The Rise of the Empire

Chapter 561: Battle of the South China Sea



"We must go! Can't wait any longer!" The Russians also have their own intelligence network. Although it is lagging behind, the Russians finally received this crucial letter after the Japanese joint fleet decided to go to Cam Ranh to block the door. Intelligence, and just yesterday, the two American armored cruisers Pearl and Sapphire also merged with the Makanov fleet with a small amount of fuel, so the Russians theoretically had fuel to sail to Lushun. But in reality, only God knows.

"We are going out like this to find death!" the subordinate objected.

"If you don't go out, you are waiting for death. If you go out, there is still a chance! I hope Essen can move faster!" Makanov said with a sigh. The fuel for all battleships was re-allocated, giving priority to ensuring that the fuel for the 4 Borodino-class battleships and 4 armored cruisers was sufficient, then some cutting-edge destroyers, and the fuel supply for the two old battleships was placed Third class, these slow-speed and fuel-eating warships have been included in the list of abandoned. As for the remaining auxiliary warships, if there is not enough fuel, then just give up!

Makanov has done everything he can do to his best. If he fails, it is by no means a crime of war. However, the Russians’ luck with this is unprecedented. When the fleet left Cam Ranh Bay, it was blocked by the Japanese fleet!

"I didn't expect that my journey to the Far East would end so early." Makanov sighed as he watched the Japanese combined fleet approaching with his back to the sun. There are 10 battleships on my side and 14 on the other side. The Japanese fleet sails in two formations, one battleship, one armored cruiser, and an unknown number of torpedo boats on either side of the two battleships.

"That's the Satsuma-class battleship that the British built for Japan. I didn't expect that the British who thought they were gentlemen would come up with such simple and rude things." Looking at the Satsuma-class battleship that gradually became clear in his Zeiss telescope, Maca Nov said calmly. When this class was launched, the existence of the most powerful battleship of this era is not a mere name. Look at the six twin 10-inch main guns on the side of this battleship and the two twin 12-inch guns at the front and rear. Feel its power and terror. "They are as hideous as a giant steel centipede and lack beauty."

Almost parallel to Togo Heihachiro’s flagship is the Asama-class armored cruiser that made the U.S. fleet hate the Philippines. In this era of rapid technological advancement, the shelf life of any warship is no more than 8 years. The world’s first fast warship has now Bit given to Russia's new generation of Rurik class battleships. But these battleships, which are somewhat outdated, still have good combat effectiveness!

"Come as planned, and may God bless each of us!" Makanov put down the telescope in his hand and said with a sigh. At this time, the average speed of the Russian fleet was only about 12 knots. Affected by fuel and slow fleet, the entire Russian fleet is as slow as a snail. It is impossible to run out, and all you can do now is to run as much as you can!

"This will be a day to change history!" Although the battle has not yet begun, Togo Heihachiro already thinks he has won, and even his tone is full of excitement and pride. 14 to 10, the elite division faced the exhausted army, there was no reason to lose! "Let's start!" Following Togo Heihachiro's order, a Z-shaped flag was raised to the mast. "The emperor's prosperity and demise, here is a battle!"

The fast fleet consisting of 4 Asama-class armored cruisers began to accelerate. They charged toward the front of the Russian fleet like a sharp blade. They wanted to intercept the opponent and force the opponent to change course and sail south. The Japanese don’t need to kill their opponents at all. As long as they can’t go northward, the longer the delay in the case of insufficient fuel, the smaller the probability of survival. The final result is either being chased by the Japanese fleet or entering a neutral country. The port was disarmed.

The Japanese armored cruiser formation sailed from the northeast to the southwest. If the Russian fleet did not want the opponent to grab T, it could only choose to sail in the same direction or antiparallel. No matter how you choose, it will give the Japanese main fleet in the rear a chance to attack. The slow fleet can rely on one turn to avoid the opponent's T-tactics, but it is impossible to avoid two fleets at the same time. There is always a Japanese fleet that can. Focus on firepower to attack the Russians!

The Russian fleet slowly thought about moving forward, as if the Japanese tactics had no effect on them. When the two sides gradually approached 7 kilometers, the Asama and Kasuga, which were at the head of the Japanese cruiser formation, first attacked the Russian lead ships!

"The situation is not right. Why are the great Siesos and Navarrin in front? What can these two shattered ships with only 4 10-inch guns do? Asama can kill them single-handedly, the Russians Is it like relying on these two bad ships to open up the situation?" Uemura Hikoyuki frowned, indicating that he could not understand.

"Maybe to attract firepower, these old warships are lost if they are lost," said a staff officer next to them.

As the distance between the two sides gradually narrowed, the Japanese cruiser formation was fully fired, and the dense shells directly enveloped the 4 warships in front of the Russian fleet, while the Russian fleet turned to the northeast, which was the opposite direction of the Japanese fleet! The rapid changes in the speed and direction of the two sides caused the accuracy of the artillery attack to plummet~www.novelhall.com~ Although the fleets of both sides were enveloped by a dense water column, it was difficult to hit, and the two Russian battleships at the front just turned 2 At a compass point, several Russian destroyers appeared around the fleets of both sides, and thick smoke was removed from the destroyers. With the help of the smoke canister, the Russian fleet pulled out a thick smoke screen!

"It's just a little trick." Looking at the Russian fleet gradually entering the smokescreen, Uemura Hikoyuki's mouth showed a mocking smile. He saw that the Russians played this hand only to reduce the accuracy of the Japanese fleet's bombardment, or plan to rely on torpedo boats for a sneak attack. If Makanov is facing a rookie, it might really make him take advantage of it, but who is he facing? It is from Uemurahiko! I fought all the way from the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a battle-tested battle if you can't win or lose.

There is only one word in Uemurahiko's heart, that is stability! The opponent is already a bird in a cage, even if something changes, Togo Heihachiro's fleet can make up for it. So he was not in a hurry, and ordered the fleet to move a little apart, and then waited for the smoke to dissipate. When the smoke dissipated, a thought came out of Uemura Hiko's mind!

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