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Text Chapter 291 A one-sided victory

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    (Thanks to the book friend Glorious Charter for the reward! Thanks to the book friend Afternoon Sun Rain for the monthly pass!)

    When the Chinese Navy¡¯s Pacific Fleet and the U.S. Navy were engaged in a fierce battle in the Eastern Pacific, it was already the morning of September 17th, Beijing time.  Early in the morning, Chief of General Staff Xiong Wu, Minister of the Army Cai Yun, and Minister of the Navy Zhang Chengcheng rushed to the palace to report the latest war progress to Wang Yuze.

    "Your Majesty, according to the latest news we got, the Pacific Fleet started fighting with the U.S. Navy two hours ago. The U.S. Navy dispatched a total of four Indiana-class battleships and a second-class battleship, the USS Texas.  , eighteen cruisers and twenty-two destroyers. The battle is now very fierce, and the specific situation will only be known after the naval battle is over!" Zhang Cheng reported.  This is the first challenge the Chinese Navy has faced since the end of the Sino-Japanese East China Sea naval battle two years ago.  And it is still at a serious disadvantage in terms of military strength, which makes him, the Minister of the Navy, very worried.  Even before the war, analysis had been carried out, and the final victory must belong to the Chinese Navy's Pacific Fleet.  But once a naval battle breaks out, anything can happen, and it is very difficult to say who will win in the end.

    "Then just wait a few hours! We will naturally know the result by then. However, I believe the navy officers will bring us good news!" Wang Yuze said with a smile.  Although he had a smile on his face, he was also a little nervous inside.  I really can¡¯t afford to lose!  If the Pacific Fleet is defeated, then Hawaii will definitely not be saved, and China's strategic plans in the Pacific will all fail.  In the longer term, even China's rise will be affected.  Therefore, the Pacific Fleet must win this battle.

    "I also think that the final victory must be ours. Although our navy has not been established for a long time, it has experienced naval battles and has actual combat experience. The American navy not only has old battleships, but also all the soldiers.  How can a recruit who has never fought in a war be an opponent of our navy?" Cai Yun, Minister of the Army, also echoed.

    "It's useless for us to be anxious here. After the naval battle is over, everything will be clear. Okay, everyone, let's go back to work! Let us report the latest news when we have it!" Wang Yuze said.

    "Yes, Your Majesty! I'll leave!" Xiong Wu and others saluted Wang Yuze and left one after another.

    Like Wang Yuze, the US Deputy Secretary of the Navy Theodore is far away in the United States?  Roosevelt, and U.S. President William?  McKinley and other high-level officials in the United States are also paying attention to this naval battle.  This is also very important for the United States.  If it wins, the United States may be able to embark on the road of foreign expansion in one fell swoop.  If it fails, then they'll have to be prepared to clean up the mess.  Although the U.S. Navy has a military advantage, the top officials of the U.S. government are not sure whether it can achieve final victory.  Theodore?  As the deputy secretary of the Navy who actually presided over the work of the Navy, Roosevelt also had a very good understanding of the specific situation of the U.S. Navy.  If we can wait another two or three years before a war breaks out with China, the U.S. Navy's strength will be more than twice what it is now.  But now, it is the time when the strength of the U.S. Navy is at its lowest.  Theodore?  All Roosevelt can do now is to pray to God and pray that the U.S. Navy can win this victory.

    At the same time, other countries in the world are also paying attention to this naval battle.  The warships from various countries cruising in the Eastern Pacific are quickly rushing to the battle waters, hoping to obtain first-hand intelligence information.

    The battle between the Chinese Navy¡¯s Pacific Fleet and the U.S. Navy is still very fierce.  However, although the number of Chinese naval warships is small, it has already gained the upper hand.  It has been three hours since the battle broke out. One of the U.S. Navy's capital ships has been sunk and one was damaged. They had to withdraw from the battle, leaving only the Indiana, Massachusetts and  There are three ships of the 'Oregon'.  As for the battleship of the Chinese Navy, the "Plateau" was slightly injured, but it did not affect the battle. The main gun at the stern can continue to fire, and the "Qinghai" was unscathed.  Even though there is one less ship in number, the Chinese Navy has already taken the initiative.

    The battle between cruisers was even more fierce.  Since the beginning of the war, China has paid the price of minor injuries to the two heavy cruisers Chengdu and Kangding, and to the light cruisers Guangyuan and Bazhong.  Among them, these four warships have not lost their combat effectiveness and are still engaged in fierce battles.  The U.S. Navy's cruisers have suffered heavy losses. Five of the eighteen cruisers have now been sunk, and two more have been severely damaged. They have lost their combat effectiveness and had to withdraw from the battlefield. The remaining eleven cruisers have also suffered heavy losses.  Most of them were injured.  The U.S. Navy's advantage in the number of cruisers will soon be lost as things stand.  The situation became increasingly unfavorable for the U.S. Navy.

     "Aim at the Boston, rush up to it, and get rid of it!" In the bridge of the heavy cruiser Chengdu, Rear Admiral Gao Yihai, chief of staff of the Chinese Pacific Fleet, was announcing the combat strength.  China's specially built heavy cruiser is worthy of being the nemesis of cruisers.  The powerful 280mm main gun makes the cruiser of the US Navy no match at all.  Often, as long as it is hit by a 280mm artillery shell, it is basically a dead end.  In addition, the 'Chengdu-class' heavy cruiser has 6 105mm caliber single-mounted guns, 6 88mm single-mounted guns, and 8 37mm machine guns, which makes this heavy cruiser not lagging behind in the development.  .  Most of the US Navy's cruisers were destroyed by heavy cruisers of the Chinese Navy's Pacific Fleet.

    The heavy cruiser "Chengdu" accelerated violently, and its speed suddenly increased to a maximum of 26 knots, shortening the distance to the American cruiser "Boston" to 5 kilometers.  The battleship's main gun and 105mm rapid-fire gun fired at the same time, and in an instant, the Boston was enveloped in a hail of bullets.  The two 203mm naval guns on the USS Boston also began to counterattack.  However, the U.S. Navy's accuracy is really not very good. From a distance of 5 kilometers, they can't even touch the corners of the Chinese Navy.

    "Boom!" After more than ten minutes of fierce battle, a 280mm naval gun shell exploded in the middle of the Boston.  The USS Boston's chimney collapsed, preventing toxic gases from being discharged. High-temperature steam in the boiler leaked out, killing more than a dozen U.S. Navy soldiers in the boiler room.  The 'Boston', which had lost its power, became a target.  During the subsequent shelling, it was easily sunk!

    On the periphery, four "Leshan-class" light cruisers relied on their high speed to hunt down the lone American cruisers.  The 'Leshan-class' light cruiser has two twin-mounted 155mm naval guns, six 105mm rapid-fire cannons and eight 37mm rapid-fire cannons. It is also extremely powerful. Few cruisers of the US Navy can withstand it one-on-one.

    "Turn right 15 degrees, reduce the speed to 13 knots, and maintain a combat distance of about 10,000 meters!" In the bridge of the 'Plateau', Li Dingxin gave the combat order with a smile, even though, before 'Plateau'  He was slightly injured when the bridge of the ' was hit. When he fell, his left hand was cut by an iron sheet, but he still insisted on commanding the battle.  And, from now on, it seems that victory is very close to him.

    After the U.S. Navy lost two capital ships, there were only three Indiana-class battleships left.  The two Plateau-class battleships of the Chinese Navy can rely on the accuracy of their artillery fire to slowly teach the three US Navy battleships a lesson from a long distance.

    At the same time, the battle over the cruiser squadron seems to be about to be won soon.  In this naval battle, the Chinese Navy will still win the final victory at a small cost!  Li Dingxin is full of confidence in this.

    Li Dingxin is full of confidence, but Mahan and Benson, the two commanders and deputy commanders of the US Navy's West Coast Fleet, are really worried.  The sinking of the USS Iowa deprived the U.S. Navy of a battleship that could rival the Chinese Navy's battleships in speed.  The thought of the Chinese Navy's precise long-range strikes made their scalps numb.  Obviously, if this continues, they will be passively beaten until their warship is sunk.

    "Damn it! How could those yellow-skinned monkeys be so lucky? Commander, what should we do now?" Lieutenant General Benson asked.  Although there were still three powerful battleships, Benson was very frustrated.  In this naval battle, the U.S. Navy seems to have lost!

    Mahan also hesitated. At this point in the battle, the U.S. Navy, which had lost the Iowa, had obviously lost the chance to win.  Now, what he should consider is how to minimize the losses of the US Navy.  It is only 15 o'clock, and there are at least four hours before dark. Four hours is probably enough time for the Chinese Navy to shoot out all the artillery shells.  And can the U.S. Navy survive until that moment?  This is very difficult to say.

    "Benson, we lost this battle. Now, what we have to do is to minimize the losses and bring the boys back alive. Order the fleet to turn eastward. At the same time, order all cruisers to move closer to us!" Mahan ordered  road.  The failure of the U.S. Navy this time was not due to improper command or lack of effort by the soldiers, but because the gap was too big!  It's not just the gap on the battleships, it's also the gap in the quality of the soldiers.  The Chinese Navy can maintain a relatively high hit rate at a distance of more than 6 kilometers, but the U.S. Navy can only rely on God's blessing if it wants to achieve a hit at a distance of more than 6 kilometers.  This makes it impossible for the U.S. Navy to exert its strength advantage even if its warships are not as fast as its opponents!  Therefore, Mahan realized that in naval battles, the speed of warships and the accuracy of long-range bombardment would play a very important role.

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