The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 929 Heaven's Contempt

July in Beijing was stiflingly hot, like a sauna. Outside Zhengyangmen Railway Station, the crowds were slick with sweat and dust. Yuan Shikai wiped the oily sweat from his brow; his military boots slammed against the scorching cobblestones, the heat palpable even through the soles. Wang Zhengyi followed behind him carrying a leather suitcase. Feng Guozhang and Qu Hongji discussed the war situation with Western Japan in hushed tones, while Duan Qirui squinted at the station square—two newly erected sandbag fortifications, each equipped with a dark Gatling gun, seemed to declare to the passersby that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was now at war.

A hawker's cry suddenly pierced the eardrums: "Buy sesame cakes! Meat sesame cakes with door nails—"

Yuan Shikai suddenly stopped, as if he had heard a terrifying sound!

It was a woman's Beijing accent, sharp and laced with a hint of arrogance. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw an old woman in an indigo coarse cloth shirt standing under the cloth banner of "Rongji Baked Flatbread." Her temples were gray, and deep wrinkles etched around her eyes. She was using tongs to turn the flatbreads in the oven. Oil splattered onto the back of her hand, but she didn't seem to care. She just glanced at the queue of people with her hawk-like eyes.

"My lord?" Duan Qirui sensed something was amiss.

Yuan Shikai's throat tightened. He had never seen "Nara" before, but at this moment, a chill ran down his spine like a venomous snake coiling around his neck—the old woman's eyes gave him the feeling that his life was about to be lost.

Wang Zhengyi, all smiles, approached the stall, two silver dollars clinking into the money box: "Sister Rong, why are you setting up the stall today? Where's Old Rong?"

The old woman grinned, revealing two gold teeth: "He has an old friend who came back to Tianjin from the United States by ship to visit relatives. He went to pick someone up." She deftly wrapped up twenty meat pies, tying them neatly with oil paper. "Commander Wang, you're still going on a business trip in this sweltering heat?"

"It's an urgent matter!" Wang Zhengyi picked up the oil paper package and gestured towards Yuan Shikai with his chin. "Look, Lord Yuan has been ordered to go to Temple Street to pick up some distinguished guests."

The old woman's gaze suddenly fixed on Yuan Shikai's face. Her scrutiny was like a bone-scraping knife, almost making him stagger. It wasn't until Wang Zhengyi pulled him into the shade of the platform that Yuan Shikai realized his back was soaked with sweat.

“A ship sent by the navy…” Wang Zhengyi glanced at Yuan Shikai, who was sweating profusely, and thought he was afraid of the heat, so he smiled, tore open the oil paper, and handed him a sesame seed cake. “Dingyuan, Deng Shichang’s ship! You’ll feel comfortable once you’re on board. It’s cool at sea!”

The meat patties were piping hot, but Yuan Shikai had no appetite. He was thinking that he was perfectly fine in the west, so why was he so easily startled in Beijing? Was he sick? He should find a doctor to take a good look at him!
At the end of the platform, a dark green train spews out white steam, and the bronze bell on its engine rings out.

A cool sea breeze blew into the carriage. As soon as Yuan Shikai peeked out, his gaze was immediately drawn to a massive steel warship in the harbor.

The Dingyuan warship stretched across the dock like a black mountain range.

This is not the old Dingyuan, but a newly commissioned Jingyuan-class destroyer!

Four twin 210mm main gun turrets stood imposingly, the sloping armor belts gleaming with an indestructible cold light under the blazing sun. The steam engines were already running, and plumes of smoke from the funnels trailed long, dark streaks across the sky. Two 2,000-ton Wuxian-class light cruisers stood guard on either side like two "armed bodyguards," further emphasizing the immense size of this 10,000-ton ship. Wang Zhengyi's voice was filled with excitement: "Did you see that? In the Battle of Saipan a while ago, this class of ship single-handedly sank two British Rafale battleships and even rammed and sank the British battleship HMS Revenge!"

Footsteps approached with a click. A naval lieutenant walked in, chest out and head held high. His crisp white summer uniform was pressed perfectly, and two beams of arrogant light shone from the shadow cast by his low-brimmed hat: "Army Colonel Wang Zhengyi?"

"Exactly."

"Naval Ensign Li Yuanhong." He gave a hasty salute, his lips curling as his gaze swept over Yuan Shikai's army uniform. "By order of Commander Deng, I am here to escort you all aboard the ship."

This time, it was Duan Qirui's turn to feel uneasy. He saw the country bumpkin clench his fists—he sensed the contempt in Li Yuanhong's eyes, as if Li Yuanhong were looking at him like a village thug carrying a hoe.
The gangway was extremely steep. As the chubby Yuan Shikai carefully climbed, gripping the handrail, he heard a faint humming coming from the steel beneath his feet. This was not the creaking sound of a wooden warship of the Tang Dynasty starting up, but the roar of the steam engine of a 10,000-ton armored cruiser.

With a long blast of its horn, the Dingyuan warship cleaved through the turbulent waves of the Bohai Sea. Yuan Shikai leaned on the railing, gazing into the distance, the hydraulic hum of the main gun turret slowly rotating and being adjusted sounding like the low growl of a giant beast.

"In the eyes of the navy, our army's guns and cannons are no different from fire sticks."

Wang Zhengyi handed over the binoculars, pointing to the rotating rangefinder at the stern: "See that copper tube? That's a composite rangefinder. With it for ranging and a 210mm cannon, we can penetrate a cruiser's hull at 8,000 meters! Our army's most advanced 150mm howitzer is barely able to hit a target 5,000 meters away?"

Duan Qirui stared at the spotless teak floorboards on the deck and suddenly said, "If only our Caspian Navy had warships like these..."

Yuan Shikai remained silent. Amidst the roar of waves crashing against the bow of the ship, he couldn't help but think of the "New Policies" and "Reform"—of course, 12000-ton behemoths weren't needed on the Caspian Sea, but surely they couldn't all be wooden boats? Even the Qajar dynasty of Persia didn't take those dilapidated ships seriously. A few thousand-ton gunboats would be a good idea; with those things, perhaps the Tang Dynasty could restore the Persian Protectorate.
"Report!" Li Yuanhong suddenly appeared. "Commander Deng requests Lord Yuan to come to the bridge!"

Inside the bridge, Deng Shichang stood impeccably in his military uniform before the nautical chart, saying without turning his head, "The Russian Yermark just arrived in Nikolayevsk-on-Amur. We should be there in two or three days." He tapped his finger on the edge of the chart, pointing to the Japanese island of Kyushu. "However, we might encounter commerce raiders from western Japan in the Sea of ​​Japan."

Before he could finish speaking, a lieutenant rushed out of the communications room: "Report! The Western Japanese Empire's 'Yoshino' and 'Akitsushima' have broken through the Western Pacific Fleet's blockade and entered the Sea of ​​Japan."

Deng Shichang took the telegram, glanced at the text, and a cold smile appeared on his lips: "Ha, two British-made commerce raiders dare to trespass on our territory?" He turned to Yuan Shikai, his tone calm but exuding an unquestionable authority: "Lord Yuan, my ship has a little trouble to deal with. You and the others should go back to your cabins to rest first."

Yuan Shikai was taken aback: "Commander Deng, what is this...?"

Deng Shichang did not answer, but turned around and strode towards the command platform, suddenly sounding the battle alarm.

"Woo-wu-wu-"

A piercing alarm blared throughout the ship, and the deck instantly erupted in chaos. Sailors rushed from all compartments to their battle stations. The turret hydraulic presses hummed, and the 210mm main guns slowly turned southeast.

"Full speed ahead! 24 knots!" Deng Shichang's voice boomed throughout the ship through the megaphone. "Target: West Japanese commerce raider!" The Dingyuan's triple-expansion steam engines roared deafeningly, thick black smoke billowing from its funnels. The ship shuddered violently, its speed rapidly increasing. Yuan Shikai stumbled from the sudden acceleration, and Duan Qirui caught him, saying, "Sir, be careful!"

"This...this is going to be a war?" Yuan Shikai's face turned pale.

Wang Zhengyi grinned: "Lord Yuan, you've really seen something new today!"

The Sea of ​​Japan is turbulent.

The Yoshino and Akitsushima were speeding northwest at 22 knots. These two fast cruisers, possessing excellent speed and firepower, were commerce raiders custom-designed by the British Empire for the Western Japanese Navy!

After severing diplomatic relations and declaring war on the British Empire, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom changed its original policy of "not intervening in the Japanese civil war" and instead sent a fleet to blockade Sasebo Bay, hoping to trap the Western Japanese Navy inside. However, the ships sent by the Western Pacific Fleet to do this were all a bit old, with the main force being the "old Zhenyuan-class" and "Dinghai-class" ships. Their firepower was sufficient to deal with the Western Japanese Navy's "Yamato" and "Musashi" ships, but they couldn't stop the British from giving them two fast commerce raiders.

However, Ito Kōsuke, the commander of the Japanese commerce raiding fleet, never expected that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's main warships had wireless telegraph machines!

Moreover, Deng Shichang and his armored cruiser "Dingyuan" were in the waters near Tsushima Island in the Sea of ​​Japan!

This is really a case of enemies meeting on a narrow road!
"Captain! Unidentified vessel spotted!" the lookout suddenly shouted.

Captain Ito Kōsuke of the Yoshino raised his binoculars, his pupils suddenly contracting—in the distance, on the sea surface, a plume of black smoke pierced the sky like a sword, and a colossal warship was approaching at an alarming speed!

"It's a 'Jingyuan' class weapon from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!" the adjutant exclaimed, his voice trembling. "How...how could it be here?!"

Ito Kyosuke's face was ashen: "Full speed ahead! Turn southwest!"

But it's too late.

The rangefinder of the Dingyuan warship locked onto the target, and the "humanoid computer" inside the gunnery bridge quickly solved the problem. Deng Shichang stood on the bridge, his gaze icy: "Main guns ready, target A, half salvo, fire!"

"boom--!"

The four 210mm main guns roared simultaneously, their shells tearing through the air and hurtling toward the target.

The Yoshino made an emergency turn, but it was too late. Two shells slammed into the seawater in front of the bow, sending up two columns of water!
"Damn it!" Ito Toru roared, "Fight back! Full speed ahead, retreat!"

The Yoshino's 152mm rapid-fire guns opened fire wildly, but the bullets were at least several hundred meters away from the Dingyuan, clearly indicating that they were firing randomly.

Deng Shichang smiled dismissively: "Continue the bombardment, don't let them get away!"

An hour later, the battle ended.

The Yoshino fled in disarray, trailing thick smoke, heading towards the Kanmon Strait, while the Akitsushima was sunk by the Dingyuan in a few hits.

Yuan Shikai stood on the deck, watching the smoke of battle gradually dissipate in the distance, and was deeply shocked.

Deng Shichang walked to his side and said calmly, "Lord Yuan, we can continue towards Temple Street now."

Yuan Shikai took a deep breath: "Commander Deng, only today do I truly understand what a powerful ship and cannon are!"

Deng Shichang smiled and looked towards the horizon in the direction of the Liaodong Peninsula: "'Jingyuan'-class ships can no longer be considered powerful warships with formidable guns."

At the same time, the outfitting dock of Dalian Shipyard at the foot of Baiyushan Mountain in Lushun was bustling with activity.

The colossal hull of the "Qianlong"-class battleship, the Tianjing, lay dormant on the outfitting pier. Its 200-meter-long, dark keel resembled the spine of a reclining dragon. Workers were unloading scaffolding and various tools from the completed behemoth. Xu Jianyin, his oil-stained gloves brushing against the design drawings, spoke in a hoarse but excited voice: "Standard displacement 19800 tons, four twin 280mm main gun turrets—the gun mounts have a half-meter margin, ready to be replaced with 305mm guns at any time! The main armament is angled at 12°, made of 300mm carburized steel stacked with 40mm teak, equivalent to 380mm!"

Luo Yaoguo traced the ship's hull diagram with his finger: "The triple-expansion mechanism is still a bit weak."

"20,000 horsepower is the limit!" Xu Jianyin said urgently. "The bulbous bow reduces drag by 18%, and the V-shaped hull has 30% better wave resistance than British ships! As long as we don't chase after British battlecruisers, 20.5 knots is enough to crush their battleships!"

A young admiral emerged from the shadows, his rank insignia gleaming in the sunlight. Luo Yaoguo slapped a transfer order into his palm: "You idiot, this 'Hidden Dragon' is yours." He looked up at the inky black sea beyond the dock, "Once the sea trials are over, take it to the South Pacific and let the British know—the skies over the Pacific have changed!"

(End of this chapter)