（o8o5）

Today's third update is delivered! , Harrier Bay Naval Base, Naval Battle Operations Command Room.

Zhang Zhun carried a bench and sat quietly in front of the chart to think.

On the walls, large charts are hung. The red pennant marking Yang Tiansheng's fleet had been planted about two hundred nautical miles north of the mouth of the Yangtze River. Judging from the march of Yang Tiansheng's fleet, there are still two or three days to reach the mouth of Mawan. In other words, the battle will break out in two or three days.

In front of the pennant, there are several striking red dotted lines. These dotted lines are the possible direction in which Yang Tiansheng's fleet may be heading. As a staff officer, Wang Shide and others should anticipate all kinds of situations as much as possible and express them to their superiors.

Therefore, although Zhang Zhun believed that Yang Tiansheng would definitely come towards Mawan and would not have any other purpose, Wang Shide still marked two other possible attack locations for Yang Tiansheng's fleet on the map: one is Weihai Weijun Port, and the other is Dengzhou City.

In the vicinity of Mawan, there are a lot of blue dots. These blue dots are the predetermined positions of the various fleets of the Tiger Ben Navy. The blue pennant has not yet been planted, because the various fleets of the Navy have not yet reached the designated position.

In battles at sea, few people will generally put themselves in position in advance and be beaten passively. However, each fleet must have a predetermined position, so that the commander can predetermine the tactics, and once the order is issued, each fleet must strictly follow the order, and must not change the order at will.

It is very difficult to communicate on the sea. There is a big difference between the battle at sea and the battle. The first big difference is that it is very difficult to transmit information at sea, especially in battle, and it is impossible to accurately convey information to all warships. This problem will not be improved until the advent of radio.

It is very difficult to change tactics on the fly, it takes a lot of time, and it can easily cause confusion. Therefore, once the battle begins, unless there is a very unfavorable situation, Bai Zhi will not easily change his tactics. In other words, once the battle begins, each fleet will attack according to the predetermined course, and there is basically no possibility of change.

Yang Tiansheng's fleet came over violently, and Zhang Zhun's tactic was very simple, that is, to block the enemy with the first fleet, and then use two fleets to flank from both sides. It would seem that this is a bit like the flank outflanking tactics of the cavalry of the 6th Army. In fact, the tactics are always changing, and there are some similarities between naval battles and 6 battles.

Of course, it is not easy to do this. The coordination on the surface of the sea is much more difficult than the cooperation. The Tiger Army Navy is so young, and it doesn't have much experience accumulation, so if everything goes well, it's okay to say, if there is a sudden accident, some people may panic and don't know what to do.

Therefore, Zhang Zhun decided to convene an operational meeting to convene all the high-ranking officials of the Huben Army and the navy, as well as the captains of the various sword ships and the Cangshan ships, to further clarify the operational policy. He had to make every naval officer know what to expect.

"My lord, we're here!"

Li Jicheng's voice suddenly came ......, "It's a good time!" ”

Zhang Zhun hurriedly stood up and took the initiative to extend his hand to welcome.

A moment later, Li Jicheng came in and stretched out his hand to hold Zhang Zhun tightly. After a trip to Japan, the commander of the First Fleet of the Tiger Army Navy felt a lot thinner and looked more brilliant. Indeed, after the baptism of long-distance sailing, many officers of the First Fleet have matured a lot.

"How's the mood of the fighters?"

Zhang Zhun asked Li Jicheng to sit down and asked with concern.

"Excellent! The warriors' desire to fight is very strong! ”

"Everyone said that if Yang Tiansheng dared to provoke us, we would destroy him!"

Li Jicheng replied loudly, "Okay!" With such courage, we will definitely be able to win the battle! ”

Zhang Zhun said confidently.

"Yato!"

"Your Excellency!"

"Your Excellency!"

As he spoke, all the captains of the First Fleet, including Mao Huihui, Zhang Xuehai, Zhang Shenggao, Wang Chenglin, Ling Sishao, Huang Shijun and others, had already arrived, and they greeted Zhang Zhun one by one. I haven't seen each other for a few months, and many of them have become darker and thinner, and their eyes have become sharper. It seems that they have gained a lot from this voyage.

In fact, Zhang Zhun sent them to Jeju Island this time, which was indeed in the nature of training. It's a mule or a horse, you have to pull it out for a walk. A real navy cannot always go around in circles on its own doorstep. They have to be tested more rigorously, they have to be challenged even more severely.

In the process of ocean training, they may encounter a variety of unimaginable accidents, and how to deal with these accidents is their learning process. When they are able to handle all kinds of accidents with ease, it means that their basic quality has been upgraded to a higher level. When the basic quality is improved, the combat effectiveness will naturally be improved.

Zhang Zhun shook hands with them one by one, congratulated them on their victory, and said with a smile: "How do you feel about going to Jeju Island?" ”

Wang Chenglin replied: "It's a bit of a pity that I didn't see the enemy. ”

Zhang Zhun asked with a smile: "How did you feel when you experienced the storm?" ”

Ling Sishao said briefly: "At first, I'm a little scared. Afterward. Unafraid. ”

Zhang Zhun shook his head and said, "You are Ling Sishao, you still cherish words like gold!" ”

Everyone else couldn't help but chuckle.

Huang Shijun said rigorously: "My lord, it is the first time we have encountered a storm on the sea, and to be honest, we are indeed a little nervous. We were too far from the shore to be, and if we fell overboard, we had to pray to God for help. But later, we all felt that since we were definitely hopeless if we fell into the water, we had to work hard to ensure that we did not fall into the water. God wants to sweep us into the sea, but we don't go. We wrestled with the storm and refused to give in. As a result, God gave in first. ”

Zhang Zhun said with satisfaction: "Okay! That's what we want! Without this energy, you can't do anything! God wants us to give in: "We just don't give in!" As long as we don't give in, God will definitely give in! ”

"Yato, we're here!"

As he spoke, Zhou Zhengyu's voice came loudly.

"Good!"

Zhang Zhun nodded and said.

A moment later, Zhou Zhengyu also appeared. Behind him, there were all the officers of the Second Fleet, Guo Jie, Tuoba Momo and others were among them. In fact, the Second Fleet and the First Fleet arrived at Mawan together, but when the berths were arranged, "the Second Fleet was lined up behind the First Fleet, and it was only delayed for a little time."

After receiving Zhang Zhun's order, their two fleets did not dare to slack off, and immediately packed up their things and left Weihaiwei Harbor. Along the way, the two fleets chased after me" and in a day and a half, they returned to the Partridge Bay military port. This, in a semi-headwind state, is quite fast.

"Let's sit down first"

Zhang Zhun said calmly.

With two fleets in hand, even if the third fleet can't come back in time" he doesn't need to worry about Yang Tiansheng. Unfortunately, it will take another day for the Third Fleet to rush back from Ganghwa Island in North Korea. Time is pressing, and I can't wait for them to come back for the time being.

Saiviala suddenly poked her head quietly and saw so many people beside Zhang Zhun, so she quietly shrank back. Behind her, "there was also an old English man in his fifties, who seemed to be in good spirits." Zhang Zhun knew that it was the Heber Thomas who had arrived.

Zhang Zhun beckoned the two of them to come over, and introduced everyone around him and said, "This is Sister Saiara from the United Kingdom." Her father "was the commander of the Royal Fleet of the British Empire, and because of the conflict with the Dutch, in order to avoid the pursuit of the Dutch, entered the area controlled by our army." ”

As for the origin of Saviara, the top brass of the navy knew that the last time the two Dutch warships were surrounded and annihilated, basically spread. Of course, the outside world does not know. However, where Saviara went after that, they don't know.

As for this Heber Thomas, they had not even heard of it.

Saiviara stood beside Zhang Zhun and saw that many people were looking at Zhang Zhun and himself with ambiguous eyes, and knew that they had misunderstood themselves. Her strong personality was immediately made, and her tone was quite provocative: "Don't think I'm a woman, it's easy to bully!" I tell you, my naval combat skills are no worse than yours! ”

The naval officers below were secretly amused. The men of the Ming Kingdom in this era are basically machismo, who would believe the words of a girl's family? Just a joke. Guo Jie even grimaced at Tuoba Momo to express his contempt. This foreign girl is really arrogant!

Saiviala's eyes were indeed very sharp, and she immediately saw Guo Jie's grimace, she stretched out her hand and pointed at Guo Jie, and said bluntly: "This gentleman, do you look down on me?" Do you want to fight me with a sword? ”

Of course, Guo Jie was not afraid of her, he held his chest high and faced it calmly, but he didn't speak. Without Zhang Zhun's approval, of course he would not take the initiative to face the battle. However, Guo Jie really didn't pay much attention to Saiviala's swordsmanship. When he fights hand-to-hand, he uses a knife. In terms of slashing techniques, knives are much more ruthless than swords.

Zhang Zhun frowned and said: "Saiviala, this is the Ming Kingdom, not you Britain, we are not popular for sword competition." Is this Mr. Hiber Thomas you have brought? ”

Saviara had no choice but to retract her provocative tone, nodded and said, "Exactly." ”

Zhang Zhun bowed to Heber Thomas, smiled and said, "Mr. Thomas, welcome to the big family of the Tiger Army, please introduce yourself first." ”

Hiber Thomas said in a stiff tone: "My name is Hiber Thomas, I am from Birmingham, England, you can call me Mr. Thomas." I've been to the rainforest south of the new big 6, and I've been to the Indian settlement north of the new big 6. I also spent a few years in Manila, following the Kuroshio all the way to Mexico and then back across the Pacific. ”

His Chinese is indeed not very good, and his language is very slow. However, the overall meaning is still clear. Foreigners' profiles are generally more proud, and this Mr. Thomas is no different. What is rare is that while he is explaining, his fingers keep moving on the world map.

The officers of the Tiger Ben Army below couldn't help but look serious. This humble old man has been to so many places? On the map, it's a very distant place! It's really a man who can't look like a person, "The sea is immeasurable!"

The naval officers of the Tiger Army who were present had all been to Jeju Island. It was their first voyage. Along the way, of course, there are joys" and thrills. For them, the biggest feeling is the Pacific Ocean. It's too big indeed, and there's almost no end.

The old man in front of me actually followed the Kuroshio from Manila all the way to Mexico on the other side of the Pacific" and then came back directly from Mexico across the Pacific Ocean. In their lifetimes, they don't know if they will be able to reach the other side of the Pacific. In terms of their sailing experience, they do have to show respect for this Mr. Thomas.

Zhang Zhun nodded and said slowly: "This Mr. Thomas will temporarily serve as the vice president of the Naval Academy, focusing on teaching the relevant knowledge of the naval staff. Now, "I'll start with Mr. Thomas, and explain the basic tactics of the sea. ”

Hiber Thomas glanced at Saviara, as if he was a little surprised, and a little puzzled, he obviously didn't know the deal between Saviara and Zhang Zhun. It wasn't until Saviara nodded in affirmation that Hiber Thomas said euphemistically, "I'm from England." I don't know if the tactics of our British are suitable for you. What I mention here is just a few of the lessons learned by our British Navy. ”

Zhang Zhun said sincerely: "Mr. Thomas, the Tiger Army Navy is a young navy" We have too much to learn. As long as it is useful to us, we will actively absorb it, no matter where it comes from. I am here to "thank you in advance for your generosity and willingness to pass on your knowledge to us."

Mr. Thomas: "You should be assured that the Tigers will not forget you. Now, please begin your lecture. ”

Heber Thomas understood that Zhang Zhun was studying his own knowledge, so he naturally did not dare to slack off. If he didn't show some real skills, not only would he be despised by the Tiger Army, but even the British Empire would be despised by the Tiger Army. Hiber Thomas was definitely a first-class patriot, and he certainly didn't want his country to be looked down upon.

"Okay, I'm here, let's talk about how to seize the upper hand first."

Hiber Thomas said cautiously.

In battles at sea, the direction of the wind is a very important factor. In the heat of battle, or before the start of a battle, it is very necessary to seize the upper hand. However, not every naval battle can smoothly seize the upper hand. There are a lot of proper names involved, such as downwind, crosswind, headwind, wind-grabbing, one-word column, T-shaped tactics, L-shaped column, large L-shaped column, head T, tail down, ............

There is no doubt that so many proper nouns really make the surrounding Tiger Ben Army naval officers feel very fresh. Obviously, this is a whole set of formal naval warfare teaching. Although they were a little reluctant in their hearts, they also had to admit that the teaching of the naval officers of the Tiger Ben Army in the past was indeed somewhat incomplete. No way, no one has such a wealth of knowledge.

Hiber Thomas's narration is a bit stiff and bookish, but with the addition of Saviara's explanation, it is much easier to understand. Saiviala's own experience in naval warfare is very rich, and she is relatively smart, using the models of more than a dozen warships, she easily put out the corresponding queue, which can make all the naval officers of the Tiger Army understand quickly.

"This Thomas, there's still some material!"

Zhang Zhun also whispered to himself in his heart.

In fact, what Thomas focused on explaining was the T-shaped strategy.

At that time, in naval warfare, no one actually explicitly proposed the T-shaped tactics, but due to the perennial combat, everyone felt some tactics used in a daze. For example, this T-shaped tactic to grab the lead. The key to this tactic is to concentrate your artillery fire and destroy enemy ships. At the same time, limit the enemy's artillery fire.

At that time, the main way of naval warfare in East Asia was to engage in broadside battles and gang jumping, and some warships were even equipped with ramming angles, which was clearly about to sink enemy ships. The large-scale use of artillery in naval battles should have been a matter of the apocalypse. Even so, the broadside battle and the gang-jumping battle still did not withdraw from the naval battle, and the advanced theory still came from the Western powers. The British Empire, on the other hand, was the first country to systematically summarize the experience of naval warfare, and they began to systematically study the tactics of naval warfare before defeating the Spanish Armada. The British Imperial Navy's dominance of the world for 200 years has indeed done a lot of solid work. No glory fell from heaven.

"The key is to concentrate artillery fire and kill the enemy ships one by one!"

Hiber Thomas repeatedly.

The hit rate of this year's artillery bombardment is really terrible, and if there are not hundreds of shells smashed together, it is actually very difficult to inflict fatal wounds on the enemy ships. The power of the solid bullet is not enough to sink the enemy ship directly. As for the firing and the like, the fuse is not reliable, and even if it can hit the target, it depends on whether it can explode or not.

In fact, even if it exploded, how much damage could a little black explosive do to the warship? At that time, the caliber of the cannon, the maximum was about millimeters. Larger. Artillery of the Radius is no longer available in East Asia. Of course, such a caliber bomb has no power, and it is almost the same to throw a five-pound explosive bag directly.

While everyone was listening to the lecture with relish, Wang Shide hurriedly came to report: "My lord, Yang Tiansheng's fleet has appeared near Chaolian Island!" ”