Part 4 Chapter 1 Battle of Toyoshima

Germany, Volkeng Shipyard. Two new former battleship-class giant ships slowly left the dock. What many Germans don’t understand is why the mighty new warships are hung with some messy banners.

"Hi Stephen, what's it?"

"In Chinese, the Chinese and Vietnamese people are friendly, the Chinese and Vietnamese people are connected by flesh and blood, and the Vietnamese people support China unconditionally! And so on."

"I thought the Chinese were very strange. It turns out that the Vietnamese were so strange!"

Yes, it's very strange! Stephen also didn't understand what Chen Congyun wanted to express? Why did the two former battleships (monarch-level) purchased by the Vietnamese royal family as the strengthening of the Jiang Defense Fleet have to be filled with these messy things, and then said in the telegram that, walking slowly, Vietnam is far away from Germany, remember that it will take a year or two to have a year or two.

Isn’t war between China and Japan going to start? What is Chen Congyun’s name? This is a new British battleship. The two cost 7 million taels, displacement of 11,000 yuan, 4 main guns with a caliber of 320 mm, 10 152 mm caliber rapid-fire guns, 12-16 small-caliber rapid-fire guns, 7 406 mm fish launch tubes, and two warships with such powerful firepower did not return home as soon as possible to join the war, wasted a lot of Stephen’s scheming and urged Germany to deliver the goods in advance before the war began. Stephen did not understand, the Germans did not understand, and the Japanese were frightened!

The firepower of the entire Japanese joint fleet was probably not shaken together. The Japanese intelligence personnel in Europe were crazy and were almost following the whereabouts of these two battleships, but the two battleships were walking too slowly and there was no intention of rushing back to fight. The Japanese intelligence department's hair was white and could not figure out why. In the end, it was determined that these two battleships should really belong to the Jiangfang Fleet of the Vietnamese government.

If Stephen knew the Japanese conclusion, he would definitely be so angry that he said: "Jiangfang Fleet? Who the hell has seen a ten-ton warship driving in the ditch of the Red River? Damn the Red River may not even be able to sail a thousand-ton ship."

………………………………………

On July 24th, Liugong Island! Thick smoke! After receiving Li Hongzhang's preparatory call, the Beiyang Navy finally began to prepare for the battle in a real sense. Hannagan was in a good mood. Standing on the deck of Dingyuan, watching boxes of grenades being transported onto the ship, the foreigner who had been able to catch shells for several hours half a year ago was finally relieved.

Liu Buchan and Ding Ruchang were also standing side by side under the bridge in Dingyuan at this time.

"Military Gate! What do you mean by Chen Congyun? Do you have no place to spend it when you have too much money? Spend millions of silver to send shells to the navy?" Liu Buchan joked with a smile, and there was no sign of making fun of it from his expression.

"Chen Congyun understands the navy and knows that Japanese warships have thin armor, and the effect of grenades is better than armor-piercing bombs. If it weren't for the timely arrival of these grenades, would you and I laugh now?" Ding Ruchang sighed softly and shook his head helplessly.

"After the New Year, Chen Congyun actually sent 1,000 tons of high-quality coal. I wonder what Zhang Shiyan would feel when he knew it? What did Li Zhongtang feel?" Liu Buchan's dissatisfaction was already heard by Ding Ruchang at this time. He turned around and glanced at Liu Buchan and said, "These things are not something you and I should worry about. Maybe Chen Congyun's actions are all Li Zhongtang's intentions. You don't know the suppression of the Beiyang Navy by the Ministry of Revenue."

"Yes, the Zhongtang is now giving in to Japan step by step, and the siege of the government and the country is rampant. The only way to fight to the death is to correct our Beiyang Navy." Liu Buchan smiled bitterly and pointed to Zhiyuan in the distance and said, "Military Sect, Deng Shichang sent a signal, he is ready."

"Zhenyuan, Jingyuan, Laiyuan also sent a banner and prepared."

"Ding Junmen! The central hall is urgently powered!"

Ding Ruchang quickly walked up to him, received the telegram and looked at it, and his face suddenly said with a gloomy expression: "Order the fire to be turned off, and the reinforcements will be cancelled."

"Why? Now the Japanese have gathered many warships such as Yoshino in North Korea. Once Japan starts war, Jiyuan's situation is worrying, military gate." Liu Buchan was anxious and grabbed the telegram.

Ding Ruchang closed his eyes helplessly, shook his head and said, "Execute it!"

The signal was sent! Zhiyuan, Zhenyuan, Jingyuan, Laiyuan and other ships sent flags and asked why the operation was cancelled. Ding Ruchang was ordering to explain what Li Zhongtang meant. Liu Buchan pointed to a small boat on the sea and smiled bitterly: "Ding Junmen, Deng Shichang is here."

"Ding Junmen, why should the operation be cancelled? Jiyuan, Weiyuan, and Guangyi ships are in danger, how can the operation be cancelled? Guangyi called, the Japanese have occupied Seoul and held the dynasty hostage, so you must be careful." Deng Shichang rushed forward and asked loudly, asking loudly, loudly, and Deng Shichang rushed to the front and asked loudly.

"Deng Shichang! You are arrogant! This is the order from the Zhongtang, please execute it!"

"Ding Junmen!, British Luo Shizhe also said that the Japanese fleet is going to attack Jiyuan and the others. Can Zhiyuan and other fast cruisers form a small team to reinforce to prevent accidents?" Liu Buchan suggested in a low voice, and Ding Ruchang shook his head and said, "Military orders are like a mountain!"

Deng Shichang, who was reprimanded, stood there and punched the boat hard on the side of the ship. Hannagan, who had not spoken, walked to Deng Shichang, patted Deng Shichang on the shoulder and said, "Deng! Calm down, you are an excellent soldier."

On July 25, Jiyuan was ahead and Guangyi was behind. He went out to sea from Yashan. At around 7:30, three warships suddenly appeared on the south side of Toyoshima. It was identified that the Japanese No. 1 guerrilla Yoshino, Akitsu, and Langsu were three fast cruisers.

At this time, the Japanese ship sailed north in the south of the Chinese fleet. Because the sea near Toyoshima is wide in the south and narrow in the north, it is not conducive to the circumference of the Japanese ship. In order to occupy a favorable position, the Japanese ship deliberately changed the needle road to the right sixteen degrees and turned the rudder to travel east so that when the Chinese warship sailed to the wide area of ​​the southern remote sea in Toyoshima, they would then run a wheel attack. Jiyuan, Guangyi saw that the Japanese ship was heading east, thinking that the Japanese ship would not provoke and continued to sail forward. When he arrived at the sea surface on the south side of Toyoshima, the Japanese ship suddenly turned west and turned north,

In the single vertical direction, Jiyuan was rushed towards Jiyuan, and Guangyi rushed towards him and intercepted the Chinese warships. At 7:52, when the warships between the two sides were three thousand meters apart, Yoshino, the flagship of the Japanese first guerrilla team, suddenly "bombed Jiyuan with port artillery fire. Then, at 7:55, and at 56, Akitsuki also used port artillery fire to shoot at Jiyuan." The Chinese warship Jiyuan, Guangyi was forced to respond and fight back. In an instant, the sound of artillery shook the sky, and the smoke of gunfire covered the sea. The prelude to the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 - the Battle of Toshima, the Battle of Toyoshima, began.

"Master Fang!" Shen Shouchang, the chief mate of Jiyuan, saw that the Japanese warship opened fire, but Fang Boqian came out to command, rushed to the cabin. Shen Shouchang searched around and finally found Fang Boqian in the thickest cabin.

"Sir, please wait for the command of the watchtower!"

"Go out and order to quickly turn the rudder and evacuate the battlefield!" Fang Boqian said with a pale face and a trembling head full of sweat.

Chen Shouchang looked at Fang Boqian with contempt, turned around and left with a sneer, and climbed up to the watchtower without hesitation.

"Send a signal to Hiroyi, maintain formation, concentrate firepower and strike Yoshino first! The front main gun! The front main gun is aimed at Yoshino, fire the gun! The back main gun is aimed at the Langsuo!"

At the beginning of the battle, the three Japanese ships relied on their advantage of fast speed and high-speed fire cannons, and took Yoshino first to form a fishing vertical formation and used the firepower of one side to fire violently at the Chinese warships. First, they concentrated their artillery fire and "gathered to attack Jiyuan, as dense as rain."

Three to two, on the sea of ​​Toyoshima, five warships from China and Japan fought at a distance of 2-300 meters!

First, Yoshino, the rapid-fire gun fell around Jiyuan, causing splashes. The wave speed followed closely, and before it could fire, it ran as it roared on the "Langsu", and fell twenty meters from its head. Shattered pieces flew, and the signal cable of the "Langsu" was blown off!

The enemy is strong and we are weak. Compared with the rapid-fire guns of the Japanese ships, Jiyuan's main gun fires too slowly. A shell landed on the watchtower. Chen Shouchang on the watchtower shook for a moment and rushed to the watchtower. Seeing this, the second deputy guard Ke Jianzhang rushed to the watchtower immediately. During this time, Chen Shouchang's head was injured by shrapnel, and he continued to die heroically.

"The front main gun! aim at Yoshino!" Ke Jianzhang's hoarse shouts sounded on the watchtower. Jiyuan's main gun roared out, and Yoshino's predecessor was shot in the distance, and thick smoke suddenly rose.

The Guangyi ship, led by Lin Guoxiang, commanded the counterattack with artillery fire, and ordered the acceleration to approach the Japanese ship Yoshino. Yoshino was worried that Guangyi would come to hit him, so he quickly turned around and went around. At about 7:58 am, Guangyi appeared 600 meters on the flank of Akitsuzu. Lin Guoxiang was preparing to attack Akitsuzu with torpedoes, but unfortunately got shot and the torpedo launch tube was destroyed. Another grenade flew over the deck of Guangyi, landing on the deck of Guangyi, with more than 20 people killed or injured. Guangyi still fought to death and shot the port side of the Langsuo.

On the Jiyuan ship, Ke Jianzhang took over the command shortly after Jiyuan's main gun was shot. Ke Jianzhang, student guard Huang Chengxun, sixth-rank military meritorious Wang Xishan, and the head of the Guanqian Liu Kun was shot and killed. The front main gun was destroyed. Thirteen soldiers at all levels of Jiyuan were killed, injured forty people, but they still refused to retreat. The main gun later occupied the enemy.

After an hour of fierce fighting, Jiyuan and Guangyi were shot in many places, and the artillery fire was not good, so they fought and retreated.

When the Japanese ship saw the two ships retreat, they chased them wildly, trying to sink the two ships and then quickly!

At that time, two ships came together in the southwest direction, and nationality could not be identified. The commander of the First Travel Team, Tokimi Tsui, ordered that all ships act freely, Akitsushi chased Hiroi and Jiyuan.

The two ships in the southwest gradually approached, one was the Caojiang gunboat and the other was the British merchant ship Takatsu. Yoshino sent a signal, ordering Langsu to capture Takatsu and send it to Gunshan Urako and the commander of the Joint Fleet to deal with it. Yoshino continued to pursue Jiyuan and ordered Akizushi Shirakio to intercept the Caojiang. At that time, Jiyuan had sailed seven miles away from Yoshino, but Yoshino was eight miles faster than Jiyuan, and could catch up in a flash. Yoshino drove at full speed and chased at the highest speed. At 12:38, when Yoshino and Jiyuan were 2,500 meters apart, they attacked Jiyuan with starboard artillery fire. The Jiyuan leader Fang Boqian saw that the enemy ship was about to chase him, and was shocked. He shamelessly ordered the white flag to be hung. Then, he hung the Japanese flag. But Yoshino still pursued him relentlessly. The patriotic soldier Wang Guocheng was infuriated with national indignation and rose up. In self-defense, he asked everyone: Who can help me transport shells? Sailor Li Shimao stood up and was willing to help. The two worked together to attack the enemy ships with four guns in a row, hitting three guns. The first gun hit Yoshino Matsu Tower, and the second gun also hit. The third gun was not hit. The fourth gun hit Yoshino's key point, and the bow of the ship was immediately lowered. Yoshino was injured and dared not continue to pursue. At 12:43, the wheel was late. When Yoshino retreated with injuries, Jiyuan could immediately turn the rudder and bombard the enemy ship with the main gun on the head of the ship, he might even achieve greater victory. Caojiang and Gaosheng's difficulties could even be relieved. Unfortunately, Jiyuan's manager Fang Boqian was a greedy and fearless person who had no fighting spirit, and he was afraid of escaping, so he naturally would not take this risk. He even put Caojiang, Gaosheng ignored him, drove his full power, and hurriedly fled towards Lushun.

Jiyuan left immediately, Caojiang picked up Jiyuan's banner and walked westward. Gaosheng regarded himself as a British merchant ship. The Japanese dared not fire and continued to move forward. Yoshino Banner ordered Gaosheng to stop the ship, and Gaosheng was forced to stop. The captain of the Langsu Ship Togo Heihachiro sent people to board the ship for "pre-inspection" and asked Gaosheng to follow him. The Qing general refused, and Langsu Ship launched a torpedo to hit Gaosheng. Then the two-stringed cannon attack Gaosheng.

After Gaosheng was attacked, the Qing army on the ship fought back with no cannons, using rifles!

The Gaosheng gradually sank. A soldier on the sea held a piece of driftwood and stubbornly fucked his rifle and fired his last shot at the Langsuo on the opposite side!

After Gao Sheng sank, the Japanese ship saw Qing troops on the sea, so he set up a small boat and killed them one by one, leaving only the British captain.

On that day, when Yoshino pursued Jiyuan, Guangyi was injured and retreated to the west coast of Korea. Lin Guoxiang, the ship's side was destroyed and could not be allowed to fight. He barely sailed to the eighteen islands on the west coast of Korea and stranded. Lin Guoxiang and others destroyed several undestroyed cannons on their ships, and burned the boilers and burned themselves to avoid fighting. Then, they led more than 70 soldiers to the Ye Zhichao military camp in Yashan. When they arrived, the camp was empty. Ye Zhichao retreated to Gongzhou two days ago. The group was preparing to return to the country on British warships, but were intercepted by the Japanese ships. The officers and soldiers below Lin Guoxiang were forced to sign and never participate in the Sino-Japanese war to ensure the settlement, and were released and returned to China.

The Caojiang River was made of a small wooden steamer. It was not as good as going far away and was caught up by Qiujinzhou. The manager Wang Yongfa ordered the burning of all documents and the salary was reduced by 200,000 taels of silver, so he was forced to surrender.

The Battle of Toyoshima has come to an end!
Chapter completed!