Chapter 230 of the New History of the First Sino-Japanese Dynasty The Imperfect End
During the hour-long artillery battle, the warships of both sides were constantly hit, and the sky-high fires continued to ignite, but some of the damage control team members controlled again and again, and the seven warships on both sides kept repeating the cycle of shooting, loading, and firing again. Like a giant god, he constantly throws thunder and lightning and flames at each other. This is a war of attrition, a war of attrition in which the opponent is suffocated with high-explosive shells, and the side with a small protective area and inferior armor will inevitably collapse eventually. And it didn't take long.
The first problem was Kurama, this first-class protection cruiser did not have the firepower as Fuji and Yashima Takeshi, and the protection was not as strong as the first two, but the blow it took was indeed similar to that of the two 8,000-ton battleships, and the long-term fire had made the Kurama's sideline full of bullet holes, and the superstructure was honeycomb by grenades fired from 6-pounder and 12-pounder guns. It is almost impossible to find a single intact steel plate.
The wooden deck had been burned beyond recognition, and in some places only a few iron frames had been bent by picric acid charges. But fortunately, most of the shots were at the waterline...... The Kurama's speed did not drop much.
The Lushun's 227-kilogram shell was the straw that broke the camel's weight of more than 7,000 tons, and the shell hit one of the pommel horse's side chords like a divine help. Although there were not many shells piled up here, the shock wave from the detonation swept across the entire turrete deck, which had been rendered very fragile. The shockwave, mixed with a large amount of debris and flames, slammed through the chambers of the side chord like a herd of angry bulls. Tear the artillery, items, and even living people inside to shreds! …。
A thick smell of burning spread across the ship as the shock wave swept through. The entire Kurama's side chord was completely paralyzed, and then another 6-inch cannon hit the Kurama's waterline, and a large hole with an area of at least 3 square meters allowed a large amount of seawater to pour into the hull. The Kurama, which was already tilted, was even more tilted. It felt like the 7,000-ton battleship was about to sink.
"Withdraw, it'll be too late if you don't leave." Calm Hangzo closed his eyes in pain. He clearly knew that while the battleship could still run at a high speed, Fuji and Yashima could still hold off their opponents. This is the last chance. But at the same time. He knew it too. If I leave, I am afraid that Fuji and Hachishima, and even the entire Japanese fleet's ambition to compete for dominance in East Asia will be completely wiped out! Just when Kenzo Tsuboi was mourning for the dark fate, a 75MM cannonball slammed into the Kurama's conning tower, and the huge shock reminded the commander who only had two warships left, if you don't leave, I'm afraid there won't be even two ships left!
"Give Yoshino a signal, turn, and evacuate at full speed. [Literature]" Tsuboi Hangsan was violently excited. Then he commanded. The Kurama, already scarred, ran out to sea with bullet holes and flames. And Yoshino followed ..........
"That's it? Highest rate of fire, give me a few more shots! Looking at the Kurama and Yoshino ships that began to evacuate, Yang Yonglin's eyes were full of regret. It's not that he doesn't want to break away from the fleet to pursue, but now that he is nearing the end, how to take Fuji and Hachishima more steadily is the most critical issue, the Yoshino can definitely run away, and the Kurama is almost no longer combative, but the speed is still around 18 knots. After a long artillery battle, the Lushun maintained a good combat power. But the stock of shells is also running out, and the rapid-fire cannon is depleting too quickly.
The Lushun's final burst of fire caused a bit of suffering for the Yoshino, as two 6-inch shells and one 4.7-inch shell landed on the Yoshino's deck, breaking one 6-inch gun in two, while the other two shells added to the already burning superstructure. It seems that it is not better not to lie on the stomach in the shipyard for 2 months. …。
"We're done." Watching the Kurama and Yoshino depart, Katsumi Mizen realized that the final moment was coming, and the free Lushun and two warships could sink or burn the Fuji or Yashima before sunset. Death is not terrible sometimes, but waiting for death is terrible! He began to complain about the Admiralty, saying that the Admiralty should not have come to the mouth of the Datong River without knowing the enemy's situation, and he began to curse the intelligence department, because the incompetence of the group of rice buckets could make the entire fleet fall into the encirclement of Beiyang, and finally he began to accuse Shiki Kayama: "It is because of your greed that the fleet lost the last chance to break through!" ”。 …。
"It is precisely because of your cowardice that the empire has lost the last chance to turn around." Kayama Shiki did not defend himself, but pointed the finger at the three good self-denial, who was already about to collapse.
"If Kurama and Yoshino could retreat earlier, if the Russian fleet could cooperate with the Empire when it came to the Far East...... Then in terms of the fast fleet, the fleet with 5 cruisers of more than 7,000 tons and 3 cruisers of the second rank can also compete with the 6 cruisers of the Beiyang fast fleet, but now, Kurama and Yoshino are seriously damaged! In fact, the Imperial Navy has been wiped out, and all that can go back is some ships that are not combat-ready. Shikiki Kayama sighed, tears finally streaming down his cheeks.
"Gentlemen, stop blaming each other, let's do our last bit for the sake of the Japanese Empire." It is false to say that he is not afraid of death, and at this time, Kayama Shiki is also a little out of control.
"The Japanese shelling seems to have been a little stronger." Lang Weili looked at the pit on the side string and frowned.
"It's just a matter of returning to the light, tell Lord Deng and Lord Yang, everyone pay attention, and be careful of the Japanese ramming tactics." Xu Jie sneered. "Let Lord Deng kill the Fuji with the flagship first."
At this time, the Fuji was like a dying beast. While desperately approaching and firing as much as possible, but after all, it was a dying beast, and the Fuji with only 2 6-inch guns and 1 9.2-inch cannon left in the sidestring firepower, even if it counterattacked, in the face of two experienced hunters armed to the teeth, this counterattack was nothing more than a farce.........
Almost all of the firepower of the Tianjin and Weihai was concentrated on the Fuji, and although the Fuji's close-range shooting increased the hit rate, the hit rate also increased. In just 2 minutes. There were 4 rounds of 227KG shells that fell on Fuji, 2 of which hit the waterline armor, and the huge momentum allowed the shells to easily tear apart the 10-inch steel-faced iron armor on the Fuji, and the shells flew directly into the steam engine room of the Fuji, and the huge explosion restored the machinery operating inside to the state of parts. Debris, vapor and flames quickly spread from the bullet to other chambers. Then the boiler was flooded. The high temperature steam was permeated, and the entire power compartment was almost completely paralyzed. It can be used even with individual machines. But the people who operated them had also been burned or scalded to death.
In just a few minutes. Fuji's mad dog collapsed on the surface of the sea as if it had broken its limbs with a machete by a hunter! A large amount of seawater poured in from the breach, completely extinguishing the flames that had been spewing out just now. Then the Fuji had a serious tilt. Without power, the Fuji was severely damaged and had run out of fuel. Even if it is no longer attacked, the Fuji will sink in ten minutes.
"From then on, there is only one Savage left in the Savage class." Felimante, who was watching the battle from afar, put down the binoculars in his hand and said, his tone containing an indescribable melancholy ..........
"The Japanese fleet is completely finished this time, the Fuji has sunk, plus the Yashima that is about to sink. The only ones that the Japanese fleet could go back were the Kurama and Yoshino, which had already been heavily damaged. By the way, there's also a Hashidate. William Chell said. …。
"A fleet of the top 8 in the world was wiped out. And this morning, they still fantasize about killing their opponents, is this one ridiculous? Vittorio said smugly.
"Creation makes people." William Chell, who already knew that he had lost the bet, said angrily.
Japanese naval officers and sailors finally gave up on rescuing the Fuji, scrambling for life-saving equipment and jumping into the icy water, some even asking the Chinese for help. However, Xu Jie doesn't have the heart to care about these now, and he doesn't want to care about this, if he rescued some Japanese naval officers and soldiers in the Battle of Toshima in the past to sacrifice prisoners to cope with Qingliu and satisfy Guangxu's dream of the Celestial Empire, then the Japanese fleet, which has lost now, can already allow him to face difficulties from the imperial court. As for those Japanese who are inferior to beasts, Xu Jie has no interest in carrying forward the so-called humanitarian spirit here!
The Fuji finally fell silent. The stern of the ship sank to the bottom of the sea first...... Then the bow of the ship was raised high, and under the influence of its own weight, the already fragile hull was exercised. Eventually, it broke off into two ends and sank into the icy waters of the Yellow Sea. The Fuji is gone, will the end of the Yashima be far away? …。
The Yashima, which had already been seriously wounded, was under the combined attack of three 10,000-ton ships and completed the last five minutes of its life. With the shells hitting, there were deafening explosions on the Yashima, maybe the ammunition was detonated, maybe a shell successfully entered the boiler room, maybe it was some other reason, but none of this mattered, and Luang Weili and the others were not interested in verifying how many shells hit and where each shell hit. All they had to do was know that the Yashima was going to be finished. This epic decisive battle will draw a not-so-perfect end to the victory of the Beiyang Fleet.
The Yashima went peacefully. It did not sink as quickly as the ammunition depot penetrated like other Japanese ships, nor did it capsize quickly because of a large amount of water on one side, it was submerged in the sea little by little. As the dry string sank into the water inch by inch, as the icy water used the bridge of the Yashima, the Yashima slowly sank into the depths of the Yellow Sea, swallowed by the dark seabed with the dream of the Japanese Empire to dominate the Far East and the last effort of the Japanese Combined Fleet. At this point, Japan's fleet, which had been saved up after more than 20 years of frugality, was reduced to piles of wreckage on the seabed in the waters around .........the Datong River estuary.
"The Japanese are finished, and from now on, we will dominate the seas of East Asia!" Seeing the Yashima slowly sinking to the bottom of the sea, Xu Jie couldn't suppress the maneuver in his heart. Shout in the megaphone! It took me more than 5 years to plan, prepare, and fight, and finally achieved final success on this day. Even if the Russians came to the Far East, Xu Jie was sure that the tragedy of the Tsushima Strait would be staged here in advance!
At some point, the guns of the Beiyang Fleet stopped roaring, and the sailors who had been tired all day stepped out of their positions to look at the hull that had been abraded by the smoke and flames, at the colleagues who fell somewhere from time to time, at the blood on the ground and the mud on their bodies. They laughed out loud. "We won, we won the battle that will determine the fortunes of these two countries!" I don't know who shouted it first, and then "Victory." The cry of "Long live" sounded on the surface of the Yellow Sea.
Thanks to the book friend dreamposter and Brother Kongchen for the promotion~~. The end of the Great War heralded the end of a phase and the beginning of a new era. I hope that all book lovers will continue to pay attention, with the arrival of the Russian fleet, the protagonist has more things to do!! (Your support is my biggest motivation.) )。