Cheng Gong did not make a decision immediately, but called up the satellite map of the Arafura Sea.

The Arafura Sea, with a length of 1,280 kilometers and a width of 560 kilometers, is located on the continental shelf and is not very deep. The southern shore has a wide area of shallow shallows of more than 50 meters, generally 50 to 160 kilometers wide, and many coral reefs in the beaches. The northern boundary has four reefs and shoals arranged in an east-west direction.

The northern tip of Machinba Island in the Wessel Islands is lined up in nine shallow waters of 45 to 125 meters to the northwest, and the rest of the water is generally within 180 meters, and the seabed slopes to the west, most of which are more than 180 meters deep, and the shallowest in the east is only 8 meters. In the northwest there is a sea area deeper than 200 meters.

It is clear that the Arafura Sea is not suitable for large-scale submarine operations. The submarines of the Donghui Navy also rarely conduct stealth training in these waters.

The Australian Navy must have also judged that it was impossible to encounter an ambush by the submarine force of the Donghui Navy in the Arafura Sea, so it dared to put on an aggressive posture and wanted to slap Donghui in the face under the attention of the whole world.

As everyone knows, the Second Fleet of the Pacific Fleet of the Donghui Navy is only a small coastal defensive fleet, and although the Keeling-class destroyers equipped with it can be called the most advanced destroyers in the world today, no matter how advanced the destroyers are, they cannot be the opponents of battleships and battlecruisers.

Since September 1937, Britain, France, the United States, Japan, Germany, Italy and other naval powers have been spending a lot of manpower and material resources to develop more advanced and powerful anti-submarine depth bombs, in order to deal with the mysterious submarine threat of the mysterious Pacific Fleet.

Not long ago, the British Royal Navy even announced that it had successfully developed a high-power anti-submarine depth bomb with a fixed depth of 240 meters, which was fully capable of dealing with the threat of the German Navy's newly equipped XXI submarines.

According to the current position of the Royal Australian Navy, it is obviously intended to force the Donghui Navy to fight a battle in the Arafura Sea, and it can be announced to the world that no matter how advanced the submarine is, as long as it is discovered in the shallow and offshore seas, it will definitely be a dead end in the face of large-scale anti-submarine deep bombing!

It has to be said that the British Royal Navy has indeed grasped the biggest shortcoming of conventional submarine warfare during this period, and it is difficult for any submarine with a maximum depth of 300 meters to escape the doom of being buried at the bottom of the sea once it is discovered by an anti-submarine destroyer or anti-submarine attack aircraft.

It's a pity that the British's ideas are indeed very full, but the reality is very skinny.

Cheng Gong never considered relying only on submarines to defend the coastal frontiers around Zhennan Province and Dingnan Province, and the large-scale air force and naval land-based aviation were the long-term air blades of the Donghui National Defense Force against the enemy outside the country!

Since you have tried your best to sweep the face of this king, then this king will let you see what modern naval warfare is in the true sense!

After making up his mind, a scared smile appeared on Cheng Gong's face, and after a short silence, he gave his will into the phone microphone:

"Command! Sink that old V-class destroyer in Australia to this king! We are advised to abandon the three fishing boats and return home on the Navy's warships, and that the government will compensate them for their losses. In addition, tell Gao Zhihang that the 3rd Air Division of Changxing Island will immediately enter a state of war and attack with all its strength! If you find any enemy warship that has intruded into our territorial waters, you can attack it at your own discretion without asking for instructions! ”

"Your Majesty, do you mean to let all the members of the 3rd Air Division attack to deter the Australian Navy fleet and make them dare not act rashly?" Chen Jiliang asked cautiously on the phone.

"If the Australian side can tolerate us sinking their warship, then it should be a real combat exercise for the 3rd Air Division." Cheng Gong said indifferently: "If the 'Counterattack' battlecruiser dares to fire at our warship, tell Le Yiqin that if the 'Counterattack' is not sunk, he will not have to be the division commander!" ”

After finishing speaking, Cheng Gong didn't say another word and hung up the phone directly.

But a minute later, the phone rang again.

As soon as Cheng Gong picked up the microphone, he heard Gao Zhihang's obviously excited voice on the phone: "Your Majesty, Chen Jiliang told me just now that the Air Force can go to war?" ”

"Do you think Chen Jiliang dares to fake the king's orders?" Cheng Gong didn't answer and asked: "You tell Le Yiqin that this king is waiting here to hear his good news!" ”

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, use me in the first battle, and I will win!" Gao Zhihang shouted excitedly.

……

On the starboard deck of the destroyer "Nanhua" with the number 163 on the sea surface in the northwest waters of the Arafura Sea, 320 kilometers southwest of Changxing Island (Dorak Island), Wang Bingchang and Wang Haisheng, father and son, reluctantly looked at the abandoned "Bingchang" sailing fishing boat in the rear.

"Woo Woo Woo ......"

WITH THE SOUND OF A TWIN 25MM GAOPING DUAL-PURPOSE MACHINE GUN ON THE SIDE OF THE 163 SHIP "NANHUA" FIRING A FLAME, THE "BINGCHANG" SAIL FISHING BOAT WAS SUDDENLY TORN INTO PIECES AND SCATTERED ON THE SEA SURFACE WITH UNDULATING WAVES.

ALMOST AT THE SAME TIME, THE TWO 25MM GAOPING DUAL-PURPOSE MACHINE GUNS ON THE SIDE OF THE SHIP "SHENPENG" WITH THE BOARD NUMBER 165 ALSO BEGAN TO SPRAY SHELLS, COMPLETELY TEARING APART THE OTHER TWO SAILING FISHING BOATS, WHICH WERE ALREADY EMPTY.

On the old V-class destroyer that had already hoisted the white flag, Holvinson watched the Donghui Navy fire and destroy the three Donghui fishing boats, and he felt a sense of foreboding in his heart for no reason.

Could it be that the Donghui Navy intends to plant blame for the disaster and want to expand the incident?

Through the ship's radio station, Holvinson already knew that the Royal Navy's Prestige-class battlecruiser HMS Counterattack, which had just been leased to the Royal Australian Navy, was heading for his waters at high speed, and asked him not to surrender or surrender to the Oriental Navy, albeit delaying time and waiting for help to arrive.

It's just that this telegram from the battlecruiser "Counterattack" came a little late. After Major Holvinson ordered the white flag to be raised and surrendered to the Donghui Navy, all the bolts of the old V-ship destroyer were dismantled by the boarding Donghui Marine Corps soldiers, the torpedo tubes were temporarily destroyed, and all individual weapons were also confiscated.

The only thing that can be done now is for the engine room to find a way to do something to the boiler, so that the speed can be slowed down and buy time.

Holvinson got his wish and slowed down his battleship, but at the same time, all the Donghui marines who were on guard duty on the ship suddenly withdrew, followed by the Donghui Navy itself firing and smashing the three Donghui fishermen's fishing boats.

At this time, the two Donghui Navy's 163 and 165 ships had already distanced themselves, as if they didn't plan to care about the Australian Navy's old V destroyer that had surrendered and disarmed, and only cared about leaving this accident area with the successfully rescued Donghui fishermen.

Perhaps, the Donghui Navy had learned through their air force reconnaissance planes that an Australian Navy battle cruiser was pressing on them.

At the same time, Holvinson learned through the ship's radio that the battlecruiser "Counterattack" was already less than thirty nautical miles away from them.

"Captain, the Donghui Navy has withdrawn, do you think we have collected the white flag?" The first mate whispered in Halvinson's ear.

"Hurry up!" Holvinson nodded without hesitation and said: "You immediately notify the officers and men on the ship to speak in unison, if anyone dares to reveal half a word about the surrender of the white flag, I promise to let him wipe the deck for a year!" ”

"Torpedo! The Donghui Navy fired torpedoes at us! A heart-rending scream came from the bridge lookout whistle.