Seeing those bombers open the bomb bay and suddenly start dropping bombs, Tan Renhao and Hao Dongjue were even more surprised, and even the fighter pilots who were diving to intercept were wide-eyed, what did they do by dropping bombs into the sea?

"That's not a torpedo, it's a bomb!"

Hao Dongjue's eyesight is very good.

Tan Renhao nodded slightly, it was indeed not a torpedo, it was a real aerial bomb, but what was the use of dropping an aerial bomb on the sea? A few seconds later, when the bomb fell on the sea, Tan Renhao and Hao Dongjue both reacted.

"Ricochet attack, let the 'Xuanzong' evade!"

Before Hao Dongjue shouted, the "Xuanzong" was already evading. When the bomb fell on the surface of the sea, it did not sink, but bounced up on the surface of the sea like a drift, and then fell, bounced up again, and smashed straight towards the "Xuanzong" aircraft carrier. The plane flew very quickly when dropping the bomb (about 22o knots, which is the maximum flight of the B-25 at an altitude of several hundred meters above the sea surface with three bombs hung) When the bomb fell on the surface of the sea, it borrowed the surface tension of the seawater, so it would be bounced up and attacked like a torpedo flying on the sea surface. The naval aviation of the Tang Empire had also tested this tactic (horizontal bombers) before, but after concluding that the accuracy of its attacks and the survival rate of fighters were inferior to those of dive bombers and torpedo bombers, this tactic was abandoned. Now, these U.S. medium bombers are using this tactic.

The aircraft carrier was making a sharp turn, already aiming the ship in the direction of the bomber's attack, and the anti-aircraft guns on the battleship and the anti-aircraft guns on the two nearby cruisers were also spraying shells frantically. The first three B-25s (flying in a "pin" formation) were all hit by artillery fire, and one of them exploded in volley, leaving the pilots without the slightest chance of escaping. But the B-25 in the back still continued to advance, and 6 dropped bombs one after another.

The aircraft carrier "Xuanzong", which participated in several fierce battles, is the only survivor of the three sister ships. The aircraft carrier is like a grizzly bear besieged by bees, speeding across the sea, evading deadly bombs fired by the enemy. Most of the bombs were far away, and only a few exploded within 1oo meters of the aircraft carrier. In the distance, the officers and men of the warships watched nervously as the giant and the assassin performed.

Tan Renhao clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "Xuanzong" may not be the luckiest of the three sister ships, but it survived to the end. Although the performance of the "Xuanzong" is not excellent compared to the new aircraft carriers being built by the Empire, and it is already outdated, in this fierce war, the "Xuanzong" is still the most important warship of the Imperial Navy, especially before the new aircraft carriers are put into service in batches. The "Xuanzong" is one-fifth of the aircraft carrier combat strength of the Imperial Navy and half of the aircraft carrier combat strength of the First Task Force. Tan Renhao never wanted this aircraft carrier that had followed him to participate in several vicious battles to make any mistakes, let alone let the First Task Force lose half of its combat effectiveness.

"Renhao, look!"

Hearing Hao Dongjue's shout, Tan Renhao immediately raised his head and looked in the direction of his finger towards the sky above the American bomber group. The two "Falcons" roared and rushed down, the machine guns on the wings of these two fighters did not spit out tongues of fire, their shells had run out, and the pilots were making a final effort, using their own planes as shells, defending the safety of the fleet with their own lives.

"Stop them from ......"

When Tan Renhao screamed. Two fighters collided with two that had already opened the bomb bay hatches. A bomber preparing to drop a bomb. The pilots didn't parachute, and they didn't have time to parachute (no one could escape from a high-diving fighter) When the four flaming fighters fell into the sea, Tan Renhao closed his eyes in pain. Although he didn't have a lot of contact with the pilots (let Hao Dongjue be responsible), although he had not been very familiar with the ordinary pilots in the fleet (the fleet commander must be familiar with every squad leader and above aviation officers), but at this moment, Tan Ren Haoxian, not only him, Hao Dongjue, and these people around him are fighting bloodily, all the officers and men of the First Task Force are fighting for a common goal, that is, victory!

With the first two fighters taking the lead, those fighters who had run out of ammunition and had climbed to the height of the air swooped down.

Suddenly. The shouts of pilots, angry curses sounded from the horns. Tan Renhao immediately looked at Hao Dongjue, who had connected the fighter's channel to the fleet's radio channel.

"Lao Zhang, damn, you wait for me, we'll see you under Jiuquan!"

"Fatty, don't mess around!"

"Squadron Leader, I'm going too, ***. Lao Tzu fought with you! ”

"Count me in, fatty, wait for me!"

Dozens of "Falcons" all rushed down, some still had ammunition, but most of them had already run out of ammunition. The pilots on the American bombers were also screaming, and when they saw the pilots of the Tang Empire coming to kill them with their lives, I am afraid they were all so frightened that they peed their pants. More and more B-25s and "Falcons" fell into the sea, and the voices in the channel became more and more noisy. Some pilots have already wept bitterly, they are not afraid, they are grieving for their fallen comrades.

When the last B-25 was shot down, the "Hayabusa" swarm stopped its frantic attack. Some "falcons" are still hovering above the sea, as if they are looking for their compatriots who have been scattered, as if they are reluctant to leave this sea area, here, there is too much blood and sacrifice, and there are too many heroic stories worth remembering.

Tan Renhao silently took off the general's hat, Hao Dongjue also took off the military hat, and soon, the other staff officers, the officers and soldiers on the battleship, the gunners, and the aviation officers and soldiers who witnessed everything on the aircraft carrier in just a few tens of seconds all took off their hats. There was silence in the command cabin, save for the ticking of the radio and the noise coming from the cabin behind. Some staff officers were secretly wiping away tears, while others were glaring angrily at the sea in the distance. Everyone was silent, they were mourning in silence for the deceased heroes, and for the comrades-in-arms who defended the dignity of soldiers with their lives and fulfilled their military obligations.

"Chief of Staff, where am I now?"

Hao Dongjue was stunned for a moment and didn't react.

"Where is the exact location of the fleet now?"

Tan Renhao repeated it again.

"142 degrees 24 minutes east longitude, 1o degrees 18 minutes north latitude (for convenience, the western latitude and longitude are used, not the latitude and longitude of the Tang Empire)"

Hao Dongjue looked at the position of the fleet on the chart. While answering.

"Remember here, let all the officers and men of the fleet remember here!"

Tan Renhao's lips trembled slightly, "We should all remember here, the 22 most heroic emperors have stayed here forever, and at the same time, they have always stayed in our hearts and in the history of the empire." At 1:11 p.m. on January 4, 1324 in the Imperial Calendar, the First Carrier-based Air Wing of the Imperial Naval Aviation, ......"

Speaking of which, in the end. Tan Renhao himself can't go on. As a soldier, he can understand sacrifice, can bear sacrifice, and can even make sacrifice, but now, he suddenly can't say it anymore. The staff officer's hand holding the pen was also shaking. Like them, at this moment, all of us have more than anger, and some more than grief.

"I will personally propose to the marshal to commend these heroes."

Tan Renhao's hand was raised, and then he put it down weakly. "They will live forever in the hearts of all emperors. In the hearts of all the people of the empire. Chief of Staff, ordered...... The fighters returned to the aircraft carrier in order to first replenish the fuel for the air defense fighters. Then prepare to receive the returning bombers. In addition......"

Hao Dongjue immediately beckoned a staff officer, but they waited for a while, and Tan Renhao didn't continue.

"That's it, the fleet is ready to sail back."

Tan Renhao let out a sigh, he was controlling his emotions that were about to explode, he couldn't show weakness, especially at this time, he had to let everyone know that the fleet was heading for victory. "Alright, let's go ahead and arrange it. I'll send a telegram to the Navy Command later, if nothing happens......"

"You go and rest first, I'll stay here!"

Hao Dongjue nodded at his partner, he was very clear about Tan Renhao's character. In front of the enemy, Tan Renhao is extremely tenacious and extremely spicy, but when he sees his comrades sacrificed, Tan Renhao will sometimes be extremely vulnerable.

Before the commander went to draft a war report to the command of the Navy (this was supposed to be the responsibility of the ordinary staff officers, but since the last investigation of the incident. Tan Renhao has been writing the battle report by hand), Hao Dongjue immediately mobilized the staff officers, and the order was quickly conveyed. Hao Dongjue was also very sad, but as the commander of the second fleet, he must be strong and must let everyone know that the danger has not passed.

Fighter 6 landed on the flight decks of the two aircraft carriers, and after the aviation crew woke up from the shock, they became even more desperately busy. Within twenty-five minutes, all fighters had successfully landed on the carrier, and two squadrons of fighters had re-launched after being refueled with fuel and ammunition. Those pilots had been fighting for hours on end, but they did not complain, and at this moment, all they wanted was to complete the work that their fallen comrades had not done, and continue to prop up the air defense network for the fleet.

The bomber group led by Qiu Gengbo returned to the sky over the fleet at about one o'clock in the afternoon, and they witnessed the frantic interception of those anti-aircraft fighters. Although these bomber pilots did not have the opportunity to participate in air combat, they were able to deeply appreciate how similar those fighter pilots were when they crashed into enemy planes and when they rushed into enemy ships.

At thirteen:35 a.m., the bomber began to land in 6 consecutive rounds. After the Qiu Gengbo group returned to the aircraft carrier, at 13:50, Yang Qinkai's group also returned smoothly, and before 14 o'clock, all the bombers returned to the aircraft carrier. The fleet was already sailing in a northwesterly direction by this time. The retreat route has been determined a long time ago, and Tan Renhao has also planned two retreat routes.

After obtaining the oral battle report from Yang Qinkai, a staff officer in charge of this work would supplement and revise the commander's battle report, and then it would be signed by Tan Renhao and returned to the naval headquarters. At 14:30 a.m., the air defense fighters of the third squad took to the air, and the staff officer also sent the revised battle report.

"That's it, no problem."

Tan Ren Haoxun browsed it, and then handed the battle report to Hao Dongjue, "Go back to the Navy Headquarters immediately, and then ask about the situation in the theater and the next combat operation." After receiving the callback, the fleet resumed radio silence. ”

Hao Dongjue immediately called in a communications staff officer, and in order to ensure that it would not be suddenly attacked by enemy bombers when returning home, the fleet must restore radio silence as soon as possible.

"It's going to be dark for four and a half hours."

Tan Renhao glanced at the navigation clock, "The fleet must not be slackened at all, and must maintain a high degree of vigilance. The U.S. forces already know our approximate location, and they may attack again before dark. ”

"I've already arranged it, and now there are less than 5o fighters left, three squads patrolling over the fleet, and five fighters on each aircraft carrier ready to take off......"

Before Hao Dongjue's words were finished, Tan Renhao raised his hand to stop him. "What is the mood of the pilots and officers and men?"

Hao Dongjue smiled reluctantly, then shrugged his shoulders and did not answer.

Tan Renhao glanced at Hao Dongjue, and then walked to the porthole on the left, and when he looked at the flight deck below, it was only then that all the officers and soldiers on the flight deck, the orderlies had a white flower tied on their chests (some didn't have time, so they replaced it with a white strip of cloth) and had a black armband on their left arm. This is the custom of the people of the Tang Empire to remember their deceased relatives. These officers and soldiers are doing this on their own, no one initiates it, no one moves, they are using the most popular method to remember those comrades who sacrificed their lives, and those heroes who sacrificed their lives to protect them.

"You can see it, and I can guarantee that if another American fleet jumps out now, we will still have enough strength to wipe it out!"

Hao Dongjue also walked over, and what burned in the hearts of the officers and men of the fleet was the fighting spirit and the morale of fighting the enemy to the end.

"Let's all return to the fleet, and call in the supply fleet when we reach the safety of the sea."

Tan Renhao nodded slightly, turned back to Hao Dongjue and said, "Now that we have won a complete victory, why is there any need to fight with the enemy?" There are many opportunities to tell all the officers and soldiers that we are not running away, we are returning victorious! ”

The fleet is returning victoriously, and the "Zhenhai Flag" fluttering on the battleship is still bright and dazzling, it is a flag dyed with the blood of the Imperial Navy's officers!