The industrial countries around the world were holding their breath, waiting for the outcome of the South China Sea Battle. Both Britain and China sent out their elites. The sudden rise of the Chinese Navy made everyone not dare to underestimate the potential of this young navy, and they were even full of hope.
After the first Battle of Anbana ended on March 8th, the final result puzzled those who were concerned but did not see the actual battle. Like the last battle between the British Grand Fleet and China, neither side sank a single ship. The British ironclads were badly damaged, but not to the point of breaking their bones. After five hours of fierce fighting, the British Fleet retreated.
On March 11th, another fierce battle broke out near the Strait of Malacca, and the fleets of both sides were mobilized again. Three hours later, the British ironclads left the battle again and hid in the strait, not daring to come out.
On March 13th, China started the war on the grounds that the Dutch East Indies authorities had violated the neutrality treaty. From March 13th to March 29th, China wiped out the Dutch East Indies army under the nose of the British Grand Fleet, and seized the entire Dutch East Indies.
On April 1st, China and Britain announced an armistice for peace talks. If not for the official announcement from both countries, the rest of the world would have thought that it was an April Fool's Day news.
On April 4th, the British ironclads set off for Europe. The Victorian design of the British warships had been ruined by the two battles. The black hull was still in good shape, but the white paint on the white buildings had been destroyed by China's deck-washing cannons. At least seven or eight turrets had exploded after the gunpowder inside them had been ignited, and the huge turrets had been blown into a mess. The interior of the hull had also suffered considerable damage due to the explosion.
War was the best teacher. After receiving a strict education from their teacher, Britain gave up on competing with China in the short term. The Battle of Tsugaru Strait only made the British realize that non-armored ships and modified armored ships were no match for China's new warships. The Battle of Anbana and the Battle of Malacca made the British realize that the British warships were indeed not as good as China's. The cannons and explosive shells of the Chinese could not sink the ironclads for the time being, but they could defeat the ironclads.
Looking at Singapore gradually disappearing from his sight, Lieutenant General Popei was actually quite calm. He had already recovered from the previous battle. After the humiliation and the sense of defeat disappeared, the only thing this general was thinking about was how to catch up to them. Modifying the British Fleet was not as simple as sealing off the turrets. Modifying the turrets meant modifying the warships as a whole, and the cost was about the same as building half a warship. Moreover, the British Navy had no idea how to make the cannons change from three to four minutes to one minute.
Before Vice Admiral Bo Pei led a large fleet to attack China, he had ridiculed the Chinese Navy for being a navy in its youth. The recent Battle of Anbana and the Battle of Malacca Strait and the Battle of Malacca Malacca Admiral Admiral of the Chinese Navy Of Admiral of Sea.
Not long ago, the Battle of Anbuna and the Battle of Malacca made Vice-Admiral Bo Pei overturn his new ideas. He once again confirmed that the Chinese Navy was a navy in its youth. Regardless of the warship's operation or the standard of the cannons, in these two battles, the Chinese Navy's standard far exceeded the Battle Fleet World Battle Sea. The Chinese Navy's piloting and cannons continued to improve. More importantly, the Chinese Navy displayed calmness and determination.
In the Battle of Malacca Strait, one of the Chinese warships was pierced through by the British flagship HMS Ravager's 3O5 main cannon, rendering one of the cannons useless. This was the first time the British Navy pierced through the armor of a Chinese warship. Not only did the damaged warship not panic, but it calmly approached the Ravager and used the remaining cannons to fire at the Ravager. The main cannon turret of the Ravager was hit, and the gunpowder exploded into the interior of the Ravager. Not only did it kill many of the marines that were running in the tunnel, but it also detonated the gunpowder that was being transported, causing a second explosion.
The Ravager looked intact on the outside, but the interior had been heavily damaged. This 9500-ton battleship was defeated by China's Chinese cruiser, which was only half the Ravager's tonnage. It had no choice but to flee under the intense gunfire of the Chinese cruiser.
The Chinese Navy had its own understanding of naval warfare, and based on this understanding, they built their own warships. Through the battle with the British Fleet, they continued to improve their naval warfare concepts and standards. Lieutenant General Bo Pei regretted her words at the time. Mocking the Chinese Navy's immaturity was like mocking a tree's sapling for not being tall enough.
Lieutenant General Bo Pei did not lose heart, and led the future warships to appear on the sea. The defeat had cleared the fog in the eyes of the British Empire. With the British Empire's industrial strength, it was believed that in five to six years, they would be able to build battleships that could rival China's. By then, the British Navy would still be the world's number one navy.
On the 4th of April, after the British Fleet, which suffered heavy casualties, especially among the gunners, left the Straits of Malacca, the Chinese Navy entered the Straits of Malacca in an orderly formation. In first place was the flagship Qingdao, and in second place was the heavily damaged Wuzhou. The fleet's goal was to circle around China's new territory, Sumatra Island.
As they passed by the Straits Settlements of Singapore, all the cannons of the Singapore stronghold were aimed at the Chinese fleet. The Chinese Navy's officers were dressed in military uniforms, their hands behind their backs, and stood behind the breastwork of the warships. The warships blew their whistles, proudly announcing that the Chinese Navy was passing through the most important waterway between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.
It had been 445 years since Zheng He's last voyage to the West. 445 years ago, Zheng He's fleet made its seventh voyage to the West. 445 years later, China once again entered the Indian Ocean as the hegemon of East Asia. This sense of pride was incomparable.
But looking at the indistinct muzzles of the giant cannons on the Singapore stronghold, Deng Shichang, who was standing on the inside of the Wuzhou, felt a wave of discomfort. This was the instinctive reaction of a soldier when they saw a threat.
After experiencing three battles with the British Grand Fleet, Deng Shichang was already a veteran of naval battles. Especially during the third battle, when he heard the roar of the British naval cannons, Deng Shichang felt his body tighten uncontrollably, and his heart felt as if it was being gripped by something. Looking at the cannons on the Singapore stronghold, Deng Shichang clearly recalled his fear of death at that time. It wasn't that this fear didn't exist during the first few battles, but it was masked by all sorts of excitement, making Deng Shichang temporarily unable to feel it.
When the Wuzhou's deck was pierced through by the British cannons, Deng Shichang, who had felt extremely excited during naval battles, once again felt this fear of death. But in just an instant, this fear was swallowed up by anger. The cannons of the Chinese warships were unable to pierce through the armor of the British ironclads. This was a heavy pressure that had always hung over the hearts of the naval officers. Now that the armor of the Chinese warships could no longer defend against the enemy's cannons, other than fiercely retaliating, what other choice did they have?
Before the captain gave the order to approach the British warships, Deng Shichang had already ordered all the cannons to focus fire on the main cannons of the British warships. After the battle ended, Deng Shichang received a Level 2 Gold Star Medal for his prompt command.
But after learning of the Sino-British peace talks and the news of the British Fleet's retreat from Singapore, Deng Shichang was as ecstatic as his other comrades. He took off his military cap and threw it high into the air to express his extreme joy and excitement. The war had ended, and peace had descended. The soldiers who had experienced the test of life and death finally let go of the heavy pressure in their hearts.
The warships quickly passed the position of the Singapore cannons, and the cannons also disappeared behind the warships. On the left side of the channel was the territory of China. Deng Shichang sincerely hoped that peace would descend, and that the soldiers could continue to live under the sunshine of peace.
The bright and beautiful spring sun near the equator shone warmly on the surface of the Strait of Malacca. It wouldn't be long before the China's fleet sailed into the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.
Under the same spring sun on the 4th of April, the Republic of Prawn's territory of Hokkaido had only just melted from the snow. In some places, there was still some residual snow. The fertile land that was moistened by the snow would start a new year of farming. The winter wheat had survived the long winter and was growing healthily with the snow.
The Republic of Prawn's territory was located in the middle of Hokkaido, and the coastal area was a large plain. The eastern area was especially fertile, and it was hundreds of miles wide. This was the most important agricultural area in Hokkaido. During winter, there was a large amount of floating ice in the northern and eastern parts of Hokkaido. Wooden ships sailing here were prone to danger. In April, most of the floating ice had melted. Unless one deliberately crashed into it, the remaining floating ice was no longer a threat to navigation.
The ironclad warships completely ignored the floating ice and sailed towards the eastern coast. Following behind the ironclad warships were many ships that weighed more than a hundred tons. The ironclad warships stopped at a position where the water was deeper, and the small ships continued to move forward. They only stopped when they were close to the coast. The small ships released the small ships from the ships, and the Meiji government's army continued to move forward until they reached the beach. Large and small ships shuttled back and forth between the transport ships and the flat coast, transporting troops and equipment to the coast.
The Meiji government's army, which had already reached the coast, did not stay on the coast. They began to move towards the interior of the plain. The vanguard troops also rushed into a few nearby villages. Almost all the villagers in the villages had run away, but some villagers who thought they could hide did not leave. The Meiji government's army dragged these villagers to the entrance of the village, ignoring their pleas, and killed them on the spot.
The blood flowed into the wheat fields and soaked the soil. The wheat sprouts did not care where the nutrients came from. As long as there was nutrition, they would absorb it and turn it into the foundation of their own growth.
On April 4th, the ambassador of the Netherlands visited the British Foreign Office. The ambassador said solemnly, "The Netherlands has officially declared war on China. Please let the Netherlands fight together with the British."
The British Foreign Office was not excited at all after hearing this. He looked at the Dutch ambassador with a scrutinizing look. The British had decided to give up the Netherlands. Before building a warship that could rival the Chinese Navy, or at least before modernizing the existing warships, the British would not choose to fight with China again.
Therefore, the British Foreign Office said very tactfully, "The British Empire will do our best to solve the defense of the Dutch East Indies." This seemed to be supporting the Netherlands, but in fact, it was clearly telling the Dutch ambassador, "Don't make trouble for us!"
Of course, the Dutch Foreign Office could understand the meaning of this. He said to the British Foreign Office in grief and indignation, "Even if the Netherlands is alone, we will fight with the Chinese to the end!"
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