Chapter 84

The armor of the warship *Manheng* did not cover the entire side of the hull, but only the engine room, boiler room, main gun turrets, and ammunition hoists. Moreover, the upper deck was still made of wood. The shells used on the *Jingzhong* were Japanese, and the explosives inside these shells had been specially modified to be extremely flammable. As a result, the *Manheng* was instantly engulfed in flames.

Some of the sailors on the *Manheng* didn't even have time to put on their clothes, running out in just their large shorts to fight the fire. For a 7,000-ton armored cruiser, being hit by dozens of shells was not a big deal, as long as the shells didn't hit the ammunition magazines. If the magazines exploded, it would be a catastrophic disaster for any warship. What truly terrified the warship was the subsequent disasters caused by the shells, such as the fire.

Warships of that era typically had wooden structures, so fire was the number one killer for warships. When it comes to firefighting, many people might imagine a group of people carrying buckets and basins of water to pour over the flames. In reality, this method was ineffective against large fires. The *Manheng* was equipped with several pumps to draw seawater onto the ship and spray it over the fire through dedicated pipes.

Just as a few sailors had pulled out the fire hoses, a shell exploded nearby, instantly turning them into a bloody mess. The valve was also damaged, and water began to spray out, dousing the flames and creating a mist. Many sailors grabbed fire extinguishers from the compartments and joined the firefighting efforts. The fire extinguishers of that era were simple in design: a bucket filled with water and sodium bicarbonate, with a bottle of sulfuric acid at the top. When used, the bottle of sulfuric acid was broken, causing a reaction that produced gas, which pushed the water out of the bucket to extinguish the fire.

However, the fire extinguishers quickly ran out of water, and the captain had no choice but to order all firefighting equipment to be concentrated in the engine room and ammunition magazines. As long as these areas were not consumed by the fire, the ship would not sink. At the same time, the captain ordered the anchor to be raised and the ship to retreat to receive assistance from other warships.

The entire British fleet had recovered from the initial panic and began searching for the direction from which the shells had come. Deng Shichang then ordered the *Jingzhong* to run at full speed to leave the battlefield. Due to the darkness, the British fleet was unable to locate the *Jingzhong*.

The pumps on the *Manheng* were almost completely damaged, and the water in the fire extinguishers had run out. With the fire uncontrollable, the captain had no choice but to order the ship to be abandoned. At 3:00 AM, the ammunition magazine of the *Manheng* exploded, and the entire warship sank into the sea.

The British fleet commander could not believe what had happened. He did not know who had attacked his warship and could not think of any enemy. He then ordered the fleet to proceed to the Bohai Sea according to the original plan, advancing toward the heart of the Qing Dynasty—Beijing.

Lin Yuan, who had been up all night, was nervously monitoring the situation. A clever plan formed in his mind. He wanted to make the British fleet experience the most terrifying voyage.

Lin Yuan went to the weapons depot, where the custodian, who had just finished the weapon storage work, was dozing in a chair. Lin Yuan's footsteps woke him up. He opened his sleepy eyes and said, "Comrade Captain, is there something you need?"

Lin Yuan said, "No, where are those chicken ribs?"

The custodian smiled and said, "They are in the 16th weapons depot. What, are they going to be used?"

The "chicken ribs" Lin Yuan referred to were the 30 self-propelled mines on the *Beijing*. The history of mines dates back to 1558, when Chinese military books first recorded their use. Mines are cheap and powerful, and a mine costing hundreds of thousands can sink a warship costing tens of millions.

Mines developed rapidly after World War II, evolving from anchor mines, floating mines, and bottom mines to self-propelled mines. The *Beijing* was equipped with 30 self-propelled mines, but in modern naval warfare, especially in carrier battle groups, these weapons were rarely used due to their short range. The mines on the *Beijing* had a maximum range of 25 kilometers, which was insignificant compared to anti-ship missiles with a range of hundreds of kilometers. Thus, the crew of the *Beijing* affectionately called them "chicken ribs."

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "From now on, they can have a new name: 'Terror Makers.'"

A fighter jet took off into the sky and laid a self-propelled mine on the route of the British fleet. The control of the mine was then handed over to the *Beijing*. The mine, like a patient tiger, waited for its prey. Finally, the prey appeared in its sights. The *Beijing* immediately issued the attack order, and the mine activated its rocket booster, rushing toward the British fleet at 100 knots.

On the British flagship, the fleet commander was already fantasizing about entering Beijing. Thirty years ago, his predecessors had invaded Beijing and looted countless treasures from the Summer Palace. Now it was their turn.

Suddenly, a loud explosion came from the *Resolution*, a *King* class battleship to his side. The explosion shattered his thoughts.

He rushed to the bridge and anxiously asked the observer, "What happened?"

The observer reported, "Sir, I saw something in the water fly toward the *Resolution*, and then there was a loud explosion. I don't know what it was."

The commander frowned and roared, "What do you mean, 'something'? Can't you identify it?"

The observer stammered, "I don't know. I've never seen anything like it. It looked like a torpedo."

The commander roared, "Nonsense! There are no ships within several miles of us. Who could have fired a torpedo?"

The observer said, "Could it be a sea monster?" Given the biological knowledge of that era, this guess was understandable. In 1887, Japan had purchased a warship, the *Myōkō*, which mysteriously disappeared on its way to Japan. Some Japanese biologists suggested that the ship had been swallowed by a sea monster, a theory that gained some popularity in Japan.

The commander frowned and shook his head. Compared to a torpedo, a sea monster seemed more plausible.

At this moment, the *Resolution* began to sink slowly. The commander knew that the explosion had caused significant damage to the *Resolution*, and it might no longer have any intact watertight compartments.

The *Resolution* sent a signal: "We may have hit a mine!"

The commander couldn't help but curse, "Nonsense! Who would lay mines in the open sea?"

The commander's thinking was not wrong. According to the methods of laying mines, mines were mainly anchor mines, which were fixed at a certain depth using anchor chains and cables. This method was clearly impossible in the East China Sea, where the water depth reached 1,000 meters, requiring extremely long anchor chains. Bottom mines, which sank to the seabed and then floated up to sink ships, were also impractical at 1,000 meters, not only because of the pressure on the mine's shell but also because of the difficulty in detecting ships.

Floating mines, which drifted with the current to sink ships, were even less likely to hit a ship in the open sea.

The British fleet commander had no way of knowing that his opponent was a Chinese warship from the future!