Comrade, your ingredients are too complicated.

Twenty minutes ago, Japanese Navy Mine Warfare Team.

The sunlight at 9 o'clock was shining on the sparkling sea. Lieutenant Commander Yoshimura Shintake, who was on the bridge of the ship, was holding a telescope and scanning the water ahead vigilantly.

Suddenly, his pupils contracted suddenly, as if he saw something horrible.

"Masaka!"

In the field of view of the telescope, a dark sphere rises and falls slightly with the waves, densely scattered on the waterway at the mouth of Laizhou Bay.

Faced with such a huge number of mines, even the old Japanese who participated in the Battle of Savo Island could not remain calm.

"Mine!?"

"Damn it! Why are there mines in such a place? When did the Eighth Route Army set up the trap? Is there something wrong with the intelligence again?"

Looking at the man-eating minefield in the distance, Yoshimura Shinbu's forehead was covered with a layer of cold sweat. His throat seemed to be strangled by an invisible hand, and even his breathing became a little faster.

In fact, mines themselves are not scary. Destroyers and sweepers can clear the waterway. It just takes some time.

But the problem is that what they lack most is time. Moreover, the fleet of the Eighth Route Army is in the nearby waters, and it is impossible for them to watch their own side sweeping mines.

In a sense, the tactic of combining fire barriers is also applicable in naval battles.

After hesitating for a moment, a gleam of determination flashed in the old devil's eyes.

With a sudden wave of his hand, he decided to lead the fleet directly into the waters off Laizhou Bay, vowing to annihilate the enemy navy with lightning speed and pave the way for the task force's subsequent minesweeping work in advance.

"Time is of the essence. My heart and body are strong. Trial! Trial! Go forward bravely!"

"Right rudder!"

"Right~rudder~"

Following Yoshimura Masato's orders, the destroyer Yuunagi led the entire torpedo warfare team and plunged forward into the sea of ​​mines in front of them.

This experienced captain, who had been tempered in the Battle of Savo Island and studied under Gunichi Mikawa, believed that he had the ability to lead his colleagues to break through the death minefield.

Behind the Yuunagi, the other seven destroyers were at full synchronization rate.

Even in the absence of flag and light signal communication, their warships still maintained precise maneuvering coordination and their sailing routes were almost accurate.

"Righten the rudder!"

"Right~rudder~"

With the spirited call of the helmsman, the Yuunagi carefully adjusted the angle of its bow, gradually changed its original route, and finally took the lead in heading into the minefield.

"Report to the captain, confirmed to have left the minefield!"

When the lookout's hoarse voice came into the bridge through the sound tube, the Japanese officers almost breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

This feeling of being on the brink of life and death was even more suffocating than being locked by the main guns of five Allied heavy cruisers at the same time. When the Yuunagi just brushed past the mine anchor chain, they thought they were going to die on the spot.

It’s a pity that the good times didn’t last long.

Just as the Japanese were secretly rejoicing, a deafening roar suddenly came from the end of the mine warfare team.

Accompanied by dazzling flames and towering water columns, the bow of a destroyer was blown off on the spot, and steel fragments rained down on the surrounding sea.

"Mine!"

"The Lotus hit a mine!"

The lookout's scream broke the brief silence.

On the sea, the harsh sound of metal twisting mixed with the cries for help of those who fell into the water was particularly clear in the smoke-filled air.

The Cong class, with a full load displacement of barely close to one thousand tons, was the smallest class of destroyers in World War II.

This small, unarmored ship, which has no torpedo-proof bulkheads at the waterline, would have no chance of survival if its bow hit a mine.

According to Yoshimura Shinbu's experience, the opponent can only last for fifteen minutes at most.

"Baga, what idiots! Don't they know what it means to follow the example of others? Why did they hit a mine even though they were following the flagship?"

"Pass on my order and have the two ships, Kurari and Tsuga, at the rear, lower the lifeboats. How many of them survive depends entirely on their luck. I will not turn back just as the fleet has left the minefield."

Influenced by the idea of ​​desperate assault, most officers in the Japanese Navy believed that rescue was a sign of weakness and might even be criticized as cowardice after the war.

The fleet that escorted Musashi back then didn't rescue any people, let alone the crew on the old destroyer.

After hearing the order from his captain, the deputy captain, Captain Tanaka, slammed his fist on the command desk, not even noticing the blood oozing from his joints.

The old Japanese soldier's eyes were fixed on the gradually spreading oil stain and his comrades struggling in the water.

Just now, he was about to use light signals to congratulate the other party on his safe escape.

Blessings are unparalleled, and misfortunes do not come singly.

Before Captain Tanaka could express his thoughts, the lookout's hysterical report once again "detonated" the bridge.

"16000 meters ahead of the fleet, smoke trail near the horizon! Confirmed enemy cruiser, low freeboard, long bow, three chimneys, it's the Trouan class!"

"Enemy ship's main gun flashes! Prepare for observation!"

"Predict the impact within 35 seconds! Everyone, be prepared for impact!"

As soon as these words were spoken, a group of Japanese officers, including Yoshimura Shinbu, immediately spread their legs to stabilize their bodies, and raised their binoculars to look into the distance.

But because the distance was too far, they could only see the smoke left by the cruiser's main guns firing.

About half a minute later, the first wave of shells hit both sides of the Yuunagi.

The sea water kicked up by the shells hit the glass of the bridge. The destroyer with a full load of 1700 tons was like a small boat in a storm, as if it would be swallowed by the sea at any time.

This doomsday-like scene reminded the Japanese of the Toriumi in the Battle of Savo Island, which was also the case before the heavy cruiser was hit.

"Straddle the enemy ship! Straddle the enemy ship!"

As a veteran captain, Yoshimura Shintake knows that he must now stabilize the morale of the troops.

He first grabbed the deputy captain and threw him back to his original position, then said in a contemptuous tone:

"Why are you panicking? The Eighth Route Army Navy is just lucky. With just that antique light cruiser and a group of new recruits who have never fought a naval battle, how can the enemy destroy us?"

"Pass on my order. All ships maintain a single column formation and charge to a distance of 6,000 meters from the enemy to launch torpedoes."

"As long as the torpedo tactics are successfully implemented, everything will be fine!" A few sentences of orders mixed with reprimands had a miraculous effect like a spirit-injecting stick, and the officers in the bridge immediately entered a combat state.

Just as Yoshimura Shintake was preparing to issue a more detailed fleet deployment, the lookout on the Yuunagi issued another warning.

"Enemy ships open fire!"

"The enemy ship is firing again!"

"The enemy ships are continuing to fire!"

In just one minute, hundreds of shells landed on both sides of the Yuunagi. The destroyer seemed to have strayed into the Atlantic Ocean, and the superstructure was completely washed by the seawater.

In fact, the Japanese also wanted to fight back, but the effective range of the Type 120 mm naval gun was only meters, so even if they fired now, they would only hear a noise.

Major, our guns can't reach the Han people's ships.

After advancing several thousand meters at full speed, the main gun rangefinder of the Yuunagi finally locked onto the target. However, during the Z-shaped maneuver, the Japanese ancestral cervical spondylosis made it difficult for the turret to swing into position.

Seeing the Eighth Route Army Navy firing hundreds of shells, Yoshimura Masahiro could only jump in anxiety in the bridge.

"Fire! Fire quickly!"

"boom!"

The Yuunagi did fire, but only one of its main guns was firing continuously.

As an old ship built more than 20 years ago, the main gun of the Kamikaze-class destroyer adopts an open design, which is very prone to malfunction in severe sea conditions.

The fact that the fire was successfully started was all thanks to the great kindness of Tian Huang in the Imperial Palace. There was really nothing more that could be done.

"Baga, how disgraceful! You have ruined the reputation of our navy"

Just as Yoshimura Shinbu was about to curse, a new round of artillery shells came like a rainstorm.

One of the 155mm high-explosive shells seemed to have eyes and drilled into the bridge of the Yuunagi.

Well, it’s the same model as the Chokai. It is worthy of being the only Japanese destroyer in the Battle of Savo Island. Even the way it connects shells is the same as the flagship at that time.

······
Bridge of the Yellow River cruiser, flagship of the North Sea Fleet.

Looking at the spectacular scene of a light cruiser and four destroyers of their own opening fire with their main guns splashing water crazily, Commander Philip and Captain Li Yujie both thought of a design drawing.

That was the entertainment that Huang He brought out when he came to Liugong Island last time, a destroyer code-named Alberico da Balbiano.

"Tsk, so this is what Rainbow Bridge and Danmaku Heroes mean. I didn't understand it when we were chatting at first. The battlefield is really the most caring teacher."

"With our firepower, the battle will probably be over soon. The seawater raised by the shells alone can sink our destroyer."

"Haha, all the problems stem from insufficient firepower. As long as the firepower is full, the heavy cruisers will have to go around."

Just as Fei and Li were exchanging combat experiences, the lookout's hurried shouts suddenly rang out.

"Enemy ships open fire."

"All seven destroyers open fire."

At a combat distance of less than 10,000 meters, even without the field of view bonus provided by the telescope, Li Yujie could see the muzzle flashes of the Japanese torpedo warfare team's counterattack.

However, he did not panic, nor did he issue any orders to maneuver. Instead, he ordered the Yellow River to maintain its current course and continue to bombard the enemy ships at full firepower.

It's very simple, just because he is very familiar with the performance of the Type 120 mm naval gun and knows that it is an industrial garbage with a slow rate of fire and backward fire control system.

Change course?

Wouldn't that just reduce our own shooting efficiency? There's no need for that.

Instead of worrying about being hit, it is better to nip the risk in the bud.

"Keep on course! Keep bombarding!"

A few seconds after the order was sent to all departments on the ship, the lookout brought good news.

"The second shot hits!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many commanders in the bridge raised their binoculars in unison and looked at the enemy destroyer code-named A-1.

A raging fire had broken out in the middle of the target, with thick smoke rising between the two chimneys. It was obvious that the boiler room inside had been severely damaged.

Sure enough, after just a few dozen seconds, the enemy ship's speed was halved, and it could only barely maintain a cruising speed of about 15 knots, and was no longer able to carry out a torpedo attack.

Seeing that A-1 was forced to withdraw from the battle, A-2 Matsukaze decisively took over the command.

It continued to lead the mine warfare team, seizing advantageous torpedo launching positions in a single column formation at high speed, as if it did not care about the artillery fire of the North Sea Fleet at all.

At this time, the lookout once again delivered good news. At this moment, his voice was even more exciting to the writers than the Royal Announcement.

"The third shot hits!"

As soon as the comrades in the bridge raised their telescopes, they saw a dazzling flash suddenly burst out from the No. 1 gun position of A, as if the sun was igniting the steel deck.

The 120mm Type naval gun flew high into the sky and then twisted into an extremely strange shape in the air.

Below the waterline, the explosion of the ammunition depot directly tore open the keel of the ship.

The destroyer Yuunagi began to fold from the broken part, and the bow and stern simultaneously tilted towards the sky at an angle that defied physics, exposing the twisted pipes in the boiler room.

There were also several Japanese engine room soldiers wearing gas masks, trying in vain to close the valves before the steel collapsed.

Hold on to the sacrificial flag, goodbye Yuunagi.

"The ammunition depot exploded! We hit the enemy's ammunition depot!"

Looking at the destroyer broken into two sections, the legendary Captain Philip nodded with great satisfaction.

From the time the Yellow River cruiser launched torpedoes and opened fire to the time the Yuunagi destroyer was sunk, the entire process took only 23 minutes.

Although this speed is not as fast as the 7-minute destruction of the Canberra in the book, nor as fast as the 15-minute destruction of the Hood by the Bismarck, for a group of new troops in their first naval battle, 23 minutes is definitely an excellent result.

After a moment, Philip first summarized some issues that could be optimized, and then said to Li Yujie beside him:
"Li, the battle is about to end. Let the comrades prepare to salvage the prisoners. Japanese prisoners are notoriously difficult to capture. This time we can be said to have made a name for the Chinese Navy."

"By the way, if the Ugly sailors try to do some tricks like dragging the keel or walking on the plank, just pretend you didn't see anything."

"I know you have your own rules in the Eighth Route Army. I will take care of any problems that arise."

"You don't know how beastly these Japanese navymen who have not signed the Geneva Convention are. Compared to them, Dönitz can be considered a civilized man." (End of this chapter)