Chapter 1106 The last letter (Third update, please subscribe)
Under the setting sun and in the starry night, the two fleets sailed towards each other.
That night, the sailors on both sides slept soundly, and even after breakfast the next morning, all officers and soldiers of the Imperial Fleet had to take a "combat bath" according to tradition.
This is a tradition of the imperial army since the Nanhua era - take a shower before battle and change into new military uniforms. This is to keep the body clean and avoid the chance of wound infection. Regardless of this inconspicuous tradition, it can reduce the number of fatal injuries by at least 30%. After all,
, in the wars of this era, half died due to blood loss, and 30% died due to wound infection. In short, seven out of ten died after being injured.
At 8:50 a.m., the fleet completed its final battle preparations. At the same time, they received a telegram from an aerial reconnaissance airship.
"It seems we have become blind!"
Putting the telegram away, Cheng Degong said.
"The fog is so thick, it must be difficult to see clearly from the air."
Li Xingyun, the captain of the "Shanxi", frowned.
"There is no way. This is the situation here. There are more than a thousand kilometers of maritime and continental fog areas. If you are in a dense fog area, even the line of sight will be a problem."
When sailing in this sea area, you have to get used to this kind of foggy weather. After all, most of the year, thousands of kilometers of sea and land from the coast of Shanxi to the coast of southern Peru are shrouded in heavy fog.
At 9:15 in the morning, the lookout sentry of "Shanxi" shouted.
"Multiple plumes of smoke were found in the north!"
Because the fleet was shrouded in thick sea fog, the fleet could not distinguish the models of the new ships. But even so, Cheng Degong still issued a combat readiness order.
"The whole ship is ready for battle!"
Following the order, the fleet, which had transformed into a column, began to face the enemy ships.
Ten minutes later, the Secret Federation fleet discovered the fleet's smoke column.
"Discover the Ming Fleet!"
As the alarm bell rang, the entire Secret Federation fleet boiled. Then the sailors saw the Imperial warship appearing forty nautical miles away. The fleet's cannons immediately aimed at them, while the gunners targeted the enemy ship.
Miguel Grau stood on the bridge and began to mobilize his officers and soldiers before the war.
"All officers and soldiers of the Peruvian-Bolivia Federation Navy, now we are shouldering the responsibility of defending the Federation. The fate of the Federation has been linked to the outcome of our battle. Right in front are our compatriots in the occupied capital of Tacna.
, and the enemies who have not been punished so far, now the time has come to pay with blood! I hope you know what you should do, long live the Peruvian-Bolivia Federation!”
In the federal navy, at least one-third of the sailors are exiled Chileans. After all, the size of the Chilean navy was far larger than that of Peru. After Chile was subjugated and the military port was occupied, they hurriedly fled to neighboring countries.
Compared with Peruvians or Bolivians, their hatred for the empire has never disappeared. This is why it is said that blood debts must be repaid with blood.
Without even needing to be mobilized, the exiled Chilean sailors stood at their posts howling. They operated twelve-inch cannons and six-inch secondary guns in preparation for the next battle.
At the same time, the Imperial Navy officers and soldiers also began to prepare for the upcoming naval battle.
"Order the torpedo ship to move to the port side! Enter the fog area."
Following the order, ten small lightning strike ships sailed to the port side, and soon they disappeared into the sea fog.
Now there were only 6 warships left in front of the Peru-Bolivia Federation fleet. After another half an hour, the two sides were finally able to see each other clearly. At this time, the entire Peru-Bolivia Federation fleet's cannons were aimed at these six warships.
A warship.
Despite the sea fog, after a period of identification, the officer next to Grau could clearly see the details of the Imperial Navy warship through the ship type, and he immediately said to Grau.
"There is only one Nanhua class! One Linhai class, and four cruisers!"
"Are you sure?"
“Can’t go wrong,”
The officer replied affirmatively.
"Their rigging and ship types are all different, so there's no mistaking them."
The officer's answer made Grau nodded and then said.
"Send air cannon and order the fleet to prepare for battle!"
When giving the order to fire cannons in the air to notify the fleet, Grau said with anticipation.
"we won!"
At this time, Grau was arrogant, and he had even begun to mentally plan the next battle plan - after defeating the Imperial Navy, while blocking the coast of Takna, he would burn the war to the mainland of the Empire.
Let the Empire feel the wrath of the Federation.
At this moment, a sudden sound of gunfire broke the silence on the sea. Perhaps because of the inner anger of the gunner, a six-inch gun on the port side of the "Waska" opened fire. Everyone was startled, and the shells fell on the Empire.
Near the bow of the second warship in the fleet.
With the sound of a cannon, the other ships in the entire fleet took this as a signal and fired together. The deafening sound of the cannons echoed across the entire sea. This naval battle suddenly started, not because of the orders of the officers.
It's because of the sailors who are eager for revenge.
The Imperial fleet also began to fight back, and the shells directly hit the nearest federal warship. Colonel Pratt on the armored cruiser "Waska" was surprised to see that the Imperial shells almost exploded instantly when they approached the water, not only did they explode huge
Water columns and black smoke, and after the explosion, the sea was even filled with flames. These were test projectiles and range-finding projectiles used by the Imperial fleet to calibrate the accuracy of aiming.
"New artillery shells?"
Colonel Pratt explained.
"Their artillery shells can burn on the sea surface, and they should be filled with picric acid artillery shells. Seventeen years ago, our fleet was defeated by this kind of artillery shells at sea, but until seventeen years later, half of our artillery shells
The black powder is still used, it’s exactly the same as before!”
Colonel Pratt's complaint was full of helplessness. Although the Empire had introduced silica explosives and explosives as early as twenty years ago, they were not suitable for use in high-pressure artillery, so they used picric acid.
Fuel acts as explosive, which is also the fundamental reason why the Imperial artillery is so powerful.
But what about other countries?
Still stuck in the era of black powder, which at best was water-containing collodion. After all, the use of picric acid shells had various shortcomings.
While Colonel Platt was complaining, the naval battle was already heating up. The shells from both sides were coming back and forth on the sea. Five minutes after the naval battle began, the roar of the twelve-inch cannon finally hit the sea.
There was a sound on the sea.
This naval battle was destined to be written into the history of human naval warfare from the beginning. It created too many firsts. It was the first large-scale ironclad naval battle and the first showdown between twelve-inch cannons.
A moment later, when the twelve-inch shell landed near the warship, a huge column of water rose into the sky. The shock wave formed by the explosion threatened the waves and hit the hull of the ship. Inside the ship's cabin, the sailors of the Imperial Navy were desperately shoveling coal.
, listening to the sound of waves crashing against the bulkhead, they couldn't help but have a thought in their minds - fortunately, they sent a letter to their families before setting off.
The reason why they have such thoughts is because - that is the last letter they can send alive!
(End of chapter)
This chapter has been completed!