Chapter 33

Yi Dong Youxian's calculations were clattering in his mind like a well-oiled abacus.

At the start of the engagement, due to fear of the Beiyang Fleet's main force, Yi Dong Youxian's mind was a blank, and he had no tactical plan. All he did was follow the Combined Fleet's engagement regulations, forming a column to line up in front of the Beiyang Fleet, to maximize the firepower of the broadside. However, as the two fleets gradually closed in and the first shots were fired, tactical inspiration began to flow into Yi Dong Youxian's mind.

Currently, the Combined Fleet's main force was about to pass in front of the Beiyang Fleet's line. According to the traditional line-of-battle tactics of the age of sail, Yi Dong Youxian ordered the main force to begin a left turn, aiming to make a large circle at sea and then use the left-side guns to engage the enemy, allowing the right-side guns and personnel to rest and catch their breath. To complete this tactical maneuver quickly, he ordered the formation to increase its speed to 10 knots. After twenty minutes of battle, both fleets had suffered varying degrees of damage. If he could use the still intact left-side firepower to engage the already damaged Beiyang Fleet's bow guns, wouldn't that be a significant advantage?

This tactical idea was not inherently flawed, but unfortunately, he overlooked one crucial point: the two old ironclads at the end of the Combined Fleet, "Hiei" and "Fusou," lacked the ability to complete this seemingly simple maneuver.

The ironclad "Hiei" was built by the British Harland & Wolff shipyard, starting construction in September 1875 and completing in March 1878. It was already a 16-year-old relic, older than the Beiyang Fleet's "Chaoyong" and "Yangwei." With a standard displacement of 2,200 tons, a length of 70 meters, a width of 12.4 meters, and a draft of 5.3 meters, it was equipped with two 170mm Krupp guns, six 150mm Krupp guns, two 80mm Krupp guns, two 75mm Krupp guns, and some small-caliber machine guns, and had 88-115mm thick waterline armor. When it was first built, "Hiei" could reach 14 knots with 2,500 horsepower, but with the passage of time, its current speed could barely reach 8 knots. How could it perform a tactical maneuver at 10 knots?

The "Fusou," which followed closely behind "Hiei," faced the same awkward situation. This ironclad, with a standard displacement of 3,717 tons, had become a negative example for Li Hongzhang to teach the Beiyang Fleet due to poor maintenance. It was now clearly unable to reach 10 knots. The "Shinko Maru" and "Akagi" on their left could reach 10 knots, but their combat capabilities were so low that they relied on the two ironclads "Hiei" and "Fusou" to draw enemy fire. If they accelerated to catch up with the main fleet, their sides would be exposed to the Beiyang Fleet's heavy guns. If these two ships abandoned the ironclads and fought alone, the outcome was obvious.

"Heyaku, heyaku!" On the flying bridge in front of the funnel of the old ironclad "Hiei," Captain Sakurai Kikuzo, a naval lieutenant, was anxiously urging the engine room to increase speed through the speaking tube. As the distance from the main force grew, the veins on the forehead of this middle-aged man, whose name had seven characters, were visibly pulsing. In his view, the brain damage of the Combined Fleet's commander, Vice Admiral Yi Dong Youxian, was beyond description. If it weren't for the Combined Fleet's strict and terrifying laws, he would have ordered the "Matsushima" to be shelled!

While inwardly cursing Yi Dong Youxian's ancestors, a familiar and despairing voice came through the speaking tube: "Lieutenant, the boilers are already under forced draft, and the current speed is 8.2 knots. It can't go any faster."

"Bakana!" Although he understood that the engine room staff had done their best, Sakurai Kikuzo's anger could not be suppressed, and he let out a mournful cry. Now, the distance from the main force had already exceeded 1,200 meters and was increasing at a rate of 60 meters per minute. At this rate...

"Jitanda (Wait)... " Sakurai Kikuzo paused, a fleeting thought crossing his mind. He muttered to himself, trying to find the source of his unease, but it was like a flower seen in a dream or a scene viewed through a fog, seemingly close but unattainable. As he was deep in thought, a sailor's anguished cry suddenly rang out: "Qing Fleet! The Qing Fleet is charging at us!"

Sakurai Kikuzo felt as if a sudden realization had struck him. He looked to the right front through the thick black smoke and saw that the entire Qing Fleet had somehow turned their bows toward him! At a distance of less than 900 meters, the Qing Fleet's formation was majestic and imposing, with waves of unprecedented fury rolling on both sides of the ships, indicating that their speed had far exceeded the previous 6 knots. At this moment, the Combined Fleet's four fast cruisers had not yet completed their 180-degree turn, and their firepower was at its weakest. A few shells fell into the sea, unable to stop the advance of the Qing Fleet.

Suddenly, the forward main gun turret of the "Kaiyuan" battleship erupted in a red glow, like a volcanic eruption, reflecting in the eyes of the "Hiei" crew as two fiery balls of death.

---

The "Kaiyuan" battleship's forward turret was equipped with two 283mm SK L/40 German guns, each weighing 45.3 tons. The 73-kilogram propellant charge generated a chamber pressure of 320 bar, or about 32 atmospheres, capable of propelling a 240-kilogram shell to a supersonic speed of 820 meters per second. At a distance of over 800 meters, the flight time of the shell was only one second, so the German gunners on the "Kaiyuan" only needed to aim the gun barrels at the Japanese ships, without the need for complex ballistic or lead calculations, achieving a terrifying accuracy!

"Boom! Boom!" Flames and smoke surged, and two 283mm shells, like raging comets, crashed into the "Hiei" with a deafening explosion. The 2,200-ton ironclad, under the impact of this inferno, let out a groan as if it were about to disintegrate. The ship's body convulsed and visibly slowed, becoming a burning wreck floating on the sea. Seeing this, the sailors on all the Beiyang Fleet ships began to cheer, their voices like a storm, rising to the sky.

In the conning tower of the "Dingyuan" ironclad, Admiral Ding Ruchang, who refused to enter the hospital despite his severe injuries and insisted on watching his brave sailors from a wheelchair, suddenly heard the thunderous cheers around him. He trembled and was about to ask when a messenger rushed in, his face full of excitement, shouting, "Admiral, we hit them!"

Ding Ruchang, agitated, asked, "Who hit what? Tell me quickly!" His voice was already strained.

The messenger panted, "Admiral, the 'Kaiyuan' hit the 'Hiei' with one salvo, and that ship is now ours!"

Ding Ruchang was overjoyed, enduring the pain, and used his left hand to turn the wooden wheels of his chair. His subordinates understood and pushed him out of the conning tower to face the sea. He saw the "Hiei" burning fiercely, with explosions of ammunition like thunder, and yellow smoke from the burning picric acid rising to the sky, even detectable from nearly a kilometer away.

"Good, very good! This is the power that our German Imperial Navy's main battleships should have!" A hoarse voice suddenly came from beside him. A middle-aged man, his head wrapped in bandages like a mummy, was leaning on the railing, shouting and waving his arms. Although the bandages covered most of his face, his over 1.9-meter tall figure and the distinctly non-Chinese pronunciation revealed that he was none other than the fleet's chief instructor, Hannagan.

Ten minutes earlier, the "Dingyuan" conning tower had been hit by a Japanese shell, and Hannagan, who was with Ding Ruchang, had suffered significant injuries, a thumb-sized shrapnel cutting a deep wound on his face, nearly costing him his life. After a hasty treatment in the medical room, the German insisted on returning to the deck to witness the annihilation of the Japanese fleet. Seeing the "Kaiyuan" unleash its power, completely disabling the "Hiei" with just one salvo, Hannagan's heart was filled with a sense of revenge.

Watching the "Hiei" gradually tilt in the flames and hearing Hannagan's excited and strange voice, Ding Ruchang felt a mix of emotions—joy, excitement, bitterness, and pain—swirling in his heart. At the beginning of the battle, he, as the primary target of the Qingliu Party, had endured endless attacks and accusations. The court did not trust him, and even his subordinates thought he was afraid of the Japanese Navy, no longer the brave man he once was. Living in a constant state of pain and fatigue, with no one to confide in, he could only bear it alone, fulfilling his duty as a soldier and not letting down the trust of his benefactor.

Now, with the "Hiei" doomed, the life of suspicion and slander could finally come to an end. With a little more effort, destroying the four Japanese ships in front of him would be a great opportunity to prove his ability and bravery to the country, fulfilling the expectations of his superiors and the people. Thinking of the past two months, the days of struggling in water and burning in fire, Ding Ruchang felt a surge of emotions, and even the intense pain on his right face seemed to fade.

"The Japanese are trying to escape!" Just as he was reflecting, a lookout on the mast suddenly shouted. Ding Ruchang was startled and saw that the "Fusou" ironclad behind the "Hiei" was making a large left turn, and the two transport ships nearby were already turning and fleeing in the opposite direction. Clearly, the Japanese had been frightened by the sudden collapse of the "Hiei" and were now retreating. Seeing this, Ding Ruchang was not anxious but rather pleased. He smiled, but the movement of his lips triggered the wound on his right face, causing him to gasp in pain, and his laughter turned into a painful groan. The "Fusou," which had always been a negative example for the Beiyang Fleet, could not possibly escape with its slow speed. If it stayed to fight, it might have caused some damage to the Beiyang Fleet, but now, in its panic, it had no chance to fight back.

PS: Some say I shouldn't use so much space for the naval battle, but I just want to write a different version of the Battle of the Yellow Sea according to my own ideas, that's all...

Please recommend, click, and collect...

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends