The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 877: The vast ocean is a casino, and the Japanese devils are chips
In the meeting room of the Musashi, the flagship of the Imperial Japanese Combined Fleet, Colonel Montagu, the chief adviser to the Japanese Navy, stood in front of the chart table, smoking a pipe, looking at the captains of the ships brought in by small boats. Although the lookout of the Musashi could already see the smoke columns of the Korean Navy's steam battleships, the two sides were still far away, enough for the British Admiralty's tactical expert and shipbuilding expert to call a small meeting with the Japanese under him.

"Everyone," Colonel Montagu took off his pipe with his right hand, and then pointed to the thirteen warship models lined up on the chart table, "This is the formation we will adopt today - with the three ironclad ships of Musashi, Yamato and Fuso in the center, we will charge in a horizontal formation, and all ships will advance at full speed, rushing towards the enemy formation, trying to break up the enemy's formation and drag the naval battle into a melee! As long as we can get into a melee, we can win with the solid armor of the three ships of Musashi, Yamato and Fuso and the 305mm and 240mm huge guns - remember: as long as our 305mm and 240mm picric acid shells can hit the enemy ship, one shot can cause serious damage, and it is very likely to cause the enemy ship to slow down!"

His eyes swept across the faces of the Japanese bargaining chips - in his eyes, these "naval warriors" from Kyushu Island were not even gamblers, but just bargaining chips of the British Empire.

Their use is merely to take a look at the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's trump card and to find a direction for the future development of the British Navy. In the next ten years, should the Royal Navy focus on building fast battleships that prioritize "speed and firepower" or heavy armored battleships that prioritize "armor and firepower"?
Of course, a battleship with all the firepower, speed, and armor is definitely the best - a battleship of 50,000, 60,000, or 70,000 tons, has everything! But the problem is that the upper limit of the three-stage expansion engine is only 10,000 horsepower per unit, and a warship can only produce 30,000 or 40,000 horsepower. Although the upper limit of the steam turbine is higher, it will be the limit to produce 100,000 horsepower for a surface ship in the next ten years.

Therefore, battleship designers had to weigh issues such as firepower, speed, armor, and range. As a world empire, a long range was a must, and a short-legged battleship with a range of 2000 nautical miles would not do.

Therefore, the Royal Navy had to make trade-offs between firepower, speed, and armor.

The basis for the selection is today's Battle of Tsushima.
"Everyone!" Colonel Montagu finally said to the Japanese chips in front of him in a serious tone, "Today's battle is related to Japan's national destiny! If the Combined Fleet can severely damage the invading land, Japan will be able to unify quickly and rise among the great powers! Otherwise..."

He suddenly stopped talking halfway through, and when he spoke again, he was speaking in stiff Japanese: "This is a struggle for survival - if the Japanese Empire wants to survive, it must win! I wish you a long-lasting military fortune!"

"Hay! Onboard! Japan onboard! The Emperor onboard!"

The Japanese devils cheered.

Ding Ruchang was already standing on the bridge of the Dingyuan, holding a telescope and looking at the horizontal column lined up in the southern sky.

This middle-aged naval commander, who is nearly forty years old, is the first generation of naval personnel of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. He has experienced every major battle of the Heavenly Kingdom Navy and is extremely experienced. He also understands what this war means to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Japan and Britain behind Japan.
Although the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom ended up with a new skin, everyone knows that except for a few outdated Dongfang-class ships, the rest of the fleet flying the Korean Navy flag are all battleships of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom - although the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom did not play all its cards, Prime Minister Luo still holds the two trump cards "Flying Eagle" and "Sea Dragon" in his hand.

However, if "Flying Fish" and "Zhenyuan" lose the battle, the deterrent effect of "Flying Eagle" and "Hailong" will be greatly reduced.

On the contrary, if "Flying Fish" and "Zhenyuan" can prove their own value, then "Flying Eagle" and "Hailong", as their "big brothers", will be even more impressive.

The British Empire had to keep its tail between its legs and become a powerful country in the next few years.
"Pass the order." His voice was not loud, but it made the entire bridge quiet. "The four Exocet ships will form the first column and outflanking the enemy. The two Calm ships will lead the rest of the ships to form the second column and seize the T-position in front of the enemy. The speed of the entire second column must not be less than 14 knots!"

14 knots is the maximum speed of Yamato and Musashi.

The messenger quickly waved the flagpole, and the signal flag fluttered in the gradually brightening sky. Ding Ruchang raised the monocular telescope and squinted his eyes slightly. On the distant horizon, the dark shadows of the Japanese Combined Fleet were looming in the morning mist, like a group of dormant steel monsters.

"General, the wind direction has turned to the southeast, which is conducive to the maneuvering of our ship." The first mate reminded softly.

Ding Ruchang nodded, his fingers unconsciously stroking the copper shell of the telescope. This Shanghai-made telescope was custom-made by Luo Yaoguo last year, and the four small regular script characters "Great Wall on the Sea" were engraved on the tube.

On the bow gun deck of the flagship of the First Column, Major Liu Buchan, the gunner of the Hong Kong, was using a rangefinder to observe and calculate the distance and speed of the enemy ship. This naval officer from southern Fujian, who graduated from the Shanghai Naval Academy, was thin but had a pair of eyes that were surprisingly bright. His gunnery skills were also the best among his peers.

"Distance 8000 yards, target ship No. 1," he said calmly, "all guns ready."

The roar of Wang Erhu, the gunner of Hong Kong's A turret, echoed in the turret: "Load the picric acid grenades!"

The gunners in turrets B and C were equally busy.

The barrels of the six 150mm rapid-fire guns were slowly raised, and the metal collision sounds of the bolts opening and closing came one after another.

In the command tower of the Musashi, Colonel Montagu's pen rustled on the logbook: "At 09:17, the Korean fleet launched a double-column maneuver with a proficiency far exceeding the European exercise standards. In contrast, the Japanese fleet's formation appeared very scattered." He looked up at the gradually clear outline of the enemy ship outside the porthole, and his fingers trembled unconsciously.

Yamamoto Gonbei's sword trembled slightly in its scabbard. This Satsuma warrior had a fierce and sinister face, and people could sense his danger from a distance. But now, he was just an insignificant bargaining chip! Colonel Montagu thought: Japan may be destined to be a bargaining chip.

The Empire of Western Japan, the Divine Kingdom of Central Japan, and the Shogunate of Eastern Japan all have the same fate; it's just a matter of who holds them in their hands.

"Charge in a horizontal formation!" Yamamoto's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, "Go at full speed and get close to the enemy ship!"

The adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Shibuya, hesitated to speak, but finally heedlessly advised: "Commander, the enemy ship's speed is much faster than ours. If we force a charge."

"Baka!" Yamamoto slammed his sword on the command platform. "How can the spirit of Bushido be afraid of steel? Follow the order!"

"Boom boom."

As soon as Yamamoto finished speaking, orange flames suddenly spurted out of the muzzles of the Hong Kong's guns on the sea. The salvo of six rapid-fire guns blasted a white wall of water on the sea, and the shells whizzed towards the Matsushima. Because the distance when the guns were fired was very close, the first salvo was a straddle, and the third round was a direct hit. A picric acid explosive exploded on the wooden deck of the Matsushima, instantly igniting a huge fire.

Deng Shichang, the navigator of the first column's vanguard, the Huizhou, stood in the compass room, monitoring the course of the ship. "Keep a distance of 1 yards from the enemy ship No. 3000!" The captain's voice was transmitted to the compass room through the megaphone, and Deng Shichang immediately drew the best route on the nautical chart. Under the leadership of the Huizhou, the four "Flying Fish" class of the first column bypassed the left wing of the Japanese ship's horizontal formation at a speed of up to 20 knots. In the process, they kept a close distance of 3000 yards with the Japanese ship Matsushima. The power of the 24 150mm rapid-fire guns of the four "Flying Fish" was fully demonstrated at this distance. The density of 72 shells per minute was like rain of bullets. When the four Flying Fish bypassed from behind Matsushima, the 2800-ton slow cruiser had been riddled with holes, and the fire spread from the bow to the stern, and it was obvious that it was going to fail. As for its 305mm cannon, it went silent after firing only one or two shots!

"Battleship guns and cruiser hull plus a speed of less than 16 knots equals industrial garbage!" Montagu wrote his second comment in his notebook, and then drew a cross under the name of the "Matsushima".
Twenty minutes later, disaster struck the Hiei.

Through Montagu's telescope, the 2000-ton old cruiser tried to turn to fight, but was hit by the Chaozhou's 150mm shells on the waterline. Seawater rushed into the breach frantically, and the hull tilted at a speed visible to the naked eye. Hundreds of Japanese sailors jumped into the sea like dumplings, struggling among the wreckage of the hull.

"From 09:30 to 10:00, the Korean fleet fired twenty times as many shells as the Japanese. Maybe even more!" Montagu's pen tip almost cut through the paper. "The efficiency of the rapid-fire guns was terrifying, and the large-caliber guns of the slow-moving ships had difficulty even finding a chance to fire."

At this moment, in the main turret of Dingyuan, the gunners were nervously loading the third round of salvos. The 200mm armor-piercing shells were slowly fed into the barrel by the hydraulic push rod, and the breech block made a dull metal collision sound when it closed. Ding Ruchang's order came through the megaphone: "Maintain 6000 yards, focus on the front main turret of Musashi!"

Three twin-gun turrets spewed flames at the same time, and 386 kg of armor-piercing shells streaked through the sky and hit the A turret of the Musashi. The 350 mm carburized steel armor plate made a teeth-grinding groan, and a shocking dent appeared on the surface.

"Hit!" The observer's voice changed due to excitement, "The enemy ship's turret speed has obviously decreased!"

Togo Heihachiro's fists were clenched white. He watched as the Yamato's main gun missed again, and the 305mm shell splashed a huge column of water a hundred meters behind the Zhenyuan.

"Baka! The firing rate is too slow... This won't work at all!" He drew out his sword, the blade gleaming coldly in the morning light, "Full speed ahead! Sink them!"

But the Yamato's maximum speed of 14 knots was still not enough for the Dingyuan class, which could reach 16 knots. This slow-catch-fast charge soon turned into a ridiculous chase, with the roar of the armored behemoth dissipating in the sea breeze.

"At 10:20, the Exocet fleet completed its turn and detour, and formed a crossfire with the Serene II." Montagu's notes became more and more rapid, "The tactical advantage is tilting towards the North Korean fleet."

Huizhou led four cruisers to draw a beautiful arc, outflanking the Japanese fleet from the side and rear. 150mm shells hit the engine room vents of Musashi like hail, and hot steam gushed out from the damaged pipes, forming a white sea of ​​fog on the deck. However, the worst were those cruisers that had no speed, no armor, and only the caliber of their main guns was acceptable. They were all turned into dregs in seconds by the four fast cruisers that were rampaging on the sea - the advantage of a ship with a maximum speed of 24 knots over a dreg that could only run or knots was really too great.

"At 11:30, the battle came to an end." Montagu's pen finally stopped. "Six of the ten Japanese cruisers were sunk. The Fuso and the other four cruisers escaped with serious damage. Although the Musashi and Yamato were badly damaged, their main armor belts were not penetrated."

Ding Ruchang put down the telescope, and a smug smile appeared on his tanned face: "Although we failed to sink the Yamato, Musashi, and Fuso, the score of six to zero is enough to greatly enhance the prestige of our Heavenly Kingdom."

Montagu climbed up the twisted and deformed gangway to the deck of the Musashi. His fingers stroked the dense bullet holes. The 356mm carburized steel armor was full of pits, but it was never penetrated. "Incredible," he muttered to himself, "If the enemy's Exocet class has a 240mm rapid-fire gun, today..."

Three months later, Montagu's report was placed on the desk of the British Admiralty: "The Battle of Tsushima proved that speed and firepower are the future. It is recommended to accelerate the development of 254mm rapid-fire guns."

(End of this chapter)