The sun never sets

There was no war between China and Japan, but everyone in the navy still remembered the events of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 and the humiliation of Shimonoseki, and the Japanese warships' sneak attacks on Chinese troop transports. Every time they encountered Japanese warships at sea, the captains of the two warships would order the guns to be untied, or load shells, or aim the guns at the Japanese warships for exercises.

The Combined Fleet also regarded Chinese warships as enemies and would provoke them whenever they encountered them. It also sent main battleships to chase and intercept them on the sea, apparently intending to sink the "Xiaguang" and "Akebono" near the Sea of Japan.

However, these two warships are too fast and have strong firepower. No one with stronger firepower can run faster than them. No one can run faster than them! The engineers at Qingdao Shipyard said that the two ships can run at a maximum speed of 24 knots, but in fact they can run faster. During the extreme test at sea, the "Xiaguang" once ran at a speed of 25.5 knots!

And this is not the limit, there is still room for improvement.

There was room for speed, but the captain and the political commissar were afraid that the warship would disintegrate if it went too fast, so they did not dare to increase the speed. When it reached 25 knots, there was a creaking sound on the ship, and it felt like it was about to fall apart at any time. Even though the chief engineer Wang Changhao repeatedly assured that there was absolutely no problem, the captain was very tempted after hearing it, but the political commissar said he would not agree to continue to increase the pressure. The warship is the property of the country, but the most important thing is the naval officers and soldiers on the warship. These are the seeds of the navy. If anything goes wrong, he will not be able to explain to the party, the country and Chairman Lin.

Wang Changhao was disappointed that he could not experience the feeling of flying, and thought that the political commissar was too conservative. But soon, he realized that the political commissar was not a conservative person. "What? We have to cross the Tsugaru Strait on our way back?"

At the meeting in the captain's room, Wang Changhao held the cat, his eyes widened, and he cried out loudly. He used a little more force on his hands, and the orange cat felt pain, and cried "meow", jumped off his legs, and ran away. There were too many people here, and the orange cat was a little nervous, so it ran away directly because it felt pain.

The political commissar smiled and asked, "Why? Comrade Wang Changhao, do you think we can't complete such a mission? Or do you think we will be caught up by the Japanese warships?"

"No, no, the Japanese battleships will definitely not be able to catch up with us!"

Wang Changhao waved his hands repeatedly, "It's just... it just feels so sudden. How could you suddenly think of crossing the Tsugaru Strait? Isn't this actively provoking the Japanese? Before, Political Commissar, you asked us to exercise restraint."

The army brothers have soldiers' committees, and the navy warships also have them. Every military meeting is attended by party representatives and representatives of the soldiers' committee. Someone will record the speeches and ask the participants to confirm and sign them after the meeting. At this time, the representative of the soldiers' committee said loudly: "I think it's good now. Restrain yourself! Restrain yourself! The Japanese have been chasing us at sea for more than half a month. It's good to scare them!"

The captain coughed and said, "The Russians have surrendered to us. Now it is the Japanese who are fighting the Russians. The news from the General Staff said that while the Japanese army was attacking Vladivostok, they were also stockpiling a lot of troops in Korea. There seems to be a sign of invading Northeast China again. We are going to cross the Tsugaru Strait to test the attitude of the Japanese. We may also fight with the Japanese."

"Then fight them! Don't be afraid of them!"

The political commissar had to speak up, "Comrade Li, pay attention to your speech. There is a secretary taking notes. Don't talk nonsense."

"I was talking about the Japanese devils, not you, the political commissar."

"........"

"Before crossing the Tsugaru Strait, our Xiaguang will have to conduct a major inspection. The Aurora will also have to be inspected. Comrade Wang Changhao, you must complete this task within three days. Can you complete the task?"

Fatty Wang stood up suddenly, raised his head and shouted, "Yes!"

"Okay!" the political commissar said, "The rest of you must also be prepared for battle. We will not take the initiative to fire a single shot, but as long as the Japanese dare to fire, we must fight back fiercely! The Party is watching you, the motherland and the people are watching you, and Chairman Lin is watching you!"

A portrait of Chairman Lin hung on the wall of the captain's room. From Wang Changhao's perspective, the bald man looked at them with a smile. The representative of the soldiers' committee stood up, waved his fist and shouted, "Long live Chairman Lin!" The others also stood up and cheered.

There were too many former Boxer members in the People's Army. Although there had been many rectification movements, some people still worshipped Chairman Lin as a god. The generals and political commissars let this happen, and some even took the initiative to spread it. When Lin Yongchang found out, he was very dissatisfied and issued a document to reprimand them, several times, but the effect did not seem to be very good.

China has a tradition of mythicizing the emperor. Although there is no emperor in the new China, for many people, President Lin and Chairman Lin are no different from the emperor. Many people still hope that Chairman Lin can become the emperor so that they can become the emperor's heirs. The People's Party is too strict now. It's not that it's bad, but that it's too strict.

Moreover, the "miracles" were real, and many people claimed that they had felt the glory of Chairman Lin. In addition to the lamas of the Gelugpa Tibetan Buddhism, the most enthusiastic person who spread the topic of "Chairman Lin is a god" was Wu Tingfang, the vice minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs...

Wu Tingfang was a doctor of law who had received advanced modern and Western education. He participated in the Sino-French negotiations and the Shimonoseki negotiations. No matter how you look at it, he was a "modern," "new," "enlightened," and "progressive" figure. However, this is not the whole truth. There was another Wu Tingfang, a Wu Tingfang who was a little "superstitious," a little "backward," and a little "superstitious."

When Wu Tingfang lived in the suburbs of Guangzhou, he often went to a nearby Christian church to listen to sermons. He gradually became familiar with the British pastor Yan Huilin, from whom he learned about European politics and culture, learned English, and was recommended by him to the pastor Brian in Hong Kong, so that he could study at St. Paul's College in Hong Kong. Later, he went to London to study, allegedly with the help of the Christian church.

Although he was not baptized as a Christian, he had long-term contacts with Christian pastors and churches, and was quite interested in religion and had a deeper understanding of it. After the age of 40, Wu Tingfang was a vegetarian all year round and studied "hygiene theory", but the ancient books he consulted were all "Taoist cultivation language" and he could not get into it. After his diplomatic mission to America, he met a full-fledged Taoist priest.

Scholars exchanged ideas with each other and gained new insights. He also wrote a long article, "A New Method for Prolonging Life", which combined Taoist health preservation theory with modern medical knowledge. He firmly believed that he could live to 200 to 300 years old.

Wu Tingfang wrote "Diary of Spiritual Studies", "Night Talks with Ghost Friends", "Questions about the Ghost World", etc. He would sit in meditation for an hour every night before going to bed. According to his own account, when he was meditating, he felt that "all his worries disappeared, his internal organs were clear, and his body was much lighter, as if he was floating in the air and ascending to heaven". He was such a person, so it was natural that he could easily fall into the world of "supernatural powers" and leave.

Lin Yongchang only saw Lu Zhengxiang's diplomatic ability at first, and after knowing that Lu Zhengxiang was a Protestant, he thought about changing horses. He found out that Wu Tingfang did not believe in Catholicism, so he let Wu Tingfang take over. Who knew that Wu Tingfang did not believe in Jehovah, but believed in something else?

Who would have known that such a worldly-wise doctor of law could believe in Taoism?

Lin Yongchang found out about it later, and thought that Taoism was better than Christianity, so he accepted it. He did not even interfere with Lu Zhengxiang, because Lu Zhengxiang was dedicated to his job and could not be faulted.

Chapter 303: Crossing the Tsugaru Strait

The navy is an offensive branch of the military, and the existence of a fleet is the worst naval doctrine.

The idea of crossing the Tsugaru Strait was not proposed by the General Staff, but was decided by the captains and political commissars of the "Xiaguang" and "Akebono". They had received training from German instructors in Qingdao, but they did not think much of the German naval tradition. The navy of New China still learned from the British, and a strong offensive spirit permeated from officers to soldiers.

Besides, the target of their provocation is Japan, so no one has any objection.

After a few days of sailing on the sea, replenishing coal, and conducting a comprehensive inspection and necessary repairs on the two warships, the "Xiaguang" and "Dawn" began their adventurous plan. The strength of the combined fleet was far superior to that of the People's Navy. If they engaged in a head-on battle, the two warships would be sunk in less than two hours.

But if they just strolled around, they might not run into the main force of the Japanese Combined Fleet. After all, this was playing with fire, and it was very likely that they would get burned to death. The two captains and the political commissar knew it, and the officers and soldiers also knew it. At the military meeting, everyone said a lot of things, and there were also many things that were not said.

The political commissar and the two captains had discussed in secret that this crossing of the Tsugaru Strait was to provoke the Japanese. If they could attract the Japanese to fire, that would be even better. This was a secret battle, and many things could not be made public.

In the past few years, the Combined Fleet often intruded into Chinese waters for reconnaissance, provocation, demonstration and other activities. The Chinese navy was not strong enough, so it could only express protests and serious protests. After receiving the protests, the Meiji government sometimes downplayed them and said they were misunderstandings, and sometimes simply ignored them. The Japanese government had diplomatic relations with the National Government in Nanjing, and did not recognize the People's Government. There was no diplomatic relationship between them. What was there to care about?

The Beiyang Fleet was completely wiped out, and the Japanese Navy became the best in Asia. From then on, they were trembling. Why would they care about the Chinese protests? Protests? If protests were useful, what would the navy be for?

The Meiji government of Japan attached great importance to the People's Army and paid no attention to the People's Navy. In recent years, the Japanese have been thinking about fighting the Russian Pacific Fleet and have never thought that the People's Navy would cross the Tsugaru Strait. When the "Xiaguang" and "Akebono" approached the Japanese archipelago, they did not encounter any obstruction or trouble, and some Japanese even cheered loudly when they saw them.

"What are those Japanese shouting?"

"It seems they mistook us for Japanese warships."

"Scared, what's that look in their eyes? Oh, we didn't hang any flags, that makes sense."

The commissar waved his hand, "Hang up our hammer and sickle flag! And our naval flag!"

The bright red flag rose slowly and fluttered in the wind. The shouts from the Japanese merchant ship not far away immediately stopped. The Japanese who were waving their arms just now looked at each other in confusion, totally unable to understand what was happening. They could not quite distinguish the shape of the warship, but they could still understand the flag. The difference between the hammer and sickle of the People's Navy and the rising sun flag was so great that even a fool could tell the difference.

The question is, how did the Chinese flag get to Japan... No, how did the Chinese warships get to Japan?

It took only a few seconds to figure out the problem, and the Japanese on the Lanson Maru quickly became terrified. "Enemy attack! The Chinese attacked us!"

"Oh my God! The Chinese are attacking!"

"They're here for revenge!"

The people on the Japanese merchant ship were in a panic. Some were running around, some were shouting hysterically, and some were dragging rifles out of the cabin. No one knew what they were going to do with the rifles. Did they think that those few broken guns could sink the battleship?

On the "Xiaguang", the navy soldiers looked at the Japanese merchant ship in disbelief, "The Japanese are shooting at us!"

"They are so brave!"

"It was the Japanese who started it! Political Commissar, fire!"

"That's right! We don't fire the first shot, but we won't let the enemy fire the second shot... My goodness, they've already fired four or five shots!"

The commissar ignored the soldiers' calls to fire.

Those Japanese are annoying, but what's the point of firing at merchant ships? China and Japan haven't started a war yet, so we can't attack Japanese merchant ships for the time being. "Slowly speed up and pay attention to the surrounding situation. If you spot a Japanese warship, report it immediately!"

"........yes!"

The "Xiaguang" and "Akebono" did not accelerate to their maximum speed, but sailed comfortably in the Tsugaru Strait at a speed of 12 or 13 knots. If they increased their speed to the fastest, they would soon cross the strait, and how could they deter the Japanese?

The Tsugaru Strait is Japan's inland sea, with many ships passing through. Most of the ships were not equipped with radios, but the news spread quickly without the need for radios. Many people knew that Chinese warships were coming, and the busy Tsugaru Strait suddenly became empty and deserted.

The news of the Chinese warships coming was reported to the police station. The police didn't believe it at first. The Chinese navy had been annihilated by the Combined Fleet of the Empire of Japan. How could there be any navy left? And they went to the Tsugaru Strait? Aren't they talking nonsense in broad daylight? Did they drink too much?

But as more and more people came to report the incident, the police became suspicious, and then panicked. Many police stations and local governments desperately called their superiors, but only one person reported the news: "The Chinese are coming to kill us!"

The combined fleet didn't believe it at first. It was not the first time that there had been blunders. Country people were ignorant and would make a fuss about everything. The garrison sent a speedboat to check it out. The speedboat went out quickly and then came back quickly.

"How is it? What kind of joke did you make this time?"

The marines got off the ship with weak hands and feet, and shouted tremblingly: "The Beiyang Fleet! The Beiyang Fleet is coming!"

".......Are you stupid? The Beiyang Fleet was destroyed long ago!"

"Really! It's real! A big Chinese warship! Flying the hammer and sickle flag!"

"........Asshole! That's a Chinese warship! Not the Beiyang Fleet! Quick, call the Navy Department!"

After receiving the exact news, the Navy Headquarters was in an uproar. "Damn it! Did the Chinese declare war on the Empire of Japan?"

"This is a disgrace to the empire!"

"It's a humiliation to the Combined Fleet!"

"We can never tolerate such humiliation! We must sink them! We must!"

Chapter 304 Acceleration

The actions of the Kasuga and Akebono completely angered the Japanese Navy and the Combined Fleet. In order to sink the Chinese warships, the Japanese Navy dispatched all the surrounding warships, including the battleship "Fuji", the armored cruisers "Kasuga" and "Nisshin", and the four old coastal defense ships "Itsukushima", "Zhenyuan", "Matsushima" and "Hashidate".

The main force of the Combined Fleet had just returned from Vladivostok and was being repaired and maintained in various military ports. Even so, the warships that could be pulled out were enough to sink the "Xiaguang" and "Aurora" several times. Because the speeds of various types of warships were different, the Japanese fleet did not form a group, but went directly to the Sea of Japan, preparing to block the Chinese warships.

But their reaction was too slow, perhaps because of carelessness or backward communication technology. The "Xiaguang" and "Akebono" had slowed down and slowly passed through the Tsugaru Strait without encountering any obstruction. Being shot by a rifle was not an obstruction. What threat could a bullet pose to an ironclad ship? Even if it stood there motionless, a rifle would not cause any damage.

"Alas, it seems that this mission has failed."

The political commissar was a middle-aged man. He used to be a member of the Beiyang Fleet. After the collapse of the Beiyang Fleet, he was reduced to begging for a living. After the rise of the People's Party, he found work again. He received a secret instruction from the General Staff to deliberately provoke the Japanese in order to judge the intentions of the Japanese government. In his own judgment, there was another meaning in the instruction.

But the Japanese reacted too slowly. The two warships had already passed through the Tsugaru Strait before the Japanese fleet finally arrived. They couldn't just turn their warships around and rush into the Tsugaru Strait again, right? That wouldn't be a provocation, but a way to get killed.

The ship cut through the waves and headed towards Qingdao. The surrounding Japanese merchant ships and transport ships gave way. Wang Changhao went up on the deck and looked at the panicked Japanese ships nearby with great joy. "Hahaha, the little Japanese have also had this day!"

"When we have more and better warships, we will come here every day to scare them!"

"Alas, Taiyuan has no shipbuilding plan. I don't know how long I have to wait for more warships."

"We can buy it from foreigners... Hey, the Japanese warships are catching up!"

"what?"

Wang Changhao thought that after leaving the Tsugaru Strait, the matter was over, so he went on the deck to stroll, but the matter was not over. The Japanese Navy lost face and vowed to get it back from the Chinese. Even though the "Kaguya" and "Akebono" left the Tsugaru Strait, the Combined Fleet still chased after them relentlessly.

The fastest Japanese destroyers followed closely and sent out flag signals to order the People's Navy to stop for inspection. "Captain, the Japanese want us to stop for inspection!" The navy soldier on the lookout shouted down, "How should we respond?

"

"Reply to his grandmother...well, I mean they are wishful thinking!"

The political commissar ignored the captain's swearing and was observing the situation behind him through a telescope. In addition to the three destroyers, the Japanese armored cruiser also appeared in the field of vision. Judging from the outline and size, it should be an armored cruiser. In the sea farther away, a faint trace of smoke can be seen, and there should be other warships of the Japanese Navy nearby.

It was impossible to stop, and what about turning back to fight? This was also impossible. Crossing the Tsugaru Strait while the Japanese were unprepared was one thing, and fighting the Combined Fleet was another. The People's Navy was still very weak, and it was not yet time to fight a decisive battle with the Japanese at sea.

Just run away like this? If the speed of the "Xiaguang" and "Akebono" was increased to the maximum, they could run at 25 knots, and the main battleships of the Combined Fleet would definitely not be able to catch up. Those destroyers were a bit threatening, but only a bit threatening. If a fight really broke out, the main guns on the "Xiaguang" and "Akebono" could easily overturn the Japanese Navy's destroyers.

The captain shouted loudly: "Wang Changhao, go light up the boiler! We need..."

"No, wait a minute!"

"political commissar?"

The political commissar pursed his lips and said, "Increase the speed to 18 knots first!"

"Yes!"

Wang Changhao saluted and quickly got into the cabin. When he passed the lounge, he called out, "Meow!" A response came from the dark corner, "Meow!"

The fat orange cat rushed over, nimbly jumped onto the fat Wang Changhao's shoulder, and rubbed its head against Wang Changhao's face. "No, I don't have time to pet you now, I still have work to do. Here, I'll give you a piece of dried fish, eat it and go play by yourself."

Wang Changhao took out some dried fish from his pocket and fed it to the orange cat. He took the cat off his body and put it on the ground, then ran briskly to the boiler room... the engine room. The engine room was always hot, literally. Several burly soldiers were shoveling coal with their bare chests. When they saw Wang Changhao coming back, they put down their shovels and shouted, "Why did you come down so soon? Or did the squad leader have a change of heart and let us go out for a walk so soon?"

The power room is not only hot but also very noisy. People who work here have developed the habit of shouting loudly with their shirts bare.

Wang Changhao's voice also became louder, "The Japanese warships are catching up, we need to speed up!"

"Oh!"

"Great! I've been wanting to run for a long time! What kind of navy is twelve knots? We need to run thirty knots!"

"That's right! Screw the twenty-five knots, we want to run thirty knots!"

"Right... bullshit!" Wang Changhao shouted, "Eighteen sections! The political commissar asked us to run eighteen sections!"

"The political commissar's request? That's not right. It should be the captain who gave the order! Squad Leader Wang, the order procedure is wrong!"

Wang Changhao scratched his head, thinking the procedure was wrong. He shouted to the others, "Start the boiler first. I'll go find the captain!"

"it is good!"

Wang Changhao walked a few steps outside, turned around and shouted, "Eighteen knots! Look at the barometer! Don't run faster!"

"Don't worry! Captain, do you still not trust us?"

"That's right! We have discipline!"

Wang Changhao believed in the people in the engine room. They were all good comrades and often gave him delicious food. They were also very enthusiastic about speed. Well, it seemed that he was the one who started this trend.

The fat and agile squad leader Wang Changhao ran to the deck, but couldn't find the captain and political commissar, so he turned and went to the combat command room. "Report!"

"Come in, Squad Leader Wang, you're not in the power room. What's the matter with you coming here?"

"Captain, are you sure you want to increase the speed to eighteen knots?"

The captain glanced at the political commissar beside him and nodded, "Yes, temporarily run at 18 knots! Everyone in the engine room is ready, and new orders may come at any time."