Alchemy Greater China

In addition, the several warships that have been sunk have also caused the Far East Fleet and the Austro-Hungarian warships on the opposite side to be in conflict. It will be absolutely impossible to sit down and negotiate calmly for a while.

At least, let's talk about it after a fight!

In this way, Li Hongzhang and Fremantle reached an agreement to refuse to negotiate and continue to fight to see if they both seemed to ignore one point: Did Liu Kun arrange the Austro-Hungarian warship early in the morning?And is the other party really incapable of killing himself?

After discussing for a while here, the Austro-Hungarian warship on the opposite side seemed not in a hurry. Instead, they sent personnel to row the small boat to repair the damaged gunboat of the Nanyang Navy on the spot.

For a while, the surface of the East China Sea calmed down.

After noon, the two sides were still waving semaphores in a friendly manner, allowing each other to eat lunch and take a nap. It was not until [-]:[-] in the afternoon that Fremantle gave the first signal to launch an attack: a A heavy battleship rammed head-on towards the Austro-Hungarian warship, and three other fast cruisers were divided into three directions from the flanks, and went straight to the rear of the Austro-Hungarian warship.

This is the sacrifice strategy.

The heavy warship that was colliding with it is the sacrificial son, it is used to attract an unknown number of submarine torpedoes, and the real killer is the three cruisers that detour by the side, they carry fast-firing secondary guns and mechanisms Guns, their mission is very clear, that is to take down the Austro-Hungarian warship!

Capture the thief first, and capture the king first. As long as this 'command ship' is captured, the submarines on the bottom of the sea will be cautious, not to mention floating up and surrendering, but at least they will not dare to act rashly again.

The strategy is simple.But it is quite complicated to implement at sea.

However, the well-trained British sailors couldn't be bothered. They saw four warships carrying heavy responsibilities charge out, orderly, each performing its own duties, and immediately turned into four sharp arrows that seemed to be alive but not connected to each other. , the arrow head shot straight at the Austro-Hungarian warship from four directions.

Even if it doesn't shoot through, it will block all the opponent's escape routes!

Li Hongzhang couldn't help applauding such skillful sea dispatching and battleship cooperation: "It is worthy of being the world's number one navy. This quality, even though it is a second-line sailor, still requires us to look up and learn from Beiyang!"

As for Lin Tai who was in charge of leading the crowd.He lowered his head.Showing a humble and studious look.

However, the development of the battle situation was not as expected by Li Hongzhang. When the British army was about to encircle the Austro-Hungarian warship, the sea suddenly trembled.Four straight white lines.Split the waves.The white ash rod, which seemed to be white and impermanent, appeared so abruptly, and then inserted so abruptly into the bottom of the four British warships!

Rumble.bang, bang, bang...

A burst of cannonballs exploded on the sea surface, resounding across the universe. Four British warships were shot one after another, not to mention continuing to fire. They caught fire and entered the water on the spot, and they were about to sink!

Torpedoes, torpedoes again!

The lethality of the submarine is so great! !

From Li Hongzhang's point of view, where the torpedoes were attacking the warships, it was clearly the four "unlucky boys" who rammed into the torpedoes.

Before hitting it, there was no sign at all!

At this time, Li Hongzhang couldn't help trembling all over, and the hand holding the railing was also trembling. He finally understood: Does the opponent not have the strength to wipe out his own side?It's just that it's not willing to kill. Once it thinks, the nearly thirty ships on its side are just like paper, and they will all be finished if the opponent pinches them!

No wonder it is not in a hurry, but also allows us to eat, sleep and nourish our energy.

At this time, a Beiyang general came up and said to Li Hongzhang who was stunned: "My lord, I seem to have heard that Long Hao, Earl of Beihai, killed six British ships of Fremantle in one morning outside San Francisco Harbor. Battleships rely, rely on this...submarines!!"

"...What? Why didn't you say it earlier?!"

A flash of lightning flashed across his mind, Li Hongzhang turned his head abruptly, his face was congested with blood, his breath was short of breath, and he grabbed the general, but then, all the strength in his body was drained, his hands were loosened, and he collapsed limply .

It's Long Hao again!

These invisible and intangible submarines belonged to the alchemy king!

In other words, Fremantle knew the power of the submarine long ago, but he still insisted on it. Hiss, could it be that he and Long Hao are actually in the same group?

Did they join forces and dig a big hole for the old man to jump into?

The thoughts in his head were like stars all over the sky, wandering around indefinitely. Li Hongzhang's eyes were blurred, and in a trance, he seemed to see that young and handsome boy with a lazy smile on his mouth, and Liu Kunyi, standing tall , Lao Gao, shaking his shoulders and lowering his head, laughing at himself...

What happened next, Li Hongzhang can't remember clearly, he only vaguely remembers the sinking of warships one after another on the sea, and what filled his ears were the deafening explosions, and the high-decibel screams of the sailors after falling into the sea .

Even with a British accent, it was so harsh!

To be precise, Li Hongzhang was lifted off the deck, but he didn't know it. In addition, what he didn't know also included: the East China Sea naval battle called "Austro-Hungarian Attack" lasted until It's over at nine o'clock in the evening.

The results of the battle were reported back to Shanghai, which was waiting anxiously at midnight, and the "Alchemy Express", which got the first-hand news, worked overtime all night to print out this ups and downs of the sea battle with both realistic and artistic techniques. , free distribution throughout the city.

Naturally, these things were closed to Li Hongzhang who was in a coma. It was not until four days later that our Master Zhongtang opened his eyes.

After Li Hongzhang woke up, his first words were: "How is the battle going? Did we win...or lose?"

However, after Li Hongzhang finished speaking, the memories flooded back into his heart, and he smiled wryly in his heart: With the existence of submarines that disrupt the balance of war, can our side still win?

Needless to say, I was deceived by Fremantle's so-called 'the opponent's ammunition is scarce'!

Damn it, damn it!

The light reflected in front of Li Hongzhang was dim and indistinct.The big fat face under the dim yellow light was Lin Taizeng. The captain of the Zhenyuan Ship saw that Li Hongzhang had woken up. He looked happy, and quickly summoned soldiers to bring Mr. Zhongtang the prepared soup.

"Still on the boat?"

Li Hongzhang's mind was still not confused, he squinted his eyes and saw that the attendant who brought the medicinal soup was a man, so he knew that he was still on the boat.

Because women are not allowed only on board.

Lin Tai Zeng said in a low voice: "Yes, my lord. We are still on the ship! The Jingyuan, useless, useless..."

The gunboat is the lifeblood of Beiyang, so Lin Taizeng's tone at the moment is no different from reporting a funeral.Almost cried.

"Jingyuan..."

Li Hongzhang trembled.The medicinal soup almost spilled: "That is to say. We lost? We lost badly?"

"Yes, it's not just us, the British lost even worse! That Saba. Well, the submarine is simply unstoppable! The torpedoes are elusive, and it is impossible to defend against them!"

When Lin Tai once mentioned the submarine, his body shook violently. Obviously, the painful memories brought to him by the submarine were deeply painful and unforgettable.

Next, Lin Taizeng told in detail what happened on the sea after Li Hongzhang passed out that day.

On that day, after Li Hongzhang left in a coma, invisible submarines continued to attack the British Far East Fleet. According to Lin Tai, after World War I, the British Far East Fleet lost at least eight warships, not to mention the casualties of the crew. its number.

There is no way, who made the submarine so powerful that it haunts like ghosts, and it is not something that the second-rate warships that have been eliminated from the British Far East Fleet can resist.

Why did Lin Taizeng not have a specific impression of the number of ships lost in the Far East Fleet, but use 'at least' to describe it?Because, when the Far East Fleet suffered a crushing defeat, the Beiyang Navy was also attacked by Austro-Hungarian warships!

Compared with the Far East Fleet, the Beiyang Navy is undoubtedly much more "lucky". Only one or two submarines came to attack. Lin Tai once served as the highest command of the Beiyang Navy after Li Hongzhang fell into a coma The gunboats quickly dispersed and fled in multiple directions, but even so, one gunboat was hit by a torpedo, broke the bilge, and then sank.

That unlucky gunboat is Jingyuan!

Don't look at Lin Taizeng's many minor problems, but his love for Beiyang is unquestionable. It can be said that every gunboat is his lifeblood!

Therefore, when the Jingyuan sank, Lin Taizeng gave up resistance, first hoisted a white flag on the flagship Zhenyuan, and asked the Austro-Hungarian warships not to continue to attack.

There is no way, because the Beiyang Navy lacks funds for the purchase of ships, every loss of a gunboat is an incalculable loss!

Lin Taizeng, he can't bear this responsibility!

The Beiyang Navy surrendered. On the other hand, the Far East Fleet resisted for a while and fired countless shots, but the bright side was finally defeated by the dark side. That is, it was more than 20 minutes later than Lin Taizeng ordered to hang the white flag. The British Far East Fleet also Surrender.

At that moment, that scene, Lin Tai once remembered very clearly, the entire sea area was full of burning warships, the cries of help from the drowning crew, and the rumbling explosion filled with black smoke... It made people stare sideways and see it startling.

When Lin Tai mentioned this point, Li Hongzhang breathed a sigh of relief, straightened his back suddenly, and interrupted to ask hastily: "Kaishi, how many ships did the British Far East Fleet lose? Go quickly, and bring them to me to see!"

Lin Tai was a little puzzled, but he did as he was told, and ran out to fetch the day's logbook, which marked all the names of the British warships sunk by the Austro-Hungarian submarine that day.

After reading it, Li Hongzhang's face changed again and again, and soon he closed the logbook and closed his eyes without saying a word.

After a long time, he finally let out a long sigh: "What a plot to kill people with a knife and eliminate dissidents! This Fremantle, the old man underestimated him, and fell for his tricks!"

Hearing this, Lin Taizeng was full of confusion, and hurriedly asked Master Zhongtang for advice.

But I heard Li Hongzhang say: "...The old man obtained a reliable information channel from Thunder Dragon, and probably knew the name of the gunboat under General Fremantle who has not yet returned! Look, there are a total of nine ships lost. Of the warships, six of them match the information I got! Even the other three, I don’t know if they still belong to this range! Kaishi, do you think this is just a coincidence? I don’t believe it!”

After hearing this, Lin Tai was terrified, sweat dripped down his back, and said in disbelief: "My lord, can it be said that General Fremantle sent all the news about these ships to the Austro-Hungarian warships?" .Then with their hands, one by one was blown away? This, this is impossible? Those are warships one after another, the value is high, such a loss... Oh my god, the humble job is unbelievable!"

Li Hongzhang snorted: "Britain is a big shipbuilding country. The cost of building a ship is so low that you can't imagine... Besides, no matter how expensive a warship is, if you don't obey it. Well, the more expensive it is, the more powerful it will be. , It will only become a serious problem for the confidant! If it were me, it is inevitable that I will not move this idea of ​​killing people with a knife."

Lin Tai was silent, he knew Li Hongzhang's understanding of foreigners, since he said so.Then seventy-eight out of ten the facts must be like this.

No wonder... No wonder I saw this British general in Shanghai the day before yesterday.There didn't seem to be excessive sadness on his face.It doesn't look like a big defeat at all, it turns out... the reason lies in this!

"Okay, ok... I guess the old man was negligent for a while. I have been fooled by Liu Kunyi!" Li Hongzhang slammed the porcelain bowl on the ground after drinking the medicinal soup, with a clear and crisp sound.

"My lord, take care of your health, the matter has come to this point, it's useless to get angry again!"

"Hey, but the old man can't swallow this breath!"

Li Hongzhang's thin chest couldn't help heaving with anger: "In retrospect, Liu Kunyi, Fremantle, and the Austro-Hungarian warship that appeared midway must have colluded with each other. You think, once Liu Kun received our warship After the book, he intentionally stayed in Shanghai and did not leave, relying on this! Now, he has achieved the reputation of winning against foreigners. Let all the unstable factors in his fleet be cut off together! What a poisonous plan that kills many birds with one stone, all parties benefit, and the only one who suffers is Beiyang! Don't accept it, the old man refuses to accept it!"

Li Hongzhang sorted out the context, and the more he thought about it, the more it made sense!

The more I think about it, the more uncomfortable my breath becomes.

The power of the submarine is so great. It is impossible for Fremantle to know about the bombardment crisis in San Francisco, but he still wants to fight the Austro-Hungary together with a pebble... In addition to the above-mentioned own guesses, could there be others? the reason?

... When Li Hongzhang's anger subsided a little, Lin Taizeng continued to talk about all the things that happened after the naval battle that day.

Both the Beiyang and British troops surrendered, and the victor naturally returned in triumph.

By the next day, thanks to the extra blessings that were published and distributed the night before, everyone in Shanghai knew that Liu Kunyi had won this incredible naval battle.

With six wrecked ships, they defeated the Beiyang and British fleets in a daze. It was as incredible as a few hooligans who ran to the Imperial Army camp to lay down a camp of the Imperial Army!

Of course, they also expressed their understanding of this, because the European power Austro-Hungary also participated in the war, and with that mysterious weapon, no one would be surprised at the outcome of this naval battle.

Next, there was naturally an additional force among the forces in charge of Shanghai: the biggest factor in winning this naval battle - the Austro-Hungarian Empire!

As the defeated party, the British Far East Fleet and Beiyang were restricted outside Shanghai Port, looking for a place to dock.

General Fremantle chose to abandon his flagship and landed in Shanghai, but Lin Taizeng was afraid that someone would harm Li Hongzhang after landing, so he insisted on staying on the Zhenyuan. Strange to say, Liu Kunyi and Austria-Hungary did not force him.

Today, the Zhenyuan and its ten friends are moored in a small military port north of Shanghai, and the conditions are harsh.

During the days when Li Hongzhang was unconscious, Lin Tai once sent people to go to Shanghai by boat every day to inquire about news.

Thanks to the continuous reports of the "Alchemy Express", the media in Shanghai has become very hot recently... Thanks to their blessings, these half-hearted intelligence personnel from Beiyang did not return empty-handed. I know all about the major events that have happened in Shanghai in the past few days.

The main things are as follows.

First, Liu Kunyi, governor of Liangjiang, announced in a high-profile manner that the meeting of "dividing the Shanghai Concession and re-discussing the Qing Dynasty's tariff pricing power" will be held in two days.Naturally, the 'national hero' Liu Kunyi presided over the meeting. In addition to excluding some small countries that fled the battle, the most notable thing was that the two European powers, Austria-Hungary and the United Kingdom, joined the meeting.

Second, the representative of the Austro-Hungarian Empire showed up, and she turned out to be a woman: the eldest granddaughter of Emperor Joseph I of the Austro-Hungarian Empire—Princess Ashley!

On that day, it was she who commanded the Austro-Hungarian warship Nianlong and taught Li Hongzhang an unforgettable lesson in the East China Sea.

As soon as Princess Ai Shili appeared, she quickly conquered people from all walks of life in Shanghai with her peerless youthful appearance and incomparable noble temperament.

For three consecutive issues of "Alchemy Express", they all used different speech images of Princess Ashley as the front page cover.

And these three magazines also sold the highest newspaper sales in Shanghai in the past week!

Lin Tai could tell Li Hongzhang very responsibly that the most popular person in Shanghai is not the national hero Liu Kunyi, but the beautiful princess who commanded a warship and defeated the Beiyang and Far East fleets!

Hearing this, Li Hongzhang's anger, which had been calmed down so easily, flared up again: "The generation of shameless women... I can't imagine that the old man's first name will be defeated by a woman in his later years! I can't bear it!"

In fact, Li Hongzhang was really angry not because he lost to Ai Shili, but because he remembered that this Princess Ai Shili was one of Long Hao's confidante!

Her appearance also seems to tell Li Hongzhang: Congratulations, you guessed it right. The mastermind behind the big pit you always jumped into is Long Hao. How could the three people who are irrelevant to horses and cows cooperate sincerely so far?

For a while, Li Hongzhang scolded Long Hao bloody in his stomach, and the eighteen generations of ancestors suffered: You, you liar, didn't you say you gave up Shanghai and returned to the United States?Just making such a small move again, really makes the old man look down on you! (To be continued..)