"How thick is the steel the Chinese used to make their armor?!" The captain of the Scottish Highland, who was forced to retreat from the battle, roared, "We've hit them dozens of times! The Chinese ship isn't even smoking!"
The sea breeze blew in through the broken window of the command room of the Scottish Highland, blowing away the smoke that once filled the storage room. However, the pungent smell of smoke did not disappear completely. At this time, the sea was thick with smoke. More than ten British warships had withdrawn from the battle. So far, no warships had sunk, but the British warships that had withdrawn from the battle were billowing with smoke. The sailors were desperately trying to put out the flames on the hull. Even on the British warships that were fighting, some of the ships were still fighting with all their might. They looked brave, heroic, and lively.
On the other hand, other than the chimneys and cannons that were constantly spewing fire, the rest of the ship was quiet. The thick smoke from the chimney mixed with the gunpowder smoke caused by the firing of the cannons, forming a layer of blurry haze. In this layer of haze, no human figures could be seen on the warship, and a cold and deathly stillness assaulted one's senses.
Four hours had passed since the beginning of the battle. The distance between the Chinese and British fleets was now only 10,000 meters. The fleets first moved north side by side. In order to show off the power of their cannons, the British Fleet tried to get closer to the Chinese fleet. The Chinese fleet also adjusted their course to the west according to the British fleet's course, finally maintaining the distance between the two sides at 10,000 meters. After this adjustment, the course of both fleets had changed from north to southwest.
The navy of the world's hegemon lived up to its reputation. In the turbulent sea, it displayed extraordinary combat ability. The entire fleet opened fire, and the shells that rained down on the Chinese warships created waves on the surface of the sea. From time to time, there would be some strange bulges on the surface of the sea. That was the effect caused by the detonation of the explosive shells that had sunk into the water with a delayed fuse.
The Chinese Navy's firing was not fast, but in the eyes of the British Navy, this slow firing was much more dangerous than the ferocious fire of the British cannons. There were too many factors that affected the shooting on the bumpy sea. The Chinese Navy's firing was obviously to determine the best shooting parameters. Once a shot hit the British warship, the Chinese Navy's cannons would suddenly increase in speed. In the blink of an eye, five or six shells would fly over with similar shooting parameters.
The British Fleet had more numbers and more cannons. The total number of shells on both sides was about the same, but the British warships were severely damaged. No matter how many shells were fired, the iron armor was still strong. The captain of the Scottish Highland saw with his own eyes that a 9-inch cannon shell from his ship had struck the middle side of the midship ship. The iron ball with its tremendous kinetic energy caused the entire midship ship to tremble. However, the armor of the midship ship was not damaged, nor did it break. Only a large crater was formed, and that was all.
The British warship's counterattack hit the side of the Scottish Highland. After almost three hits on the same spot, the scream of the damage controller could be heard from the microphone. "The port iron armor has fallen off!"
A moment later, a few more shells hit the Scottish Highland. The wooden base, which was not protected by the iron armor, was easily blown through. After a shell hit the ship's front deck and exploded, it shattered the glass in the command room. Because the huge shock almost knocked everyone in the command room down, the flying glass shards did not cause any casualties.
The British Navy's current tradition was to fight whenever they encountered an enemy. There was absolutely no reason to run away. But the British were the British after all. During the battle, they did not order the damaged warships to retreat. The damage controller with a bloody head reported that the side of the ship had been blown through, and the gun compartment had lost its combat power. The Scottish Highland could only choose to retreat from the battle.
His own ship lost its combat power after taking five or six hits, but each of the Chinese warships could still fight with vigor after taking at least 50 or 60 hits. This made the captain of the Scottish Highland roar to the sky.
The cruiser Wuzhou was still the one that hit the Scottish Highland. The firing commander, Deng Shichang, was directing the bombardment from the number one turret. There was a loud clang, as if someone had smashed the shell of the number one turret with a big hammer. Deng Shichang acted as if he did not hear it. The gunners in the turret who were focused on firing also turned a blind eye to the hull being hit. The battlefield was such a place. Since human flesh and blood could not defeat death, then everyone could only ignore death. Panicking in the face of death would only lead to one's doom. Deng Shichang was now even more immersed in the excitement of the naval battle. Death and whatnot no longer existed in Deng Shichang's line of thought. Deng Shichang shouted, "Did you see the enemy's iron armor falling?"
"Didn't notice much!" The commander replied bluntly.
Deng Shichang continued to shout, "When you shoot again, lower the angle of the muzzle a little. I saw the British's side attack the iron armor. If they get hit a few times in a row, they might be able to shake off their iron armor!"
"I can only say try!" The commander shouted.
Deng Shichang did not ask for too much. It was also the first time he had actually seen iron armor falling. The work of the gunners was that the slightest mistake could lead to a huge difference. The slightest change in the firing elements could lead to a huge difference. It was easy to say, but it was very difficult to do. It might even be impossible. However, this did not mean that Deng Shichang could use this reason to refuse to do these things.
Up until now, the Chinese Navy had already displayed a strong combat ability. The navies of both sides had cannons, iron armor, and steam power. The way in which these elements were combined was the key to the difference in strength. The Chinese Navy had already done their best to build warships with both defense and firepower. Deng Shichang believed that in the upcoming battle, victory would definitely belong to China.
Coming out of the number one turret, Deng Shichang quickly rushed to the number two turret, ready to explain his idea to the turret commander. At this moment, the radio operator quickly walked through the passageway and shouted to Deng Shichang, "Commander Deng, Commander Ding has ordered a retreat!"
"Why are we retreating?" Deng Shichang was not the only one who was confused. The chief of staff on the Qingdao was also confused.
Ding Ruchang said calmly, "We don't have much ammunition left. It seems that we have reached the peak of our attack. If we continue to fight, we won't be able to achieve much. The fleet will only be in more danger. It's time to retreat. "
The faces of the officers were filled with excitement and confusion. Up until now, 12 of the 25 British armored ships had been severely damaged and had to retreat from the British battle formation. They had fought six against 25, so why did they have to retreat when they were fighting six against 13?
Without waiting for the officers to question him again, Ding Ruchang ordered in a firm tone, "Everyone, don't be afraid that there won't be a battle to fight. When we retreat, the British will not let us go so easily. If the British Fleet's formation breaks up, we will still have to turn back and kill the fastest British ship. Now, everyone, obey my order and retreat! "
No matter how unwilling they were, they still had to obey the order. The Chinese fleet began to accelerate and leave the battle line. The British fleet was chasing after them. Although they had lost 12 warships, the remaining 13 warships were all thick and heavy ironclads. These warships had also been hit by some cannons, but they could still continue to fight. If the Chinese Navy and the Chinese Navy continued to fight, they believed that they would be able to severely damage the Chinese Navy.
At this moment, the Chinese Navy sneaked away. The British Royal Navy was not as fast as the Chinese Navy. They were about two nautical miles behind the Chinese Navy every hour. Looking at the Chinese Navy getting smaller and smaller in the dusk, the British Royal Navy could only give up the chase and began to turn back.
After receiving the telegram, Vézé let out a long sigh of relief. He personally agreed with Ding Ruchang's judgment. Since the British Navy did not have the ability to sink a Chinese warship, there was no need for the Chinese Navy, which was at an absolute disadvantage in terms of numbers, to take any more risks. At this time, the British were in a dilemma. In the face of a powerful Chinese Navy, the British Navy did not dare to divide their forces too much. If they were to be ambushed by the Chinese Navy after splitting up, the Chinese Navy would only eat up the British fleet bit by bit until they were thin.
Of course, Vézé still had other things to do. On the evening of the 14th, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the British Ambassador to China and questioned why the British Navy suddenly attacked the Chinese Fleet at the Tsugaru Strait. This action was a blatant provocation by the British to China, and China would definitely fight back without mercy.
On the morning of the 15th, China's Lion Rock Fort began to bombard the Port of Victoria. The infantry boarded the boarding ships and killed their way to Hong Kong, which had been bombarded by heavy artillery. The governor of Hong Kong saw that the peripheral defense system had been completely broken through. The Liberation Army dragged the cannons over and aimed at the governor's office. Before the bombardment began, the governor obediently raised the white flag of surrender.
On the 21st, through a series of communication methods, the China Embassy received a cable telegram notification. They immediately lodged the strongest protest to the British side and demanded an explanation from the British side. There was no point in continuing this diplomatic drama, but they had to do it. The British government, of course, knew that they had given the order to attack the China Fleet. On the day of the China Ambassador's protest, the British government announced that because the China Fleet had attacked the British Navy, Britain had declared war on China.
This news did not cause any special reaction among the European governments. The ones that needed to be notified had been notified, and the ones that did not need to be notified, naturally, the British would not say anything. This news shocked the European people, but that was all. Even among the people, the knowledgeable knew that the war had already begun. The declaration of war was just a formality that the British had made up after the fact.
The British intelligence transmission was slower than China's. It was not until the 29th of January that the British received the news that the Chinese Navy had taken the initiative to attack. Although the battle did not cause the ships to sink, the British still had 12 armored ships damaged. This news was a shock to Downing Street. They had thought that at this time, the British Fleet had already escorted the Sixth Army of the Japanese Meiji government to the Republic of Prawn, and that the British Fleet had already shelled the cities along the coastline.
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