Chapter 32

Amidst the coal smoke spewing and the sea boiling from the cannon fire, the warships stood tall and mighty, and the fiery balls of fire flew and roared. When they hit the decks, flames erupted and surged; when they struck the bridges, masts collapsed and steel flew; most hit the sea, sending water columns skyward and waves surging dozens of meters away.

Under the brave efforts of the gunners of the Chaoyong, at 13:08, a 254mm shell from the "Chaoyong" finally hit the "Kiyoshio." The ammunition piled near the gun position ignited, and the rear deck of the "Kiyoshio" was instantly engulfed in fierce flames. The large amount of toxic smoke from the picric acid burning spread with the wind, forcing the "Kiyoshio" to interrupt its dense cannon fire. Seeing the "Kiyoshio" finally quiet down, the entire crew of the "Chaoyong" breathed a sigh of relief. Under the leadership of Captain Huang Jianxun, they took this opportunity to extinguish the fire and plug the leaks. In just a few minutes of battle, the "Chaoyong" had been hit by over 20 shells of various calibers, with flames soaring high and the bottom compartments flooding, causing the ship to tilt severely.

Not long after, the "Akitsushima" and "Naniwa" of the First Flying Squadron were also hit, and the Beiyang Fleet's officers and men cheered, full of confidence as they prepared for the next round of firing.

However, this joyous situation lasted less than 2 minutes...

At 13:10, the "Kiyoshio" extinguished the fire on its rear deck, and the ship's guns, like venomous snakes awakened from hibernation, resumed their attack! A shell pierced the "Chaoyong's" unprotected hull with a thunderous sound, causing a violent explosion inside the ship, sealing the "Chaoyong's" fate.

The "Chaoyong" was designed for high-speed ramming, and to reduce weight, only the outer layer and some key load-bearing parts were made of shipbuilding steel, while the rest of the compartments were made of wood. After the shell exploded, the flames met the flammable wood, and the fire quickly became uncontrollable!

Water dragons roared, and fire serpents hissed. The "Chaoyong" was engulfed in towering flames, like a giant torch burning fiercely. On the "Kiyoshio" cruiser, the Japanese naval officers and men were already dancing and laughing wildly; even the few sailors who had been crippled by the "Chaoyong's" shell struggled out of the medical room, limping to watch the enemy's plight, venting their twisted rage and excitement. In the command tower, Ping Yi Hangsan was beaming with joy; such a massive fire had already sentenced the "Chaoyong" to a single fate: death. Even if all the gods and Buddhas descended, they could not save it!

"Didn't I say it? Didn't I say it? The Combined Fleet is blessed by the Sun Goddess and the Emperor, and will surely conquer all and win every battle!" Ping Yi Hangsan, filled with pride and satisfaction, couldn't help but laugh loudly, "In less than 10 minutes, a Qing warship has been completely destroyed by us! The Combined Fleet is blessed by heaven, and the rise of the Great Japanese Empire is just around the corner!"

"Whoosh!" A shell whistled through the air and struck the water beside the "Kiyoshio," sending a silver column skyward and white waves surging. Ping Yi Hangsan turned to see the main gun of the "Yangwei" cruiser in the distance, its muzzle spewing layers of orange and purple light, with smoke slowly rising and soon dissipating in the sea breeze. Clearly, the "Yangwei" saw the "Chaoyong" in trouble and was firing to support its fellow ship; however, due to the slow rate of fire of the old breech-loading guns, it could hardly affect the "Kiyoshio's" assault on the "Chaoyong."

Ping Yi Hangsan's lips curled into a cold, sinister smile, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Is this Qing ship really tired of living? Since you want to accompany your fellow ship to its doom, I'll grant your wish!"

"Boom! Boom!" Red light burst forth, and dozens of shells rained down on the "Yangwei," sending shockwaves and flames surging. The wooden structure of these two warships made them highly susceptible to fire, and under the attack of the Japanese navy's picric acid explosives, the fire quickly became uncontrollable. In the glow of the flames, the faces of the Beiyang Navy officers and men on the two warships were filled with hatred and indignation. Their skills and willpower far surpassed those of their Japanese counterparts, but the significant technological and equipment gap could not be overcome by human effort alone!

Cannon fire rained down, and the sky was ablaze with flames. The bow of the "Chaoyong" was completely engulfed in fire, with thick smoke billowing. With the propellers destroyed in the dense barrage, the entire warship was motionless on the sea, becoming the best floating target for the First Flying Squadron. On the shattered deck, sailors braved the falling debris, fighting the inferno fiercely.

Upon receiving the news that the "Chaoyong" had completely lost its combat capability and could not be salvaged, Liu Butan, commanding from the "Dingyuan," was like an ant on a hot pan, pounding his chest and wringing his hands in anguish. At this moment, his central force of seven warships was engaged in intense combat with the four cruisers of the Combined Fleet's main force, each side using their strengths to counter the other's weaknesses. However, due to the technological and equipment gap, the "Chaoyong" was now unable to fight, and the "Yangwei" was about to follow. If the central force could not turn the tide, the outcome of this naval battle would be truly unpredictable!

"Boom!" The ship shook violently again, and Liu Butan stumbled, nearly falling to the ground. The "Dingyuan" had been hit by another enemy shell, and the impact was very close to the command tower! He felt a sense of relief, but before he could be grateful that the shell had missed the command tower, an officer rushed in and shouted, "Report! Admiral Ding has been injured on the flying bridge, his right arm burned, and his left leg crushed. He is receiving emergency treatment!"

"Damn your ancestors for eighteen generations, you little Japanese! What are you waiting for with all those quick-firing guns, to eat dog shit?" Liu Butan, filled with rage, couldn't help but roar hysterically in the command tower. The officers around him also felt a surge of anger, sharing his frustration. In the nearly 20 minutes of combat, the rapid-fire guns of the Combined Fleet had fired like a storm, wave after wave, with the Beiyang Navy's ships being hit one after another. The situation of the three large ironclads was still relatively better, but the unarmored cruisers had been penetrated several times below the waterline, with black smoke billowing and flames reaching the sky. Although the Japanese warships had also been hit multiple times by exposing their sides to the Beiyang Fleet, the poor quality of the shells meant that most of the hits only left some holes, causing no substantial damage. Moreover, the First Flying Squadron had almost all moved to the side and rear of the Beiyang Fleet, and the central force could only use the rear main guns to engage, with very limited support.

"Liu Captain, even the signal flags have been destroyed by the Japanese. We can't command the fleet. What should we do now?" a staff officer couldn't help but ask.

Liu Butan's brows were furrowed, and he paced anxiously in the command tower, his face dark and silent. The officers around him watched the ship's captain and commander with tension, hoping he would come up with a practical solution to turn the tide for the Beiyang Fleet.

After a while, his mind still a blur, Liu Butan couldn't help but grab the telescope and look forward again. The battle flags were fluttering, and the guns were like a forest. The four fast cruisers of the Combined Fleet's main force had, at some point, created a significant gap with the four slower ships behind them. Seeing this, Liu Butan's mind flashed with inspiration, and he suddenly roared like a madman, "Now! Order the ship to turn 2 points to the left, increase speed to 12.5 knots, and charge forward at full speed!"

The first officer, Jiang Renhui, was shocked, "12.5 knots! Liu Captain, are you...?"

Liu Butan didn't answer him but laughed maniacally, "Old Itō, this is your own mistake, so don't blame me!"

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Ten years later, as the naval commander, Liu Butan, when recalling the Battle of the Yalu River, still felt proud and fortunate about this order. Although he admitted that it was a flash of inspiration that hadn't been carefully analyzed, no one could deny the absolute correctness of this decision!

According to the naval regulations of the Beiyang Fleet, the fleet would form a double-column formation, with two ships in each group. In combat, they would switch to a line abreast formation, with the two ships in each group supporting each other in attack and defense. Behind this well-known rule was another regulation: each ship must follow the movements of the flagship. If the flagship moved east, the fleet moved east; if the flagship charged, the fleet charged!

In the absence of signal flags and the inability to command the fleet, facing a tense and severe situation, Liu Butan thought of using the "Dingyuan" itself to command the fleet. At this moment, the "Chaoyong" and "Yangwei" had lost their combat capability; although the Beiyang Fleet had lost a group, it was a blessing in disguise, as the fleet's speed was no longer hindered by the two old ships. Now, the Combined Fleet's main force had suddenly created a gap, and the distance to the gap was just over 2000 meters. If they charged forward at full speed and cut through the gap, could the four ships at the rear escape his grasp?

Liu Butan was now betting on the excellent qualities of the Beiyang Fleet's officers and men, honed over a decade of training. He firmly believed that, as veterans who had been on the ships for over a decade, they would react and follow the flagship "Dingyuan" when they saw it turn and accelerate!

"German, it's up to you now," Liu Butan muttered, looking at the "Kaifeng" battleship, which was bathed in shellfire and smoke.

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