the world is at stake

Chapter 24 Destruction is imminent

Before sunset, a single-wing double-engine seaplane cruised slowly in the northeast of Okinawa Island, flying at an altitude of 4000 meters.

The golden sun poured its afterglow and was about to sink below the skyline.The engine hummed monotonously, and the sea was calm and peaceful.

The seaplane is painted with the emblem of the Chinese National Defense Force.The pilot and navigator looked around in the cabin, and looked into the distance with binoculars from time to time.

Occasionally, the explosive battle situation of air combat calls can be heard on the radio, indicating that the crew is not far from the fierce battle.But the two are not nervous at all.

"The little devil's carrier-based aircraft was stopped."

"Three attack waves, more than a hundred ships and warships attack."

"It sounds very intense. When we go back, the ace squadrons of fighter jets will brag again, saying how many enemy planes they have shot down."

The two-person crew did not have any sense of participation in the war, as if listening to the live broadcast of the radio, chanting the battle situation from "Miyako Kongzhi", and praying for the blessings of gods and Buddhas all over the sky.

"Zhou Cannon King, bless this little 'Seagull 798' to return home safely. We don't want to find the little devil's warship and fleet at all, and we don't want to make any great achievements."

"Yeah, yeah, I still want to go home and drink the chicken soup stewed by my mother. My father wrote to me, saying that he always misses me. My grandma would go to the temple to burn incense every 15th day of the lunar new year, begging my grandpa to have a spirit, Bless my only grandson."

"That's right, wars are the most annoying thing, I want world peace!"

"The sun is about to go down, and it's going to be another day. We can go back slowly."

Seaplanes have low requirements for take-off and landing, as long as the weather is good, they can fly anywhere, and in case of accidents, they can also land on the sea.Although it is slow but has a relatively large range, it is the best choice for patrol and reconnaissance.

But also because of its slow speed and poor maneuverability, once it is found by the opponent's carrier-based aircraft, it will die without a place to bury it. It is too late to shout "Bodhisattva Blessing", what can be done is to send the information quickly before being shot down.

China and Japan used a large number of seaplanes on the front line of the war for escort and reconnaissance.Its crews are often eliminated from the aviation school who can't get into fighter jets to do this job, and it's useless to be strengthened.

However, flying a seaplane is an absolutely high-risk unit. Due to the very high battle damage ratio, meritorious service awards are often awarded after sacrifice.

To pass the time, 'Seagull 798' talked about the direction of Okinawa.Bombers from Miyakojima have bombed its port and airfield over and over again.

It is said that [-] kilograms of aerial bombs blew up the runways of several airports in Okinawa into hundreds of craters, and the bombers who could not find the target repeatedly ravaged the "King Kong" in the port area.

The pitiful Emperor's "Yu Zhao Ship" suffered three torpedoes and six heavy guided bombs on the day of the battle, and the dead could not die anymore.The island of the ship was bombed and disappeared without a trace, the hull was broken into three pieces and floated beside the pier, and the smudges and wreckage filled the entire Naha port area.

But just like that, he was bombed and exploded from time to time.

Losing Okinawa, the Japanese army's nearest airport was on Omi Oshima, further north, which could not threaten Miyako Island. If they wanted to make a comeback, they had to send a fleet—and the action had to be fast.

'Seagull 798' flew just a little north of Okinawa, wobbly performing fan patrols.Before it got dark, the navigator in charge of looking out in the back seat saw through the binoculars several black smoke fading in the sky in the northeast.

"Ah Cai, I seem to see something." The navigator turned pale, "In the northeast, about [-] kilometers away, there is an obvious plume of smoke from a large warship."

The pilot was talking about going back to the base to have a big meal.Hearing this, he turned his head to look at the northeast sky, stayed for a few seconds, then adjusted the steering of the fuselage with his teeth, ready to take a closer look.

The two crew members originally chatted in vain, relying on talking to relieve each other's tension.But when the tension came, they stopped talking.

The navigator quickly flipped through the map and looked at the compass to determine his current location and the location of the suspicious smoke column.He turned on the switch of the short-wave radio station and made a "suspect report" to Miyako Sora.

Both of them understood that a fierce air battle was taking place in the waters east of Okinawa, which was very close to them.

Behind this is either the little devil's aircraft carrier battle group, or the artillery detachment.

If it is an artillery detachment, it will have at most a few seaplanes of its own—they are both rookies, and it is still possible for the 'Seagull 798' to escape.

But if it is an aircraft carrier battle group headed by the 'Fengxiang', there must be a 'ship battle' in charge of air defense covering dozens of nautical miles around it.The slightest approach of the seaplane is dead.

The navigator's hands in the back seat were trembling. While looking at the chart in his hand, he made sure that the radio was working normally. He also looked towards the sky, intending to see the Japanese carrier-based aircraft rushing towards him in advance.

The driver is swallowing saliva, taking deep breaths repeatedly, climbing as high as possible, confirming the enemy's tracks from a distance, and not getting too close to the danger.

The two-person crew flew in fear for ten minutes, and suddenly screamed and shouted—a seaplane with plaster flags flew over the clouds not far away, which shocked them greatly.

I don't know if it was blocked by the clouds or for other reasons, the Japanese seaplanes did not respond to the opponents who were close at hand, and just kept flying forward.By following behind it, the 'Sea-Gull 798' could see a more obvious plume of smoke in the distance, including the silhouette of the warship.

"It's the 'Haruna' of the 'King Kong' class. I saw the flag on it." The navigator's voice was trembling—as long as he reported this information, he could get first-class merit.

"There is also the 'Hiei', ten nautical miles to the left of the 'Haruna'. The two main ships of the Japanese bombardment unit appeared." The navigator trembled even more because he was sending a report.

'Sea-Gull 798' will report its position every 10 minutes.But it is too far away from Miyako Island, and the power and frequency of the airborne radio station are not enough to support direct voice communication, so it must be done by sending a message.

To clearly state the location, type, and quantity of enemy ships, it requires the navigator's skilled and stable sending of reports, and it takes time.During the whole process, the driver rubbed the edge and circled the enemy ship, nervous as if half of his foot had stepped into the gate of hell.

At this moment, on the island of the battlecruiser 'Hiei', the communications officer in charge of radio interception hurried to the side of the third commander of Kuwashima Province who commanded the shelling unit.

"Your Excellency, there is a sudden radio signal in the waters to the west of us. It is likely to be the reconnaissance plane of 'Baozhi'. I am afraid that the position of the fleet has been exposed."

It couldn't be more bad news.Colonel Sang Dao frowned, and after saying "hmm", he just said casually: "Keep the current speed, and the original battle plan remains unchanged."

It was getting dark, and the artillery unit was not worried about being attacked by air again.Maintaining high speed is good for throwing off the ambush submarine.However, more than a dozen naval staff officers on the island stared at the chart for discussion. No matter how they discussed, there was nothing to predict the next battle situation.

If it is a simple attack on Miyako Island, it is enough to let the aircraft carrier board the aircraft, and the bombardment of the battleship is the most stupid and inefficient way.The European and American powers are desperately developing electronic technology, and when they click on the radar technology tree, they feel that the survivability of large battleships is too low.

Japan is regarded as the first country to be eliminated in this comprehensive national strength confrontation.The island nation's attributes and poor resources make it inferior to Italy-at least Italy can still occupy a few colonies in North Africa and the Middle East.

Now that we have already started, we can only go to the dark one by one.

"Maybe we should have given up the war with China five years ago and instead expanded to Southeast Asia, occupying the Philippines or Indonesia." A naval staff officer dropped the drawing pen in his hand on the chart and lamented softly.

Several other staff officers also felt the same way. It was too painful to fight against China, and it couldn't consume that behemoth at all.

If World War I broke out, Britain and France would open their markets to Japan and boost its economy.Unfortunately not.

At present, it is China that is really opening up the market. Japan has a geographical advantage and should be the first to benefit. However, the United States on the other side of the ocean has made a lot of money, but Japan has been blocked.

Far distance and close attack, nothing more.

Now the situation in Europe is tense and war is imminent.As long as we persist for another six months, maybe a year, Japan seems to have another chance.But China chose to kill Japan first, which cut off the survival of the island nation.

Seven or eight radio stations were deployed on the ship island, and more than a dozen communication officers were busy receiving and translating the telegrams.The public frequency of a radio station suddenly rang, and the punch machine spit out a long string of notes.

Public frequency communication?

Who will send a telegram on the public frequency at this time?

The Shao Zuo who was in charge of translating the telegram picked up the note, and was skilled enough to automatically fill in the telegram just by looking at the punch holes.After reading a paragraph of bytes, he let out an exclamation of 'Ah', and after a while, he turned to look at the supreme commander of the fleet, Colonel Kuwashima, hesitating whether to translate the telegram.

"If you have anything to say, just say it, I am the one who makes the decision." Sang Dao Shengsan shouted.

Master Yidian grabbed the pen and paper, quickly translated the punched paper into a message, and handed it to His Excellency respectfully.Shozo Kuwashima grabbed it and took a look, his domineering face instantly changed color.

"This news can't be told to anyone." Sang Dao Shozo glared fiercely at the major of the translation.

Knowing that the telegram was of great importance, the major subconsciously bowed his head and said 'Hi' to express his obedience, but raised his head slightly after a while, and said in a low voice: "Your Excellency, this is a public frequency communication, and it is sent to the entire fleet, the entire battlefield, Even local ones."

Shozo Kuwashima crumpled up the telegram and wanted to throw it into the wastebasket.He was stunned by the words of Shao Zuo's subordinates, and he said stiffly after a few seconds: "This is a rumor, it is the enemy's psychological warfare propaganda, we cannot believe it."

Yidian Shaozuo continued to say "Hi" a few times, but he couldn't convince himself after all, so he could only return to the radio station with a bitter face.Needle dropping could be heard in the island, and everyone felt that the atmosphere was oppressive, but no one dared to ask.

Colonel Kuwashima didn't speak, and the crumpled telegram was like a hot potato, unable to hold it or throw it away, it was extremely painful.

The telegram is true, it came from the Ministry of National Defense of China, and it was sent by the 'Early Warning-1' high-power radio station that was about to return to Miyako Island.

The message was very simple, informing the entire Japanese army that after 36 hours of fighting, the 19th Division of the Japanese army trapped in Pyongyang was completely wiped out.The head of the acting division, Yamada Hibachi, led the remnants to surrender.

This is the second time a division-level unit has surrendered since the start of the war between China and Japan.

But this is just the beginning.The National Defense Forces has six divisions in North Korea, including two North Korean divisions, and is launching an attack on Seoul, with results expected within 24 hours.

I'm afraid the 20th Division stationed in Seoul is not doing well.

Also after 36 hours of fighting, two marine divisions on the Fujian front line have gained a firm foothold in Taiwan.

The four divisions of the Japanese army stationed in Taiwan have been severely suppressed by aviation forces, even if they are Type A divisions equipped with more than 500 American-made tanks, they are useless.

At the end of the message, the Ministry of National Defense pointed out the Sangshima bombardment squadron that was advancing rapidly towards Miyako Island, directly stated its exact location, and ordered Shozo Sangshima to surrender.

Due to radio silence, the exact location of Sang Island was not even known to the Japanese base camp, but now the Chinese National Defense Forces know it.

"The Japanese battle patrol detachment dominated by the 'Hiei' and 'Haruna' has entered the range of our army's naval and air strikes. If you don't surrender, you will die."

This is a death declaration, not only sent to Shozo Kuwashima, but also to all the Japanese troops on the battlefield around Miyako Island—all your actions and tricks are under the control of the People's Army, and your destruction is imminent!

Chapter 25 Night Battle

In the dark night, the sea is undulating and the sound of the waves is surging.

Only one hour into the night, the sea surface lost any light, and it was as black as ink.

The light cruiser 'Fuzhou' was like a ghost in the night, sailing on the sea at a relatively low speed of [-] knots.On the mast, the watchman not only opened his eyes wide, but also listened attentively, hoping to catch the movement of the enemy fleet from the sound of the waves.

The position of the bombardment unit in the Japanese task force has been exposed, and 'Miyako Kongzhi' issued a call-up order to the Wehrmacht submarines and warships in the surrounding waters by radio.

At least thirty warships of different tonnages rushed towards 'Hiei' and 'Haruna'.Even submarines with a speed of only 25 knots on the surface came to join in the fun. They could not catch up with the fast fleet with a speed of [-] knots, but they could ambush in advance.

An 356-ton light cruiser like 'Fuzhou' runs fast, but it won't be full enough to use its [-] to [-] mm thick armor to head-on the enemy's [-] mm cannon.

"The enemy should launch an anti-submarine formation, right?" The captain and first officer of the 'Fuzhou' ship did not stay in the bridge, and ran to the platform outside the bridge with a dozen staff officers, staring at the thick night.

The anti-submarine formation is characterized by non-stop zigzag routes, and the auxiliary ships are loosely placed outside to provide early warning and barriers for the capital ships-this is different from the air defense formation.

"It's hard to say, the little devil is in a hurry to bombard Miyako Island. If it zigzags, it will be delayed for at least two hours. We are sure it is in this sea area, and it still has time to hide and seek?"

During the speech, the sound of humming engines sounded in the sky, and it was the two seaplanes carried by the 'Fuzhou' carrying out night missions.Currently only they can act as eyes that see through the darkness.

There is an aviation staff officer on the bridge, with a radio station and two seaplanes planning a cruise route.After about ten minutes, a flare appeared in the sky about ten nautical miles away, illuminating a range of five or six kilometers around.

At present, the production of radar is not enough, and it has not been popularized on ships.

Flares were dropped both to locate the seaplane and to expose enemy ships.When the bright light appeared, more than a dozen pairs of eyes in the whole ship raised their binoculars to search the sea.

"An enemy ship was spotted at ten o'clock." The lookout shouted from the mast, "It's an American-made 'O'Brien' class, it should be the little devil's 'Wild Wind'."

The 'O'Brien' class has only a thousand tons and can run up to 35 knots, which is faster than the Chinese 'city' class light cruiser.

The 'Fuzhou' saw this target but was confident. The gunner was already in place, and the two twin 203mm heavy guns on the ship adjusted their direction and were waiting to fire.

The design features of the 'city' class are 'medium-sized hull, high speed, heavy firepower, great perception, and long range'.Those who can beat it cannot run against it; those who can run over it cannot beat it.

The seaplanes were like vultures, one went to the nearby waters to continue searching, and the other circled the Japanese 'Yefeng'.

The 'Wild Wind' in front knew that it was doomed, but it had nothing to do with the 'flies' above its head.No matter how fast it maneuvers, flares are always on above its head.

The current seaplanes can't carry aviation torpedoes weighing 3-203 kilograms, and they have to rely on the 'Fuzhou''s own naval guns to solve the problem.About [-] minutes after the 'Wild Wind' was lit, the [-]mm shells were fired from about eight nautical miles away.

There was a thunderous cannon sound on the sea surface, and the 'Wild Wind' was desperately speeding up to escape, but the four cannon warheads straddled it in one round.

So the captain of 'Wild Wind' simply turned around and sprinted towards the direction of the artillery fire in the dark night with a desperate posture.

The seaplane in the air rushed down and threw flares on the forehead of the 'Wild Wind'.The brightness of millions of candles will turn 'Wild Wind' into 'the most beautiful boy in the night', and its gunner will not be able to see the surrounding targets clearly because he is too bright.

Commander of the 'Wild Wind' was screamed in anger on the bridge, ran to the deck and waved his saber towards the sky.But in exchange for this move, four more accurate shells landed around the hull.

You can tell the caliber just by looking at the splash of the shell. The top and bottom of the 'Wild Wind' immediately understood that their opponent was a Chinese 'first-class cruiser' equipped with heavy artillery.

A nearly missed bullet hit the left string of 'Wild Wind'. The waves raised after the explosion not only washed the deck of this destroyer, but also shook its thousand-ton hull to and fro, making it very dangerous.

A dozen nautical miles away, the refitted Japanese patrol 'Iwate' was sailing at 25 knots, indifferent to the bombardment that was close at hand.

The Japanese bombardment squadron knew that its position would be exposed and it would inevitably attract attacks. Commander Kuwashima had no choice but to disband the formation and order the ships to attack on their own, hoping to use some of the ships to attract the opponent's firepower and continue to advance to complete the task.

All fools know that the shelling mission is useless, but the little devil still has to bite the bullet.

The thousand-ton "Yefeng" is the bait, and the tens of thousands of tons of "Iwase" is also the bait.Nakasato Shigetsu in the bridge gritted his teeth, pretending he didn't see anything about what happened to the friendly ship.

The 'Irane' didn't want to engage the 'Fuzhou' in a battle of naval guns, but someone was eyeing its hull, which was sailing at high speed in the dark night. There is a silhouette that cannot be ignored under the flare.

The silhouette was so massive that it was impossible to ignore it by the two modified 'Vanguard' submarines ambushing nearby.In the silence, eight 533mm torpedoes at the bow of the boat shot over with the sound of water.

"Iran Hand" is an old ship that started construction in 1898. It was refitted in 1915, and the power and electronic equipment were replaced. It was installed with the latest "hydrophone" developed by the Yankees. 'Newest technology'.

But as long as the 'Iranate' drives to 25 knots, this expensive equipment that claims to be able to spot submarines from afar will become useless waste.It can't hear anything, or it can hear everything.

However, when the torpedo is fired at a high speed of more than [-] knots underwater, the sailor operating the 'hydrophone' will hear an extremely ear-piercing scream.

When the scream came out of the earphones, the listening sailors could not stand it, they would throw the earphones off their heads, and even jumped up and shouted - torpedo!There are torpedoes near my ship!

In the dark night, the lookout on the mast could see nothing.However, an alarm sounded in the hull of the 'Iwakata', and all crew members received a collision avoidance notice within ten seconds and closed all watertight compartments.

The steering gear of the [-]-ton armored cruiser began to turn, but neither the captain nor the chief engineer knew where the torpedo came from?They just want to dodge subconsciously, but how many angles to dodge, whether to turn left or right can only rely on blindness.

Because of the high speed of 25 knots, Tingyin sailors failed to give more information.

Eight torpedoes were fired from 5000 meters away. When the 'hydroacoustic listener' gave out a scream that could not be ignored, they were already close to the 'Iwate' at about 2000 meters away, with the last minute and a half remaining.

The hull of tens of thousands of tons cut through the waves on the sea surface, and reversed its direction drastically at an inclination angle of nearly [-] degrees.A minute and a half is enough to make it deviate from its original position by about a kilometer.

But the scream in the 'Water Sound Listener' not only did not weaken, but became louder and harsher.Until two loud noises spread in the dark night one after another, and a column of water roared up.

A torpedo was hit on the port string and starboard side of the 'Iwate', and the starboard torpedo blasted the boiler room below the waterline, and hundreds of tons of seawater were poured into it in an instant.

It's over, the power is reduced by one-third, and the rudder efficiency is reduced by half.

The turbulent [-]-ton ship seemed to be forced to brake by an invisible hand, rippling and rolling on the sea.