Master Yuan, start!

In addition, he has always been in charge of naval power, so he also has a sense of mutual respect for the "Beiyang Fleet" which is of the same lineage.

"Ambassador Ding, are you trying to say that it is unwise to seek a decisive battle at sea with the Russians at this time?" Yuan Xiangcheng looked at Ding Ruchang without looking away.

"That's right." Ding Ruchang bowed slightly and admitted it frankly.

"When Zuo Gong carried his coffin into Xinjiang to fight to the death with the Russians who had occupied Ili, Russia had already dispatched the Black Sea Fleet to the Far East to threaten the capital.

If they come again, how will the President respond?"

Ding Ruchang did not think it was a good idea to fight the Russians at sea at this time, because it would make the Russians pay attention to their naval power in advance.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet has added a lot of ships in recent years, and its total tonnage has exceeded 10, all of which are cruisers and battleships with the latest power.

This is not something the Vladivostok fleet can compare to.

The Vladivostok fleet is nominally 4 tons, but in fact 5% of it are old and outdated warships, and only the four new battleships transferred from the Black Sea Fleet are deterrent.

In other words, if the small Vladivostok fleet is defeated, the large Black Sea Fleet will be coming.

What's more, relying on the Vladivostok military port, it is still uncertain whether the Vladivostok fleet will lose!

"If, I mean if." Yuan Xiangcheng smiled slightly, took off his military cap, shook it in his hand, and said to Ding Ruchang:

"Ambassador Ding, if the Russian Black Sea Fleet is stuck in the Turkish Straits and can't get out, are you still worried?"

what?

Ding Ruchang turned his head quickly, his body tense, and looked at Yuan Xiangcheng in disbelief.

How could he be so sure that the Russians would be blocked in the Black Sea? Hadn't the Ottoman Empire already reached an agreement with Britain and France to turn the Turkish Straits into a neutral waterway?

"How about this, Ambassador Ding? How about a bet? Let's bet on whether the Russian Black Sea Fleet can successfully emerge from the Turkish Straits."

Yuan Xiangcheng put on his hat and said casually, "How about a bet with Captain Deng Shichang?"

Chapter 322 Zhiyuan and Yoshino

May 1896, 5, Whale Sea, Yongxing Bay.

The sky is cloudless and the waves are blue.

"Mr. Liu, thank you so much for taking care of me since we went out to sea!"

On the cruiser Hailong, Heihachiro Togo held Captain Liu Bohong's hands tightly, expressing his gratitude.

Just now, the assembled Sino-Japanese joint fleet docked in the eastern Gulf of Korea, waiting for some ships of the South China Sea Fleet to rendezvous, and also replenishing food and fresh water.

However, Japan at that time was indeed somewhat impoverished.

The domestic economic pressure was enormous. Although the Japanese Navy was an aristocratic military branch, each person was limited to 2 taels of white rice balls per day, no more.

Fortunately, compared to the army, the navy can be considered "favored"

After all, the navy can at least eat fine white rice every day, while the army’s food is said to be half mixed with miscellaneous grains.

If Japan continues to prepare for war without going to war, the navy will sooner or later be treated the same as the army.

Therefore, in the view of Heihachiro Togo, Japan's choice to "cooperate" with China to form a combined fleet was extremely wise.

Because Japan not only faces external pressure, but also internal pressure.

The most obvious thing is that there is not enough food.

After cooperating with Yuan Shikai, at least Japanese warships could resupply food to Korea for free.

This is the clause written in black and white in the secret agreement between Yuan and Japan.

However, what Togo Heihachiro did not expect was that the Chinese provided them with only refined rice, without a single grain.

Isn’t this military ration standard too high?

On the contrary, the Chinese military rations also contain miscellaneous grains.

He felt especially ashamed when he saw the Chinese navy eating a kind of steamed bun called "wo wo tou".

In order to fight against the Russian army, they would rather eat coarse grains themselves than provide refined rice to the Japanese friendly forces.

What kind of spirit is this? This is the Bushido spirit of bravery and frugality!

"Those bastards in the army and the Choshu clan, why did they invade Korea and make enemies with the Chinese for nothing?

If there hadn't been a 10-year Sino-Japanese freeze period from 1885 to 1895, relying on the Chinese market, Japan would have escaped its predicament long ago and wouldn't have fallen into its current state!

Japanese Navy Colonel Heihachiro Togo came from the Satsuma clan, and was naturally at odds with the Choshu clan, which was dominated by the army.

He was one of those people in Japan who supported the southward advance and was also unwilling to go to war with China on land.

The failure of the Japanese invasion of Korea in this time and space further strengthened his thinking.

So, when he saw how well the Chinese treated the Japanese Navy, he couldn't help but curse the stupid army idiots in his heart.

"Of course not, Dongxiang-kun. The white devils are attacking, and the yellow race should join hands to fight the enemy. Why would I care about a few pieces of refined rice?"

Liu Bohong waved his hand to indicate that it was nothing to worry about.

He smiled at Togo Heihachiro, but in his heart he had already given the chief instructor a thumbs up.

As early as a few years ago when the Beiyang Fleet was first established, an inexplicable disease was prevalent throughout the navy.

The longer naval soldiers are at sea, the more likely they are to experience symptoms of weak legs and general fatigue. In severe cases, they may even be unable to get out of bed.

But once you reach shore, as long as you take good care of yourself, you will always get better.

This disease does not look like the "sailor's disease scurvy" that foreigners call, because naval soldiers can drink an average of a cup of tea every day.

It was not until the chief instructor learned of this and forced all the navy members to eat a whole-grain steamed bun every day that the symptom gradually disappeared.

I guess the Japanese don’t know about this yet.

Eat, eat, eat more, you will have a hard time in the future!

Liu Bohong applauded Yuan Shikai's strategy in his heart, but he knew that he must not let the Japanese notice anything unusual.

So I could only put on a worried look on my face.

"Mr. Liu, are you worried about the Russian fleet?" Togo Heihachiro asked after the greetings.

"Exactly!"

Liu Bohong nodded.

Dongxiang's words dampened his joy.

If the Japanese Navy loses its combat effectiveness in the future, that is a matter of the future, but now it has to face the Russians head on.

From Yongxing Bay in eastern North Korea to the center of Vladivostok, a warship can arrive in less than a day.

It would be fine if the Russians came out to fight, but if they are unwilling to come out and hide in the port of Vladivostok, can the Sino-Japanese joint fleet really withstand the coastal defense artillery and fight the Russian army?

The Beiyang Fleet was, after all, a newly born navy. Although it had conducted many exercises in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, this was its first actual combat.

I feel unsure.

After a quick observation, Togo Heihachiro understood what Liu Bohong was thinking, so he comforted him, "Mr. Liu, don't worry!

The Empire of Japan and the Chinese Navy will definitely win!

The Russian army only has four new main battleships, while we have six in total. If a war breaks out, victory will definitely belong to the yellow race! "

"Yes, victory must belong to the yellow race!"

Liu Bohong remembered the huge iron box that the chief instructor asked him to carry onto the ship before going to sea. He turned his head and looked at the tall metal pole erected behind the warship's command tower, and his confidence was rekindled.

The chief instructor said that this thing is called "wireless telegraph" and can be used to send and receive information, just like the wired telegraphs used throughout the country.

The only difference is that wired telegraph requires a fixed place to be used, while wireless telegraph does not have so many restrictions!

It is said that this thing was developed by overseas teachers at Port Arthur University and was already available before the Hunan Expedition.

The reason it was not used immediately was that wireless telegraphy had been improving for nearly two years.

We are constantly improving it to cope with heavy humidity, fog and severe shaking at sea.

And now, the radio has finally been improved and can be put into actual combat.

"Win, we must win the naval battle!"

After Liu Bohong saw off Togo Heihachiro, he kept reciting in his heart.

At this moment, the first mate on duty on the Hailong armored cruiser looked at the South China Sea Fleet warships flying the blue sky, white sun and yellow Han flag in the distance, immediately put down the telescope and rang the bell.

"Friendly ship!"

Hearing the bell, Liu Bohong stood up almost immediately and also took out a telescope to confirm the ship.

"Zhiyuan, the South China Sea Fleet is here!"

The moment he saw it, Liu Bohong quickly walked to the deck and watched the Zhiyuan, which had come from afar, enter the port.

When the remaining first mate, sailors, and chief engineers heard the bell, they all put down their work and rushed to the deck, wanting to see the Zhiyuan which they had not seen for a long time.

That’s right, many of the middle and lower-level sailors in the Beiyang Fleet today once studied at the Tianjin Naval Academy, and all of them were proud to be able to board the Zhiyuan.

However, things changed, and the Zhiyuan followed Li Hongzhang south, so this group of naval cadets gave up this idea.

Later, Yuan Shikai established the Incheon Naval Academy, and this group of people traveled to Korea and eventually joined Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Fleet.

Therefore, they have an inexplicable feeling towards the Zhiyuan.

"Full left rudder, slow down!"

"Order the Guangjia to anchor away from the main ship. Inform all ships to prepare to disembark!"

Inside the Zhiyuan, Deng Shichang looked at the chimneys of the Hailong and Yoshino, which were gradually enlarged through the telescope, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Looking at the dozens of large and small cruisers and gunboats in Yongxing Bay, Deng Shichang gave an order.

The Zhiyuan took the lead, leaving a beautiful white wake in Yongxing Bay, then slowly slowed down and docked next to the battleship Yoshino.

Zhiyuan, Yoshino.

Two ships destined to be intertwined, in this world, cling to each other once again.

Chapter 323: Comparison of Enemy and Our Strength

May 1896, 5, Yongxing Bay, Korea, Naval Temporary Command Post.

"Liu Bohong, Captain of the Beiyang Fleet's Hailong, greets Instructor Deng!"