The Etajima Naval Academy can be described as the cradle of the Japanese Navy, and many of the generals of the modern Japanese Navy graduated from here, including Heihachiro Togo and Isoroku Yamamoto. It can be said that many officers in the Japanese Navy have the experience of studying here.

If you want to bring the Japanese Navy to a slump, in addition to destroying the Japanese Navy's warships, the most important thing is people. If the Japanese Navy wants to recover those important talents, it will not be so easy. Battleships can be purchased from abroad, but the lack of naval officers, is also imported from abroad? That's obviously impossible.

"Etajima Naval Academy? You mean, we will solve the naval talent base of the Japanese? Admiral Shi Tianhan said.

"That's right, although destroying the Etajima Naval Academy now is just to deal with those students. However, this was enough to inflict an extremely heavy blow on the Japanese Navy. Many of the senior generals and mid-ranking officers in the Japanese Navy came from the Etajima Naval Academy. In the short term, the impact may not be very large. However, as the Japanese Navy became more and more lacking in talent, this effect would slowly ferment and eventually become more and more significant. Wu Haoxuan's face was full of indifferent smiles.

The Japanese Army is no longer to worry about, through the Russo-Japanese War and the last Sino-Japanese War, plus the Imperial Army annihilated the Korean Army in this war, the elite of the Japanese Army can be said to be almost dead. The remaining army talent is already very small. Even if a larger war breaks out between the two countries next time, the Japanese army will not be very strong. However, the Japanese Navy is different. With military academies such as the Etajima Naval Academy, they can also continuously cultivate more naval talents. Only by destroying these military academies and their students can we inflict an even heavier blow on the Japanese Navy.

"Your Highness's method is good, this is tantamount to digging out the roots of the Japanese Navy. The Army suffered a heavy blow. The Navy was dug up to the roots, and the Japanese undoubtedly had nothing to worry about. Admiral Shi Tianhan nodded again and again. Although he was going to shoot at the students, he didn't feel guilty at all. This is a fateful battle between China and Japan, and it is natural that we will use all means to defeat our opponents.

"Well, then send a telegram to General Sa and General Cheng. After the Etajima Naval Academy was solved, the important coastal cities of Japan were gradually destroyed. I'd like to see. How long can the Japanese hold out in such a situation? Wu Haoxuan said.

"Yes, Your Highness." Admiral Shi Tianhan nodded, and immediately ordered someone to send a telegram to Admiral Sa Zhenbing, the commander of the Navy, and Admiral Cheng Biguang, the deputy commander.

In the far western Pacific, the Imperial Navy is sailing in the waters east of Kyushu. With the annihilation of the main forces of the Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet, Japan's coastline has become an undefended existence. Battleships of the Imperial Navy, which could rampage near the coastline of Japan. Of course, it is necessary to avoid being hit by the coastal defense artillery of the Japanese Navy. But even then, destroyers and light cruisers of the Imperial Navy. Relying on the advantage of speed, they are active in the coastal waters of Japan. Once a merchant ship or transport ship flying the flag of the Japanese Navy was discovered, it was directly captured or sunk, and even the fishing boat was directly destroyed. Anyway, there is no need to be polite to deal with little Japan, let alone any humanitarianism.

About a hundred kilometers away from Kyushu Island, the main force of the Imperial Navy is concentrated here, two 'Longteng-class' battleships. Two 'Longyao-class' battle cruisers, three of the seven 'Northern Seven-Provincial' light cruisers. Four of the twelve 'B-class' destroyers and two of the twelve 'A-class' destroyers. Only eight of the 'B-class' destroyers were commissioned in front of the station, and the other four were commissioned after the outbreak of war.

On the flagship battleship 'Longteng', Admiral Sa Zhenbing and Admiral Cheng Biguang argued and waited for a reply from China.

"The army did a good job on the Korean Peninsula, and in the first battle it wiped out the main force of the Korean army in small Japan. After the Korean army was wiped out, the army of little Japan was finished. We knocked out the navy of little Japan again, this war. Little Japan is lost. General Cheng Biguang had a smile on his face, and after waiting for more than ten years, they were finally able to take revenge.

"We will naturally win this battle. That's not enough, though. We have to fight little Japan and never turn over. If the British hadn't supported Little Japan again, we would have defeated them a long time ago. Admiral Sa Zhenbing said.

"Hmm. I don't know if His Highness will agree with our battle plan. If we agree, we could completely reduce Japan's coastal cities to ruins. Admiral Cheng Biguang's eyes were full of bloodthirsty light. Although, he knew that if this battle plan was successfully implemented, it would cause many, many deaths in Japan. However, instead of blaming himself, he will be very excited.

"Your Highness will agree." Admiral Sa Zhen has a lot of confidence in Wu Haoxuan.

Admiral Sa Zhenbing and Admiral Cheng Biguang never said that Emperor Wu Xingquan's opinion was consulted. The top brass of the Imperial Army and Navy all knew that Wu Xingquan was nothing more than a puppet. The real decision of the entire empire is still the imperial crown prince Wu Haoxuan. Besides, the Imperial Navy can be said to have been established by Wu Haoxuan. Of course they will, Wu Haoxuan is the object of allegiance.

"Telegram from the commander, deputy commander, the General Staff." A staff officer said to them excitedly.

As soon as they saw the expression of this staff officer, General Sa Zhenbing and General Cheng Biguang knew that there must be good news coming.

Admiral Sa Zhen took the telegram and looked at it, and his face was suddenly happy. However, there is also a sense of sudden realization.

"Lao Sa, what's wrong?" Admiral Cheng Biguang was a little puzzled.

"See for yourself." Admiral Sa Zhenbing handed the telegram to Admiral Cheng Biguang.

After reading it, Admiral Cheng Biguang also sighed with a face: "In vain, we are the commander and deputy commander of the Imperial Navy, and we still don't see as far as Your Highness!" We only want to destroy the coastal cities of the Japanese, and Your Highness wants to strangle the Japanese navy! However, this is an opportunity for us, an opportunity to solve the Japanese Navy once and for all. ”

Admiral Sa Zhenbing nodded: "Arrange the battle plan, the first thing to be solved is the Jiangtadao Naval Academy." ”

After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, under the guidance of the policy of "enriching the country and strengthening the army", Japan tried its best to build a modern navy following the example of the British Navy, which was the most powerful navy in the world at that time. On May 4, 1870, on the basis of inheriting the shogunate's warships and naval facilities, the Japanese Ministry of War put forward a proposal to "run a navy in a big way", specifically listing the education of naval officers as a separate item, pointing out: "The soul of a warship is an officer, without which the sailors will not be able to give full play to their strengths, and the ship will become a pile of scrap metal." Moreover, the knowledge that naval officers should master is profound, and it is by no means easy to attain proficiency, so the establishment of schools as soon as possible, the selection of good teachers, and the education of naval officers are the most important things in building the navy. As a result, the former Shogunate Naval Training Institute in Tsukiji, Tokyo (formerly Edo), was restored, and the first cadet opening ceremony was held on January 11, 1870.

In 1888, the same year that the Beiyang Naval Division of China was formed, the Japanese Naval Academy was moved from Tsukiji, Tokyo, to Etajima. The island is located at the southern end of the Seto Inland Sea, across the sea from the famous Japanese military port Kure, administratively under the jurisdiction of Hiroshima Prefecture, about 150 nautical miles away from Kobe, the terrain is close to the sea and the bay, the geographical is superior, which is conducive to the professional training of the navy. In order to maintain a good educational environment, before the relocation of the school, the navy even signed a contract with the local gentry called "The Beginning and End of the Etajima Ban Formula," stipulating that no prostitution houses and brothels could be opened within the designated area of Etajima, so as to prevent the cadets of the academy from languishing and degenerating. At this point, the famous "Etajima Naval Academy" finally took shape.

At the beginning of the school's establishment, the spirit of learning from Britain, the world's number one naval power, was very strong, and even the red bricks used to build the cadet dormitories were shipped from the British Isles, thousands of miles away, at high prices. The school mainly trains officers of the Naval Combat Corps Section (i.e., general combat commanders), but also has other professional training courses, and its education and training model is almost all modeled on the British, using the British style of emphasis on technical education, after graduation, as a second lieutenant candidate assigned to the training fleet, after the ocean-going navigation technical training and field training.

It can be said that it was the Etajima Naval Academy that cultivated the most outstanding officers of the Japanese Navy, enabling them to lead the Japanese Navy to become strong step by step. Of course, it is precisely because of this that Japan is gradually moving towards its demise.

The Imperial Navy set the Etajima Naval Academy as the first target to be destroyed, but it was not so easy to successfully implement this plan. The Etajima Naval Academy is located on Eda Island in the Seto Inland Sea, and if the Imperial Navy wants to destroy this naval school, it will have to go deep into the Seto Inland Sea. However, the Seto Inland Sea has always been an economic powerhouse for Japan, and Japan's defenses here are also very strong. Especially after the disastrous defeat of the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy, the Japanese strengthened their defense of the Seto Inland Sea.

The Japanese Navy built a number of coastal fortifications in the Seto Inland Sea and deployed large-caliber coastal defense guns. At the same time, mines have been laid in some important waterways, and if you rush into them, you will only bring unnecessary casualties to yourself.

However, after formulating the combat objectives, the Imperial Navy immediately began to act, sending small warships deep into the Seto Inland Sea to actively spy on intelligence and find an opportunity for the Navy to attack and destroy the Etajima Naval Academy in one fell swoop. (To be continued.) )