Chapter 28

It was a new day once again.

At Dandong Port, the tense landing operations continued. Although Ding Ruchang had ordered round-the-clock work, after a whole day, only less than half of the soldiers had reached the landing point 15 nautical miles away in Yizhou. The only good news was that the heavy equipment, such as artillery and horses, had been mostly transported. Ding Ruchang, with his haggard face, finally showed a hint of a smile; after some calculations, he ordered the ships to start their fires and escort the unloaded empty transport ships back to Dalian at noon.

The Beiyang Fleet's warships were quietly anchored east of Dasha Island, with a thick layer of black coal smoke enveloping the fleet. On the flagship "Dingyuan," Liu Bucan sat idly in the clean and bright officers' dining room. In a short while, the fleet would return to base, continuing to execute the frustrating "tiger in the mountains" existence fleet strategy...

As a soldier, he was filled with a burning desire to fight the enemy, but was restrained by various political factors at home, forcing him to be a coward, constantly avoiding the enemy who had caused significant losses to his country. Thinking about this, Liu Bucan always felt an indescribable anger, burning him almost to the point of suffocation.

Ding Ruchang gently wielded his silver knife and fork, cutting the food on his plate, his gaze wandering as if deep in thought. On his right, Medhurst, like Liu Bucan, had an unhappy look on his face. He had survived the Fushima maritime disaster, yet the Qing court, which he had served for so many years, had not even acknowledged it; instead, his homeland, upon learning that its citizens had been attacked abroad, immediately ordered the battleships in the Far East to join the Qing court's war against Japan. Medhurst habitually touched his nearly bald head, sighing in dissatisfaction and helplessness.

Suddenly, a shrill alarm sounded from the forward "Kaoyuan" battleship, its tone piercing. Soon after, a clearer alarm began to ring, and Liu Bucan was the first to recognize it as the alarm bell from his flagship "Dingyuan"!

Shortly after, hurried footsteps echoed in the external corridor, and Ding Ruchang seemed to sense something. He stopped his knife and fork, placing them neatly back on the table. Without permission, a signalman burst into the cabin, panting and shouting to the fleet's decision-makers inside, "Report! Japanese warships have been spotted!"

Ding Ruchang nodded slightly, then suddenly stood up and strode to the door. A group of naval officers, who had been suppressing their excitement, immediately pushed their chairs aside and closely followed him. Stepping onto the broad and flat flying bridge, he took the binoculars handed to him and gazed into the distance: the white warships appearing at the horizon were likely the main force of the entire Japanese Combined Fleet!

"Commander, let's fight! Crush these bastards!" Liu Bucan was already trembling with excitement, shouting loudly.

Watching the Japanese warships slowly approaching from the horizon, Ding Ruchang's emotions were stirred, and he was speechless for a long time. Since the start of the war, under his command, the Beiyang Navy had not reported any victories against the enemy, leading to much criticism from the court and the public. Although he strictly followed the strategy of "repelling the enemy from outside and prioritizing the safety of the ships," this did not mean that this Huai Army general was cowardly and afraid to fight the Japanese Navy! Now, the main force of the Japanese Navy had come to him, and the sight of the enemy made him even more determined. If he could win this inevitable battle, who in the court would dare to say a word against him?

"Pass the order, raise the anchors, form the battle line, and meet the enemy!" Ding Ruchang put down the binoculars and gave the order loudly.

The Beiyang Navy's officers and men, well-trained and full of energy, had long been seething with anger over the loss of nearly a thousand comrades in the Fushima Sea Battle. Upon receiving the order to raise the anchors and prepare for battle, they were even more excited and full of fighting spirit. In a very short time, the anchors were raised at an unprecedented speed, and the stationary propellers began to rotate rapidly with the roar of the reciprocating steam engines. The fleet slowly changed formation, gradually forming a line. On the tall masts, huge flags over 20 feet long fluttered in the wind; in the 19th century, hoisting such large flags meant it was time for battle!

---

At the same time that the Beiyang Navy discovered the Japanese Combined Fleet, the sailors in the forward mast of the "Yoshino," the lead ship of the Japanese fleet, also spotted the distant Beiyang Navy. As the morning mist gradually dissipated, the Victorian-style naval paint became clear under the high-powered binoculars, revealing not a weak and vulnerable fleet, but the entire elite fleet of the Qing, including the "Kaoyuan," "Dingyuan," and "Zhenyuan"! The shrill alarm sounded throughout the Combined Fleet.

"What is this? Why would the entire main force of the Qing Beiyang Fleet suddenly appear here?" On the flagship "Matsushima," Combined Fleet Commander Ito Sukenobu paced back and forth in the not very spacious naval command tower, his face red with anger, cursing, "Such a large fleet movement, and we didn't even detect a single clue? The intelligence department's idiots should be burned at the stake and torn apart, piece by piece!"

A staff officer, who had a relative in the intelligence department, couldn't help but defend, "Commander, the intelligence department is still quite accurate. At least two months ago, during the Fushima Sea Battle, the departure time of the Qing troop transport was reported very precisely! This time it was just a small mistake..."

"Kunoyar (You bastard)!" Ito Sukenobu flew into a rage, slapping the staff officer hard across the face, leaving a red handprint. He panted heavily, roaring, "A small mistake? Do you understand? These idiots have already put the entire Combined Fleet in danger! What good are they? A pig would be more useful, at least we could eat the pork."

The officers in the command tower, seeing the usually mild-mannered fleet commander in such a fury, were all pale with fear, not daring to speak. Ito Sukenobu took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. From the current situation, it seemed that the Qing had been planning for a long time, choosing this moment to challenge the Empire of Japan at sea; while the Japanese, due to the intelligence department's mistake, had already lost a strategic move. This time, the fleet he brought out was not the entire main force of the Combined Fleet; aside from the three British-advised Chilean-sold-to-Japan warships, including one ironclad and two cruisers, which were not with him, the total tonnage of just these three ships already exceeded 14,000 tons!

Should he flee? This thought flashed through Ito Sukenobu's mind but was immediately dismissed. The reason was simple: the main ships of the Combined Fleet had various issues, either being old and in need of repair, converted from civilian ships, or having inferior boilers. Except for the "Chiyoda," none could exceed 13 knots. If they were to flee, only the four cruisers of the First Fast Squadron and the "Chiyoda" could escape the battlefield with their high speed, while the remaining seven ships, being slower, would inevitably be caught by the fastest ships of the Beiyang Navy, such as the "Zhiyuan," "Jingyuan," and even the "Kaoyuan," and be slowed down by gunfire, then sunk by the subsequent Qing fleet. More importantly, the Chief of the Naval General Staff, Katsura Tarō, was on the "Seikyō Maru," a converted cruise ship that could not escape quickly; if it faced the main battle ships, its fate would be certain death!

It seemed there was no choice but to grit his teeth and fight!

Ito Sukenobu's face twisted in a fierce expression, and he spat on the floor in anger. Although the intelligence department was a pile of garbage, it was fortunate that he was cautious and did not bring out the three cruisers equipped with 320mm guns. After the boiler improvements, they could also reach 13 knots. As long as these three large guns could fire at the designed rate and with accuracy, the advantage of the Qing ironclads could be effectively countered.

Moreover, Ito Sukenobu had one more significant trump card: the absolute firepower superiority of the Combined Fleet over the Beiyang Navy.

To defeat the Beiyang Navy and realize the ambition of colonizing the Qing court, Japan had been comprehensively learning from the British Navy for 20 years. The latest smokeless powder and breech-loading gun technology from Armstrong, which had just been produced, was the best gift from Britain to Japan. These revolutionary innovations greatly increased the firing rate of the guns; what previously took 2 to 3 minutes to complete a round of firing could now be done in just 10 seconds! In 1887, the 120mm quick-firing gun completed its test firing; in 1892, the 152mm quick-firing gun was equipped on British warships. The British teacher also imparted all their knowledge to this Japanese student, who could resist Russia and force the Qing court to open more ports. By now, almost every warship in the Combined Fleet was equipped with 152mm or 120mm quick-firing guns produced by Armstrong, with a firing rate more than ten times that of the old guns of the Beiyang Navy.

Aside from the firing rate, the quality of the Japanese shells was also far superior to that of the Beiyang Navy. All the shells of the Combined Fleet were filled with the highly explosive picric acid, which produced a flame so intense that it could burn through steel and was extremely difficult to extinguish. The shells of the Beiyang Navy, mostly solid shot filled with sand produced by the Tianjin Arsenal, had only the ability to penetrate but no killing power. The few shells filled with black powder were gifts from foreign countries when the ships were purchased, and after seven or eight years, it was uncertain whether they could even explode normally. Even if they did, their explosive power was far less than that of the Japanese shells filled with picric acid.

To fight was to have a chance; to retreat was to face certain death!

"Order," Ito Sukenobu slowly uttered a syllable, and the signalman beside him shuddered, holding his breath and listening carefully to every word the commander would say next.

"The First Flying Squadron should slow down, reducing speed to 6 knots to wait for the main fleet to catch up and prepare for battle," Ito Sukenobu's tone returned to its usual calm and composed.

"Hai!" the signalman nodded in response.

"The 'Seikyō Maru' and 'Asahi' should leave the formation and accelerate to the left side of the 'Hiei' and 'Fusō' to avoid direct confrontation with the Qing main battle ships," Ito Sukenobu paused and added, "Also, tell Chief Katsura Tarō that a major battle is imminent, and he should take care of himself, as the main fleet can no longer protect him!"

The captain of the "Matsushima," Shimazu Seizō, asked, "Commander, the sudden appearance of the Qing main fleet has unsettled the men. Should we allow them to smoke to ease their tension?"

Ito Sukenobu was taken aback, then nodded, "You're right, let's do it!" He waved his hand, and the signalman saluted and quickly ran out of the command tower.

Following Ito Sukenobu's orders, the entire Combined Fleet immediately sprang into action, with figures running across the decks, quickly taking their positions. Like the Beiyang Navy, the mast of each warship in the Combined Fleet also raised the huge naval battle flag. Considering that the ammunition depot would be a key target once the battle began, the Japanese sailors used pulleys to transport shells and propellant charges from the depot to each gun position, completely emptying the depot. Senior officers, such as the captain, first officer, and navigator, went to key positions to supervise the battle. The Japanese sailors in white uniforms had already loaded the first shells, watching the approaching Beiyang Navy, the veterans eager to fight, while the new recruits were pale and trembling.

Since the main fleet had caught up, the commander of the First Flying Squadron, Heihachirō Ping, ordered his ships to accelerate to 8 knots. At 12:18 PM, upon receiving the order from the flagship "Matsushima" to "intercept the right wing of the enemy fleet," the speed of the First Flying Squadron increased to 10 knots, heading towards the center of the Beiyang fleet, ready to turn to the right wing at the appropriate time. In the command tower of the flagship "Yoshino," Heihachirō Ping repeatedly ordered the "Yoshino" to raise signals, tirelessly reminding the three cruisers "Takachiho," "Aki," and "Naniwa" to maintain distance and speed, ensuring that the simple column formation could be executed by the nervous sailors.

On September 17, 1894, a world-shocking naval battle began at 12:30 PM, slowly unfolding and officially starting.

PS: Another 4000-word chapter, please click, recommend, and collect...

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