Zhang Weibing, admiral of the Zhao Kingdom Navy, read the telegram sent by Zhao Wang Su Xiong.
He immediately slapped the telegram on the table, looked at the other officers participating in the meeting, and said with excitement: "Our navy is finally going to rise."
Zhang Weibing is a relative of Zhao Wang Su Xiong, who went to America to establish a country.
Zhang Weibing, who had just graduated from the Royal Naval Academy, followed Zhao Wang Su Xiong to America without looking back.
When he arrived in America, he was a high-ranking member of the Zhao Navy.
But here in the Americas, the main focus has been on developing the army. The navy has neither rival nor role. The navy is simply a stepmother.
Every time Zhang Weibing saw the Imperial Navy fleet passing by, he couldn't help but look envious.
This time Zhao's navy was dispatched. According to the original plan, in addition to making good friends with Wei, the main purpose of the battle was to support the army.
Now the army has opened floodgates and released water because of the British, turning the roads into a swamp.
In late autumn, the temperature outside is more than ten degrees, and the temperature in the water is even lower.
Soldiers marching on roads with a lot of water for a long time are prone to diseases such as typhoid fever.
The Army is moving almost at a turtle speed, and the Navy will surpass the Army for the first time and gain priority in achieving results.
The other naval officers participating in the meeting, after reading the contents of the telegram, their eyes began to shine and they looked at Zhang Weibing with expectant expressions.
They all knew that this was the moment when the navy showed its face to the entire army.
They are also very aware of the naval strength of the English.
Those sail battleships are just large toys in front of the ironclads.
Zhang Weibing saw everyone's expressions, and he hammered the table with his fist, making a loud bang.
“This war is an excellent opportunity for our navy to perform, and we must win beautifully.
Besides, there are also students from Wei State on board, and they must show the professionalism of our Zhao State Navy.
Whoever performs poorly in this war will be subject to wartime military law. "
Everyone replied confidently: "Admiral, please rest assured, we are confident in our own strength."
Zhang Weibing showed a satisfied smile when he saw that the military spirit was available.
Black smoke billowed above the five ironclad ships, and their propellers were driven by steam engines at high speed underwater.
Pushing a behemoth of thousands of tons, it rushed across the sea, leaving an obvious white line.
…………………………
The governor of the English colony listened carefully to the report of Viscount York.
"Lord Viscount, our water attack plan has achieved gratifying results.
Zhao Jun is completely unable to come to Manhattan before we evacuate the colony.
Cleaning up this flooded colony will cost a lot.
These people want to seize our colonies and we won't make it easy for them. "
Marquis Johnson said with satisfaction: "Viscount York, thank you for your hard work. After returning to London, I will personally take credit for you."
When Viscount York heard this promise, he smiled bitterly in his heart and showed a bright smile on his face.
After returning to London, it is God's blessing that he is not deprived of his noble title and imprisoned for the crime of losing the colony.
Marquis Johnson determined that the main force of Zhao's army could not reach the colony quickly.
When arranging the evacuation of important personnel in the colony, he also had to complete the tasks assigned by Prime Minister Cromwell.
Only after he completes this task and returns to London can he continue to maintain his status as a noble and ensure the glory of his family.
If he fails to complete this task, Prime Minister Cromwell will not protect him and will inevitably bear the full price of losing the colony.
Marquis Johnson arranged an orderly evacuation, and he took his closest men to the Jemica Shipyard on Manhattan Island.
This shipyard named after his wife has been his main work since taking office.
There is a secret weapon carefully developed by England in order to fight against the iron-clad ships of the Great China Empire.
Marquis Johnson will use this secret weapon for the first time to verify whether it is effective on a real battlefield?
He walked into the Jemika Shipyard, which was strictly blocked by the army. Let alone ordinary people, even people with status in the Governor's Mansion, no one was allowed in without the order of Marquis Johnson.
This is a very peculiar shipyard. There are no semi-finished ships on the slipway.
There are only a few large-scale pools in the shipyard, which contain ten small iron boats that are more than eight meters long and resemble rugby balls.
This is the diving boat secretly built by England.
England wants to imitate the armored ships of the Great China Empire, but the technology is not yet mature.
Unable to rely on ironclads to fight against ironclads, they captured some Dahua Empire mines.
Among them are shipbuilding experts who want to rely on large mines to deal with the ironclads of the Great China Empire.
Since there was no breakthrough in British gunpowder technology, mines equipped with black powder could not damage ironclads.
Among them, a talented shipbuilding expert provides an idea.
Why not make the mines bigger and allow him to proactively find the armored ships of the Dahua Empire?
It is under this idea that the diving boat gradually developed and matured.
Marquis Johnson looked at the diving boat being trained in the pool.
The diving boat has a hollow shell. As long as the shell is filled with water, it can dive to a depth of three to five meters.
The specific depth depends on the weight of the dive boat crew and the leakage of the dive boat.
Due to the leakage of the diving boat, it must launch an attack or return to port within five hours, otherwise it will sink completely to the bottom of the water.
The submersibles were equipped with enough black powder to blast through the defenses of the ironclad fleet.
It is operated internally by humans, with only one crew member responsible for all tasks including stepping on the propeller and controlling the direction to detonate the ammunition.
Detonating the submarine boat, the driver is equivalent to dying with the enemy.
For this kind of job that requires death, the driver chosen is not an ordinary person.
Marquis Johnson saw ten diving boats, which could flexibly float, dive and move in the pool.
When the diving boat dives, there is a long metal tube that extends above the water.
There is a periscope inside, which is responsible for observing the situation on the sea surface.
He is also responsible for ventilation to ensure that the driver inside can breathe outside air.
Marquis Johnson waited until the dive boat was finished training.
Ten melancholy-looking men in their forties or fifties climbed out of the roof of the diving boat.
They were all sweating profusely and breathing heavily after coming out.
Marquis Johnson saw them adjusting themselves.
He looked at these people and said: "Lord Claydell, your family was imprisoned for resisting Prime Minister Cromwell.
If nothing else, your children who have just grown up next year will be beheaded in public.
As long as you can get the submarine to damage the ironclad, their crimes will be forgiven.
Blow up and sink the ironclad, and your family will receive amnesty, and your eldest son will be restored to his noble title.
Danstin, your son is seriously ill and has no money for treatment.
As long as you can damage the ironclad, the kingdom will reward you with ten thousand pounds, which is enough for your son to cure his illness and live a happy life.
Blow up and sink the ironclad, and your son can marry the viscount's daughter and join the upper class. "
Marquis Johnson continued to remind everyone as usual.
They all have reasons for coming here, but there is great terror between life and death, and they must be allowed to use reason to overcome their fear of death.
Diving ships need to be controlled by people, and they must actively die in order to cause damage to the ironclads.
Controlling a diving boat also requires corresponding talents.
Otherwise, only ordinary soldiers are needed, and there is no need to specifically find these very difficult to maintain people.
Credle showed the most calmness. He raised his head and responded: "Your Majesty, Marquis, we people have been prepared for a long time.
I just hope that the Kingdom can fulfill your promise. "
Marquis Johnson said firmly: "Don't worry about this, it's not just you people, there are many people in the country.
If the promise is not fulfilled, how can we let them continue to work hard?
You should adjust your mentality in time and eat more steak these days. "
Credle nodded and said: "That's true, our lives are worthless.
These diving boats are not worth enough, and the kingdom will not do such a stupid thing.
What the Marquis means is that the war is approaching. "
As soon as Clayder said these words, the others became nervous.
They were ready to die, but when it came to this moment, they were still a little scared.
Marquis Johnson saw that his thoughts had been guessed, and he did not hide it.
"You're right, war is coming and the kingdom needs you."
…………………………
Marquis Johnson has been on tenterhooks these days. Three days ago, they had seen five ironclad ships and some ancillary ships exploring outside the port.
The ironclads were far away, shooting specifically at the sea.
Marquis Johnson didn't know what these ironclads were going to do at first.
He later figured out that these ironclad ships were conducting tests.
They need to understand the power and range of coastal defense guns, as well as the main waterways and whether mines are laid.
The Zhao navy was too cautious. How could such expensive and rare weapons as mines be placed near colonial ports.
Besides, the power of their mines is too small and will not cause much damage to the ironclads at all.
Zhao's ironclad ships did not approach the shore, and Marquis Johnson could not allow the submarines to attack.
The best attack distance for a diving boat is one kilometer from the port.
No matter how long the distance is, the driver's physical strength will be exhausted and there will be no more physical strength to maintain the power of the diving boat.
After three days of testing, Admiral Zhang Weibing has determined the defense situation of the English port.
He immediately put the two ironclads Victory and Revitalization in front, and three ironclads including the flagship in the rear, to attack the English port.
Zhang Weibing was extremely confident about whether the fleet could achieve results.
From his telescope, he had seen old coastal defense guns on the shore and sailing warships in the port.
He has eliminated the mines that pose the greatest threat to the ironclads. None of the weapons known to the English will cause harm to the ironclads.
Marquis Johnson saw the Zhao navy launching an attack, getting closer and closer to the port.
He immediately ordered ten diving boats to attack suitable targets freely.
As long as he could damage one of these five armored ships, he would have an explanation.
If he could really sink a ship and obtain important parts, he would be able to accomplish his mission perfectly.
Marquis Johnson kept crossing himself with his hands, praying that the submarine would achieve victory.
Credle and others received the order, and when the matter came to a close, they did not hesitate and got into the diving boat one after another.
The sailors at the port used boats to pull the diving boats and dragged them into the sea one after another.
The diving bed began to float on the sea. After the driver opened the water inlet valve of the shell, the diving boat gradually sank into the sea.
There is only a retractable metal tube, approximately one meter long, remaining above the sea surface.
This metal pipe rises and falls with the waves, and you can’t see it unless you look carefully.
Clayder waited until the diving boat submerged. He watched the seawater seeping out of the inner wall of the diving boat, forming water droplets one by one, and dripping into the narrow cabin.
He must drive the diving boat to the target before the seawater soaks the gunpowder.
Clayder simply adjusted his periscope and determined his orientation based on the direction of the sun.
It adjusts the position of the diving ship through the rudder, aiming at the direction of the Zhao Navy fleet in memory.
There is a bicycle pedal-like machine in front of him.
It is through this machine that the propeller behind the diving boat is driven to rotate slowly through gear transmission.
The diving boat drove towards the Zhao Navy at a slow speed.
The diving boat moves very slowly in the water, and the power is more like adjusting its orientation rather than sailing in the sea.
The speed at which the submarine approached the Iron-clad Sword was far inferior to the speed at which the Iron-clad ship approached it.
It may be that the others are afraid of life and death, or it may be that they are unable to control the direction due to the influence of waves in the sea.
Ten diving boats were launched, and only two were directly in front of the Zhao navy fleet.
This is the diving boat driven by Clayder and Danstin.
Clayder had already seen the huge ironclad ship through the periscope.
As expected of a warship made of steel, it looks more powerful than a warship made of wood.
He muttered the names of his three children: "Lakell," "Weasley," and "Mina."
It was for the sake of his children and the survival of his family that he got this opportunity to reverse his fate with the help of his former friends.
Clayder must seize this opportunity. He can die, but the family must not die.
He pedaled hard, making the distance to the diving boat faster.
He adjusted the position of the diving boat in time so that the sharper head of the diving boat was facing the bow of the speeding Zhenxing.
But because of nervousness, Steen failed to adjust the position of the diving boat in time.
When he collided with the ironclad Victory, he was immediately hit and rolled in the sea, sliding towards the rear of the Victory.
The moment Credel and Danstin collided, they pulled the fuse and prepared to detonate the explosive.
English engineers have installed simple spring-loaded collision fuses inside the submersible.
Even if they don't pull the fuse, as long as the diving boat experiences a violent collision, a boatload of gunpowder will ignite.
Admiral Zhang Weibing has seen the buildings on Manhattan Island, and the navy is about to win.
But he suddenly heard two dull loud noises.
Admiral Zhang Weibing immediately looked up and saw that the bow of the Zhenxing ironclad was raised high, and a large hole had been blown into the bow.
With such a huge hole, the water cannot stop it, and the ship will soon sink.
The ironclad Victory suddenly tilted to the right, but fortunately it did not roll over.
But with this explosion, it became clear that victory had stopped at sea.
Admiral Zhang Weibing immediately shouted: "The attack comes from underwater. The naval guns are shooting underwater quickly, and at the same time, depth charges are dropped around the fleet."
Although he didn't understand what method the English used to harm the ironclad.
But he immediately judged where the attack was coming from and asked the fleet to prevent the next possible attack. (End of chapter)
