The vast East China Sea is blue.

A large fleet of seven bulk carriers with a displacement of more than 5,000 tons and the largest one is close to 10,000 tons.

This is a fleet from Australia to Ningbo, on each ship, the Star-Spangled Flag is flying high, this is a transport fleet of the American "Pangu" company, transporting 10,000 tons of copper ore, 10,000 tons of bauxite, and 20,000 tons of iron ore from Australia to Ningbo Port.

Pangu has a large number of mines in Australia, and has world-class copper mines in Olympic Dam in South Australia and Isa Hill in Queensland; In addition to copper mines, it also has Australia's largest iron ore mines, as well as the top three bauxite mines.

Since the recovery of Ningbo, a large number of minerals have been continuously transported to Ningbo Port, becoming raw materials for smelting plants, producing high-quality steel, copper, and high-quality aluminum alloys.

On one of the largest bulk carriers, several blond Americans were standing in the captain's cabin, looking through the glass at the vast blue waters of the East China Sea.

"Captain, less than a hundred nautical miles from the port of Ningbo."

"OK, after we docked at Ningbo Port, we rested in Ningbo Port for a few days, and now Ningbo City is becoming more and more beautiful and prosperous." The middle-aged captain said.

"Captain, how many times have you been to Ningbo?"

The middle-aged captain thought for a while and said, "This is the fourth time, and I remember that the first time I came to Ningbo Port was half a year ago." ”

"Captain, you still run a lot on this route. It's been four trips. ”

"That's it." The middle-aged captain was so proud that he touched his chin.

Previously, the middle-aged captain was just a down-and-out first mate. The opportunity for the captain of the Pangu company to set up an ocean-going fleet came and, with his rich experience, served as a captain specializing in transporting ore from Australia to Ningbo.

The salary of the "Pangu" company is good, and the captain is also full of gratitude to his big boss Max, and every trip is very hard. Always motivated.

In addition to its own ocean-going fleet, Pangu also cooperates with several large shipping companies. From Australia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the Americas. Even places like Africa. A large number of materials were continuously transported back to Ningbo Port.

This is a sea passage, a large number of raw materials are constantly transported to Ningbo Port, and a large number of Yefeng's factories can continue to produce a large number of industrial products.

However, it seems that the little Japanese side is also aware of it, and it is known that there are American ships that are constantly transporting large quantities of industrial raw materials to Ningbo, but Japan and the United States have not yet started a war, and the little Japanese side does not dare to do anything to these American ships.

The middle-aged captain. During these ocean voyages, I also encountered warships of the small Japanese Navy on two occasions. Each time, after identifying themselves, the warships of Little Japan did not dare to attack these American ships.

Not far from the location of the ocean-going fleet of the "Pangu" company, about a dozen nautical miles, a small Japanese fleet was heading towards it, which was part of the small Japanese fleet on the Chinese side.

The small Japanese navy reorganized a new Chinese fleet within a few months after it suffered heavy losses after being heavily bombed by a large number of "Flying Fortress" bomber groups of the newly formed Sixth Army.

The newly established Chinese Fleet was commanded by Japanese Admiral Kawakoshiro and was under the jurisdiction of the First Dispatch Fleet (Vice Admiral Tanimoto Mataro was the commander and was responsible for the Haijiang operation in central China), the Second Dispatch Fleet (Vice Admiral Takasu Shiro was the commander and was responsible for operations in the northern waters of China), the Third Dispatch Fleet (Vice Admiral Nomura was the commander and was responsible for operations in the southern waters and coastal areas of China), the 13th Squadron and the Second Air Force.

The new Chinese fleet was even larger, with three fleets, one squadron and one air squadron. This fleet, which was sailing on the East China Sea, belonged to the First Dispatch Fleet, and included a heavy cruiser, a destroyer, a coastal defense ship, and three gunboats.

A total of six warships, large and small, centered on the heavy cruiser Furutaka, are sailing in formation on the surface of the East China Sea. The heavy cruiser "Furutaka" was the main battleship of the First Dispatch Fleet, and Rear Admiral Kimura Masanobu was impressively on the warship. Masanobu Kimura was the deputy commander of the First Dispatch Fleet and the right-hand man of Vice Admiral Yatamoto Mataro.

The heavy cruiser "Furutaka" is the first of the Furutaka class, and the other is the heavy cruiser "Kako".

On February 6, 1922, the world's leading naval powers signed the "Treaty on the Limitation of Naval Armaments" in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. According to the treaty's standards, the standard displacement of newly built cruisers in the signatory countries was limited to 10,000 long tons (10,160 metric tons), and the caliber of the main guns should not exceed 8 inches (203 mm).

It is named after Kotaka Mountain in Etajima, Hiroshima City, Japan. Designed by Vice Admiral Hiraga Tsunade in Naval Shipbuilding, it was the first heavy cruiser to adopt a wave-type deck, and it was the first modern heavy cruiser in the world. Construction began on November 17, 1922 at the Nagasaki Mitsubishi Shipyard and was completed on March 31, 1926. It was modernized on January 30, 1939.

Standard displacement (original design): 7950 tons, after modification: 10507 tons; Speed (original design): 34.5 knots, refitted: 33 knots, Durability: 14 knots/hour 7000 knots; Length: 185.17 m, width (original design): 15.77 m, refitted: 16.93 m, speed (original design): 34.5 knots, refitted: 33 knots.

Armament: main gun: 3 200 mm caliber twin guns, after modification: 3 203 mm caliber twin guns; 4 anti-aircraft guns of 120 mm caliber, after modification: 4 anti-aircraft guns of 127 mm caliber; After the modification, 42 new twin-mounted anti-aircraft machine guns of 25 mm caliber were added; After the modification, 4 new 13 mm caliber quadruple anti-aircraft machine guns were added; After the modification, 8 new 30-tube 120 mm caliber anti-aircraft rockets were added.

The warships of small Japan, after refitting, generally greatly strengthened their anti-aircraft firepower, and like the heavy cruiser "Furutaka", a large number of twin-mounted anti-aircraft machine guns and quadruple anti-aircraft aircraft were added.

Neither side knew what to do, and the two fleets were gradually getting closer.

A junior Japanese Navy Major Commander came over, stood next to Kimura Masanobu, and reported loudly: "Your Excellency, Rear Admiral, we are too close to Ningbo, according to intelligence, the new 6th Army is at Ningbo Airport, once our whereabouts are discovered by the reconnaissance planes of the new 6th Army, we will be more troublesome. ”

Hearing this, Kimura Masanobu's face was not good-looking, as an arrogant little Japanese rear admiral, he actually had to watch out for the planes of the newly formed 6th Army.

"Your Excellency Shaozuo, don't you know that our warships have greatly strengthened their anti-aircraft firepower?"

Obviously, Kimura Masanobu meant that he had such a powerful anti-aircraft firepower, even if he encountered the aircraft group of the newly formed 6th Army, what was there to be afraid of.

Little Japan still didn't know what to do, but there was a large secret military port in Zhoushan, and the new Sixth Army already had a navy, and its warships often sailed out of the military port to conduct training in the East China Sea.

A high-altitude reconnaissance plane flew over the East China Sea to reconnoiter the situation in this area. There was a large convoy of transport ships loaded with all kinds of ore heading towards Ningbo Port, and this reconnaissance plane was precisely to detect whether there were any signs of the activities of small Japanese naval warships in this area, and by the way to guide this US fleet toward Ningbo.

In the past few months, especially after the reorganization and strength of the small Japanese fleet on the Chinese side, the small Japanese fleet has appeared in the East China Sea from time to time, and sometimes even near the Hangzhou Bay area.

After reconnoitring the surface of the East China Sea, the reconnaissance plane soon discovered that a small Japanese fleet was sailing on the blue sea, and it could vaguely see plaster flags fluttering on the warships.

On the sea.

The little devils on the heavy cruiser "Furutaka" spotted a reconnaissance plane at a high altitude and immediately reported it to Kimura Masanobu when they saw that it was a reconnaissance plane from the Chinese side.

"Your Excellency, there is a Chinese reconnaissance plane hovering above our heads, what should we do," a small Japanese Navy lieutenant came to report in person.

There is really a Chinese reconnaissance plane, it may be a reconnaissance plane of the newly formed 6th Army, and the whereabouts of his own fleet may have been discovered, thinking of this, Kimura Masanobu's face changed.

Kimura was confident that he was worried about the bomber group of the new 6th Army, and last time, under the bombing of the bomber group of the new 6th Army, even the aircraft carrier and battleship were sunk, and although his cruiser had been refitted, he was afraid that it would be difficult to withstand it.

"Shelling with anti-aircraft guns, dispersal, and in addition, the order to speed up and leave the area." Kimura Masanobu said in a deep voice.

Several anti-aircraft guns on the "Furutaka" began to aim at the sky, ready to fire shells. After circling a few times, the reconnaissance plane in the sky flew into the distance, and these antiaircraft guns of small Japan basically did not have time to open fire.

The reconnaissance plane found that there was also a convoy not far away, so it flew towards that area to reconnoiter and guide.

Seeing the plane go away, the little devils on the warship quietly breathed a sigh of relief and increased their speed, and about half an hour later, the little devils on the "Ancient Eagle" found that a fleet of ships appeared on the sea level in the distance.

"Could it be that the fleet of the Chinese army is chasing after it?"

Several little devils who were in charge of the side of the ship muttered in their hearts when they saw the fleet a few nautical miles away, and then a little devil officer hurriedly ran to the command room of the "Furutaka" and reported to Kimura Masanobu.

The little devils didn't notice that it was not very far away from them, and a periscope quietly stretched out of the sea, and after reconnoitring on the sea, it disappeared under the sea, and it seemed that there was nothing.

*******

Today's three watches, the first one is sent. (To be continued......)