Travel through the Qing Dynasty and become emperor

Zuo Zongtang thought for a while and said: "The harm of Japan and Russia originated from the war in France. The harm of the Sino-French war began with the weakness of the navy. I think that if we want to win the battle quickly, we must start with the navy. Defeat the French fleet , then the war between China and France will end in a short time. Once the war between China and France is over, Japan and Russia will retreat one after another.”

Guan Xuqing nodded in satisfaction, and continued to ask: "So, do you think my Qingshui Division is capable of defeating the French fleet? If all the warships go south, what should the Jingshi and Jiangnan Shipbuilding Bureau do if they encounter a surprise attack by the Japanese fleet? For now Not to mention these things, even if we all go south, what do you think we have a chance of winning?"

Zuo Zongtang thought for a while and replied: "Going back to the emperor, I thought that the Japanese pirates would not dare to go to war with the Qing Dynasty. Moreover, the Dagu Fort in Tianjin has introduced a full set of German forts, so there should be no problem in defense. In addition, Jiangnan Shipbuilding Bureau left a few ships. Coastal defense gunboats built in Britain will do. The Qing now has six ironclad ships, more than the number of French ironclad ships, and after going south, the victory is evenly split."

Guan Xuqing looked at Zuo Zongtang, and asked after a long time: "Are you willing to lead all the navy to fight? Open the road to the north and south banks of the Red River for the Vietnamese army!"

Zuo Zongtang was stunned for a moment, and immediately knelt down on the ground: "I would like to issue a military order to not destroy the French fleet. I will die to thank the emperor for his kindness."

Guan Xuqing smiled in satisfaction, this old general still has some potential to explode after being excited!

PS: In order to celebrate the boutique recommendations in this book, one more chapter will be updated every day this week.By the way, please collect this book greatly! Please collect it! !

The Lion Awakens Chapter 52 The Battle of the South China Sea

The rising sun hides the full moon in the west and reddens the sky in the east.Occasionally, there are seagulls passing high in the sky, and the breeze is blowing like waves on the sea.

At five o'clock in the morning, the sailors of each ship had already put away their hammocks, finished washing, and assembled at the designated place.Started a new day of training.

At this time, except for the "Triumph", "Juyin", and "Chaoyong" repaired by the Jiangnan Shipbuilding Bureau.The remaining five battleships "Nanji", "Nanxiang", "Invincible", "Changsheng" and "Yangwei" all docked at the port of Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Since the last war in the East China Sea, two ironclad ships and a cruiser have suffered damage to varying degrees.But after more than two months, it has basically been repaired.On the same day, the anchor was pulled out of the port and sailed to Taiwan, together with the ten small gunboats newly manufactured by the Jiangnan Shipbuilding Bureau that had just been launched.Both have a displacement of only 800 to 1400 tons. They were originally formed to cooperate with the four German ironclad ships to form the Beiyang Navy after returning to China.But now, in order to completely defeat the French, they have been incorporated into the Nanyang Navy in advance.

Zuo Zongtang was recalled to Beijing from Fujian, and he didn't stay for a day, and went to Taiwan without stopping.Everyone didn't know what the two monarchs and ministers were up to. If it was just a simple transfer of troops, a telegram would suffice!Why let the general of the country's soldiers and horses travel thousands of miles back and forth.

Zuo Zongtang came to Taiwan and looked at the warships in his hands. "Triumph", "Invincible", and "Changsheng" are three large ironclad ships of 4600 tons, "Juyin" is a medium-sized ironclad ship of 3500 tons, and "Nanji", "Nanxiang", "Chaoyong" and "Yangwei" are four Cruisers of different sizes, among them, the two cruisers "Nanji" and "Nanxiang" only have a speed of 13 knots, but they have a displacement of 3200 tons.It can barely be used as a medium-sized ironclad ship, while the two cruisers "Yang Wei" and "Chao Yong" have a displacement of only 2200 tons, but their speed has reached 16 knots.It is most suitable for fast reinforcement, evacuation, escort and reconnaissance on both wings of the fleet.In addition to the above eight capital ships, the rest of the small gunboats and torpedo ships such as "Zhendong", "Zhenxi", "Zhenbian", "Nancen", "Wannianqing", and "Haidongyun" are not A Nanyang Navy composed of 28 ships was assembled.

This is because the emperor handed over all the sea power of the Qing Dynasty to him, looking at these warships in Kaohsiung Port.Zuo Zongtang deeply felt the burden on his body! !

"Master Zuo, there is an urgent message from the military aircraft department." A soldier ran over and delivered a telegram.

Zuo Zongtang turned around and took it back. It was a joint telegram from the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Ministry of Households: Zuo Zhongtang, please immediately draw up a naval battle plan and submit it to the Military Aircraft Department for review. go south.You know, Vietnam's 20 troops spend [-] silver from the imperial court a day.Remember!Draw up a plan as soon as possible, and immediately fight the French army!

Zuo Zongtang sighed deeply, and rushed to his body a little more courageously.Of course he knows the truth, but it is easier said than done!Leaving aside the matter of money, most of the 18000-mile coastline from Lushun and Tianjin in the north to Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces in the south is now in a vacuum.What if the Japanese take the opportunity to invade?You know, Japan, like the Qing Dynasty, also has four ironclad ships!Now that swords and guns are fighting again in North Korea, the Japanese are not allowed to take advantage of the opportunity of the southern transfer of the Great Qingshui Division to cause some chaos in the north!

But what should we do if we want to make a quick decision?

"Master Zuo, the emperor's secret message." Another soldier ran over.

"Oh? Bring it quickly." Zuo Zongtang urged.

"My dear Zongtang, I am well aware of the ferocity of the French fleet. And my Great Qingshui Division has just been formed, and its combat power is insufficient. It can only be outsmarted and not attacked by force. You don't have to worry, wait for the opportunity to appear. I will cooperate with the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty, The people of the world are waiting for your good news!"

"Your Majesty!! Zongtang will do his best to serve the emperor's favor!" Zuo Zongtang knelt down to the south and roared towards the sky.

"Master Zuo, General Deng put out a semaphore on the Changsheng. There was black smoke in the south, and it was suspected to be the French Far East Fleet. I asked the warship to leave the port and go to sea to meet the enemy." A soldier reported.

"What? They're coming? Get the binoculars."

"twitter."

Zuo Zongtang boarded the tower and saw soot in the southwest direction through the telescope, which was at least [-] meters away from here.Due to the influence of the curvature of the earth, even with a telescope on such a clear day, it is completely impossible to see the flagpole of the opponent's warship, and even the soot is very obscure.Of course, I don't know the identity of the other party's ship, is it a merchant ship?Is it the fleet of a third country?Or the Far East Fleet of the French Army?Only when the two sides get close to [-] meters can the ship type and nationality be distinguished.

But Zuo Zongtang is a person who has suffered once. The last time he ordered the fleet to defend the military port.This led to the result of being wiped out by the French army, and this time, he will not fall twice in the same place.He knew that he shouldered the result of the entire Sino-French war, and he could not fail!

"All warships, pull anchor and leave the port. The speed is 8 knots, the direction is southwest, and they are approaching each other. All warships are 2000 meters apart and lined up." Zuo Zongtang responded quickly.

"Marshal Zuo, you'd better stay in command of the Military Port Bureau. Don't board the ship!" a soldier persuaded.

"Fuck your mother, how does this commander command in the military port? You bastard, get the hell out of here, let the French warship run away, this commander will unscrew your head!"

28 warships lined up, slowly approaching each other.

Closer, closer.The black smoke became thicker and thicker, and there were more and more. After a while, there were three or four wisps.At this time, everyone could see it clearly, and it was almost certain that this large-scale fleet was the newly formed Far East Fleet of the French Army.It is very likely that this march to Taiwan is to eliminate the Nanyang navy that hit him hard last time.

At this point, there is no need to hesitate.The two sides are separated by [-] meters in the South China Sea, and the war is imminent.The flagship "Changsheng" issued a piercing battle alarm, piercing the blue sky, and all the ships responded together immediately, and an encounter at sea was about to be staged.There was no ambush, no so-called siege, and both sides met straight away.

Zuo Zongtang changed his formation first and played a semaphore. In the "Long Victory", "Unbeaten", "Juyin", and "Triumph" rounds, "Chaoyong" and "Yang Wei" protect the two sides of the fleet and report the situation on both sides at any time.Whether there are enemy ships surrounded by the side depends on the report of these two super fast cruisers.

"Nanji" and "Nanxiang" came forward.Since the German-made cruiser has a strong ability to resist attacks, let the two of them rush forward and properly attract some firepower.

All torpedo ships are behind the four main ironclad ships, and the rest of the gunboats are around the ironclad ships.

The ships are separated by 3000 meters, and the speed is adjusted by 10 knots.Moving closer to the enemy ship, the flagship "Changsheng" was responsible for the first mission, and the target was the iron-clad ship "Langmu" with a displacement of 3800 tons.

The main gun on the bow of the "Changsheng" has taken off the covering tarpaulin, and the dark 240mm muzzle has already faced the French warship.

"Send a semaphore, all gunboats speed up to 11 knots, and the Triumph, Invincible, and Juin speed up to 13 knots. Advance at full speed, and Changsheng will start after entering the range. Remember, be sure to hit the first shot!" Zuo Zongtang decisively ordered road.

However, just as the naval battle was about to start, the sailors had even loaded the shells. The "Chaoyong" sent a semaphore from the east, and found enemy ships in the southeast direction, a total of 8 ships, and the speed was unknown.

Zuo Zongtang suddenly came to his senses, the French must have guessed that he would lead the navy to fight.An ambush has already been set up in the Yellow Sea, how can we fight this battle?The fight has not yet started and has been surrounded.

If you order a retreat at this time, your own 8 capital ships can ensure no worries.And those 20 small gunboats and torpedo boats?They only have poor speeds of 11 knots and 8 knots.No matter what, there is no escape! !

what to do?To fight or not to fight?The officers and soldiers of the navy, who were originally confident, fell to the bottom of their hearts at this time.

All the ship commanders aimed their binoculars at the semaphore soldiers of the "Changsheng" at this time, waiting for the command from the commander!

At this moment, the "Wannianqing" with a displacement of only 1134 tons issued a semaphore: "Zhendong, Zhenxi, Zhenbian, Nancen, Zhennan, Haidongyun, Chaowu, Yuankai, follow me to block the enemy ships in the southeast. Zuo Shuai leads the main force to destroy the enemy ships on the opposite side and then come to reinforce them."

Zuo Zongtang was taken aback, but did not stop.The ships saw that the commander did not have the latest order, and then "Zhendong" first began to turn silently, then "Haidongyun", "Yuankai"...

Some of them were bought from the UK, and some were produced by Jiangnan Shipyard. Most of them are small gunboats of about 1000 tons.For example, "Haidongyun" is a small wooden gunboat produced in the former Mawei Military Port, with a displacement of only 700 tons.But what they went to stop was ironclad ships such as "Elegance", "Dour", and "Victory".

On the left and right two fleets that had just separated, everyone stood up straight and watched their comrades go away.The dark blue military uniforms embroidered with large pieces of moiré lace slapped on them vigorously under the raging sea breeze, and the blue dragon flag with a yellow background on the flagpole fluttered proudly in the sea breeze.

At this time, the "Invincible" sign on the left put out a semaphore: I serve the country with my body, today is the day.

Everyone was excited, and under the leadership of the commanders of the ships, they removed all the cumbersome things, including canvas, tableware, and broaching beds.Some were properly preserved, and some were thrown directly into the sea; sandbags were piled up around important parts on the main deck, more than one meter high.

Dozens of 150mm grenades were placed among the sandbags.The positions of the machine guns are all protected by sandbags, and coal bags are even used in particularly important positions.The main deck was doused with seawater to simulate a fire.But in order to prevent the soldiers from slipping, another layer of fine sand was sprinkled.The firefighters held a fire hose made of rubber, connected to a water pump, and dutifully stood by on the deck.There are also many sailors holding more than 20 kilograms of main gun propellant packs, lying down on the deck at a distance, and replenishing ammunition for the main gun at any time.The wind bucket on the upper part of the ventilation pipe was removed, and in order to prevent the fire from spreading to other cabins, the doors of all irrelevant watertight cabins were also closed.

Since they chose to dismount from Tian Ji's horse race, failure may be the fate that awaits them!However, the officers and soldiers of the entire ship are still actively preparing, and some soldiers even wiped their sabers, imagining that their warship could lean against the enemy's warship, so that they could jump on the enemy ship and behead the enemy's general. The power to capture the opponent's iron armor...

Of course, this is pure fantasy.The speed difference between the ships of the two sides is too large, even if they can avoid the opponent's shells, it is impossible to catch up with the opponent's speed.

However, the Chinese navy, which has just started at this moment, showed unprecedented qualities. Everyone was in a hurry, with serious and serious expressions on their faces.They are ready.To win this battle for this country.

PS: Everyone, thank you for your continued support.Xiaoguan will give another chapter today, and update three chapters today.I also hope that you will not be stingy with the recommendation tickets in your hands and continue to collect them!Xiaoguan is here to thank everyone!

The Lion Awakens Chapter 53 The Battle of the South China Sea ([-])

On the endless sea, the French Far East Fleet lined up in two columns was approaching the Great Qingshui Division at full speed.The ambushing "Dour" is leading the way to stop the Qing gunboat, followed by "Elegance", "Victory", "Lapelous", "Palan", "Sign", " Sony", "Liaili".A total of eight warships.Among them are the two ironclad ships "Elegance" and "Victory", the three cruisers "Tour", "La Pelouse" and "Pari", and the rest of the gunboats!

The new commander of the Far East Fleet, Rear Admiral Billy, stood on the deck of the flagship "Tour", watching the situation ahead with binoculars.The "Dour" under the feet is the pride of the whole of France, with a displacement of 5700 and a speed of 17 knots, it is undoubtedly an elephant with the speed of a cheetah!The configuration of more than 30 artillery pieces is undoubtedly a nightmare for any fleet. He firmly believes that it is no problem to deal with the nine mosquito ships heading towards him!

"General, they are some old-fashioned warships. There are only 9 ships, and they are only 9000 meters away from us now." A soldier beside him reported.