At the wharf of the Inner Port of Inhamba, a Qing Dynasty dragon flag flutters high on the newly erected flagpole, although the Qing Dynasty has bought a large area of land south of the Zambezi River to Maputo from Portugal for nearly a year, but it has always taken a laissez-faire attitude and has not been formally managed.

For the Inhambane, it is more appropriate for both Portugal and the Qing Empire to be outsiders or invaders, but compared to Portugal, they prefer the Qing Empire, because after belonging to the Qing Dynasty, they not only enjoy complete freedom, but also do not have to pay taxes, and the Qing soldiers stationed in the country do not disturb the people, and the trade is very fair.

Although there is no sense of belonging, the vast majority of Inhambanes are quite satisfied with their current living conditions and are very friendly to the Qing troops stationed there, because the arrival of the Qing soldiers has brought a lot of business opportunities.

Tang Zaosheng didn't bother to pay attention to what the blacks in Inhambane were thinking, he just followed Yi Zhi's advice to treat the blacks well and not interfere in the affairs of the blacks.

After dinner, Tang Zaosheng went to the riverside wharf for a walk as usual, and when he arrived at the wharf, he heard a rapid sound of horses' hooves, followed the reputation, and a sentry galloped over, and when he arrived, the rider dismounted and saluted and reported: "Report to the brigade commander, the fleet has arrived, has entered the river, and is expected to arrive in more than an hour." ”

But when it arrived, Tang Zaosheng was overjoyed, and hurriedly ordered: "Order, prepare dinner immediately after cooking." ”

When the fleet docked, after dinner, it was already dark, and in the barracks tent, under the two dim kerosene lamps, Tang Zaosheng slowly gave a detailed account of the situation of the British naval fleet stationed in Maputo.

England declared war on the Transvaal, originally sent a fleet of 25 ironclads and 58 sail ships, after the defeat of Pretoria, the British army sent 15 ironclad ships to South Africa, mainly two 'Minotaur' class ironclad ships, now the number of ironclad ships in Maputo is as high as 40, and the main warships with a displacement of more than 7,000 tons are as high as 15.

After introducing the fifteen main warships in detail in one go, Tang Zaosheng continued: "England has been in the exploration stage of the construction of ironclad ships, and there are more than ten types of ironclad ships, such as the 'Warrior' class, the 'Defense' class, the 'Minotaur' class, the 'Queen's Husband' class, the 'Hector' class, the 'Scorpio' class, the 'Sir Clyde' class, etc.

The ironclad ships sent to South Africa this time almost include the various classes of ironclad ships built by England over the years, and I think that England also hopes to check the actual combat power of various ironclad ships through this naval battle. ”

"That's exactly what we do." Xiao Mingliang said with a smile: "Before leaving, the principal once said that the arms business is the most profitable business, and I hope that we will play the name of Yuanqi ironclad ships in this battle, and many countries in Europe are currently interested in purchasing ironclad ships, and if this battle is fought beautifully, our ironclad ships will be in short supply." ”

Hearing this, all the generals laughed, Yi Zhicontent is worthy of being a businessman's son, no matter what the situation is, he wants to make money, the American Civil War, Yuan Qi is really profitable in the arms business, but now he has hit the idea to European countries.

Seeing the relaxed atmosphere, Tang Zaosheng took out the information that had been prepared a long time ago and handed it over, and said: "The intelligence department has provided some detailed materials, and in recent times, we have put the main warships of the British Navy into a pair .......of seats one by one through observation, this is the information of some warships, and there may be slight discrepancies in the information on power, firepower configuration, armor, displacement, draft, crew, etc. ”

Xiao Mingliang has studied the British capital warships a lot during this time, and after a little flipping through it, he closed the information and said: "To win this battle, the target is naturally the opponent's main battleship, with the main target of the main warships with large displacement such as the 'Minotaur' class, the 'Warrior' class, the Sir Clyde class, and the 'Hector' class. ”

After a pause, he said slowly: "Let's rest here and gather the captains to eat these materials thoroughly, so that they can call out the names of the opponent's main warships at a glance, and in addition, the communication officers of each ship must also memorize the corresponding flags of the British ships, so that it is convenient to concentrate fire and attack in the event of a fierce battle." ”

The arrival of the Qing ironclad fleet caused a lot of sensation among the blacks in Inhamba, and some dared to run to the vicinity of the dock to watch the steel giants, while the timid ones hid directly in their homes and closed their doors and windows.

Although the Portuguese warships were huge, they were still sail warships were wooden-hulled ships, and the warships of the Qing Kingdom were not only larger, but also steel, and there was no comparison between the two at all, and the awe in the eyes of all the black people in Inhambane unconsciously added a little more.

Maputo, British naval command.

He Bu looked at the map on the wall and was stunned, the Qing army's ironclad fleet was stationed in Inhambane, he was not surprised, under normal circumstances, the Qing army fleet from afar would find a nearby port to rest, Inyanbane is close to Maputo, and it is also convenient for supply, which can be described as the most ideal supply port for the Qing army.

Of the 24 ironclad ships, there were only four main battleships with a displacement of about 8,000 tons, six mid-level battleships with a displacement of 4 to 6,000 tons, and the others were small warships with a displacement of 2 or 3,000 tons.

With an ironclad fleet of this size, the Qing army actually dared to come to South Africa with a swagger! Didn't the Qing army know the size of the British Empire's fleet in South Africa? This possibility is almost non-existent, since they have not been able to cut off the cable telegraph of the Qing army in Maputo, in other words, the fleet in Maputo has been under the surveillance of the Qing army, and although they are unwilling, they have no ability to destroy or expel the Qing army in Maputo.

So, what did the Qing army rely on? Naval gun? This possibility is really not very large, the sea surface is not as high as the land, no matter how high the hit rate of the Qing army's artillery is, it will also be greatly affected on the sea surface, even if Maputo Bay can be regarded as calm, but the impact of wind and waves can not be ignored, and the hit rate of naval artillery is definitely not as high as that of shore defense artillery.

What else is there besides artillery? Cannonballs, not to mention the great power of the Qing army's shells, after the explosion, it will form a fire that is difficult to extinguish, and even the deck of the ironclad ship can be burned and deformed, but although this kind of cannonball can cause great damage to the battleship, it cannot constitute a fundamental threat, even if it is bombarded intensively, the battleship will not sink.

In addition, he really can't think of any other reliance on the Qing army, Maputo said that it is not big, and it is not small to say that it is small, but for the scale of the two warring fleets, it is definitely a little small, and there is not much room for maneuver at all, the reason why he is holding Maputo is also in this regard, after all, in terms of strength, they occupy an absolute advantage, even if the Qing army's ironclad ships are fast, there is not much advantage in Maputo Bay.

The question is, these problems that he can take into account, the Qing army can not consider? Obviously, the Qing army should have something else to rely on! He was pondering when Arthur Hood came in and hesitated, "Your Excellency, should we take the initiative?" ”

Take the initiative? He Bu stretched out his hand and gave a bow before saying, "Why?" ”

"The Qing fleet dared to come to Maputo, and it should have something to rely on." Arthur Hood said slowly: "The most likely is the artillery advantage, which is nothing more than the hit rate, rate of fire and the power of the shells, compared to the Mozambique Strait, Maputo Bay can be described as calm, which is conducive to the Qing warships to give full play to their artillery advantages, but if the battlefield is placed in the Mozambique Strait, the Qing army's artillery advantage will be greatly reduced." ”

He Bu slowly lit a cigar and then spoke: "Even if the wind and waves in Maputo Bay are small, it has a great impact on the hit rate of naval guns, I think that the Qing army relies on more than just artillery superiority, don't forget, the Qing country has always been in the lead in weapon research and development." ”

Arthur Hood's heart tightened, "Your Excellency is saying that the Qing Kingdom has invented a new weapon suitable for naval warfare?" ”

"What are the weapons suitable for naval warfare, apart from artillery? Tow mines, rod mines, and torpedoes. He Bu said in a deep voice: "Judging from the situation of the Qing army's ironclad fleet, it should not be a tow mine or a pole mine, and I guess that it is very likely that the Qing State has improved the torpedo and can be used in actual combat." ”

Arthur Hood was no stranger to torpedoes, and in 1866, the Englishman Wright. Although the range of this torpedo is only about 200 meters, and there are many shortcomings in the design of depth fixing and course control, it still caused quite a stir, especially the navies of various countries.

This kind of special mine torpedo, which can sail on its own and take the initiative to attack the enemy, can directly threaten the underwater part of the ironclad ship with the weakest protection, the ironclad ship is not afraid of shells, and it is not impossible to sink an ironclad ship with shells, but it is quite difficult, but it is very easy for a torpedo to sink an ironclad ship, because the torpedo attacks the part below the waterline where the ironclad ship has the weakest protection, and once it is hit, it will lead to the sinking of the ironclad ship, and the navies of various countries cannot pay attention to it.

Listening to Hebu's speculation that Qing Guo might have succeeded in improving a torpedo that could be used in actual combat, his mood could be described as extremely bad, if this is the case, this battle will be extremely dangerous!

After a slight groan, he said: "The torpedo has a short range, but it is only two or three hundred yards, and it cannot be ...... directional. ”

"Don't question the Qing State's ability in weapons research and development." He Bu said in a deep voice: "It has only been a few years since the Gatling hand-cranked machine gun came out, and the Qing Kingdom has developed a fully automatic machine gun, and it has been six or seven years since the torpedo came out. ”

The Qing State has always been in the leading position in weapons research and development, which is recognized by the world, and Arthur Hood does not deny it, but he still does not believe that the Qing State can develop a torpedo with actual combat value, or that he does not dare, but does not want to believe that if this is the case, their ironclad ships will be meaningless.

Seeing that he was silent, He Bu said slowly: "Of the twenty-four ironclad ships of the Qing army, there are only four main warships, and the artillery configuration is very few, even if the Qing country's artillery technology has made a major breakthrough, but in the battle on the sea, the advantage of artillery will be greatly weakened, and the only explanation can only be torpedoes!" Only torpedoes can automatically sail on the surface of the sea to attack battleships! ”

After a long silence, Arthur Hood muffled, "This is just speculation. ”

"Yes." He Bu nodded, and said in a low tone: "It's just speculation, and there is no basis, I don't even dare to report it to the country." ”

"It should be reported, and at the same time the fleet should be sent out to probe." Arthur Hood said in a deep voice: "If the Qing army has developed and equipped with torpedoes with actual combat value, we will not be able to engage the Qing army in Maputo Bay. ”

After smoking a cigarette silently, He Bucai said: "In this battle, the sail warships should not participate in the war, the Qing army's shells can form a fire that is difficult to extinguish after exploding, and one shell is enough to destroy a sail warship, since the Qing army does not have sail warships to participate in the battle, we also let all the sail warships avoid the battle and let them return to Cape Town." ”

Arthur Hood nodded, he knew in his heart that this was actually an arrangement for the worst outcome, the sail battleship had indeed become a burden, if the Qing army really had torpedoes, the ironclad ships would not be able to withstand the attack of the torpedoes, let alone the sail battleships, let all the sail battleships return to Cape Town, but also to avoid the sail battleships from becoming the target of the Qing army.

"In addition, all ironclad ships were ordered to clear their sails, no flammable things were allowed to be stacked on the deck, and all unprotected guns on the deck were removed." He Bu said slowly: "Immediately order each ship to inspect itself, and early tomorrow morning, the fleet will depart." ”

Just after two o'clock in the afternoon, a fast horse galloped into the camp of the Qing army in Inyanbane, and only outside the Tang Zaosheng tent did he rush to rein in the war horse, and after dismounting, the rider raised his voice and said: "Report, Maputo urgent letter." ”

After reading the letter, Tang Zaosheng immediately turned over and went straight to the dock, the flagship, and when he saw Xiao Mingming, he said straightforwardly: "Maputo letter, the British fleet is all dispatched in the morning, the ironclad ships are going north, and the sail battleships are going south....... As he spoke, he handed over the letter from Jiang Baxiang.

After reading the letter, Xiao Mingliang glanced at him and said, "The speed of your information transmission is not slow...... ”

Hearing this, Tang Zaosheng's face turned red, Xiao Mingliang asked him to lay the cable telegraph from Maputo to Inhambane before leaving Maputo, but he thought it was not necessary, after all, the fleet only carried out supply and rest in Inhamba, and then it was useless, and laying a cable telegraph of more than 200 kilometers was not a small project, the most important thing was the lack of manpower.

"My subordinates followed the post post and set up several stops along the way to prepare fast horses." Tang Zao said sneeringly: "If the news is delivered, it can be delivered in four hours....... Don't make mistakes. ”