People¡¯s calculations are not as good as God¡¯s calculations.
Just when Chen Jiliang was lucky enough to be able to escape unharmed because the two sides were far away, something unexpected happened.
The power system of "Haichen" consists of 4 coal-fired boilers and 2 four-cylinder triple-expansion reciprocating steam engines. These are things from the last century, and they are all very old. If the officers and soldiers had not maintained them well, it is hard to say whether China's largest warship could still move.
?? Warships are inevitably made to have some repairs and flaws, big and small, and they are the same in all countries. This repair could be done casually in normal times, but at the critical moment when the Japanese ship was approaching, it would have failed sooner or later, but it happened at this time.
The piston of a steam engine was blocked somehow, causing the "Haichen" that was trying to retreat to slow down. Originally, its speed was much slower than the "Jiujiang" class destroyer. In just a blink of an eye, it distanced itself from the fleet.
Captain Ling Xiao was so anxious that he kept urging the chief engineer to deal with the fault quickly. If the "Hiei" came up to fight it, my small body would be no match for it! The sea is not like land, where there can be miracles of the weak defeating the strong, and there are also changes in terrain. On the vast sea, if the firepower is not strong enough, the armor is not thick enough, and the speed is not fast enough, then there is no choice but to wait for death.
It was the Japanese ship, because the sudden deceleration of the "Haichen" surprised them. Looking at the scattered Chinese destroyers and the speedy "Haichen" ship, Colonel Shitaro Shimada fell into deep thought.
It is not difficult to conclude from the covert battle report of the army guys that the originally weak Chinese army really has considerable combat effectiveness. Although the army and navy have always had a tradition of fighting each other to death, the strength of the 2nd and 6th divisions cannot be gained by bragging. The Chinese army was able to inflict such heavy losses on the Imperial Army in the past, which cannot be explained by luck alone.
Moreover, various reports have also mentioned that the courage of the Chinese soldiers who are not afraid of death is comparable to the spirit of Bushido that they have always boasted. Just a few days ago, the siege of the Chinese army with superior strength and planning happened but failed. He escaped from a deadly fight and turned back with a single blow, severely damaging the vitality of the Locust Army.
The reason why this battle is famous is that the "prisoner killing" incident leaked from the War Department to the country spread.
Maybe the equipment of the Chinese Army is better than that of the Imperial Army, but the Chinese people¡¯s will to not fear death was unanimously recognized by the officers and soldiers participating in the war. Shimada didn't believe that the People's Party's army would be afraid of death if the army was like this.
Therefore, it is natural to worry about the Chinese Navy¡¯s conspiracy.
What he didn¡¯t know was that in the spacious captain¡¯s cabin of the Haichen, destroyer fleet commander Chen Jiliang, navigation mate Sun Yingqi, gunner mate Yang Chaolun and others were all anxiously discussing countermeasures. That damn old coal-fired boiler never breaks down, but it breaks down at this critical moment. This is a fatal thing!
It¡¯s not that you¡¯re afraid of death, it¡¯s that you know it¡¯s unwise to send yourself to death. You must know that Zhang Hanqing treasures the talents of the navy and air force more than the five elite main forces of the army:
From training intensity, equipment investment to strategic development, our Marshal Zhang has done almost everything himself. He can almost be regarded as the founder and master of the navy and air force (to put it bluntly, this is exactly what Zhang Hanqing believes). Except for the head coaches Yang Yuting and Guo Songling, who are from the Army, the other deputies and subordinate senior officers are all from Miaohong's major.
Especially the navy, with the tradition inherited from the Beiyang Navy, the conditions are much better than moving from land to sea to find a new way to build the navy. Now these fleet commanders and the captains and first officers of the "big ships" are all the pillars of the Chinese Navy in the future, so he is reluctant to let them work hard.
"But the situation is already very serious. No matter how ambitious you are, you won't abandon the ship and run away, right?" If that's the case, I'm afraid the young commander doesn't need such a "seed", right? Moreover, since the Sino-Japanese War of Sino-Japanese War, this is the second time that the Chinese navy has encountered an old enemy. Psychologically, the young Chinese navy does not agree to escape; from the perspective of military development, being timid before fighting will not breed good soldiers.
At this time, the "Hai Chen" is less than 200 nautical miles away from the Chinese base in the Changshan Islands. As long as it can sustain it for an hour, it will be within the combat radius of the naval aviation of the Bohai Fleet - it's a pain in the ass. Kilometer radius! Although it is not known whether the seaplanes and land-based bombers of this era can pose a threat to a giant ship like the "Hiei", but at least they can add some pressure to it, right?
Therefore, while Chen Jiliang urgently requested support from the Power Generation Fleet Headquarters, he also sent a semaphore to his destroyers that were beginning to slow down, asking them to spread out to the wings and retreat quickly.
Because it was a semaphore, it was equivalent to a clear code. All of this was seen by Shimada, who was observing carefully through the telescope. He sneered and said: "The Chinese navy wants to lure me in with such a few warships? That's it"Even if there is an abyss ahead, I dare to break into it! "
The "Hiei" ship has strong guns and powerful guns, and the entire fleet on the opposite side has surrounded them. He is confident that he will annihilate them in seconds. However, because of the destruction of the 17th Destroyer Squadron, even though he said this, he was careful not to get too close. His intuition told him that the China Navy must have a conspiracy. The small fleet in front of him was no match for him, but what about the others?
In this era, maritime reconnaissance capabilities are limited. In addition to the sight of telescopes, it is the use of intelligence and reconnaissance aircraft. In the intelligence, the details of the Chinese Navy were found out clearly. The combat capabilities of surface ships are limited, but the 18 submarines must be guarded against. Could it be? Thinking of this, Shimada shivered in excitement: "What a cunning Chinese, deliberately showing weakness and trying to lure our ship into their submarine ambush!"
¡°He¡¯s frightening himself. On this huge sea, apart from the mountain-like "Hiei", there are ten ant-like small Chinese ships, and not even a shadow of a submarine can be seen. However, isn¡¯t the submarine¡¯s elusive surprise attack tactics a nightmare for giant ships? Must be on guard!
Unconsciously, Shimada has established a powerful opponent for himself. Also, only 14 years have passed since a German submarine sank three British cruisers weighing over 10,000 tons. As a navy, you will not be unfamiliar with this lesson. Although the Chinese navy is weak, if it is really ambushed by its submarines, it will cost huge casualties. This humiliation will never be redeemed.
So the "Hiei" increased its intensity of waiting and watching, and unconsciously made an S-turn. The result was that its speed was significantly weakened.
This also gives the "Haichen" a limited chance of survival. However, due to congenital defects, even if the Japanese ship cannot move forward at full speed, it cannot escape the pursuit of the Japanese ship. Ten minutes later, the distance between the two was getting closer and closer, and they were already within the range of the Japanese ship's main gun.
For this reason, if Shitaro Shimada is still hesitant to fire, then he is not a qualified Japanese naval officer. (Remember the website address: www.hlnovel.com