Chapter 1105 The advantage lies with the enemy (Second update, please subscribe)
The fleet has set off!
On the afternoon of September 11, 1882, the mighty fleet sailed out of the port of Callao and headed south. At this time, the sailors of the Peruvian-Bolivian Federation on the warship were all full of eagerness for the upcoming battle.
They know very well what mission they shoulder - the rise and fall of the country!
This fleet, consisting of two battleships, four armored cruisers and four cruisers, can be called the most powerful fleet in the South Pacific, at least the most powerful fleet currently.
After all, the size of the Ming Empire's Pacific Fleet may far exceed that of the Secret Federation Navy, but the Empire's Pacific Fleet is dispersed. From Hawaii to Japan to the Success Islands and the Northern Territory, the vast and scattered imperial territory disperses the empire's naval power.
At this time, with one "Youzhou-class" and two Nanhua-class ships rushing to aid Cuba, plus the two Linhai-class ships that had previously sailed to Hawaii, the empire's mainland Pacific Fleet now only has one Nanhua-class ship and two Linhai-class ships.
As for the armored fleet, there are only four cruisers. It can be said that in terms of strength, the Peruvian-Bolivia Federation fleet has the advantage, and this is the fundamental reason why they dare and take the initiative to attack.
"Under the bright sunshine, they sailed towards the sea. This was the largest naval battle since the invention of the ironclad. God bless!"
Madsen, a British naval lieutenant commander on the "Peru", stared into the distance with a longing tone.
"Major, do you think their plan will succeed?"
Major William, an observer from Germany, who was holding a pipe in his hand, asked curiously. "I don't know."
Madsen shook his head and said.
"But their plan is very good. Once they can defeat the Ming Empire's navy at sea, then at least in the next few months, the Ming Empire's land invasion of Bolivia and Peru will be delayed, and the alliance will be free to move along the coast
Lines of supply and strengthening the deployment of the army, weapons can also be continuously transported into Peru from overseas, and more importantly, the United Kingdom and the United States will also respond."
"Yes, no country will help a country that is doomed to fail, but if they win the naval battle, they will also win their future survival."
"Who would have thought that the fate of a country could be entirely determined by the outcome of a naval battle?"
Although this naval battle determined the fate of the country, the sailors of the Peruvian coalition fleet seemed particularly happy and became talkative. Some were playing chess in a secluded corner, some were reading, and another group
But there were people talking about interesting things about a certain colleague. It was almost hard to believe that these sailors were about to participate in a naval battle in which many people were going to die. Maybe there might be something in their attitude of pretending not to care about the danger.
The meaning of false bravery.
On the battleship "Peru", the whistle blew and the watch officer shouted loudly.
"Pray!"
"Order the entire fleet to pray!"
As a Catholic country, Miguel Grau ordered prayers in the evening that day. Even if there were many Indian sailors in his fleet who did not believe in God, it was not a big deal, as long as they
Just believe it.
After the order was issued, the sailors prayed on the main deck. The priest accompanying the ship had already put on his holy garments and stood in front of the icon. There was a kind of longing in the priest's eyes, which showed his mood.
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He also longed for victory because he knew what it meant for the Ming Empire to occupy Peru, which meant that the church power would suffer a severe blow. The Ming Empire was not a Catholic, and they would never let them occupy a large amount of land wealth.
Under the leadership of the priest, people prayed, praying for God's blessing, bless them in the upcoming battle, bless their souls, and bless them to win this war!
While the prayer was going on, the fleet changed to a new formation. The armored cruisers of the First Cruiser Fleet sailed forward at full speed. They formed the left column of the fleet, while the four cruisers of the Second Cruiser Fleet were near each battleship.
Cruising, this is to fight against the lightning strike ships of the Ming Empire Navy. Cruisers are the only defensive means that navies of various countries can use to defend against thunder strike ships. As the order is issued, the fleet changes from a navigation formation to a combat formation.
The sun is going down!
On the sea dyed red by the sunset, this huge fleet sailed towards the south. Whether it was sailing towards victory or towards death, only God knows.
However, what they didn't know was that almost at the same time as they set off, the agents of the Imperial Investigation Bureau lurking near the military port sent the intelligence back to the country. A reconnaissance airship flew to the sea area early and was at high altitude.
The fleet was searched from the air.
Almost as soon as the airship discovered fleet soot, the radio officer on the reconnaissance airship used the radio station to notify the Imperial Navy. In front of them, a naval fleet covering the landing force was immediately divided into two according to the plan
, heading north.
Compared with the Peruvian Navy, the size of this fleet is very limited, with only one battleship Shanxi, the armored cruiser "Linhai", and four protected cruisers "Taiyuan", "Jincheng", "Datong" and "Taihang".
At most, eight more ten-year-type lightning strike ships can be added.
As the commander of the fleet, Lieutenant General Cheng Bichen, he stared into the distance with a solemn expression. As the deputy commander of the Atlantic Fleet of the Imperial Navy, the fleet he led was undoubtedly the weakest fleet in the empire, but now he had to face a large fleet.
Far superior to his fleet.
This naval battle...
"The disparity in strength is huge!"
Li Guowei, who was on the warship, used his camera to record the soldiers who were nervously preparing for battle, and he sighed like this in his heart.
Yes, the disparity in strength between the two sides is extremely astonishing. The Peruvian Federation Navy has two 8,300-ton "Peru-class" combat ships, four 5,400-ton "Huasca-class" armored cruisers, and four cruisers with a total displacement of 8,600 tons.
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And what about the Imperial Navy?
The Shanxi has a displacement of 7,300 tons, and the Linhai has a displacement of 6,800 tons. "Taiyuan", "Jincheng", "Datong" and "Taihang" are 4,600-ton protected cruisers. As for the ten-year-old tornado ship, the total tonnage is only 7,860 tons. There is a huge disparity in strength between the two sides.
It's so big that it's almost unbearable to look at.
Although the disparity in strength is so great that even laymen such as reporters accompanying the army can see it, the fleet still sails towards the northern sea with a vigorous spirit without hesitation, where a huge force is trying to
The fleet guarding the country is also heading towards them...
The sea under the setting sun has completely turned red at this time, which seems to be a sign of the future and an ominous sign...