The sun had set, and the sky was getting dark. With a whistle, Jun Xiao deleted the night voyage "The lights lit up.

This is the Japanese Navy's armored cruiser "Kasuga", which is a ship of the "Kasuga-class" armored cruiser, and the "Nisshin" armored cruiser moored in Port Arthur is a sister ship, both built by the Ansaldo shipyard in Genoa, Italy.

The "Kasuga" armored cruiser was completed in the year of the car, and caught up with the Russo-Japanese War, successively participated in the Battle of the Yellow Sea and the Battle of Tsushima, and performed mediocre in the whole war, the only "record" worth mentioning was the sinking of the old protective cruiser "Yoshino" of the Japanese Navy, and because the ship's main gun shot elevation angle is higher, the trajectory is more curved, and it can cross the high ground of the port, so it has also played a role in the shelling of the Chinese and Russian ** ships in Port Arthur.

After the Sino-Japanese war, the Chinese Air Force task force carried out an air attack on the first detachment of the Japanese Combined Fleet stationed in Arthur, and at the same time, the Chinese Navy also blockaded Port Arthur with mines and submarines.

The commander of the second detachment of the Japanese Combined Fleet was the Japanese Navy Marshal Togo Heihachiro, known as the "Nelson of the East." Although after receiving the order, Togo Heihachiro quickly led the fleet north, but after figuring out what was going on in Port Arthur, the veteran of the Japanese Navy immediately became cautious. After entering the sea near Arthur, Togo Heihachiro did not rush into that dangerous sea area, and after the fleet circled around the vicinity and used wireless telegraphy to get in touch with the Japanese army in Lushun, Togo Heihachiro still did not rashly break into the port because he knew that in the sea near Lushun, the Chinese submarine unit was waiting for the rabbit with the assistance of the air force, just waiting for the big fish to come. Heihachiro Togo had never competed with a submarine formation, and he did not know the actual combat capability of the submarine, but judging from the report of the Japanese army headquarters in Lushun, the submarine unit of the Chinese Navy was an armed force with great combat effectiveness and enterprising spirit.

Just as the main fleet of the Combined Fleet under the command of Togo Heihachiro was wandering around Lushun and Dalian, he received an order from the base camp transferred from Lushun, according to which Togo Heihachiro must lead the fleet out to the sea of Dagushan to receive a Japanese 6th Army unit that had broken through from Xiuyan and withdraw them by sea to Lushun or Korea to recuperate.

learned that Xiuyan was lost so quickly. Togo Heihachiro was very surprised, but in addition to being surprised, he immediately ordered the combined fleet to turn the rudder and go to Dagushan to meet the 6th Army.

Now that the Combined Fleet had sailed to the sea around Dagushan, Heihachiro Togo ordered the other ships to continue to circle the sea, while he himself took the armored cruiser "Kasuga" and personally rushed to Dagushan to see if the Japanese 6th Army troops that had broken through had arrived.

When the "Kasuga" approached the coast. The sun had set, and night had fallen, and Heihachiro Togo ordered the warship to light up its night lights. and ordered to slow down the voyage, and at the same time lower the transport boat, so that a lieutenant of the Navy led several sailors to the first 6 to check.

Not long after, the "Kasuga" was anchored and shut down. And all the lights on the ship were extinguished, but the steam engine boiler was still accumulating steam so that it could set sail at any time.

Heihachiro Togo walked up to the open-air bridge and looked out to the ground with a telescope to 6 ground, in the night. He saw many torches flashing on the shore and the transport boat had docked in the harbor.

"Has the 6th Army arrived at Dagu Mountain? Their escape is still very good. ”

With a hint of ridicule for the 6th Army, Heihachiro Togo gave an order to his adjutant to use wireless telegraphy to notify the other light warships to move closer to the port of Dagushan in order to receive the 6th Army on board.

However, Togo Heihachiro soon appeared, and there was no need for many warships, because the Japanese 6th Army that rushed to Dagushan had less than 500 men, and two cruisers could accommodate them.

"Yaga! Didn't they say in the telegram that more than 3,000 people had broken through? How come there are less than 500 people rushing to Dagu Mountain? Da Qiang Shangdao is really a shame for the 6th Army of the Empire, is he on the ship now? ”

Heihachiro Togo was shocked, although he had long known that the Japanese 6th Army had suffered a great defeat at Xiuyan. But he never expected that it would be defeated so badly, and less than 500 people of the 6th Army, which had more than 15,000 people, fled to Dagushan, no matter how he quibbled, the Xiuyan front commander could not get rid of his responsibility.

The admiral lost his temper, and the adjutant and staff officer under him hurriedly went to the division commander of the 4th Division, Shomichi Shomichi, and quickly carried the body of Namichi Osako to Heihachiro Togo.

Da Qiang Shangdao committed suicide, but in the end, he did not choose to cut his abdomen, but used a small panic to restrain the pain. thus avoiding being taken to a court-martial,

"This coward, he doesn't deserve to be a samurai."

Heihachiro Togo was very dissatisfied with the evasion of Ōsako Naomitō, who had faced the Chinese 6th Army face-to-face as a high-ranking officer. He is well aware of the current combat effectiveness of the Chinese 6th Army. Da Qiang Shangdao chose to commit suicide so quickly. This is a very irresponsible act, which is not conducive to the Japanese military department's summing up battlefield experience and teaching.

"Your Excellency, Marshal. Before committing suicide, the commander of the Great Forced Shodao Division left a combat report to be forwarded to the military headquarters, and if you want to read it, I can give it to you. ”

A staff officer of the Great Forced Shodo took a document and walked up to Heihachiro Toji.

Heihachiro Togo took over the battle report. Instructed Lei Guan to properly dispose of the body of Da Qiang Shangdao. He ordered the fleet to set sail, then returned to the captain's office and carefully read the battle report.

In this combat report, the main reason for the fiasco of the Japanese 6th Army is that the Chinese 6th Army is equipped with a large number of advanced weapons, especially bombers and armored vehicles, which gives the Chinese army great battlefield mobility and attack power, compared with the Chinese 6th Army. The Japanese 6th Army was backward in terms of equipment, and the battles that took place in the Battle of Xiuyan were very different from those in the Russo-Japanese War, and the Japanese army seemed unable to adapt to this new style of warfare.

At the end of the operational report, Naodo Osako asked the Japanese military headquarters to immediately send an additional 6th Army to Lushun, and in any case, Lushun must also be held.

According to the battlefield analysis report from the Japanese army in Arthur that was forwarded to him by the military headquarters a few days ago, the Chinese air force also adopted brand-new tactics in the air assault on Lushun, and the bold assault of the submarine unit of the Chinese Navy also proved one fact, that is, China's military strength has been reborn, and military thinking has left Japan far behind.

"It's amazing how much the Chinese have learned, and in some ways. Even after the military powers of Europe, the Japanese Empire is really like sleeping, and if we don't wake up, we Japanese will soon lose this competition in the Far East. ”

Heihachiro Togo sighed, closed the combat report, and then called an adjutant and gave him the order.

"Immediately send a telegram to the base camp and forward the full text of this combat report from the commander of the Great Forced Shang Dao Division. If the base camp asks me what my opinion is, you tell them that my opinion is that in any case, the ambitions of the Chinese must be curbed, and in any case, Lushun must also be kept! However, it is necessary to be cautious and cautious about the actions of the 6th Army, and it is no longer possible to recklessly disperse its forces

Just an hour after the armored cruiser "Kasuga" left Dagushan with the remnants of the Japanese 6th Army, an armored combat detachment rushed into the harbor in the nightfall, a total of five combat vehicles. All were armored cars with red battle flags painted on them.

When the armored car came to a stop, Bai Lang jumped out of the car. A soldier followed with a lantern. The two of them wandered around the messy harbor for a few minutes, and everywhere they could see the debris discarded by the Japanese army, marching pots, backpacks, military boots, military blankets, and even damaged rifles. Bai Lang could imagine the urgency and panic of the Japanese army when they withdrew from here.

"They went away by boat. It looks like they've just been gone, and if it weren't for the tank troops, we should have been able to stop them. ”

Bai Lang sighed, leaned over and picked up a rifle with a broken butt, and pulled the bolt, and now there were no bullets in it.

"Brigadier Commander, what shall we do now? Do we wait for the troops behind to follow, or do we turn around? We don't have much gas, and if we encounter a large force of Japanese troops, we will have to retreat. The armored soldier with the lantern muttered.

"Withdraw! Remove! Anyway, now that our East Road Column has also moved to defense, let's go back to Huangqi Fort! Repair the tank well, and then summarize it. Write an operational report and tell the General Staff and the Ordnance Department how to improve the tank.

Bai Lang threw away the broken gun, wiped the sweat on his face, put the tank hat back, and then walked back to the armored car, before getting into the car, he turned his head to look at the dark and heavy sea, and seemed to vaguely see some vague lights flickering, it may be a warship, but it may also be the starlight reflected on the sea, no matter what it is, the armored soldiers don't care, after all, their battlefield is in 6 places.

The five armored cars quickly turned around, left Dagu Mountain, and headed northwest.

The night was getting deeper.