On the fifth day of February, at the Dagukou Military Port in Tianjin Prefecture, Zhili Province of the Ming Dynasty, four warships were docked, two large and two small, all flying the Ming Dynasty naval flag with a blue background and golden sun and moon on the stern. The bow mark of a ship with two dragons protecting the sun and moon. Floating on the gray Bohai Sea.
Two of the large ships looked like they were of the same class. They were almost identical. They both had two chimneys and two tall front and rear masts. The superstructures of the ships also looked exactly the same, with all kinds of cables. Pulled tightly. The two large ships have a twin 155mm rapid-fire naval gun at the bow and stern, and the muzzles of the guns are plugged with polished brass plugs.
There are also artillery densely distributed on both sides of the two large ships. If you count carefully, you can know that there are six single-mounted 155mm rapid-fire cannons and eleven 45mm rapid-fire cannons installed on the decks of each side of the two warships. gun.
In other words, these two large ships each have sixteen 155mm rapid-fire cannons and twenty-two 45mm rapid-fire cannons... At a glance, you can tell that they were designed by designers with a phobia of insufficient firepower. !
Behind the two large ships, there are two small ships parked. The length is less than 80% of the two large ships. They look smaller in size, and their tonnage may be only a fraction of the former. Both small ships have only one chimney, and their front and rear masts are shorter than those of the two large ships. They each have a 120mm rapid-fire naval gun at the bow and stern, and there are five 45mm rapid-fire cannons and five 13mm machine guns on both sides. In addition, the bows of these two small ships have two 360 mm torpedo tubes.
A black four-wheeled taxi came slowly from afar. The roof of the carriage was piled with luggage. At first glance, it was obvious that it was a carriage hired by a naval officer who came to take office from afar. In the car, two young officers wearing white navy uniforms were sitting side by side. One of them was Zhuge Weidao with the rank of lieutenant colonel, and the other was Zhuge Weidao's subordinate Wang Wen.
The carriage moved along the pier towards the four warships. Zhuge Weidao, who was sitting in the carriage, was listening to Wang Wen beside him introducing the situation of the four warships.
"Sir Zhuge, those two big ships are both Lushun class, namely Lushun and Vladivostok. They are both first-class cruisers, with a standard displacement of up to 5150 tons, a waterline length of 115 meters, a width of 15.12 meters, and a draft of 5.18 meters. They adopt a dome A design, the thickness of the sloped armor near the waterline on both sides is 125 mm, and the armor on the top of the dome is also 60 mm. The power of the Lushun class is quite strong, using 12 high-speed coal-fired boilers to drive 2 vertical 4-cylinder reciprocating steam engines. Through the use of pressurized ventilation technology, it can output a maximum power of 25,000 horsepower, and the actual maximum traveling speed exceeds 24 knots. It is the fastest cruiser in the world today!
Those two small boats are Xin'an-class torpedo boat destroyers, namely Xinchang and Xincheng. Their standard displacement is 900 tons, with a waterline length of 85 meters, a width of 8.5 meters, and a draft of 2.7 meters. Their firepower is not powerful, but it is enough to deal with it. It is a torpedo boat, and it can hit airships in the sky without any problem. Its speed is faster than the Port Arthur class, and its top speed can reach 28 knots...
Among them, the deputy commander of the Lushun is named Chen Jian, also known as Ruizhi. He was four years older than you in the Naval Academy and your contemporary in the Staff College. He is now a major. He looks fierce, but he is a nice person, easy to get along with, has a good relationship with you, and has strong business ability, but he is a bit timid.
The captain of the Vladivostok is named Li Chenghui, also known as Shao'an. He is from the Li Jin family. He has the rank of colonel and is the admiral of the formation. He is six years older than you, a bit old-fashioned, and a bit slow to react. When you were at the Naval Staff College, he was still your teacher, but he had a business-like temperament. Although he looked kind-hearted, he was not close to anyone.
The deputy commander of the Vladivostok is named Bai Siyuan, whose courtesy name is Ziwen. He was at the same time as you were at the sea school and the staff college, with the rank of major. As usual, he also serves as the chief of staff of the formation.
The captain of the Xinchang is named Sun Zhengming, named Gangzheng, and has the rank of major. The captain of the Xincheng is named Xu Zai, whose nickname is Yuanyou, and he also has the rank of major... Both of them are at the same time as Chen Ruizhi. "
Zhuge Weidao had already "remembered" most of the things Wang Wen said by secretly looking at the information provided by the Beiyang Fleet. However, the information provided by the Beiyang Fleet inevitably has omissions. For example, it will not say who is whose descendant, nor will it write about who is a good friend with whom. So Zhuge Weidao asked his confidant Wang Wen to explain it again and stop making fun of him when he gets on the boat.
At this time, the carriage had stopped beside a Lushun-class cruiser. The cruiser's gangway had already been lowered. Under the gangway stood a group of officers and several sailors, who should have come to greet Zhuge Weidao. Standing in the middle of this group of people was a tall man like a bamboo pole and a strong man. The tall man with a kind face and the title of colonel was none other than the formation admiral Li Chenghui. The tall and thick-set man still had a big beard and looked like a ferocious man who kept away from strangers. He was Zhuge Weidao. Deputy Chief Chen Jian.
...
Edo Bay, Japanese Navy Yokosuka garrison.
The navy of the Tokugawa shogunate followed Tokugawa Saiaki. He wore a kimono and stood quietly in an office facing the bay in the garrison building. A cup of tea was on the desk behind him, having long since lost its heat. And he also looked a little restless, his eyes just staring blankly at the British and Japanese naval ships parked in the bay.
The British Royal Navy's Sovereign-class battleship Revenge is parked in Yokosuka Naval Port at this time. The huge 10,000-ton hull is equipped with four 13.5-inch main guns, which looks majestic. Next to the Revenge is the "Sakai", the first ship of the Shogunate Navy's most powerful "Four Heavenly King Ships". The hull with a standard displacement of only 4,278 tons is actually not small, but compared with the Revenge next to it. , really not worth mentioning. The single-mounted 320mm cannon on the bow of the "Sakai" looks really uncoordinated, giving people the feeling of a big head and a small body.
In Qi Zhao's view, this huge cannon purchased from France at a high price does not show the powerful force of the Japanese Empire at all, but the deep helplessness... Even with the 320mm giant cannon, "Sakai" The level is only theoretically capable of fighting against the Hongwu Emperor level.
But Tokugawa Saiaki, who returned from studying in the UK, knew very well that this theoretical possibility was just self-deception. The 320mm cannon on the battlefield could not hit anything at all. On the contrary, the 120mm rapid-fire cannon installed in the gun bays on both sides is more useful. However, the 120mm rapid-fire cannon cannot deal with the Hongwu Emperor class at all. Even if it fights cruisers like the Lushun class, it will be very difficult...
It seems that if Japan wants to compete with the Ming Dynasty in a battle of battleships and cruisers, Japan has no chance of winning with its national strength. The only chance is a surprise airship attack!
Just as he thought of this, there was a sudden sound of light footsteps outside the door, and then he heard a knock on the door and Shimazu Qi Liang's voice: "Master Shi Xing, it's me, Shimazu Qi Liang."
"Come in." Tokugawa Qiaki ordered.
Then the door of the office was opened, and a figure flashed in. It was none other than Naval Staff Officer Shimazu Qi Liang. After Qi Liang entered the door, he bowed to Qi Zhao, then came to Qi Zhao's side and whispered: "Master Fengxing, this morning, the Lushun has left the Dagukou Military Port in Tianjin, along with the Vladivostok, Xinchang, and Xincheng The cruise ship formed a formation and headed towards Japan. It is expected to arrive at Nagasaki in three days and Mito Port in five days. From the night of February 8 to the early morning of February 9, the Port Arthur will pass through the narrow Naruto Strait... .Everything went as we expected, very smoothly!”
"Yasi!" Shimazu nodded sharply, and then looked at the British Royal Navy Revenge on the sea, "The British Royal Navy formation heading to Osaka will also pass through the Kii Channel at the same time... Mr. Xixiang is generating power, the enemy is on the Port Arthur! The enemy is on the Revenge!"
"Hai!"
