The port of Bula was the main port of Sumatra and the most important port of the China People's Navy in Sumatra. On October 3rd, as soon as the Indian Ocean storm stopped, the naval fleet set off for Sri Lanka after being delayed for two days.
In the resting cabin of the boarding ship, a huge fan was blowing in the wide space. Second Lieutenant Qi Rui wiped the sweat off his forehead and inspected the situation in the platoon before returning to his bunk and sitting down. The second lieutenant was admitted to the Nanjing 6th Military Academy in 1876 and successfully completed his studies in 1879 before going to the grass-roots unit for internship. After being a squad leader for a year, he returned to the military academy with a good evaluation. In 1880, Qi Rui received the rank of second lieutenant and became a platoon leader in the army.
After entering the military academy, only then did Qi Rui find out what kind of amazing person his old man Wei Ze, who had not shown any special traits at home, was. It wasn't because Vézé could make millions of troops fight to the death with a single order, but because Vézé established the Liberation Army's war ideology as well as the combat equipment and technology that matched these war ideology. Not to mention the unintuitive things like tactics, Second Lieutenant Qi Rui's Type 1876 rifle, Type 188 helmet, and Type 188 backpack were all completed on the basis of Vézé's design.
Sitting down on his bunk, Wei Rui felt that the metal deck under the military blanket was warm. Flipping open the geography book he carried, the Indian Ocean was a tropical ocean. In winter, the temperature could reach 22 degrees, and in some places, the temperature could even reach 30 degrees. Coupled with the heat released by the engine compartment on the lower floor of the boarding ship, it wasn't strange at all. The only strange thing was that this knowledge was taught in junior high school and high school. At that time, he only learned this knowledge to pass the exam. Wei Rui, who had good grades, could only vaguely remember the knowledge he learned at that time. Now that it was time for him to use it, he could roughly remember the direction he should look for. Just like what his father, Wei Zeai, had said, "Learning knowledge doesn't mean that you'll become omniscient. If you can learn to know where to look for answers, that's already amazing."
At this moment, the comrade next to him made a retching sound. Hearing this sound, Second Lieutenant Qi Rui knew that it was another seasick. Sure enough, the comrade next to him barely propped himself up and vomited in the aisle between the bunks.
"Next time you want to vomit, just say it earlier. Go to the window and vomit! What are we going to do if you do that? "The class leader said angrily because she was a little seasick and looked uncomfortable.
Second Lieutenant Qi Rui frowned. The military academy and all levels of training had repeatedly emphasized that it was absolutely not allowed to treat comrades like this. He got up and asked the squad leader to help the soldier who was vomiting to the porthole. He leaned out slightly and vomited outside the window. Second Lieutenant Qi Rui patted the soldier's back to make him more comfortable. He was also worried that the soldier would fall into the sea.
After this round of vomiting, Second Lieutenant Qi Rui took out some toothpaste from his backpack and smeared it on the soldier's philtrum. The fresh aroma of the plants flowed into his nostrils. The warrior felt a wave of relief wash over him. He leaned on the porthole and vomited again. When he really had nothing left to vomit, Second Lieutenant Qi Rui and the squad leader helped the soldier back to the bunk. Then, they cleaned up the vomit together. With a bucket and a mop, it was not particularly difficult to clean up.
After doing all this, Second Lieutenant Qi Rui also felt a little tired. He put the book back into the military backpack and lay down on the bunk. The Liberation Army emphasized politics and practice. It was unrealistic to want to rise to the top without going through the grassroots. The first threshold was not to graduate from high school and rely on the military academy. Ordinary soldiers could also become squad leaders and platoon leaders. The most difficult threshold was whether or not they could enter the military academy again after becoming a platoon leader.
After entering the military academy again, depending on everyone's educational level, they would go through nine to fifteen months of study and then go to the teaching unit to receive three months of trial training. After passing this set of trial training, they would be called a junior commander and be considered to be included in the training list. The second threshold was whether or not they could become a regiment commander after entering the military academy and become a mid-level commander. The third threshold was after becoming a division commander, enter the military academy as an instructor, and enter the ranks of generals. Wei Rui's position was still quite far from that of a junior commander. It was not at the level of talking about a general or even a marshal.
Wei Rui hoped that he could achieve something as a soldier. Vézé also promised Wei Rui that if Wei Rui could become a mid-level commander, he would let him return to his original name. If he wanted to become a junior commander, he had to familiarize himself with the dozens of things in the military backpack first, let alone a mid-level commander. For example, toothpaste could not only relieve some discomfort, but it could also treat the swelling caused by mosquito bites, eat it when hungry, and even play a role in emergency wound treatment.
Many people actually did not want to learn so many things. Just like the contents of junior high school textbooks, everyone would basically forget them after the exam. To become a recognized soldier, these knowledge had to be strengthened in the process of learning and turned into one's own direct response.
This was only the military technology. When the seasick soldier finally fell asleep, Second Lieutenant Qi Rui called the squad leader outside to talk. "Old Gu, do you think our comrade will deliberately vomit on the deck?"
Squad Leader Hu was actually not that old. He was 21 years old this year, the same age as Second Lieutenant Qi Rui. However, young people liked to imitate the old guys in power, which was Old Gu and Old Qi. Hearing the scolding tone in Second Lieutenant Qi Rui's words, Squad Leader Hu was not happy. "Zhou Jun is lazy. You see, at the beginning, he actually wanted to move a little. Later, when he saw you helping to clean up, he didn't even move this time and directly vomited. If I don't scold him a little more, I'm afraid he will become even lazier. "
Ideological education was that troublesome. Second Lieutenant Qi Rui could do it himself and would rather maintain order. However, according to his heart, he really wanted to directly send soldiers like Zhou Jun back. Ideological education was not an easy task. Letting a 21 year old young man do this indeed showed his ability. However, the military's philosophy was that this was a revolutionary melting pot. It should allow everyone to be tempered inside, and not simply drive away people who were not suitable.
Seeing Second Lieutenant Qi Rui fall silent, Squad Leader Hu also became a little excited. He continued to say, "Platoon Leader, even if you don't like to care so much about your comrades, you still have to care when it's necessary!"
"I understand." Second Lieutenant Qi Rui replied. It was not that he had not tried, but he felt that some people were just difficult to communicate with. No matter what he said, it felt like chickens talking to ducks.
Seeing that Second Lieutenant Qi Rui did not throw a tantrum, Squad Leader Hu did not continue to say these things. When Second Lieutenant Qi Rui talked about these issues, he avoided the other soldiers. This was also a form of respect for Squad Leader Hu. Squad Leader Hu was quite satisfied with this method. He changed the topic. "How far are we from Ceylon?"
Second Lieutenant Qi Rui had just finished reading the information. He replied, "It's 1225 nautical miles from Port Beulah to Colombo in Ceylon. According to 10 knots, we will arrive in 122.5 hours. That's about 5 days. "
"That means we still have to float on the sea for more than three days?" Squad Leader Hu asked.
"We'll have to drift for at least three more days." Second Lieutenant Qi Rui gave a very clear answer.
After listening to such an answer, Squad Leader Hu could only sigh. He understood Second Lieutenant Qi Rui's meaning. After arriving near Ceylon, they still have to wait for the Navy to finish fighting. This needs to continue to wait. He did not know when the order to board the ship would be issued.
The fleet commander, Vice Admiral Ding Ruchang, was in charge of this battle. He decided when to board the ship. Four battleships, four heavy cruisers, and eight cruisers equipped with steam turbines escorted the boarding ships and 20,000 troops towards Ceylon in a majestic formation. Vice Admiral Ding Rui originally thought that six to eight battleships could be built. In fact, only four battleships with a displacement of 140,000 tons were built. Admittedly, Vézé's high requirements for battleships and heavy equipment were too high. A more realistic problem was the lack of docks to build 140,000 tons of warships.
Ding Ruchang also knew that in 1881, China's steel casting production capacity exceeded 10 million tons. These enterprises were fully operational and actually produced 10 million tons of steel and made into various steel products. He did not know that in the same year, Britain's steel casting production capacity was about 500 million tons, but the actual production was less than 250 million tons. Even so, the United Kingdom built eight Monarch-class battleships with a displacement of 140,000 tons in one go.
The British Empire's industrial accumulation for hundreds of years was not in vain. Millions of workers tempered by the economic crisis, a large number of technical personnel, and a large number of infrastructure. China, a new industrial country, did not have the possibility of easily conquering it. This would require decades of unremitting efforts.
But China had the spirit of a newborn calf that was not afraid of tigers. Ding Ruchang also firmly believed that the new battleships would be invincible. After installing the 300 mm main cannon, Ding Ruchang understood the benefits of the cannon. After installing the 300 mm main cannon, it was not a dream to destroy a warship with one shot. Even knowing that Britain had eight new battleships, Ding Ruchang still believed that it would be easy to destroy the British Fleet.
On the 7th of October, the Chinese Navy's fleet arrived near Colombo, Ceylon. The headquarter's telephone operator immediately informed the headquarters that the British fleet had been spotted. Since the Chinese ambassador to Britain had clearly informed the British that China was going to attack Sri Lanka, the British Indian Ocean Fleet had also made preparations.
But in the eyes of the Chinese Navy, this preparation was really shabby. Three battleships and nine other "small ships", this was almost the entire strength of the British Royal Navy's Indian Ocean Fleet. The British Navy had orders to fight whenever they encountered an enemy. Even if they knew that they would be defeated, they had to bravely face the enemy. At this time, the British Navy also saw the figure of China's fleet, the huge figure of four battleships. There was nothing more to say. The British Navy almost gave up and attacked the China fleet.
The battleships went forward to meet the enemy, and the "small ships" began to retreat. The British commander did not think that there was any meaning in suddenly sending those troops to die. Then, an unforgettable scene appeared in front of the officers and men of the Royal Navy's Indian Ocean Fleet.
Four warships of tens of thousands of tons, four warships of nearly ten thousand tons, the eight warships bypassed the battleships that came to meet the battle at an astonishing speed and rushed toward the "small ships" that began to retreat.
"How many ships do they have?" The commander of the Indian Ocean Fleet raised his binoculars and asked his adjutant while stammering. This was a ship that was completely out of the British imagination. This was out of the rationality of all the people who ate in the navy in this era.
"At least 21 knots?" The adjutant replied in a tone that made him doubt whether he really existed.
One nautical mile was equivalent to 1.852 kilometers. The British "small ships" could at most run 16 nautical miles. In other words, for every hour of pursuit, the Chinese battleships could shorten the distance by 9 kilometers. The distance between the two sides was only about 15 kilometers. After more than an hour, the Chinese battleships would be able to slaughter the British "small ships".
"Go after them!" The commander of the Indian Ocean Fleet shouted. Since they were doomed to fail, there was even less reason to run now.
The adjutant could not help but ask, "Your Excellency, if we retreat now …"
"If we retreat now, will we be able to get away?" It was not that the commander had not considered this problem, but the result of his consideration was quite pessimistic. The British Fleet was more than 40 nautical miles away from the Colombo Harbor, while the British battleships were only four nautical miles away from the Chinese battleships. If the small ships were to flee to the Colombo Harbor now, they would be caught and destroyed before they could enter the harbor. Even the battleships were now fleeing to the Colombo Harbor. The Chinese battleships were already in front of the British battleships at this time.
If they fled in the direction of India, with the current speed of the warships of both sides, the British battleships would not be able to run for long before they were caught. Since the two sides were destined to launch a fierce battle, as the glorious British Navy soldiers, it was completely against the morals of the navy if they could not save the lives of their subordinates after sacrificing their subordinates.
Moreover, if the British small ships could decisively turn back to fight, the British might be able to surround the Chinese fleet in the middle of the British battleships and fight a more effective battle.
The British Navy was worthy of being the world's number one navy. Without needing the commander-in-chief of the Indian Ocean Fleet to give the order, the small ships in front saw the Chinese Navy chasing after them with unprecedented ferocity. They gathered, changed their formation, and completed a 360-degree turn before entering the battle, attacking the Chinese Navy in a horizontal formation.
The British Navy's observer had good eyesight. They even saw a flock of pigeons flying on the British battleships. It was not for peace, but for the most important information to be delivered by carrier pigeons. Seeing the unprecedented height of the Chinese Navy, the British naval observer could even imagine that the information carried by the pigeons must have such a message.
In fact, even when he saw the terrifying speed of 21 knots with his own eyes, the British naval observer still wondered if he had been blinded by the scorching sun of the Indian Ocean. In fact, such a thing did not happen. It was all a confused dream that the observer had when he was drowsy on the mast.
Then, the observer saw the Chinese battleship lightly change its angle. The entire turning radius was actually less than 400 meters. Across the hull, the four double-barreled main cannons opened fire. A few seconds later, a British battleship was shot. Less than half a minute later, the battleship rose into the sky in flames. In the huge explosion, the battleship broke in two and quickly sank into the sea.
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