Chapter 106: Captured Ironclad

In the jungle on the eastern side of the Paraguay, a group of troops wearing Brazilian Army uniforms is marching slowly. Only 300 people in this unit have white characteristics, and the others are obviously Han people.
Li Mingyuan learned from Kanudut the news he wanted, the circuitous route of the Brazilian army and the specific location of the receiving fleet.
Garcia mobilized naval vessels escorted 5,000 soldiers and did not leave after landing. Instead, they anchored at the landing site to provide logistical support for the circuitous forces. According to Kanudut, more than ten warships were parked at the landing site, two of which used steam Powered iron armored ship.
After entering the nineteenth century, ironclad ships gradually phased out sailing warships and became the main battleships of the navies of the great powers.
South American countries have also purchased a lot of iron armored ships from western countries relying on the rich domestic mineral resources. In Peru, Li Mingyuan heard about the Peruvian Navy equipped with iron armored ships. At that time, Li Mingyuan also proposed the conditions for obtaining an iron armored ship, but it was accepted by Peru. The president flatly refused,
Then Li Mingyuan retreated to receive a large number of large sailing merchant ships from Peru as compensation.
After the first industrial revolution, ironclad warships became the main weapon for maritime battles. Li Mingyuan must master a large number of ironclad warships and steam ships if he wants to move enough people from the mainland. The news provided by Kanudut will undoubtedly make Li Mingyuan Seeing the hope of getting the armored ship in advance,
The Chinese troops used the captured Brazilian soldiers to disguise themselves as soldiers who came to transport supplies, and then boarded the battleship to control the Brazilian crew in the ship. Two iron armored ships plus a dozen sail ships fell into the hands of the Chinese Independent Army.
Half of the Brazilian navy ’s main ships were moored together to provide support for the detours. After capturing this fleet, not only did the Chinese Independent Army have its own naval power, it was also possible to use these ships to rise directly behind the Brazilian main force, A surprise attack on Brazilian troops.
Garcia made a wise move and attacked the Paraguayan garrison from the flanks, but if he was told that the Chinese Independent Army would also give him a hand, what would his face look like.
Li Mingyuan was in a good mood and beckoned Kanudut to his side.
"After arriving at the fleet anchorage, I will send a team of soldiers to follow you. At that time, your task is to gather Brazilian naval officers together, and then the troops sent by me will solve them.
After the success of the matter, I will dispose of all the Brazilian soldiers who have seen you, and will not leave you in trouble. "
"General, is your plan too risky, in case they find that you and your men are in danger."
"For the two armored ships, a little risk is worth it. But rest assured, my men will always follow you, and they will protect you even if the plan fails."
Sending someone to follow Kanudut certainly meant to watch him, but Li Mingyuan said that protecting him was not a deception.
Kanudut was the heir to the Duke of Frobert, the Brazilian empire, and joining him was of great help to the development of the Chinese Independence Army in southern Brazil. Even if the plan to seize the ship failed, Li Mingyuan did not intend to kill him, but was prepared Put him back to Brazil and use the handles in his hand to obtain useful information for the Chinese Independent Army.
Kanudut is the deputy commander of the 5,000 Brazilian army. The Brazilian general who has been the main commander has been executed by Li Mingyuan. The entire 5,000-strong army has only 300 people remaining in the team. I've seen it myself.
Now that he has agreed to the conditions of the Chinese Independent Army, now he can only go all the way to the dark and follow the plan designed by Li Mingyuan.
At 8 pm on June 10, 1868, a team of Brazilian soldiers appeared in a naval camp by the river.
Many sailors gathered at the river camp. This time was the time for them to eat. The Kanuduts were young and had not joined the Brazilian army for a long time. Except for some senior officers in the army, ordinary soldiers had never seen him at all, so When Kanudut arrived at the camp, he first sent two soldiers to inform the naval officer of the camp, and after getting permission, he took more than twenty soldiers with him to the river warship.
It was dark, and the Brazilian army by the river was eating and chatting as usual, but no change in the river was found.
Not far from the two iron armored ships, more than a dozen dim figures gradually approached the warship. In June, South American weather, the river was a bit cold.
The ship capture plan is divided into three steps. First, special forces soldiers who follow Kanudut captured Brazilian naval officers, then the Chinese Independent Army, Marine Frogman, boarded the warship, and controlled all the soldiers on the ship. An ambush by Li Mingyuan, who was lying on the shore, launched a general offensive to resolve the Brazilian sailors on the shore.
The three action steps are closely linked, and errors in each action detail will cause the plan to fail. Chen Sen, a veteran of the Taiping Army and Marine Division who has been trained by Li Mingyuan for several months, is more aware of the difficulty of action than others.
There were about four hundred Brazilian crew members on the two iron armored ships, and the frogmen participating in the operation plus the special forces soldiers performing tasks on the ship totaled more than 120 people, relying on more than 100 people to win the 400 enemy forces on board This is a major test for the newly established Frogman unit, but for the success of the operation, Li Mingyuan has explained many times on the road. Chen Sen believes that even if the operation is difficult, the Chinese Independent Army will win a battle.
The outline of the warship became clearer and clearer in Chen Sen's eyes. He could even see the sailors on duty on the warship.
"Keeping soldiers for a thousand days, using soldiers for a while, Shizi specially selected us to form a frogman troop. Whether the two months of hard training can achieve results is tonight. Brothers, use all your skills. Tonight, fight our frogs. Do you have confidence in the reputation of the army? "
In the shadows, Chen Sen whispered, the black squattered frogmen united, their right hands raised to show their determination.
For special operations in the water, various secret codes were also stolen by Li Mingyuan for use in frogman training. Seeing that the frogmen were full of confidence, Chen Sen made a gesture, and the gathered frogmen quickly dispersed and swam toward their respective intended targets.
On the warship, Brazilian naval officers are holding a meeting. After Kanudut took people into the ship's hall,
Sun Qisheng quietly closed the door, and special forces soldiers scattered around the hall. More than 20 Brazilian naval officers who held the meeting instantly became captives of the Chinese Independent Army.
"Everyone, I'm sorry, but I have no choice but to." Kanudut showed an apologetic expression, and then found the fleet commander and, under the escorting of the special forces, went to control the other important parts of the warship.
The special commander of the special forces, Sun Qisheng, succeeded. The frogman unit led by Chen Sen also boarded another iron armored ship.
With a click, the sailor on duty was twisted off his neck, and a frogman sailor took the corpse of the sailor and placed it on the ground, and quickly moved towards the center of the warship. The early operations of the frogman unit went smoothly, but as more and more frogmen boarded On board a warship, the risk of being discovered also increases,
"Bang" a wounded Brazilian sailor fired a short gun on his body, and the continuous gunfire sounded on the calm warship.
"Don't care about the soldiers on the deck. All personnel control the bow control room according to the plan to prevent the enemy from destroying the warship."
Frogman soldiers basically boarded the warship. Chen Sen was ready to respond to the emergency at any time. When the gunfire sounded, he immediately directed the Frogman soldiers to enter the storm.
The gradual fierce gunfire on the ship also shocked the Brazilian soldiers on the shore. Several Brazilian officers ran out of the eating tent. Subconsciously, they would need to reinforce the friendly forces on the ship. Coming from the hidden darkness, there is no intention to calculate, the darkness is filled with the sound of the enemy ’s charge.
The heart of the Brazilian army was instantly reduced to the lowest point. After one hour, in addition to the 1,000 soldiers who escaped by night, the remaining 2,000 shore soldiers and navy sailors left on board were all captured or destroyed.
The blood on the decks of the two iron armored ships had not been cleaned up, and Li Mingyuan could not wait to board the ship to check the results of the battle.
"General, your iron armored ship is a battleship purchased by the Brazilian Navy from the United Kingdom,
The specific data of the warship are: Hull: displacement of 6270 tons, total length of 78.5, waterline length of 71.67 meters, full width of 14.5 meters, draught of 8.1 meters, and 420 crew members;
Power: 7 boilers, 2 reciprocating steam engines, power 3000 horsepower, maximum speed 13.5 knots, endurance 3000 miles 10 knots, single shaft propulsion;
Armament: 2 270 mm main turrets, 2 240 mm 19-times cannons, 140 mm 21-times cannons
Protection: 178-200 mm side armor, 160 mm armor gallery, 150 mm armor base. "
Kanudut stood beside Li Mingyuan and introduced him.
"Kanutut, you are doing well, I will keep my promise to let you go back."
Li Mingyuan was satisfied that Kanudut cooperated with the Chinese Independent Army to capture the Brazilian navy ship, so he praised him slightly.
"Shizi, the other armored ship has been cleared. Would you like to see it?"
Accompanying Li Mingyuan to visit the iron armored ship that is the flagship of the Brazilian Navy, Chen Sen suggested.
"No, the other armored ship Kanudut has already introduced it to me. It's too late today. Check back next time."
Another iron armored ship has only half the volume of this iron armored ship, with a displacement of 3,000 tons and a full capacity of two hundred people. After looking at the larger warship, Li Mingyuan's interest in the other warship dropped much.
The iron armored ship technology in the mid-nineteenth century was still relatively backward.
After satisfying his initial curiosity, Li Mingyuan lacked interest in observing another iron armored ship.
In the mid-nineteenth century, the life of iron armored ships was not long. After decades, with the development of technology, more and more new warships appeared, and the original old warships were quickly eliminated from the historical stage.
I do n’t think too much about the future. For the moment, the capture of two iron armored ships and a dozen sail ships quickly raised the water power of the Chinese Independent Army, and made a good start for the Chinese in the South American nation.
The issue of the warship was quickly arranged, and the uncooperative sailor was executed immediately.
Obedient sailors operated warships were left on each of the armored ships. Other positions were controlled by Chinese soldiers. Once they were arranged, the captured warships could soon play a role for the Chinese Independent Army.
The two warships were named Chaoyang and Dawn according to Li Mingyuan's meaning, which means that the Chinese Independent Army will stand on the South American continent like the rising sun and the dawn in the morning.