Chapter 123 Steel vs. Steel (II)

A violent explosion, a high column of water. It was followed by a flame, then a raging fire, and then, perhaps the ammunition depot was ignited, and terrible flashes exploded one after another. The 20-year-old ship suddenly turned into an erupting volcano, and almost instantly sank into the bottom of the sea.

In this way, the submarine ambush circle carefully arranged by Xu Bo, in addition to injuring the two old ships, Poltava and Petropavlosk, was the only one that sunk the old grandfather-class old cruiser. However, the submarine captains all faithfully fulfilled Xu Bo's order: safety first and no injuries.

Mikasa.

"The airship sent a signal... the airship that encountered the Chinese people in front of me, and the other four... were all destroyed?"

The voice of the lookout made the bridge fall into a dead silence.

"How is this possible... This is the product of the independent people"

Shimamura Suo's face turned pale and he was simply a little unconfused.

"Is the airships of the independent people not as good as them... The Chinese are actually so powerful." Hirahachiro Togo's expression was unusually calm at this moment. "It seems that we have once again underestimated the big guy around us. After Yashan, there is no more China... Now it seems that this new Chinese empire seems to be stretching their sharp teeth again. Is it Nirvana rebirth..."

"Commander, when is it now? Please give tactical guidance as soon as possible." Operational staff member Kato Hiroji Nakasa didn't care about anything else at this moment and almost shouted out, "The air reconnaissance power is lost, and the Chinese submarines are under it, and they may encounter torpedo attacks at any time."

Togo Heihachiro nodded and turned to the side: "What about the staff members' opinions?"

"It seems that the Chinese are concentrating submarines here for ambushing, are they planning to weaken our army's main combat forces before the decisive battle..." said combat staff member Akiyama Matsuyuki, "It's a pity that the torpedo attack on the heavily guarded warship formation during the day was indeed not good."

"It seems that the Russians have suffered some losses." Operational staff member Taniguchi Naoma frowned, "If you continue to forcibly advance, at least these ships will not be able to catch up with the decisive battle, and you will even have to distribute some light ships for escort."

"Anyway, you must forcibly rush over." Togo Hirahachiro said firmly, "The submarines are slow. As long as we rush over, they will not be able to catch up. However, the two battleships were injured, which would not cause much damage to the fleet's strength. You can still catch up after emergency repairs."

"Send a report to Commander Makarov and give our opinions."

Incheon Outer Port.

On the sea, there are tragic comedy scenes on the scene.

The eight water-moon-class destroyers of the Seventh and Eighth Destroyers of the Chinese Army, as well as some sea defense ships that have completed the mission to support the enemy, and even torpedo boats, are searching everywhere.

On the water surface, there were occasional roars like thunder and huge rolls. The Chinese warships immediately bombarded with rapid-fire cannons. Soon, an explosion occurred under the water surface, and then a mess of broken wooden boards and debris floated on the surface of the Shanghai surface, and the oil dispersed, and another Japanese and Russian submarine was reimbursed.

These steam-powered French submarines have slow rise and submersible speeds, long pressurization time of boilers, and are also very dangerous. In addition, they lack long-barrel periscopes and relatively small tonnage. In terms of design, they are a full ten years behind the secret submarine force of the Chinese army.

These Japanese and Russian submarine drivers also lack basic submarine tactical ideas and do not know how to use the troops in their hands. They do not have systematic tactical exercises, do not have decades of accumulation of submarine warfare, and there is no Mu Tie among them. Xu Fan has played at least three generations of military enthusiasts who have played at least three generations of hunting submarine games and online games. For them, submarines are really too mysterious and trendy.

In a sense, this can be roughly seen as a small British vagrant tank in the Somme fight against the Russian anti-tank building position in Kursk in World War II, and the ending is no suspense.

These primitive submarines just floated up mechanically, trying to launch an attack with torpedoes, break through the fire line of these anti-submarine ships, and attack the Chinese transport fleets in the inner port, but one after another was dropped.

If Zheng Yu was here, he would definitely think of a desktop game console that he and his girlfriend often went to the playground to play in his previous life: beating the mole.

Japanese and Russian submarines are like moles on the screen, one on the east and the other on the west, and the quick-responsive Chinese warships are heading for a fire, killing the opponent's ship.

One, two, three, four, five, fire the mole.

The beater was very happy and extremely depressed.

far away.

Colonel Kenji Iide, the commander of the first Japanese diving team, observed the battle situation ahead through the periscope, with a pale face.

After a while, the boiling sea gradually became silent, and the Chinese light warships patrolled back and forth, and no trace of Japanese and Russian submarines could be found on the water.

Kenji Nakasa Iide closed the periscope and shouted loudly: "Fill the main water cabinet and dive to fifteen. Heading 27 o, three knots of speed."

The Xu Fan Cluster of the Huajun, the flagship Guangzhou.

Xu Fan's tactics are roughly another time and space, Akiyama Masaki prepared for the Russian Baltic fleet, using torpedo troops to weaken the enemy's strength and expand his own advantage. He waited for his own efforts to be annihilated in one fell swoop.

The battle reports arrived one after another.

Li Tianlin's face was obviously not very good-looking. The achievements made by the submarine force were too far from the expectations given, and it could even be called a failure. After hiding for so long, he originally expected to play the role of the Dinghai Sword Needle in the decisive battle, but it has always been regarded as a killer weapon. When it was used, it became an embroidered pillow. This really made Lin Tai, who knew the inside story and participated in the formulation of the combat plan, felt deeply depressed.

"It seems that the submarine is indeed more suitable to attack the sea supply line..." Xu Bo said a bit abruptly, but there was not much emotion on his face. "Since that is the case, it depends on the mobile fleet itself. OK, according to the enemy navigation data reported by the submarine, correct our military position and direction as soon as possible."

"Marson, according to the time, there are still four hours to contact." Li Tianlin looked solemn, "Do we need to do something to inspire the morale of the fleet?"

Xu Bo looked at him and shook his head slowly: "Chief of Staff, I believe in our navy soldiers. Their enthusiasm and fighting spirit have been accumulated for so long, and fighting is the best fuse. Believe me, their pressure and motivation are enough... Just do that."

At this moment, the Chinese fleet is still three groups.

The first group is a fast formation led by Xu Bo. Its direction is twelve nautical miles southwest of the main force, and it continues to accelerate and expand the distance. Its main forces are two Baoding-class battlecruisers, three Battle Sword-class light cruisers: the Saber, the Saber, the Saber, and the four Chunyu-class destroyers originally belonged to the First Destroyer Team.

The second group is the Nan Cluster, which is personally led by Xu Fan on the left, including the second team led by Xu Fan, the first team of Sa Zhenbing's armored patrol, the third and fourth light patrol teams, and the first and second teams of torpedoes.

The third group is located on the right wing, which is the so-called North Cluster. Lin Tai, who is in charge of the slogan of the sea, was once the commander-in-chief. The core combat power is the first team composed of two Haikou-class and four Hanoi-class ships. Outside, there are the first and second teams of the defense patrol, as well as the third, fourth teams and the fifth teams.

The entire Chinese army's decisive battle group had a total tonnage of up to 390,000 tons.

The remaining ships, including eighteen shallow water heavy artillery boats and sea defense ships, and the sixth and seventh torpedo teams, covered the landing fleet and many auxiliary ships, have already headed to Incheon for landing operations and will occupy the empty defense Seoul in one fell swoop and cut off the Korean Peninsula.

Of course, if the decisive battle at sea is achieved, some of the landing forces will also be directed on a boat to another more critical target.

The seaplane that took off from the Flying Eagle has begun to search fan-style in the direction of the enemy's attack. Over the Chinese army, twelve airships that the Chinese naval aviation units can draw are on standby. There are still six submarines hidden around the ambush site of the Chinese army. Submarines that had completed the ambush mission before will also find ways to come to participate in the war.

At this moment, Xu Bo's vanguard formation had already advanced to the southwest of the Chinese army's Xu Fan formation, and the distance between them and Xu Fan formation was 20 nautical miles away. According to the plan, they would appear in the southeast of the Japanese and Russian formation and first contact with their vanguard forces.

The flagship of the sword formation, Baoding.

"The Russian army can only shoot more than ten inches at the same time. At present, the two ships are injured. If they cannot participate in the war, there will be only eighty left, of which there are only seventy-six twelve-inch cannons, and the twelve-inch cannons in our fleet have reached eighty-eight." Xie Jiangchao said with knowledge, "Our army has airships and seaplanes to provide school shooting. The main warships are equipped with a unified command system for the entire ship, better fire control, more accurate ranging, and the quality of combat soldiers is definitely not inferior to that of the Japanese. We have no reason to lose in this battle."

"The Japanese, this battle is about the destruction of the country and the race." Xie Jiangchao smiled, "The last time they were alive and died, and now they have their last breath. If you beat them up, they will probably have no more drama."

Xu Bo was silent for a moment and stood up and ran to the gangway.

"Old Xu, where are you going?"

“Go out and get some breath.”

On the gangway, Xu Bo took a deep breath. He watched the sea water plowed by the steel warships with white flowers, rolling back quickly, and leaving, and his heart was filled with complex emotions.

"Pick one?" Xie Jiangchao took out a red double-hee and handed it over, "I think you're a little nervous."

Xu Bo murmured: "A battle determines victory or defeat... This is a bet."

"Actually it's not that serious." Xie Jiangchao was silent for a moment, and the expression on his face became solemn. "Our formation has fast speed, and there are submarines, airships, and planes. We can retreat if the situation is not good. The enemy is not good. They have too many old ships, which will drag down the formation. Even the new ships are not good at speed, and they are far away from the local area. Once defeated, they will collapse. So this is a bet for them, not for us."

Xu Bo stared at him and shook his head after a while; "Old Xie, you still don't understand my father."

Xie Jiangchao was stunned: "What does it mean?"

"He is here this time." Xu Bo's expression was slightly dark. "I know that he has always had a fire in his heart. He is not calm, but the things he pursues are different from others. For so many years, he has been waiting for this day... Since he has come, he will not want any other results except victory."

Xie Jiangchao opened his mouth wide: "You mean, is the marshal here to fight his life?"

"Yes, he's trying his best." Xu Bo nodded and looked at the warship in the distance. "I've never seen him so stubborn since I was a child. I'm really worried..."

Holding his shoulders with his hands, Xu Bo turned his head, and what caught his eye was Xie Jiangchao's extremely serious face: "Old Xu, since he is fighting, then even if I am the one. Brothers in the war, father and son are in battle, you are father and son, and you and I are brothers. If not, I will win this battle even if I fight to the death."

Xu Bo nodded: "Brothers of sixteen years are not biological, but also biological... Lao Xie, he is brother, and promised me something."

He reached out and took out two small bags from his pocket and handed them to Xie Jiangchao: "If I... can't go back, I will hand this over to Lin Qing and my mother."

Xie Jiangchao was stunned: "This is..."

"Personal letter and hair." Xu Bo smiled, "Women, sometimes they just want to have a thought."

Xie Jiangchao was silent for a while and smiled bitterly: "You boy, you really treat yourself as Nelson..."

"Is it a brother?"

"yes."

"Help me get it."

"Do you want to entrust your wife?"

"...I know you have never been kind." Xu Bo looked at Xie Jiangchao sincerely, "But, brother, I really want to advise you: You can roughly treat women before marriage and women after marriage as two. In fact, I have always envied you..."

"I forgot to tell you that after this battle, I don't plan to continue to be a bachelor." Xie Jiangchao smiled, "Xiaomei and I have settled down and we will get married when we go back this time."

At this moment, the roar of the lookout suddenly came from the speaker: "Awoke the enemy pilot formation, four Armstrong-type second-class protective cruisers, location..."

At this moment, looking down from a high altitude, the two sides that are about to collide are shown in the following situation:

To the west, traveling at a speed of twelve knots directly eastward is a huge group of ships between Japan and Russia.

Its pilot cluster is composed of two relatively independent fleets. To the south are four light cruisers commanded by Rear Admiral Guason Waiki, four Japanese destroyers, and to the north are four Russian armored cruisers commanded by Lieutenant General Witgeft and four Russian destroyers. They serve as the forerunner of the two major clusters in column formations, but the overall direction is towards the middle.

Twenty kilometers behind the leading cluster are two major clusters in the north and south.

To the north is a Makarov cluster with the Russian army as the main force and the core combat power is eleven battleships. The entire formation includes four columns.

The northernmost part is the second defense patrol team composed of four protective cruisers. Two nautical miles south are three Peresvet-class battleships and the Prince, the Letvizan battleship, and the second battleship formed by the Navarrin battleship that was disbanded due to heavy casualties. Two nautical miles south are the first battleships composed of three Duke Kutuzov-class battleships and three Polodino-class battleships. The southernmost part is the second destroyer team composed of four Russian destroyers.

Because the number of warships involved in this battle was too large, Lieutenant General Makarov deliberately chose a box formation, that is, multiple parallel fleet columns sailed together, protecting each other, and then unfolded separately when facing the enemy.

In the Battle of Jutland in another time and space, the commander of the British main fleet, Jericho, adopted this formation, but later naval scholars believed that the inconvenience of this formation in the development and operation was one of the reasons why the British army failed to achieve greater results. But in any case, the German fleet was repeatedly seized by the British army, which not only shows that the British Royal Navy is well-trained, but also shows that the formation is reasonable.

Of course, compared with the Royal Navy, insufficient training and even the rough nature of Russians have made the fleet under Makarov unable to be organized according to the standards of the Royal Navy. The distance between the front and rear ships is not five hundred yards, but eight hundred yards. If the gap is smaller, it may encounter problems when it expands its formation against the enemy.

About eight nautical miles south of the Russian Second Destroyer Team, it is a second destroyer team composed of four Japanese destroyers. Two nautical miles south of the queue is the first Japanese warship composed of six Japanese battleships. To the south, it is the first defense patrol team composed of four Russian defense cruisers.

At the end of the team are battlefield medical ships, repair ships, and coal ships escorted by several auxiliary cruisers and destroyers.

The entire formation rushed eastward at a speed of twelve knots.

On the east side of the Japanese-Russian formation, Xu Fan's two major groups took action according to the instructions of tracking the airships and the direction and direction information of the enemy fleet pointed out by the signal flares launched by the seaplane.
To be continued...