The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 122 Deep in the North Atlantic ([-])

Admiral William Penn, commander of the Atlantic Task Force of the Royal Navy of England, never imagined that their return journey would be so difficult and dangerous.

The morning after the naval battle ended, after learning of the heavy losses suffered by his side, Penn's ambition to re-engage with great difficulty was shattered by numerous concerns after the passion subsided.

According to the report of Lieutenant General Tibor Raymond, commander of the Internal Guard Fleet, during the several hours of battle yesterday, it can be said that the steam warships of Qi State launched a one-sided massacre against them.

The steam warships are like sharks in the sea. As long as they look for a gap, they will spit out black smoke and pounce ferociously, biting those British warships that are difficult to turn.When nearby friendly warships came to help rescue the siege, they used their flexible and quick maneuverability to quickly avoid it.

Then, it waits for the opportunity to move, peeking at its next target, and it starts over and over again, round after round.

After the war, Admiral Paine explained his change of thinking in a short message to Lord Edward Barlow, Chairman of the Naval Committee: "The enemy possesses steam warships of superior performance, which in battle have unparalleled Mobility advantages. In addition, their artillery is also more powerful, and the explosive shells and rockets fired can easily threaten our ships. We suffered some losses in this battle, and several capital ships were sunk and damaged. The morale of the military has also been seriously affected. After I work hard to protect the remaining battleships and organize the fleet, I will seize the opportunity as much as possible to maintain the effective strength of the Royal Navy in order to find a way out."

The "some losses" mentioned in Payne's letter did not include the fact that the two seriously damaged battleships could not be repaired the next morning, and the officers and soldiers had to be ordered to abandon them and scuttle them in the sea.

As a result, the Royal Navy lost eleven battleships in this battle, accounting for more than [-]% of the entire fleet. Many of them were primary and secondary battleships, which were already damaged and unable to fight again.

Just when Payne led the fleet to prepare to return to England, the rearguard fleet sent a signal, and the Qi warships followed them ghostly. This could not help but cast a shadow on General Payne's heart.

Although he still appeared confident when facing the officers and soldiers of the fleet, he was full of determination that the Royal Navy would eventually defeat the Qi Expedition Fleet and then defend the Kingdom of England and its maritime trade routes from infringement.

But deep down in his heart, he has been keenly aware that the future pattern of maritime warfare may be completely changed by the large-scale application of steam warships.

In several naval battles, the Qi fleet was far inferior in number to the Royal Navy's ships, but it repeatedly inflicted heavy losses on the Royal Navy in battles.In addition to the professional qualities and superb combat command capabilities of their naval officers and soldiers, this also relies on the excellent performance of the steam warships participating in the war.

Yes, in the face of steam battleships, traditional style battleships have become outdated, making steam power a crushing blow to traditional sail technology.Payne could not imagine that if all the ships sent by Qi were steam battleships, then the Royal Navy of England would simply not be able to match them.At sea, all sail warships will become their prey.

With the advanced technology and strong national power of the Qi people, they can definitely equip their navy with more steam warships.So, when the war broke out, the reason why the people of Qi did not mobilize more steam battleships to come to Europe, but mainly used sail and steam hybrid battleships, was probably because they had not really realized the advantages of steam-powered battleships over sail battleships. Overwhelming advantage, they are still exploring and experimenting with the combat methods of steam battleships.

Payne believed that after this war, the Qi Navy would definitely add more steam warships to their fleet, thus establishing their military superiority over the navies of all countries and expanding this advantage.

Of course, such long-term strategic considerations are not yet among Payne's worries. He is thinking about how to completely get rid of the entanglement and pursuit of those Qi steam warships like maggots attached to their bones.

It's ridiculous to say that although the Atlantic Task Force suffered heavy losses, its strength still exists. There are still more than [-] ships that can be used for combat, and there are more than ten first-, second- and third-class battleships. In terms of quantity, size and firepower In terms of density, it is several times that of several Qi steam battleships following behind.

But the problem is that although they have great strength, they have never been able to turn this advantage into a victory. They also have no ability to drive them away on the way back, leaving the opponent hanging behind the fleet.Whenever a ship is left alone, or is thrown out of the queue due to weather or wind and waves, it will be quickly attacked by them.

"On November 11, the seriously injured 'Bafleur' ​​and 'Northernwell' were left at the rear of the fleet. Qi's steam warships pounced on them like sharks smelling blood. On our side The Northwell was quickly sunk before the fleet could rescue her. Although we tried our best to rescue the officers and soldiers who fell into the water afterwards, more than 20 sailors still died at sea."

"At 11 o'clock in the morning on November 21, the 'Levistan' and the 'Juvini' collided, and a breach was opened on the right side of the ship. At 3:9 in the morning, the 'Levistan' briefly stopped at While repairing the damage, it was attacked by a Qi warship. During the battle, it lost two side masts, one-third of the deck was damaged by cannonballs, half of the main sail was burned, and there were more than 20 casualties. Good The crew acted quickly and extinguished the fire as quickly as possible, preventing the ship from shutting down."

"At 11 o'clock in the morning on November 22, we had to abandon the seriously damaged 'Bafleur' ​​and scuttled it after transferring all the officers and soldiers on board. At 8:11 noon, the fleet suffered a The sudden storm disrupted the formation of the entire fleet. In the evening, the storm weakened, but we vaguely heard the rumble of artillery from the southwest of the fleet. I have reason to believe that it must be the ship that was blown off course by the storm. We were attacked by the Qi fleet. But in the rain and fog, we could not see anything, and we dared not send out cruisers to summon the lost warships. All of us were powerless and could only pray for the lost warships and the officers and soldiers on board. I hope God bless them and may they return safely.”

"In the early morning of November 11, after an inventory, we found that four warships including the 'Achilles', the 'Giant', the 'Royal Warrior' and the 'Nipson' did not appear in the fleet array. Each of us They all kept looking at the sea with solemn expressions, but in the end they found nothing. Oh, no, in the northwest behind the fleet, there were several lines of black smoke faintly appearing. There is no doubt that those are the steam battleships of Qi State , they are still following us.”

"At 11 o'clock in the morning on November 24, good news finally reached my flagship. The lost 'Giant' and 'Royal Warrior' returned to the fleet. Yes, they looked at everything safe and sound, but they were just blown away by the storm. They were blown off course. But the other two warships that lost news never appeared. We sincerely hope that they would have deviated from the course."

"On November 11, at about 25 o'clock in the evening, under the setting sun, four steam warships from Qi suddenly rushed into our rearguard fleet and attacked the 'Delford' and the 'Delford' on the right wing with very fierce fire. The 'Grantham' then sailed away quickly. During the battle, both ships were hit by several bullets and suffered serious damage. Especially the 'Delford', half of the deck was ablaze with fire, and Several sails were quickly burned, causing it to temporarily lose power. In order to protect the 'Delford', the entire fleet had to stop and position itself in a defensive posture to meet the attack of the Qi fleet. By nightfall When it comes, the enemy may not be able to take advantage of it and hide in the depths of the ocean.”

"At 11 o'clock in the morning on November 26, the Qi fleet took advantage of the dawn to pass quickly from the port side of the fleet and shelled our ships again. With the fleet officers and soldiers standing ready, the enemy only caused minor damage to us. Three ships The cruiser was hit, its sides and decks were damaged, and there were 5 casualties. After the raid, the Qi fleet disappeared into the sea and never appeared again in the evening."

"On November 11, the wind was beautiful and the wind on the sea suddenly weakened, which put the entire fleet into a state of tension immediately. Because, in this situation, the maneuverability of our ships will become very poor, and it is easy to The Qi fleet found a flaw and launched an attack. But very fortunately, they did not appear. Since launching an attack at dawn yesterday, they have left our sight. "

"I guess the people of Qi have given up their pursuit of us - oh, this is so embarrassing. Such a large fleet of ours actually allows an enemy fleet that is far smaller than ours to pursue us all the way. Tactics The staff agreed that the coal and ammunition on the Qi steam battleships must have been consumed to a very low level, so they had to leave our fleet." "Many staff officers, including General Madden, made suggestions to me, Our army should take this opportunity to launch a counterattack against the Chinese fleet to restore the reputation of the Royal Navy. This must be the time when they are at their weakest. Because, after a big battle and so many days of high-intensity pursuit, The coal and fresh water that Qi's steam battleships rely on most must have been exhausted, and maybe the ammunition is gone. This is the best moment for us to launch a counterattack."

"After thinking about it for a long time, I accepted Madden's proposal. We divided the fleet into two. Lieutenant General Raymond led fifteen warships with varying degrees of damage and carried injured personnel back to England, while I led the fleet in relatively good condition. More than twenty of the better warships formed an attack fleet and returned to pursue the enemy. Yes, we will abandon the cowardice and fear that emerged a few days ago and regain the courage and confidence to fight."

"Although the Qi people have been away for more than 20 hours, which is enough for their warships to disappear into the depths of the ocean. But we will definitely be able to find them, then destroy them and eliminate them. May God bless us!"

William Penn put down his quill, closed the logbook gently, stood up, walked out of the cabin, looked at the vast ocean, took a long breath, and his face was full of perseverance.
-
September 12, Vog Island, Faroe Islands.

Hannes Merton climbed onto the ship along the ladder, using his hands and feet, and was then driven to the bottom by several Qi sailors.

The entire bottom cabin was very dark, with only candles lit in a few corners. There were only a few shadows, and a lot of people were already crowded.Merton carefully explored his feet and groped towards the vent on one side.But after taking a few steps, he was stopped by shouts of curses and constant punches.

Yes, the best position at the vent had already been occupied by someone, and as a latecomer, he couldn't squeeze through.

With a sigh, he found an empty seat next to the boat and sat down.

In addition to various rancid and sour odors, there was also a pungent smell of soot in the hold.I reached out and touched the floor. There was a lot of floating dust, and I didn't know what it was.

"Coal." A voice came from beside him, "This bottom cabin should be the place where coal is stored on the ship. If your guess is correct, the people of Qi must have burned all the coal, so they vacated this cabin and dumped us all Stuffed in."

"Oh, really? How do you know this is where the ship's coal is stored?"

"The smell here is the same as the smell in the Birmingham coal mine where I once worked. Oh, God, when I first entered this cabin, I thought I had gone down to the mine again. There was a strong smell of coal. Yes, that The smell is something I will never forget for the rest of my life.”

"Then how do you..."

"Yeah, how did I get here and become a prisoner of war of the Qi people?" There was a sense of sadness and helplessness in the man's voice, "It's all this damn war! The work in the coal mine is too hard and too dangerous. …You know what? I was married and had a child. I needed to support my family and I wanted to make their lives more prosperous. So, I became a sailor. Haha, can you imagine? A miner who had never seen the sea turned out to be an ocean-going sailor. Oh, but my luck was so bad. I had just completed my one-year apprenticeship as a sailor, and then our merchant ship was captured by a Qi warship. And I, A poor prisoner of war, too. Oh, it was all so bad, it really was...so bad."

"Everything will be fine." Merton comforted: "The war will eventually end. At that time, we will be released by the Qi people, and we will all return to England and see our families."

"I hope so!" The man's tone was a little more relaxed. "I hope this war will end soon, and I hope the people of Qi can treat us poor people kindly. Oh, by the way, my name is Dennis Ball, from Birmingham Wins Bury.”

"Merton, Hannes Merton, from Colchester."

"Where do you think the people of Qi will take us?"

"I do not know."

"They evacuated the island in a hurry and abandoned the temporary camp on the island. Is it because they were defeated by our Royal Navy and were preparing to flee back to Hanzhou?"

"Maybe." Merton smiled bitterly and shook his head. "On the deck just now, I saw several Qi warships whose sides were covered with bullet marks, and they were still replacing the damaged masts. Their military doctors also boarded those ships. Ships. I guess they must have had a fierce battle with our English Royal Navy. As for leaving here suddenly, they are probably worried about being found here by our English main fleet."

"Wherever they move us, it'd better be somewhere warm. Oh, it's so cold on this island. I wake up from the cold countless times every night."

"Yes, one of my companions died there miserably due to cold and hunger. Oh, I hope they will be saved in heaven and no longer suffer the hardships in the world." Merton's expression darkened, and he made a mark on his chest with his right hand. cross.

As he was talking, he suddenly heard the sound of the anchor chain being pulled up, and there was also a sound of an officer's command and a sailor's call coming from the upper deck.Not long after, I felt the hull of the ship shake, and then the ship began to move slowly.

Oh, set sail.

I don’t know where the destination is this time. Is it really that I want to follow the Qi people back to Hanzhou?
(End of this chapter)