1890 King of Southeast Asia

Chiyoda arrived at the Sulu waters an hour after the Nanhua fleet left.

On the sea, some merchant ships' chimneys were still exposed, which was because the waters in the Sulu Islands were not deep.

After being attacked, the merchant ship deviated from the course and ran around randomly, and was sunk in shallow waters.

"Nani!" The captain of the Chiyoda couldn't believe what he saw.

After spending such a huge price and fighting the enemy for so long, he still failed.

"Didn't they say that Nanhua only had four warships? Why? Why are there warships attacking merchant ships!" The captain couldn't understand.

"Captain! What should we do now? We don't know if the people who attacked the merchant ship have left." The first mate said depressedly.

"Return to the ship!" The captain was furious and searched the sea for a long time, but no survivors were found, so he had no choice but to return to the team.

"Do you know what you are talking about!" Yamamoto Gonbei almost fainted when he heard this.

"The Imperial Navy spent so much military expenditure, but only achieved such a result." Yamamoto Gonbei just thought for a moment, and immediately thought further.

"The result of the naval battle...we sank three new enemy warships and three old warships. The enemy was powerful. When our army was fighting with them, they attacked the merchant ships. Our army was involved in the war and could not rescue them. Do you understand?" Yamamoto Gonbei looked at the two captains in front of him fiercely.

"Hey!" Murase and Takashi breathed a sigh of relief. At least they didn't have to commit seppuku outside the Imperial Palace.

boom! !

"A huge explosion occurred in Naniwa!"

A violent, huge explosion that had never been heard before came, followed by hysterical cries from the watchtower.

"Baga!" Yamamoto Gonbei looked at the thick smoke in the distance, pulled out his command knife, and chopped it on the table.

Bang~!

"Taka Chie is seriously injured!" The messenger said breathlessly.

Time goes back to when Taka Chie helped Naniwa with damage control.

There were more than a dozen holes on the waterline of the Naniwa, the largest of which was half a meter wide. Seawater rushed into the coal bunker, and the ship became heavier and tilted to the right.

In order to prevent it from capsizing, the second mate of the Naniwa ordered water to be poured into the left side, and at the same time organized water to be pumped out from the right side, and blocked the water inlet, etc.

For the fire in the cabin, no one was in charge for the time being, anyway, the torpedo compartment and ammunition compartment had been filled with water.

After the damage control soldiers on Gao Qianhui climbed onto the ship, the second mate ordered some of them to put out the fire, and the rest to block the water inlet.

But by chance, the person sent by Gao Qianhui to assist in damage control was also a second mate.

The situation was urgent at the moment, so he listened, and when the water inlet was blocked, he watched the soldiers of the Naniwa sitting and resting, while his own soldiers were sent to work...

"Everyone! Put out the fire in the middle of the hull first, and if you are tired, find a cabin with water in it and pump water."

So, Gao Qianhui's damage control soldiers organized to work together (slacking off). The damage control of the Naniwa saw someone doing it, so he rested with peace of mind.

At this time, in the front of the ship, near the bottom warehouse, in the hospital of the Naniwa, several sparks fell on the gauze that had been baked for a long time.

"Let's go, the torpedo compartment must be flooded, let's go somewhere to rest for a while." Several damage control personnel who came to support dragged a pipe and came to the torpedo compartment, which was the compartment below the hospital.

Gradually, the gauze ignited the flammable alcohol, ignited the wood, and the fire gradually grew.

But no one noticed, no one went to check, everyone was sitting, and the two second mates were bickering.

At 11 o'clock, the water in the torpedo compartment was completely drained, and several people left. At the same time, someone finally discovered that there was a fire in the hospital and started to put out the fire.

But it was too late. At 11:20, after 20 minutes of roasting, the temperature of the torpedo compartment reached 400 degrees, and the moisture in the wooden items evaporated quickly.

At 11:30, shortly after Chiyoda returned to the fleet, the wooden items in the torpedo compartment were ignited, but no one noticed, everyone went to put out the fire in the hospital.

Under the direct scorching heat, the torpedoes exploded violently. Six torpedoes exploded together, directly blowing off all parts before the Naniwa bridge.

That was the loud noise Yamamoto heard.

"Not only that, because Gao Qianhui was too close, she was hit by a 260mm Krupp cannon flying out, causing a big hole and scrapping the transmission system. In addition, the countless fragments produced by the explosion caused a large number of casualties to Gao Qianhui. That's basically it..."

It was already a month after the naval battle. Until the end of September, this fleet, which lacked coal and could only be towed, finally returned to Japan with great effort.

At this time, Yamamoto Gonbei was making a battle report to the Naval General Staff.

"This matter must not be spread out, just publicize it according to Gonbei's report!" When a group of people were silent, Ito made the decision.

"General Oyama, how long can the army hold on alone?" Ito looked at another minister who was also listening to the report.

Yamagata did not come, so he could only ask Oyama Iwao.

"Food can be found locally, but ammunition is only enough to support two battles." Dashan silently thought about the amount of supplies that arrived with the army last time.

"Ministry of Foreign Affairs, negotiate with Nanhua first to delay time."

"At the same time, speed up the purchase of ships, and try to buy warships that are about to be completed or already in use!"

"Contact the British and discuss the possibility of obtaining supplies from the colonies."

Ito has no other choice now. Among the twenty ships, one warship sank, one was seriously damaged, and four were slightly damaged.

More than 300 people died, more than 100 were injured, and two divisions were isolated overseas. Now the ceasefire is called surrender, and Japan cannot afford to lose.

……

Liu Yiming also didn't know the news of the sinking of Naniwa, but he knew that his strategic goal was exceeded.

"Okay, at least we will be relaxed and happy for three months." Liu Yiming said this to Xu Hui.

"Why? Is there any new news from the front?" Xu Hui thought that the army had won a decisive victory.

"No! My order is to defend and retreat.

The remaining Chinese in the Japanese-occupied area have long been gathered. After our army gathers the Chinese and wealth in a place, it will retreat in a big step." Liu Yiming gave Xu Hui the information about the capture of four transport ships.

"Great! We are in need of ships recently." Xu Hui was happy from the bottom of his heart and urged for transportation everywhere, but there were no ships.

Xu Hui remembered what he had just said after asking someone to take over the four ships.

"Borrowing a knife to kill someone? Will the natives go along with the Japanese?" In Xu Hui's mind, these two are already the same.

Not only Xu Hui, Liu Yiming is vigorously promoting the Great Huaxia doctrine and establishing a national regime. Coupled with what the Japanese have done, Japan's image has returned to the era of Japanese pirates.

"You worry too much. The Japanese did what we wanted to do in the occupied areas, but it was difficult and time-consuming. Now that it has started, I will not let it end. Guess where his food will come from without logistics?" Liu Yiming smiled evilly.

"Okay, I'll leave it to you. The navy is back. I have to go and see." Liu Yiming looked at Xu Hui's secretary who came in with a pile of documents and ran away immediately.

"Prime Minister, the British are looking for you." Before he ran out, his secretary came.

"Is it Cyril? Let him wait." Liu Yiming knew what it was. Cyril had already looked for him before.

Because the Franco-Russian military alliance was reached, the Conservative Party was completely defeated in the British general election in mid-July, and Britain changed its strategy.

One of the new strategies is to support Japan, replace the role of the Qing navy, and block Tsarist Russia at sea.

This plan also pulled France in, with the purpose of sowing discord, but France readily agreed to this plan.

Because France believed that Tsarist Russia, which had been beaten to a pulp in the East, could turn its attention to the West and Germany to relieve the pressure on France.

Look, this is world politics, only interests matter, nothing else matters.

"Mr. Consul, I heard you have something urgent to ask me?" Liu Yiming pushed open the door, and Cyril was sitting upright.

"Mr. Prime Minister, good day."

"The Japanese envoy made a request to London to mediate the war between the two countries, and I came here for this matter." Cyril adjusted his dress.

"Oh? What can they pay? Money? Land? Or what?" Liu Yiming asked.

"Mr. Prime Minister, it's mediation, for peace." Cyril's mouth twitched, he shouldn't have taken this job.

"So they don't want to pay anything? Pretend that nothing happened?" Liu Yiming smiled.

"Okay, but there is a little request."

"You tell me, I will pass it on to the Japanese side." Cyril decided to listen to the request first.

"First, no Japanese ship or person shall enter our waters and sphere of influence again."

"Second, Britain will not accept any form of Japanese refugees, prisoners, etc."

"Third, we will not cease fire during the negotiations."

"Sir, this is not the attitude of negotiation..." Cyril didn't know what to say,

"Unless Britain can guarantee that Japan will not obtain any ship from the international community during the negotiation period and one month after. Otherwise, this is the bottom line." Liu Yiming doesn't know the Japanese yet? Use negotiations to delay time, and then launch a sneak attack.

"This..." Cyril obviously couldn't agree.

For this war.

Some people in Britain support Nanhua, some support Japan, and some advocate maintaining a balance, which is none of my business.

"Let's go, the fleet is back today, do you want to take a look?" Liu Yiming invited.

"It's an honor!" Cyril jumped up, which was also his purpose, to observe the success or failure of the warships in order to improve them. The navy really wanted the kind of patrol ships customized by Nanhua.

At Sishui Shipyard, with tens of thousands of prisoners and hundreds of construction workers working overtime day and night for a year, it is expected that two 10,000-ton docks will be put into use next year.

Two 5,000-ton docks, more than a dozen 1,000-ton small slipways, and the original 3,000-ton dock have been built. Nanhua's shipbuilding foundation has been built.

Because Cyril is here, many things cannot be said, and you can only point fingers at the situation of the warships.

"What happened here? The armor has become like this?" Cyril pointed to the armored area of ​​the Jiaolong that was deformed.

"This was hit by a 260mm artillery, but fortunately it was far away and could not penetrate." Xu Sunming explained after seeing Liu Yiming nod.

"260? That's great! Really!" Cyril was a little surprised, but thinking that Britain already has this technology, he didn't say much.

Bored with Cyril talking about this and that, always prepared not to leak information, Liu Yiming spent this boring afternoon.

Fortunately, it was not without gain. When saying goodbye, Cyril revealed a piece of news to Liu Yiming.

"Your good friend, Lieutenant Colonel Charles, will come to Nanhua as a consultant on behalf of the Navy to discuss the issues we agreed on."

Cyril was silent for a while, and continued:

"Your last two warships have entered the outfitting stage and will be able to return next year. I hope you will consider the relationship with France as soon as possible. I hope that the current war in Nanhua will not become an obstacle."

"Don't worry, I will handle it." Liu Yiming nodded lightly.

…………

Yesterday, due to Sirir's existence, he was forced to interrupt Liu Yiming's action plan, so it was made up today.

September 30.

Liu Yiming came to the residence outside Surabaya City, and he could hear a large sudden sound before approaching.

"Prime Minister, you are here." Zhao Dabao saw Liu Yiming, and quickly greeted him.

"How?" Liu Yiming looked at the sudden hand -supported tractor in the field. He felt a little funny and felt proud. These are the future. Nanhua has held the future.

"Very good! A car pulls twelve trips a day, which can basically guarantee the supplies of a battalion. The gun battalion is more, which is almost the same." Zhao Dabao said.

In this way, the logistics of a teacher takes seven or eight hundred times. It is definitely not enough to equip them with four hundred vehicles. The artillery is needed for a long time. Pulling the artillery forward, you can't pull it half. The artillery throws away the food? What to do with artillery transfer?

Small diameter can also be dragged into push, and the caliber is more large, so there is no way.

After Liu Yiming silently calculated, he asked a question: "How many are there now?"

"I got five hundred vehicles, and now I am training the driver." Zhao Dabao felt wrong, but I didn't know where it was wrong. The Prime Minister asked this is normal!

"How many drivers have been cultivated?"

"Now more than a thousand people will open." Zhao Dabao's awkwardness was getting heavier, but he couldn't find why.

"In this way, all the five hundred vehicles were sent to the pier to pack it, and then sent 500 drivers, packed them to Borneo, and were included in the third division and the fifth division." Liu Yiming said politely.

Zhao Dabao widened his eyes widened. I worked and sent them to send them? Oh, no. The third division was in charge of Yang, and after finishing the fifth division?

"Mainly send the third division. They are in the mountains. They are not easy to walk, and they are difficult to log in. More than 10,000 people now have six or seven thousand animals. Who can bear the chewing of people?" Liu Yiming did not go to Zhao Dabao's expression management.

"Did you hear it? There will be supplements in the future. The second production line will start immediately. Picking more people will not only drive, but also to repair it." Liu Yiming thought of the failure rate. Although the engine is real, the battlefield is complicated, and the basic maintenance is still the basic maintenance. Yes.

"Yes!" Zhao Dabao said honestly.

Liu Yiming nodded, walked towards the idle tractor, and sat up.

"This is the accelerator? This is the change of gear? Understand." After listening to two words, Liu Yiming signaled to ignite.

Suddenly ~

"Commander! It's not like this! Make Qiao Ji." It didn't take long to set off, and the trailer rushed straight into the training venue, so anxious that Zhao Dabao screamed.

"Where is the brake? Why not install the brakes!" Liu Yiming wanted to slow down, but found that there was no brake.

"Right! The wire next to the right hand! That's the brake!" The whole training ground could hear Zhao Dabao's roar.

It's a pity not to go to the navy so loudly ...