On the morning of the 23rd, the weather was clear and cloudless, the sun rose as usual, and seagulls were feeding on the sea outside the harbor as usual, and it looked no different than usual. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

There is still a difference, if according to the normal law, eight o'clock in the morning is the meal time, when the dock is very busy, all kinds of Eastern and Western breakfasts are available, the whole dock is filled with the sweet taste of breakfast, the ears are filled with the hawkers' shouting and noisy laughter, no matter who will feel the exhilarating atmosphere of prosperity.

Today's dock is extremely deserted, with almost no human figures in sight, and occasionally there are soldiers in military uniforms and fully armed, all of whom are in a hurry, all with a clear purpose, which makes the atmosphere on the dock even more tense.

The news of the imminent arrival of the Paz expeditionary force had spread throughout Hedland yesterday evening, and everyone knew that a big war was imminent, and although the combat mission had been reduced to the squad level, and everyone knew what they should do, it was inevitable that there would be tension when it came to war.

In the face of the cruisers of the Pas Expeditionary Force, Chen Zhaoqiang did not intend to put those Pas people into the Port of Hedland without any resistance, and on the outer harbor of the Port of Hedland, four batteries were already in full position, and the 12 150mm caliber guns purchased from Lanfang were carefully maintained by the gunners and were in the best condition, ready to "welcome" the arrival of the Pas Expeditionary Force at any time.

In the No. 3 battery, Hou Xing'an, the commander of the Ninth Artillery Detachment, was pacifying the youngest subordinate, Qian Lixin, an 18-year-old Annan.

"Now these are all small battles, I think when we were in France, every time we started a war, there were tens of thousands of artillery, hundreds of thousands of people participated, that was the real big scene, compared to that, this is all pediatrics, how many artillery pieces do we have in total? 12 doors, do you know what the concept of 12 doors is? In our artillery division, it is also a battalion, and there are 8 such artillery battalions in each of our artillery divisions, so why are you nervous? It's all trivial! Hou Xing'an held an artillery rangefinder newly produced by the Lanfang Institute of Optics in his hand, patiently enlightening Qian Lixin, who was working hard to wipe the shells.

Hou Xing'an was a veteran artilleryman of the Foreign Legion, and he was considered an old veteran in the entire Port Hedland.

The Chinese performed very well in the world war, and the artillery was the most outstanding group, and it has to be said that the Chinese were very talented in mathematics, even if they were "semi-literate" like Hou Xing'an, who had only attended public school for two years before, they quickly mastered the knowledge of ranging under the guidance of French instructors.

Of course, now with an artillery rangefinder, it's easier to become an artilleryman, as long as you learn to fiddle with this little guy, you are an excellent artilleryman.

Lanfang's optical research institute originated from the Zeiss factory in Germany, and when Germany was defeated, the Lanfang people almost relocated the Zeiss factory to Lanfang. Now more than two years have passed, Lanfang's optical research institute began to launch its own new products on the basis of Zeiss's technology, whether it is a gun sight or a telescope, or even an optical rangefinder, Lanfang optical research institute has launched new products, which has strongly promoted the application of new equipment.

"Hmph-" Hearing Hou Xing'an's words, before Qian Lixin could say anything, Jason, a member of the artillery crew, began to hum, and the mockery was still obvious.

Jason is a German, and it was the Germans who the Foreign Legion faced in the World War, and the "tens of thousands of guns" in Hou Xingan's mouth left a deep impression on Jason, who also suffered enough at the beginning, but he was lucky enough to survive.

Only two years have passed since the world war, and the scene at that time is still vivid, Jason still often dreams of the scenes in the world war, dreams of those war-torn battlefields, dreams of those comrades who have died in the war, and now hearing Hou Xing'an say it so unabashedly, Jason is obviously not very happy.

To be honest, the relationship between Hou Xingan and Jason is still good, they cooperate with each other tacitly, and both of them treat people sincerely and kindly, so Jason doesn't have many scruples when talking to Hou Xingan.

"What? Aren't you convinced? Hou Xing'an immediately shifted the target, and the provocation was strong.

"I'm very convinced-" Jason didn't mean to talk to Hou Xing'an, and directly choked Hou Xing'an back.

It was really a little choked, Hou Xing'an gasped for a long time before he felt that his breathing had returned to evenness, and he was about to continue to enlighten Qian Lixin, when he suddenly heard someone shouting at the gate of the fort: "The Pasi people still have 15 nautical miles, ready to fight!" ”

Fifteen nautical miles, if converted into meters in the customary sense, is probably less than 28,000, that is, in about half an hour, the Paz expeditionary fleet will be within the range of the battery.

The 150 mm caliber gun equipped with Port Hedland is the latest product produced by Lan Fang Arsenal, and the firing range can reach 14,000 meters beyond the visual distance, which is much farther than the main gun range of the flagship "Path" in the Paz expeditionary fleet, of course, at a distance of 14,000 meters, this hit rate is really not guaranteed.

"Prepare for battle, cheer up, take your rangefinders, don't bump into them, otherwise you can only use your thumbs to gesticate, and at the same time prepare your shells and fuses, and don't make an oolong without a fuse, otherwise you will stuff yourself into the barrel of the cannon and shoot it out, calm down, don't think nonsense, recall what you have learned in class, show all the steps perfectly, and you will get an exceptionally perfect victory-" Tang Shengli, the commander of the No. 3 battery, patrolled back and forth inside the battery, Remind everyone with a loud voice.

The last thing in Port Hedland was iron ore, so the forts were built so well that the builders used a lot of reinforced concrete, including the roofs, and all the walls were more than a meter thick.

After the artillerymen entered the fort, they reinforced the fort again, first using sandbags to build a layer on the outside of the fort, and then reinforcing it at the top, and adding steel plates in the middle of the sandbags, so the current fort is not too much to describe as solid.

"Little guy, get ready, the time has come to test you, if you get through this hurdle, don't you want to join Lanfang's nationality? I'm here to be your introducer! Hou Xingan made a new promise to Qian Li.

"Really?" Qian Lixin's voice was full of surprise, and the excitement could overflow.

"Of course it's true, when did Lao Tzu lie to you?" Hou Xing'an has a big package.

In order to increase the population, Lanfang encourages immigrants, especially Chinese and Annamite, as long as they apply for naturalization, they will basically be approved.

Of course, this naturalization is also conditional, for example, Qian Lixin, a young man who has just become an adult, if he wants to join Lanfang nationality, he must find a referrer, and this referrer must also assume the role of a guarantor.

So in Lanfang, it is not easy to find a guarantor, especially a young man with no background like Qian Lixin.

"Don't worry, I promise there won't be any mistakes!" Qian Lixin swears.

"Uh-huh, you'd better remember your words, I'll keep an eye on you." Hou Xing'an put a little snack, smiled at Jason, and turned around to observe the sea.

Jason is also an old oilman, and he doesn't need Hou Xing'an to bother, because of Jason's existence, Hou Xing'an can also pay more attention to the sea and don't have to worry about the coordination of the artillery crew.

At 8:45 a.m., the sirens sounded over Port Hedland, which was the signal for the enemy to enter the ten-nautical-mile range of Port Hedland, and from this moment on, Port Hedland entered operational condition.

Ten nautical miles away, the Paz expeditionary force also began to enter combat mode.

The battle of the Paz Expeditionary Force was destined not to go well, even if the battle was imminent, and there was still a dispute in the bridge of the "Pass".

"We need to do a tentative attack, to test the defensive capabilities of the port batteries, and at the same time to find new landing sites, and we can't just rush up like this, we will suffer heavy losses." Wearing a life jacket, James Jerome was very resolute this time, even if Derek Chaplin had already laid out the battle plan, James Jerome still fought with reason.

To be honest, by now, James Jerome no longer has any illusions about winning this war at the least cost, and James Jerome does not think about whether this battle can be won, how much praise he will get after winning, as long as he can save the life of one more naval brother, James Jerome feels that his struggle is worthwhile.

"Heavy losses? It doesn't matter, at least it doesn't matter to you, you're already wearing a life jacket, and you can jump into the sea to escape even if the damn dirt buns are under heavy fire. The disdainful mockery on Derek Chaplin's lips was so thick that it didn't hide it at all.

If Derek Chaplin still had a little respect for James Jerome before, that little bit of respect has disappeared since Derek Chaplin saw James Jerome wearing this life jacket.

In the world war, the Anzac did perform very well, and the Australian army may not be as effective as the French Foreign Legion, but in terms of the will to fight, the Anzac did not lack, and the Australians never lost their courage, which is why Derek Chaplin is proud.

"It's my business whether I wear a life jacket or not, and if you can understand the difference between the Navy and the Army, this life jacket would not have been worn." James Jerome didn't have much respect for Derek Chaplin either.

James Jerome is a pure British, in the face of an Australian, the British have a psychological advantage in their hearts, not to mention that in the British military sequence, the importance of the army has never surpassed the navy, so the naval officer has an extra layer of pride in the face of the army officer, so on the whole, a British naval officer in the face of an Australian army officer, the psychological advantage can be imagined.

In terms of military rank, Derek Chaplin is higher than James Jerome, and James Jerome should give Derek Chaplin the respect he deserves, but now James Jerome can't respect Derek Chaplin no matter what, if it weren't for the fact that there is still a trace of reason in his heart, James Jerome can take off the brief on his shoulder and smash it on Derek Chaplin's face.

Go to the special expeditionary force!

(To be continued.) )