Chapter 360: Become famous in one battle

Chapter 360: Become famous in one battle

Chapter 360 Become famous in one battle

Deng Shichang's order to the Zhiyuan to ram the enemy ship was not reckless.

Ironclad ships of this era were all equipped with rams on their bows. Using the sturdiness of ironclad ships to ram and sink enemy ships was a common tactic used by ironclad ships to bully wooden ships.

The enemy ship Glory just rammed and sank a wooden ship, even though it was one of our own...

Deng Shichang saw that the enemy ship had been riddled with holes and must be quite fragile, so he ordered the small but sturdy cruiser to ram the enemy's old and frail battleship.

The Invincible was terrified and said, "You are so unreasonable. The rams on ironclad ships are used to ram wooden ships. Don't I have any face when you come to ram my ironclad ship?"

Well, face is secondary. The French know their own business. I'm afraid it's dangerous this time.

This old ship has been in service for nearly ten years. When it was first built, in order to quickly catch up with Britain in ironclad ships, undried wood was used.

Shipbuilding is a delicate job, and the oak used in shipbuilding needs to be dried in the shade for more than 20 years before it can be used. Building a large ship of more than 5,000 tons requires too much wood, and the stock was used up when the Glory was built.

The French could not wait that long, and under the blind command of Napoleon III, they rushed to build the second battleship of the Glorious class, the Invincible, which became a shoddy project.

An electrochemical reaction occurs between the moisture-containing wood and the armor, causing the armor to corrode and the wood to rot.

If the Franco-Prussian War had not taken place, the Invincible would have been decommissioned and scrapped.

Now that they were barely pulled out to fight, the enemy had indeed discovered their weaknesses.

The Invincible was belching black smoke and was preparing to speed up its escape.

As one of the first steam ironclad ships in the world, the Invincible had the worst technology, with eight boilers that could only provide 8 horsepower. Moreover, due to years of disrepair, the power was greatly reduced, and with the help of sails, it could only reach a speed of 2500 knots.

Now its sails were all broken, and without the help of the sails, it was even slower than before. Seeing the Zhiyuan coming towards it, its heavy and slow body could not run faster.

The Zhiyuan sailed against the wind and waves, advancing like the wind. With the help of the ship's speed, its sharp ram broke through the armor of the Invincible with a click and wedged into the side of the Invincible.

The Invincible shook twice, making a teeth-grinding "crunch" sound, and suddenly there was a loud bang, the keel broke, and the huge hull cracked in the middle and broke into two pieces.

On the Zhiyuan, Captain Deng Shichang's pet dog watched the huge ironclad warship in front of them slowly sinking, and jumped around excitedly on the deck.

Deng Shichang was giving the order, "Back up!"

The Zhiyuan slowly retreated, pulled out its ram, turned the rudder sharply, and fled away at high speed.

The sinking of a giant ship weighing more than 5,000 tons would create a huge whirlpool on the water surface, and the Zhiyuan must not be affected by it.

The officers and soldiers of the Nanyang Navy cheered together. Deng Shichang's decision broke the dull situation of mutual criticism, and the balance of the war began to tilt towards the victory of the Nanyang Navy.

The Zhiyuan no longer cared about the sinking Invincible and sent out flag signals. Seven Johnson-class cruisers, under the command of Deng Shichang, besieged the Corolla.

The Corona was in a desperate situation. It could not outrun the cruiser and was doomed to die under the siege of seven enemy ships. The captain had no choice but to raise the white flag and surrender.

The Glorious escaped, the Invincible sank, the Corolla surrendered, and the cruiser group won a great victory.

In the distance, Zeng Xiaoyi was leading three cruisers to besiege the Glory, and Deng Shichang sent a small boat carrying sailors to accept the surrender of the Corolla.

He now had seven cruisers under his command and he had four to choose from.

Go forward to pursue and attack the Glory together with Zeng Xiaoyi; use the big to bully the small to attack the enemy's thousand-ton ironclad ship cluster; rescue the four Wangfu-class ships that were being chased by the Provence-class; assist the Dingzhen and two ships to besiege the enemy's flagship Ocean.

Deng Shichang looked at the sky. The previous options each had their pros and cons, but the outcome was that they would not be able to win the decisive battle before dark.

Therefore, he did not hesitate and ordered his subordinates to send out flag signals, and seven cruisers intercepted the Ocean and helped the Dingzhen II ships to destroy the enemy flagship, so as to achieve a decisive victory before dark.

Seven Johnson-class cruisers drew a line of water on the sea, slowly gathered together, and sailed towards the Ocean in the distance.

The cruiser was faster than the battleship, and the seven warships' net interception would make the Ocean have nowhere to escape, becoming a fixed target for the cannons of the Dingzhen II ship, and it would be doomed. The French fleet commander on the Ocean, Forrichant, was extremely anxious, "It's all over, it's all over, should I surrender?"

At this critical moment, a wooden sailing warship flying the Stars and Stripes suddenly came from the direction of Cadiz Port. The ship raised a white flag and signaled to both sides, "Please cease fire, a major incident has occurred."

The American ships are friendly forces and will not harm us. Liao Rong ordered the fleet to cease fire. Furichang took a long breath. Is the US military coming to rescue us out of gratitude for the traditional friendship with France?

Two small boats were launched from the Congress, with American soldiers on board flying white flags, and they boarded the Dingyuan and the Ocean respectively. Liao Rong and Furichon saw the armistice decree of His Majesty Alfonso at the same time.

Merciful Jesus Christ, the decree came just in time. It was also thanks to George Dewey who risked being shot by mistake and rushed into the battlefield. Long live the friendship between France and the United States!
Furichant immediately ordered the entire fleet to raise the white flag, not to surrender to the Nanyang Navy, but because we are now friendly forces and we want to avoid accidental injuries.

The small boats urgently communicated with each other, stopped the fighting on the sea, and worked together to assist the sailors of the Invincible and Forfei floating on the sea. The French fleet flew a white flag and sailed to the port of Cadiz with the Nanyang Navy. The two sides fought for a long time, and many warships needed urgent repairs.

Especially the Ocean, everything above the deck was destroyed, leaving only an iron shell.

But they did not call for a tugboat. Instead, they stubbornly drove the ship into the port of Cadiz for an overhaul using steam power, thus preserving the last bit of dignity of the French Navy.

At the same time, battle reports from both sides were sent back to Paris via telegram and quickly spread throughout the world.

Furichin's battle report: "Our army fought tenaciously without the participation of the Toulon fleet. Facing the enemy's two powerful 10,000-ton latest British battleships, the Ocean held out to the end, and the ceasefire was ordered by His Majesty."

"The Invincible sank after a heroic battle, and one-third of the soldiers on board died. However, our main battleship severely damaged the opponent's four Wangfu-class battleships. The battle ended in a draw, and the fleet did not bring shame to France."

Liao Rong's battle report: "Our army rammed and sank the enemy ship Invincible, captured the Corolla, severely damaged the enemy flagship Ocean, and sank the enemy ship Folfe. We have won this battle."

Well, the Corolla surrendered before the armistice order arrived. The French did not mention this matter. The Nanyang Fleet must distinguish the difference here.

In short, the two sides have now become friendly forces, so it doesn't matter if they have a verbal battle.

Although the Nanyang Fleet declared victory, anyone with a discerning eye who had read the battle reports of both sides knew that the French fleet had not suffered any serious damage. The Invincible and the Corolla were both old warships that were about to be retired, and their loss did not mean anything.

If the fighting continues, the Ocean might be destroyed, but it is hard to say whether a Wangfu-class ship can be sunk. Most likely, it will be dark and everyone will go home.

The Nanyang Fleet could only be said to have an advantage, not a great victory. Even if the Ocean sank and Furichang died, the deputy commander of the fleet, Charles, would definitely take over the command, and there would be no defeat.

However, the Nanyang Fleet became famous because of this battle, and the Qing Dynasty's naval strength was definitely ranked second in the world.

…………

At the banquet in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, Shao Quanzhong was listening to Isabel's report on the Battle of Cadiz.

"The Invincible was sunk by the Zhiyuan. When the Zhiyuan was reversing to leave the vortex where the Invincible sank, it turned the rudder too sharply, and Deng Shichang——"

"What!?"

Shao Quanzhong jumped up and grabbed Isabel's collar with both hands, "What happened to Deng Shichang?"

Isabel was frightened by Shao Quanzhong's overreaction, "Deng Shichang's beloved dog accidentally fell into the sea and died for his country."

Shao Quanzhong breathed a sigh of relief. He was so scared. Deng Shichang was a brave general, and his combat bravery was comparable to that of Lin Bozi in the army. Nothing could happen to him.

Deng Shichang was safe, so Shao Quanzhong felt relieved. Suddenly, he felt something soft under his hand, so he pinched it and it felt good.

"The Huai Army and the Nanyang Navy both became famous in one battle. The Qing Dynasty has become the second largest power in the world, and the Huai Army has become the world's strongest land force. Congratulations!"

Shao Quanzhong finally had time to receive the British Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Braxton came over with a smile, "We have already investigated the matter of the rapid-fire cannon in Paris. Since I was coming here, I did not send a telegram. I will report the details to the Earl in person."

(End of this chapter)