Commander Bridge.

The phone rang three times before the combat staff officer picked up the microphone.

"Commander Bridge, I'm the ...... of the Operations Staff Officer"

The commander of the detachment, Rear Admiral He Yongxing, nicknamed the "Guia Tiger," stood behind the forward-facing porthole.

Behind him, several senior staff officers gathered around the chart table, discussing in low voices.

Staring at the albatross that had been soaring nearby, wandering and unwilling to leave, He Yongxing's mind had already flown to the clouds.

Seventeen years ago, after graduating from the Imperial Naval Academy, He Yongxing entered the Guia Ocean on a warship. In the next half year, this team, with eight cutting-edge battleships as the core, a total of more than 40 ships, and all the battleships were painted into a black fleet, and under the attention of the whole world, it completed the round-the-world voyage. At that time, there were also several albatross following the battleship.

At that time, the Imperial Navy was like the sun in the sky, so powerful that it could make the whole world tremble!

But now?

To say that there is still a chance to turn defeat into victory is absolutely self-deception.

The officers and soldiers below did not understand, and it was impossible for He Yongxing not to know.

The Imperial Navy's home fleet, including the 21st Division, had twenty-four capital ships, which was about the same size as it had been at the beginning of the war more than four years earlier. Because there are twelve super-dreadnoughts and four cutting-edge battle cruisers, it is more powerful than when the war began.

However, the opponent of the home fleet, the Combined Fleet, had thirty-six capital ships, and could send more than twenty more if necessary.

The home fleet lacked not only warships, but also ammunition, fuel, and provisions.

For this expedition, it took three months just to collect food and other provisions, and it caused a lot of complaints, and finally let the logistics director resign to calm the public anger.

Dragging it out is definitely a dead end.

There may be a little hope for a full-scale dispatch to fight the enemy to the death.

As for operational tactics, anyway, it is a decisive battle, and it is necessary to find the enemy fleet and start fighting, what do you need to discuss?

"Commander He!"

Suddenly, the words came from behind him, and He Yongxing's mind was violently excited, and his thoughts were pulled back.

"The lookout reported that an enemy fleet appeared in the southeast direction, preliminarily judged to be six large warships, suspected to be the first battle patrol detachment that had previously detached."

Reporting to He Yongxing was Colonel Gui Boyong, an operational staff officer.

After glancing back at Gui Boyong, He Yongxing picked up the binoculars and looked southeast.

After searching for a while, he saw the few pillars of smoke that were not very obvious, and he couldn't tell the number for the time being.

It's too far away, and the enemy ships are still under the sea antenna.

Perhaps, standing on the lookout at the top of the mast, you can see the enemy ship.

"Commander He?"

Not only Gui Boyong, but dozens of staff officers in the headquarters were staring at He Yongxing, waiting for the commander to give an order.

"Contact the watchtower and report back after you have identified it."

After He Yongxing finished speaking, Gui Boyong did not leave immediately, and hesitated slightly before turning around and walking towards his post.

"What time is it?" After Gui Boyong returned to his post, He Yongxing asked.

"Half past nine at once."

He Yongxing's brows jumped a few times, as if he had thought of something. "Contact the three warships behind, raise the plaster flag, and ban the use of radio."

When He Yongxing gave the order, Gui Boyong gestured a few times to the communications staff officer.

"Let the 'Jihe' and 'Guijiang' slow down, and be sure to stay out of the lookout distance of the enemy ships."

"Any other orders?"

"That's all for now, give the order!"

Gui Boyong didn't ask much, grabbed the microphone, and personally gave orders to the chief of the lookout. As for other orders, they are communicated by the communications staff officers.

At this time, inside the lookout.

When the phone rang, the lookout grabbed the microphone.

"Yes...... Be...... Be! After saying three "yes" in a row, the lookout put down the microphone. "Second Lieutenant Bai, the command order, let's identify the enemy ship and report it later."

"My name is Bai Zhizhan, just call me 'Xiaobai'."

Bai Zhizhan was still using a forty-fold telescope to observe the smoke column in the southeast direction, and he was not surprised by the commander's reply on the bridge.

"Lao Li, are you sure it's six pillars of smoke?"

With a telescope, you can clearly see the black smoke floating from the sea skyline, but due to the influence of the course, the smoke column behind it is blocked, and it is impossible to count it clearly.

"Little white...... I'm a few years older than you, so you're welcome. Brother Li has been a lookout for so many years, and these eagle eyes are not blown out. The lookout smiled and said, "By the way, my name is Li Mingbo, if you think it's right, just call me Brother Li." ”

"Brother Li......"

", what's this going on!?"

As soon as Bai Zhizhan spoke, Li Mingbo exclaimed.

Looking back, Bai Zhizhan understood.

Behind the lookout, a plaster flag, the Narrow Naval Flag known as the "Rising Sun", was rising to the top of the mast at breakneck speed.

At the same time, the Red Blood Battle Banner descended from the other side of the mast.

"Brother Li, it's time to fight!"

Bai Zhizhan controlled his excitement and picked up the portable telescope to look behind him.

The two battleships at the rear of the formation, the "Jihe" and the "Guijiang," had begun to slow down, and the "Jihe" had waved the banner of "a great victory."

The three battleships following the "Beihe", namely the "Nanjiang", "Luhe" and "Yuejiang", did not slow down, and at the same time raised the plaster flag.

From a distance, these four battleships are the four "Golden Steel"-class battlecruisers in the Second Battle Patrol Detachment of the Combined Fleet.

Of course, it's not that the plaster flag is a magician's cloak with hidden mana.

In terms of appearance, especially the superstructure, the "Beihe" and "Luhe" classes have many similarities with the "Jingang" class of the Narrow Navy. The reason is very simple, the initial design of the "Golden Steel" class came from the "Tiger" of the Bran Navy, and the "Luhe" class also borrowed from the overall layout of the "Tiger", and the "Beihe" class was enlarged and improved on the basis of the "Luhe" class, and the overall layout did not change much.

The most striking feature of the "North River" class in terms of appearance is that the two main gun turrets in the stern of the ship also adopt a piggyback layout.

On the front, because the "Beihe" class is also a triangular mast, plus the use of gradient camouflage, so from a distance, it does look like the "gold and steel" class. Although the command tower of the "Beihe" is very tall and the bow of the ship floats at a greater angle, which is obviously different from that of the "Golden Steel" class, when the command tower and the bow of the ship can be seen, it must have entered the range of engagement, and I am afraid that the winner will be separated, so there is no need to camouflage.

The key is whether you can get close to the enemy fleet before you are recognized!

"Xiaobai, below!"

After receiving Li Mingbo's reminder, Bai Zhizhan turned around and looked ahead.

The two main gun turrets are maneuvering rapidly, and the four gun barrels are also doing up and down pitch movements, which is the gunner checking the movement mechanism of the turret and the main gun.

In addition, the secondary gun turrets, which were arranged on the outside of the bridge and the conning tower, also began to turn.

These are all things that must be done before the war begins.