Australian Storm 1876

  Chapter 471 I'll do you

   "Boom"

   Hearing the report of the heavy casualties of the officers and soldiers who came ashore on vacation, He Fang slapped the table with a slap, his face twisted with anger, and his bushy beard trembling.

  He was wearing a white brigadier general uniform with golden thread trimming, and the collar wore a double-sword silver oak leaf knight's iron cross. This is the highest medal of honor that a Queensland army general has received so far, and represents his status in the military.

He scolded, "These frantic widows are extremely rampant, and there must be someone behind them. It seems that they are dissatisfied with our trip. Very good... Since I dare to come forward, I don't mind killing Nagasaki Prefecture. Blood flows into a river."

  "Your Excellency Commander, the fleet has just received a telegram from the base camp today, ordering to return on the same day." The subordinate officer reminded.

"I know that I will suffer from the fate of the foreigner. These widows wantonly trampled on the majesty of my Queensland. They are tolerable and unbearable. They immediately sent a long-distance telegram to the base camp through the Changqi American Business Telegraph Bureau. After the recovery was completed, and after the immediate serious incident has been dealt with, our fleet will return on the same day."

  He Fang quickly made a decision, which made the navy officers under his hand looked at each other hesitantly, and hesitated without answering.

  The Queensland army has strict laws. They know how serious it is to disobey orders. Even the Commander, your Excellency, cannot bear such serious consequences.

  Slightly dismissed from office, but serious...

Of course He Fang knew what the fleet officers were worried about. He sighed slightly, his eyes became resolute and said; "Since the rise of Queensland, Lord Earl has always advocated revisiting the hunting power of the Han and Tang Dynasties, reshaping the Chinese bloodline and the strong man. , Although thousands of miles will be punishable.

  Today’s Nagasaki incident, we cannot simply let it go.

  If Nagasaki does not have enough awe to say that the city cannot be bloodbathed in order to emulate you, this is a war that cannot be quelled in three or five days.

  Presumably, Lord Earl can understand this difficulty, you will immediately send a telegram and notify Lord Tian’s team to suspend business negotiations and return to the fleet immediately.

  Order all officers and soldiers to end their vacations and belong to the battle position, and the battleship will be ready for battle.

An ultimatum is issued to Nagasaki Prefecture, and all the gangsters involved in the violence, surrounding shop owners and behind-the-scenes messengers will be handed over within half a day. In response to the incident, a clear reply will be given within 3 days, otherwise I will bomb Nagasaki and bloodbath the city. .

  Notify Sir Henry, the British envoy to Japan, and ask him to join me as soon as possible to discuss the handling of this serious incident in order to maintain the majesty of the British Empire.

  Also notified the envoys of various countries to show our solemn attitude that we will never forgive, and win the understanding and support of all countries.

  Finally, bring me the participants of the event, I want to know what happened? "

   issued a series of orders, He Fang glanced at everyone with majesty, and said every word; "Now... execute the order."

   "Yes, Commander Commander." A group of naval officers answered in unison, quickly spreading out the order.

  Not long

A stern sirens sounded over the entire fleet. The steam boiler added coal to burn and emit thick black smoke. The officers and soldiers of the fleet rushed to the battle position wearing combat uniforms, quickly removed the gun jackets, and pointed the huge black hole muzzle towards Nagasaki City. Area.

The “White Tiger” heavy cruiser led the “Parrot”, “Woodpecker”, “Cardinal” and “Pheasant” four ocean-going cruisers slowly leaving the pier, retreating some distance and cruising at the outer mouth of the bay. Pointing to the three Fuso navy battleships stationed in the bay, they would start fighting if they didn't agree with each other.

The   "Qinglong" heavy cruiser relied on the advantages of thick iron armor and sharp cannons. It cruised in the bay and warned the Fusang National Navy with loud speakers not to act rashly, otherwise it would be completely annihilated, which is not unexpected.

  The stern sirens echoed over Nagasaki, almost solidifying the atmosphere of the entire city. Panic-stricken residents hid in their homes, all shops along the street were closed and locked, and the streets and alleys were empty.

At this time, in the Nagasaki Port, the Fuso Navy’s battleships that can be used for decisive sea battles at this time are the old iron-clad ships "Fuso", "Hiei" and "King Kong". The combined displacement of these three ships is slightly more than that of the Qinglong heavy cruiser. As for combat effectiveness It's not worth mentioning, it's purely a gift.

  Fuso has other protective cruisers "Naniwa", "Takachiho", unprotected cruiser "Chikushi" (same type as "Chaoyong"), etc. More than 10 battleships, large and small, have a total tonnage of 17057 tons.

  The six battleships of the Queensland Fleet that came to visit have a displacement of 26,550 tons, especially the two 8800-ton giant ships "Qinglong" and "White Tiger".

The only thing worth worrying about is the shore forts around Nagasaki. Due to the weak navy, the Fuso country has been vigorously developing shore artillery defense. Nagasaki Prefecture has a total of 4 shore forts equipped with German Krupp 280mm long-barreled shore artillery. 4, 4 260 mm shore guns, 7 210 mm shore guns, and some small and medium-caliber rapid-fire guns.

Its firepower level is approximately equivalent to that of a "Blue Dragon" class heavy cruiser. The number of large-caliber artillery pieces at the Nagasaki Coast Fort has reached as many as 15, which is only slightly inferior to the Tokyo Bay Coast Battery, ranking second. However, due to its backward technical level, it is still old. The old retreat artillery firepower density per unit time is similar to that of the "Qinglong" class heavy cruiser.

  In terms of firepower accuracy, due to the advantages of shore artillery, it basically offsets the accuracy disadvantages of retreat artillery, which is similar to the hydraulic reciprocating 280mm twin-mounted long-barreled naval gun equipped on the "Qinglong" class heavy cruiser.

  Once a war starts, it is necessary to test the actual combat and training level of both parties.

In general

The Queensland Fleet occupies an unquestionable advantage. The projected firepower density per unit time is about twice that of the opponent. The armor is thicker and the defense is stronger. The Queensland Navy's shooting skills and training level, which have experienced **** battles in the East Indies, are all The Fusang country in the old age is unmatched.

  Standing in the large commander tower of the heavy cruiser "Qinglong", He Fang held up the telescope for a moment with a stern look. He did not notice any movement of the Fuso Navy ironclad ship in the bay. He put down the telescope and looked a little more relaxed.

  "Strictly monitor the enemy fleet and gun emplacements, report any changes to them immediately, and order all artillery groups to prepare for battle and fire at any time."

   "Yes, Lord Commander, ready to fire at any time."

  "The speed is maintained at 5 knots, and it is maneuvering in a serpentine shape."

   "Yes, Lord Commander, snake-like maneuver."

  He Fang looked deep into the distance, the "Postman" fast coal carrier is still moored in the port, but the steam engine has been running, and the huge chimney emits thick black smoke.

The "Postman" fast coal carrier belongs to the Borneo Fleet's military auxiliary ship. It has a speed of up to 17 knots and can accompany the fleet for long-term high-speed ocean voyages. The sailors on board have been fully armed with machine guns to guard the ship. Once the situation has deteriorated, they will immediately wipe their feet Oil buggers.

  "Report to Your Excellency Commander, the "Postman" has issued a semaphore. Our important figures and Japanese negotiators will arrive in a small steamer. After inspection, they are unarmed. Are you allowed to give instructions?"

   "Allowed."

   "Yes, contact is permitted."

  The sailors of the fleet immediately stood on the side of the ship and waved their flags. After receiving the order, the Postman freighter arranged several armed sailors to drive over in a small steamer and deliver important people to the Qinglong heavy cruiser.

The first to climb up the heavy cruiser Qinglong along the rope ladder of the ship was Tian Shan, Queensland’s special and plenipotentiary representative. He walked up with a heavy face, and He Fang greeted him with a military salute; “Representative Tian, ​​in view of the urgency, he had to make this move. Please forgive me."

"Oh, good things are so hard!" Tian Shan sighed, turned his head and looked at the Nagasaki Prefecture Governor Masaji Kobayashi, who were still standing on the small steamer looking up, and said with a trace of irritation; The land, I don’t know the size of the world, it can be said that the poor mountains and the evil waters create the people. It’s time to teach them a little lesson."

   "Why... the previous business negotiations did not go smoothly?" Who was sensitive to a breach of peace again.

"It's not going well, it's simply difficult. These widows seem to bow their heads and bow, but they are not willing to make concessions in business negotiations. They do not accept Queensland's imitation of the old rules of the United States, Britain, France, and Germany, and enjoy consular jurisdiction and free trade. Convenience, we do not accept our concession requirements, and we do not accept preferential treatment of tax relief. The reason is that we are not an independent country and cannot enjoy the convenience of trade between the two countries. We can only handle it in the same way as British merchants or the Qing Dynasty."

   "It seems...has not been severely beaten!" A cold smile appeared at the corner of He Fang's mouth.

  That's right, the cause of the Nagasaki incident has been found.

  He doesn’t need any evidence, and in fact he can’t get any evidence.

  The down-and-out samurai who participated in the attack on the sailors on vacation killed three people on the spot, and one was seriously injured. The remaining 11 down-and-out samurai committed suicide by caesarean section. The three nearby shopkeepers asked three questions, not to mention the messenger behind the scenes.

  This attitude shows that the other party is resisting the death and recalcitrant. It is a totally unclear lawsuit. Even if it is obtained internationally, it is justified.

  Where does not need evidence, the sailor on vacation died two and five seriously injured, and there are 11 people with different injuries, which is enough for him to start a retaliatory war.

  Now everything is ready, only a paper order from Hongbao is owed.

  It’s okay for the goodwill visit fleet he led to issue a war threat, but Lord Earl must personally authorize to start a war. There is no ambiguity.

  According to He Fang’s understanding of Lord Earl’s tough and dogmatic character, this paper-and-electric order is almost 80% certain.

  Those who commit crimes against a strong man will be punishable for thousands of miles. This is not just a verbal statement, but is put in place, and it must not be false at all.

  If you don’t accept it, just **** you, it’s that simple.

Then from the rope ladder to the ship’s side were Sir Henry, the British Minister to Japan, Pierre, the French Minister, Bradley Beal, the American Minister, Du Huaiqing, the Minister of the Qing Dynasty, and the Governor of Nagasaki Prefecture, Kobayashi Masaji, and others. There were more than 20 people. people.

  These are all envoys from various countries who have come to hear the news. Nagasaki is the only port and trade city in Fuso that is open to the outside world. Most of the envoys of various countries live here. On the contrary, there are very few in Tokyo.

  (End of this chapter)