Another World: Naval Storm

"Colonel, Lieutenant General Rozhest has sent a message that they will cross the Tsushima Strait and go directly to Vladivostok. They asked us to go to Vladivostok to meet up!" Lieutenant Dawson reported.

"Why go to that cage? If they can make it to Vladivostok, our contract will be over! Then we will go to Fengqi Port."

"You mean they can't reach Vladivostok? But according to the intelligence provided, the Combined Fleet is cruising in the Formosa Strait and the Pacific Fleet has left them behind!" Dawson asked puzzled.

"I once saw a sentence in an ancient book in Xunyang: What you see is not necessarily the truth! Sometimes your eyes can deceive your brain." Leo said while pointing to his head.

"Then what do we do next?"

"Of course, go to Kyoto Bay and see if there is any chance to sneak in!" Leo said with a strange smile.

"But the Japanese should have been on high alert after the last attack!"

"The Japanese think so too! Only by taking the enemy by surprise can you attack them when they are unprepared!" Leo said, patting Dawson's head.

The 2nd Pacific Fleet was sailing on the sea at this time.

"As long as we cross the Tsushima Strait, our mission will be accomplished! Although we failed to rescue the Pacific Fleet, being able to reach Vladivostok is also a victory!" Rozhest comforted himself.

The Rakshasa Pacific Fleet finally arrived at the Tsushima Strait. After more than half a year of long-distance sailing, it would be over in a few days, and the Japanese fleet had been left far behind. The sailors finally relaxed. They sorted out their baggage and equipment, discarded the excess coal and fuel, in order to speed up and head towards Vladivostok.

At night, the noble ladies on the auxiliary medical ships of the Rakshasa fleet ignored the nighttime curfew, openly turned on the lights, laughed and celebrated. One can imagine how lax the Rakshasa people's military discipline was when they brought their families with them on a long expedition thousands of miles away to fight.

"The nobles are quite happy, but is this really all right?" Some officers and soldiers worriedly expressed their concerns as they watched the scene of singing and dancing.

"If the commander doesn't care, what can we do?" A lieutenant spat over there and started to eat the bread in his hand.

Not far from the Pacific 2nd Fleet, a Japanese reconnaissance ship, Shinano Maru, was sailing slowly behind the fleet.

"Tell General Dongping that the Rakshasa fleet has been discovered and is heading towards the Tsushima Strait!" The information soon reached Dongping Shimosaburo.

"Great! It's finally here!" Dongping Xia Saburo's heart finally settled down.

The Combined Fleet ambushed in the Tsushima Strait raised the classic "Z" battle flag on Togo Heihachiro's flagship. Togo Shimosaburo gave an impassioned speech to the officers and soldiers lined up on the flagship, and used signal flags to convey to the entire fleet, "The rise and fall of the Imperial Nation depends on this battle. All soldiers should fight bravely and sacrifice their lives to repay the country's kindness!"

In the early morning of the next day, the 2nd Rakshasa Pacific Fleet sailed into the calm Tsushima Strait, and everything seemed normal. However, what the fleet's naval officers and soldiers did not expect was that near noon, the main battleships of the Japanese Combined Fleet suddenly appeared not far away.

"Combined Fleet!"

"The Combined Fleet is ahead!" "The Japanese are coming!"

"How is it possible? Shouldn't they still be in the Formosa Strait? Where did they come from?" Rozhest couldn't believe his eyes. But the image in the telescope made him believe it. His crisis was coming!

The Second Pacific Fleet's warships are a mix of old and new, and the performance gap results in the entire fleet having a maximum speed of only 2 knots; the main force of the Japanese Combined Fleet can reach a maximum speed of 13 knots, and has an absolute advantage in maneuverability.

According to the intelligence report of the Shinano Maru, Tohei Shimosaburo was very clear about the number, speed, and formation of the Pacific Second Fleet, while the Russians knew nothing about the situation of the Combined Fleet. Such an asymmetric battlefield information gap was enough to make the Russians fall flat on their faces, and Tohei Shimosaburo's ambush was half successful.

"Keep up the speed, they can't escape!" Dongping Xia Saburo looked at the Rakshasa fleet with a strange smile.

The Combined Fleet followed the Pacific Fleet from behind, and at 11:25 a.m., the two sides engaged in a tentative exchange of fire, with minor losses on both sides. The Combined Fleet followed the Pacific Fleet like a ghost throughout the morning, causing great mental pressure on the officers and soldiers of the Rakshasa Fleet, further lowering their already low morale.

"Change formation! Each squadron and each ship must resolutely carry out the orders issued by the flagship. Violators will be punished by military law!"

At 11:50, the Russian fleet commander Rozhest ordered a change in formation to facilitate combat, and ordered the first and second squadrons to accelerate to 11 knots and sail in front of the other column. Since the other column was not ordered to slow down at the same time, the formation of the entire Russian fleet fell into chaos.

At 1:30, the Romanian and Japanese sides approached to 10 nautical miles, and the Pacific 2nd Fleet had not yet restored its chaotic formation. At 1:55, Tohei Shimosaburo imitated Nelson during the Battle of Trafalgar and once again sent out the signal that "the rise and fall of the Empire depends on this battle, and everyone should work hard."

"Lord Dongping, if we turn now we will be under the fire of the Rakshasa people!" Hinata exclaimed.

"Without paying a price, there will be no gain!"

At 2:5 p.m., in order to gain a favorable attacking position, Tohei Shimosaburo resolutely ordered a large turn in front of the enemy, the famous "U" turn.

At 2:8, the flagship of the Russian Pacific Fleet, Duke Suvorov, opened fire on the Combined Fleet. The Russian Navy seized the opportunity when the Japanese army turned and changed its formation, and regardless of the range of the artillery, they all fired first from a distance of meters, causing varying degrees of damage to many Japanese ships.

However, due to the fact that the effective range was exceeded, the Rakshasa Navy’s naval guns were outdated, the error was large, and the sailors’ combat skills were rough. As a result, although the artillery fire was fierce and damaged many Japanese ships, even the bridge of the joint flagship Mikasa was damaged, no Japanese warships were sunk. The combined fleet, which was under the attack of artillery fire, was so tenacious that it was terrifying.

The Japanese combined fleet, which had completed the formation change, occupied an advantageous upwind position. The thick smoke drifting from the upwind position seriously interfered with the sight of the Rakshasa Navy gunners.

"Our moment has come!" With gauze wrapped around his head and his hands on the command desk, Tohei Shimosaburo shouted to everyone in the room. Everyone looked at Tohei Shimosaburo as if they were looking at a god. When the bridge of the Mikasa was hit by a cannon, he showed no fear and responded calmly. He insisted on commanding even when he was injured, which won everyone's admiration.

At 2:11 a.m., the Combined Fleet's flagship battleship Mikasa, which had completed its turn, opened fire in retaliation. The main battleships of both sides began an artillery battle within a distance of 6000 meters, and the Battle of Tsushima officially began.