Chapter 57

With three Brandenburg-class battleships as the main force, the German fleet set out from its home port of Kiel, passed through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean, entered the Red Sea via the Suez Canal, and after navigating the Gulf of Aden, sailed through the vast Indian Ocean. Then, it crossed the narrow Strait of Malacca, entered the South China Sea, and proceeded northward, approaching Jiaozhou Bay.

Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany stood before a map, looking at the route he had personally chosen, as if he were standing on the flagship Grosser Kurfürst, personally commanding this formidable fleet.

Wilhelm II's left hand was hidden under his right hand. Due to a breech birth, the nerves in his left arm had atrophied, making his left hand much smaller than his right. His mother, the British Princess Royal Victoria, was very strict with him, often requiring him to exercise diligently. As a result, he received strict military training from a young age, which instilled in him a deep admiration for a powerful army.

Just a few years ago, Wilhelm II attended the jubilee ceremony of Queen Victoria in Britain, where the grand naval review of the Royal Navy left him deeply envious. Consequently, he formulated a massive shipbuilding plan, aiming to establish an eternal German Empire through a formidable fleet. For this purpose, he sidelined the Iron Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who was well-versed in the art of concealing one's strength and biding one's time. This statesman, who had once dominated the political scene, retired to the countryside to write and lecture.

The German expeditionary fleet consisted of three battleships, five cruisers, and six transport ships. Despite the Beiyang Fleet having nine cruisers, including two ironclads, which seemed numerically superior, the fleet commander, Dietrich, was not worried. After all, naval battles were not won by sheer numbers.

The Dingyuan and Zhenyuan were nearly ten-year-old ships, and the condition of their boilers could be imagined. The maximum speed of the Dingyuan was 14.5 knots, but it was unlikely to reach even 10 knots now. In contrast, the German expeditionary fleet's ships, especially the Brandenburg-class battleships, were all commissioned within the past year, with an average speed of around 15 knots. Dietrich thought to himself, "If a battle breaks out, it will be a clash between cavalry and infantry!"

On November 3, 1894, the German expeditionary fleet arrived near Jiaozhou Bay, demanding that the Qing government allow the fleet to enter Jiaozhou Bay and assist in the evacuation of German nationals. The Qing government, upon receiving the request, replied to the German government, refusing the request to enter Jiaozhou Bay but agreeing to assist in the evacuation of Germans.

On November 4, 1894, the Beiyang Fleet's Dingyuan, Zhenyuan, and Zhiyuan arrived at Jiaozhou Bay from the Weihaiwei base to prevent the Germans from landing. On the same day, the British government notified the Qing government, urging it to take concrete measures to protect British citizens in China. The Russian government issued a statement, stating that if the Qing government could not protect Russian citizens in China, Russia would take necessary measures to protect the lives and property of Russian citizens.

On November 5, 1894, the Chaoyong, Yangwei, and Pingyuan cruisers of the Beiyang Fleet arrived at Jiaozhou Bay and joined the Dingyuan and Zhiyuan, which had arrived earlier.

On the morning of November 6, 1894, at 9:00 AM, the calm waters of Jiaozhou Bay welcomed an unwelcome visitor, the German expeditionary fleet's Brandenburg-class battleship Wiesenburg, with Captain Konst feeling very heavy-hearted.

Unlike fleet commander Dietrich, Konst was a devotee of the firepower-first theory. The two 305mm twin turrets on the Dingyuan still made him uneasy. The Wiesenburg, on the other hand, had only three 280mm triple turrets. What worried him even more was that although the six guns had the same caliber, their barrel lengths were different. The mid-ship guns had a 35-caliber length, while the front and rear guns had a 40-caliber length. Different barrel lengths meant different ballistic data, which meant that the six guns could not share observation data!

Konst's mission was simple: enter Jiaozhou Bay and test the Qing government's attitude. This was a routine diplomatic probe, but history is often made up of a series of errors and coincidences. Neither Konst nor Dietrich could have imagined that this probe would lead to the first clash between ironclad fleets in human history!

At 10:00 AM, the Zhiyuan and Pingyuan, on routine patrol, discovered the Wiesenburg at a distance of 7,000 meters and approached it, signaling it to leave Qing waters.

From 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM, the German warship ignored the warnings from the Zhiyuan and Pingyuan! The Zhiyuan and Pingyuan were forced to increase their speed to intercept the German warship.

If it were just a diplomatic probe, the German warship should have turned around upon being discovered by enemy warships. However, the German warship ignored the warnings, and this has been a subject of much debate in history. Historians generally believe that this reflected the pride of the German warship, but the reality was that the Wiesenburg's observers did not see the Zhiyuan and Pingyuan for the entire half-hour!

This half-hour is incomprehensible to historians, but it did happen! At 5,000 meters, the Wiesenburg finally spotted the Zhiyuan. The Wiesenburg turned to leave, but during the turn, a piston steam engine used for propulsion malfunctioned. Prior to this, the Wiesenburg had been sailing at 12 knots towards the Qing military camp in Jiaozhou Bay. After the turn, it could only maintain a speed of 8 knots.

The Zhiyuan and Pingyuan increased their speed to 14 knots, driving the Wiesenburg away. However, the sudden deceleration of the Wiesenburg was seen as a provocation by the two ships!

The Zhiyuan signaled the Wiesenburg to accelerate and leave Qing waters. This time, the Wiesenburg's observers noticed, but Captain Konst refused to explain the mechanical failure, believing it would damage the reputation of the German Navy. He issued an order: open the gun shields, prepare ammunition, and aim the guns at the Zhiyuan and Pingyuan, ready for battle.

Historians later lamented that if this order had not been given, nothing would have happened!

At this point, the distance between the two sides was less than 4,000 meters. Through the telescope of the Zhiyuan's observer, every move of the Wiesenburg was clear. The Zhiyuan's commander, Deng Shichang, believed that the Wiesenburg opening its gun shields, preparing ammunition, and aiming its guns at them was a sign of an impending attack, as both sides were within each other's range. He also ordered the main guns to be prepared!

During this process, the Zhiyuan and Pingyuan did not slow down, which made Konst panic. He ordered the boilers to be forced to ventilate to increase steam pressure, hoping to increase speed. However, this put too much strain on the boilers, and one of them had to be temporarily shut down, further reducing the speed.

At this moment, two shells were fired from the Wiesenburg's main guns, landing between the Zhiyuan and Pingyuan. The German warship had opened fire!