Wild North America 1846

Chapter 362 Expeditionary Third Squadron

There are a total of five British officers stationed on the ironclad destroyer "Spring Moon", one Commodore Phillips of the Royal Navy, one Colonel Henry Hughes, one Major Campbell and two captains. All five of them are British

He has a noble background and, most importantly, his status as a noble concubine.

The noble concubine mentioned here is only to distinguish the eldest son who has the right to inherit the noble title. He is also the son of the noble wife of the royal family and is the second, third or fourth male heir of the family, rather than the child of a lover or concubine.

Those are two concepts.

British aristocrats have been following the "primogeniture" system since the Middle Ages. Other sons can only find other jobs and inherit very little property from the family.

The British Royal Navy is a place where aristocratic children gather. Even His Royal Highness Prince Edward, Prince of Wales, is gilded here and is proud of his experience in serving in the Royal Navy. The status of the Royal Navy is evident.

The revolutionary technological advantages of the steam-iron-armored battleships combined with the new breech-loaded artillery demonstrated by the Royal Navy of the Tang Empire in the naval battle of the North American War attracted great attention from the British Royal Navy, so this very high-level military observation team was dispatched to accompany the ship.

, it’s really well-intentioned.

"I hope so, my dear Mr. General." Brigadier General Phillips shrugged his shoulders obligingly and leaned on the console, which could relieve the soreness of his feet from standing for a long time.

Since setting sail early in the morning

He has been standing here for more than four hours, and there is still an hour before lunch, but he is already hungry.

In the steel-wrapped bridge of the battleship

Only the captain or the top commander of the fleet has a command position, which is an independent high chair similar to the bar, fixed on the floor. It is located a little behind the left side of the helmsman. Sitting in the command position, the view is better than

Standing still tall, you can have a very clear overview of the whole situation.

This command position now belongs to Rear Admiral Mo Chengcai, commander of the Third Squadron and captain of the "Chun Yue". Rear Admiral Mo Chengcai is not sitting in the command position, but standing tall and tall. It has also been 4 months since early morning.

For many hours, my feet were like nails and could not move despite the bumps of the wind and waves.

Brigadier Phillips admired Major General Mo Chengcai's excellent military qualities and outstanding command and combat capabilities from the bottom of his heart. When the two communicated, he restrained the British Royal Navy's usual arrogance and conceit, and rarely talked with an equal attitude. This is really

It's extremely rare.

It is extremely difficult for senior officers of the Royal Navy of the British Empire not to show their superiority and arrogance.

The French are the European naval fleets that cooperate the most with the British Royal Navy. In the Crimean War, in the Second Opium War when they invaded China, and in various crises that intervened in South Asia and the Near East, the British and French combined fleets were present.

Can be seen often.

Even so

The arrogance of the British Royal Navy still made the French Marshal, Duke Berthier, feel so angry that he couldn't help but cursed in disgraceful words: "I swear, I will never work with that piece of shit on the other side of the strait again, for God's sake."

For my sake, I really want to lose 10 years of my life."

Commodore Phillips was able to communicate with an equal attitude only because the Royal Navy of the Tang Kingdom had won respect with its strength. In the field of steam-iron armored battleships, unlike the British Royal Navy which was groping in the dark, they were already on the right path.

Major General Mo Chengcai took the copper monocular telescope in his hand and carefully observed the sea surface. There were sails dotted in the sea off Virginia, and there were many cargo ships on the sea. This is an important route for transporting cotton from the south to Europe. There are a dozen or more ships every day. Cotton ships sailed here.

Coupled with some other coastal trade ships and transoceanic cargo ships from the Tang Kingdom, this golden sea seemed very lively.

The "Spring Moon" armored destroyer has a fixed lookout post at the top of its mast. Those who can serve as lookout posts are extremely experienced sergeants, who require sharp eyesight that is far beyond ordinary people.

Their daily meal standards are the same as those of deputy captains. They eat meat, offal and fish three times a day, as well as specially supplied cod liver oil, so as to maintain sharp eyesight in low light or at night and be the first to detect enemy situations, commonly known as "Eagle Eye".

The navigator and combat staff on the warship both have the responsibility of searching for the enemy, but they are only supplementary to the lookout posts. Rear Admiral Mo Chengcai was not originally required to go into battle in person, but he did so anyway, showing a meticulous and responsible attitude.

"Excuse me if it's convenient, Mr. General, the atmosphere on your bridge is really too dull. I think we can have something more relaxed." After enduring for a long time, Commodore Phillips finally spoke.

With hunger in his belly, his feet were sore and numb. He increasingly felt that every minute in this silent bridge was torture, and the time was so long that he could hardly see the edge.

"What do you want to talk about?" Major General Mo Chengcai put down the monocular in his hand and looked over.

Commodore Phillips immediately became excited. Although he had served in the Royal Navy for many years, he still had the lazy and arrogant attitude of a nobleman in his heart. He thought for a moment and said;

"Anything is fine. You can talk about the current situation in British Canada. Prime Minister Temple has pushed the "British North America Act" to pass in Parliament, trying to merge the Canadian provinces, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia into a federation. Doesn’t the Tang Kingdom have any opinions on becoming an autonomous dominion under the British and seeking to have other provinces join in? What about the general’s own inclinations?”

"Hmm...I personally don't want to comment on British affairs, but in Quebec, where most French people are, I'm afraid the opposition is very strong, right?"

"That's right General, at least in the next 5 to 10 years, I don't think Quebec will join the Canadian Confederation. In fact, no one in the British upper class cares about Quebec. Those French guys are good for nothing except perfume and women. Maybe their Lover culture is a bit interesting, what do you think?"

"With all due respect, in Eastern culture, lovers are a heresy that is immoral and have been unanimously criticized by the public. Within the Tang Empire, any official or nobleman who becomes a lover will be ruined, so I cannot agree with your opinion." Major General Mo Chengcai replied straightforwardly.

His words caused the somewhat lively atmosphere to suddenly suffocate. Brigadier General Phillips looked at him with baffled eyes, not believing that the topic had died down so quickly.

So, he coughed twice and said, "Ahem, the differences between Eastern and Western cultures are indeed impressive, which reflects the importance of continuing to deepen mutual understanding. But before we move to a new and interesting topic, can we Would you like a cup of hot coffee? It would be even better if it comes with some snacks."

"No problem, Mr. Xingguan, please come and make a trip." Major General Mo Chengcai simply agreed and immediately gave the order.

The Lieutenant Star Officer immediately put his legs together, gave a military salute with a bang, and repeated the order and replied: "As ordered, sir, a cup of hot coffee and some snacks."

"Yes, that's right."

"Please wait a moment, I'll be here soon."

After a while

The lieutenant officer came in carrying a tray, which was padded with white cotton cloth. On it were two coffee cups and a pot of coffee, as well as a small plate of fried buns stuffed with scallion oil and meat, and a small plate of biscuits.

The two cups of coffee are naturally the commander-in-chief and the most distinguished Brigadier General Phillips. As for Colonel Henry Hughes and Major Campbell standing behind, I can only say sorry.

After all, this is the bridge of a battleship, not a cafe.

"God testifies, I love these little meat buns to death, and now I find that the Royal Navy of the British Empire can learn more from its peers, such as cooks..."

Talking room

Two fried buns stuffed with scallion oil and meat had already been eaten by Brigadier General Phillips. He couldn't help but lick the oil stains on his fingers. They were so delicious!

This action made Colonel Henry Hughes, who was standing behind, couldn't help but twitch his eyelids. He silently turned his eyes to Major Campbell and moved his lips slightly.

It should be said: Please be a human being, General!

As a commander, you can eat as long as you want, but you still have to smack your lips in front of us. Is this really appropriate?

What impresses the British the most is the deliciousness and strange variety of Chinese food. The British really don’t understand why Chinese food requires so many seasonings and the different cooking methods. The same ingredients can actually present different delicious flavors. It’s simply

Amazing.

Nowadays, it is a popular trend among London's upper-class aristocracy to hire an extra Chinese cook. During the annual fox hunting event in autumn, he can cook General Tso's chicken, plus a dim sum spring roll, and a fried rice for the guests.

That would be even better, it will definitely win the house.

The rapid rise of the Tang Dynasty in North America also brought Chinese language, Chinese medicine and Chinese food culture to the European and American world earlier, forming a very strong radiating influence.

Major General Mo Chengcai raised the coffee cup in his hand and said, "Long live the friendship between the Tang Empire and the British Empire!"

"OK, this is worth a big sip." Brigadier General Phillips raised the coffee cup and took a big sip. After grinding the taste for a while, he nodded and said, "Well, authentic Colombian high-quality coffee, just brewed.

It's a little undercooked and doesn't fully bring out the rich and deep flavor of the coffee itself. I won't pay a penny for such a waiter."

As expected, the British man had a sharp tongue and inadvertently hurt the innocent lieutenant officer next to him. The young man could only pretend not to hear, and concentrated on looking at the busy sea conditions in front, but his face became stiff.

Rear Admiral Mo Chengcai looked at the other party dumbfounded, with a lot of MMB in his heart, but still maintained a social smile on his face and said, "Not everyone is qualified to use a naval lieutenant as an attendant. Frankly speaking, I think Coffee

It brews well, we can enjoy it as combat coffee."

"No, no, no... Dear General, do not lower the standards of aristocrats at any time. This is my advice to you." Brigadier General Phillips replied in a very needy tone, and then fried it with his finger.

Baozi said, "If you don't mind, then I will continue driving."

There were only 5 buns in this small plate. Brigadier General Phillips killed two of them as soon as he came up and left three, so he was polite out of basic courtesy.

"Excuse me, Mr. General, these are the snacks prepared for you." Major General Mo Chengcai was not prepared to touch these snacks at all, so he replied politely.

"Great, then I'm welcome." Brigadier General Phillips immediately started...

Colonel Henry Hughes, who was standing at the back, couldn't bear to look straight at him. Not only was there a bunch of MMB in his heart, but there were countless horses flying over his head. It was really unbearable!

The alluring aroma of the pan-fried meat buns made him swallow several times, making him even more hungry. He felt that such a boss was unworthy of a human being, so why didn't he scream?

Suddenly, the alarm bell rang

The lookout at the top of the mast reported through the copper horn: "Report to Commander: A three-masted sailing ship was spotted at 40 degrees to the right of our ship, suspected to be an armored warship of the U.S. Northern Federal Navy, heading northeast, 36 yards away. Please give instructions whether to pursue or not."

"Combat alert, pursuit at right rudder angle 40 degrees." Major General Mo Chengcai immediately and decisively issued the battle order.

"Follow your orders, battle alert, right rudder 40 degrees to pursue."

After the lieutenant officer repeated the order loudly, he immediately rang the bell hurriedly.

The battle alarm issued by the copper bell spread throughout the ship. The officers and soldiers of the ship who were resting in the cabin immediately rushed out of the cabin and rushed to their fighting positions. The atmosphere on the whole ship instantly became tense.

"Raise the battle flag."

"As ordered, raise the battle flag"

"The boiler room is pressurized, and the entire ship pursues it at a speed of 13 knots."

"As ordered, the pressure in the boiler room will be increased, and the whole ship will pursue it at a speed of 13 knots."

"Report on the preparation status of each artillery position?"

"Sir, the No. 1 main gun on the bow of the ship is good."

"Sir, the No. 2 main gun on the bow is good."

"Sir, the main gun on the 3rd stern of the ship is good."

"Sir, the main gun on the stern of the ship is No. 4."

"Sir, the port side secondary battery is ready."

"Sir, the starboard side battery is ready."

"Reporting to the commander, boilers 1 to 6 in the boiler room continue to increase pressure. The current speed is 9.5 knots. It is expected to reach the pursuit speed of 13 knots in 20 minutes. Report completed."

A series of reports from each combat position were crisp and clear, showing extremely high combat training quality. In just seven or eight minutes, the entire ship quickly entered a first-level combat readiness state.

Thick black smoke rose from the two tall and sturdy chimneys on the "Spring Moon" armored destroyer, one behind the other. It drew a clear turning track on the sea and pursued it toward the northeast.

The two armored destroyers "Hanbing" and "Hanye" following behind immediately noticed the abnormal movement. The battle flag raised on the flagship said everything. The two armored destroyers also quickly raised the battle flag and sounded. The battle alarm was sounded, and thick smoke billowing from the chimneys followed.

It has been participating in the war for more than a year. This third expeditionary squadron has experienced more than a dozen naval battles, large and small, and carried out hundreds of military patrol missions. It has already developed a keen fighting instinct. A small fleet composed of three steam ironclads The course adjustment seemed to be one, which left a deep impression on Brigadier General Phillips.

To put it bluntly, the navy is about hundreds of people playing on one ship, and the shortest version affects the upper limit of the combat level of the entire ship.

This includes the navigation department, the engine department, the observation department, each combat gun position and the commander's command ability. The shortcomings of any one department will affect the combat effectiveness of the entire ship.

Commodore Phillips saw the high-quality combat capability demonstrated by the Tang Empire's expeditionary fleet and took it to heart. He would eventually form a detailed report and submit it to the Royal Navy Headquarters for evaluation.

This is not only to evaluate the overall combat capability of the Tang Kingdom fleet, but also to evaluate its development route and potential of steam ironclad warships, to evaluate the power of artillery and armor-piercing capabilities, to evaluate the opponent's naval combat capabilities, and to evaluate whether it is suitable for the British Royal Navy in the remaining 19th century.

What is the development path in the past 40 years?

In this regard, the British Royal Navy shows its profound heritage.

They have never been shy about learning from the advanced navies of other countries around the world. In the era of sailing battleships, the British Royal Navy learned from the advantages of Spanish sailing ships and Dutch sailing ships, and achieved the glory of sailing across the world's oceans.

Nowadays, this excellent tradition has been passed down and has become a routine.

(End of chapter)