Chapter 5 Chapter Five: The Naval Battle of Yashan Bay, the Qing Army's Strong Ships Fled Without Fighting

In 1866, at Zuo Zongtang's request, Lin Zexu's son-in-law Shen Baozhen was in charge, and Fuzhou Shipbuilding School was established.This is a school that uses Western-style teaching to train officers for the foreign military branch—the navy, but it cannot pass the imperial examinations to make official careers.The school not only covers tuition and living expenses, but even the living expenses of the students’ families (a monthly subsidy of 4 taels of silver), but there are still not many people who apply for the exam, and the final recruits are ordinary people from Fujian, Guangdong and other places And the children of a family in decline.

Among them were Fang Boqian, his fellow Fujianese Yan Zongguang, Liu Buchan, Lin Taizeng, Lin Yongsheng, Ye Zugui, Qiu Baoren, and Deng Shichang and Lin Guoxiang from Guangdong.At that time, they were all aged 12 to 15 years old. In a classroom temporarily converted from a temple (Dingguang Temple in the south of Fuzhou City), they learned English words and naval knowledge accompanied by morning bells, evening drums, and the sound of Buddha's chant.Four years have passed in such a flash. In 1871, the children were about to graduate.They started boarding the warship for practice. The warship departed from Fuzhou, arrived in the Straits of Malacca via Hong Kong and Singapore, and sailed for four months. They practiced seriously on the warship.After graduation, they became the first batch of real naval officers in the Qing Dynasty.

A few years later, the imperial court decided to send them abroad for further studies at public expense.Before going abroad, they all made an oath, determined to contribute their strength to the strength of the national navy, study technology, and serve the country. "Here I go to the West, shoulder the future of the country, and learn all the science of foreigners. I will travel 70,000 miles and leave the country of my mother and father. I will have no regrets!" In the end, Liu Buchan and Lin Tai went to the British Navy to study actual combat, while Yan Zongguang, Fang Boqian, Lin Yongsheng, Ye Zugui and others were admitted to the Royal Naval Academy in Greenwich, England. During more than three years in Europe, he learned to drink coffee, Eat Western food, stroll the streets of London, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and the Opera House in Berlin.Of course, what is more important is to learn a wealth of naval knowledge.In addition to book theory, they also learn actual combat.Liu Buchan and others served as trainees in the most powerful British Mediterranean Fleet in the world at that time, followed the warships to cruise the three oceans, and even participated in naval battles in Africa. It can be said that they have gained a wealth of actual combat experience.

After returning to China, each of them has become an officer with world-class vision. Yan Zongguang still couldn't let go of the dream of the imperial examination. Although he became the principal (general office) of the Tianjin Naval Academy after returning to China, he was still very depressed. In addition, he thought that he had no ambitions. Later, he took up opium and changed his career to become a teacher. The writer, who changed his name to Yan Fu, translated and compiled the famous work "Tianyanlun". The famous sentence "Natural selection, survival of the fittest" comes from this book.And Fang Boqian, Liu Buchan and others became the captains of the Beiyang Fleet. Although they did not have the fame of the imperial examination, their economic income was not low, and they could be regarded as real high-income groups.

The Qing Dynasty built a new navy in line with international standards, and the first and best integration was the income of naval officers. In accordance with the "Regulations of the Beiyang Navy", the income of the officers and soldiers of the Beiyang Navy is based on the ratio of 4 to 6, and the model of basic salary plus performance salary is implemented.Fleet Commander Ding Ruchang’s annual income is 8,400 taels of silver, captains like Liu Buchan and Deng Shichang’s annual income is 3,960 taels, and captains like Fang Boqian’s annual income is 3,240 taels of silver.In addition, as a captain, he can also control the expenditure of "public expenses for sailing" ranging from 350 taels to 850 taels a month.

Calculated according to the price, one tael of silver was equivalent to about 150 yuan at that time, that is to say, Fang Boqian's annual salary was more than 400,000 yuan. At 7:00 on July 25th, the sky was bright and the sea was calm. Jiyuan and Guangyi were about to sail out of the Yashan Bay channel and enter the sea. At this time, the observers suddenly reported to Fang Boqian: soot was found ahead!Then it was quickly determined: there are three Japanese warships! This is the First Vanguard of the United Fleet. The warships on both sides took off their gun covers almost at the same time, the artillery was in place, and the cannons were pointed at each other!The distance between the two sides was getting closer and closer, and the soldiers on the warship held their breath and stared at each other intently, waiting for that earth-shattering moment.

Standing in the command tower of the Jiyuan warship, Fang Boqian was very nervous. The Qing and Japanese countries had not yet declared war, so he had to strictly abide by the order of "no provocation, no firing of the first shot".Therefore, as long as the Japanese warship does not fire first, the two sides will live in peace, and it is considered to be a fateful meeting at sea.However, if the Japanese fired first, Jiyuan and Guangyi would have to fight back.With two against three, what kind of result would that be? Fang Boqian kept a close eye on Yoshino who was sailing at the front. Suddenly, he saw Yoshino make a sharp 180-degree turn at a distance of 3,000 meters, turn around and run back, while Naniwa and Akitsusu who were following behind The number also quickly turned back.Seeing this situation, Fang Boqian breathed a sigh of relief: Undeclared war is against the "public law of all nations", and it seems that the Japanese do not dare to risk the disgrace of the world.

However, not long after Fang Boqian breathed a sigh of relief, his tone came up again: Yoshino and other warships turned around and rushed over again!They drew a big circle on the sea, blocking the way of Jiyuan and Guangyi again. This secret is hidden in the characteristics of the warships of both sides. The national gates of the Qing and Japanese countries were blasted from the sea by Western powers with "strong ships and sharp guns". When developing their navies, these two countries pursued "strong ships and sharp guns" from the beginning. The thicker, the larger the caliber of the naval gun, the better.But later, the concept of the Japanese changed.

After 1885, a strategic theory emerged in the world’s navies. They believed that the era when warships pursued heavy armor and cannons to dominate the oceans had passed. In exchange for high speed.The Japanese Navy partially absorbed this theory.The average speed of the First Pioneer was 20 knots, and Yoshino even reached the highest speed in the world at that time - 22.5 knots. The average speed of Jiyuan and Guangyi is 15 knots. It can be seen from the above that the average speed of the first vanguard is 5 knots faster than that of the Qing fleet, but the biggest difference between the two sides is not only in speed, but in: guns.

Unlike Jiyuan and Guangyi, which are equipped with retreating guns as naval guns, most of the first vanguard is equipped with another type of naval gun-rapid-fire guns. The main difference between a recoil gun and a rapid-fire gun is the speed at which the gun is fired.There are two main reasons for affecting the speed: one is that the gun mount of the rapid-fire gun has the latest hydraulic reset device, and the gun mount can automatically recover after firing the gun, so there is no need for secondary aiming.In addition, the ammunition shells of the unloading gun belong to the ammunition-loading type. There is only a huge warhead without a shell case. When firing the cannon, the warhead needs to be pushed into the barrel first, and then the gunpowder is filled in the barrel. After ignition, the warhead is pushed towards the enemy!The shells of rapid-fire guns are new shells with shells, which saves this link.

Therefore, the rapid-fire gun is a fast gun, while the retreating gun is a slow gun. According to the parameters at the time, the racking gun can fire 33 shells every 10 minutes, while the rapid-fire gun can shoot 185 rounds every 10 minutes. The speed is six times that of the former. times, basically equivalent to the difference between a rifle and a machine gun.However, things can’t always be both. Six times the speed of the gun does not mean that the firepower is six times. This is because the speed of firing the gun has been accelerated, and the caliber of the rapid-fire gun has to be much smaller. All the shells fired are small. The lethality of each shell cannot be compared with that of a bulky recoil gun.It is also for this reason that the bulky recoil guns are generally installed on the bow or stern of the ship, while the lightweight rapid-fire guns are installed on both sides (sides) of the warship. At the time of the rise of the world navy, the era of strong ironclad ships and large-caliber recoil guns dominated the ocean (the so-called strong guns), while light cruisers and rapid-fire guns were emerging products.Before the war, Ding Ruchang, the commander of the Beiyang Fleet, had realized that the Qing warships had to install a large number of rapid-fire guns. He reported to Li Hongzhang for an application, but he did not approve it. We will know the reason for this disapproval later. Now we have also understood why the first vanguard drew a circle on the sea—they were waiting for Jiyuan and Guangyi to completely sail out of the narrow channel of Yashan Bay and come to the wide sea.Only on the sea surface can Yoshino and other warships take advantage of their fast speed and good maneuverability, and they can also make full use of the rapid-fire guns on both sides of the warship. When Yoshino sailed to a position almost parallel to Jiyuan (the broadside rapid-fire gun was aimed at Jiyuan), the Yoshino ship suddenly issued the order "Fire!", and the Japanese gunner was at a loss. Yoshino did not issue a battle warning to the other party, and fired rashly. This is a sneak attack. Although the "Public Law of All Nations" does not need to be followed, the reputation of sneak attack is really bad. Before the war, Yuto Ito had issued an order to let go of the weak ships and find the main force for a decisive battle.To be cautious, the gunner quickly sent soldiers to run to ask for instructions: Do you really want to fire?The answer was four words: "Asshole, fire!" The first shot on the Yoshino ship was fired, probably because of being too nervous. According to historical records, the first shot fired by the Yoshino gunner was empty.The Sino-Japanese War of Sino-Japanese War started with this empty cannon.From then on, until the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in World War II, undeclared war has almost become the tradition of the Japanese navy, and the Japanese navy is also the most sneak attack army in the world. After empty guns, it is real guns.The three Japanese warships pointed all their rapid-fire guns at Jiyuan and blasted them violently. I calculated that Jiyuan would be attacked by at least 80 rapid-fire shells every minute.However, Jiyuan's naval guns are mainly installed on the bow and stern of the ship. Even if it fires now, it is difficult to hit the opponent! Jiyuan dodged left and right in the waves, looking for a battle position.A shell landed next to the conning tower, Chief Officer Ji Yuan was cut in the head by shrapnel, brains and blood sprayed out, and Fang Boqian next to him was splashed all over his body.Immediately afterwards, another shell hit the main battery of the ship's bow, and the gunnery mate was shattered on the spot. More officers and soldiers fell down one after another. There were screams and blood on the Jiyuan ship. Fang Boqian was stunned by this tragic scene, he ordered Jiyuan to rush out of the encirclement!However, due to the relatively slow speed, it was still unable to get rid of the entanglement.It seems that Yoshino and others will not give up until Jiyuan is sunk. In an extremely urgent moment, Guangyi led by Lin Guoxiang appeared. In fact, Guangyi is not a real warship. It is more appropriate to say that it is a wooden ship (covered with a layer of steel skin), and its displacement is only a pitiful 1,000 tons. There are 11 retreating guns.Guangyi was not a warship of the Beiyang Fleet, but originally belonged to the Guangdong Fleet. It, Guangjia and Guangbing came to the Beiyang Fleet parade before the war and were temporarily recruited for use. After the battle began, the three Japanese warships left Guangyi aside and focused on dealing with Jiyuan.Lin Guoxiang led a wooden boat into the formation, I really admire his courage. Although Guangyi's artillery fire is not powerful, it is small and nimble, like a loach in the seine, rushing left and right in the formation, firing cannons from time to time.Ji Yuan seized the opening and finally rushed out. Jiyuan rushed out, but Fang Boqian ignored Guangyi who was still trapped in the formation, and ordered the warship to drive towards Weihai immediately at full power.Although Fang Boqian is only the captain of the Jiyuan ship, he is also the general person in charge of this warship sailing operation. Guangyi followed Jiyuan in the operation. Now, Guangyi rescued Jiyuan, but Jiyuan left the weak Guangyi fled first. Lin Guoxiang was so angry that he saw this scene. Angry is angry, Lin Guoxiang must find a way to rush out, otherwise Guangyi, surrounded by three warships, will sink soon.However, seeing the dense firepower network in front of him, Lin Guoxiang was in despair. He knew that there was no hope of rushing out. Lin Guoxiang had no choice but to give up the idea of ​​rushing out, and ordered Guang Yi to turn around quickly and retreat to the starting point in Yashan Bay! The three Japanese warships immediately made a decision: let the wooden boat Guangyi go first, and work together to catch up with Jiyuan!Because they also know that this is a really big fish. Yoshino chased at the front, and Jiyuan did not fire after being shot, which meant that its firing device had been destroyed and he was unable to fight back. Yoshino decided to capture Jiyuan alive.However, when Yoshino approached Jiyuan, Jiyuan suddenly fired a tail shot, which hit Yoshino, and Yoshino had to slow down the speed. Afterwards, Naniwa overtook, and it overtook Yoshino, chasing Jiyuan with all its strength! Captain Naniwa's idea is the same as Yoshino's, to capture Jiyuan alive and let the combined fleet add another warship! In 1871, when Fang Boqian and his group graduated from the Fuzhou Shipbuilding Academy and were about to go to the UK for further study, Japan selected 12 of the best naval students from China to go to the UK to study naval technology.At that time, the Western world generally looked down on the "Asian yellow monkey". Therefore, when the foreign students from the Qing Dynasty could enter the fleet to learn actual combat, the foreign students from Japan could only be arranged to study in the merchant marine school, and they could not even see the shadow of the warship. Among the 12 people, there was a person who was not good at speaking and was very silent, who watched with Wang Yangming's eyes every day.In England, he stayed for eight years, starting as a sailor at the bottom, studying ship construction and driving skills assiduously. After returning home, he was determined to change the Japanese navy. In 1887, the General Staff Headquarters issued the "Strategy of Conquering the Qing Dynasty", requiring Japan to complete all preparations for the war against the Qing Dynasty before 1892 (within five years). In 1892, the Japanese army began a final personnel reform mainly aimed at commanders.The Japanese army believes that Japan cannot compare with the Qing Dynasty in terms of military strength and weapons, but in order to be superior in commanders, the commanders must be younger and have people who have mastered the world's most advanced combat theories. As a result, the 44-year-old became the target of being abolished. But at the last moment, the Minister of the Navy remembered that the Naniwa still lacked a captain, so he left him. He is Togo Heihachiro.Luckily becoming Captain Naniwa, Togo Heihachiro has more to prove himself than anyone else. And Togo Heihachiro on the Naniwa ship suddenly saw the miraculous scene on the front Jiyuan. Fang Boqian's Jiyuan ship hoisted a white flag!During the battle, raising the white flag means giving up resistance, and generally the opponent should also cease fire.So Dongxiang Heihachiro ordered the signal soldiers to display the semaphore: Jiyuan stop driving immediately! But Jiyuan was still moving forward at full speed, with no intention of stopping at all. It turns out that Fang Boqian was playing tricks on me!Togo Heihachiro ordered Naniwa to chase after him at full speed.The two sides approached again, and at this moment, an even more surprising scene appeared. Next to the white flag on the Jiyuan ship, there is another Japanese navy flag! Let's explain this action: Flying the opponent's military flag means that you will automatically become a prisoner of the enemy, and you will be given even the people and ships. For Naniwa, this is more difficult.You can't open fire on your own country's navy flag.So the signal soldiers played the semaphore to ask Jiyuan to stop driving. They thought that Jiyuan should be honest this time.However, the Jiyuan ship is still advancing at full speed! Dongxiang Heihachiro was molested again. Before, he only heard that soldiers are not tired of cheating. Now, from Fang Boqian, he knows another word: escape is not tired of cheating. At this time, there were two ships from outside the battlefield in front of them, and they were slowly approaching the battlefield. Everyone must still remember the last troop carrier that Fang Boqian did not wait for at the landing point in Yashan Bay. This British troop transport ship is called Gaosheng. On Gaosheng, there are 1,116 Qing soldiers and 74 boatmen.Following the Gaosheng from a distance was the supply ship Caojiang.The ship was loaded with 200,000 taels of silver, 20 cannons, 3,000 rifles, and piles of ammunition.They didn't know that a naval battle had already taken place here, and they sailed to Asan Bay according to the established route. The first person Gao Sheng encountered was Ji Yuan.It saw a warship with a Japanese navy flag and a white flag coming towards it. When the opponent was approaching, it suddenly lowered the Japanese navy flag, and then passed by at full speed. When Fang Boqian left the Yashan Bay landing place, because the Gaosheng had not yet arrived, he had made a plan at that time: if he encountered a third troop carrier at sea, he must intercept it and make it turn back and escape from danger.But at this time, Fang Boqian on Jiyuan seems to have completely forgotten this plan, and the only thing left in his mind is the word "escape". He didn't even issue any warning to Gao Sheng, but just lowered the Japanese military flag and continued to move forward at full speed. What Fang Boqian didn't know was that his action greatly misled Gao Shenghao.The Gaosheng was a rented British ship. They didn't know the Jiyuan ship, nor did they know that it was a warship of the Beiyang Fleet. They saw a warship flying the Japanese Navy's flag and white flag rushing towards them for no reason. The military flag was slowly lowered—I thought it was a Japanese warship exercising maritime etiquette! So Gao Sheng continued to sail forward with confidence and boldness.The danger is also approaching step by step, and what it will meet is that terrible enemy-Tongxiang Heihachiro. Togo Heihachiro stood on the Naniwa ship and found the Takasho, and also saw the Qing soldiers sitting densely on the deck. He suddenly realized: This is a troop carrier without any weapon protection! The Naniwa ship immediately sailed to the Kosho, all the broadside cannons were aimed at the Kosho, the artillery fired a warning to the sky, and the signalman sent a semaphore to the Kosho: "Stop sailing immediately!" On the orders of the British captain, the Gaosheng stopped.Togo Heihachiro sent an officer to board Gaosheng in a small boat, explaining that the Gaosheng had been captured by a Japanese warship, and asked to take the Gaosheng away, and the British captain agreed.The officer returned to Naniwa, and Naniwa raised a semaphore: Anchor, follow me! The Qing army on the deck understood everything in front of them.They picked up the rifles in their hands and guarded the captain, forcing the pilot to stop sailing and not follow the Japanese warship. The British captain had no choice but to signal to the Naniwa: Please send someone to negotiate again!So the Naniwa officer came to the Gaosheng again, and the captain conveyed the opinion of the Qing army: they refused to be taken as prisoners, and they no longer went to Asan, and asked to return to Taku, the original departure point. Since the two countries had not yet declared war, the ship also For foreign nationals, this requirement of the Qing army can be said to be more in line with international practice. The officer went back to the Naniwa ship to report, and the sea was peaceful, and everyone was waiting for the decision of the usually taciturn man-Togo Heihachiro. Dongxiang Heihachiro had two choices: one was to forcibly take Gao Sheng away according to the original plan; or to order Gao Sheng to return to Dagu.But Dongxiang Heihachiro made the third choice-fire!Sink this defenseless troop carrier! "This is a British ship." His men reminded him. "Then let the Europeans leave the ship immediately." Togo Heihachiro replied calmly. "The Europeans leave the ship immediately!" The signalman on the Naniwa ship signaled to the Kosho. The British captain and the foreign crew felt like weeping at this moment, because——they couldn't leave the ship.They have all been detained by the Qing army on the ship with rifles. Everyone was waiting for Togo Heihachiro's reaction again.Li Hongzhang rented a British ship to transport troops, just betting that the Japanese would not be able to fire guns. Now, it was Dongxiang Heihachiro's turn to play his cards. "Fire." Dongxiang Heihachiro replied calmly. At the same time as more than a dozen cannons fired, the torpedoes also flew towards Gaosheng. The Qing soldiers on the deck picked up the rifles in their hands and fired. However, the distance was too far, and the bullets could only make splashes on the sea surface. The Gao Sheng soon tilted into the water and sank to the bottom of the sea. Dongxiang Heihachiro ordered his men to rescue the foreigners who fell into the water, but the Qing army fired to stop them. In the end, the Japanese only rescued the British captain, first mate and engineer. After 30 minutes, the Gaosheng number all sank to the bottom of the sea. Only 257 people survived on this ship with more than 1,000 people, all of whom escaped by chance. Some were rescued by passing warships and ships after drifting at sea for several days, and some swam back to the shore Two Qing soldiers swam to a nearby deserted island and were rescued after being savages for more than 40 days. The remaining 871 officers and soldiers of the Qing Dynasty and 62 crew members were all buried at the bottom of the sea. This is the famous "Gao Sheng Incident" in history.Its tragedy is caused by many factors, the most important reasons are two: the luck of the coach Li Hongzhang and the cowardice of the front-line general Fang Boqian.A troop carrier full of thousands of soldiers sailed to the front line, when the two countries were about to fight, they deliberately did not have a warship escort, and sailed alone in the sea, thinking that the Mi Zi flag was a talisman. Yuan also ignored it! At the same time that the Gaosheng sank, the supply ship Caojiang was also captured under the persecution of the Qiujinzhou. The salary, ammunition, and the ship became the spoils of war of the Japanese army. However, Guang Yi, who sailed back to the starting point of Yashan Bay, was severely damaged by shells and ran aground on a reef in the shoal. Lin Guoxiang had to order to set fire to Guang Yi.Lin Guoxiang and his soldiers returned home from North Korea. On the way, they were detained by the Japanese army and returned to China after writing a letter of guarantee to "never participate in the Sino-Japanese War". Only Jiyuan, who fled all the way, safely returned to the Weihai base.For Fang Boqian, his escape behavior did not start when he encountered a Japanese warship, but after he learned that the Japanese army had staged a coup in Seoul. He dropped the second troop carrier that was still unloading and drove out. In Asan Bay, when encountering the third ship, Gaosheng, not only did it not take on the role of escort, but it did not even issue a warning message.Fang Boqian seemed to deliberately make Gao Sheng a new target of Naniwa's attack, so that he could seize the opportunity to escape.From this point of view, Fang Boqian is not only a general who failed in ability, but also a general who failed in character. In writing to Li Hongzhang before the war, Fang Boqian demonstrated his function as a counselor with an international vision.However, those who are conscientious may not be courageous. Not only can there be no equal sign between a good strategist and an outstanding military general, but even an equal sign cannot be drawn. The difference between all these comes from two words: courage. Advisers can boast, but what a general needs is a fight.Before the war broke out, a good strategist could run the train with his mouth full of life and death, but he might run faster than anyone else in the real fight, but a good general is not like this. A good general may be afraid in the face of battle, but he is extremely brave in wartime, and has the courage to go all out and give it a go. Fang Boqian is undoubtedly a person without courage.What he showed in the Asan Bay naval battle was not the quality of a brave general, but the quality of a master of escape. Ever since firearms became the weapons of war, people have often asked: Is that kind of bravery still needed on the battlefield?In fact, no matter how advanced the weapons are, it is people who ultimately determine the outcome of a war. This is no different from any previous wars. Yes, no matter how advanced theories, excellent strategies, and brilliant tactics you have, courage is what you fight for on the battlefield until the end, the kind of courage that will make you succeed if you fail. A "courage" has already interpreted the core of the military soul! Enough!Enough!