"In other words, now our other three main fleets, as well as the Southwest Fleet, are within the strike range of Japanese shore-based bombers and the Japanese fleet." Tan Renhao felt a little nervous, "Can you contact the various fleets again, let them at least improve their combat readiness, so that the officers and soldiers do not concentrate, even if it is an exercise, they must be prepared for battle." ”

Liao Hanxiang glanced at the communication staff officers who were busy on the other side of the cabin. "They've been contacting other fleets, but certainly to no avail. You know Pei Yuming's attitude. Although Lieutenant General Jiang Bangguo has nothing to do with us, he is the kind of general who is very old-fashioned, and he has no real evidence, will he believe our judgment? ”

Tan Renhao could only smile bitterly, Pei Yuming had long seen that the Fifth Fleet was not pleasing to the eye, and Jiang Bangguo was the commander of the Second Fleet in the last war, his temper was very strange, if it weren't for his huge combat exploits, and most of the important officers of the Second Fleet were trained by him, I am afraid he would not have been the commander of the Second Fleet a long time ago.

Both fell silent, and the whispers of the staff officers and the ticking of the radio were left in the cabin. Ji Xiaobin marked the location of the Japanese bomber group on the chart, while Wu Xianyu was busy arranging for the staff officers to continue to send reports. Tan Renhao was suddenly shocked and found danger.

"Chief of Staff, stop sending telegrams immediately!" Tan Renhao didn't mean to ask General Liao Hanxiang at all, "Quick, stop immediately, let all warships stop communicating with telegraphs and use flag language instead!" ”

Liao Hanxiang frowned at first, but reacted immediately. Wu Xianyu was also stunned for a moment, and then understood what Tan Renhao meant. More than a dozen staff officers immediately turned off the radio transmitter and adjusted the radio to a state of acceptance.

"The Japanese bomber group has changed direction and is coming towards us, and in about half an hour it will enter the airspace of fighter interception." There is also new news from Ji Xiaobin's side.

Tan Renhao gritted his teeth, he was so careless that he actually forgot about radiolocation. Although radiolocation can only determine the approximate location of the signal, it is sufficient to launch an attack.

"Immediately switch to the ...... of the air defense formation"

"Lao Liao, we have not declared war with Japan, and we cannot take the initiative to intercept it!" Wu Xianyu hurriedly reminded Liao Hanxiang.

"Is there still so much to manage? When the Japanese bombers flew over our heads, it was time for war! Liao Hanxiang gritted his teeth, "The interception distance is determined to be fifty kilometers, and all the Japanese bombers that entered this range are shot down, and they must not be allowed to reach the sky above the fleet!" ”

Ji Xiaobin glanced at Wu Xianyu with a little hesitation, and after Wu Xianyu nodded, he went to give the order. According to the regulations of the Imperial Navy, in non-war times, if the fleet encounters a sudden incident and needs to take military action, the fleet commander and the chief of staff must make a decision at the same time, which is an arrangement to prevent the fleet commander from provoking a war on his own initiative.

Ten minutes passed quickly, and the Japanese bomber group was still rapidly approaching. All the fighters parked on the three aircraft carriers have already taken off, and the three aircraft carriers have returned to the core of the formation. Everyone was so nervous that they couldn't breathe, could it be the Fifth Fleet that fired the first shot of the war?

Suddenly, the green light on a radio station flashed, and the staff officer sitting next to him quickly recorded the contents of the telegram. He didn't even have time to do it again, so he ran and handed it over to Chief of Staff Wu Xianyu. Wu Xianyu only glanced at it, his expression immediately changed greatly, and then handed it over to Liao Hanxiang.

"Damn, it's finally here!" While Liao Hanxiang handed the telegram to Tan Renhao, he said, "The fleet has entered a combat state, Ji Xiaobin, let the fighters take the initiative to intercept the Japanese bomber group, the air defense range has been expanded to 150 nautical miles, and the war has broken out!" ”

The war has broken out!

The officers in the cabin were stunned, but they all immediately returned to their positions, and this time, they were no longer busy.

"Renhao......" Hao Dongjue cautiously walked to Tan Renhao's side.

"Japan has officially declared war on the Empire!" Tan Renhao handed the telegram to Hao Dongjue, and he suddenly felt like a stone in his heart had fallen to the ground, but he knew that it was not a good thing.

The telegram was sent directly by Marshal Saditing at the Imperial Admiralty (not the Navy Command, but the Admiralty in the Imperial Capital) that Japan had officially declared war on the Tang Empire and the Korean Kingdom half an hour earlier. The only content of the telegram, apart from the news of the declaration of war, was that the fleets should immediately enter a state of war. However, this does not mean that the major fleets of the Empire can immediately enter a state of war, with the exception of the Fifth Fleet, while the other fleets may take several hours to complete the mobilization, and these few hours will directly determine the fate of these fleets.

Ji Xiaobin had already returned to the operational command headquarters as quickly as possible, and at the time of the battle, his post was there. Tan Renhao hesitated for a moment, but finally stayed. Although he was the chief of staff of aviation operations, it was too late to go to the aircraft carrier "Taizu", and there was not much for him to do.

"Chief of Staff, contact the other fleets immediately!" Liao Hanxiang's hands were slightly entangled, and he struck a few matches, but they didn't light them.

Tan Renhao went to help Liao Hanxiang light a cigarette, and he seemed very calm.

"Major, your prediction has come true, but today will be the most humiliating day in the history of the Empire."

Tan Renhao didn't speak, he looked at the navigation clock on the wall in front of the bridge, today is 7:45 a.m. on July 7, 1321 (September 18, 1939) in the imperial Tang calendar. A few years later, a sculpture will be erected outside the Imperial Navy Headquarters building, and at the top of the sculpture is a clock, and the time on the bell is always fixed at 7:45, the most humiliating moment in the Imperial Navy for hundreds of years.

Radio silence no longer makes sense, and more than a dozen communications staff officers have been constantly sending radio signals to other fleets and naval bases, but they have never heard back.

The first message was sent from the operational command center. Air defense fighters intercepted the Japanese bomber group at a distance of 100 nautical miles from the fleet, and although they shot down more than 30 Japanese bombers, they did not completely repel these demons that were killing the fleet, and at least nearly 50 Japanese bombers were killing the fleet!

Soon, a terrible air defense siren (a combat alarm, not an ordinary air defense alarm) sounded, and the air defense of the Fifth Fleet would be tested for the first time in real combat.

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