to refuse to accept the order of the base camp and lead the joint fleet to attack the Weihai Guard Port.
The captains believe that the Beiyang sailor has reached the verge of collapse. As long as they work harder, they can completely defeat this so-called oriental giant. The captains firmly believed that the joint fleet was betrayed by politicians! Politicians don't want to see the victory of the navy!
Yuki Ito did not listen to the captains' requests, although his mood was exactly the same as those angry captains.
There are two reasons. First, the army has stopped military operations, and it is difficult for the navy to do anything without the cooperation of the army. Second, and most importantly, there are only eight warships, mostly gunboats, including the four main cruisers of the fleet, all of the fleet. With the current strength of the joint fleet to fight against the Beiyang Marine Division, Ito Yuheng is not sure of winning.
Yidong Youheng had no choice but to reach the order to evacuate Weihaiwei. The fleet slowly sailed through the waters of Temple Island to the Sea of Japan.
It has arrived in early spring, the east wind blows on the sea, the sea breeze is blowing, the waves are calm, and the breath of spring is drifting.
Yuki Ito greedily breathed the wet sea breeze, which blew from the east, which was the direction of Japan.
The officers and soldiers who went on expedition have not returned to China for three months. Since capturing the port of Lushun, the combined fleet has added coal and water to Lushun, and there is no need to return to the Japanese naval base.
Japan occupied Lushun. From a military point of view, it gained the initiative of war, greatly shortening the supply line and facilitating the Japanese army to fight in the Qing Dynasty. However, this is not necessarily a good thing for ordinary Japanese soldiers.
Navy officers and soldiers could have taken the opportunity of adding coal and water to return to China to reunite with their families. In the tragic war, this was originally the unique power of the Japanese navy, which made the army officers and soldiers envious.
However, due to the occupation of Lushun, naval officers and soldiers lost this opportunity.
Many of them will never have the opportunity to return to their motherland, including Shiki Kayama, the Minister of Military Order, and Heihachiro Togo, the tomorrow star of the Japanese Navy.
Yidong Youheng closed his eyes and let out a sigh.
A harsh siren sounded suddenly.
Yidong Youheng suddenly opened his eyes.
A lieutenant officer hurried into the tower.
"What's going on?" Ito Yuheng asked.
"There is soot in the southwest." Zhongzuo Lizheng reported.
Yidong Youheng stood up and walked to the porthole. On the sea level in the southwest, several soot slowly rose in the blue sky.
The power of the ship is to burn coal. Seeing the soot means seeing the moving ship.
However, it is impossible to judge whether the other party is a civilian ship or a warship by soot, let alone which country the other party is a ship.
"That should be a fleet!" Yidong Yuheng said in a low voice, "Order all ships to enter the combat readiness alert."
"Yes!" Zhong Zuo turned around and left.
The captain of the Matsushima knew that he came to Yuheng Yidong and asked, "Commander, who do you think they are?"
"Germans, French and Russians are all possible." Yi Dong Youheng said, "They all have some plans against Liaodong. The Germans have the strongest demand for Shandong, but in terms of scale, the Russians are the most likely. Only the Russian Far East Fleet has such a large scale.
"You mean they have crossed the Tsushima Strait?" Omoto knew and said, "Will they come so fast?"
"It's completely possible." Yuheng Ito nodded: "No matter which country's fleet, our army should be highly vigilant, but I don't think these Westerners will suddenly clash with our great Japanese navy. In the Battle of the Yellow Sea, the combined fleet made famous in the first battle. They should know our interests. Moreover, we are not a belligerent country with them. We didn't touch what they wanted either.
"Commander, why not be the Beiyang Marine?"
"In theory, there is also a possibility, but the probability is very low." Yidong Youheng smiled contemptuously: "In the battle of the Yellow Sea, they have been defeated by the joint fleet. For eight months, they have been huddled in Weihaiwei and dare not go to sea at all."
wei ben knew bowed and said, "Your Excellency, the subordinate thinks that we can't take it lightly. After all, the strength of the joint fleet is too scattered now. Once you encounter a strong enemy, if you don't prepare early, you will be passive. The lower official suggested that the fleet set up a single to meet the enemy's battle.
The single vertical array is an attack formation designed by British naval officer Yin Gulus for the Japanese Navy, which can effectively give full play to the advantage of rapid-fire artillery on the Japanese side. In the Battle of the Yellow Sea, the joint fleet adopted this formation for the first time in actual combat, which played a huge role in defeating the Beiyang Marine Division in one fell swoop.
"Is this necessary?" Yuheng Ito said, "If the other party is a Russian or German fleet, it will be regarded as a provocation for us to set up an attack formation. Mr. Omoto, Japan has just finished the war against the Qing Dynasty and cannot launch a new war, especially the opponent is Westerners."
The tail knows it silently.
Japan is indeed unable to fight another war with Westerners. Otherwise, Japan will not give up Liaodong under the pressure of Russia, Germany and France.
On the sea level in the distance, the soot is getting stronger and stronger, and the mast of the ship can be faintly seen below the soot.
The signal soldiers on the mast sent a command: "8 ships, heading southwest."
"That's the direction of Weihaiwei!" Omoto knew and said, "Your Excellency, if they are a Russian fleet, they should not appear in that direction."
"Or, what about the German or French fleet?" Yuhyun Ito is still worried about unnecessary diplomatic disputes: "Moreover, even if they are Beiyang sailors and the Empire of Japan has signed an armistice with the Qing Dynasty, will they tear up the agreement?"
The signal soldier sent another command: "Beiyang Marine Division, three cruisers, five gunboats, southwest, 4 kilometers away."
Through the porthole, on the southwest sea, eight warships set up a horizontal array and rushed to the joint fleet at full speed, with the dragon flag, the military flag of the Beiyang Marine Division, fluttering on the mast.
wei ben knew and shouted: "Order all ships to meet the enemy in a single vertical array!"
The messenger stared at Wei Ben and knew that he did not move. In a hurry, Omoto knew and forgot that he was only the captain of the Matsushima, not the commander of the combined fleet, and he had no right to issue combat orders to the whole fleet.
"Does the Qing Dynasty want to tear up the armistice agreement?" Yidong Yuheng looked at the sea and didn't believe his eyes.