Ten years later, the Second War broke out.
The Great Millet People had recovered their strength and replaced their entire fleet with steamships. No longer a mixed sail-and-steam fleet, they swept in from the south once again.
However, the moment they reached a certain strait, they were dealt a crushing blow.
Fifteen Torpedo Boats launched a nighttime suicide attack, taking down three coal transports at the cost of all their own ships.
"How is this possible? The last time we came to fight, these Great Cheng Navy men were all terrified of the enemy. Why do they have such courage this time?" Fleet Commander Richard said in disbelief, holding a spyglass as he watched the roaring blaze in the distance.
"I heard they carried out a Phoenix Governance Reform, reorganized their armaments, established new schools and military academies, and fully promoted Western Learning systems. It seems to have worked remarkably well," Chief of Staff Weiss said worriedly.
"Hmph. In their own words, they are merely imitating others poorly. They can only copy the appearance, not Lizi. In just ten years, they cannot possibly defeat us. A navy takes a hundred years to build," Richard said skeptically.
The fleet then continued northward, suffering repeated harassment along the way, much of it in battles where both sides perished together.
Setting aside the results of their reforms, at least their morale had risen.
In fact, they had learned during the previous war that the Great Cheng Dynasty's soldiers dared to fight. They were no worse than the soldiers of those barbarian tribes, and far surpassed them in organization and weaponry.
This time, they decided not to land. They would only seize the outlying islands, forming a chain blockade and fighting a long war.
As long as the Great Cheng court had no trade