"Commander, why don't we attack with all our navy? The Fujian Navy had 18 ships, and according to the news, they had 11 ships in the harbor. They still had a certain level of combat power.”
Snoopy Khankuba was very determined, so he could only say this.
"No need. Lead the Walter Baya to attack the Qing's stronghold in Keelung. Its four 240mm main cannons are much more destructive than other warships. Moreover, Ponytail's defenses are not tight.”
Gu Ba said nonchalantly. Unless all the elites of the Chinese navy were concentrated in Ponytail, they would have a chance of failure. But how could that be possible?
Snoopy's persuasion was ineffective, so he could only stop talking. After making arrangements, Gupta also changed from the Baja to Xiali, and while the division fleet was on the way, the Wolda was heading to the Majiang River Region.
The Majiang Sea Area was also known as the horsetail in the future, which was the port base of the Fujian Shipyard and the Fujian Navy. Before the establishment of the Northern Navy, the Fujian Navy was the largest navy in the country.
At this time, the French fleet had already sent the notice of war to the consular offices of various countries and informed the four warships of the Ying country," Champion "," Sapphire "," Alert ", and the US " Enterprise " in Mawei Port. These four warships began to prepare to evacuate.
This scene alerted Commander Gao Tengyun.
However, before he could rush to He Ruzhang to report, he saw several thick black smoke between the sea and the sky. Ten warships had already arrived at Mawei Military Port one after another.
The quilted flag was the flag of the French Navy. The flag bearer kept sending out flag signals, indicating that this was a fleet that had come for a tour.
"Sir, if we don't seize the opportunity to seize the favorable terrain, once the French army takes the initiative to seize the terrain and open fire, we will die without a burial ground!”
Gao Tengyun couldn't help but say anxiously. At this time, the French warships were already slowly approaching the port and slowing down.
"No! We can't act rashly in case the French army misunderstand!”He Ruzhang's attitude was very firm and unquestionable.
At this moment, Yang Wu and Zhang Cheng, and Fu Sheng and Gao Yuanzheng, rushed over." Sir, the French have trespassed into the military port. We must chase them out, or the consequences will be unimaginable.“
"Humph! I will immediately report this to the Imperial Court. You cannot start a war lightly. If you fire a shot first without permission, you will be punished for defeat. "He Ruzhang couldn't help but scold angrily.
Gao Tengyun, Gao Yuanzheng, and Zhang Cheng's faces turned ashen when they heard this. However, the other party was a second-grade official, and they could not disobey him at all.
"He Ruzhang, the French have gone too far. They treat our military port as an uninhabited land. You are so timid and afraid of battle.”
Suddenly, a shout came from afar, and a few horses hurried over.
"Who is it…Lord Zhang, the imperial court is negotiating with the French. How can we start a war?”
He Ruzhang was about to rebuke him, but his expression changed when he saw who it was.
The person who came was actually Zhang Zhidong.
It turned out that after discovering the French fleet heading north in Guangdong, Zhang Zhidong immediately reported to the capital. Li Ye ordered the Fujian Navy to prepare for battle while mobilizing the main force of Zhoushan and Dinghai to head south.
At the same time, in order to prevent history from repeating itself, Zhang Zhidong was sent to Fujian on a speedboat. In order to save time, Zhang Zhidong had to change horses on the mainland to make it there.
After all, although Li Ye knew that the French army would launch a sneak attack on Ponytail, he did not know when it would happen. If the preparations in the port were completed in advance and the elites were not here, the other party might not attack and instead go to other cities to harass.
However, He Ruzhang was under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, not Zhang Zhidong. Moreover, he was only half a grade lower, so he was not afraid of Zhang Zhidong at all.
"Humph! Under the emperor's orders, Zhenwu will lead Zhang Cheng to temporarily take over the command of the Fujian Navy and prepare for battle. Gao Yunteng will be fully responsible for the secret investigation."
Zhang Zhidong did not care about what He Ruzhang said and immediately gave the order.
"Lord Zhang…you…" He Ruzhang's face was livid. He didn't expect Zhang Zhidong to seize power so soon.
"Yes, sir! My lord!" Zhang Cheng and the other two couldn't care less. The Frenchman was already very close and was imminent. What they needed to do now was to occupy an advantageous position.
Fortunately, they had already lifted the anchor when they saw the Dharmic Battleship, and the other party did not open fire at the beginning.
"You…you guys! Zhang Zhidong, this old man will definitely impeach you for passing on a false imperial edict…hmph!”He Ruzhang's face darkened when he saw their reaction.
However, by the time Zhang Zhidong was no longer worried, the telegram had already been sent and there would be a reply soon.
Sure enough, in less than half a minute, the telegram came back." He Ruzhang is dismissed. Protect the shipyard. Don't attack first. Hold fast and wait for reinforcements."”
It was not hard to guess what he meant. He meant not to open fire first, but to be prepared to counterattack. At the same time, reinforcements were on their way.
It was undeniable that the reinforcements needed time to arrive, and the Fujian Navy was definitely not a match for the French. If they failed in the battle, not only would the Fujian Navy be completely wiped out, but the French would also be able to destroy the shipyard. Therefore, they needed to stall for time.
This gave the Fujian Navy some hope. The Beiyang Navy was so far away, and the Nanyang Navy, which was closer, was not strong enough. It seemed that it would be difficult for them to delay until then.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。