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Volume 4 Leviathan 97 Battle of Keelung 1

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    Keelung was called "Chicken Coop" in ancient times.  In the 17th century, the Spanish and the Dutch successively occupied Keelung and used "Dajilong Island" (today: Heping Island) as a base to colonize northern Taiwan, which was the beginning of the development of chicken cages.  Afterwards, the Zheng Dynasty drove the Dutch colonists out of Taiwan.  In 1665, Emperor Dashun Shizong, who had driven the Manchus out of Shanhaiguan, sent his troops across the strait to recover Taiwan.  After Dashun regained Taiwan, due to the sparse population on the mainland after a long period of war and the severe miasma in Taiwan, Keelung's development was very slow until the early 19th century.  In view of Keelung's superior port location and nearby coal mines, Dashun built the port here.  With the widespread use of steam ships in maritime transportation, Keelung Port's unique geographical location and status as a coaling port have become increasingly important.  By 1885, Dashun finally began to build a military port, forts, warehouses, ship repair yards, coal mines and other equipment in Keelung, preparing to build it into an important naval base.  But due to lack of funds.  By 1891, many facilities had not been completed, and even early Guoquan himself only lived in a local red brick church left by the Dutch colonists.  On the evening of August 17, 1891, Feng Kaigui walked quickly towards the church door. He had not seen him for several years. His face was more calm. Due to his great achievements in Burma, his official career had been prosperous over the years and he had climbed to the top.  He holds the high position of the fourth rank. When Zao Guoquan came to Taiwan this time, the first thing he did was to transfer this capable veteran to his subordinates and entrust him with the important position of guarding Keelung Port.  At this time, there was a look of anxiety on his face, and it was obvious that there was something urgent.  "Lord Feng!" The captain of the guard standing at the door of the church obviously knew this popular man under Marshal Zao. He stepped forward, gave a military salute, and asked: "Do you have something urgent to ask to see the Marshal?" "Yes! For me!  I'll pass it on, I have something important to report!" "No, the commander-in-chief has an explanation. Mr. Feng, you can come and see me. No need to pass the message!" The guard captain's attitude was very respectful: "Commander, this point should be behind the church.  Take a walk in the garden to eat, you can just go there!" "Thank you!" Feng Kaigui didn't show any politeness at this time and went straight to the garden.  He was very familiar with the environment here. After turning two corners, he saw a middle-aged man strolling in the dusk ahead.  He hurried up and bowed down and said: "Commander, Keelung garrison Feng Kaigui has a military report!" "It's Kaigui!" Zao Guoquan turned around with a happy smile on his face: "No need.  You're being polite, we're all our own people, it's easy to talk!" "Yes, Marshal!" Feng Kaigui said solemnly: "I just received a telegram. The crew of a cargo ship that just landed at Tamsui Port said that they were killed by a man at sea last night.  The British ship intercepted the ship. The British ship first asked them to stop the ship with a flag signal, and then sent sailors on board to inspect. The sailors discovered the mines and ammunition on the ship, and announced that the waters near Taiwan and Ryukyu were demilitarized zones, and  Notice of banning arms shipments to Keelung Port. "Then what?" Zao Guoquan looked confused: "What happened to the cargo ship? How did you know the news?" Feng Kaigui also looked dumbfounded:  "Then the British released the freighter. The freighter was afraid of being discovered again by British warships, so they disembarked from Tamsui Port. The mines and ammunition are now in Tamsui Port, and it may take more than ten days to arrive."  "Eh? What's the plan of the British?" Zao Guoquan frowned. Judging from the British's sudden blockade of Keelung Port's arms, it should be to attack Taiwan or prevent Dashun from regaining Ryukyu, but this level of blockade  It's too easy. Don't they know that there is more than one port in Keelung in Taiwan?  "Commander, no matter what, I think we should step up our defenses. The British are obviously favoring the Japanese this time. According to what I see, all forts should be on alert immediately. Cargo ships should leave Keelung Port as soon as possible, and warships should be ready to light fires at any time.  Prepare for battle." "Well, be prepared!" Zao Guoquan nodded: "Just do what you say!" "Yes!" Feng Kaigui was about to turn away, but suddenly stopped: "Commander, the problem is  The dozen or so warships in the fleet do not belong to me, so¡ª¡ª" "I understand!" Zao Guoquan nodded: "Kaigui, go about your business first, I will take care of the fleet's affairs.  "That humble post is gone!" Looking at Feng Kaigui's leaving figure, Zao Guoquan also had a look of worry on his face. As a leading general, what he fears most is the lack of coordination between the top and bottom.  But the problem is that the dozen or so warships in Keelung Port are not only old and new, but also belong to the two major systems of the South and the North. The various intricate relationships between them are even more troublesome.  Although Zao Guoquan was a minister appointed by the imperial court, he still had a headache from the navy he had never encountered before.  "Come here, inform the navy's ship leaders that I will host a banquet for them at noon tomorrow!" "Yes, Marshal!"   On the sea outside Keelung, seven or eight warships have anchored and are gently undulating with the waves. This is a detachment belonging to the Far East Squadron of the Royal Navy. The main force of this squadron is a "Nelson" class  It is composed of a "Shannon" class armored cruiser, and there are four other warships in the fleet that serve as auxiliary functions such as liaison, coal transportation, and shallow water gunboats.  The earliest imaginary enemies of these two types of armored cruisers were the famous armored cruiser "Admiral" launched by the Russians in the 1870s. After all, Russia was relatively poor and had a huge army. It was unable to have a large number of troops like the United Kingdom.  Ironclad ship.  However, Russia has never believed that it should lag behind in the fight for hegemony. Therefore, how to achieve greater naval combat effectiveness under a relatively limited budget has become the main problem faced by the Russian Navy. The naval community in the 19th century still believed that: win the fleet decisive battle, and then  Suppressing the enemy in the port and not being able to maneuver is the serious way to win.  Therefore, in order to obtain stronger combat effectiveness, it is necessary to maximize the number of ships that can participate in fleet decisive battles. For the British, of course, a group of armored ships is enough. The Russians found another way to let the cruisers originally known for their speed also wear iron armor.  Of course, the armor of the armored cruiser is much thinner and the coverage is much smaller. However, there is a big gap in the cost of the cruiser and the armored ship. The Russian army can rely on quantity to counter the enemy's quality.  Since the original missions of British cruisers were escort, reconnaissance, notification and display of force, all of which were low-intensity missions, British cruisers of the same era suddenly fell behind Russian armored cruisers in terms of protection and firepower. Since there was no armor in the waterline area  With it, the enemy's explosive bullets will cause extremely terrifying killing effects.  Because the cruiser itself has the characteristics of good navigation performance and long endurance, if the Russian armored cruiser is used to attack British shipping all over the world's oceans, none of the British cruisers escorting the shipping will be able to confront it alone, and the ironclads will not be able to pursue it.  superior.  From the 1970s to the early 1980s, the armored cruisers built by the Royal Navy were required to be at least equal to similar enemy ships in terms of firepower, protection and speed, and even required to win, so that they could annihilate enemy ships in one fell swoop in the defense of trade routes.  .  The "Shannon" class came into being, and its first ship was sent to the slipway in 1873.  The "Shannon" class armored cruiser has a displacement of 5,670 tons. In order to be able to serve at foreign naval stations, the Shannon class has a draft of only 6.78 meters. The Royal Navy's cruisers must have a shallow draft to adapt to ports of varying depths in various places.  Her waterline was covered by a 9-foot-tall wrought-iron armored belt covering the entire length of the ship, 8-9 inches (203-228mm) thick amidships and thinning to 6 inches (152mm) aft, making  Her hull was almost immune to most explosive shells of the time.  As for armament, her main gun is the Woolwich 10-inch 15-caliber front-loading rifled gun (weight 18 tons) MKII.  The main weapons include seven 9-inch (228mm) 14-fold MKIV front-loading rifled guns.  Although it cannot compete with the main armored ships, it still has weapons with sufficient power in the Far East.  But it also has weaknesses. Since the armor belt and powerful firepower take up most of the tonnage, the "Shannon" class armored cruiser has to make sacrifices in coal bunkers and engines, so its speed and maximum range using steam engines are not ideal.  .  The fast battleships of the Russians and the French, which were covered with wrought iron armored belts on the waterline and could sail at astonishing speeds, posed a huge threat to the British's countless routes to maintain the empire on which the sun never set.  Britain responded immediately and built its improved "Nelson" class shortly after the launch of the "Shannon" class.  As the successor of the "Shannon" class, the hull of the "Nelson" has been enlarged, reaching 7400-7600 tons, retaining the angle of attack and sails for supplementary power. Its weapons are the same as those of the "Shannon" class.  However, the enlarged hull accommodates more advanced engines and larger coal bunkers. This allows the "Nelson" class to escape from the opponent at a faster speed when encountering an ironclad ship with stronger firepower, and then pursue the enemy.  When attacking a fleet, being able to catch up with the opponent is extremely important for a squadron whose main tasks are search, escort, and display of force.  Although more advanced high-speed cruisers have begun to appear in the Royal Navy's battle lines, these slightly outdated warships were still very intimidating on the East Asian ocean in the early 1890s.  Colonel Jefferson stood on the bridge of the flagship "Steadfast", looking proudly at his fleet and the sailors on the mast who were lowering the sails. The hot subtropical afternoon sun shone through the gaps in the sails and illuminated his wrinkles and scars.  The expression on his face made this old sailor who had been floating on the sea for nearly forty years feel comfortable in his bones. This brought a kind smile to his face, which was extremely rare for him.  Andrei started working as a trainee on the ship at the age of fourteen.  Jefferson has been floating on the water for thirty-eight years, six months and seventeen days. During this long period of time, he has been wallowing in an unreliable and dangerous environment. There is only one thing separating him from the unpredictable eternity.  Thin oak planks.  Fair enough, Andre.Colonel Jefferson did not have the wisdom and foresight necessary for a great general, but he did not lack tenacity and courage. He was strict but fair to his sailors. His many years of naval career gave him rich maritime experience and an astonishing understanding of naval doctrine.  All this earned him a good reputation among sailors and junior officers, which is why he was able to become the commander of this detachment. Now there is only a small gap between him and a general of the Royal Navy.  The old man had never been as eager to advance as he was now.
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