1890 King of Southeast Asia

At dawn on August 22, south of the Sulu Islands.

"The enemy fleet has been detected and is expected to arrive at the Sulu Islands tomorrow morning." After receiving the report, Xu Sunming held a combat meeting on this uninhabited island at the southern end of the Sulu Islands.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the route of the Japanese Navy's return voyage.

"The Sulu Islands have complex terrain and many islands. Either follow the continental shelf and bypass us, or go to the north end and pass through the Spanish colony. This route is closer." Li Jin pointed out on the map.

"It is unlikely to bypass the south end. If you bypass, you must go to French Indochina or Yangcheng to refuel, and the journey is too long." Wu Han, captain of the Chilong, said.

"I propose to send torpedo boats for 24-hour surveillance, and my main force will move to Sulu Island. With our advantage of high speed, we can catch up with the report a few hours in advance." Li Jin immediately followed up.

Captain Zhang Fengping of the Qiulong said he had no objection, and Xu Sunming also agreed, and the combat plan was set.

Yang Boning was still making up lessons, holding the textbook and reading, and had no time to say anything.

…

On August 23, the Japanese fleet, with a speed of nine knots, arrived in the northeast of the Celebes Sea, preparing to cross the Sulu Islands and enter the Sulu Sea from the north of the Sulu Islands.

Then pass through Luzon-Bend-North Line.

It is expected to enter the Sulu Sea tomorrow. At that time, it will be the territory of the Spanish. Nanhua should not have the courage to fight three countries at the same time.

Yamamoto Gonbei thought silently, as for how they entered the Luzon Sea during the war? He selectively forgot.

"Be vigilant! Work harder today, and it will be fine tomorrow. Everything is for the Eight-horn Universe! For the Empire!" Yamamoto Gonbei said to Murase Kazutaka, but it seemed more like persuading himself.

Little did he know that in a place where its fleet could not see, two torpedo boats were following their smoke. It would get closer at night, even to a distance of only one kilometer.

"Let's go back!" The first mate of the No. 609 torpedo boat looked at the fuel tank indicator.

"They shouldn't change their course, return to the main force!" The captain put down the telescope.

After a brief exchange, the two torpedo boats turned left and headed towards Sulu.

On the afternoon of August 23, after a short supply, four Jiaolong-class armored cruisers and six torpedo boats headed towards the northern Sulu Islands.

"Let all non-essential positions rest and move forward at cruising speed. We will fight tomorrow. This is our first battle after returning, and we can't let down the chain." Xu Sunming said to the first mate.

Xu Sunming is the fleet commander, so the first mate of the Jiaolong is busier every day and more like a captain.

...

At three o'clock in the morning on August 24, the fleet had passed the assembly point, but because of the tension, no one noticed.

"Report, our position is wrong." At four o'clock in the morning, the navigator anxiously reported to Xu Sunming.

Xu Sunming immediately began to calculate the position.

"The fleet is turning!" Xu Sunming calculated the current position in a short time and shouted loudly.

Beep~

The Jiaolong blew a long whistle, the lights flashed, and the fleet turned in the dark.

"The torpedo boat sent a signal and needed to refuel." The second mate reported.

"Slow down, turn on the searchlights, and refuel quickly!" Xu Sunming forced his body not to bend down.

This fleet is the foundation of Nanhua. Without the fleet, Nanhua will lose all the land outside of Java.

This is what he realized by himself. After studying the navy, he realized the importance of the navy. He also vowed to do a big job and make a world for the Chinese.

But he didn't expect that he would become the fleet commander as soon as he came back. A 22-year-old young man would be excited, trusted, and so on.

But after the excitement, there would be waves of fear.

"Am I really leading well?" Xu Sunming looked at the torpedo boat that was refueling, and he doubted himself more and more.

"You are the first in ship command. What is the most important thing for the captain?" The first mate saw Xu Sunming's uncertain expression and whispered while everyone's attention was on the oil pipeline.

"Courage, wisdom, and reason." Xu Sunming exhaled.

"It's not too late to return now, don't worry." The first mate said and went to see the torpedo boat refueling.

At this time, the Prairie Wolf-class torpedo boat was officially called the Prairie Wolf-Type A. It had two more magazines inside, with mechanical assistance, and could carry four torpedoes.

"Refueling completed!" The torpedo boat was not big, and refueling now was mainly for preparation.

Yang Boning knew very well that since he had passed the assembly point, he would definitely have to re-reconnaissance later. In order to improve efficiency, he must reconnaissance at high speed. If he ran out of fuel halfway through the battle, it would be embarrassing.

"Let's go, the fleet maintains 19 knots." This speed is very fast, and it is also an economic speed for torpedo boats.

...

"How long will it take to enter the Sulu Sea?" At four o'clock, Yamamoto Gonbei couldn't sleep, so he got up and ran to the command tower and asked the second mate on duty.

"Three hours." The second mate was honest, fearing that he would be beaten.

"I see... Where is the moon? The moonlight is so beautiful at this time!" Hearing that they would soon enter the Sulu Sea, Yamamoto Gonbei relaxed a little and said to the moon.

"Ah! Yes, it's so beautiful!" The second mate looked very pleased, but unfortunately Yamamoto Gonbei had his back to him.

"I remember when I was still in the Shanghai Naval Academy, I met my wife at that time. By the way, what school did you graduate from?" Yamamoto Gonbei asked.

"Senior! I also graduated from the Naval Academy." The second mate stood at attention.

"Really? Hahaha! Remember the hot spring on Etajima, the one in the castle town, I wonder if it's still there, I met my wife there..." Yamamoto Gonbei is just 40 years old this year, and he was lost in memories.

He said, second mate, listen, the time gradually came to five thirty, the moon was half-hidden and about to fall, and in the east, a ray of sunlight appeared at the junction of the sea and the sky.

"Hey? What is that? A dolphin?" Yamamoto Gonbei, who was talking excitedly, heard the doubts of the lookout, but didn't pay much attention.

...

"Turn left and return." Five nautical miles north of the Japanese fleet, Yang Boning confirmed the target and immediately returned.

"The Japanese fleet has not turned yet, and is still heading north." This is what Yang Boning told Xu Sunming.

"The biggest enemy of the navy is the unexpected, and the biggest task of the navy is to overcome the unexpected."

"The fleet moves forward and forms a battle formation. The torpedo boat fleet will depart later. We will lead the escort fleet away, and the rest will be left to you." Xu Sunming said to Yang Boning.

"Don't worry, every torpedo will be used to its full potential." Yang Boning said seriously.

The two fleets approached quickly, and the relative speed reached 30 knots.

"At one o'clock, smoke was found!" At 6:10, the observer of the Jiaolong had already found the smoke of the Japanese fleet.

"The fleet turns right one compass point and prepares to engage the enemy!" Xu Sunming sat in the command tower and gave orders calmly.

It was exactly 6:20 at this time, and the first ray of direct sunlight was released from the sea level, and the sun also poked its head out.

"The sun rises in the east, and the advantage is mine!" Yang Boning looked at the fleet that was like a brilliant heavenly soldier under the sunrise, and was full of emotion.

Yang Boning had his back to the sun, but the Japanese fleet was facing the sun. It is said that the light of sunrise is soft. Try to observe it motionlessly with a telescope on the sea?

"What is this?" The lookout soldier observed the direction of the sunrise for a long time, and his eyes were sore. He stopped and rubbed his eyes. When he picked up the telescope again, he saw four dark shadows coming from the sunlight.

"What? I can see." Another soldier raised the telescope.

"Enemy attack! At three o'clock! Four warships!" A shrill voice sounded from the top of the mast. Almost at the same time, several other warships also discovered the fleet bathed in the morning sun.

"Send a signal, the transport fleet will be separated, and the warships will be in battle formation!" Yamamoto Gonbei was in the command tower and gave the order directly.

"Naniwa, Taka Chie team up to deal with the last ship of the formation, Chiyoda and Itsukushima team up to deal with the enemy flagship, and the remaining two are two." Yamamoto Gonbei directly allocated the firepower.

"Keep the attack distance at 4,000 meters and attack freely." Xu Sunming was much simpler. Today he came to disgust you, not to fight with you with bayonets.

The Sanjing ship is equipped with 10-11 7-inch rapid-fire guns and a 320mm Ghana gun.

Chiyoda is equipped with 10 7-inch rapid-fire guns.

Naniwa and Takachie are equipped with two 260 and six 150 Krupp guns.

The Jiaolong class is equipped with sixteen six-inch rapid-fire guns and sixteen 7-inch rapid-fire guns. This is the price of adding armor and a powerful power system.

However, the single-sided firepower is still sixteen six-inch rapid-fire guns and eight 7-inch rapid-fire guns. It is dense enough.

"The fleet turns right and faces the enemy on the port side!" At half past six, the Nanhua fleet has already formed a formation.

"What do they want to do? Can they shoot accurately from such a distance?" Yamamoto Gonbei's face is full of question marks.

Even two years later, the engagement distance is still 2000-3000, and this is exactly why he developed cruisers, using powerful and dense firepower to sweep the superstructure, kill personnel, and make the enemy lose its combat effectiveness.

"Fire!" Xu Sunming didn't care. After aiming the gun, he directly ordered to fire!

Boom!

The Jiaolong fired the first shot, and soon, the Chilong at the end of the team also started to fire.

"Fire back!" Seeing the enemy's artillery fire getting closer and closer, Yamamoto Gonbei had to order a counterattack.

At this time, the Japanese fleet had not yet entered the formation, and the distance was too far, so the power of the 120 gun was greatly reduced, at least the hit rate and the efficiency of the artillery fire were reduced.

Boom! A different gun sounded, it was the sound of the 260\\/35 Krupp gun.

Boom! A sound like thunder sounded, and the 320 Ghana gun on the Itsukushima roared, but unfortunately, it went astray to Japan.

"Speed ​​17 knots, approach the enemy with all your strength!" Seeing that the rapid-fire gun did not play its due role, Yamamoto Gonbei gave an order.

"Speed ​​20 knots, turn left one compass point." Xu Sunming took a look and ordered the fleet to disengage.

Jiaolong took the lead, and the fleet's speed increased immediately, heading to the left front, making a T-shaped appearance.

"The fleet turns right one compass point and approaches the enemy." Yamamoto Gonbei was still shocked when he really saw this speed. If he couldn't win, he couldn't run away.

In this way, an angle can be formed. As long as it returns to the right position before the opponent forms a T, a favorable output position can be formed.

"It's hooked!" Xu Sunming knew that the enemy had taken the bait. His behavior of grabbing the T made the opponent think that his goal was a fleet decisive battle.

"Keep the distance and keep the course unchanged."

The Nanhua Fleet and the Japanese Fleet maintained a distance of 3500+, because both sides constantly adjusted the travel angle, speed, etc., and the distance was sometimes far and sometimes close.

At high speed, the shooting of both sides was even less accurate. In the first hour of the war, both sides ran out of ten nautical miles in a circle, and the results were very small.

The South China Fleet fired only a few times. For example, the 152 rapid-fire gun fired an average of about 20 rounds, a total of more than 300 rounds, and hit 10 rounds.

The 7-inch gun was basically the same number, but the hits were even fewer. At this distance, the 120mm caliber shells were too small.

However, the 152 had 16 guns on one side, while the 120 had only 8 guns on one side.

The Japanese Navy had 26 7-inch rapid-fire guns on one side, four 260\\/35, and six 150\\/35 Krupp.

A total of more than 20 rounds hit, and the hits of both sides were basically the same.

In terms of firepower projection capability, both sides were basically the same, but except for the 260, it was basically impossible for the others to penetrate the armor of the Jiaolong class.

Of course, the 320 was not counted, and the second shot had not been fired yet!

"Action!" At seven o'clock, Yang Boning began to act. He had been observing for a long time.

Rumble~

With Yang Boning's order, the two diesel engines of the No. 607 torpedo boat began to work, and the torpedo boat stepped forward and rushed towards the transport fleet that was slowly leaving the battlefield at a speed of more than 30 knots.

"Unlock the left torpedo."

"Set the depth to two meters."

With a distance of three kilometers, the merchant ship discovered the torpedo boat squadron rushing over. Even if they didn't know what it was, they knew that this fleet flying the South China flag was definitely not a guest, and they desperately added coal to escape from this place.

"1\\/2 speed." Hesitantly, Yang Boning chose to reduce the speed.

To ensure safety and hit rate, the method of "throwing" torpedoes at 200-300 meters at full power at 37 knots was indeed too exciting.

"Aim at the last one." Yang Boning first targeted the coal transport ship.

"1500 meters."

"500 meters!"

"400 meters!, 300 meters!" After a while, Yang Boning gave the order.

"Fire!"

Bang!

The torpedo rushed out of the torpedo tube, and the high-pressure gas pushed the torpedo engine and rushed towards the coal carrier.

"Turn left and disengage, prepare for impact!"

Boom!

The successive explosions proved that more than one of his boats succeeded.

"Drive them to the Sulu Islands, where the sea is not deep. The Japanese should have robbed a lot of good things." Yang Boning said.

He had experience in Medan. There would always be unexpected wealth on the bodies and houses of the colonists. If gold and silver were handed over, the troops would give compensation, and so would jewelry, but the discount was great. A small amount of banknotes could be exchanged, and a large amount was also handed over for compensation.

The main thing was the six torpedo boats, which had already launched two rounds of attacks and were being reloaded. This process mainly depended on proficiency and currently took more than ten minutes.

Ten minutes later, those ships that could run 15 or 16 knots had reached the waters of the Sulu Islands, with water depths ranging from a few meters to more than ten meters.

"Set the depth to two meters, unlock, and fire." Repeat the operation.

The torpedo dragged a white track and hit the merchant ship, but the expected explosion did not occur.

"Dumb?" Yang Boning frowned.

"One more time."

The 607 torpedo boat drew a circle and was about to fire again.

"Surrender! We surrender! Don't shoot! We are civilians! We surrender!" Even though it was four hundred meters away, Yang Boning still heard the voice of surrender.

"Captain, this..." The first mate hesitated.

Nanhua also needs merchant ships. Looking at the appearance of the merchant ship in front of him, it is four or five thousand tons and can run 15 or 16 knots. It is considered a cutting-edge merchant ship. Nanhua really doesn't have many merchant ships better than this.

"But we don't have anyone to take over this ship." Yang Boning also wanted this ship. Sinking it is definitely not as good as capturing it.

"How about asking them to stop the ship, drop anchor, and turn off the engine?" The first mate thought for a while.

At this time, it takes more than an hour for a steamship to start up again, so there is enough time to react.

"Approach 200 meters, don't show your head casually, in case there is a gun." Yang Boning hesitated.

On the merchant ship, a man was holding a stick with irregular white cloth inserted on it, waving it all the time, speaking fluent Chinese.

After he saw that the small boat was just approaching and did not continue to attack, he breathed a sigh of relief and slumped on the deck.

"Stop the ship! Turn off the engine! Drop anchor! This is your only way to survive. You are not allowed to destroy any facilities, otherwise you will all die!" Yang Boning shouted loudly after 200 meters.

He swore that he had never shouted so loudly since he was born.

"Yes! I will do it, I will do it." The man on the boat said excitedly.

Then he rushed into the cabin, where there were more than a dozen of his friends.

"We are saved. They agreed to our surrender and survived." It was strange that the man was still speaking Chinese at this time, translated by another person.

"Let's shut down the engine and drop anchor now. They probably want this ship. We'll talk about the treatment for surrendering later." The man continued.

Then a man stood up and said a lot.

"Xiao Ye asked what to do with the rest of the people."

"You decide. I don't know." The man nodded honestly.

"He doesn't know. Why don't we kill him? They know we surrendered." The translator said to the others.

"Okay... one for each person, no one is allowed to run!" Xiao Ye pulled people into the cabin, where dozens of people were tied up.

...

"What if their warships catch up later?" The chief engineer looked at such a large ship captured by him. On the one hand, he was excited, and on the other hand, he was afraid of being robbed.

"We still have a torpedo!" The first mate answered decisively.

"Not really. These ships have too many rapid-fire guns. If there are casualties, it will be bad. How many captured merchant ships are there?" Yang Boning asked.

"Three, and there are three more running away. They seem to be trying to persuade them to surrender."

"My lords below! The one running in front has gold and silver treasures collected by the Japanese. Don't let it run away!" The man ran out again, shouting with blood all over his body.

At this time, the anchor of this ship was also dropped.

"Full speed ahead!" Yang Boning ordered decisively. Since we have encountered it, we will stay!

"1\\/2 speed." Soon they approached the target, and Yang Boning personally operated the 37 gun.

Bang! Bang!

The 37 rapid-fire guns could not sink the ship, but the sense of oppression was very strong. Soon two more torpedo boats joined in.

Soon, this ship also raised the white flag and stopped the ship.

The Japanese transport fleet was completely wiped out!

At this time, Yamamoto Gonbei was still chasing Xu Sunming, but he couldn't catch up!