Receiving the news from "Longjiang", Li Jie was very frightened, and immediately used a short-distance voice radio to contact Jin Hong, who was following behind.

After some deliberation, the two decided to proceed with the plan.

According to the original arrangement, the task of the 43rd Squadron was to strike at full speed to the rear of the Nuland Fleet after the start of the battle and find the aircraft carrier task force hidden behind the main task force. If they encounter the main Nuland task force, they will also assist the 42nd task force in combat.

The battleship Nuland had gun-sighting radar, as did the four fast battleships of Task Force 43.

When returning to Hong Kong for overhaul, in order to enhance their combat capability at night, the two "Beihe" class ships installed artillery sighting radars on the top of the rear mast, and also added relevant command equipment, and even adjusted the command system for this purpose, with the command center located on the rear bridge in charge of artillery battles.

In this way, the command center of the main bridge is mainly responsible for air defense operations.

Because there were many changes and major repairs, it took several months before and after, so before the establishment of the 41st task force, two "Xuhai" class ships replaced the two "Beihe" class ships and were arranged in the special task force under the command of Liu Xiangzhen to provide cover for the aircraft carrier.

If it were not for the excitement of this operation and the ascension to the 43rd Task Force, the two "Beihe" class ships would have returned to the 21st Task Force to replace the two "Luhe" class ships to provide air defense cover for the two aircraft carriers, so that the two "Luhe" class ships could return to the shipyard for overhaul and transformation.

In Task Force 43, four fast battleships were armed with 400 mm guns.

Although the number of naval guns is different, and the double diameter of the barrel is also different, both "Beihe" class ships have gained the ability to fire new armor-piercing shells by replacing the firing mechanism of the main gun during the overhaul, but they cannot give full play to the power of the new armor-piercing shells.

In addition, four battleships carried more than enough armor-piercing shells of the new type.

Because it was mainly a naval battle, two-thirds of the main guns and ammunition magazines of the four battleships were armor-piercing shells, and two-thirds of them were new armor-piercing shells.

On average, each main gun of the "Xu Hai" class has more than 40 rounds, and each main gun of the "Beihe" class has nearly 50 rounds.

On the opposite side, the Nuland Navy had six more battleships that did not appear, but only three of the "Kola" class were equipped with 16-inch guns.

According to the latest information, none of the three "Kola" class ships have been modernized, so they may not be able to use the heavy armor-piercing shells that have just been developed.

If you use the old armor-piercing shells from the last war, the threat is minimal when the combat distance exceeds 20 kilometers.

As for the three "Xinmo" class, equipped with 14-inch main guns, they are not worth mentioning.

Theoretically, even with a new type of heavy ammunition, it would be difficult for a 14-inch naval gun to penetrate the armor of the "Asahimi" class within the normal range of engagement.

The point, these are four fast battleships.

Even if you can't beat it, can't you still run away?

As long as you rely on the speed advantage of a fast battleship and maintain a favorable engagement distance, such as controlling it at more than 20 kilometers, you can firmly grasp the initiative.

This is also the result of Li Jie's discussion with Jin Hong.

First, take out the three most threatening "Kola" class ships through long-range artillery battles, and then rely on the speed advantage to catch up and take out the other three "Xinmo" class.

As long as the luck is not too bad, it is guaranteed that he will be able to achieve a perfect victory like the one main team of Fu Sayi in the west of the Overwatch Strait.

Aircraft carrier task force?

If you encounter it, it is naturally the best.

Task Force 21, just west of Task Force 43, is also heading eastward at a rapid pace, with reconnaissance aircraft dispatched after daybreak. If Task Force 43 had spotted the Nuland Navy's aircraft carrier before dawn, Task Force 21 would have been able to send carrier-based aircraft to attack directly.

The aircraft carrier task force was defeated, and the main task force in front of it could still run away?

It can be seen that there is no reason to stop just because the enemy's warships are equipped with gun-sighting radars.

Neither Li Jie nor Jin Hong thought about a single question.

If it was Liu Xiangzhen and Bai Zhizhan who were defeated, then the 43rd Task Force would still be able to escape?

Perhaps, they never thought that Bai Zhizhan would be defeated.

The battle has begun, and to stop now is to retreat.

In fact, what worries Li Jie and Jin Hong is that the main fleet and the aircraft carrier task force have not encountered the enemy.

Although according to the plan, if the enemy was not found after dawn, Task Force 43 would have to head north to assist Task Force 42 in annihilating the four exposed battleships, and then sail south at full speed to meet Task Force 21 before dark.

Tactically, if the six battleships of the Nuland Navy were not in the vicinity of the convoy, it was likely to be further south.

Theoretically, these battleships would sail west after dark, possibly posing a threat to the forward Task Force 21.

The problem now is, I'm afraid it won't drag on until the evening.

When the day breaks, the aircraft carrier task force that has already appeared before and is operating in the east will dispatch carrier-based aircraft.

Since it was already moving forward at full speed, out of the four task forces, the 43rd task force was in the easternmost direction, so it was possible that it would be attacked first.

To put it figuratively, Task Force 42 is a shield, while Task Force 43 is a sharp knife.

As long as the commander of the Nuland fleet is not too stupid, he will definitely block this sharp knife first.

Even if Task Force 21 sends fighter jets, it may not be able to keep it safe.

It would be even better if it met the main fleet of the Nuland Navy.

As long as the 43rd Task Force is stopped, the threat will naturally not exist, and there will be no need to immediately dispatch carrier-based aircraft to launch a strike.

If not, it's troublesome.

The carrier-based aviation of both sides will fight around Task Force 43, and it will certainly be difficult for the defending side to take advantage.

After discussing with Jin Hong, Li Jie ordered the "Xuhai" to turn on the search radar.

It's just that he did not recall the 43.2 detachment that opened the way in front.

Then, Li Jie contacted the captains of the "Beihe" and "Nanjiang" and emphasized the basic principle of engagement, keeping a distance from the enemy ships as much as possible, giving full play to the advantages of speed and firepower, avoiding close artillery battles with the enemy ships, and concentrating firepower on the enemy ships that pose the greatest threat.

When making this arrangement, Li Jie had a hunch that six Newland battleships were ahead.

The point is that the Nuland Navy will not give up the four battleships that have been exposed.

Even if they were four old battleships that had long been outdated, they were still battleships and had irreplaceable value in the decisive battle of the fleet.

Besides, there were thousands of Nuland naval officers and sailors on those four battleships.

No matter who commands it, they will not disregard the lives and deaths of thousands of officers and men.

In this way, it would be necessary to have the other six battleships to cover the east, and they would be deployed before dawn to avoid being flanked by Task Force 43.

If so, the six battleships would have been found around dawn, that is, in half an hour.

If the six battleships were sailing to the west, or southwest, the distance from Task Force 43 would certainly not exceed 50 kilometers. If it is already deployed, the distance will be shortened to about 40 kilometers, and the distance from the 43.2nd detachment will be more than 20 kilometers.

Well, theoretically, the radar of the battleship Nuland had already detected the light cruisers of the 43.2 detachment.

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