Chapter Fifty: Bitter Battle

  The rumble of the cannons left Fang Boqian no time to carefully observe the location of the hit on Yoshino, under the fire of the opponent's two 150mm main guns and nearly twenty 120mm main guns. The Ji yuan ship was in its most vulnerable state with a full turn to the right, its entire hull exposed to the enemy's gunfire. However, it was also because of the unexpected navigation of the Ji yuan that it narrowly escaped the first two minutes of fire from the Japanese ships. When adjusting the ship's course to head northeast, not a single shell landed on the Ji yuan.

  However, just as Jiyuan adjusted its course to pass through the Japanese fleet at maximum speed on the left side of Shikishima, a loud explosion was heard. Jiyuan's port side finally took a hit from a shell, and the glass on the bridge shattered instantly. Fang Boqian felt his body being thrown against the bulkhead of the bridge like a bouncing ball.

  When Ding Ruchang came to his senses, he immediately glanced at the command platform and couldn't help but feel a little secretly relieved. The command platform had not been hit directly, only his chief of staff and second-in-command were shaken by the blast like himself. He ran to the other side of the command cabin and saw that the left front part of Jiyuan near the forward main gun was hit by one shell, with several incomplete sailor corpses lying around. Seeing the forward main gun turret still turning direction under the sailors' operation, he finally felt at ease.

  Judging from the power of the shell explosion just now, it should be a 150mm caliber shell that hit Jiyuan - "Damn Yoshino!" Fang Boqian spat out a mouthful of saliva, straightened his naval cap and shouted: "Is the main gun ready?"

  "Ready!"

  "Aim at Yoshino, fire!" With Fang Boqian's angry roar. The twin 210mm main gun turret of the Jiyuan ship let out a roar. Fang Boqian stared intently at Yoshino through the pale blue smoke from the telescope, but unfortunately did not see any reaction. Just as he was feeling frustrated, he heard the sailors on the Jiyuan ship cheering, and just as he put down the telescope to ask what had happened that made them so happy in the midst of a fierce battle, he saw flames erupting near the left command tower of Kishima Island, accompanied by thick smoke billowing out of the cabins.

  "He didn't expect that with a careful plan, the flowers wouldn't bloom, but without trying, the willow trees would provide shade. He missed Yoshino but hit Shigisan Island instead!" Fang Boqian said with a big laugh.

  "Load, give up on Yoshino, aim at Shikishima's port side, fire!" Shen Shouchang shouted loudly. Although Yoshino was the Japanese flagship, as a specialized counter to Dingyuan and Zhenyuan, Japan's three scenic warships, its value was also extremely high. Jiyuan had almost reached the position parallel to Shikishima, with Yoshino behind it. Giving up on Yoshino would allow Shikishima to be heavily damaged, which would be a great achievement. This way, according to the Japanese character, they would have to go crazy. The chances of Weihai and Guangbo escaping would be even greater.

  The gunners on the Zhiyuan cruiser, who had separately hit Yoshino and Shikishima with three cannons at the beginning of the battle, greatly boosted their morale. Compared to the 2,200-ton displacement of the Zhiyuan, both Shikishima and Yoshino were nearly 4,300 tons, and they were all new warships that had been in service for less than three years, with speeds much faster than the Zhiyuan. It was basically impossible to find a way to survive under the enemy's cannon fire without getting hurt. Now it could only be fought to the death with the Japanese. Taking advantage of the fact that the enemy had not yet formed a battle formation, every opportunity to fire another shot and escape would increase by one point. In the choice between life and death, the gunners on the Zhiyuan cruiser worked hard to operate the front main cannon, despite the cold air at sea in late March, the gunners took off their clothes and exposed their arms, loading the huge shells into the barrel, quickly rotating the turret to aim at Shikishima, which was about to pass by, and made preparations for firing within a short period of time.

  Just as the forward main gun turret of the Ji yuan ship was ready to fire, Fang Boqian gave the order to shoot in an unusually excited tone. At that moment, a loud explosion shook the ship, and Fang Boqian's body was once again knocked off balance by the powerful shockwave generated by the exploding shell. He fell backwards and crashed into the bulkhead, his head hanging limply in the corner, unconscious.

  The first person to recover from the blast on the command deck was Shen Shouchang. The first thing he saw was a room filled with blood and flesh - Second Lieutenant He Jianzhang's hand had been severed by shrapnel and was dangling less than a meter away from his body, while his chest was a bloody mess, and it seemed like he was on the verge of death.

  Shen Shouchang was also grazed by a small shrapnel on his forehead in the explosion just now, fortunately the position was not very accurate, otherwise he would have died immediately. When Shen Shouchang saw Fang Boqian at the foot of the wall, he immediately rolled and crawled over to him, under his shaking Fang Boqian finally regained consciousness, but his leg was hit by a shrapnel, fresh blood stained his blue pants black and red.

  Fang Boqian saw Shen Shouchang and didn't know where the strength came from, and with Shen Shouchang's support, he stumbled to the window. In front of him was a scene from hell - around the main gun, limbs of sailors were scattered everywhere, not even a single intact corpse could be seen. Fresh blood and black smoke turned the forward main turret into a human hell.

  "That's a 120mm gun from the Yamato!" Fang Boqian immediately thought of the eleven 120mm guns on the Yamato, in addition to its 320mm main gun.

  The next salvo ended the good luck of the Jiyuan ship, causing serious losses this time!

  Just as Fang Boqian was stunned by what he saw, a person suddenly stood up from the pile of wreckage in front of the main turret! Shen Shouchang saw that it was Huang Chengxun, an excellent intern on the Jiyuan ship, but at this time, one of Huang's arms had disappeared. He struggled to get up and stumbled out of the main turret...

  After seeing this scene, Fang Boqian seemed to have a flame burning in his chest. However, he and Shen Shouchang soon saw Huang Chengyun, who had fallen out of the main turret, somehow getting up again with a tremble, using his only right arm to support himself against the armor of the turret and crawling back inside. Fang Boqian and Shen Shouchang didn't dare think about what Huang Chengyun was going to do after suffering such severe injuries, but just as their eyes were filled with warmth, the twin main guns of the Jiyuan ship suddenly fired with a loud boom.

  "Boom!" A deafening sound came from the west, and Fang Boqian and Shen Shouchang heard it - there was only a Japanese fleet there. However, there were no splashes of water around the Jiyuan ship, nor was it hit by shells - "The enemy ship is exploding!" The two on the command platform heard the shouts of the sailors on the Jiyuan ship.

  "Boom...". At this time, Fang Boqian and Shen Shouchang finally woke up - Huang Chengxun's previous cannon hit the Japanese warship "Yashima"!

  The shell fired by Huang Chengxun indeed hit the Japanese warship Kishima. At this time, through the binoculars of Fang Boqian and others, on the surface of the Japanese warship Kishima, which was sailing parallel to them, a real doomsday was unfolding - it was not just smoke billowing out of the cabin that had been hit earlier, but this time, amidst the thick smoke, explosions could be heard. The explosive power of the two 210mm main cannon shells was astonishing, with flames bursting out of the warship's hull as high as its mast! Japanese soldiers on board Kishima were running around the deck, trying to put out the massive fire, but compared to the towering flames, their efforts seemed so insignificant...

  "Yitang! I estimate that we hit the vital point of Yan Dao Island, otherwise where did such a big fire come from?" Shen Shouchang said excitedly.

  "Take advantage of his illness to take his life!" Fang Boqian said gritting his teeth. "Qinghe, order the ship to head northeast and continue firing at Yan Island with the main cannon. When the time is ripe, use torpedoes to attack Yan Island. Whether successful or not, quickly retreat from the battlefield!"

  Fang Baqian's leg was severely injured, and after simple bandaging, he sat on the command platform, handing over command to Shen Shouchang to take charge of the Jiyuan ship. At this time, the Jiyuan ship was only one kilometer away from the Chenyuan ship, which had a 12-inch main gun that inspired awe, as well as eleven 120mm secondary guns. However, due to Huang Chengxun's desperate attack earlier, two shells hit the left side of the Chenyuan ship, and one of them miraculously hit the same spot where the previous shell had landed, causing continuous explosions inside the Chenyuan ship. It seemed that either the ammunition depot or the boiler power equipment had been hit, leading to a chain reaction of explosions.

  Yashima was heavily damaged. This gave Chiyoda a chance to escape — Yashima itself was unable to defend itself, and due to the formation, it happened to be blocking the view of Yoshino's observation tower, allowing the sailors on watch to see Chiyoda passing by at full speed from the left through the thick smoke billowing out of Yashima, while Yoshino stood idly by with its massive firepower doing nothing.

  —

  Shen Shouchang directed the helmsman to steer the Jiyuan closer to the Yoshino, preparing the five 37mm machine guns on the left side of the ship to rake the Yoshino's deck with close-range fire. In addition, the four 76mm secondary guns continued to close in and fire at the Yoshino. Shen Shouchang's idea was simple: do not let the Japanese on board the Yoshino put out the fire; moreover, by charging straight at the Yoshino, he could greatly reduce his own exposure - the torpedo's attack range was limited, and only by getting closer and then making a sharp turn to starboard would the two 380mm torpedoes aft of the Jiyuan have a chance to hit the Yoshino. His opportunity was unique: to use the torpedoes to inflict fatal damage on the Yoshino, or even sink it!

  When facing a behemoth like the Yoshino before, not to mention sinking it or engaging in a head-on one-on-one attack, these were things Shen Shouchang didn't even dare think about. The Yoshino was a new ship that Japan had recently put into use, and its speed was fast, let alone its main cannon, which was specifically designed to deal with the two giant ships Dingyuan and Zhenyuan. Moreover, its eleven 120mm secondary guns were enough to take out the smaller Jiyuan. But now an opportunity had arisen, and the Jiyuan had somehow managed to heavily damage the Yoshino. The thick smoke rising from the Yoshino and the occasional explosion sounds made Shen Shouchang's whole body feel hot with excitement. The most advantageous thing was that the Yoshino's speed had clearly slowed down, and Shen Shouchang estimated that the previous hit must have struck the Yoshino's propulsion system, otherwise where did the continuous explosion sounds come from?

  It's a matter of life and death now! If we can make Shima Island snow on top, the two Japanese warships next to it will definitely not see death without rescue. It would be best if Yoshino could stop to rescue Shima Island, so Jiyuan could be reborn in desperation!

  The Japanese officers and men on the Matsushima saw the Jiyuan approaching, and after a moment's stupor, they worked frantically. Apart from constantly dispatching people to deal with the damage suffered by the warship, the left gun that could be used was pouring fire into the Jiyuan without regard for life or death. The machine guns and small-caliber secondary guns on both ships became the main characters.

  The 120mm secondary gun also joined the battle, and in a short period of time, it hit four 120mm shells. Fortunately for Shen Shouchang, none of these shells hit below the waterline of the Jiyuan ship. As a " unprotected cruiser", what it feared most was being hit by shells on the unarmored part below the waterline. If it took just one hit, it would greatly damage its combat effectiveness and even pose a risk of sinking.

  "We can't get any closer!" Shen Shouchang clenched his fists. At this moment, the Japanese warship with a displacement of 4,000 tons was just within arm's length, and the Chinese and Japanese sailors on the two warships were desperately firing at each other with machine guns. Some sailors even took out rifles from the cabins. If they got any closer, even the rifles would be used!

  "Hard to starboard! Hard to starboard! Torpedo room, increase pressure, aft main gun prepare to fire!" Shen Shouchang shouted loudly. At this time, the Kishima had completely stopped and was motionless, it was unclear whether it was the Japanese who had stopped it themselves, but Shen Shouchang estimated that the Kishima's boiler might have been damaged in the previous series of explosions. Otherwise, in a fierce battle, there would be no reason to stop the ship, this was simply suicidal!

  Fang Boqian suddenly rolled out of the command platform and shouted loudly as he left: "Qinghe, I'll leave this to you. I'm going to the torpedo room. He's... not going to sink this big guy if I have anything to say about it!"

  Shen Shouchang immediately called a sailor to follow and support Fang Boqian, fearing that something might go wrong. Then he commanded the helmsman to turn the rudder continuously to the right, trying to aim the stern torpedo tube at the Seito vessel in the best possible position.

  "Steady! Steady! Adjust your posture, aim the stern torpedo tube at the Kiri Island ship! After launching the torpedo, be ready to accelerate at any time!" Shen Shouchang excitedly shouted into the ventilation duct.

  Fang Boqian, supported by the sailors, quickly arrived at the torpedo room and shouted loudly: "Has the air pressure of the torpedo launch tube been increased?! Can it be launched?!"

  Several sweaty sailors were busy. One of them turned around and said, "Director Fang, it's ready to fire now! We can hit the bow of the ship on Yan Island!"

  Fang Boqian knew that the muddy-faced man was Mu Jinshu, the deputy captain of the torpedo boat. After hearing this, he immediately stuck out his head and saw that the Jiyuan ship had shifted a bit to the east at this time, and its speed had also come down. He knew that Shen Shouchang was creating an opportunity for him, and at the same time, he noticed that Yan Dao was stopping at this moment!

  "Ready, fire!" Fang Boqian shouted loudly. As soon as the words fell, a torpedo suddenly jumped out from the stern of Jiyuan and plunged into the sea water, rushing towards Yan Island not far away.

  The distance between the Chiyoda and the Japanese warship was so close that when the Japanese sailors saw the Chiyoda launch a torpedo at them, the scene on the deck of the Japanese warship suddenly changed 180 degrees from fierce resistance to chaos. All the Japanese sailors on the deck dropped their weapons and scrambled around in disarray, with some even jumping directly into the sea from the deck.

  Fang Boqian didn't even look, directly turned around and shouted loudly at the sailors in the torpedo room: "Is the other torpedo ready? Listen to my command, prepare, launch!"

  When Ji Yuan released the second torpedo, Fang Boqian turned his head to see that the first torpedo was speeding towards the bow of Yan Island ship, and the tail fin of the torpedo had opened a wave mark on the sea surface. The distance from Yan Island ship was less than 50 meters, but Yan Island ship still did not move. At this rate, the first torpedo would definitely hit Yan Island ship!

  Just as the officers and men on the Jiyuan were focusing on whether the two torpedoes fired could hit the Seiyo Maru, "Boom" several loud explosions sounded, and several large splashes erupted around the Jiyuan. The left front was even hit.

  "Damn it, that ghostly Kijino won't leave us alone!"

  At this time, because the Yoshino had completely stopped, the Chiyoda's faster speed allowed her to overtake the Yoshino by a large margin. After overtaking the Yoshino, the Chiyoda immediately aimed all guns that could reach the Jiyuan at it and fired a salvo, with one 150mm shell hitting the Jiyuan and the rest falling around it.

  Houde Jian didn't know where he got the strength from, but he crawled out of the torpedo room and ran towards the command platform, shouting as he went: "Qinghe! Increase speed! Left full rudder, use Kaneshima to block Yoshino!"

  No need to shout, Shen Shouchang on the command platform also saw that two torpedoes of Jiyuan had been launched. He immediately gave an order to the helmsman: "Full speed ahead!" However, when he heard Fang Baqian's shout, he immediately added another order: "Hard port! Use Gan Island to block the firing route of Yoshino's gunfire!" After giving the orders, Shen Shouchang jumped down from the command platform in three strides and ran towards Fang Baqian.

  There is a problem with the front and rear main guns of the Jiyuan ship. Some materials say that the front main gun has only one barrel, but I saw that the salvaged Jiyuan's front main gun was a twin turret, while the rear main gun had one barrel, which is proven by photos, so there is no need to argue about it anymore.

  There's another issue, the keyboard of my laptop has finally died a glorious death. Originally, the numeric keys and letter keys were fine, only a few function keys were broken, but now several letter keys are also broken and can't be used, I'm currently contacting to replace the keyboard:)