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Text Chapter 203 A disastrous defeat

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    "That bastard Ye Zhichao should have been shot. There were more than 40,000 people in the two towns, and their weapons were not inferior to those of the Japanese. They still stood firm in Pyongyang, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack. In just one week, they were defeated.  Not only did they lose soldiers and generals, they also lost all of Korea! The Manchus are really hopeless!" In the staff headquarters, after reading the intelligence about the Korean battlefield that was sent back, Xiong Wu cursed angrily!

    "The Manchu Qing Dynasty has become corrupt, and now it is time for us to replace them!" Cai Yun also said.  At the same time, he looked at Wang Yuze who was sitting silently.

    Wang Yuze has long known these things.  However, even so, it still shocked him.  The Qing Dynasty and Western Sichuan have been fighting for so many years. Although they lost every time, they should at least have learned something!  I didn't expect that Japan, a small country that had just emerged, would still be so unbearable.  It seems that Western Sichuan replaced the Manchus and gained political power in China. This should be an irreversible will of God!

    Now, Japan is frantically transporting troops to North Korea. Except for the Guards Division staying at home, the rest of the divisions have all been transported to North Korea.  The huge strength of the twenty-two divisions exceeds 400,000.  However, the huge logistical pressure has not yet captured sea control, and the logistical supply line is very fragile, which also caused the Japanese army to stop its aggressive posture and confront the Qing army across the Yalu River.

    The Manchu Qing Dynasty also actively mobilized troops and generals.  The Qing army was defeated in Korea and lost tens of thousands of people. This made the Empress Dowager Cixi and Prince Gong very angry and ordered the frontline troops to keep the enemy out of the country no matter what.  At this moment, the man leading the army in Fengtian was the famous Manchu general Fengshan.  Although three years ago, the new imperial guard army he led was defeated miserably at the hands of the Western Sichuan Army.  But it was mainly because the army he led was not as good as the Western Sichuan Army.  His personal abilities are still very outstanding.  Now, Fengshan was directly in charge of Shengjing, commanding thirteen Qing towns and 260,000 new troops.  In terms of military strength, the Manchu and Qing Dynasties no longer had the advantage.  From the perspective of morale and the quality of the soldiers, the Manchu Qing was at an absolute disadvantage.

    Wang Yuze knew that the Japanese navy should appear next.  After the Japanese combined fleet defeated the Beiyang Navy, the Japanese navy, which had seized control of the sea, would provide favorable support for the army's logistics supply line.  At that time, Japan will inevitably launch a massive attack.

    And can the Beiyang Navy withstand the attack of the combined fleet stationed in Japan?  Although, the actual strength of the two sides is not much different.  But one side is like an old man in his twilight years, while the other side is full of vigor. Even if the fight has not yet started, the situation can be guessed.

    The Western Sichuan Navy has also entered first-level combat readiness.  All four "Chengdu" class heavy cruisers have been put into service, and the second batch of four "Leshan" class light cruisers have also been put into service, which has once again doubled the strength of the Western Sichuan Navy.  Under the current situation, the four "Chengdu" class heavy cruisers can almost be used as battleships.  Facing the Japanese combined fleet, it has a decisive advantage.

    There is some mist on the Yellow Sea in the morning. Although it gives people a refreshing feeling, it seriously affects the line of sight.  Fortunately, the sun has come out and the mist on the sea has gradually dispersed.

    On the sea, two Western Sichuan Army warships flying the blue dragon flag were sailing to the northwest of the Yellow Sea.  Thick smoke billows from the chimney, blocking out the sky.  These two battleships are the "Leshan" class light cruisers "Leshan" and "Qijiang" of the Western Sichuan Army that were first put into service.  Wang Yuze ordered the Western Sichuan Navy to send warships to the northwest of the Yellow Sea to observe the upcoming battle between the Japanese Combined Fleet and the Beiyang Navy.  Deng Shichang, commander of the First Fleet of the Western Sichuan Navy, personally brought two of the fastest warships all the way from the North Sea.  At the same time, a two-thousand-ton merchant ship provided supplies of coal and fresh water to the two warships.

    "Where are we now?" Deng Shichang asked in the bridge of the "Leshan".

    "Report to the commander, we will arrive at Dadonggou waters in two hours!" Li Deming, the captain of the "Leshan", replied.  Li Deming, 31 years old, was sent to study in the German Navy five years ago. He returned to China with the fleet last year and was appointed as the first captain of the "Leshan" with the rank of naval lieutenant colonel.  He likes this warship very much with a top speed of 28.6 knots.

    Deng Shichang nodded. As a former member of the Beiyang Navy, he had a deep understanding of the power of the Beiyang Navy.  He did not think that the Japanese Navy's largest fleet of warships, which was only more than 4,000 tons, would defeat the Beiyang Navy.  You know, even though they have been in service for more than ten years, the "Dingyuan" and "Zhenyuan" ships of the Beiyang Navy are still the strongest battleships in Asia besides the battleships of the Western Sichuan Navy.

    The time is now 8 o'clock in the morning on September 17, 1894. The "Leshan" and "Qijiang" of the Western Sichuan Navy are rushing towards the battle waters between the Beiyang Navy and the Japanese Combined Fleet provided by Wang Yuze.  Except for western SichuanIn addition to the military, observation ships sent by Britain, Germany, France, the United States and Russia are also scattered across the Yellow Sea.  Everyone knows that it is time for the Beiyang Navy and the Japanese Navy to show off.

    On the morning of September 15, the main force of the Beiyang Fleet, consisting of 10 warships and 8 auxiliary ships, arrived at Dalian Bay under the leadership of Ding Ruchang and escorted more than 4,000 reinforcements to North Korea.

    On September 17, at 8 a.m., the troop transport ship was unloaded.  At 9 o'clock, the flagship of the Beiyang Navy Dingyuan hoisted the dragon flag and began to return.  At 10:23, the First Guerrilla Force of the Japanese Combined Fleet took the lead in discovering the Beiyang Navy.  Then the signal flag "more than three enemy ships found in the northeast" was hung.  At 10:30, the sentry on the mast of the Beiyang Navy's Zhenyuan ship saw several clusters of black smoke on the southwest sea and discovered the Japanese fleet.  Ding Ruchang immediately ordered each ship to raise fire and load ammunition to prepare for battle.  At 12:05, the first guerrilla force of the Japanese Combined Fleet was in the lead, followed by the main force, forming a single column formation and approaching the Beiyang Navy.  At 12:50, the two fleets were 5,300 meters apart, and the Beiyang Navy's flagship Dingyuan fired first.  The First Guerrilla Force of the Combined Fleet turned left 5,000 meters away from the Beiyang Navy and headed towards the right wing of the Beiyang Navy.  The combined fleet sailed towards the right wing of the Beiyang Navy, risking exposing the fleet to the Beiyang Navy's formation.  Ten seconds later, the Zhenyuan ship also fired artillery shells, and then all the ships of the Beiyang Fleet fired artillery shells.  Three minutes later, the Japanese flagship Matsushima also began to fire back.  At 12:53, the combined fleet flagship Songdao began to fire back fire.  The mainmast of Dingyuan was shot, and the signal rigging was destroyed by artillery fire (one theory is that the flybridge collapsed when the warship was old and firing). Ding Ruchang, who was supervising the battle on the flybridge, was seriously injured.  In an instant, hundreds of cannons from ships on both sides went into full bloom, smoke filled the air, and the sea water boiled.

    The Beiyang Navy has a total of 195 artillery pieces, 556 torpedo tubes, a total displacement of 32,100 tons, a total strength of 2,126, and an average speed of 10.2 knots.  The Japanese combined fleet has a total of 268 guns, 568 torpedo tubes, a total displacement of 40,840 tons, a total strength of 3,916, and an average speed of 14.5 knots.  Among them, the average speed of Japan's First Guerrilla Force reached 19.4 knots.  According to statistics from the British Naval Yearbook, the firing speed of rapid-fire guns at that time was six times that of the original breech-loading guns. Based on this calculation, the firepower of the Japanese fleet was actually three times that of the Beiyang Fleet.  Japan's combined fleet has great advantages. These are the achievements Japan has made through its nationwide efforts to develop its navy over the years.  In contrast, the Beiyang Navy has insufficient training funds, and military expenditures have even been misappropriated by the Empress Dowager Cixi, so that it now lags behind Japan.

    Not long after the battle began, the Beiyang Fleet's flagship "Dingyuan" ship was launched 12 years ago and had not been repaired for 7 years. The main gun turret caught fire, Ding Ruchang was burned, and the letter flag was destroyed.  Ding Ruchang refused to be carried into the inner cabin by his entourage and insisted on sitting on the deck to supervise the battle.  But he could only boost the morale of one ship.  The four ships of the Japanese First Guerrilla Group took advantage of their speed to attack the "Super Brave" and "Yangwei" on the right wing of the Beiyang Fleet. The two ships were hit one after another and caught fire, and they withdrew from the battle.  The Japanese ship "Yoshino" was also hit by the Beiyang Fleet and caught fire, but it was quickly extinguished.  At about 13:30, the "Chaoyong" sank, and Huang Jianxun fell into the water. The "Left One" torpedo boat approached to rescue him and threw a long rope to help him. Huang refused and died calmly. Most of the officers and soldiers on the ship also died heroically.

    When the Japanese First Guerrillas attacked the right wing of the Beiyang Fleet, our unit also attacked the main force of the Beiyang Fleet.  The Japanese warships "Hiei", "Akagi", "Fuso", and "Saikyo Maru" were intercepted by the Beiyang Fleet.  "Dingyuan", "Laiyuan" and "Jingyuan" severely damaged the Japanese ships "Hiei" and "Akagi".  "Akagi" captain Hataro Sakamoto was killed in battle.  "Xijing Maru" was also hit hard.  At around 14:15, the Japanese fleet circled behind the Beiyang Fleet and formed a pincer attack with the First Guerrilla Force.  The Beiyang Fleet was attacked from both sides, and its formation became even more chaotic.

    "Keiy¨­" continued to fight against "Yoshino" and was besieged by four ships, Yoshino, Naniwa, Akitsusu, and Takachiaki. The mid-range bombs caught fire, and the entire ship fought bravely. The officers and men of the "Kingy¨­" "fired cannons to attack the enemy, and stirred up water to put out the fire."  , still in good order."  The warship Jingyuan was one against four and refused to fight for a long time.  During the fierce battle, the leader Lin Yongsheng was unfortunately "suddenly hit by a shell and died in battle with a split brain." The first mate Chen Rong and the second mate Chen Jingying were also shot and died one after another.  Finally, under the siege of Naniwa, Yoshino, Akitsusu, and Taka Chiaki, the Meridian ship was hit heavily by bullets. Soon, "the port bow sank into the water." On the sea at 123 degrees 40 minutes and 7 seconds east longitude and 39 degrees 51 minutes north latitude,  The ship's bow was facing east, the port side capsized and she sank.  There were more than 200 officers and soldiers on the ship. Except for 16 who were rescued, all the others were killed.

    After the sinking of "Zhiyuan", Fang Boqian in charge of "Jiyuan" and Wu Jingrong in charge of "Guangjia" escaped from the battle (there are different opinions on whether Fang Boqian and others escaped from the battle).  "Jingyuan" and "Laiyuan" were hit by too many bullets, so they withdrew from the battle and fled to the vicinity of Dalu Island to urgently repair the damaged machines.

    The two ships Dingyuan and Zhenyuan fought bloody battles. They were hit by many bullets and caught fire several times.

    At 3:30 p.m., the Zhenyuan ship¡¯s 30.5-centimeter cannon hit the Japanese flagship "Songdao" twice.  After the No. 4 turret on the rear deck of Songdao was hit, the flames caused a fire and a big explosion occurred.  The Songdao ship's axis tilted 5 degrees, white smoke billowed out, and a fire broke out.

    Soon, Jingyuan and Laiyuan completed emergency repairs and returned to the battle.  Japan?The warships Akagi, Hiei, and Saikyo Maru were injured, and the situation of the flagship "Matsushima" was not optimistic. "Yoshino" and "Fuso" were also injured. The Beiyang Fleet was seen regrouping, and Yuhiro Ito arrived at about 17:40  Ordered to withdraw from the battlefield.

    The Beiyang Fleet pursued briefly and then returned to Lushun.  The naval battle in the Yellow Sea, which lasted for more than 5 hours, ended here.

    The result of the naval battle: the Beiyang Fleet lost five warships: "Zhiyuan", "Jingyuan", "Chaoyong", "Yangwei", and "Guangjia" ("Guangjia" ran aground after escaping the battlefield and was self-destructed a few days later).  More than a thousand officers and soldiers were killed or injured; the five Japanese fleet ships "Matsushima", "Yoshino", "Hiei", "Akagi" and "Saikyo Maru" were severely damaged, with more than 600 officers and soldiers killed or injured.  Although the Beiyang Navy suffered heavy losses in this battle, it was not completely defeated.  However, in order to preserve his strength, Li Hongzhang ordered the Beiyang Fleet to hide in Weihai Port and was not allowed to patrol the sea to meet the enemy.  Japan seized control of the Yellow Sea.

    (The Battle of the Yellow Sea, most of the materials are quoted, I hope you will bear with me!)

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