In the Watcher Strait, the battleship "Imuro".

When the lookout reported that the lighthouse that had been extinguished for more than ten years on the unnamed island and reef in the middle of the strait, it was already past ten o'clock at night.

The commander of the second main team, Lieutenant General Takaji, had been standing in front of the porthole for three hours.

Before seven o'clock, after dinner, he came to the bridge of the commander's ship, and stood motionless in front of the porthole, staring intently at the dark sea in front of him.

What did he really see?

Actually, nothing was seen!

"Standing like a commander" is Takano's habit, and it seems that if you imitate Takano's movements, you can become another Takano.

All day, Gao Si's mood was very bad, and it could also be said to be heavy.

A few months ago, when he left Totobay, Takaji thought that it was nothing more than a routine exercise against possible dangers, as usual. Even when he went to the "Daimon" to attend an operational meeting and learned that the war was about to break out, Takaji didn't feel that it had much to do with him. The second main team commanded by him, which is a veritable substitute, is impossible to play the main force at all.

According to the initial arrangement, the 2nd Main Force and the 5th Air Force were to operate in South Zhuhai, and after the assault was over, they would receive the returning mobile fleet.

Charging into battle?

At that time, Takaji also joked with several senior staff officers that if even the second main team had to be put on the battlefield, it would either be about to win a big victory or be about to be completely defeated. Although at that time, Takaji was just making comparisons to cheer up the staff officers, but now that he thinks about it, he feels that he is too stupid to say such an unlucky thing before the war. Isn't that a curse that the narrow navy will be defeated?

In the early hours of the morning, when he received a telegram from Takano, Takaji knew that the tide was over.

Not to mention the battlefield situation, just one point, the time when the first main team returns to the Guia Ocean from the Shuangche Strait can determine the final outcome of the naval battle.

From this, the Liang Xia Navy can roughly guess the time when the first main battle team will arrive at the Watchman Strait, even if it is not accurate, it can be deployed.

This time, the Liang Xia Navy came prepared.

But what about the Narrow Navy?

Even if Takano was a god, he couldn't guess the whereabouts of the home fleet. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent a telegram and asked Takaji to go to the front to open the way!

What's more, in the pre-war plans, there was no mention of how to cope with this situation at all!

Even considering the failure of the assault, no one thought that after suffering a setback, they would go to the Watcher Strait and fight the slaughtered home fleet.

It was for this reason that Takaji spent the whole day thinking about the matter of engaging the home fleet.

Even when the Third Air Force was attacked, Takaji didn't take it to heart, after all, even if he had a heart, he couldn't help it.

Takaji thinks about specific tactics.

What are the odds?

Or is there a chance of winning?

Comparatively speaking, the home fleet of the Liangxia Navy was not very strong, with only four "Longxing" class battleships built in the last war and not converted after the war. Although the condition of the four battleships was not bad, it certainly could not be compared with the cutting-edge battleships built after the war.

But the problem is that the four battleships of the second main force are not much better.

Although the two "Imu" and the two "Fusan" were rebuilt after the war, the focus was on the power system, and the propulsion power was increased by replacing the boilers and steam turbines to compensate for the loss of speed due to the increased displacement. In addition, it is only the focus on strengthening horizontal protection. Other aspects, such as the main gun firepower and the main armor belt, have not been changed due to the limited tonnage available.

In fact, strengthening horizontal protection was a necessary item for almost all pre-treaty battleships to be rebuilt after the war.

There's no way around it.

The range of naval guns is getting longer and farther, and there are bombers, horizontal protection is becoming more and more important, and it is necessary to increase the thickness of horizontal armor.

Almost all of the thousands of tons added to the four battleships in the renovation were used for horizontal protection.

As a result, even after the transformation, the two "Yimur" and the two "Fusang" are still inferior to the "Longxing" class of the Liangxia Navy in terms of firepower, protection, and speed. Especially the firepower, the fourteen-inch main guns of the four battleships were too "cold".

Do not forget that the "Longxing" class is equipped with a 400-mm main gun, and its protection requires immunity to fourteen-inch armor-piercing shells at the usual engagement distance. Theoretically, even if the combat distance is shortened to less than 10 kilometers, the 14-inch armor-piercing bullet will not be able to penetrate the main armor belt of the "Longxing" class.

With a new type of armor-piercing projectile?

Where did the Narrow-Razed Navy get the new armor-piercing projectiles?

Those so-called new armor-piercing shells were all imported from the Bran Kingdom at a great cost, and they were mainly used by the four fast battleships of the third main team, all of which were light bullets suitable for melee combat. Heavy ammunition suitable for long-distance warfare had to be imported from the Newland Federation, because the price was not negotiated, so before the outbreak of the war, the narrow navy only obtained a small number of test samples, and all the unused ammunition was stored in the warehouse in Dongdu Bay.

On the contrary, the "Longxing" class has long used new armor-piercing shells.

According to the information obtained before the war, the 400 mm heavy armor-piercing projectiles of the Liang Xia Navy can penetrate the armor of almost any battleship today in the full range of fire.

According to rumors, the Liangxia Navy has never eliminated many former treaty-type battleships built during the last war, and has not freed up tonnage to build cutting-edge fast battleships, a crucial reason is that fast battleships cannot carry 400 mm heavy armor-piercing shells.

If it can't withstand armor-piercing shells, is it still called a battleship?

Anyway, it's all spikes, so why use tonnage for meaningless protection?

It can be seen that even if the "Longxing" class is still what it was when it was built more than 20 years ago, it is still a very powerful and extremely fierce killer at sea.

The implication is that for the four battleships on the side of Gaosi, the "Longxing" class can be killed in one shot.

So, is there any hope?

Takaji won't admit it, but he was really frightened and timid!

If it weren't for Takaya's direct order, he would definitely not go to the Watcher Strait.

At noon, Takaji sent a telegram to Takano about the destruction of the Third Air Force, hoping that Takano would retract the order he had given in the early morning.

According to Takaji, it is not too late to withdraw and return.

The last air force, the last two aircraft carriers have sunk, and there is no chance of winning if they continue to fight, so they should choose to retreat to preserve their strength.

In the words of Takaji, what can you do even if you kill into the Asahimi, and what if you annihilate the home fleet?

No matter how rampant it is, it's only one night!

When dawn came, the attack planes of the Liang Xia Navy arrived, and groups of carrier-based aircraft dropped bombs and torpedoes, and no matter how powerful the battleships were, they were all destroyed.

Elephants are powerful, but they can't deal with eagles that are flying high.

Fighting the battleships out, what will you do in the future?

Whether it continues to fight, or negotiates with the Liangxia Empire, the fleet must be preserved. Only a sufficiently strong navy could give hope to the Imperial State of Sakuyi. If the navy is finished, even if the Liang Xia Empire is severely damaged, it will only be making wedding clothes for others.

It's a pity that until the sun sets, I didn't wait for Takano's electric order.

Perhaps, the strait ahead is the final destination! d