Nanyang Storm 1864

On the vast, boundless sea, the fleet, led by the flagship "Kunlunshan," was densely distributed in the surrounding waters, presenting a clear four-column advance formation that stretched for more than ten kilometers.

Within this massive task force, the core main fleet is the first strike group, primarily composed of four Kunlunshan-class battleships, along with the fast strike battleships Yecheng and Sishui, totaling six main battleships.

The entire first strike group has a top speed of over 23 knots and possesses world-class warship firepower; it is a fierce tiger ready to hunt its prey.

The second strike group consisted of nine battleships, led by the USS Manila, arrayed in a formidable formation of armor, like a group of veteran generals who were no longer content with their old ways, raising their battle flags once more.

Honestly
The overall strength of the Second Strike Group of the Great Chu Empire was comparable to that of the Allied Navy of Fusang, with neither side gaining a clear advantage.

In the crucial cruiser fleet, the Great Chu Empire concentrated a total of 33 cruisers, divided into the First Cruiser Squadron and the Second Cruiser Squadron, which were arranged on the left and right sides of the main fleet like a roc spreading its wings.

Leading the way is the destroyer fleet, consisting of 57 torpedo destroyers. These are the assassins of the battlefield, the vanguard that launches the final, fatal blow, and are by no means insignificant.

The entire expeditionary fleet of the Great Chu Empire consisted of 105 warships, bringing together about 70% of the Great Chu Empire's main warships (Note: the overseas sub-fleets also possessed a large number of old ironclad warships, cruisers, frigates and submarines).
Even before the expeditionary fleet set sail, more than a dozen submarines had set sail a few days in advance, heading for Naha Port in Okinawa, where they would resupply and wait for orders.

The torpedo technology of today is not very stable. When submarines are on patrol for combat readiness, they are equipped with 57mm deck guns. When carrying out interception missions, they surface to engage the enemy.

Only when ordered to attack will these submarines load torpedoes in port, maneuver towards the target area, and prepare to carry out a surprise attack.

Commander's tower of the flagship "Kunlunshan"

More than a dozen naval officers gathered here, with Admiral He Zhucheng, the Minister of the Navy, in the center. He personally took command of the expeditionary fleet and led the mighty fleet toward Fusang Island.

At this moment, he stood here, looking around with pride and self-satisfaction, his eyes shining with an unusually bright light, feeling as if he had reached the pinnacle of his life.

Looking at it

The sight of several main battleships cutting through the waves like small mountains ahead creates a strong visual impact, giving one a sense of dominance over the ocean, so powerful it makes one's blood boil.

On the seemingly endless ocean, warships sped northwards, their long wakes forming an unprecedentedly massive fleet—the most powerful naval force in the entire Pacific Ocean, bar none.

Two days have passed since the formal declaration of war on December 2nd.

The Great Chu Empire's expeditionary fleet is currently sailing on the vast ocean east of Okinawa. According to the plan, the various destroyer fleets will enter Naha Port one after another this afternoon to resupply, and the resupply will take two days to complete.

Destroyer fleets have smaller displacements and limited ranges, requiring resupply at Naha port, unlike larger warships such as battleships and cruisers.

During this period
The main battle fleet and two cruiser squadrons will linger on the nearby sea, both as a vigilant presence and as a waiting party.

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, the Fourth Destroyer Squadron requests permission to leave the formation and enter Naha Port for resupply. We respectfully request your instructions."

"Record time, permission to leave formation."

"As you command, sir."

After the messenger left, Admiral He Zhucheng smiled in good spirits and said to Rear Admiral Liang Shanquan, the fleet's chief of staff, beside him.
"Minister Liang, the fleet has arrived at the operational area. Tell all the young men in your communications department to be on high alert, 24 hours a day. This commander-in-chief needs to know all the intelligence."

"Your Excellency Commander, all warship communications rooms are staffed with sufficient personnel and have established strict procedures. I swear on my life that not a single piece of intelligence will be missed."

"Hahaha... You can keep your head yourself. As long as communications are working, this commander-in-chief will keep you safe."

"Please rest assured, Commander-in-Chief, the expeditionary fleet's communications are guaranteed to be unimpeded, and orders from the flagship will be delivered immediately and as easily as if they were part of your arm."

"Good, we must nip any potential problems in the bud," General He Zhucheng said with great confidence.

Drawing on the most profound lessons learned from the Russo-Japanese War, the Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire strictly enforced its operational regulations.
Fleet commanders are not allowed to act recklessly and charge ahead of the battle line. If they are hit by concentrated enemy fire, it will cause great damage to the entire fleet command.

The Russian First, Second, and Third Pacific Fleets suffered repeated defeats at this point, resulting in the loss of command and particularly heavy losses for the entire fleet.

As early as the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, in early March 1904, Stepan Osipov Makarov, the newly appointed commander of the Russian Pacific Fleet, had just taken office.

On March 22, 1904, Makarov led his fleet out to sea to challenge the enemy. On April 13, 1904, Makarov was killed when his warship struck a mine on its way back to base. His death was extremely ignominious.

This was a famous admiral of the Tsarist Russian Navy who commanded the cruiser "Vityaz" on a world voyage and had extremely rich experience in maritime navigation and combat.

He made two expeditions to the polar regions. After being promoted to rear admiral, Makarov invented a shell cap that greatly enhanced the penetrating power of the shells. It was known as the "Makarov shell cap".

Unfortunately
Because the corrupt bureaucracy of Tsarist Russia was never put into practice, if the Russian fleet had been equipped with such shells during the Russo-Japanese War, it would have easily penetrated the main armor of the Japanese warships.

The flagship "Pedropavlovsk," on which he was aboard, was at the forefront of the fleet and was the main cause of this tragedy.

In the Battle of Tsushima
After a 220-day voyage, the Russian fleet was exhausted. When it encountered the Japanese fleet, the fleet command reacted slowly and was unable to effectively respond to the changes in the enemy fleet's formation.

The Japanese Allied Fleet seized the opportunity to make a sharp turn in front of the battle line, and with the advantage of its "T"-shaped formation, it first concentrated its firepower to launch a fierce attack on the Russian fleet's flagship.

Only about half an hour into the naval battle, the flagship "Suvorov" of Vice Admiral Rozhestvensky, commander of the Russian fleet, was forced to withdraw from the battle. Rozhestvensky himself was seriously wounded (and later captured and surrendered).

Several other flagships were also sunk or damaged in succession. The Russian fleet lost command and fell into chaos, and the naval battle devolved into a one-sided massacre.

A lesson from the past, a teacher of the future.

The Great Chu Empire's expeditionary fleet could not afford to make such a basic mistake again. Under the personal intervention of the Great Chu Emperor's Zheng Hui, the flagship flag and other easily identifiable features were removed from the operational procedures, and coded commands were instead used. More than a dozen sets of coded commands were distributed to the entire fleet, randomly selected, activated before the operation began, and discarded afterward.

Wireless encrypted command is a cutting-edge technology in the world today. The vacuum tube, an important component of the radio, has a lifespan of only a few hours. If it is damaged under high temperature conditions, it must be replaced quickly to avoid affecting communication.

The cipher rooms on every warship were treasures, carefully protected by the fleet commanders.

If communications are lost, the entire fleet command will be rendered useless, resulting in extremely serious damage.

The First Mobile Strike Fleet consisted of a total of 6 battleships. The first four, the Kunlunshan-class, were almost identical and lacked any flagship characteristics.

The two fire strike fleets consisted of a total of nine Manila-class battleships, which were very similar, with only minor improvements made during each batch of construction, and none of them had any flagship characteristics.

Such a formidable opponent would undoubtedly pose a significant challenge to the Fusang Allied Fleet in determining which command ship to target, making it almost impossible to discern and leaving them with little choice but to rely on sheer luck.

The flagship "Kunlunshan" belonged to the First Mobile Strike Group and ranked fourth in the entire battleship column, which consisted of a total of six ships.

This combat position allows for coverage of both the front and rear, something the Japanese would never have imagined.

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, at 10:30 in the northeast direction, two British cruisers have appeared, one in front of the other, at a distance of about 38 chains. How should we respond? Please give instructions."

"Order the Second Cruiser Fleet to dispatch mobile warships to drive away this area, which has entered the combat zone. Any unrelated vessels must leave immediately to prevent accidental damage."

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief."

"Your Excellency Commander-in-Chief, the British cruiser HMS Sir Winchester has sent a telegram inquiring about the intentions of our expeditionary fleet. They are deeply concerned about our irrational actions that are escalating the regional situation and hope that we will exercise restraint."

"A warning is issued again: if the British ships continue to harass us, we will allow them to remove their gun covers as a clear and strong signal."

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief."

In the etiquette of encounters between navies in the open ocean, removing the gun cover is a very serious act.

The situation is only one step away from a real warning shot; if this leads to a war between the two countries, the consequences would be extremely serious.

Admiral He Zhucheng issued the order without the slightest hesitation, a strong sense of pride rising within him. This was the Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire resolutely saying "no" to the British.

Let's not talk about explaining or not.
That's a matter for the Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Emperor himself gave instructions when he led the combined fleet northward.

It doesn't matter who comes, just greet them directly.

Even with Emperor Zheng Guohui's strong heart, he dared not take the imperial fleet, which the empire had painstakingly built up over forty years, lightly, nor could he allow them to work with restraint.

Wouldn't that be tantamount to crippling oneself?
So a strict decree was issued: if the British tried to stop them, they should be dealt with directly, including the Germans and the French; whoever tried to stop them should be dealt with.

Damn it, if you want to die, just say so now.

The British were able to blockade the Suez Canal and Eurasian shipping lanes, and the Great Chu Empire was equally capable of blocking the Red Sea route. It was a mutually destructive situation.

The Red Sea fortress was no mere decoration; it was an iron claw firmly gripping the lower half of the British.

If they put in the effort, they could squeeze the yolks out of the British's eggs; that's how awesome they are.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire painstakingly laid out a long-term imperial territory over several decades, firmly controlling the Suez Canal route, the Malacca route, the Magellan route, and the Panama route, occupying four of the world's seven major strategic waterways.

With relations with the State of Chu strained, the British had to consider whether they could withstand the wrath of the Empire's retaliation.

It is now the early 20th century.

Britain's glorious peak since the Victorian era has long since ended. Now it has become a mired global colonial giant, relying on the help of many European allies and powers, including the Great Chu Empire.

Today, the total national economic output of the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom has surpassed that of the United Kingdom, and their military strength has increased significantly, which poses a great challenge to the United Kingdom.

(A devoted reader who has been concerned about and supported this book asked if it was cut? The author, Grape, will provide an explanation and respond to the question directly.)

Readers who support Grapevine have also read "Australia 1876" and "North America 1946" and know that Grapevine rarely asks for votes and rarely stops updating, always keeping his head down and quietly updating.

This hiatus is due to the passing of my elderly father, a retired military officer and veteran. He had been bedridden for two and a half years before finally leaving behind his beloved family, friends, and children whom he deeply cherished.

The tragic news arrived on the morning of April 30th. As the second son, Grape had been busy with his elder brother arranging the funeral and thanking the relatives and friends who came to pay their respects. They were so busy that they hadn't eaten or drunk anything for several days.

Yesterday morning, he was finally laid to rest in the cemetery. My father's past has taken away our longing. May he find eternal peace in heaven, and may good people live a long and peaceful life.

Even though I woke up today feeling sore all over, I still made sure to update as soon as possible, not daring to let my readers down at all.

Grape-kun expresses his deepest apologies for the two-day hiatus and plans to ensure that there will be no further breaks in updates during the completion of this book.

One update today, and another one later this evening. I will resume updates tomorrow after I've adjusted my schedule. This is to let you know, and I thank all the enthusiastic readers who support this book. (End of Chapter)