Volume 1: The Battleship Yitian Changes into the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 Chapter 12: Meeting in the Hall
"Brother Jingming, if you need my help in the future, I will do my best to help you." Fang Boqian said in a hoarse voice, and the flesh on his face began to tremble.
Sun Gang did not expect him to be so excited. It was really sad to think that if he had not changed the outcome of the Battle of Fengdao, he would have had a tragic end in the future. He was originally a senior officer who was well-versed in business and smooth in dealing with things. He was trusted by Li Hongzhang and Ding Ruchang, but his greed for enjoyment made his character a little cowardly. Strictly speaking, he was not a qualified soldier. Facing the bloody battlefield and the fierce enemy artillery fire, his heart might not be firm enough (put yourself in his shoes and think about the situation at that time. Even if it was replaced by the current "angry youth", their performance would not necessarily be better than his). If he could grow up in the smoke of war, he would be a good general.
Thinking of this, Sun Gang had an idea in mind and said with a smile: "Brother Yi, there is no need to be like this. This is my first time going out to sea, so I need you to take care of me."
"Brother Jingming, this is probably not your first time going out to sea, right?" Fang Boqian chuckled.
Sun Gang was stunned, and then he smiled as he saw his tacit understanding. "I have some questions that I would like to ask my cousin Yi. If possible, how about I help my cousin Yi and the officers and soldiers of Jiyuan to perform a great deed?"
"I dare not ask for your advice, but if you have any questions, my brother Jingming, I will tell you everything I know." Fang Boqian said happily.
Being a glorious sailor guarding the country's sea borders was Sun Gang's ambition when he was in primary school. By the time he was sitting in a small cubicle in a bank counting money like a worker ant, his old ideal had long since vanished into thin air. But now, when he learned that the majestic armored cruiser in front of him was specially sent to pick him up, his little heart, which was easily hurt and touched, was greatly satisfied at that moment.
The Beiyang Fleet's "Jiyuan" armored cruiser has a displacement of 2,300 tons, a length of 71.93 meters, a width of 10.36 meters, a draft of 5.18 meters, 2,800 horsepower, twin shafts and twin propellers, a speed of 16.5 knots, 210 mm twin main guns and 150 mm tail guns, as well as many small-caliber guns and multi-barrel guns. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have found it hard to believe that a decadent and declining feudal dynasty described in a textbook would have such a powerful warship, a 210 mm main gun! Its shells are enough to effortlessly blast open about 400 mm of armor at a distance of about 200 meters! The main gun of the German "Scharnhorst" battlecruiser (which sank an aircraft carrier with guns) that gave the British a headache in later generations was only 283 mm! Thinking of the humiliating fate that this mighty warship might face in the future, Sun Gang's heart seemed to bleed. The moment he stepped onto the deck of the warship, he had decided that the fate of this warship and the fleet it belonged to would also be rewritten in his hands!
I have already rewritten the outcome of the Battle of Tsushima, and I am going to change the outcome of the Battle of the Yellow Sea as well!
Even Togo Heihachiro died in my hands, so what else can't I kill?
How dare you pee in front of my house? You Japanese must have taken too many aphrodisiacs and think your dick is too long!
While leisurely enjoying himself on the "Jiyuan", he asked Fang Boqian many questions about naval warfare, and Fang Boqian gave him detailed answers. Fang Boqian was worthy of being a top student of the Greenwich Naval Academy in the UK, and he had many years of experience in the navy, so he was very experienced. However, a good student is not necessarily a good soldier (just like many three-good students in later schools, who really entered the society but could not survive). Soldiers are nurtured in the flames of war. If he could be encouraged to hone himself more in future naval battles, the result might be different.
Fang Boqian found it a little funny to see that he had almost filled up the notebook in his hand. This young man was obviously not very familiar with the navy's business, but he was humble and asked questions, and his questions were always on the key points. Although some of his suggestions sounded incredible, they were feasible when you thought about it carefully. He felt a little respect for him.
"I have benefited a lot from what you said, cousin Yi." Sun Gang was still a little unsatisfied and said, "There is one more thing I want to ask cousin Yi. Can the generation of 'ricochets' be controlled manually?"
"Artificially create a 'ricochet'?" Fang Boqian was stunned.
"I have learned a lot, so I don't remember some things clearly. I hope you won't laugh at me if what I said is right or wrong." Sun Gang said, "I read history books and read about the naval battles of the ancient Western countries. There were two fleets fighting each other. The ranges of the two fleets' guns were roughly the same, but the gunners on one side were good at 'ricocheting' and fired first outside the range, so that the shells would hit the water and then fly up to hit the enemy ship. The other side was not familiar with this artillery technique and could only fire within the range. As a result, they were defeated. I don't know if this is true or not. I hope you can teach me, brother Yi."
Fang Boqian's expression became stern, and he said solemnly, "I have learned your lesson. I will organize the gunners to test fire in a moment."
Fang Boqian took Sun Gang to observe around the warship again, and asked the gunners about some details of the naval battle. The gunners and some officers answered enthusiastically. According to them, the proportion of firing this kind of "water float bomb" is quite high, but no one usually pays attention to it. In fact, it is not too difficult to master it. Sun Gang couldn't suppress his excitement. The sailors of the Beiyang Fleet were of high quality, which was much better than the dilemma of half of the sailors of the Japanese Combined Fleet being temporarily recruited! If all the gunners can master it, it will be a disaster !
According to what Fang Boqian told him, the firing rate of the 210mm main gun of "Jiyuan" was one round per minute, and the firing rate of the 305mm main guns of "Dingyuan" and "Zhenyuan" was one round per four minutes.
How can we fully utilize the power of the Beiyang Fleet's heavy artillery to offset the advantages of the Japanese ships' large-caliber rapid-fire guns?
"We're almost at Weihai, sir." A sailor's words brought him back from his thoughts.
"You'll meet Lord Zhongtang and the military commander later, so you'd better think carefully before you speak." Fang Boqian patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "I'd like to congratulate you first."
Zhongtang? Li Hongzhang? Li Hongzhang wanted to see him? Sun Gang was startled, feeling both happy and uneasy.
Being able to meet Li Hongzhang means that his suggestions, which need to be implemented urgently, may be adopted by him. However, would the high-ranking Governor-General of Zhili and Minister of Beiyang listen to a small fry making gestures to his fleet?
When they arrived in Weihai, he followed Fang Boqian in a trance all the way to the Navy Commander's Office. There was a hall with several people sitting there. Sun Gang's eyes fell on an old man wearing brocade official uniform who was sitting in the first seat. He couldn't help but be stunned.
Li Hongzhang was not as cunning as portrayed in some books and some stupid TV dramas. Instead, he looked very amiable , with a kind and deep gaze, and even a hint of humor. He was very surprised why he had such a feeling.
As he was familiar with China's modern history, he was no stranger to Li Hongzhang, this old man who was labeled a "traitor" in textbooks of later generations (when he was a representative of the history class in junior high school and substituted for the teacher, he once scolded the teacher in class with righteous indignation. When he grew up and read more books, he realized that he had wronged others in many things). He still admired Li Hongzhang from the bottom of his heart. After all, too many firsts in China came from this old man. It was he who laid the foundation for China's modern industrial system and gave China the first real modern navy, which safeguarded China's maritime power in East Asia for more than ten years from infringement by the great powers. Not to mention the distant past, he had a credit card in his pocket that was from China Merchants Bank, which was a subsidiary of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company founded by him.
He felt inexplicably uncomfortable when he thought of those ignorant and self-righteous young people in later generations who enjoyed the fruits of his entrepreneurial efforts while spitting and accusing him of being a traitor.
