Nanyang Storm 1864

"Your Majesty, an urgent enemy situation has been detected."

"Oh, come right away."

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty, who was sleeping soundly in the middle of the night, was woken up. He hurriedly put on his clothes, left his bedroom, and followed the guiding officer to the command tower in front.

At this moment, a dozen high-ranking officers had gathered in the command tower, whispering among themselves, their voices filled with disbelief and astonishment.

"Your Majesty, look over there..."

Following the direction indicated, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu looked at the dark sea in front of him, where a bright little dot was faintly visible, clearly visible even from more than ten kilometers away.

As long as the Japanese weren't blind, observing the main force of the Tsarist Russian fleet would be no problem at all.

This is the famous hospital ship where people indulged in all-night revelry. The entire ship was brightly lit, and Russian officers, soldiers, and nurses sang and danced wildly under the influence of alcohol, indulging in extreme debauchery.

this moment

Even Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty suspected that this hospital ship might be a spy ship. Could it have betrayed the Russian fleet even more thoroughly?

At this moment, he truly understood what it meant for God to be chasing after him and feeding him; it was even more outrageous than cheating.

The crucial military intelligence—the movements of the main Russian fleet that Admiral Togo Heihachiro had been painstakingly pondering, the time it took to cross the strait, and the formation of its fleet—was presented to him in such a straightforward manner.

If one of the hospital ships in the Russian fleet has been exposed, how far are the other ships from being exposed?
"What time is it?"

"Your Majesty, it is now 2:45 a.m. on the 27th. The Russian ships we have observed are about 14 kilometers to the southeast of our ship, and are sailing northwest through the strait."

"Hmm, what's the Japanese doing?"

"Your Majesty, the 'Huashan' ship has sent a message that the Japanese auxiliary cruiser 'Xingnong Maru,' which is not far from our ship, is following the Russian hospital ship and has spotted the target."

"It seems a major naval battle is inevitable." Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire shook his head speechlessly, then turned to Admiral He Zhucheng and asked, "Minister He, what are your thoughts on this?"

"Your Majesty is too kind. I dare not accept your instruction. Even if I had the greatest courage, I would not dare to be so arrogant."

"Well, tell me."

“Your Majesty, this situation is simply unbelievable. In fact, their whereabouts have been exposed. If I were the commander of the Russian fleet, I would immediately order the warships to concentrate fire on the hospital ship and sink this damned traitor first.”

"I'm afraid it's not that easy. It's 2:40 a.m. now, and this hospital ship has been in the Tsushima Strait for at least five or six hours. Are all those Russian warships around it blind, just letting this ship expose its position?"

"Does Your Majesty mean... that this hospital ship has a powerful backer?"

"That's how it should be done, otherwise it doesn't make sense."

"This……"

General He Zhucheng was completely baffled, and a strong sense of curiosity arose in his heart.

What kind of person could be more important than the survival of the entire Russian fleet?
Even if it's just a meal and drinks, is it really necessary to party all night with the lights on?

Did Vice Admiral Rozhestvensky, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Fleet, know about this? Or did he deliberately turn a blind eye? If so, what was his purpose?
A series of questions arose in his mind, and General He Zhucheng stood there dumbfounded, unable to utter a word.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty patted him on the shoulder, both amused and exasperated, and said to everyone, "Alright, since the Russian fleet has let its guard down, a fierce naval battle is inevitable. It's still early, everyone go back and rest. Just wait and see the show."

After saying that, he turned and left the command tower.

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, respectfully see you off. The night is dark and the roads are slippery. We urge Your Majesty to proceed with caution and wish you good health."

"Okay, everyone go and rest."

The voice came
Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu had already gone far away, leaving only a group of high-ranking naval officers in the command tower looking at each other in bewilderment, completely baffled by the Russian fleet's bizarre maneuver.

If Heaven wishes someone to perish, it first makes them mad.

Such revelry, extravagance, and constant partying—was the widespread war-weariness and fear of war among the officers and men of the Tsarist Russian fleet truly genuine?
This doesn't seem like it at all. On the contrary, it's Tsarist Russia that's arrogant to the point of being boundless. They clearly don't take the Japanese Combined Fleet seriously. It seems the rumors are wrong!
No matter how much we speculate, the answer will be revealed when it's light tomorrow.

At this moment, the Japanese Allied Fleet, like a leech clinging to a bone, followed closely behind the main force of the Russian fleet, heading step by step towards the Tsushima Strait, as if heading to a pre-arranged grand gathering.

Due to poor visibility at night, neither side will initiate a fight.

Admiral Togo Heihachiro has led the entire Combined Fleet into battle, following closely like a vicious wolf; the target has no chance of escaping.

As dawn breaks

The dawn dispelled the darkness and shone light on the vast sea. The main force of the Tsarist Russian fleet, stretching as far as the eye could see, was fully displayed in the exit waters of the Tsushima Strait, forming three longitudinal formations.

Closely following behind was the Fusang Allied Fleet, which was running at full speed and closing in from all directions.

a few hours later

After a chase at sea, the main force of the Fusang Allied Fleet, led by Admiral Togo Heihachiro, had already advanced to the front.

At 1:30 p.m., the Japanese and Russian forces approached to within about ten nautical miles. Before the Russian fleet could restore its chaotic formation, the battle began.

Admiral Togo Heihachiro, imitating Nelson during the Battle of Trafalgar, issued the signal: "The fate of the Empire rests on this battle; every officer must strive with all their might." Instantly, all officers and men were energized and their blood boiled.

At 2:5 p.m., in order to gain a favorable attack position, Admiral Togo Heihachiro decisively ordered a sharp turn in front of the enemy, the famous "U" turn, to seize the very advantageous "T" position and establish a local firepower advantage over the Russian fleet.

Faced with such a blatant change in formation by the Japanese Combined Fleet, the Tsarist Russian Fleet ignored it and charged headlong into the fray without taking any measures or taking any countermeasures.

This left Emperor Zheng Guohui and his entourage, who were watching from afar, utterly astonished, exclaiming, "Unbelievable!"

Leading the way, the Russian fleet flagship "King Suvorov" led the Tsarist Russian fleet, forming the vertical line of the "T" shape, and headed straight for the Japanese Combined Fleet.

ten minutes later
The Japanese Allied Fleet completed its repositioning, making a U-turn in front of the main force of the Russian fleet, forming the horizontal line of the "T".

The six capital ships (four battleships and two armored cruisers) led by the First Fleet of Fuso and the eleven heavy cruisers led by the Second Fleet lined up in a line, with their broadsides facing the Russian ships, and began a fierce bombardment with all their might.

"Boom boom boom, boom boom boom boom..."

The continuous shelling echoed across the sea, churning the calm surface violently. The roar of cannons and the thick smoke spreading like dark clouds signaled the start of an unprecedented naval battle.

However, the command tower of the battleship Yecheng was completely silent.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu was also dumbfounded, and turned to ask General He Zhucheng;
"Minister He, can you be sure this Vice Admiral Rozhestvensky isn't an imposter? This kind of command is so unprofessional! Even a random naval ensign wouldn't do this. Is he really Russian?"

"Your Majesty, I am also confused." What else could General He Zhucheng say?

On the current scene
The main warships of the Japanese Allied Fleet, numbering over a dozen, were positioned with their sides facing the enemy, allowing them to unleash their full firepower and concentrate their attacks on the leading Russian flagship, the "King Suvorov."

Meanwhile, the Russian fleet flagship "King Suvorov," which was heading straight for the Japanese Allied Fleet, could only retaliate with its four main guns located at the bow due to the limited field of fire.

All six main guns at the stern and amidships were useless; the ship could only charge forward under heavy fire!

Behind the Russian fleet flagship "King Suvorov" was a long column of capital ships that stretched as far as the eye could see, like them walking one by one to the execution ground.

Is this what you call a naval battle?

It should be called sending them to the execution ground one by one. At this moment, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu suddenly realized that this bizarre casualty ratio was achieved in this way. In that case, it's not surprising.

He now strongly suspects that Vice Admiral Rozhestvensky is a blond-haired, blue-eyed Japanese, or a high-ranking Japanese spy infiltrated into the Russian Empire, or an inside agent; otherwise, how can all this be explained?

In just a few minutes
At 2:20 p.m., the Russian fleet flagship "Knyaz Suvorov" was hit by a barrage of hundreds of shells. The rudder was damaged, the warship lost control, and all the superstructures were destroyed, leaving a tragic scene of flames everywhere.

Fleet Commander Rozhestvensky was seriously wounded, and the wrecked battleship "King Suvorov" was drifting on the sea, tilted to one side, and out of line, plunging the Russian fleet into chaos without command.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty was speechless. He shook his head and said, "This is outrageous! Even a bunch of pigs couldn't fight like this. Knowing the fleet has lost command, why isn't a single high-ranking officer stepping forward to take over? What kind of organization is this?"

"Perhaps... even I am confused." General He Zhucheng couldn't understand the situation at all.

According to convention
In any naval fleet, when the fleet commander loses his command ability, a junior officer will step forward, raise the command flag on the warship, and direct the fleet to continue fighting.

If the fleet commander is killed in action, the deputy commander-in-chief will take over; if the deputy commander-in-chief is injured or killed, the squadron commander will take over, and so on.

What's going on with this Russian fleet in front of us?
The rest of the process was very tedious and there's not much to say about it.

One after another, the main warships of the Tsarist Russian fleet charged forward to their deaths, as if being executed.

The flagship of the Russian Second Squadron, the battleship "Oslyavya", was heavily damaged by a concentrated bombardment from six Japanese warships and sank at around 3:30 p.m. Of the 900 officers and men on board, more than 300 survived.

Subsequently, the battleships Alexander III, Borodino, Eagle, and Sisoy-Veliki advanced in turn, and were also severely damaged, their bodies ablaze and their hulls in ruins.

While the main battleships of the two countries were engaged in battle, their cruiser and destroyer fleets were also exchanging fire, in a similar situation to the former.

The fierce naval battle lasted for more than five hours. The three heavy cruisers of the Fusang Combined Fleet were severely damaged in the melee and withdrew from the battle one after another, sailing away into the distance and leaving the battlefield.

The Russian fleet suffered heavy losses of cruisers, with five sunk, two severely damaged, and several others scattered and fled, pursued by Japanese torpedo destroyers.

At this time, the shipping route to Vladivostok had been completely blocked.

The fierce naval battle was filled with gray-black smoke, the battlefield was shrouded in mist, and there were booming cannons and flashing flames everywhere. Destroyed warships floated on the sea and burned fiercely.

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood. The battleship "Coconut City" had already moved far away from the battlefield to avoid being damaged by the torpedoes that were roaming around, which would not be worth it.

Around 7 p.m.

The Russian battleship Alexander III, riddled with holes, sank, and all crew members perished in the icy waters.

More than ten minutes later, the ammunition depot of the Russian battleship Borodino was hit by the Japanese battleship Fuji. The ammunition depot was quickly destroyed, causing a massive boiler explosion, with huge fireballs reaching hundreds of meters in height.

The ship sank immediately, and only one crew member was rescued.

The flagship "King Suvorov," adrift at sea, continued to be bombarded by Japanese artillery. The Russian destroyer "Rampage" risked approaching the flagship to evacuate the wounded, including fleet commander Rozhestvensky.

In no time, the Fuso destroyer launched a torpedo and finally sank the "King Suvorov". The huge battleship's bow rose high and it quickly slid into the sea. All 20 people on board survived.

After 7:30 pm
All heavy warships of the Fusō Combined Fleet withdrew from the battlefield, preparing to launch a night attack using torpedo boats and destroyers, thus ending the daytime battle.

After most of the day of intense naval battle, the heavy warships of the Fusang Allied Fleet had used up most of their ammunition.

Without a full resupply of ammunition, the fighting would not continue.

Fortunately, Busan Port on the Korean Peninsula has a large naval warehouse belonging to Japan, which is also very close by, so replenishment can be completed quickly without any problem.

From evening until the early hours of the next day
The Fusō Combined Fleet, consisting of 21 destroyers and 37 torpedo boats, continued to launch torpedo attacks on the remaining Russian ships, expanding their gains.

Most of the ships in the Russian Second Squadron were sunk. The "Sisoy-Vilki", "Admiral Nakhimov", and "Navalin" were sunk by torpedoes one after another. The old armored cruiser "Monomach", despite having its bow blown off by a torpedo, still stubbornly sank the Fusō torpedo boat that launched the torpedo at it. Later, due to serious damage, it was scuttled by its crew at 5:00 a.m.

After 5 a.m. on the 28th, the remaining Russian fleet slowly sailed toward Vladivostok, hoping to escape, but they were clearly overestimating themselves.

Around 9 a.m.
The main force of the Fusang Combined Fleet, having returned to Busan Port to replenish its supplies, caught up again, surrounded the Russian fleet, and launched a fierce bombardment, causing thick smoke to billow from the Russian fleet and damaging several more ships.

Seeing no hope of escape, Rear Admiral Nebogatov, commander of the Russian fleet, decided to surrender.

Around 11 a.m., four battleships of the Tsarist Russian fleet, namely the "Nicholas I", "Admiral Apravshin", "Admiral Senyavin" and "Eagle", surrendered, along with some cruisers and destroyers.

The Russian cruiser "Emerald" ran aground on its way to Vladivostok and was sunk by its crew. The remaining ships fled to neutral ports such as Shanghai and Manila. The main force of the Russian fleet was basically wiped out.

After watching the drama unfold for two days, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire could only offer two words of criticism: speechless.

He finally understood where this huge casualty ratio came from.

Even if the Russian fleet had slightly changed course and formed a battle line with the enemy, bombarding each other with broadside artillery, it would not have suffered such a high casualty ratio.

I wonder what these Russian naval commanders are thinking?

Don't you feel bad about selling your grandfather's land?

The commanders of the Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire rated the Fusang Kingdom's combined fleet as "excellent," praising its excellent artillery fire, formation navigation, execution and tactical prowess, and the morale and fighting spirit of its officers and men.

Overall, it has reached the level of a world-class navy.

The Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire is equally excellent, not inferior in any skill, and even more outstanding in many aspects, with a combat level that is no less than that of the Royal Navy.

Compare the two
The Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire is fully confident that it can win the battle.

The way the Russian fleet fought was truly appalling. It's clear that for a country without a naval tradition, building a powerful fleet that can dominate the world is nothing but a pipe dream.

Warships aren't just something you build; you have to know how to use them.

Clearly, the Russians didn't understand this principle. They had some good equipment, but they launched a ridiculous and absurd attack, becoming a laughing stock among the world's powers.

This unprecedented naval battle put Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire at ease.

The Fusang Allied Fleet had no magical abilities or mysterious powers; it was simply a stroke of incredible luck.

Tsarist Russia built a large number of new battleships in a short period of time, but lacked enough skilled naval personnel to operate them, resulting in extremely poor performance. Wasn't this just throwing their lives away?

Those Russian farmers with blackened fingernails had no idea how to fight these giant sea monsters.

Through a series of unfortunate coincidences, the Fusang Combined Fleet achieved its formidable reputation, but this reputation is largely exaggerated.

After the Battle of Tsushima

The strength of the Fusang Combined Fleet expanded further, and the four Russian battleships it captured were repaired and added to the fleet.

This brought the number of main battleships in the Fusang Combined Fleet to eight, forming a new "Eight-Eight Fleet".

In this 8 Fleet, especially the eight main battleships at the front line, there are no more armored cruisers that are just filling in the numbers; they are all genuine battleships, and they have not been in service for very long.

Compared to the main force of the Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire, which consisted of 15 battleships (note: the battleships "Coconut City" and "Sishui" were newly added), the gap was not significant.

News of the glorious victory at the Battle of Tsushima reached Japan, causing an immediate sensation. Countless jubilant Japanese citizens took to the streets to sing and dance, which also led to a degree of chaos within the country. (End of Chapter)