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Volume 4 Leviathan 100 Battle of Keelung 4

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    Just two minutes into the battle, two shells hit the side of the "Steadfast". The violent vibration almost knocked Jefferson down, but he stood firmly. Soon the officer on duty reported to him in panic that a shell  It was bounced off the armor belt, and another shell penetrated the iron armor and was blocked by the internal oak lining. And judging from the shape of the shell, it should be a shell much larger than the 170mm caliber. Obviously Thomson  The captain's reconnaissance results yesterday were wrong. The enemy on the fort has artillery with a larger caliber, which can completely pose a threat to the "Steadfast".  "Keep fighting, my boy!" Colonel Jefferson looked into the officer's eyes: "War is not a game of chess. You have no way of knowing how many chess pieces the enemy has. Tell the sailors that old Jefferson is watching them, and so is the Queen.  Look at them, for the sake of the saints, and continue bombarding until the Chinese are destroyed or the water covers our heads!" "Yes, your Excellency, Commander!" The officer calmed down and saluted Colonel Jefferson.  Just run down the steps quickly.  Jefferson looked at his leaving back, made the sign of the cross on his chest, and whispered a prayer.  The main fort was already in a mess.  The battle has been going on for about ten minutes, and the remaining forts have been destroyed by British artillery fire, leaving only the strongest main fort.  All the artillery fire on the two British armored cruisers was concentrated in this small place with a radius of only a few hundred meters, that is to say, 8 10-inch and 14 9-inch guns against 6 170mm guns and 2 240mm guns.  In this battle of disparity in strength, soldiers continued to fall on the fort. Steel and fire destroyed the walls made of red bricks and logs, tearing apart the flesh and life behind them. However, the fort continued to fight back until 9  At 0:47, a shell hit the north side of the main battery, and a raging fire broke out. Two minutes later, the gunpowder magazine of the battery exploded violently, and the main battery stopped firing.  When he saw that the gunfire from the main battery finally fell silent, Jefferson finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although the artillery battle was not long, his own side also paid a heavy price. The "Steadfast" alone was hit by five large-caliber shells.  One main gun was destroyed, more than 20 sailors were killed or wounded, and the losses on other warships have not been counted.  Jefferson took out a handkerchief from his coat pocket, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and ordered: "Send the signal for the Marines to board the main battery. Also, the Steadfast will turn its guns to deal with those enemy warships!"  " 120 Marines, under the command of Captain Thomson, took these three sampans and sailed to the shore. The shallow-water gunboats "Villa" and "Baya" served as fire support tasks, while the flagship "Steadfast" and other  A "Shannon"-class armored cruiser turned its gun muzzle to the Shunjun warships still struggling at the berth, and opened fire to bombard these busy enemies.  Most of the Shunjun warships that are still using old-fashioned steam engines have not yet fired up. It takes a long time for those old-fashioned steam engines to completely cool down and ignite and start up, not to mention that there are enemies bombarding you with cannons at the same time.  Even if there are several successfully launched warships, due to the lack of unified command, they often rush directly to the exit of the port, hoping to rush to the open ocean to avoid being blocked in a narrow berth and passively beaten, but in doing so  The result was that they were sunk by those two terrifying armored cruisers. As time went by, the battle situation became more and more unfavorable to Shunfang.  At about 10:30 in the morning, a Union Jack flag was finally raised at the main fort in Keelung Port. The British Marines who occupied the fort found a 170mm gun that had not been blown up by the defenders, and some  Surprised by the intact shells, Captain Thomson immediately ordered his men to move the artillery in the direction of the Shunjun berth, and began to fire at the remaining Shunjun warships.  On the "Jiyuan", the gunfire was rumbling, and the deck was covered with a mixture of blood and fine sand sprinkled to prevent slipping. The leader, Li Desheng, with smoke stains on his face and a sword in his hand, loudly yelled at the sailors.  Among the more than a dozen warships in charge, he was the one who managed the military more strictly. He slept on the ship last night, and most of the sailors were also on the ship.  The "Jiyuan" is also the one with the thickest armor and the most powerful firepower among these warships. Therefore, as soon as the British made a surprise attack, he responded quickly. However, the ignition speed of the old steam engine was astonishingly slow. It was not until just now that the "Jiyuan"  Light a fire and get rid of the dilemma of sitting and being beaten.  However, Li Desheng did not order to rush out of the port. Firstly, he also saw the fate of those who escaped in front, so it was better to stay. After all, there was still a fort for cover.  The second is that the remaining ones are all from the north, and they usually have good personal relationships. If he ran out alone and couldn't explain to his superiors when he returned, it would be better to stay and fight to the death.  "My lord, my lord! Oh no, the fort has been lost!" A sailor shouted to Li Desheng in panic.  "What!" Li Desheng's expression changed drastically. He turned around and saw a Union Jack flag rising slowly over the main fort.  "What can we do?" Li Desheng's heart suddenly became confused. If the fort was in the hands of Shunjun, he could still fight to the death.if.  Now he can be said to have fallen into a desperate situation. The British ships not only have strong firepower and thick armor, but also have the advantage of attacking from both sides. It is only a matter of time before his side is sunk.  "Sir, look, the white flag has been raised over the Chengyuan!" an officer shouted again. Li Desheng looked up and saw that a white flag was raised on the mast of a small warship not far away, and the artillery fire stopped.  .  "Wen Laosan, you weakling, I'll fuck your eighteenth generation ancestor!" Li Desheng couldn't help but cursed in anger. The cowardice of his companions made him extremely angry. He turned around and ordered to his subordinates: "Give the order, send the signal,  Let other active warships follow me and rush out of the port! " "Yes, sir!" At this moment, a grenade fired from the enemy ship hit the deck of the "Jiyuan" with a violent blast.  Lang rushed into the open command room, and there was chaos inside.  When the officers regained consciousness, they found that their pipe belts had fallen to the ground. They quickly helped Li Desheng up and let him lie half on the captain's chair. He had already fallen into a semi-conscious state.  , blood was pouring out from the terrible wound on the chest. The width of the wound was so large that the squirming internal organs could be vaguely seen inside.  "Sir, please wake up quickly, you can't sleep!" The first mate tried his best to block the wound with everything he could find, while shaking Li Desheng's head violently to prevent him from falling into that fatal drowsiness.  Finally, Li Desheng's eyes slowly opened, but from his pupils that had lost focus, it could be judged that he could no longer see anything at this time.  "Speed ??up, rush out, rather die than surrender!" "Yes, sir, rush out, rather die than surrender!" The first mate felt a sharp pain tearing through his chest, and he closed his eyes hard to avoid tears.  welled up.  "Pass the command from the general, speed up, rush out, rather die than surrender!" The first mate's voice was deafening, as if the "Jiyuan" also felt the anger of her masters, gasping for breath, exiting the port  It rushed in the direction, and several other movable warships also followed it, as if following a mother's child.  On the bridge of the "Steadfast", Captain Jefferson looked at the battlefield with great satisfaction. He could now proudly announce that the victory was determined. The fort had been occupied. Half of the enemy's warships had been sunk or destroyed, and the remaining  Being sunk is just a matter of time, and the rest is too simple. Although there may be many intact enemy armies on the shore, as long as they are within the range of naval guns, the small army of the British Empire can  The team is invincible.  After destroying several warehouses, the Chinese will not be able to attack Ryukyu for a long time. The only thing they can do is to strive for a decent defeat at the negotiation table.  Colonel Jefferson could almost hear the solemn music of the investiture ceremony in his ears, and he could swear to God that this was not an auditory hallucination.  "Death struggle!" When he saw the "Jiyuan" rushing toward him, a sneer appeared on Jefferson's face. It was obvious that these Chinese people were desperate, so they took this stupid action that was no different from committing suicide.  , shooting a warship with a ten-inch caliber cannon at this distance is as sure as holding a revolver to the belly and shooting. It is impossible for these old Chinese warships to withstand large-caliber shells.  He ordered in a low voice to the officer on the side: "Tell the gunnery commander to replace all the guns with solid bullets and aim at part of the enemy's waterline. Fire at a distance of 600 meters!" "Yes, your Excellency, Commander!" Black smoke  Rolling out of the chimney of the "Jiyuan" showed that the warship's horsepower had been increased to the maximum. The bow broke through the waves, and shells continued to fly by, but the ship's speed still did not slow down. Li Desheng was half lying on the seat.  , his face was pale, and he was murmuring from time to time. It was obvious that he had entered the last stage of his life.  Suddenly, a row of red light flashed from the muzzle of the British ship in the distance, and then there was a violent vibration on the hull of the "Jiyuan". Li Desheng was also thrown off his seat and fell.  Fall to the ground.  The sudden shock woke him up. He opened his eyes suddenly and asked, "What's wrong? Did you rush out?" "Sir, three bullets were hit near the waterline, which tore a big hole. The cabin entered  Water!" A frightened sailor rushed in and shouted.  "Order to pump out the water!" "Sir, the water came in too fast, the hole was too big, and it's too late to pump out the water!" The first mate, who had just become the acting captain, bit his lip. He had already felt the tilt of the ship's hull. He didn't need to see it with his own eyes.  Knowing how fast the water was entering, it was obvious that escape was impossible.  He gritted his teeth and suddenly heard a weak voice calling his own: "Yunhe, Yunhe!" There were so few recommendation votes today that I burst into tears and asked for all kinds of things!
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