Chapter 983 Naval Battle
Lin Hao returned to the brigade headquarters in Xidu again. When he was thinking about how to distribute the weapons in his hands, the communications staff walked in with a telegram and said anxiously:
"Commander, the Navy's First Gunboat Squadron sent an urgent message saying they encountered a Siamese Navy destroyer, which is estimated to be heading towards our naval base."

Lin Hao took the telegram. He hated Siam's thicker skin than the Great Wall, especially when he thought of the other party's surrender to Xiao Ri. So Lin Hao immediately said:
"Tell Sun Guanghua, if you can fight, then fight. If you can't fight, then run. We will send a plane to support you immediately!"

Lin Hao paused for a moment and reminded again:
"If you can't win, the ship will sink, but you must save the crew. I have countless ships waiting for him!"

"Yes, Brigade Commander!"

.........

The view switches to the sea, and the time goes back to ten minutes ago. Sun Guanghua, who had just taken office, felt relieved when looking at his own gunboat, especially after learning about the performance of the gunboat, he became extremely excited.

If they had this gunboat earlier, their destroyers would definitely not be so arrogant!

"Report to the captain, gunboat No. 2 has discovered two unidentified targets, the direction is 163, and the distance is shown as 28 kilometers!" A report came from Sun Guanghua's command room.

"Could it be a fishing boat?" Sun Guanghua frowned slightly.

"It shouldn't be. We are already more than a hundred nautical miles from the coastline. A fishing boat won't go so far." The first mate stepped forward and said.

"Never mind, communicator, immediately notify gunboats No. 2 and No. 3 to enter level one combat readiness, and all gunners to enter combat positions. Repeat, the entire ship enters combat readiness!"

"Yes!"

At this time, although it was daytime, the fog on the sea surface dissipated very slowly, and it was a little gray in the distance. Anyone who has served as a naval observer knows that the visibility on the sea surface depends on the height you are standing at and the sea conditions and weather at the time.

A gunboat like the one Lin Hao brought back has a displacement of just 500 tons, and its observation accuracy is actually very low.

Ten minutes later, the observer reported.

"Report, target found, right in front of us, right there!"

"Report, it's a Siamese destroyer, it's a Siamese destroyer, it's heading towards our ship!"

After receiving the report, Sun Guanghua immediately asked the communicator to send a telegram to the brigade headquarters while picking up the walkie-talkie.

"I am Captain Sun Guanghua. I now order the entire ship to enter combat mode. All personnel are ready to fight! Observers continue to observe and report the type of enemy ship and its firepower configuration."

"Chief Engineer, keep the engine running at high speed. First Officer, rudder left 50 degrees, get behind the enemy."

"Gunboat No. 2, Gunboat No. 3, spread out and don't let them find you."

"Yes!"

Soon, Sun Guanghua received a call back from Lin Hao, with only one line of words on it: Hit me, hit me hard.

"All ships ready, enter range and fire freely. Repeat, enter range and fire freely."

"Roger that!"

"Roger that!"

The destroyer facing Siam was the HMS Phasian, which was originally an old British ship. However, due to the use of a gear-driven turbine, it was powerful and could reach a maximum speed of 36 knots. However, the ship's displacement was less than one thousand tons.

According to Xiao Rizi's request, the purpose of their trip was to investigate the situation in Xidu, because the British army claimed that it was Xiao Rizi who did it.

But Xiao Rizi had no plan to attack Xidu, so he was confused, but he had no extra troops to withdraw.

It just so happened that the Siamese destroyer HMS Phrasien was idle, so they were asked to take a small team and sail towards the Western Capital from the sea.

In their eyes, this area belonged to the Imperial Army and there would be no danger at all, so they came here alone without even bringing a gunboat.

"Report, only one destroyer was found, no other ships were found."

"Got it!" Sun Guanghua nodded and hung up the phone, then quickly pressed the button to switch to the ship-wide channel.

"I am Captain Sun Guanghua. An enemy ship has been spotted ahead. I once again order the entire ship to enter combat mode and all personnel to enter combat positions. All personnel must fight with the determination to die."

"Are you afraid?" Sun Guanghua asked the first mate beside him.

"Don't be afraid. Our gunboat is not there to do nothing. Even if it's a destroyer, so what? We can still defeat them. It's not like we haven't done it before." The first mate was his old comrade who had fought side by side with him. Upon hearing this, he said with great pride.

"Okay, let's do them."

"It's the Pasang!" the observer of Sun Guanghua's gunboat No. 1 said loudly.

"Yes, it's the Pashang. That's right, it's the Pashang. All gun positions are ready. They will enter the firing position in half a minute. Listen to my orders and be ready to fire at any time!" Sun Guanghua said again.

All the sailors on the three gunboats were extremely nervous. Originally, there were only more than forty sailors who followed them, but Lin Hao selected another sixty people from the entire army as trainees, which was just enough to set up the basic framework of the three gunboats.

Some important positions are staffed by experienced sailors, and the rest are cadets whose job is to follow the orders of the veteran sailors.

Time ticked by, and they were about to reach the firing range, but the three gunboats did not fire. Sun Guanghua stared at the Pasang through the telescope and did not give the order to fire.

He knew that the displacement of the Pasang was only about 900 tons. If Sun Guangcai encountered a battleship of Xiao Ri, he would still be afraid.

Although he is now facing a destroyer that is larger than his own, he has three gunboats. Although their power is slightly smaller than that of the enemy, they can still penetrate the enemy's armor. Therefore, he does not really take the enemy seriously.

"Almost, almost, all gun positions ready...fire."

Two M1918 (76.2mm L/50) dual-purpose naval guns were modified and adjusted according to the given coordinate parameters under the operation of the gunners. Sun Guanghua's roar was heard from the loudspeakers on the deck next to the guns.

这M1918舰炮每分钟6~8发的射速，三艘炮舰同时开火，每分钟能够达到18~24发。

"Boom boom boom~!" The shells whizzed towards the Pashang like rain.

At this moment, the sailors of the Pasang heard the sound of artillery fire and were immediately thrown into chaos. The noise of the exploding shells stunned everyone. As soon as they reacted, all the officers and soldiers immediately rushed to their battle positions.

Sun Guanghua frowned as he watched the Pasang being attacked by shells through a telescope. This artillery piece, converted from an anti-aircraft gun, was less powerful after all. Although it hit many enemy ships with shells, the performance was only mediocre.

"All the gun positions should be fired hard, and the shells should be fired as fast as possible."

"Yes!"

After giving the order, Sun Guanghua continued to stare at the Pasang. At this time, gunboats No. 2 and No. 3 were advancing straight toward the rear of the Pasang. At this pace, they would be within the firing range in half a minute at most.

"Baga, what's going on?" Lieutenant Xiao Rizi asked in horror on the Paxiang. His team was responsible for gathering intelligence on Xidu.

According to Xiaori's prediction, a squadron would not be afraid even if facing a battalion of British troops, not to mention the support of destroyers. However, they were attacked by artillery fire just halfway through the journey. Although the destroyer did not sink, the superstructure was already riddled with holes and was unrecognizable.

"Could it be that the Far East Fleet is attacking?" a sergeant couldn't help but guess.

"Baga, that's impossible. The British Far East Fleet was destroyed long ago. There is no way there are any warships!" This is why the Siamese HMS Phrasingh dared to be so arrogant.

"What happened?" Lieutenant Xiao Rizi grabbed a sailor and asked.

"Report, enemy ships have been spotted and are attacking our ship. Please sit down, sir!" The captured Siamese sailor said while saluting when he saw Lieutenant Xiao Rizi.

"Baga~!" The lieutenant felt something was wrong, but he didn't know what to say.

After all, he was in the army, not the navy, so he could only pray in his heart and hope that everything would be fine.

"Brothers, the No. 1 ship hit the target with the first shot. We can't lose face. Work hard and try to sink them completely~!" the captain of the No. 2 gunboat shouted loudly.

"Yes!"

"fire!"

At this time, the No. 76 gunboat, which had circled to the left side of the Pasang, began a frantic attack, with 12.7mm artillery and mm heavy machine guns pouring ammunition at the enemy ship.

The shells landed on the deck of the Pasang, splashing up countless wood chips.

Due to its age, the decks of the Pashon were all made of wood. Although it was later modified and a thin layer of armor was added, it still could not withstand the crazy bombardment of 76mm shells.

At this time, gunboat No. 3 also joined the shooting queue. For a while, the Pasang encountered a crazy attack. Although it was not sunk directly, it could not withstand the opponent's inclined firepower.

And it seems that the Pasang won't be able to hold out for much longer.

The Pasang tried to fight back, but the gunner was killed as soon as he reached the gun.

"Turn, turn, turn full left, quick, quick!" The captain commanded the warship to turn, while desperately giving orders to the officers on the bridge.

"Go and tell the engine room to increase the power and go full speed!"

"Go and tell all the gun positions to aim at the target and fire with all their might! Fire with all your firepower!"

"Go send a telegram to the headquarters, saying that the Paxiang was attacked by enemy gunboats. Please send warships to provide support and the Air Force to send fighter planes for guidance. Go quickly."

At this moment, the captain of the Pasang was extremely panicked. The gun positions were unable to return to their positions, and the enemy's shells continued to fall, some of which were not far from the platform. He had no choice but to desperately rescue them.

The 76.2mm gunboat continued to move forward, and its hit rate became higher and higher. The barrage of bullets had enveloped the Pasang, and the destroyer gradually became a piece of honeycomb coal with flames and black smoke.

As the distance was close, the gunners on the gunboat began to fire wildly and recklessly, without even testing the distance, and just fired directly at the Pasang.

"Captain, the hull has been broken and it's about to sink." At this time, the entire hull of the Pashuang was shaking violently, the steel was creaking from being squeezed, and the armor covering the deck had been pierced.

The sailors on the Pasang were frightened when they saw the three gunboats firing crazily, especially when they heard the explosion of shells falling into the water nearby, which intensified their fear.

"Captain, the passage under the front deck has been blown up, Captain! Think of a solution quickly! Captain!" An officer ran in and yelled at the captain of the Pashuang.

"Wait a little longer, wait a little longer, the brigade will send reinforcements soon."

"Torpedoes, torpedoes spotted, evade quickly." At this moment, the Pasang was covered in black smoke, but the observers still risked their lives to observe. As a result, they saw six torpedoes coming towards them from three directions.

"Full speed ahead."

Unfortunately, it was too late. Three of the torpedoes directly hit the destroyer Pasang.

"Boom boom!" Two of the three torpedoes hit the destroyer, and a huge hole was blown out in the hull and stern of the destroyer Pasian.

Fortunately, the torpedoes carried by the gunboat were not large in caliber. If they were from a proper torpedo boat or a torpedo on a cruiser, one would be enough to destroy the Pasang.

Even so, the cabin of the Pashang was taking in water and its speed was dropping rapidly. At this rate, they would sink completely without even opening fire.

The worst was the life in the cabin. Many were directly killed by the shock wave generated by the torpedo explosion, and those who survived by chance were bleeding from all seven orifices.

"Hold on, hold on, reinforcements will be here soon." At this time, the captain of the Pasian shouted loudly, trying to stabilize the crew on the ship.

"Surrender, surrender, first mate, hoist the white flag and surrender." The captain of the Pasang originally wanted to struggle, but when he saw the three gunboats surrounding him and the terrifying firing rate, he instantly lost the will to resist.

He has a family and he doesn't want to die in battle. Facing such a powerful gunboat, the destroyer Pasang cannot hold out.

If it is a battleship, it may not matter. Even if it is a heavy cruiser, it is not afraid. Even if it is approached, the thickness of its own armor can block the opponent's artillery fire.

But the Pashon was an old-style destroyer with weak armor, and it had no way to deal with this kind of rapidly firing gunboat.

"The enemy has raised the white flag! The Pasang has surrendered, but their ship is about to sink!" As the announcement from the command room came through all the loudspeakers on the boat, the three gunboats were all in an uproar.

"Great, well done." Sun Guanghua did not expect that the enemy would surrender. This was indeed an unexpected surprise. It was a pity that the destroyer could not be rescued.

Although they only have a 500-ton gunboat, it is still very powerful. As long as they use good tactics and dare to fight, they can definitely achieve amazing results.

However, Sun Guanghua still felt a little regretful. Who would want to use a small boat to fight a large ship? But he only had this kind of small boat on his side, and there were not enough crew members. Even if he had a large ship, it would be difficult to drive it.

"Send a telegram to the brigade headquarters and tell them that our navy has successfully sunk a destroyer and is now returning to the port with the prisoners." Sun Guanghua said loudly.

"Yes!" The messenger then quickly sent a telegram.

Soon, the result of this naval battle was passed on to Lin Hao’s brigade headquarters.

"Great victory, great victory, Brigade Commander, great victory!" Lin Hao, who was thinking about the next battle plan, heard the words of the communications staff, Lin Hao looked over and asked:
"Is there any result?"

"Commander, the navy has won a great victory, the navy has won a great victory. They sank a destroyer of the Siamese navy. We won!" the communications staff officer said excitedly holding the telegram.

After hearing this, Lin Hao took the telegram and read it, then said with a smile:
"Well done, this Sun Guanghua is really good, he has some skills and dares to fight. Well done, a small boat beat a big ship."

"Announce this news to the entire army and let everyone be happy!"

Lin Hao knew that for the Chinese people, any victory over their daily life would greatly boost their morale. Lin Hao certainly would not miss such a good publicity opportunity.

"Yes! Traveler!"

At this time, Meng Fanle walked in, and behind him was a special guest.