Chapter 3, The Edge of the Collision Blade
Lin Fei also knew that despite the low level of propellant technology in this era, the firing speed of the shells was not high and their penetrating power was limited. However, a single corpse could hardly withstand a 47-millimeter shell. Therefore, Lin Fei moved quickly, but just after taking a few steps, a shell landed right in front of him, as if the Japanese artillerymen were targeting him specifically.
Lin Fei reached out to grab the body of the fallen sailor, shielding himself with it, while simultaneously lowering his body and moving towards the nearest No. 4 gun position. The No. 4 gun position was equipped with a 152 mm Armstrong quick-firing gun, flanked by 50 mm thick steel armor plates, sufficient to withstand the shells of the Japanese Hachikaze machine gun.
The firing handwheel of the Gatling gun is used to rotate the barrel, and the firing mechanism is also located on the handwheel. Therefore, as the handwheel is turned, the Gatling gun is simultaneously fired. Lin Fei pulls the steering device to aim the Gatling gun at the Hotchkiss gun turret on the Yoshino ship. He then turns the handwheel, and the barrel immediately produces a "bang bang bang" sound, with bright flashes shooting out from the muzzle, landing on the Yoshino ship. The shells strike the turret, creating bursts of sparks. Aiming the Gatling gun at the Hotchkiss gun turret on the Yoshino ship, he then turns the handwheel, and the barrel immediately produces a "bang bang bang" sound, with bright flashes shooting out from the muzzle, landing on the Yoshino ship. The shells strike the turret, creating bursts of sparks.
During the Battle of Jiawu, the Zhiyuan ship suffered heavy damage, with the hydraulic oil tank and transmission cylinder of the hydraulic steering system completely destroyed. Therefore, to turn the rudder, it was necessary to use the manual steering device at the stern of the ship. Logically, as the captain, Deng Shichang did not need to personally operate the steering wheel; however, upon seeing the torpedoes approaching, he became truly anxious and personally led his subordinates to turn the steering wheel.
The Zhiyuan and Yoshino ships have now come very close after the recent voyage. At this moment, the Yoshino ship is already able to use its automatic cannons. The Yoshino is equipped with 20 Hotchkiss 47mm automatic cannons, which are produced in France and operate on a revolving barrel automatic principle, similar to the automatic principle of the American "Vulcan" cannon from the Lin Fei era
The Battle of Lissa profoundly influenced the course of world naval history, which is why during the First Sino-Japanese War, there were still warships equipped with rams, and the Zhiyuan was one of them. As long as the Zhiyuan collided with the Yoshino, the Yoshino would be in grave danger
Lin Fei immediately understood that "level" represents the magnitude of water pressure. Here, the fire is relatively small, so using "level one" is sufficient. Therefore, the sailor used "level one". If it were switched to "level three", the water pressure would be greater. Lin Fei reached out and moved the lever to "level three". The moment he moved it, Lin Fei felt a sudden surge of strange force coming from the water gun.
In fact, Deng Shichang could have easily stayed in the wheelhouse waiting for the impact, without the need to risk his life crossing the deck. However, he did this entirely to protect those sailors who were unaware that the collision was imminent! Lin Fei was suddenly filled with a surge of emotion as he thought of this, and looking at the nearby Geren quick-firing gun, he thought: "Let’s fight the little devils!" He stood up and reached out to grasp the firing wheel of the Geren quick-firing gun.
Lin Fei turned around to look at the sea surface and saw that the torpedo was only about 50 meters away from the Zhiyuan ship. Lin Fei glanced at the sailors who were still putting out the fire, took a quick step forward, snatched the water gun, leaving the sailor holding the water gun stunned and exclaiming: "Gunner, what are you doing grabbing the water gun?"
Deng Shichang, however, remained silent as he traversed through the hail of bullets and stepped over the corpses, charging towards the command tower. Lin Fei felt a surge of warmth in his heart, secretly thinking that Deng Shichang was heading to the command tower to issue the order for "collision preparation". At the moment of impact, both sides would have to endure a tremendous force; if the personnel on board were not adequately prepared, the sudden force could throw them off their feet, and colliding with the cabin could result in broken bones and torn muscles. This was precisely why I gripped the handrail of the machine gun tightly, anchoring myself in place. At the moment of impact, both sides would have to endure a tremendous force; if the personnel on board were not adequately prepared, the sudden force could throw them off their feet, and colliding with the cabin could result in broken bones and torn muscles. This was precisely why I gripped the handrail of the machine gun tightly, anchoring myself in place.
Lin Fei stepped back with his right leg, forming a lunge, and gripped the water gun tightly with both hands, preventing it from being knocked away. He aimed the water gun at the torpedo underwater, and a powerful jet of water shot forward, creating a bright splash in the vast sea, instantly drowning the torpedo's trajectory in the waves.
Lin Fei tightly gripped the handguard of the machine gun, waiting for the moment of impact to arrive. Just then, he saw Deng Shichang running from the stern to the bow of the ship. Lin Fei's heart sank; he thought to himself, with the enemy's bullets raining down, wasn't he seeking death?
Liu Daming glared fiercely at Lin Fei, pushed him aside, and then followed Deng Shichang running towards the stern of the ship. Lin Fei shouted loudly: "Lord Deng, the helm is no longer useful; to evade the torpedo, you must listen to me..." However, Deng Shichang did not hear Lin Fei's words at all and continued running straight towards the stern with his men.
Behind Deng Shichang, Liu Daming shouted while chasing, "Master Deng, we cannot return to the command tower, the enemy's shells are too fierce!" After calling out twice, Liu Daming dove into the command tower.
Lin Fei paid no attention to the astonished gazes of the sailors, rushing to the side of the ship and aiming the water gun at the torpedo in the water. A bright column of water shot forward, splashing a spray on the surface, yet the torpedo underwater remained completely unaffected, continuing its approach towards the Zhiyuan ship. Lin Fei broke out in a cold sweat, thinking to himself: "I wondered why the people on the Zhiyuan ship didn't know to use the water gun against the torpedo; it turns out the water pressure of the water gun is insufficient, and the water column it shoots cannot reach the depth of the torpedo, making it impossible to interfere with it! If the water gun cannot hit the torpedo, what should we do?"
At this moment, shells were continuously falling onto the deck. Lin Fei approached the position of the Green Quick-Firing Gun amidst the rain of shells. He forcefully pushed aside a corpse and took cover behind the shield. There was no one at this gun position; it was likely that the gunner had been killed in the previous battle. Lin Fei glanced at the ammunition slot beside the machine gun, which was completely filled with shells
The Japanese army discovered that the Zhi Yuan was firing back, and immediately turned the gun barrel to begin shooting at the position where Lin Fei was located. As the Japanese machine gun turned, the shells falling onto the deck suddenly decreased. Deng Shichang then ran back to the command tower, and right after, the entire ship echoed with Deng Shichang's high-pitched voice: "Prepare for collision"
The Gatling gun referred to as the "Gatling" is actually the Gatling machine gun. It is called "Gatling" because the translations of ancient people differ from those of modern individuals. The Gatling gun equipped on the Zhiyuan ship is a ten-barrel 11 mm machine gun, operating automatically in a manner similar to the Hotchkiss, both being rotary barrel types. However, Lin Fei did not intend to fire, as he knew that the Zhiyuan ship was about to collide with the Yoshino ship. In this situation, shooting a few enemies with the Gatling gun would hold little significance.
The Zhiyuan ship did not intend to perish together with the Yoshino ship! This is because the bow of the Zhiyuan ship is equipped with an extremely powerful weapon—a ram! The history of this weapon can be traced back to the naval battles between Rome and Carthage over six hundred years before Christ. Its structure is quite simple, consisting of a steel conical hard point. When in use, the warship, with its several thousand tons of weight and a speed of over ten knots, charges towards the enemy ship, and the ram pierces the enemy vessel like a knife!
Lin Feigang let out a sigh of relief, only to suddenly see the sailor in front of him go limp, collapsing entirely. A seasoned warrior like Lin Fei quickly understood that this sailor had been shot, and the bullet had directly severed his spinal cord, rendering his body beyond the control of his nerves, causing him to fall like a pile of mush. At that moment, a "whoosh whoosh" sound rang in Lin Fei's ears. He looked up to see the machine gun on the Yoshino ship spitting fire, launching shells towards the Zhiyuan ship.
As soon as the torpedo's wake disappeared, Lin Fei instantly lost his target. He could only rely on his memory to direct the water column towards the torpedo's trajectory, which left him feeling quite uncertain. He had no idea whether the water column had actually interfered with the torpedo. Just then, he heard the gunner at the artillery position behind him erupt in cheers: "The torpedo has passed!"
Is it to help move the helm? No way! Before the Zhiyuan ship could turn, the torpedo hit! Going to the engine room to find a way to make the Zhiyuan ship accelerate? That's even less reliable! At this critical moment, Lin Fei inadvertently glanced at the water gun and saw a rotating wheel on it, with a scale beside it. The scale was marked in English with "Level 1", "Level 2", and "Level 3", and at that moment, the rotating wheel was precisely positioned at the "Level 1" mark.
Lin Fei threw down the water gun, ran a few steps to the starboard side, and grasped the railing to look down. He saw a long white ribbon passing through the Zhiyuan ship, heading out to the distant sea. It turned out that the water column shot by Lin Fei had indeed interfered with the torpedo; the torpedo was forcefully pushed down by the water column, causing it to plunge sharply. The depth control mechanism of torpedoes in this era responded very slowly. By the time it sensed the increase in the torpedo's depth and readjusted its depth, the torpedo had already passed beneath the Zhiyuan ship. It turned out that the water column shot by Lin Fei had indeed interfered with the torpedo; the torpedo was forcefully pushed down by the water column, causing it to plunge sharply. The depth control mechanism of torpedoes in this era responded very slowly. By the time it sensed the increase in the torpedo's depth and readjusted its depth, the torpedo had already passed beneath the Zhiyuan ship
Lin Fei's heart trembled, and he quickly lay down on the ground. Looking around, he saw that about ten meters behind him was a position for a Maxim gun, which also had protective shields. Lin Fei hurriedly turned around, using a corpse as a shield, and charged towards the position of the Maxim gun.
The range of this machine gun reaches up to 4,000 meters. The Yoshino ship could have opened fire early; however, the lethality of the shells from this machine gun is limited, and its effectiveness at long distances is not good. Furthermore, the Yoshino is equipped with eight 120 mm Armstrong quick-firing guns, providing ample firepower. Therefore, Captain Kawahara Yasuichi of the Japanese Navy did not order his subordinates to open fire at the beginning, waiting until the Zhiyuan ship approached.
In the face of tremendous kinetic energy, the armor of the enemy's warships is as fragile as a piece of paper. Moreover, after the collision occurs, the two ships continue to move relative to each other, and the ram will slice through the enemy ship like a sharp knife cutting through cheese, creating a massive gash. Countless volumes of seawater will rush into the enemy vessel, which will soon sink in despair and agony! In the Battle of Lissa in 1866, the Austrian flagship "Ferdinand Max" sank the Italian flagship "Re d'Italia" using its ram, thereby securing victory for Austria in both the naval battle and the war.