Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 489 Naval Battle and Victory

At the urging of President Fonseca, the Navy of the Republic of Brazil had to mobilize its fleet to go to the eastern waters of the Han State to carry out harassment operations.

On October 1889, 10, Navy Commander Ferreira ordered the fleet to assemble and replenish coal, ammunition, and supplies, and set off on a long voyage four days later.

At 10:25 a.m. on October 7, 5 hours earlier than planned,
Navy Commander Ferreira ordered more than 10 warships of various types, including a main ironclad ship, to stay behind, and personally led more than 30 warships to sail towards the southern Han waters.

At 10 pm on October 27, after a brief stop at the Paraná State Naval Base, the fleet arrived at the waters off the coast of Montevideo, Paraguay.

"Marshal, shall we enter the Paraná River basin along the estuary?"

The adjutant stepped forward to ask for instructions.

"Don't be in a hurry. First observe the enemy's defense situation in the coastal areas, and then decide whether to go deep into the Paraná River basin."

Ferreira stood in the command tower, looking through the window at the distant coast, observing the enemy situation.

"Wait until night, and take advantage of the darkness to send two gunboats to approach the Han army port to observe the deployment intelligence of the Han Navy's Atlantic Fleet."

The Han Kingdom had a strict blockade on external intelligence, and the Republic of Brazil lacked effective means to obtain intelligence. Therefore, Ferreira could only personally send ships to gather enemy intelligence.

"As you command, Your Excellency Marshal."

More than 30 warships were arranged in two columns according to the battle formation. In the northwest direction was the main battle group consisting of about 20 warships, led by the armored cruisers Riachuelo and Achuelo, commanded by Marshal Ferreira. In the southwest direction was the guard fleet consisting of more than 10 ships led by the cruiser Arvada, responsible for patrolling the northwest estuary to prevent the fleet's whereabouts from being discovered and the Han navy from breaking out from the Buenos Aires naval port to attack the fleet.

Riachuelo号和achuelo号装甲巡洋舰是同一级战舰，排水量5000吨，舰长93米。宽17.16米，吃水5.60米，装机功率4500马力，常压航速16节，两舰皆装备4门234mm后膛炮；6门140mm30倍口径单装炮、12门37毫米速射机关炮以及5具356mm水下鱼雷管。

Arvada号巡洋舰标准排水量5020吨，常压航速15.8节，装备两座双联装234mm炮台炮，4门40mm30倍口径单装炮，13门哈奇开斯37mm速射炮，5具356mm水下鱼雷发射管。

Except for an old ironclad ship left in Rio de Janeiro,
Riachuelo, Achuelo and Arvada were all new warships ordered from Britain. They entered service in 1883, 1884 and 1887 respectively and were the absolute main battleships of the Navy of the Republic of Brazil.

In order to avoid being discovered by the Han garrison troops along the coast, the fleet was still quite a distance away from the coast of Han. However, the columns of black smoke rising into the sky still indicated the existence of a large fleet. In the sea about tens of kilometers away from the Navy Fleet of the Republic of Brazil, an even larger fleet was accelerating, and its sailing direction was exactly where the Brazilian Navy fleet was.

The fleet is nearly twice the size of the Brazilian Navy, with main ironclad ships, armored cruisers, light cruisers, gunboats, torpedo boats, and various auxiliary ships, with a total of more than 50 ships.

The fleet was lined up in a horizontal line. The two warships in the lead were the main battleships of the Han Army's Atlantic Fleet, the Chaoyang and the Liming. The two ships were also ships of the same level, ordered from the German Vulcan Shipyard, with a displacement of 8500 tons. Each ship was equipped with four German Krupp 305mm breech-loading guns (one twin turret on the port and starboard sides, hydraulically powered, each gun weighing 4 tons, 31.5 times the caliber).

克虏伯150mm后膛副炮 6门（艏、艉各一门，每门炮重4.75吨，35倍口径）、75mm克虏伯炮6门、37mm五管哈乞开斯机关炮 8门、57mm、47mm哈乞开斯速射炮各2门，14吋鱼雷发射管3具（两舷各一具、舰尾一具，备有21枚鱼雷），加上主炮总炮数近30门。

Behind Chaoyang and Liming is a 1-ton Vanguard-class armored cruiser.

2艘排水量3200吨级胜利级巡洋舰、6艘排水量1350吨级永兴级轻型巡洋舰、7艘排水量760吨级海狮级炮舰、10艘排水量200吨级海狼级炮艇、15艘 120吨级海鲨级鱼雷舰以及部分辅助舰船，一共50余艘舰船依次排开，

Like a thrown arrow, shooting straight out.

"Report to the commander, the scheduled rendezvous time has passed, and no trace of the Brazilian Empire Fleet has been found!"

In the command tower of the Chaoyang, the flagship of the Han Navy's Atlantic Fleet, Deputy Captain and Navigator Shen Shouchang reported to Atlantic Fleet Commander Hou Taiyuan and Acting Captain Chen Shiding.

"Don't wait for them. Order the fleet to speed up! Target the waters along the line from Wuzhong City (Montevideo) to Songjiang Prefecture (Buenos Aires)!"

"Commander, could it be that the intelligence was wrong and the Brazilian Navy temporarily canceled the harassment operation plan and did not leave the port?"

Chen Shiding said cautiously.

"It is possible. We cannot rule out the possibility that the Brazilian Imperial Navy was delayed in joining our fleet due to other reasons."

Hou Taiyuan calmly analyzed the reasons why the Brazilian Imperial Navy did not rendezvous with his fleet as promised, and tried to make a judgment that was closest to the actual situation.

"Not only did the Brazilian Empire inform our army of the Brazilian Navy's deployment and request our army to cooperate in the battle, but the Empire also received news of the Brazilian Navy's departure from the military port through the Silva family and others. After comprehensive analysis, the intelligence should be correct."

Another naval officer analyzed. "Opportunities are fleeting. We have to take most of the main ships of the Imperial Navy with us this time. Whether the Brazilian Republic Navy appears along the coast of the Empire or not, we have to give it a try!"

Hou Taiyuan made the final decision and was not shaken by the unexpected situation of the Brazilian Imperial Navy Fleet.

The fleet was sailing at a high speed of 16 knots, and some smaller ships with a slower speed were gradually left behind.

At 4 p.m., a lookout on a Pioneer-class armored cruiser first discovered the presence of the Navy of the Republic of Brazil. The battle situation was reported to the flagship Chaoyang. Hou Taiyuan, who was in command, immediately made arrangements, forming a fast fleet with one 1-ton Pioneer-class armored cruiser, two 3500-ton Victory-class cruisers, and six 2-ton Sea Shark-class torpedo boats. They sailed from the flank in a northeast direction to block the enemy fleet's evacuation route. The remaining fleet attacked at full speed, focusing on the two main ironclad ships of the enemy fleet.

After the traces of the enemy fleet were discovered and combat orders were issued, the entire fleet experienced a brief period of chaos before splitting into two and sailing in different directions.

The shirtless sailors struggled to push shovelful of coal into the boiler. The towering chimney was like a giant who had eaten too much, spewing out thick smoke.

On the deck, harsh knocking sounds were heard, and teams of sailors went back and forth, transporting various types of shells to the corresponding gun positions.

The breech block was opened, the shells were loaded, and the muzzle was adjusted to different angles and orientations, pointing in different directions.

Everyone was on high alert, waiting for the battle to begin.

"Boom!" When the distance was shortened to 5000 meters, the Chaoyang took the lead in launching an attack. A shell fell into the sea about 70 meters away from the Riachuelo, causing a wave.

The distance between the two fleets was getting closer and closer, and dense artillery fire was spraying in two different directions, south and north.

The 305mm main guns equipped on the Chaoyang and Liming ships of the Chinese Navy have advantages in range and power over the 234mm main guns of the Riachuelo and Achuelo ships of the Brazilian Navy.

After 15 minutes of fighting, the deck of the Riachuelo was hit by a 305mm shell, killing and injuring more than 20 sailors.

After 30 minutes of fighting, two 2-ton torpedo boats of the Navy of the Republic of Brazil were sunk, and a 150-ton light cruiser was seriously damaged and lost its combat effectiveness.

Ferreira, commander of the Navy of the Republic of Brazil, ordered the fleet to change direction, trying to end the entanglement with the Han Navy fleet and escape. The Brazilian Navy fleets, receiving instructions from the flagship, tried to make a 180-degree turn, but unfortunately they were caught up by the Han Army's fast fleet from the flank and took advantage of the opportunity of changing course and disorganizing the formation to sink three gunboats in one fell swoop.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, the two fleets had been fighting for nearly an hour. The vast sea was filled with artillery fire, smoke, and raging fires. Various ships had lost power and were floating on the sea.

Sudden ambush and facing the Han Navy's Atlantic Fleet, which was well prepared and had advantages in tonnage and firepower, the Brazilian Republic's Navy Fleet was in a passive stage one hour before the war due to factors such as confusion, failure to effectively arrange response tactics, and insufficient understanding of the hydrological conditions in the battle area. Of course, the most important reason was the gap in the number of ships, tonnage, and firepower. After paying the price of nearly 1 small and medium-sized warships being either damaged or sunk, the remaining warships, under the experienced command of Ferreira, gradually overcame the chaos, reorganized the battle formation, and retreated to the outer waters while fighting back.

At 5:12 p.m., the Riachuelo, which was under the intensive attention of several ironclad ships of the Han Atlantic Fleet, was hit again. A 305mm main gun shell landed on the deck and a torpedo landed below the waterline. A large amount of seawater poured into the cabin through the gap formed by the torpedo impact. The speed of the ship became slower and slower, and the hull slowly tilted to the right. The sailors who were busy putting out the fire caused by the explosion of the shells on the deck noticed the explosion and water ingress in the cabin, but before they could react, they were hit by two 150mm shells. The deck was suddenly in a mess.

"Marshal, the Riachuelo has lost its combat capability, and the Arvada has been surrounded by the enemy fleet and cannot rendezvous with the flagship."

"Don't get entangled with the enemy, all ships should disperse and evacuate."

Looking at the Riachuelo and Arvada gradually distancing themselves from the flagship in the sunset, Ferreira painfully ordered a retreat.

At 6:47 in the evening, the sun was about to set over the sea. As the last three old and slow gunboats hoisted the white flag in surrender, the naval battle in the southeastern waters of Wuzhong City (Montevideo) gradually came to an end.

Including three main battleships, the Navy of the Republic of Brazil had a total of more than 30 ships. In the end, 13 ships successfully escaped from the battlefield and returned to the domestic port. Of the remaining 21 ships, the ironclad ship Riachuelo was seriously damaged and sunk, and the Arvada was damaged and captured. Of the remaining 19 ships, 7 were sunk by the Han army, and two were seriously damaged and beyond repair value. After the naval battle, they were replenished with ammunition and sank to the bottom of the sea. The other 10 ships were captured and towed back to the Songjiangfu military port of the Han Kingdom for comprehensive repairs.

As for the Han Atlantic Fleet, the Chaoyang was attacked by four 4mm main gun shells, the mast was destroyed, the deck was hit, and the two Krupp 234mm breech-loading secondary guns were destroyed. About 150 officers and soldiers on the ship were killed or wounded. The ship needed to return to the military port for basic repairs.

In addition to the damage to the Chaoyang, the Han army also paid the price of a 3200-ton Victory-class cruiser slightly damaged, a Yongxing-class light cruiser sunk, two Yongxing-class light cruisers slightly damaged, two 760-ton Sea Lion-class gunboats moderately damaged, and four 4-ton Sea Shark-class torpedo boats sunk.

At the end of the Wuzhong naval battle, more than half of the main fleet of the Brazilian Navy was lost. In the eastern waters of South America, the Brazilian Republic also lost its ability to fight against the Han Kingdom and the Brazilian Empire at sea.

When the smoke of the naval battle gradually dissipated and the Han Navy's Atlantic Fleet returned with the captured warships, the fleet led by Count Deu, the commander of the Brazilian Imperial Navy, finally arrived. It turned out that in order to prevent the news from leaking out from the north, the Brazilian Imperial Navy had specially set out the day before the Brazilian Republic Navy left the port. Unfortunately, because the Brazilian Republic Navy left the port 5 hours earlier and the boilers of two ironclad ships malfunctioned on the way, they missed this carefully planned naval battle.

The Brazilian Empire's naval fleet was inherited from the Pedro Empire era. Because of its disadvantages in actual control of land area, population, resources, etc., the country's main funds, manpower and material resources were tilted towards the army. Since the division of the empire in 1879, the Brazilian Empire's Navy has only newly commissioned two Yongxing-class cruisers with a displacement of 1350 tons and five 760-ton Sea Lion-class gunboats. This is because the Han Kingdom sold them at a low price due to the cooperation between the two sides. Except for these seven ships, the Brazilian Empire's Navy has never received new ships with a displacement of more than 500 tons. It is also because of the lack of naval strength that the Brazilian Empire requested to cooperate with the Han Kingdom Navy. On the one hand, it weakened the strength of the Brazilian Republic Navy. On the other hand, it also took advantage of the opportunity of fighting to create opportunities for the Brazilian Republic Navy officers who tended to be royalists on the ships, helping them gain command of the ships, and then hijack the warships to surrender.

Unfortunately, the seemingly perfect plan was destroyed due to the outdated performance and frequent malfunctions of the ships in our fleet.

(End of this chapter)