Chu Qing, fully dressed, stood at the stern of the Taixi, gazing at the three ship silhouettes in the distance, cutting through the waves, bathed in the morning glow.
The leading cruiser, with its three twin-gun turrets arranged one forward and two aft, flew the purple-and-silver Garrison Commander's flag, clearly indicating it was the flagship of the Yanling Navy.
The two ships behind it each had a Krupp 150mm quick-firing gun mounted on either side of the forecastle, the most distinctive feature of a Hai Rong-class cruiser.
Hai Yung-class
A short while later, the Yanling lowered a launch, carrying two people to the Taixi.
The Taixi's mast hoisted the full dress flag, and Chu Qing, accompanied by Li He, walked forward to greet the two men.
The man leading them was nearly sixty, dressed in a dark blue, unadorned naval overcoat. He was slender, and a faint glint of sharpness flickered in his deep-set eyes, making him seem like a fit old man next door. However, the elaborately decorated ring-pommel saber at his waist revealed his identity—Liu Feng, the Garrison Commander of Yanling.
Chu Qing had no impression of the officer behind him, who was about forty years old and wore a lieutenant colonel's rank, perhaps an aide or staff officer.
"In such a short time, the Taixi Navy actually managed to make a brand new dreadnought combat-ready..." the staff officer exclaimed, looking at the huge, smoke-belching funnel and the gun barrels slightly blackened by muzzle flash.
"Jianwei (Chu Xiong's courtesy name) truly left behind a good team..."
Liu Feng was also somewhat surprised, and could only assume that these sailors were a secret force Chu Xiong had prepared for Chu Qing.
"Chu Qing, Garrison Commander of the Taixi Autonomous Territory, accompanied by Deputy Garrison Commander Li He, welcomes Commander Liu aboard!" Chu Qing stepped forward and drew the military saber from his waist—its style identical to Liu Feng's.
"Clang!" The blades of their sabers gently touched in the air. This was a form of etiquette between Garrison Commanders in this world, signifying mutual respect and trust. Without further pleasantries, the two men walked directly into the Taixi's combat room. But Chu Qing noticed a flicker of complex emotion in Liu Feng's eyes when he saw his saber—who would have thought that the little kid who used to trail behind his old friend now held a status equal to his own?
In his memory, Liu Feng and Chu Xiong had a very deep personal friendship; otherwise, he wouldn't have immediately dispatched his main battleship in support after receiving the distress call—aside from the precious Miracle Battleship Yanling, the two Hai Yung-class ships were also new vessels purchased from the Fengzhou Islands in the Cangnan Sea Area just two years ago.
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"...Intelligence shows that the Commander of this East Sakura Fleet is Rear Admiral Kawara Youichi, formerly of the Maritime Defense Fleet. Besides the four protected cruisers—Otowa, Izumi, Tsushima, and Suma—that were sunk, and the damaged Akashi and Takachiho, there is also one pre-dreadnought battleship, three protected cruisers, two armored cruisers, and two Rai-class destroyers that retain full combat capability," the staff officer brought by Liu Feng laid out the data for each ship of the task force on the table.
"The coastal artillery just repaired its radio equipment and reports that the East Sakura Fleet has left Taixi's coastal waters and is sailing north, likely actively seeking a decisive battle," Li He also produced the telegram he had just received, "The enemy has very likely misjudged our identity and strength."
"We will deal with those protected cruisers and destroyers... but for the armored cruisers and battleships, we will have to rely on your side."
Chu Qing nodded. With the Dreadnought-class in hand, the only things to be wary of were the East Sakura Fleet's torpedo-carrying vessels. Then, within half an hour, both sides finalized other details and specific tactics.
After the staff officer from the Yanling Islands returned by launch, the Yanling accelerated to the front of the Taixi, and the two Hai Yung-class ships fanned out to its left and right, forming a formation and accelerating south towards the Taixi Islands...
"Thank you, Commander Liu, for your assistance." Chu Qing and Liu Feng stood on the Taixi's side, while the sailors ran about on the deck and at their battle stations, preparing for the upcoming fight.
Liu Feng was one of the few reliable sources of aid Chu Qing currently had, so Chu Qing agreed to Liu Feng's request to stay on board and observe.
"Yanling and Taixi are inherently intertwined; if one prospers, both prosper; if one suffers, both suffer. If East Sakura uses Taixi's coal mines to establish a supply base and gain a foothold, the entire Cangdong Sea Area will not escape disaster."
The old man, wrapped in his overcoat, waved his hand, looking at the Taixi's formidable main gun turrets, "She is the key to victory."
"I have been drifting on this sea for decades, and this is the first time I have had the opportunity to observe a dreadnought in battle... It's time for the East Sakura Navy to taste the power of 45-caliber 305mm naval guns!"
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At the same time, a fleet flying a blood-red Rising Sun Flag was also sweeping north in a mighty procession.
The Asama-class armored cruisers Asama and Tokiwa, with their two twin 203mm main gun turrets, advanced in a column alongside the yashima, which flew the Commander's flag and a Rear Admiral's flag, spewing thick coal smoke.
The three protected cruisers, Takasago, Shin Takasago, and Kasagi, along with two Rai-class destroyers of over 300 tons, served as the vanguard, searching six nautical miles ahead of the main fleet.
Shells and propellant charges had already been delivered to the gun positions, and countless eyes were searching for the Cangdong Inspection Fleet.
Rear Admiral Kawara Youichi watched his staff drawing circles on the charts in the command room. He had originally planned to spend a day destroying Taixi's coastal defenses and then resupply on-site using Taixi's coal, but the sudden appearance of a fleet had disrupted all his plans.
On his desk lay the data for each ship of the Cangdong Inspection Fleet. Although there was no direct evidence, all clues indicated that the other side had already intervened in the battle—the Qiancang Central Government had not dispatched any direct fleets, and other major powers had no reason to brazenly attack the East Sakura Navy for the sake of the Cangdong Sea Area.
The possibility of a "Miracle Storm" descending upon a new battleship was immediately ruled out. Kawara Youichi would rather believe that a direct fleet from Qiancang had arrived than that the navies of nearby autonomous territories could make a new battleship combat-ready in such a short time.
The Cangdong Inspection Fleet, to some extent, represented the will of the Qian Cang Empire's central government. If he couldn't quickly defeat his opponent and demonstrate East Sakura's absolute control over this area, then those previously wavering autonomous territories would once again stand against the East Sakura Empire.
"Fortunately, the Cangdong Inspection Fleet is not strong. Even if two Haisui-class ships were to come out in full force, they might not gain an advantage against the yashima," Kawara Youichi thought, knowing that his yashima, as a Miracle Battleship, even though its technological level no longer had an advantage and it had been classified as a second-class capital ship by the East Sakura Navy eight years ago, was not something a miniature battleship like the Haisui-class could contend with.
"Commander, sir! The Takasago reports four smoke plumes in the northeast direction!"
Takasago
Had the enemy finally appeared? Kawara Youichi followed his adjutant to the yashima's open navigation bridge and indeed spotted several blurry smoke plumes and one large and three small ship silhouettes on the distant horizon.
He immediately felt relieved. It seemed the Cangdong Inspection Fleet had only dispatched one Haisui-class, so the outcome of this battle was now beyond doubt.
"All fleet, maximum combat speed! Advance in column to engage the enemy!"
The three protected cruisers in front completed their formation. The yashima's ten coal-fired boilers drove two triple-expansion reciprocating steam engines to a maximum horsepower of 13,000. Her steel bow parted the seawater, raising increasingly high white spray.
The two fleets were approaching each other at a relative speed exceeding 36 knots...