The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 967 Is this the grandeur of 1100 million tons of crude steel?
Thirty nautical miles south of Oahu, in the conning tower of the battleship USS Shanxi, a cool sea breeze blew in through the open portholes, making the nautical charts rustle. Huang Chengzhong's finger pressed heavily on the area of ​​sea circled in red on the chart.

"The British and American fleets will inevitably take this route to launch a strong attack on Oahu!" His voice was as powerful and resonant as a hammer striking steel. "Our anchor minefield is right here—a full eight hundred mines, enough to give them a run for their money! We just need to lure them in."

Chief of Staff Lin Tai stared at the dense array of red markings, cold sweat beading on his forehead. As a top student from the Shanghai Naval Academy, he was all too aware of the dangers of this plan. "Admiral, the anchor mines can drift! Even if we follow the safe route according to the mine-laying plan, the slightest mistake..."

"What's there to be afraid of!" Huang Chengzhong rolled up his sleeves, his face full of pride. "I saw a briefing from the Armaments Department the other day. Two more 100-ton steelmaking furnaces went into operation last month! Last year we produced 11 million tons of steel. How much did the British produce? How much did the Americans produce? They don't even produce as much as we did combined!"

The officers in the command tower gasped. They already knew this number, but every time it was mentioned, it still sent a surge of excitement through them. 1100 million tons of crude steel a year—more than Britain and the United States combined!

With this industrial strength, building battleships would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?

Huang Chengzhong looked around at everyone, his eyes gleaming with fervent light: "More steel means more ships! What does it matter if we lose a few 'Hailong II's'? Jiangnan Shipyard and Dalian Shipyard are currently building twelve 'Qianlong Modified's' at the same time. Even if all four of our Hailong IIs sink, our military equipment can be doubled within six months!"

He grabbed a red and blue pencil and drew two sharp arcs on the nautical chart: "The torpedo squadron will lie in ambush on both sides of the safe waterway. Once the British and American capital ships are lured near the minefield, we'll launch a torpedo attack! Force them to turn and trigger the mines!" The pencil tip poked a deep dent into the chart. "We'll use our four capital ships as bait to exchange for half their fleet! Hehe, even if it's a one-to-one exchange, we can still win!"

Lin Taizeng's pupils suddenly contracted. This plan was too insane—using a main battleship worth millions of silver dollars as bait to lure the enemy into a minefield. But when he saw the fighting spirit burning in Huang Chengzhong's eyes, he suddenly remembered the inscription on Premier Luo's textbook at the Naval Academy: "Naval warfare in the industrial age is essentially a war of attrition involving steel."

Thinking of this, Lin Taizeng's voice trembled slightly with excitement: "Admiral, I suggest that the torpedo squadron immediately move into ambush positions No. 3 and No. 7! Minesweepers move forward to confirm safe passage! The entire fleet enters first-level combat readiness!"

"Give the order! Raise the 'The Great Wall Will Never Fall' flag! We are the Great Wall of Steel at Sea of ​​Heaven!"

After giving the order, Huang Chengzhong raised his binoculars, his gaze behind the lens as sharp as a hawk's. On the distant horizon, the black smoke billowing from the British and American fleets was already faintly visible. A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips: "Let the British see what 'using one's own resources to injure another' really means!"

Noon on April 15, 1885, in the sea south of Oahu.

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Eastern Pacific Fleet and the combined British and American fleets clashed violently in this azure water.

The roar of the 305mm main guns of the battleship "Dreadnought" heralded the start of the naval battle. Armor-piercing shells weighing 386 kilograms tore through the air, sending up a towering column of water 300 meters to the port side of the "Shanxi". Salty seawater poured onto the deck like a torrential rain, but Huang Chengzhong remained motionless, the hands of his pocket watch just past 12:07.

"Fire at once!" With his command, the four twin-mounted 240mm main guns of the Shanxi simultaneously spewed orange-red flames. The latest armor-piercing capped shells rushed towards the British ship HMS Magnificent at a speed of 800 meters per second. After only four rounds of correction firing and three rounds of effective firing, a brilliant fireball exploded on the waterline armor belt of the Magnificent.

"Hit!" Before the observer's excited shout had even faded, another volley of shells roared out of the barrel.

However, Huang Chengzhong showed no joy, because he knew that the distance between the two sides was now more than 8000 meters, and the 240mm main gun of the Hailong II was basically impossible to penetrate the main armor of the "Weiyan" class at this distance.

But he didn't intend to close the distance either. The enemy had quite a few 12-inch (305 mm) cannons, and if they got close, his "Sea Dragon II" would definitely be the first to be destroyed.
"Are they luring us into a trap?" Admiral Dewey, commander of the U.S. East Coast Fleet, guessed at Huang Chengzhong's intentions. "Is he trying to lead us into the range of shore artillery?"

Just then, the megaphone suddenly beeped, followed by the lookout's voice: "Bridge, attention! A large number of small targets have been spotted approaching at high speed from the right front! Suspected torpedo boats!"

Dewey quickly raised his binoculars and searched the sea.

Sure enough, twenty or thirty torpedo boats of the Taiping Navy emerged from the right front of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's main warship, which was fighting and retreating, like a swarm of sharks.

A torpedo boat, designated "Sea Wolf 1," with a standard displacement of less than 100 tons, took the lead, braving the secondary guns of the battleship and the barrage of shells from the destroyers escorting it. At a speed of 28 knots, it charged to within 1500 meters of the American ship USS Florida and launched four 450mm gas torpedoes. These "Jiaolong-3" torpedoes, the latest development from the Wuchang Arsenal, used compressed air and kerosene-fired steam turbine propulsion, achieving speeds of up to 30 knots and leaving deadly white trails on the calm sea.

"Hard to port! Emergency evasive maneuver!" The captain's roar was drowned out by a deafening explosion. A torpedo struck the bow precisely, and 300 kilograms of high explosive instantly tore through the waterline armor.

The more fatal blow came 10 minutes later when the captain of the Florida discovered that the Pacific Navy's second wave of torpedo boats was coming. He hurriedly ordered the giant ship to turn and evade, trying to get away from those reckless torpedo boats. However, the evasion was too abrupt, and the ship crashed into a floating moored mine.

boom--!
Amidst a towering column of water, the keel of the USS Florida cracked with a sickening sound. In just three minutes, the £120 million battleship, along with more than 500 officers and men, sank to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 4000 meters.

The sudden sinking of the USS Florida after striking a mine was like a hammer blow to the formation of the Anglo-American fleet. Admiral Dewey stood on the bridge of the USS Maryland, his face ashen. He realized his fleet had been lured into a minefield—using four battleships and two armored cruisers as bait to lure the enemy into a minefield—did the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom navy even know how to fight a naval war? Who taught them? Did they think battleships were free?
Thinking of this, he suddenly grabbed his binoculars and scanned the sea – the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's torpedo boat fleet had already scattered, and what alarmed him even more was that the four "Hailong II" type battleships in the distance had suddenly changed course and were heading straight for his fleet!

"What are they trying to do?!" Dewey's adjutant exclaimed.

"They want to make a deal with us!" Dewey gritted his teeth. "Order! The entire fleet turns 15 degrees to starboard, watch out for mines! Destroyers forward, intercept torpedo boats!"

But it's too late.

Huang Chengzong stood on the bridge of the "Shanxi" warship, a cold smile playing on his lips. He abruptly waved his hand and ordered, "Full speed ahead! Charge in!"

The smokestacks of the four "Hailong II" class battleships billowed thick black smoke, and their triple-expansion engines roared, pushing them to their maximum speed. The muzzles of their 240mm main guns spat out tongues of fire, and shells rained down on the British and American fleet's formation.

"Are they insane?!" The captain of the British ship HMS Magnificent stared in disbelief at the scene. "They're recklessly charging through the minefield?!"

Yes, Huang Chengzhong is determined to charge into the mine-strewn sea!

His goal was to force the British and American fleets to change course amidst the chaos, thus leaving the relatively safe waterways behind. Then, he would leave everything to fate!
"boom--!"

A deafening roar erupted as a fireball burst from the bow of the "Henan," causing the ship to shudder violently. "It's struck a mine!" the observer's voice boomed through the loudspeaker.

Huang Chengzhong didn't even blink: "Keep moving forward!"

The "Sea Dragon II" had good anti-sinking capabilities; a hole in the bow wasn't a big deal, and it could be repaired back at Pearl Harbor.

The bow of the "Shanxi" cleaved through the waves, heading straight for the heart of the British and American fleet. The British ship "Indomitable" hastily turned, but collided head-on with another drifting torpedo, causing the ship to list instantly.

"boom--!"

Another loud explosion, this time from the "Shaanxi". A mine tore a huge gash in its port side, and seawater rushed in.

"Admiral! The 'Shaanxi' is seriously damaged!" The communications officer's voice trembled slightly.

This is a bit serious! But we can still hold on – because we knew we were going into a minefield, so all the ships had locked their waterproof hatches long ago.

Huang Chengzhong remained expressionless: "Tell them to withdraw from the battle, the rest of the ships continue the charge!"

His gaze was fixed on the distant "Dauntless," the standard platoon watching the massive ship, weighing over 18000 tons, desperately trying to turn and escape the battlefield.

"Trying to run?" Huang Chengzhong sneered. "Order the lightning strike team to hold it down!"

Twelve torpedo boats pounced on the "Dauntless" like hungry wolves, the white trails of the 450mm torpedoes drawing deadly arcs on the sea.

Dewey's expression finally changed.

"Full speed retreat!" he roared.

But it was too late.

A torpedo slammed into the stern of the HMS Dreadnought, the shockwave from the explosion causing the giant ship to shudder violently. Immediately afterward, another torpedo struck its midships, sending seawater surging into the engine room.

The speed of the "Intrepid" dropped sharply and the ship began to list.

Just then, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's third wave of torpedo boat attacks arrived.

"boom--!"

The ship was hit directly amidships, and Rear Admiral Fisher, commander of the British Australian Fleet's northward detachment, was thrown to the ground by the violent shock, blood flowing from his forehead.

"Sir! Please move the flagship!" the captain of the Dreadnought shouted hoarsely.

Fisher struggled to lift his head, looking at the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom naval flag fluttering in the distance, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Do they really not care about battleships?"

As the last rays of the setting sun bathed the sea, this frenzied naval battle finally came to an end.

The Anglo-American fleet suffered heavy losses: HMS Dauntless was severely damaged and evacuated, HMS Magnificent was sunk, HMS Florida was sunk, and three cruisers and five destroyers were sunk or severely damaged.

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Eastern Pacific Fleet also paid a price: the "Henan" sank, the "Shaanxi" was severely damaged, the "Shanxi" was hit by a ramming attack, and two destroyers were sunk.

But Huang Chengzhong stood on the deck of the "Shanxi" ship, looking at the British and American fleets retreating in a mess in the distance, without a trace of heartache on his face - how could he be the fleet admiral of an "industrial power with 1100 million tons of steel" if he couldn't bear to part with the battleships?

"Admiral, we won." Lin Tai walked to his side, his voice tinged with fatigue, but mostly with excitement.

Huang Chengzhong nodded, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon.

“Yes, we won,” he said softly, “but this is just the beginning.”

He turned and walked toward the bridge, his silhouette stretching long in the setting sun.

"Order all ships to return to Pearl Harbor." His voice was calm yet firm. "Tell the shipyard workers to prepare for overtime repairs on the battleships. This war is not only for soldiers, but also for workers!"

(End of this chapter)