When Lieutenant Colonel Tan Gen changed his clothes and came to the pilot's room, an urgent telegram from the General Staff urgently halted the night operation - when Xu Jingxi reported the latest situation to Yang Rui, he immediately objected. Although under the guidance of his second knife of the aircraft carrier, the lighting system of the aircraft carrier for night take-off and landing has been studied and initially put into practical use, but with these rookie pilots and the poor performance of the current aircraft, the night attack will undoubtedly send the pilots to death, and it will have no effect. As for what Zhu Tiansen and Tan Gen said about good weather, high visibility, etc., in Yang Rui's opinion, it is simply nonsense, how to find the target ship at night is a big problem, who can guarantee that it will not get lost for more than 100 kilometers?

In the pilot's room, when the deputy captain of the ship, Colonel Xi Dingmo, finished reading the telegram, the pilots present were unconvinced, and Zhou Baoheng, who was born in a gangster and had the most prickly head, shouted: "The General Staff knows the blind command, they are not here, how do you know how bright the moon is tonight?" There are more than a thousand of our brothers on the other side of the sea, what if we don't go to them? ”

"It's not the General Staff call, it's the Prime Minister!" Looking at the indignant pilot, Xi Dingmo emphasized. Not to mention that the prime minister is a great man of the country and a national hero, but this aircraft carrier force is also under the personal guidance of the prime minister; when the prime minister went to the United States this year, it was said that he wanted to inspect the troops through Peru, but in the end he did not come, and everyone was disappointed as if his father had died......

"What about the cruiser?" Tan Gen asked, exchanging dozens of people for a thousand people He thought it was conversion, but he wasn't sure if he could find the target.

"Wait until dawn!" Xi Dingmo said indifferently. "Like last time, we took off when it was dark and reached the target area at dawn. This is the most feasible way to do it. He said, "Let's all go and rest." At 4:14 a.m. in the target sea area, the aircraft carrier will get closer to some of the target sea areas. You will depart at 3:34 a.m. Don't be reluctant, the Japanese can't turn the sky over these hours, if they round up the cruiser. ”

Under Xi Dingmo's urging, the pilots all lowered their heads and went back to sleep, but Tan Gen leaned on the side of the podium and did not leave, but lit a cigarette. Seeing this, Xi Dingmo smiled and said, "What, it's bad for you, aren't you happy?" ”

"Where's Lao Zhu?" Tan Gen was a little unhappy, and his morale could be described as a boom, then a decline, and three exhaustions. Besides, I had trained before the night battle, so it would be a shame not to try it when I had such an opportunity.

"Half of the Prime Minister's telegram was reprimanding him, saying that he didn't know the seeds to protect the future of the navy, and if something really happened to you, then all the years of hard work would be in vain." Since he was transferred to Peru to see the new mode of naval warfare, Xi Dingmo has been a staunch aircraft carrier faction, and he is actually in favor of the torpedo squadron attack.

"Alright, go to bed!" Knowing that the matter was irreparable, Tan Gen had no choice but to accept his fate.

On the Deng Zilong side, things subsided. The cruiser made a fuss here, and it was Lin Baoyi who was the most angry, but Liu Guannan, the chief engineer on the ship, was very fortunate and thought that there were these few hours. Even if the boiler problem is not completely solved, the speed can be increased by two or three knots compared to before.

The matter of the Haichen was not mentioned, and Liu Guanxiong, the acting commander of the Haichou, held two telegrams in his hands and had a sad face. One was a telegram from the General Staff Headquarters' suspension of the night breakout and a breakout at dawn, and the other was a telegram from the Japanese Navy urging the Japanese Navy to surrender. The telegram said: The waters of Okinawa are already surrounded by the Great Japanese Fleet. Your Excellency the Commander of the fleet is advised to give up unnecessary resistance and surrender immediately.

looked at Liu Guanxiong's expression. Chief of Staff Zheng Zuyi said: "What should I do? Can we hide here until dawn? ”

"If you can't get it, you have to wait!" Liu Guanxiong thought deeply, if he really surrendered, then his life would be over. "What did the submarine say? If it was discovered, would the submarine be able to stop the Japanese on the perimeter? ”

"I don't know, I fell behind a lot during the day, and I don't know how many others followed." Zheng Zuyi said that there was some shame here, when he met the Japanese during the day, the four boats were frightened, and the submarine force that wanted to escape and did not want to accompany him was lost. Although the Japanese navy ships sailed extremely fast and constantly sailed in a zigzag course, the submarines still had a deterrent effect on them.

"Can you get in touch again?" Liu Guanxiong asked the communications officer again, he had just taken the risk of sending a wireless telegram to Deng Zilong, and if he sent the telegram again, he didn't know if the Japanese army would measure the location. Of course, this could also be the technical department scaring people, do the Japanese really have the ability to measure their own position?

"It's better not to." "According to intelligence, the British have mastered radio direction finding technology, and even if it is not perfect, it takes multiple power generation to contact each submarine, and frequent messages will certainly increase the risk of detection," the communications officer said. ”

The communications officer said so, Liu Guanxiong and Zheng Zuyi looked at each other with a wry smile, and he said helplessly: "It's better to worship Mazu, maybe it's useful." ”

The news that the cruiser fleet in Shina was encircled and the waters off Okinawa was transferred from the Tokyo Navy Ministry by Captain Honda of the Chitose Honda Kinmin Daisa, which immediately aroused great excitement among the naval ministers. At a time when the submarine of China is blockading the Bohai Sea and the navy is unable to come up with countermeasures, there is no better news than this.

In the Naval Command Department, Gentaro Yamashita Ken said, "Your Excellency, you should immediately mobilize the fleet and destroy the cruiser fleet in China. ”

The first time he opened his mouth, the second time he wanted to speak, Tetsutaro Sato, suddenly didn't know what to say, but looking at the expectant gaze of the chief Nagashima Mura Speedo, he had no choice but to say: "Your Excellency, it is best to capture the Shina fleet, so as to maximize the morale of the people." ”

After Sato Tetsutaro finished speaking, Yamaya said: "If the blockade of the submarine in the Bohai Sea cannot be solved, the morale of the people will not be improved after the entire army is shattered." ”

The words of the others in the mountain house made the excitement of several people suddenly come to naught. The Bohai Sea was blocked, the army was left alone, and Prime Minister Katsura Taro and even His Majesty the Emperor had issued an edict to inquire about the matter. At this time, Taiwan's affairs are no longer important, and if the army is completely wiped out by the China Army, then not only Taiwan will be occupied by China, but also North Korea will not be protected, and the gains since the Meiji era will be lost. What's more, when the Chinese army stood in Busan, North Korea, and looked at the mainland from afar, the empire itself was also in danger, especially now that the allies were entangled in the war in Europe and could not get out. And the United States is eyeing the side again, and there is no worse situation than this.

"Akiyama hasn't come up with anything yet?" Shimamura asked. There are only two geniuses in the Admiralty, one is Tetsutaro Sato. One is Akiyama Shinyuki, it was Akiyama's plan to exterminate the Lucia fleet back then, and today to deal with the Shina submarine, although Sato has a doctrine, he still has expectations for Akiyama, so I don't know if he will be disappointed this time......

As soon as Shimamura Suo said that Akiyama Shinyuki, Akiyama Shinyuki came. Since receiving the news that the submarine of China will blockade the Bohai Sea in the middle of last night, he began to think hard about the countermeasures. But in this era of no sonar, no radar, no listeners, and no depth charges, it is really difficult to deal with submarines. After all, the world below the surface of the water is not something that can be discovered by ships above the water, and nothing will work. In the past, a staff officer mentioned that he used flying planes to carry out anti-submarine operations, but thinking that the Chinese army had an overall superiority in aircraft, this mention was also shelved.

Akiyama Shinyuki, who walked into the military command department, had a pale face, but his face was joyful, and Shimamura Suo stood up and asked, "Akiyama-kun, is there a way?" ”

"There's a way." "But I don't know if I can do it." ”

"What's the solution?" It's not just Shoo Shimamura this time. Even a few of the others in the mountain house stood up.

"Set up a net in the Bohai Sea." Akiyama Shinji.

"Laying mines?!" Shimamura was surprised, "Laying a net, can this be useful?" ”

"Your Excellency, it should be useful." Akiyama Shinji. As he spoke, he fiddled with the things on the table, "For example, this is the Bohai Sea, and the submarines in China are all below the surface of the sea. We can't find it, but they can easily spot us. It's like catching a fish. In the event that you can't catch the fish, the best thing to do is to drain the water. The fish will naturally be exposed. However, this is the sea, not the pond, so the laying of mines and anti-submarine nets through guò can compress the space for the submarine to operate, and if there is a channel in a minefield, it will be difficult for the submarine to approach the course and launch torpedoes. ”

Akiyama's approach was somewhat similar to the British blockade of the English Channel, but he did get some inspiration from it. Explaining his intentions, Akiyama Shinyuki said again: "There are only 100 nautical miles from Rongcheng Bay on this side of the Weihai Sea in China to Wengjin in North Korea, and only more than 50 nautical miles from Penglai to Lushun. ”

Akiyama Shinichi waved his hand to wrap up the entire Bohai Sea, and everyone present was dumbfounded, the mine-laying blockade of the strait has been heard, for example, the English Channel is now mine-laid, and only the channel on the British side is vacated, but the strait is only less than twenty nautical miles wide, and now the two blockade lines add up to seven times the size of others, how can this be done.

"Even if you can do this, there are not enough mines and anti-submarine nets." Tetsutaro Sato looked at his peers, and couldn't tell what it tasted like in his heart, so he had to say it quietly.

"There's not enough time!" Yamaya also said that the number of mines and anti-submarine nets needed for more than 100 nautical miles will be staggering, and this is not something that Japan can have without preparation, and if it really has to wait for the mine anti-submarine nets to be completed, I am afraid that the Naoli Army will starve to death long ago.

"Your Excellency, time may be a problem, but if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can negotiate with Shina as soon as possible...... "Shinyuki Akiyama knows that the key to planning is time. Moreover, even if the plan succeeds, it will only be to withdraw the troops in Zhili in China, but this is enough, as long as the main army can be withdrawn to the south of Korea, then the losses of the empire will be minimized, but is this possible?

Looking at Akiyama Shinyuki's expectant gaze, Shimamura Suo knew that he could only think of this step, or a few months ago, it was too late, but now it was ......, although Shimamura Suo thought so in his heart, but he didn't tell the truth, but said: "Akiyama-kun has worked hard, I will report this matter to His Excellency Yashiro immediately." ”

The commander-in-chief said this, and Tetsutaro Sato said: "Your Excellency, in order to boost the morale of the army, it is still necessary to send ships to break into the Bohai Sea at night." It is not easy for the submarine to find the target at night, as long as the ship can be extremely fast, there is still hope that the supplies will be sent to Zhili. ”

"I'll report your plan to Lord Yashiro right away." Shimamura said that he was actually very confused now, and the plans of the two genius staff officers were very flawed, but that was the only way.

"It's better for the Shina fleet to be captured!" There are two countermeasures for the submarine matter, and Gentaro Yamashita is concerned that the Kishina cruiser is coming, "Submarines are not something that the Navy can completely solve. But the China cruiser is something we can solve. In addition, China purchased a 10,000-ton merchant ship from Peru in South America. Used as a seaplane carrier, as reported by the British Navy. There is a high probability that the ship will appear in the waters of Okinawa Taiwan, and the seaplane carrier is unarmed, as long as it can be found, it can also be captured. ”

"Okay. I'll ...... that too" Shimamura Suo was only thinking about submarines, and he didn't care about the Shina fleet, so he was a little stunned, but fortunately, he reacted after half a sentence, and said, "Order Your Excellency Kato immediately." ”

The Navy Command Department discussed it with Sadao Village, and everyone was busy. More than an hour later, Vice Admiral Kato, commander of the Second Fleet, received an order from the Military Command to capture as many ships as possible from the Shina ships, and he did not comment on this, fearing that the Shina fleet had run away at night.

"Can you determine where the people of China are?" Kato asked. The British taught radio direction finding technology to restrain the Chinese submarines, but this technology was not mature.

"Your Excellency, not yet." Chief of Staff Kanji Kato. "You can only roughly determine the location of the Chinese fleet, if you can't find them at night, then wait for dawn and then look for them by water planes."

"Flying planes?" Kato Dingji knew that the Shina flying plane was pressed against the Imperial flying plane, and he actually directly crashed into three flying planes of the army on the battlefield of Naoli. It's a shame. "It's not going to be shot down by the Shina water plane like last time, right?"

"Your Excellency, there should be no flying planes in the cruiser fleet in China, right?" Kanji Kato.

"Yes! The Royal Navy had seen it in South America, and the aircraft carrier had returned home. Maybe it's in the nearby sea. The Military Command thought that if it could be found, it would be able to be captured. "Saiyoshima Kato." This is a ship of more than 10,000 tons. ”

"More than 10,000 tons?" Kanji Kato was surprised, "Is the Shina person crazy?" The Wakanomiya is only 5,000 tons. ”

The chief of staff was so surprised. Kato looked at him very strangely, and asked with some dissatisfaction, "So far." What did the people of China do wrong? A few years ago, some people in the navy said that submarines were useless, but the people of Kochina relied on those useless submarines to sink four warships, Kashima and Shinko. Can they do this if they're crazy? ”

The commander was a little angry, and Kato Kanji didn't dare to come out, but just bowed down to listen to the training, and Kato Dingyoshi's words were not finished, he continued: "The Shina Navy actually dared to attack the coast of the mainland this time to break diplomatic relations, although it only fired a few shots on Amami Oshima, but it was more like a soldier than twenty years ago, at least they did not die in the military port, but died on the sea." ”

Hearing that the commander said that they died on the sea, Kato Kanji glanced up, but he didn't dare to speak, but what he meant Kato Dingyoshi understood, "Those people in the Military Command Department will only deal with the cabinet, and the construction of ships is also restricted by the Congress, and they don't understand the situation in the world today, the technology of the navy is a rapid advance, once it can't keep up with the pace of the powers, the position that the empire has worked hard for decades will be replaced by others immediately." The best way to keep the China Navy from becoming a threat to the empire is to kill them - kill them once they have some growth, never let them touch the latest naval skills and tactics, never let them not develop, only in this way can the empire be the safest. ”

However, the commander of the Military Command Department ...... Kato Kanji understood, but this was clearly a disobedience to the military order.

"No, but only the dead China Navy is the best navy, I will explain it to the Military Command Department." Kato Dingyoshi said, and after a while, he came up with an excuse, "Let's just say that the Shina Navy refused to surrender and fought bravely." ”

The commander had made up his mind, and Kanji Kato had no choice but to send the revised order to the ships, so everyone on the entire sea was waiting for dawn.

Zhu Tiansen, the captain of the Deng Zilong, did not sleep all night, he was not only waiting for dawn, but after reading the premier's telegram, he was in a bad mood and could not sleep. The tone of the words on the telegram was not heavy, but he was quite irritated. In his opinion, the most valuable thing about Deng Zilong is this ship, which released planes in the dark and then broke through with cruisers, and the Japanese Navy could not catch up, after all, it was easy to escape at night; Judging from the prime minister's telegram, the most valuable thing on the Deng Zilong, which cost more than 1,000 taels, was the forty pilots, and this view was something he had not realized before, in this era when human life was cheaper than grass, people had never been so expensive.

Standing in the corridor outside the command tower, Colonel Zhu Tiansen thought about this. At this time, the sea is calm and the stars are densely scattered in the dark sky. In addition to the slight rustle of the bow of the ship breaking through the water, the sound of the waves crashing against the hull and the even swinging of the engines. There was silence all night, and in the moonlight. The sea is wide and endless, and the confusion ahead does not know what awaits you.

"Are you here?" Xi Dingmo's voice came. Thinking about the attack before dawn, he also didn't sleep all night.

"Hmm." Zhu Tiansen answered, he said, "Is it time?" ”

"It's coming." Xi Dingmo said. "Yao Xijiu's people have already gotten up and are preparing the plane."

"This kid." In the dark night, Zhu Tiansen said with a smile, "Okay, the day is no better than the night." This time it's not the torpedo planes that go out, all the planes have to go out. ”

"Will they be able to escape?" There are only two people in private, and Xi Dingmo can say something that cannot be said. It is good to attack in the daytime, but the sixteen torpedo planes are equivalent to waste after firing the torpedoes, and the dive bombers will not do any damage to the armored cruisers even if they replace them with sixty kilograms of bombs.

"Leave it to fate." Zhu Tiansen said, "There will definitely be losses. However, as long as the formation was disrupted by the torpedo planes, the Japanese might not be able to stop them. After the battle began on the sea, we sailed the ship to the closest place to the battlefield. ”

"What if the Japanese find out?" Xi Dingmo actually thinks the same way. But it's about the mothership's safety.

"If you're discovered, run away." Zhu Tiansen said with a smile, "The reconnaissance plane stayed near the mothership, who can catch up with the speed of thirty knots?" Don't let the destroyers keep up. As for submarines. Those submarines of the Japanese can't go out into the ocean. ”

As Zhu Tiansen spoke, he saw lights on the flight deck. The ground crew got to work, and the planes were lifted up from the hangar by large lifts. Arranged on the deck one by one. Fighters at the front, dive bombers at the front, and torpedo bombers at the rear. Thanks to the wide and slender deck and extremely high speed of the aircraft carrier, these planes weighing less than two tons can fly 40 planes at a time.

Seeing that the planes on the deck had been lined up in the middle of the aircraft carrier, Zhu Tiansen returned to the command room, at this time aviation officer Yao Xijiu, navigation officer Wu Zhennan, and weapons officer Liu Yonghao were already there, only the combat officer Tan Gen was nowhere to be seen. "Lieutenant Colonel Tan Gen still insisted on leading the team to attack." The commissar looked at him and whispered.

"Hmm. I've approved it, let him go. Zhu Tiansen said with a smile, and then felt that everyone present was very nervous, and asked: "You say, how many Japanese ships can they sink this time?" ”

The night sortie was changed to a dawn attack, and everyone was worried about whether the cruiser could escape, but the captain did not say anything about the cruiser, only about sinking the Japanese ship, and Liu Yonghao, a weapon officer who has always been ingenious, said: "Sixteen torpedoes, the enemy has no anti-aircraft guns at this time, and if you release the torpedoes after getting closer, you should be able to sink three or four torpedoes." ”

"Then tell Sù Tangen, if you don't sink the four Japanese ships, then don't come back." Zhu Tiansen joked. Still, his orders were passed on. At this time, Lieutenant Colonel Tan Gen, the combat officer, was already sitting in the reconnaissance plane wearing a flight suit, a flight cap, and an eye patch, and he did not directly participate in the battle, but wanted to navigate the group. The captain's order only made him smile, and he knew it was a joke on himself.

"Let's do it!" Tan Gen commanded the ground crew outside the plane.

Following his order, the ground crew immediately dodged after dialing the propeller, and at the same time a flame erupted from the nose exhaust pipe, which was the unburned gasoline at the time of starting, after the flame was sprayed, the throttle was controlled by Tan Gen, and the engine began to operate evenly, and at the same time as it roared, the propeller also rotated at high speed, and the whole plane seemed to have a tendency to rush forward, but the wheel plug placed under the wheel made the plane stop firmly in place.

One plane started, then another, and after a few minutes, all the planes were started, and under the not bright floor lights, the planes on the entire deck seemed to turn into a flock of leopards, and they roared and demonstrated in the darkness, unwilling to wait for the dawn alone. (To be continued......)