After three hours of search and rescue, the four destroyers rescued more than 100 people falling into the water on the sea. The cruiser pursuit fleet, which was responsible for the pursuit, returned safely after a period of pursuit. During the pursuit, the cruiser pursuit fleet sank at least five gunboats of the Russian Pacific Fleet, and another Russian cruiser, capturing a Russian destroyer. However, it is a pity that the commander of the Russian Pacific Fleet, Lovstowsky, eventually escaped.*eng.com**

After the cruiser pursued the fleet back, Tang Jian ordered all units to rest and recuperate on the spot. Although after a night of emergency repairs, a monarch-class battleship in the Beiyang Fleet, the Ship, was hit too much and most of the cabins were flooded, and it was confirmed that it could not be repaired.

Under Tang Jian's instruction, Li Dingxin, the captain of the Ship, opened the Ship's self-sinking valve with all the crew in tears. Then all the warships of the Beiyang Fleet turned on the powerful searchlights at the bow, silently watching the monarch-class battleship that had been in service for less than a year sank on the Yellow Sea.

This time, the naval battle was from sunrise to sunset. The two sides fought fiercely for more than ten hours. The shells were consumed at least thousands of rounds, and in the end both sides paid an extremely heavy price.

Two of the Russian Pacific Fleet's three battleships were sunk. Nikola was sunk under the fire of Longwei, and Siberia was sunk by Haichou, and the last battleship of the Russian Pacific Fleet also fled.

In addition, two old ironclad ships, St. Petersburg and Coffst, in the Russian Pacific Fleet, were also sunk under the torpedo of the submarine force.

After this battle, four of the five Russian capital ships had sunk, four of the newer cruisers were sunk, and the Beiyang Fleet had sunk six Russian torpedo boat destroyers, captured one, and destroyed and sunk at least ten torpedo boats and gunboats. The Russian army lost all its elite troops in this battle, and most of the losses were lost, and there was no power to fight.

The Beiyang Fleet was also not very comfortable. A Junquan-class battleship that had been launched less than a year ago was sunk. The flagship Longwei was seriously injured, the mast of the Breaking Wind was broken, at least two of the latest cruisers were sunk, three Haiqing-class destroyers were destroyed, and no less than eight other ships were sunk.

Although such a victory was a complete victory in the history of naval warfare, these losses still made Tang Jian feel very distressed. After all, the losses of the warships coming to fight were almost half.

However, one thing is certain, that is, at least the Russian army will definitely not dare to fight again easily after hiding in Vladivostok, which also means that the sea control of the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea fell into the hands of the Beiyang Fleet.

Once the Russian Pacific Fleet was defeated, Weihaiwei and Lushun could no longer pose a threat to the Beiyang Fleet. The Beiyang Fleet could be as long as it was straight into and head straight to Dagukou, Tianjin.

In the command room of the Longwei bridge.

The captains of the ships of the Beiyang Fleet gathered in the bridge command room of the Longwei. After receiving the order from Tang Jian, they came together to summarize the results of the combat and listen to some opinions. Among them, the captains of the submarine force also participated in the captain meeting.

Tang Jian tidied up the lapels of his military uniform, walked to the conference table and said, "Please sit down everyone!"

Senior officers of the Beiyang Fleet placed on both sides of the conference table took off their hats, and their movements were neatly arranged, showing their excellent military qualities. Everyone placed their hats neatly on the conference table before sitting down.

Tang Jian asked Chu Zhaoliang: "Col. Are there any surviving crew members of the Haichou in the waters where the Haichou sinks?"

Chu Zhaoliang lowered his head apologetically and replied: "Sorry Commander, no survivors have been found yet!"

"Yeah, I understand." A hint of dimness flashed in Tang Jian's eyes, and then he sighed heavily.

"Salute to all the brothers who died in this naval battle!" Tang Jian stood up and saluted.

"Salute!" Cheng Biguang also stood up with a blink of an eye.

The other captains and officers at the meeting also stood up in unison, and everyone saluted a military salute solemnly and solemnly.

In this battle, the officers and soldiers on the HaiChou made everyone see what the military spirit of the Beiyang Fleet is in an extremely tragic way, that is, they are not afraid of sacrifice and move forward bravely!

At the same time, everyone remembered their names. If they had not been to their decisive and generous death, this naval battle would have been unpredictable.

After a long time, Tang Jian said, "Sit down! Tell me what you think about what to do next in this naval battle."

After everyone sat down together, Li Dingxin, the captain of the Rapid Wind, said gritting his teeth: "Commander, we should pursue the victory. Before the Russian Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok has breathed, give them another fatal blow and annihilate the remaining Russian Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok!"

The reason why Li Dingxin hates the Pacific Fleet so much is very simple. His Wind was surrounded and attacked by the Pacific Fleet. Now he can only be regarded as a captain without a warship, so Li Dingxin is so eager to wipe out the Pacific Fleet completely to avenge the arrow.

"Do you have any other opinions here?" Tang Jian turned his inquiring eyes to everyone.

"Let me talk!" said Lu Wenjing, captain of the Long Xiao.

Tang Jian nodded and signaled Lu Wenjing to continue.

"Now the Beiyang Fleet has suffered heavy losses and is not suitable for hard work. Moreover, the Russian infantry and cavalry will arrive in Jingzhou immediately. At this time, we should return to the Yangtze River defense line to ensure that the Yangtze River defense line is safe. Moreover, the remnants of the Russian Pacific Fleet have fled back to Vladivostok. Even if the elite of the Pacific Fleet is lost, the remaining strength cannot be underestimated. But if we force Lovstoks to fight to the death, he will probably fight to the death. Vladivostok is the largest fortress of the Russian army in the Far East. The port waterways are densely filled with mines and strong shore artillery fire. It would be unwise to attack Vladivostok at this time!" Lu Wenjing analyzed the actual situation of the Beiyang Fleet and the Pacific Fleet at this time.

"So, even if we really wiped out the Russian Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok Port, the Beiyang Fleet will probably pay an extremely heavy price. Why not wait until the Beiyang Fleet counterattack in the future, and join forces with all the Beiyang Fleet forces. At that time, it would not be too late to wipe out the Pacific Fleet at that time!" Lu Wenjing added.

Cheng Biguang nodded, agreed with Lu Wenjing's opinion, and said, "I think Captain Lu is right. Now the sea control power of the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea has fallen into our hands. The Russian Pacific Fleet and dare not leave the port easily. This time the strategic intention has been achieved, so let's stop when it is better!"

As soon as Cheng Biguang finished speaking, most of the officers in the conference room maintained an agreement. The results of the meeting discussion were already very obvious, and most of them agreed with Lu Wenjing's view of retreating as a guard and making plans.

Seeing that the meeting was almost over, Tang Jian signaled everyone to calm down and said, "Li Dingxin is not wrong. We will definitely wipe out the Russian Pacific Fleet, but it is not now, but in the future! Don't worry, Captain Li, next time you fight against the Russian fleet, you will take the lead! Ensure you can kick the Russian Russians' butt!"

"Really? Then thank you commander!" Li Dingxin smiled.

When the other captains and officers in the conference room heard Tang Jian’s joke, they burst into laughter. The gloomy and tragic atmosphere in front of the meeting was wiped out, and the atmosphere in the conference room gradually began to become more relaxed and lively.

"So, I decided to withdraw the Yangtze River first, and we will definitely call it back in the future!" Tang Jian said with a smile.

"Yes, let's first accumulate energy, and when we hit Yuan Shikai, we will go back and deal with the Russian Russians!"

"Yes, go back first and lie down Yuan Shikai!" Others in the conference room also agreed.

Tang Jian pressed his hand and said, "Okay, everyone will go back and rest first, and return tomorrow morning! After returning, I will invite everyone to drink!"

"Oh, drink!" Everyone cheered. Soon, the captains turned around and returned to their captain to rest, preparing to return tomorrow morning.

After everyone left one after another, Cheng Biguang smiled and said, "Commander, the victory of this sea battle is of great significance!"

"Yes, the battle of Jingzhou and Weihaiwei, and the victory of the two battles was invisibly boosted the morale of the entire army. Although the losses in this naval battle were a little bigger, and even a very precious monarch-level battleship was sunk. But all this is worth it!" Tang Jian nodded and smiled.

"Haha, of course, after this naval battle, the Russian Pacific Fleet lost all its elite troops, which was severely damaged. No matter how stupid Talovstsky was, he would not dare to fight rashly anymore. Since then, no one on the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea can stop the sword edge of the Beiyang Fleet. The Beiyang Fleet along the coastlines of Jiangsu, Shandong, Zhili and Liaodong is like entering a no-man's land!" Cheng Biguang said.

Tang Jian naturally knew the significance of this victory after the sea battle, which is also the reason why he fought this battle at all costs.

If the Russian infantry and cavalry had waited for Yuan Shikai's new army to support Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Army, the troops on the south bank of the Yangtze River would not have lasted for long, so Tang Jian had to break this passive and unfavorable situation.

The only way to break this unfavorable situation is to defeat the Russian Pacific Fleet. As long as the Russian Pacific Fleet is defeated, the vast northern coastline will be exposed to the artillery fire of the Beiyang Fleet.

Once the Russian Pacific Fleet was defeated, Weihaiwei and Lushun, as the gateway to Tianjin, would immediately lose their role as the gateway to Tianjin. As long as Tang Jian had enough troops, he could go north and go straight to Dagukou, Tianjin, and then enter Beijing.

Once the Russian Pacific Fleet is defeated, the entire domestic situation will undergo qualitative changes. Some of Yuan Shikai's troops will be dispatched to several northern coastal provinces to enhance local defense and prevent the Beiyang Fleet from landing.

At this time, the pressure of the Southern Revolutionary Army in the Yangtze River defense line will suddenly decrease, and it can instantly change from a passive and unfavorable situation to an active and favorable situation. Even if conditions permit, the Southern Army can cross the Yangtze River and launch a counterattack.

The naval battle of Weihaiwei is of great significance, and this battle may become an extremely important turning point in the civil war between the North and South.
Chapter completed!