The front deck of the Wuzhou had once been pierced by a British 12-inch cannon. According to the customs of the Liberation Army, this kind of ship would be prioritized on the modification list. After the modification, the Wuzhou's five gun turrets became four gun turrets. The ship's hull originally had a ladder design, and after the turrets were reduced and the space increased, this design was officially put into practice on the Wuzhou.
When the turrets were on the same plane, in order to smoothly turn, there needed to be a certain distance between them. The ladder design meant that the two main gun turrets on the same deck were not on the same plane. The turrets closer to the center were higher, and when the muzzles were facing forward, the turrets closer to the center were directly above the turrets on the outside. This saved space and made it easier to turn the cannons.
After removing one of the twin main cannons, two twin 100-caliber rapid-fire cannons were added on each side of the ship. In terms of overall vigor, when faced with enemy ships with heavy armor, the Wuzhou's firepower was considered weak. Against thin-skinned enemy ships, the addition of four twin 100-caliber rapid-fire cannons greatly increased the Wuzhou's combat ability.
The acting captain of the Wuzhou, Deng Shichang, was already 27 years old. The Liberation Army Navy had a large number of personnel changes, and a large number of young soldiers had stepped into leadership positions. Among this group of young people, Deng Shichang was the youngest acting captain.
The characteristics of youth were vigorous, and the abundance of hormones could easily affect one's mood. The Wuzhou's recent work was to cruise around Japan, conduct orbit measurements, conduct training, and at the same time intimidate the Japanese.
On the 18th of January, Deng Shichang led the Wuzhou and a destroyer to carry out an escort mission for two hydrographic survey ships less than 20 kilometers off the coast of Japan. Two Japanese warships appeared in front of them, and they unyieldingly demanded that the Chinese warships leave Japanese waters. Faced with the unyielding flag signals from two Japanese warships of less than 2,000 tons, Deng Shichang was immediately unhappy. He ordered the signaller to send a rather genteel flag signal to the two Japanese warships. The gist of it was, "Japanese warships, scram!"
Not only did the Japanese warships not scram, they even approached in an attempt to interfere with the survey ship's work. The goal of the escort was to avoid this kind of problem. The Wuzhou and destroyer blocked the two Chinese survey ships, preparing to expel the Japanese warships. The Japanese warships temporarily retreated less than 20 kilometers from the coast of Japan. Four hours later, a group of five Japanese warships arrived.
In recent years, the United Kingdom had vigorously supported the Japanese Navy. Perhaps the Japanese Navy had learned from the British Navy's "fight whenever they encounter an enemy," but in short, a Japanese warship actually opened fire. The Japanese Navy was not the Manchu Qing Navy, and the Chinese Navy was not the Manchu Qing Navy. When the Manchu Qing Nanyang Navy was attacked by the French, they could give the order to "fight as you please". When China and Japan's navies were showing off, their cannons were ready for battle.
Once the Japanese cannons were fired, the Chinese Navy naturally had no possibility of retreating. Deng Shichang immediately ordered the destroyer to escort the two survey ships to retreat, while he himself commanded the Wuzhou to bravely face the five Japanese warships.
In this one versus five battle, the Japanese warship was badly beaten. The Chinese Navy had war experience and good training. These were all advantages of the Chinese Navy. An even greater advantage was that the Chinese Navy's equipment level was far above that of the Japanese Navy. Although they had not yet begun to build a 10,000-ton class battleship, the Wuzhou had changed its cannons. The original black gunpowder had been replaced with smokeless gunpowder.
The power of smokeless gunpowder was far superior to black gunpowder. The same caliber of cannon, the gunpowder's chamber pressure and temperature ratio were much higher than the previous cannon. The old cannons could use relatively simple steel barrels, but the new cannons had to use alloy steel barrels. The Wuzhou needed to be modified before it could use the new cannons. The reason was that the diameter ratio had reached 40 times.
The diameter ratio referred to the ratio between the length of the cannon barrel and the diameter of the muzzle. The cannonball was propelled forward in the cannon barrel by the gunpowder gas. As it flew forward, the fit between the rifling and the cartridge belt caused the cannon itself to begin to spin. The faster a top spun, the more stable it was. The cannonball was the same. The faster the cannonball spun along its axis, the more stable it would be when it flew. Of course, this kind of rotation consumed the kinetic energy generated by the gunpowder gas, so the diameter ratio of traditional cannons was not large.
The Japanese Navy had indeed seen that the muzzle of the Chinese cannons had become thicker and the barrel had become longer. They could not understand the true intentions behind these changes. What they could feel and understand was that the cannons on the China Wuzhou were accurate and ruthless. The 200mm armor could not withstand a single blow from the Wuzhou's 150mm cannons. In less than 20 minutes, three warships had been hit by the Wuzhou until smoke rose and flames roiled.
Although Deng Shichang was fighting happily, he knew that this was not the time to start a war with Japan. Three Japanese warships were heavily damaged, two were lightly damaged, and the unscathed Wuzhou slowly retreated with the survey ship that had already begun to flee.
Of course, the Navy felt that this was their own merit. Facing the Japanese Navy's cannons, the Chinese Navy had fought back and obtained a great victory. As for the naval battle that had erupted less than 20 kilometers from the Japanese coast, the Chinese Navy did not mention a word. Adhering to the style of telling the truth and doing practical things, external propaganda had to tell the truth, so they only told the truth that could be announced.
The outside world may not know all the facts, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was very clear about all the facts. Since the Chinese Navy was unscathed and there was no need to consider China's losses, Li Xin was angry with the Navy's actions. When could the Military Commission dominate China's diplomacy? It was useless to talk to the Navy about this matter, so Li Xin went directly to Vézé.
After listening to Li Xin's report, Vézé just learned that the Navy had become so imperial. Before Vézé could decide how to talk to the Navy, a telegram from the Japanese Meiji government came. Li Hongzhang Director Li built a telegraph system in Korea, and the submarine cable crossed the Strait of Tsushima and reached Japan. With this line, the Meiji government could finally make effective contact with China. The Meiji government neither protested angrily nor complained about grievances. They straightforwardly proposed a serious negotiation between China and Japan.
Okubo Toshimichi finally breathed a sigh of relief when China's reply to the negotiation arrived in Tokyo. Kido Takayun said with a cold face, "The army must be strictly investigated, especially the Marines from Kyushu. They are too audacious this time! "
The conflict between China and Japan did not make Okubo Toshimichi and others lose their minds. After the investigation, the Japanese Navy also found out that it was indeed the Japanese Navy who fired the cannon first. The arrogant Chinese Navy then began to attack the Japanese fleet. The fact that the Chinese fleet defeated the Japanese Navy after defeating the British Navy did not surprise the upper echelons of the Meiji government. Someone in the Navy deliberately provoked the conflict between China and Japan, which shocked Okubo Toshimichi and Kido Takayun.
The hostility between the gentry and the central government had become more and more intense. In the second half of 1875, there were successive rebellions centered on retired gentry, and the government army easily suppressed these rebellions. Obviously, someone began to plan a broader conspiracy. The British once supported the Meiji government, but now Britain was temporarily expelled from Northeast Asia. At this time, if a full-scale war broke out between Japan and China, the Meiji government would undoubtedly lose. Once the Meiji government, which had been completely defeated on the battlefield, was defeated, the landowning gentry would be able to replace it.
"Do you think this was personally instructed by Saigo?" Okubo Toshimichi asked Kido Takayun with a black face. Kido Takayun couldn't give an answer. Whether Saigo Takamori knew about it or not, and whether Saigo Takamori planned it or not, if the gentry seized power, Saigo Takamori would definitely become the head of the new government.
Okubo Toshimichi didn't dwell too much on this matter. He said with a straight face, "Before I come back from China, please stabilize the situation in the country, Kido. As long as we can reach a peace agreement with China, we must solve the gentry. "
Kido Takayun knew Okubo Toshimichi's character. Once he made up his mind, no one could reverse this decision. Moreover, Kido Takayun really couldn't see any other possibility other than a military solution. The gentry had reached the point where it was impossible for them to compromise with the Meiji government.
Li Xin was originally worried that Vézé wanted to attack Japan, but when he learned that Vézé didn't have this intention, he finally felt relieved. Now that China was struggling to expand, it was not a wise choice to start a war with Japan. With Vézé's authorization, Li Xin and Kido Takayun met on February 2nd in Tsushima Island. China and Japan had no intention to haggle at this time. The Sino-Japanese peace treaty, also known as the Treaty of Tsushima, was quickly passed on February 5th.
The treaty was valid for five years. The treaty stipulated that the conflict between China and Japan would be resolved through negotiations. China would not interfere in Japan's internal affairs, and Japan would respect China's interests. Japan would not form an alliance with any country hostile to China, nor would it allow a country hostile to China to use Japan's facilities to launch an attack on China. China's government supported the Meiji government in terms of security.
The treaty also included the rules for the navigation of warships of both sides, roughly delineating the maritime safety zones of China and Japan. Warships that wanted to pass through each other's safe zone must first notify the other party before they can pass through these areas without harm. At least the Chinese Navy could no longer run less than 20 kilometers away from the coast of Japan to do mapping.
After this agreement was signed, China also promised to withdraw its troops from the Hokkaido Autonomous Region. Japan also admitted that it would not question the number of China's consulate guards in Hokkaido.
China immediately sold 100,000 rifles, 500 artillery, and corresponding ammunition to the Meiji government. The Meiji government did not need to give cash, but agreed to China establish banks in Japan, and the trade between the two sides could be settled directly in these banks. Japan provided supplies to China's ships anchored in Japan, and these supplies were used to offset the cost of equipment.
China not only sold weapons to the Meiji government, but also sold 50,000 rifles to the Hokkaido Autonomous Region at a good price. Zhou Xinhua knew that China's new rifle would be officially equipped in the army in 1876. This new rifle was said to be a mess, and Zhou Xinhua would be able to see it when he returned to China. If he did not return to China, he would definitely not be able to see it. China's weapon substitution was never announced to the outside world. During the war with England, no country dared to offend the British Empire, and all of them cut off trade with China. This allowed China to take stricter security measures.
Zhou Xinhua believed that China sold 100,000 old rifles to Japan, which was enough to show that the domestic weapons had begun to be replaced on a large scale. If it was not for this replacement, with the current situation of the war, where would there be extra old rifles to sell to others?
The dispatched troops had already begun to return to China according to the agreement. Being able to return home, the comrades of the dispatched troops were all in high spirits. A few of them even brought their Japanese wives that they had married in Hokkaido. Now China's domestic construction and steel industry was very prosperous, and the comrades of the dispatched troops had accumulated a lot of combat experience, as well as a lot of experience in building railways, mining, smelting iron and steel. After returning to China, they could directly enter these industries. Their future was guaranteed, and everyone was naturally happy.
Looking at everyone's lively expressions, Zhou Xinhua could not help but turn back to look at the distant mountains in Hokkaido. Looking at those families, the first thing that appeared in Zhou Xinhua's mind was the figure of a Shrimp Tribe girl. The girl, who was pronounced Nakolulu in Shrimp Tribe language, was currently working in the military horse farm. She had been hunting with her family since she was young. She was not tall, had a delicate appearance, a well-proportioned body, and was quite skilled. Although she was not cultured, her quiet nature and passionate attitude towards life made it hard for Zhou Xinhua to resist.
In his heart, Zhou Xinhua listed dozens of reasons why he could not be with Nakolulu. She was a foreigner, she could not read, the discipline did not allow it, and so on. But when it came to relationships between men and women, the more reasons he found to reject, the more he looked forward to it.
When the war started, Zhou Xinhua did not have the time to care about a Shrimp Tribe girl working in a horse farm. Even if he occasionally thought of her during the tense war, he could only think about it.
After the war, Zhou Xinhua could finally inquire about Nakolulu. What made Zhou Xinhua happy was that Nakolulu was not killed. Instead, she joined the local Shrimp Tribe guerrillas, and there were many legends about Nakolulu. But at the end of the legend, there was a new legend. This Shrimp Tribe girl seemed to only exist in the never-ending legend. No one knew if she survived the war, and if she survived, where she went.
In the azure sky, a goshawk was soaring. Zhou Xinhua looked at the goshawk and suddenly felt like everything that he had experienced was a dream. When he came to Hokkaido, he initially thought that he could help build a completely independent country. Now that he was leaving Hokkaido, his original goal was not achieved. Just like now, when he closed his eyes, he could clearly remember Nakolulu's voice and smile, but all of this had become a part of the legend.
Sighing, Zhou Xinhua turned around and walked towards the transport ship. Regardless of whether it was a dream or not, his motherland and home were real. As long as he boarded the transport ship, in a few days, he would be able to return to his motherland that had become hazy in his memory. In a few years, everything in Hokkaido would become a memory.
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