Chapter 177 Two Fleets

The South China Sea, as the edge of the world's third continent, has a vast sea area of more than 3 million square kilometers, inters dotted with thousands of islands, reefs, beaches, sand, etc. Early in the Ming Dynasty, Chinese fishermen went to Hainan, South China to fish for fishing, and thousands of islands, reefs, beaches and sand in the South China Sea. Among them, there are dozens of small islands or reefs that can be sheltered from the wind. These sheltered islands and reefs have always been stored in the minds of old fishermen.

Torpedo boats have never have the ability to sail. Even torpedo boats of more than 100 tons cannot sail in the ocean due to low trunk and limited fuel. What's more, most of the torpedo boats commonly used in various countries are less than 100 tons.

But for the Chinese navy, those torpedo boats of about 100 tons are no less than large torpedo boats. Most of the torpedo boats equipped by the Imperial Navy are lake-class torpedo boats designed and manufactured by Ma'anshan Shipyard after restoration. They are wooden shell steel ribbed speedboats with a full tonnage of less than 50 tons, although the tonnage is limited. The high-power diesel engine, which is not available in other countries, still makes it reach a high speed of 34 knots, and can carry 4 torpedoes. It is small in size, fast and powerful. It is also because of this that the ship-borne torpedo boat has made a surprise attack on the Ikumo.

However, this small torpedo boat was originally used for offshore defense, not for ocean navigation, otherwise the waves could shoot it into the deep sea. A few days ago, the naval torpedo boat troops stationed in southern Taiwan received a sudden order to move to the South China Sea.

In the face of this order, the officers and soldiers who were going to fight in the Luzon Strait naturally felt very suddenly, which may be a little sad and happy for them.

But in the face of orders, no one wavered, but they were not so excited. In their past drills, they have even forgotten how to evacuate the battlefield after launching an attack. For them, the most important thing is to give the enemy ship the deadliest blow at the nearest distance. The torpedo boat was merchanted. After the ship is hoisted and fixed, it is on the transporter's ship. The captain of each torpedo boat repeatedly listed the new and old hatred between China and Japan to his subordinates, trying to make them share the same hatred with the enemy, thus improving morale.

Finally, after a few days of sailing, the torpedo boat was released, and the old fishermen led them into the island or reef where fishing boats could shelter in the Spratly Islands. Before that, the naval staff set up a high-power transceiver in the South China Sea, built a simple observation post, and a new chart appeared in front of the captain.

The chart is centered on a sheltered island or reef plate, and a circle with a radius of 160 nautical miles is planned with a circle, which is the maximum radius of the torpedo boat attack. In the following days, the torpedo boat moored in the small island reef plate repeatedly carried out adaptation training in the nearby sea area until after a storm last night. The torpedo boat team just moored in the island reef and stopped the sea training, but this did not stop their usual training.

"What a big storm!"

Secondnant Wang Duqiu, who was exhausted by introducing the situation and repeated consultations at the combat meeting of the attack team, came to the beach, outside the reef. The wind roared on the sea, and the waves roared, and they hit the small reef. Under strict light control, the shadows of torpedo boats in the reef were shaking, making people stand upright. These were the 13 torpedo boats belonging to the third squadron. At this time, rows of large waves kept coming from the mouth of the reef bay, hitting the torpedo boats, stirring up white waves on the side of the ship, and the torpedo launch tube on the side of the ship. It seems so silent, but everyone understands that when it is its turn to show its power, even the battleship needs to be careful.

"With such a big wind and waves, if the boat is at sea, it can't come back."

Tian Jianqiang said to Wang Duqiu next to him. As the captain of the third torpedo boat squadron, he knew that if the order was given now, even if the waves on the sea were ten meters or eight meters high, he must command the troops to attack without hesitation.

"This day, not to mention the torpedo boat, even the destroyer is a little troublesome."

Wang Duqiu said loudly that his voice was then covered by the sound of the waves. The original attack mission in the South China Sea should have been completed by a destroyer with a larger tonnage of about 1,000 tons, and the torpedo boat with the smallest tonnage should have launched a surprise attack on the enemy fleet in the Luzon Strait under the guidance of searchlights.

According to the plan, there are a total of 39 torpedo boats in the three squadrons, one group of three, one after another, to launch 13 waves of attacks. No matter what the effect is, they will retreat after completing the attack. After their retreat, the 39 torpedo boats of the second team will attack again with the same tactics. After two attacks, the attack mission of the torpedo boat troops was completed.

But now, this small torpedo boat has to attack in this deep sea. In the airworthiness training in the past few days, they have more or less experienced the waves of the South China Sea.

"The wind and waves in the South China Sea are really fierce!"

Tian Jianqiang muttered. He muttered to himself that if the sea in the South China Sea had always been like this, I'm afraid it would be difficult for torpedo attacks to achieve results. The training in the past few days has fully shown how difficult it is to launch a torpedo attack in the sea of high waves! At least it's not accurate.

"Captain, what are you thinking about?"

At this time, Brigadier Chen Guhai, the captain of the No. 19 boat, came over with a smile. His words were covered by the sound of the waves, so he almost clung to the squadron leader's ear and said loudly.

"Captain, the telegraph station just received a telegram, and Qin has left!"

"What!"

Tian Jianqiang was shocked when he heard this. Although the content of this telegram was only four words, it meant that the Zhenyang Fleet had gone to sea.

"It's going to start!"

Yes! It's about to start. If it doesn't reach the last minute, the Zhenyang Fleet will not sail out of Sandu Macao, which has multiple artillery protections. The Zhenyang Fleet will leave Hong Kong and Taiwan, which means "Where has the Second Fleet arrived?"

"I don't know, the Second Fleet hasn't broken the radio silence!"

Since the Second Fleet approached Malacca, it has maintained radio silence. They must be careful. After all, there is no good relationship between the Empire and Britain now.

"Oh, leave them alone, let's complete our task and die..."

"Hey, squadron leader, don't talk about emotions!"

"Oh, that's right. Hahaha." The three of them laughed together.

The waves of laughter fly by. At this time, no one knows what will happen tomorrow, and for them, what they are waiting for is probably the last order to attack.

On December 14, it was a rare sunny day. The sun dispersed the mist on the sea, and the gray reefs of the Dongchong Peninsula were like a viewing platform, inspecting the whole Zhenyang fleet. Looking from the observation post of the battleship Jingyuan to the east, the search fleet of three training ships on the sea has disappeared at the end of the blurred sea level.

Admiral Liu Guanxiong, who commanded the First Fleet of the Zhenyang Fleet on the flagship of the fleet, put down his telescope and said to the chief of staff.

"Are you ready? We are going to war at sea!

At this time, Liu Guanxiong on the bridge satisfactorily observed the neat line behind him, Jingyuan, Zhiyuan, Zhenhai, Dinghai, Zhenyuan and Jihai. These are all six capital ships belonging to the First Fleet of the Zhenyang Fleet, and behind the main ships are Haiqi, Haitian, Haicho, Haichen, Haiqing and Haicang. The eight cruisers, Haiming and Hailai, plus five coal carriers, are the full strength of the First Fleet of the Zhenyang Fleet.

Today is the day when the Zhenyang Fleet goes to sea. According to the order, the telegraph line in Sandu Australia has been cut off, and any ship is prohibited from entering and leaving. At this time, Sandu Australia has been isolated from the outside world.

At 5:30 p.m., a staff officer sent a report to the search fleet: no Japanese merchant ship or non-trusted mission merchant ship was found, and the purpose of the fleet's concealed shipping can be achieved.

"Okay, get ready to go!"

For the sake of caution, while issuing this order, Liu Guanxiong once again asked all 15 seaplanes belonging to the navy to be dispatched for reconnaissance. When the fog was about to rise in the evening, the plane was dispatched, and the Jingyuan ship was originally parked on the slamboard, and there were also two seaplanes. These are the pilots. The purpose of the modified seaplane is to carry out enemy reconnaissance for the next naval battle.

At the same time, an optimistic atmosphere permeated the officers and soldiers of the whole Zhenyang Fleet. The confident officers read the mission. When the task was assigned, Li He noticed that the captain's tone was not only confident, but also jubilant.

"Now, the Zhenyang fleet is about to set sail. Our target is the joint fleet. Maybe they think that the Zhenyang fleet is floating in the sea off Kaohsiung, and everyone is going to give them a big surprise. This is the first time that Jingyuan and Zhiyuan have attacked together. One Jingyuan can sink two or even three battleships, not to mention these two big guys. In front of them, sinking the Japanese warship, just like an adult wringing a paper ship. There is no need to worry at all.

What is full of self-confidence is not arrogant, but self-confidence, a kind of self-confidence for yourself and the warship.

"Do you know what our task is?"

The officer asked back, and then he smiled again.

"It is to ensure the normal operation of the boiler, pump heavy oil into the boiler, and then, um, let Jingyuan reach the maximum speed, so that the guys above can bombard themselves with 343mm cannons!"

Laughter sounded. At the same time, in the ammunition depots under the waterline, those sailors who sweated and sent a heavy shell to the bomber in the South China Sea, but no one said anything. The iron buckets were placed in the ammunition depots full of shells, and the iron buckets were wiping the lye of the shells. At that time, the ammunition players were quietly, concentrated on wiping the shell with a cloth stained with lye, wiping off the thick layer of butter on the shell, and finally carefully wiping the shell with a dry cloth. The first work was so careful.

This is different from any previous voyage. This is a battle voyage. All the shells must be wiped clean, because in the naval battle, there is no time for them to wipe the shells, and throughout the voyage, they must constantly check that the belt of the shells that have been wiped off the anti-rust butter is There is no rusting phenomenon. In short, in the next few days, until the battle, they must serve the shells carefully as if they were serving their sons. If they are not careful, maybe a little bit of inconspicuous copper and green will make the shell lose its accuracy. If the turret happens to be corrected based on this shell, then then The shells will lose their accuracy, which is not an indecisive regret. This poor pool is likely to cause the warship to be sunk by the enemy.

And these guys who hid in the safest place of the ship, with heavy armor protection, and the oil tank isolation line, had to pay the price of their lives for their mistakes. At that time, they had no chance to escape at all.

When the clouds in the west were rolling at sunset, 19 steel giant ships lined up in three columns and rushed to the east from the mooring field at a speed of 15 knots, and the seagulls chased the hundreds of meters of tails behind them. In the other direction, Liu Guanxiong, as the commander of the fleet, stood on the bridge of the battlecruiser Jingyuan with his arms in his arms, accompanied by his battlecruisers Zhiyuan, three cruisers, and two destroyers. Both Jingyuan and Zhiyuan have 13.5-inch guns and 26.5 knots of speed. This is this The most powerful warship of the era.

"My hand,"

At this time, Liu Guanxiong seemed extremely confident.

"Have the best maritime strike force in the world."

This emotion influences his meaning. The role of the battlecruiser is to keep a distance from the enemy fleet, and at a long distance, use excellent aiming and ranging equipment to concentrate all 17 main guns to attack the Japanese warship, which is a battle in the past and the future.

"Nelson of the East!"

Reciting the name, Liu Guanxiong sneered in his heart. In any case, this time, he must be able to wash away the shame of Jiawu in the first battle. Dongxiang Pinghalang and his joint fleet will become history. The Zhenyang Fleet will use a victory to prove to the world that the sea of Dongyang belongs to China and belongs to China. The Zhenyang Fleet does not belong to the Japanese and the Combined Fleet.

A few hours after going to sea, the whole process was peaceful. The outer destroyer detachment began to check a cargo ship, and then the cargo ship returned to the Sandu Australian naval base under the escort of the support fleet. This time, in order to ensure the smoothness of this operation, the navy mobilized all ships that could be adjusted, training ships, customs anti-smuggling ships, and armed forces. The merchant ships are all put into the task of ensuring the fleet's hidden departure. They will be responsible for intercepting and escorting the merchant ships found in various countries along the way, so as to ensure that the fleet's whereabouts are not leaked. The First Fleet must be caught off guard against the joint fleet.

Late at night on December 14, the Zhenyang Fleet had been out to sea for several hours, while Colonel Hashimoto of the Imperial Navy Staff Headquarters was still in his office, analyzing the intelligence of the Chinese navy with his colleagues. In the past dozens of hours, the number of telegrams from the Sandu-Australia Base of the Chinese navy was not compared. Less, not more than in the past, which means that there is no abnormal movement there, but there are still some strange things, which makes him have some doubts.

"Why did they cut off the external contact of Sandu Australia?"

"Is there any conspiracy?"

But he got the answer.

"Now we don't have any further intelligence!"

"So what is the First Fleet off the coast of Kaohsiung doing now?"

"According to the information sent back by our expatriates, they are still waiting at sea!"

"Why didn't they enter the port?"

"I don't know!"

"Have you intercepted their telegram?"

"The telegraph signal is very dense, but we don't know what the telegram is talking about at all. It's all garbled codes..."

"Well, that's the password! Is there any difference compared with the telegrams we intercepted in the past?

"No, sir, we didn't decipher the Chinese code, so their telegram is a random garble for us."

After his subordinates turned around and left quickly, Colonel Hashimoto thought about the whereabouts of the Zhenyang Fleet. Now there is no way to decipher their password telegrams. Perhaps these password telegrams include the information he wants to know most.

Why did the Zhenyang Fleet stop off the coast of Kaohsiung?

Does it mean that they have got the news of the Combined Fleet? Are they going to intercept the Combined Fleet in the Luzon Strait?

Anyway, until the early morning, the flagship of the joint fleet "Bushijima", which had just crossed the Pacific Ocean east of Taiwan, received the following telegram.

"No confirmed information. According to the current intelligence analysis, the First Fleet of the Zhenyang Fleet is still off the coast of Kaohsiung. No further intelligence reconnaissance is available, and the enemy has not acted yet."

After receiving this telegram, Dongxiang Hirahachiro was silent for a while.

"Zhenyang Fleet!"

As Akiyama guessed, after getting the news that the joint ship may leave the port, the Zhenyang Fleet went to the sea off Kaohsiung in case of an accident. This means that until now, the operational intention of the joint fleet has not been grasped by it. The joint fleet must now sail to the south as soon as possible, only so. Only then can they arrive in the South China Sea and intercept the First Fleet before they come back to their senses.

"The current situation means that we still have no less than four days. In four days, the First Fleet will not be aware of our battle map. If the time is longer, it is difficult to ensure that the combat intention will not be detected by the Chinese!"

"In that case, we have to choose another route! This can shorten the time by 30 hours!"

"But it will arouse the vigilance of Americans! And if they are found by the Americans, they are likely to inform the Chinese!"

"Sir, the Americans found that the fleet and the Chinese could not wait for the joint fleet off the coast of Kaohsiung, but if we take that route, we can get an additional 30 hours, which means that we have won five days, and by then the naval battle is over!"

Akiyama Masayuki's suggestion was silent for a long time. He looked at the stars in the sea and sky, and it was time for him to make a decision.

"Well, order the fleet to take the backup route!"

(to be continued)