Unconsciously, the "Minsheng" completed the turn with light and skillful movements, and left aside the surrounding ships and accelerated towards the strait ahead.

Soon, Tsushima Island appeared in front of you.

At this time, the sea near Tsushima Island is beautiful and the climate is pleasant, and under the sun, the sea surface is far from being as cold as in the North Sea in Europe, but warm.

After seeing Tsushima Island, Tang Qianming couldn't help but sigh when he thought of the naval battle that happened here that year and made the Japanese Navy famous in the future.

On May 27 and 28, 1905, the main fleets of the Japanese and Russian navies fought a decisive naval battle on an unprecedented scale in this area, and as a result, the Japanese navy completely destroyed the main force of the Russian navy and won a complete victory.

The Battle of Tsushima was no less significant to Japan than the Battle of Trafalgar was to Britain. The Battle of Tsushima had a huge, immediate political impact in the Asia-Pacific region. From this naval battle, Japan emerged as the number one military power in the Far East, and has remained in this position ever since. After the Battle of Tsushima and other battles in the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese navy -- and indeed all branches of the Japanese armed forces -- established a tradition of "invincibility" and "extreme self-confidence," a concept that has never wavered to this day.

Tang Qianming imagined a little in his mind, what would happen to the main fleet of the Japanese Navy at this moment, also in this sea area.

In the face of the now re-energized Chinese Navy, will the Japanese Navy still achieve its previous brilliant victories?

Imagining the process of the naval battle and the possible outcome in the end, the corners of Tang Qianming's mouth sneered.

The Second Battle of Helgoland and the Battle of Celtic were not as simple as helping a traditional European naval power defeat another emerging naval power for the Chinese.

At the very least, from these two sea battles, the Chinese have regained their confidence in the sea

About half an hour later. Tang Qianming asked Halsey to order the whole ship to turn 10 degrees to the right again, so that the "Minsheng" could expand the reconnaissance range of this sea area.

After Halsey gave the order, he glanced at Tang Qianming with some amusement, but didn't say anything.

Tang Qianming noticed the expression on Halsey's face, smiled, and said in English: "This is already Japan, and the Japanese fleet will appear in front of us at any time." ”

"So what?" Halsey listened to Tang Qianming's words, and lù let out a somewhat hideous smile in the eyes of the Chinese, he turned his head to look at the two "Republican" class battleships behind him, and said confidently, "I don't think the current Japanese fleet can pose any threat to us." ”

After listening to Halsey's words, Chen Shiying and several Chinese naval officers around him were all the same as Halsey, with a look of anticipation on their faces.

Halsey was born in 1883. His father was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in 1873, served in the Navy for many years, and was awarded the rank of Colonel. In 1900, Halsey was admitted to the Naval Academy. In 1904, thanks to the then President of the United States, Theodore? Roosevelt greatly expanded the navy and needed a large number of new officers, so Halsey graduated early and served on the American battleship Missouri. Although Halsey had long served as a junior officer in the U.S. Navy, he had always aspired to be able to play a role in the war. After the outbreak of World War I, Halsey finally got his wish, first becoming the commander of a destroyer formation. In battle, he displayed outstanding military ability and was appreciated by his superiors. In order to enable the newly formed Chinese Navy battlefleet to participate in the war as soon as possible, the US Navy sent a large number of outstanding officers to the Chinese Navy to guide the operation, and Halsey was assigned to the battleship "Freedom Jīng Shen" as the acting captain. After the completion of the six "Glorious" class battlecruisers of the Chinese Navy with the help of the United States, Halsey was transferred to the "Minsheng" battlecruiser as captain, responsible for directing the ship's operations, training officers, and training sailors.

At the end of the First World War, Halsey was awarded the Victoria Cross by the British government and the Order of Jiahe of the first class by the Chinese government for his heroic performance. But Halsey doesn't seem to care too much about it. For Halsey, he has gotten everything he wants in the fight. He has developed a deep attachment to the Chinese Navy for which he has served for so long, and the officers and men of the Chinese Navy are also reluctant to give up on this brave "brute bull", in the words of Halsey, "Our friendship is cemented with blood." ”,

The end of the war was equivalent to unemployment for a fierce general like Halsey, and when Halsey was about to return to China, the "lucky" news came, as the tension in the Far East intensified, the Chinese government urgently asked to retain the American officers in the squadron to assist the squadron in combat, and the cooperation between the Chinese and American navies did not stop because of the end of World War I, and with the acquiescence of the American politicians, Halsey and other US naval officers were able to continue to stay in the Chinese navy.

For China to pay a huge price to participate in the First World War, there have been voices of doubt and criticism in China, believing that the Chinese government is risking the lives of its own soldiers to serve as cannon fodder for the European powers, but Tang Qianming and other generals of the squadron do not think so.

Because from a purely military point of view, participating in the First World War in this way has a very positive significance for the squadron: the United States and Britain and other countries have trained a large number of outstanding officers for China who have experienced the test of war, such as the army's armored cluster tactics, infiltration tactics, lightning tactics and the navy's "aT" battle pole and other new tactics are also gradually familiar in this war, in addition to a large number of sea, land and air equipment has been well tested in the European battlefield.

As this time, after learning of the "Vladivostok Incident," the squadron was able to make a sharp response in such a short period of time, and the role of a large number of military personnel sent by the US Army and Navy to continue to assist the squadron was indispensable. As this time the Chinese Navy sent three of its most advanced capital ships to escort the Army to Vladivostok to support the Chinese Navy and Army fighting there, the American "advisers" still play an indispensable role as before.

"But, my friend, don't forget, our mission this time is not to fight the Japanese, but to escort the army troops to Vladivostok." Of course, Tang Qianming knew what the belligerent "Brute Bull" was thinking in his heart at this time, and reminded him with a smile.

"Don't worry, I remember my duty." Halsey laughed, "Trust me. ”

Seeing Halsey's knowing smile, Tang Qianming relieved himself and turned his attention back to the sea.

Not long after, the internal communication phone in the command tower rang. In the presence of the captain, deputy commander and staff officer, it is usually Tang Qianming who picks up the microphone. From the other end of the phone line came the voice of the lookout: "The fleet is following us through the strait and no anomalies have been found"

"Continue to be vigilant," Tang Qianming said simply. The lookout report was verbally conveyed to Halsey, and the honest American captain only nodded slightly to show his understanding -- the "Minsheng" was now carrying out an unconventional combat operation, and judging from the mode and purpose of the operation, this was an ordinary "peacetime" escort, but the difference was that there was a very delicate relationship between the potential attacker and the defender.

For the brazen provocation of the Japanese army in Vladivostok, Tang Qianming and many Chinese people were extremely angry, and they had a strong contempt for the despicable and indecent Japanese people, although the Chinese government did not declare war on Japan because of this, but the Chinese people understood that the war had actually begun.

Although this time it was not a direct combat mission, the battlecruiser "Minsheng" did not dare to be careless from top to bottom, especially the captain Halsey, who knew very well how important this battleship was to the Chinese Navy, and on the other hand, the order from the top of the US Navy also made him have to be careful in this sensitive sea area.

The phone, which was used for communication in the ship, rang again, Tang Qianming picked up the microphone without delay, this time, the lookout's voice was very urgent, and when he relayed the news of the discovery of an unknown ship to Halsey in the east, the American captain seemed to have noticed this from his telescope, and the bulldog-like jaw slightly increased the frequency of shaking.

"Raise the battle alarm without my order, no one is allowed to open fire, and immediately convey the situation to the 'Democracy,' the 'Constitution,' and the army fleet," Tang Qianming ordered loudly.

Piercing battle sirens and flickering wall lamps prompted the crews to quickly enter their respective positions. In fact, the "Minsheng" has been in a state of combat readiness since it set sail from the mouth of Dagu in Tianjin, so it did not take too much time to enter the combat state. Soon, the reports of "Ready" came from various ministries.

After giving various orders, Tang Qianming also turned his attention to the direction in which the ship was discovered. By this time, the black smoke on the surface of the sea could already be seen through the telescope, from which experienced old seamen could judge the general situation of the people, including the number, type and size of the ships. ,

"See that old ship, the soup Japanese are interesting," Halsey said with a strange smile on his face.

Tang Qianming stared at the binoculars, and he quickly saw clearly that the incoming ship was indeed an old-fashioned battleship, and there were two destroyers, and the chrysanthemum flag flying high on the mast of the other party had already indicated the identity of the other party.

"I feel like a Russian ship." Tang Qianming said a little strangely.

"I think it's the Zhoufang," Halsey said with a smile after recognizing the other man's identity, "that is, the 'Victory' of the Russians." Now there is only one such warship in the whole world. ”

The battleship "Zhoufang" is a Japanese Navy from the Russians to seize the battleship, displacement of 13,500 tons, maximum speed of 18 knots, equipped with 2 twin 305 mm guns, 10 152 mm secondary guns, originally belonged to the Russian Navy, in the Russo-Japanese War captured by the Japanese Navy in Arthur Pass.

"Let's see what the Japanese want to do with this old ship." Halsey said with a disapproving smile.

Soon. The report of the observation post confirmed Halsey's suspicion, and Tang Qianming immediately ordered: "Change to full speed, turn the ship to the right at 15 degrees, and all gun positions can only open fire when receiving a direct order from me, and the communications officer will send a report to Beijing that we have encountered the Japanese Navy battleship 'Zhoufang' east of the Tsushima Strait, and ask if we can open fire and expel them."

Tang Qianming knew that although this request was necessary, the result was predictable -- the Chinese government would never let its latest battlecruiser suffer any losses because of an old Japanese battleship. But then again, although the Minsheng was twice as tonnage as the Japanese warships, the firepower was 9 mén 406 mm guns against 4 mén 305 mm guns. The "Minsheng", which has superior speed, defense, and the world's strongest firepower and high-quality crew, can be said to have the advantage, but after all, China and Japan have not declared war, and the mission of the "Minsheng" is to escort the army's transport fleet after all, and there is no guarantee that the Japanese will carry forward the fearless god of "not being afraid of death and not afraid of hardship" and dare to hit stones with eggs.

Beijing's reply has not yet arrived. The Japanese battleship in the line of sight has become closer and closer, compared with the beautiful appearance of the "Minsheng", it is simply a dilapidated ship that does not catch the eye, but the cannon on this old ship is still real, when the two ships are still more than 10,000 meters apart, accompanied by a few loud rumbling sounds, the Chinese and American naval officers in the commander tower of the "Minsheng" suddenly feel bad, and their eyes are also focused on Tang Qianming and Halsey for the first time.

Halsey's calm and cold face at this moment left an extremely profound impact on Tang Qianming, and more than ten seconds later, when the shells from the Japanese battleship shè landed on the nearby sea and set off a deafening explosion, he was not moved at all, but after his ears regained calm, he looked at Tang Qianming and decisively ordered: "Send a signal to the other party that our Chinese Navy escort fleet has no intention of fighting with your navy."

Despite this, Tang Qianming noticed that after the two main turrets of the "Minsheng" had been adjusted, the 6Mén main guns were aligned with the Japanese battleship in the distance, and at this time it had entered the effective range of the American-made MK6 406 mm 50 times diameter naval gun

Halsey's order was conveyed and carried out to the letter, but the other side did not have the slightest intention of ceasefire, and the artillery fire was one after another, although the landing point of the shells was still hundreds of meters away from the "Minsheng" for the time being, but this situation of "just being beaten and not fighting back" still annoyed everyone.

The rumbling cannon sound sounded like a burst, and Tang Qianming's face became more and more murderous, and at this time, the distance between the "Minsheng" and the other party had been narrowed to within 10,000 meters, and one number after another came from the upper ranging station, reminding the commanders of the battleship: The opponent is approaching.

During this time, Halsey gave successive steering orders. So that the "Minsheng" will not be hit by the 305-mm shells that come from the other side as much as possible. By the way, the battle position was adjusted, and while being able to aim at the enemy ships with all their firepower, it was possible to delay the time for the transport fleet behind to avoid artillery fire.

After the last turn was completed, the "Minsheng" finally turned its side towards the Japanese battleship "Zhoufang", and after this adjustment, the 9mén 406 mm main gun was already aimed at the "Zhoufang".

Tang Qianming was about to give the order to open fire, but at this time, a scene from the drama appeared when the "Zhou Fang" suddenly stopped firing, turned the bow of the ship, and began to run in the direction from which it came.

Seeing the embarrassed appearance of the Japanese battleship, some lieutenant ** officers couldn't help but laugh. ,

The Imperial Japanese Navy had never carried out such an operation in the middle of two wars with China in history. It can be said that the "Zhoufang" opened the first generation in the history of the Japanese Navy's escape -- from the beginning of the encounter between the two sides, the "Minsheng" did not fire a single shot from the beginning to the end, and the "Zhoufang" continued to fire at the "Minsheng" with its tail gun in the process of leaving the battlefield

"Do you want to chase it?" Halsey forced a smile and asked Tang Qianming for instructions.

"No, we're in a hurry, we don't have time to take care of it." Tang Qianming said, "Hurry up and pass through the strait"

Halsey nodded and gave the order.

Tang Qianming knew that according to Yang Shuoming's request, sending the army and the large number of military supplies it was carrying to Vladivostok in time and taking Vladivostok would be of far greater significance to the Chinese Navy than the old Japanese battleship in front of him.

As long as they reach Vladivostok, rendezvous with the battleship "Glorious" there, and support the army there to gain a foothold and take Vladivostok, the Chinese army and navy will be able to reverse the unfavorable situation in the early stage of the "Siberian game." Because at that time, the fleet led by himself will not only be able to effectively protect the army's sea supply lines, but also cut off the Japanese army's maritime assistance by blockading the major ports along the coast of Japan

Thinking of the crazy plan of the young man who acted as the chief of the navy, Tang Qianming was moved for a while.

He understands that he has become as crazy as he has ever been since he knew his plan.

Tang Qianming couldn't understand why he, who was much older than Yang Shuoming, was willing to obey the command of this crazy young man.

Soon, when the reports of "passing through the strait" kept coming from the ships, Tang Qianming breathed a sigh of relief.

Tang Qianming retracted his thoughts, and he now knew that there was nothing to stop him.