Seven Seas Beacon Fire

After all, for all the soldiers of the Royal Navy of Victoria, the highest ideal and goal was to become another general like Nelson. Horatio Nelson had an unparalleled reputation in the Royal Navy of Victoria, and the heroic deeds of this legendary general were not only the victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, but also the fact that he fell on the battlefield at the last moment of victory.

Nothing is more romantic and tragic than a valiant general dying on the battlefield from the last bullet, falling just before the dawn of victory. The British love that kind of thing!

Now, General Liu Duncheng from the East is practically living out Nelson's script. To any Briton, such a general would be a hero, the victorious commander of this naval battle. Just because he died, does that mean the Commonwealth won the naval battle? In any case, no matter what other countries think, the Britons will definitely be the first to disagree.

"There's really not much need to discuss who won."

Jericho nodded. The Britons believed they had won the Battle of Jutland. Although the Leitanians had a better exchange ratio than the Britons, from a strategic point of view, the Britons had thwarted the Leitanians' strategic ambitions. The Commonwealth had not won either strategically or tactically. How could this be called a victory?

It can only be said that this time, without the assistance of allies, the team was not completely wiped out like in the early stages of the war. The two sides were evenly matched on the field, much like in the World Cup qualifiers. In the first round, the Chinese national team was thrashed 0-7 by the underdogs, and in the second round, they lost 1-3. The 1-3 score and the performance on the field were indeed much better than the 0-7 match, but this does not change the fact that the 1-3 loss still means the Chinese national team is far inferior to the underdogs in terms of strength.

The Federation's strength lies in its vast war industry, but it is clear that before the large number of warships on the Federation's shipyards enter service, the Federation will find it difficult to gain an advantage over the Tang Dynasty Royal Navy, which inherited the mantle of the Ming Dynasty Royal Navy, with its existing forces.

"But in this way, all the efforts the Federation has made in its offensive against Borneo will probably be completely in vain, and they may even have to give up Luzon, which they have almost completely captured."

“Isn’t this a good result?” Betty said, “The Tang Empire is our biggest enemy right now, and the Federation is our current ally and our biggest enemy in the future. These two biggest enemies will continue to fight to the death on the ocean in the future. It’s as if God is blessing the Victoria Empire.”

Betty's views were clearly influenced by Leonard, given their long-standing good personal relationship, and his words were unanimously agreed upon by everyone present.

There couldn't be a better outcome.

Ultimately, both sides felt they had lost out in this outcome. For the Tang Empire, although winning this naval battle meant they could essentially reclaim Borneo and even Luzon, the newly established Tang Empire had lost the Kingdom of Japan, an important vassal state in the traditional Eastern political system, compared to the former Ming Empire.

Moreover, after the Kingdom of Japan fell into the hands of the Federation Army, the Federation gained access to the crucial edge of the World Island. The Yingzhou Islands can play a role in the East just like the British Isles played in Europe, which is to thoroughly annoy you.

The Tang Empire certainly wouldn't want to see the Federation deploy its troops and fleet on its doorstep, just as no one wants a gang of thugs lurking around their doorstep all day long.

From the perspective of the Federation, they also felt they had suffered a huge loss. The series of military defeats from the Silla Peninsula to Borneo had caused the Federation to lose a lot of resources it had invested in the war. Although it seemed that the Federation had made a profit by taking over the entire Kingdom of Japan, the Kingdom of Japan was still too small for the size of the Colombian Federation.

The Federation could have gained access to a broader market in the East. It was as if the Federation had picked up a stock at a bargain price, bought it at its lowest point, and watched it appreciate all the way up. There were good opportunities to sell the stock, but the Federation remained unmoved until now. Only when the Federation finally wanted to cash in on the stock did they discover that it had plummeted.

Although the current price after the crash is still higher than the price when they bought it at a bargain, many people don't think they made a small profit from this stock. Instead, they are staring at the plummeting points and lamenting how much they missed out on.

Is the Prime Minister preparing to mediate a war between the United States and China?

"It won't be the Prime Minister who mediates. We are still nominally at war with the Ming Empire. The Tang Empire has now inherited everything from the Ming Empire, so our country and the Ming Empire are in fact at war. After all, we also captured their Old Port Pacification Commission in this war, didn't we?"

"So, why did the Prime Minister ask us to hold this meeting today...?"

"We are not suitable to step in and coordinate, but there are countries in the world that are suitable to step in and coordinate."

"What country?"

"Ursas".

"Ursus?" Someone's voice rose eight octaves: "The Ursus people are being beaten so badly in this war, and a large part of that is thanks to the Ming Empire, right?"

"I remember that the founder of the Tang Empire, the former prince of the Ming Empire, fought the Ursus people the most in this war. Would the Federation be willing to let the Ursus people mediate between the Tang and the United States? But I think the Tang Empire would definitely strongly oppose it."

"I think it's probably the Federation that's unwilling, right? After all, given the current strength of the Ursus Federation, if they were to mobilize troops on the border to threaten the Ursus Federation..."

"My God, what are you all thinking? This just means that the Ursus people are more suitable as a country to propose mediation. As for how the talks go, what does that have to do with the Ursus people?"

Seeing the increasingly noisy conference room, Jericho tapped the table with his hand. After everyone quieted down, he said, "The biggest problem in mediating the war between these two countries is not just the current state of their battle lines. Ultimately, these two countries probably don't trust each other at all. Even if they reach a temporary ceasefire agreement, after catching their breath, they will definitely start an arms race again. After all, since the Federation took control of Yingzhou, the distance between their armies is simply too close."

"So, sir, what you mean is?"

Jellicoe paused for a moment, then said, “As everyone knows, our Royal Navy is still the world’s largest and most powerful naval force. However, from the Battle of the Java Sea to the Battle of the Bashi Channel, these battles have proven that the firepower of dreadnoughts is somewhat too weak in the face of today’s new battleships.”

Our Victorian Empire now possesses a large number of dreadnoughts. Our nation has already paid too high a price in this war. After the war ends, the Victorian Empire will no longer be able to support such a heavy navy. Under these circumstances, if the Tang Empire and the Federation start an arms race again, we will probably find it difficult to keep up with them.

Even now, both countries have new generations of capital ships under construction on their shipyards, so I think we can use our existing resources to exchange for their new capacity.

This was the first time the British had proposed the initial idea of ​​a naval restriction treaty in their high-level closed-door meeting. The British thinking at this time was very simple: although the British would like to see the United States and China fight a war of the century on the ocean, the Victorian Empire, which was already exhausted from this war, did not want a new war to come so soon. This world war had proven that once the flames of war were lit, many countries could not stay out of it. Whether they liked it or not, countries like Britain would always be drawn into the war, whether they were willing or not.

Therefore, the Victorian Empire at this time still believed that for the sake of peace for a generation, everyone should sit down and sign a treaty, with each country retaining the warships it already had. In this way, if no one built new ships, the arms race would naturally disappear.

Of course, at this time Britain was still having a very naive dream. "Preserving the existing fleet" was the biggest advantage for the British, because the British had the largest number of 15-inch gunboats and the most powerful vanguard fleet in the world. To put it bluntly, in this way, the British could "solidify" their current advantages.

Chapter 165 Is this a case of starting strong but ending weak?

The Dingyuan's whistle emitted a mournful wail, and Li Che stood on the deck looking at the rows of red coffins draped with naval flags.

He was attending a funeral, a sea burial.

The East and the West are different. Easterners have a tradition of returning to their roots after death. Generally speaking, Easterners always try to bring their remains back to their hometown for burial after death. However, on the sea, no tradition can compare to the reality of the storms. Therefore, naval officers are one of the few groups in the East who can accept not returning to their roots after death.

Although the conditions on warships are much better now than in the age of sail, for a high-ranking general like Liu Duncheng, his body could actually be preserved in a refrigerated container and brought back to the port.

However, on his deathbed, Liu Duncheng requested a sea burial, saying that he hoped his soul could remain on the sea forever.

Although the Northwest Garrison Army on land and the Royal Navy at sea were the two most radical and progressive armed groups in the country during the early Ming Dynasty, the Northwest Garrison Army sought to eliminate the gap between officers and soldiers and strive to create an atmosphere of equality among officers and soldiers. In contrast, the Navy's various regulations and every single event reflected a clear hierarchy.

Just like these coffins on the deck now, soldiers of different ranks use different coffins. Although all the coffins are made of the same material, the coffins of ordinary sailors have no decorations on the surface, while the coffins of officers of the rank of captain have gold-plated dragon patterns. As for the coffins of generals, in addition to gold-plated dragon patterns, there are also three gold stars representing their rank.

Liu Duncheng was a general, so there are three gold stars on his coffin.

The army pursues equality between officers and soldiers for the sake of combat effectiveness, and the navy emphasizes clear hierarchy, which is also for the sake of combat effectiveness.

There are three coffins with gold stars in them. In addition to Liu Duncheng, there are two major generals. These generals, along with the other officers and soldiers who sacrificed their lives in this naval battle on the Dingyuan, will remain on this sea forever.

"Attention! Ready! Release!"

"boom--"

The 27 officers serving as the honor guard stood in groups of three next to nine 75mm anti-aircraft/anti-torpedo guns. At this moment, these guns served as salutes. The nine guns roared continuously with empty propellant cartridges as they repeated the same commands and actions. The rumbling sound stimulated the eardrums of everyone on the aft deck. The sound was like war drums, or like a heartbeat.

The sea burial ceremony was presided over by Yang Yuchen, with Cheng Hengqi standing behind him. Once upon a time, in the Ming Dynasty navy, the Guangdong and Fujian factions were two factions that fought fiercely against each other, with personnel struggles raging between them.

But today, facing a common enemy, having experienced shared defeats and humiliations, supporting and helping each other to pull the navy out of the abyss, and now, as both sides cooperate and fight this decisive battle with the Federation, the past conflicts and grudges between the two sides have all been forgotten with a smile amidst the smoke of past battles.

Li Che was well aware of the humility and cooperation these generals showed each other in this great naval battle, whether it was the allocation of command before the battle or the experience of exchanging command during the war. Liu Duncheng was unaware of Yang Yuchen's whereabouts on his deathbed, so his last request was to hand over the command baton to Cheng Hengqi after they regrouped.

However, after Cheng Hengqi joined the main fleet with his battlecruisers, and as the battle entered its final stage before sunset, he faced the choice of whether or not to fight the Federation to the end. He chose to consult the older and more experienced Yang Yuchen.

Ultimately, Yang Yuchen's advice was to stop there.

The Federation Navy is the biggest enemy right now, but it is not the only enemy. Besides, the Federation Navy is like a fat man with limited mobility. Never doubt the fighting power of a fat man when he is fighting to the death.

Li Che has not slept for nearly 40 hours since yesterday, but he is surprisingly not sleepy at all. When the war first broke out, he was not old enough. By the time he was old enough to join the army and needed to set an example by joining, large-scale battles on the ground had basically ended.

Yesterday was, in fact, the largest battle he had ever personally experienced.

Having witnessed dozens of battleships lined up on the sea, spraying flames and smoke at each other, feeling the steel warships tremble under the hammering of armor-piercing kinetic energy projectiles, and experiencing how steel burns in the flames—all of this sends adrenaline soaring. But now that all the smoke has cleared, as a participant, as a military enthusiast who grew up in the 21st century in another timeline, Li Che, after personally experiencing this great battle, wonders if it was somewhat anticlimactic.

Especially in the final stages of the battle, after the Federation fleet began to change course northward, the Tang army no longer attempted to cut across the Federation forces, and neither side tried to shorten the distance. In the final engagement, the two sides maintained a distance of more than 15,000 meters, which was considered a long distance for naval warfare in that era.

Like some countries that cut out the colored block in the middle of their national flag when invaded by foreign enemies, the main guns of their current capital ships have a maximum elevation angle of only 12 degrees and a maximum range of only 14,200 meters. In other words, the final stage of the artillery fire is beyond the range of all the capital ships of a certain European power.

Before the two sides completely disengaged at sunset, the engagement distance widened again. As a result, although many capital ships on both sides suffered new damage, no capital ships were sunk. Compared to the initial clash of titans and the 180-degree turn and maneuvering tactics employed by both sides at the beginning, the final engagement was indeed somewhat bland and boring—although no one would have thought so at the time when both sides' cannons were roaring.

However, upon closer examination, the intensity of this battle was far greater than that of the Battle of Jutland in the North Sea.

In fact, the reason why the main battleships of both Tang and the Federation had such good protection design and specifications for this era was that, if it were the main battleships of other European countries at the same time, except for Letania, whether it was the Royal Victorian Navy which liked to assemble with belts, the Gallic Navy which left gaps in its protection, or the Syracuse Navy which made do with the thickness of its main armor belt... In short, if the main battleships of these countries' navies were to engage in a battle of this intensity for several hours, the losses on both sides would probably be at least double those of the Tang army and the Federation army now.

Moreover, given that both sides placed great emphasis on defense, this was undoubtedly the largest naval battle of the World War II in terms of duration, scale, and casualties, and its intensity far surpassed that of the Battle of Jutland.

After all, the only high-intensity engagements in the Battle of Jutland were between the fast capital ships of both sides. Seoul fled immediately upon seeing Jericho's large fleet. Many of the British battleships fired only a few dozen main gun shells in the Battle of Jutland without achieving any effective hits, because the window of engagement was simply too short.

Therefore, from this perspective, the intensity of the fighting was not low.

Moreover, after nightfall, the entire night's battle of wits and courage with the Federation submarines made Li Che realize even more clearly why seasoned generals like Yang Yuchen were so averse to fighting the enemy at night.

Although the entire fleet had done everything in its power, the fourth Suiyuan-class battlecruiser, Yuyuan, was hit by a 21-inch torpedo fired by a Federation submarine, which accidentally caused the torpedo in its underwater torpedo tube to explode. After four hours of damage control efforts, it was forced to abandon ship.

The battleship Hai Tao, one of the two dreadnoughts that had broken away from the formation due to damage during the daytime battle, was the last surviving member of the second-class dreadnoughts of the Ming Dynasty Navy. Its two older sisters were bravely sunk in the Battle of the Java Sea, while its two surviving sisters fought to the last moment against the Federation's most powerful battleship in this great battle. They were hit by a torpedo at night and their damage control failed.

This act of dying from a cold arrow after overcoming the most powerful enemy is indeed full of heroism, but the experience of scheming against the Federation submarines and torpedo boats all night also gave Li Che a good taste of the feelings that Admiral Benson had during the Battle of East Xinluo Bay.

Of course, the situation wasn't much better for the Federation forces. Almost all the Ming submarines around them surfaced after nightfall and attempted to attack the Federation forces at top speed to seize positions. However, unlike the Tang forces, who had to pass through the Bashi Channel to return and couldn't avoid the submarines and torpedo boats deployed by the Federation forces on Luzon Island, the Federation forces didn't head north blindly after nightfall. Instead, they shifted their course significantly eastward, heading towards the center of the ocean to try and shake off the pursuit of the surrounding submarines. This made them less vulnerable to submarine ambushes on their return journey compared to the Tang forces.

However, the USS Massachusetts, the fourth New York-class battleship, was already severely damaged during the daytime battle and could no longer keep up with the fleet, falling behind. Although McGiffin had equipped this battleship, whose speed was now only 12 knots, with an entire squadron of destroyers to escort it, theoretically, a lone battleship like this, accompanied by a group of destroyers, would be a much smaller target than the main fleet. Strict control of the lights at night might not have made it detectable by submarines, especially since the moonlight was not very good tonight.

However, the fire on the USS Massachusetts, which had started during the daytime battle, was brought under control for a time. But after nightfall, ammunition stored around an anti-torpedo gun emplacement exploded. The explosion did not cause serious damage, but it blasted a hole in the hull. This hole, along with another damaged section, formed a through-vent, allowing a large amount of fresh air to rush into the hull. As a result, the fire, which had been brought under control, reignited. Ultimately, the battleship, now with its lanterns lit, was attacked from two different directions by two Tang Dynasty submarines and was hit by more than seven torpedoes.

Two of the torpedoes struck the main deck when the battleship was almost completely capsized, causing serious casualties to many Union soldiers who jumped into the water to escape.

The reports from these two submarines initially led the Tang army to believe that each submarine had taken down a Federation battleship, but after summarizing the reports, it was discovered that the two submarines had destroyed the same ship.

All I can say is that you only realize how incredibly difficult it is to actually happen in reality after experiencing it firsthand. The epic, all-out naval battles that military enthusiasts imagine are far too rare to occur in reality.

There has always been a gap between ideals and reality.

After watching the last coffin containing General Liu Duncheng's remains slide into the sea along with the military flag draped over it, the sea burial ceremony finally came to an end. Li Che remembered that General Liu Duncheng had once said that if they were to return in triumph, they should drink a celebratory toast together. Now, thinking about it only made him feel endlessly sad.

"Your Highness, why don't you go back to your cabin and get some rest?" Cheng Hengqi, who was walking towards him, saw that Li Che was still standing on the deck after the sea burial ceremony. He had initially thought that Li Che was still upset about Liu Duncheng's death, but upon getting closer, he found that Li Che's expression was not good at all.

Normally speaking, for someone Li Che's age, going 40 hours without sleep isn't a particularly serious problem. Many college students his age have experienced what it's like to stay up for two consecutive nights, with a whole day spent online in between. However, the mental intensity required for playing games is completely different from the mental intensity required on the battlefield.

Therefore, Cheng Hengqi sincerely offered advice to Li Che, whose expression was somewhat unpleasant.

"Has the supporting artillery fleet been dispatched?" Li Che did not answer Cheng Hengqi directly. At this moment, his mind and nerves were still focused on the battlefield. The decisive battle at sea was over, and the main force of the Federation Navy had been forced to retreat. Now was the most suitable time for the artillery fleet to be dispatched. This was Li Che's current thought.

"The support fleet has been dispatched. The staff will handle these matters. Your Highness, you should go and get some sleep." Yang Yuchen also came over and patted Li Che's shoulder heavily. As if something had been patted away, Li Che felt a sudden wave of drowsiness wash over him. Just a moment ago, he thought his mind was very clear, but the next moment, a yawn had already escaped his mouth.

Realizing he needed rest, Li Che nodded and walked into the cabin alone. Still somewhat dazed, he found his bed—or at least his own bed—and lay down as if in freefall. The next moment, thunderous snoring filled the air.

Chapter 166 A Questioning Arrest? No, it's a Young Girl's Shyness!

When Li Che opened his eyes again, he saw a somewhat unfamiliar ceiling.

???

what's the situation?

I don't remember eating any green potatoes...

Li Che rolled out of bed, and the moment his feet touched the ground, he knew he was on the shore.

Where am I? Wasn't I on a ship before?

What happened? I remember I was so sleepy I fell asleep, not drunk and passed out!

How did we end up moving from the boat to the shore? I'm not that weak, am I?

At this moment, Li Che felt like he had a million questions in his mind, and he desperately wanted to ask someone. If he really had fainted on the ship and had to be carried off, it would be too embarrassing.

"Kid, you're pretty brave."

Suddenly a familiar voice reached his ears. Li Che turned his head to the side and saw that his grandfather was leaning against the sofa in the corner of the room. A lamp was lit next to him. The old man was holding a document in his hand and playing with an orange cat lying on his knee with his other hand.

"grandfather?"

"Is it a surprise to see me here?" Li Zongdi looked at his beloved grandson: "You advised me to be cautious and not to venture into dangerous places, saying that I should personally lead the expedition after the navy gained control of the sea. I could tell at the time that you were just making excuses for me and playing stalling games in front of me. I can tolerate your tricks in front of your grandfather, but you turn around and run to the front lines to be a hero. That's a bit too much."

When Li Zongdi said this, Li Che could feel that the old man's beard twitched abnormally. Li Che had seen this expression before in another world, and had seen it many times.

This situation can be described in one sentence: "Everyone could have shown off together, but now you've done it all."

"Grandpa..." Li Che came to the old man and bowed. "Grandson really shouldn't have tried to play tricks on you. I did want to persuade you to give up the idea of ​​personally leading the expedition, but you shut me down as soon as I came in. I could only go along with you and say that I was not there to oppose you. So I could only play the delaying tactic first, and then take it upon myself to pull the rug out from under you."

"You call this 'drawing the firewood from under the cauldron'?" The old man's voice rose three octaves, and he even used the formal "you," which made Li Che bow even lower.

"Grandpa, I guess I've solved the problem at its root in some way?"

"Which fundamental principle?"

"Why does Grandpa want to lead the army in person?" Li Che asked, carefully raising his head to observe the old man's expression. "Many people in the court think that Grandpa's style is something he can't change because of his battlefield experience. He's used to being a commander but isn't yet comfortable wearing the imperial robe. But I know that Grandpa's insistence on leading the army in person isn't simply because he still sees himself as a general. He wants to set an example."

After a moment of silence, Li Zongdi did not directly express his agreement, but said with some sigh: "No matter what, Yanping, Luzon and other places belong to the Song Prince's Mansion, and the Song Prince's Mansion has a very close relationship with the Ming court. The current Song Prince is one of the most steadfast royalists. From the perspective of the higher-ups, there are some rifts between the Song Prince's Mansion and us, after all, they are still using the banner of the Great Ming."

Of course, I don't blame them, but we must win back the hearts and minds of the people in these two places. The war will eventually end, and no one knows what the relationship between these two places and our Great Tang will be like in the future. So I must try my best to win back the hearts and minds of the people in these two places.”

Li Che knew what Li Zongdi was worried about. Luzon and Yanping were extremely important to the mainland, serving as the southern gateway for maritime defense. Especially after losing Yingzhou, these two places could not be lost in the future.

Although the people in these two places are mostly Han Chinese, and the two sides are now fighting in the same trenches and have a good relationship, relations between countries have never been so simple. What good is the good relationship now? Weren't the people of Ursus and Ukrainians even better back then? But 30 years later, on the land where their ancestors fought together against foreign enemies, the people of Ursus and Ukrainians are killing each other in a bloodbath.

Will Yanping and Luzon become like this in the future?

No one can give a definite answer about the future, not even him, a time traveler.

"Grandpa's personal campaign was actually to win the hearts and minds of the people in both regions. It's not a problem that the Song Prince's Mansion is loyal to the Ming Dynasty, because they are ultimately loyal to China. However, for about a year before you raised your army, Luzon and Yanping were almost abandoned by the local government and later the provisional government. The people in these two regions hate the Federation invaders on the one hand, and they also resent the mainland for standing idly by on the other. You wanted to set an example for the people in these two regions to show them that we have never abandoned them."

Li Zongdi nodded again: "You're indeed clever and farsighted, but you've set this example yourself, leaving your grandfather with absolutely no reason to personally lead the army..."

At this point, Li Zongdi cast a somewhat resentful glance at his grandson again, but then the old man's gaze softened: "Overall, you did a good job. You are a member of the Li family." The old man nodded: "Although you were clever before, you are, after all, the eldest son's son. I know the eldest son's personality. Although he is a good boy, I don't really like his temperament. Your temperament is not like his, but like mine, which is good."

Does that mean I've passed?

After boarding the ship, Li Che guessed that his grandfather would probably "educate" him once he found out. He guessed that his grandfather would educate him on the aspects mentioned above, and on the other hand, he would probably criticize him for not knowing the seriousness of the matter. After all, he had acted first and informed everyone later, and had entered the battlefield in a way similar to pulling the ladder away after climbing onto the roof.

However, his grandfather did not criticize him in this regard.

The old man seemed to see through Li Che's inner thoughts: "I won't criticize you for not informing me before going to the battlefield. Your grandfather has sent so many other people's sons and grandsons to the battlefield, so if my grandson wants to go to the battlefield on his own, I am the least qualified person in the country to stop him, and I will not stop him."