The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 941 Tremble, Indian Ocean! (Seeking monthly votes)

A gray, velvety blanket of morning mist covered the sea. On the bridge of HMS Sovereign, flagship of the British "Hounds" squadron, Commodore Alfred Hawkins struggled to contain his excitement. Just two hours earlier, an airship had delivered the location of their targets—a Type 2 Sea Dragon battleship and a Type 52 armored cruiser were heading towards the Ten Degrees Strait. "Finally caught those rats!" Hawkins grinned maliciously. He could almost see the Times' front page headline: "General Hawkins Annihilates Enemy in the Indian Ocean!"

The triple-expansion steam engines of the HMS Sovereign roared as its bow cleaved through the azure waves. Hawkins turned to his staff and ordered, "Full speed ahead! Today we'll show the Taiping Army who the masters of the sea are!" The three light cruisers spread out like hunting dogs, forming a search net. The 254mm main gun turrets of the second-class battleship HMS Warrior slowly turned, their muzzles pointing southeast—towards the predicted course of the "Sea Dragon II."

At 7:15 a.m., the outlines of two mountain ranges suddenly emerged from the fog.

"Enemy ship confirmed, 10000 yards away!" the lookout shouted.

Hawkins raised his binoculars, his smile freezing for a moment—the hull of that "Sea Dragon II" seemed to be a size larger than the "Sea Dragon II" he had seen in the "Battle of the Riau Islands"!

Was he seeing things? Hawkins rubbed his eyes hard after putting down the binoculars, then raised them again and stared intently at the ships in the morning mist.

"Two enemy ships, 9000 yards away!" the lookout shouted again. "One 'Jingyuan'-class destroyer, and the other one..."

The sound from the lookout in the megaphone suddenly went silent.

"My God!" Hawkins suddenly remembered something, his throat tightening, "It's a 'Hidden Dragon' class!" he roared, "Order! Concentrate fire on that big ship!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The four 254mm main guns of the "Junquan" began with a half-salvo, the shells tearing through the fog and crashing into the "Tianjing", landing more than 300 meters off the port side of the "Tianjing" and kicking up a water column as high as 30 meters.

Inside the command tower of the "Tianjing," Luo Xinhua gazed at the four water columns more than 300 meters away, a smug smile playing on his lips. He had long known the power of the "Junquan" class's 254mm main guns; they couldn't possibly penetrate the "Tianjing's" main armor belt—a 300mm carburized steel and 40mm teak composite layer at a 15-degree angle, equivalent to 380mm homogeneous steel vertical armor—theoretically capable of withstanding a 380mm armor-piercing shell at a distance of 8000 meters! And such a large-caliber rapid-fire gun didn't even exist yet!

Of course, it would be difficult for the Tianjing's 280mm main guns to penetrate the Junquan-class armor at a distance of more than 8000 meters. According to intelligence, the Junquan-class had 229mm of Harvey steel, and the Tianjing would have to get closer to 4000 meters to penetrate it!

"Navigator, plan the course and close the distance to within 4000 meters!" Luo Xinhua shouted the order. "Notify the main fire control station to formulate a shelling plan!"

No sooner had he given the order than the observation post on the bridge of the naval vessel shouted, "Fire!"

Luo Xinhua looked up and saw that the ship that had opened fire was a Centurion-class vessel—it seemed the British were going to concentrate their fire on the Tianjing!

This is good news. The Tianjing is tough and resilient, definitely able to withstand damage. In comparison, the Jingyuan is much weaker and cannot withstand 254mm armor-piercing shells.

Inside the command tower of the "Kingdom," Hawkins was intently watching the "Tianjing" through his observation binoculars. He saw the "Tianjing" accelerating toward him and immediately ordered, "Navigation officer, maintain a distance of more than 6000 meters from the target Alpha (the code name of the Tianjing)."

He dared not get too close to this "Hidden Dragon" class!

At the same time, the four twin 280mm main gun turrets of the "Tianjing" slowly turned, their muzzles locking onto the "Junquan" in the distance. Luo Xinhua stood in the conning tower, watching the enemy ship's movements through the armored observation windows. He could clearly see the "Junquan's" funnels spewing black smoke, clearly accelerating at full speed, trying to maintain distance.

"Fire control station reporting!" came the gunner's voice through the loudspeaker. "Target distance 6000 meters, heading southeast, speed 18 knots!"

Luo Xinhua nodded slightly: "Main guns ready, first test firing!"

The hull of the "Tianjing" trembled slightly, and the four turrets successively spewed out orange-red tongues of fire. The shells pierced the sky and smashed into the blue sea, creating plumes of water.

"Clamp up!" The observer's excited shout echoed in the command tower of the "Tianjing".

Luo Xinhua's smugness deepened, but there was no sign of relief. "Good! Fire control station, calculate quickly! Target movement is stable, maintain current parameters and make minor adjustments, correct to strafing fire! All ships accelerate, close to 4000 meters!"

He understood that while British firepower couldn't threaten his main armor belt for the time being, a hit on a vulnerable area—the main gun turret, the conning tower—under the dense barrage, or even a near-disaster below the waterline at the stern causing flooding, could still be disastrous. The only safe strategy was to quickly close the distance and tear the enemy apart with his equally lethal firepower!

The massive Tianjing roared, its triple-expansion steam engines sending surging power to the propellers. The bow sliced ​​through huge waves as it charged headlong into the heart of the Hound Squadron.

On the "Sovereign," Hawkins felt a cold sweat instantly soak the back of his collar. The four precisely falling water jets felt like four icicles piercing his heart.

“My God, their fire control…it’s too fast! Is this…is this the power of the Artillery Witch?” Hawkins’ voice trembled slightly. He had clearly seen that the Tianjing’s first round of “test firing” had created a pincer movement, meaning that the enemy’s fire control system was far more efficient than their own. “Maintain distance! All guns! Aim at target Alpha! Fire hard! 'Warrior' and 'Hurricane' provide fire support! Light cruisers, harass target Alpha with your 6-inch guns!”

His orders were swiftly carried out. Almost all of the British fleet's firepower was unleashed upon the massive steel target. The 10-inch main guns of HMS Sovereign and HMS Warrior, the 9.2-inch main guns of HMS Hurricane, and the 6-inch secondary guns of the light cruisers rained down on the area where the Tianjing was located. The sea boiled, dense columns of water rising and falling, enveloping the Tianjing in a curtain of water and smoke.

Although the 10-inch guns of the two British battleships and the 9.2-inch guns of HMS Hurricane all missed their targets, the shrapnel from the 6-inch guns of the three light cruisers quickly pounded against the thick armor of the Tianjing like a metallic storm, producing a sickening scraping and muffled sound. Occasionally, one or two shells from the light cruisers hit the superstructure, exploding into small flashes, but having no effect on the core. Several muffled explosions came from below the waterline, the impact of near misses.

"Report the damage!" Luo Xinhua's voice remained calm.

"One six-inch shell hit the top of turret B, minor damage, not affecting combat! One small-caliber shell hit the port secondary gun position, two sailors killed! No water ingress reported below the waterline! Main armor belt undamaged!" The damage control officer's hoarse voice came through the loudspeaker.

Luo Xinhua nodded: "Very good! Fire control station! Target A (Junquan)! Second round of firing, aim accurately!"

Less than a minute later, the massive muzzle of the "Tianjing" once again flashed with a deadly orange-red light! The eight 280mm cannons roared, launching shells! It was still a "clamping fork," but this time the "clamping" was even tighter.

Another minute and a half later, the main guns of the "Tianjing" once again emitted an orange glow!

"Take cover!" Hawkins shouted desperately from behind the observation scope. He had already sensed something was wrong, but turning the giant ship was no easy task!
Seconds later, a deadly wall of fire suddenly rose around the "Sovereign"!

Boom! Whoosh—!

The nearest impact point was less than fifty meters to the starboard side of the bow! A huge column of water almost hit the deck!

This is a cross-shot!

"Quickly, right rudder 5!" Hawkins gave the order again, instructing the helmsman to make slight adjustments to the course in an attempt to sail out of the "Tianjing's" crossfire zone.

However, a large ship is slow to turn around! And the eight 280mm guns of the "Tianjing" soon began to fire with deadly force!

Just one and a half minutes later, thud! Crash!
An armor-piercing shell accurately struck the secondary gun emplacement amidships of the "Kingdom"! The massive explosion instantly tore through the armor protection of the secondary gun emplacement, turning the entire emplacement and dozens of sailors around it into a burning fireball, with flames soaring into the sky!

A minute later, another shell exploded at close range on the sea surface near the port side funnel, and a huge underwater shockwave slammed into the port side underwater hull of the "Kingdom"! The ship shuddered violently, as if struck by a giant hammer! A piercing sound of metal tearing apart rang out!
"Report! Severe damage to the midship deck! Secondary gun crews destroyed! Fire! Suspected rupture in the underwater hull on the port side! Boiler room C reports an abnormal pressure drop!" The urgent cries of damage control echoed in the bridge, the alarm wailing mournfully.

Hawkins' face turned deathly pale. He had witnessed the armor-piercing shell tear through his secondary armor belt like ripping cardboard! Even more terrifying was the impact of the near-miss underwater shell! At a distance of 4000 meters, the enemy's main gun's power had become extremely formidable!
A cracked hull and flooding of the boiler room meant slowing down!
"Hard to starboard! Warrior, push forward! Cover the flagship!" he shouted hoarsely, feeling a deep-seated fear for the first time. This wasn't hunting rats; it was running into a heavily armed steel dragon!
Just as the Junquan was hit by a medium-sized gun, fell into chaos and burned, the second-class battleship Yongshi, which had been bearing the fire of the armored cruiser Jingyuan, faithfully carried out the order to cover the flagship, increased its speed and tried to insert itself between the Tianjing and the Junquan, using its body to block the line of fire.

Luo Xinhua had a clear view from the Tianjing. "The British are getting anxious! A good opportunity! Main gun turrets, split up the targets! Turrets A and B, lock onto target A! Turrets C and D, target B! Fire control stations, calculate according to your respective routes! Concentrate firepower and quickly take out these two big guys! Jingyuan, engage the British light cruiser and that armored cruiser!"

Inside the command tower of the "Tianjing," the operations staff rapidly relayed orders. In Luo Xinhua's eyes, the "Warrior's" reckless actions were nothing short of suicidal. It had exposed its entire flank at a distance of less than 4000 meters; this main armor belt of the less than 12000-ton "small warship" was no insurmountable obstacle to the "Tianjing's" 280mm main guns, which were already engaged in combat.

The fire control parameters were quickly calculated, and the C and D turrets were rapidly adjusted in direction.

"Target B, target locked!"

"Fire!"

boom! boom! boom! boom!
Five and a half salvos from just the C and D twin turrets of the "Tianjing"!

Two 280mm armor-piercing rounds traced a true arc of death. At a distance of less than 4000 meters, the fire control calculations were near perfect.

Thud! Clang! Boom!

An armor-piercing shell slammed into the vicinity of the D turret base at the stern of the HMS Warrior! The hard Harvey steel armor was dented and shattered by the enormous kinetic energy. Although the violent explosion did not completely destroy the turret, the twisted structure jammed the turret ring, instantly paralyzing the D turret! The fireball and blast wave from the explosion swept across the stern deck!

An even more devastating blow came from in front of the bridge! A shell pierced the relatively weak forecastle deck and officers' quarters of the HMS Warrior before exploding near the core! A massive shockwave spread wildly along the passageways!

In an instant, the entire forward bridge area of ​​the USS Warrior was completely engulfed by thick smoke, flames, and flying debris! The captain, navigator, observer... vanished in the storm of destruction! The communications and command center was completely severed!

Thick smoke billowed from the bow and stern as the massive HMS Warrior lost control, its speed plummeting as it writhed on the sea like a wounded beast. Its firepower was drastically reduced, rendering it completely incapable of fighting as a capital ship.

"That centurion-class ship is finished!" A hint of satisfaction flashed in Luo Xinhua's eyes. He immediately turned all his attention back to the real target—the "Monarch."

Although the "Sovereign" was severely damaged (fire amidships, leaks on port), its main guns and propulsion system were still struggling. Hawkins had barely recovered from the initial panic; he knew his fleet was in dire straits, but even if he died, he had to inflict heavy damage on that damned "Submarine" class!

We absolutely cannot allow it to wreak havoc on the India-Singapore route!
Otherwise, the entire Malayan Legion's supply line would be cut off, and Singapore would be unable to hold out!

The Royal Navy must retaliate! At all costs!
Just as the A and B turrets of the "Tianjing" were aimed at the "Junquan" and preparing for another deadly salvo!

"Enemy ship! Starboard aft! Approaching at high speed!" The piercing alarm from the lookout shattered the tense atmosphere!

A slender and agile ship silhouette, like a sharp sword, pierced through the not-yet-completely-dissipated mist and cut into the battlefield at high speed—it was the armored cruiser "Hurricane"!
It had just been bombarding the Tianjing along with the Junquan and Yongshi, but its 9.2-inch guns couldn't penetrate the Tianjing's steel armor. Now, seeing the situation was turning against it, it suddenly unleashed astonishing speed, charging straight towards the Tianjing's massive starboard side!
"Torpedo attack!" Luo Xinhua's pupils contracted, immediately realizing the enemy's tactical intentions! "All secondary guns! Starboard target! Full firepower! Intercept it! Quickly!" He absolutely could not allow this armored cruiser to get close enough to be within torpedo firing range!
The Tianjing's starboard rapid-fire guns unleashed a dense barrage of bullets! The Jingyuan, which had been firing its 210mm main guns at it, was now firing at full power!

The Hurricane was like a swallow darting through a storm. The captain frantically dodged the water jets from the shells, charging left and right. The ship was hit in multiple places, the portholes shattered, and sparks and debris kept flying from the hull, but its direction of advance remained resolute! To cover the flagship, it had disregarded its own life!
The Hurricane's reckless charge, though riddled with damage from the intense gunfire and its torpedoes going completely astray, did indeed draw the firepower and attention of most of the Tianjing's starboard secondary guns and disrupt the Tianjing's main gun aiming rhythm.

Hawkins seized the fleeting opportunity! "The Tianjing's attention has been drawn to the Hurricane! Main guns ready! Target! Target the bow of the Tianjing! Fire!"

The eight main guns of the "Kingdom" seized the opportunity and fired the most effective salvo since the start of the battle!
boom! ! ! ! !
An armor-piercing shell slammed into the bow of the "Tianjing" near the main anchor chain deck! A deafening roar erupted, followed by a burst of flames and thick black smoke! A gaping hole was blasted through the bow deck! Twisted steel fragments flew everywhere! Although it didn't penetrate the core compartment, the powerful impact caused severe damage to the superstructure and casualties. The bow was engulfed in flames and thick smoke, and the ship shook violently from the close-range explosion.

"Report! Severe damage to the bow! Hit near the A anchor chain room! Fire! Large amount of water entering below the waterline! Emergency damage control required!" The damage control officer's urgent and panicked report came through, accompanied by coughing.

The violent tremors inside the command tower sent Luo Xinhua staggering. His observation windows, splattered with blood and bits of flesh (from deck crew killed in a nearby explosion), met his gaze. He steadied himself, his rage surging. "Damn it! All main guns! Target armor! Sink it immediately!!!"

After paying the price of a severely damaged bow, the main guns of the A and B turrets of the "Tianjing" once again roared with an all-consuming fury!

Eight 280mm armor-piercing shells, carrying the fury of the entire "Tianjing" ship, roared toward the "Junquan" ship, which was less than 3000 meters away!

The fatal blows came almost simultaneously!

After just six salvos, at least four shells hit the target!

A shell that penetrated 203 mm of the front of the A turret immediately detonated two 10-inch high-explosive shells inside, causing a massive explosion and fire. The entire bow deck was filled with flames and smoke.

A shell struck the lower part of the bow below the waterline, tearing a huge gash in the bow of the "Kingdom"! Seawater rushed in frantically!

The most fatal blow came from the stern! An armor-piercing shell pierced through the main armor and penetrated the engine room area below the C turret of the "Kingdom," also detonating secondary gun ammunition or steam pipes! An even more violent explosion, seemingly erupting from inside the ship, completely extinguished the "Kingdom's" last glimmer of hope! The propeller was jammed and twisted by the enormous impact, and the drive shaft broke!

In mere seconds, the "King's Sovereign" had transformed from a powerful battleship into a massive torch and wreckage floating on the sea. Thick smoke and flames blotted out the sky, violent explosions followed one after another, and surviving sailors desperately jumped into the sea from the burning deck. The stern had already begun to sink rapidly…

"Target is sinking!" came the hoarse, trembling report from the observer aboard the "Tianjing." A long-suppressed cheer erupted on deck, but was quickly drowned out by the damage control officer's roar—the fire at the bow needed immediate attention!
Commodore Hawkins stood on the tilting bridge, gazing blankly at the imposing "Hidden Dragon"-class behemoth, his eyes vacant, as if his soul had been ripped out. He drew his naval sword, glanced at it, but ultimately did not point it at the enemy, letting it slide onto the deck with a crisp sound. He staggered towards the sea…

Meanwhile, the Jingyuan had already used torpedoes to create a fatal underwater breach in the bow of the already battered Warrior. The Hurricane, however, with its fierce charge and speed, managed to escape the battlefield, along with three cruisers, battered and bruised, before being threatened by the main guns of the Tianjing.

Gazing at the two British battleships sinking on the sea, Luo Xinhua looked at the damaged bow of the "Tianjing" and then at the equally battered "Jingyuan" (with multiple minor damages). Finally, he decisively ordered: "Notify Jingyuan! Abandon the salvage operation! Enemy reinforcements may arrive at any time! All fleet, top speed! Head west! Target... waters near Ceylon!"

(End of this chapter)