As soon as Song Tieniu's words fell, a snow-white searchlight pillar swept over in the distance. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 info An escorted destroyer sped towards the sinking transport. However, the destroyer did not stop to save people, but only threw down a number of lifeboats from the ship as it passed by, and then turned around and drove towards the periphery.

"Why didn't you come and pick us up?" He Dazui, who finally climbed onto a lifeboat, lay on the lifeboat, looked at the destroyer that was far away, and asked in confusion.

"It's going to kill those Yankees, or we'll lose even more!" A Marine on the side explained.

"Everyone, listen!" On a lifeboat not far away, the company commander with a big mouth held a megaphone and shouted, "Hurry up and row the lifeboat away!" The ship is about to sink, and if you stay here, you will be carried to the bottom of the sea by the sinking whirlpool! Those who don't want to feed the fish are all moved by Lao Tzu! Hurry up and row all the boats to Lao Tzu! ”

Look at the black spiral nest that has begun to form in large blisters not far behind him, and then look at the back deck of the transport ship, which is almost level with the sea. The officers and men of the Marine Corps used all their strength to row the lifeboat away from the hapless transport ship.

As Marines, these officers and men are well aware of the powerful cavitation attraction of ships, especially large ships, when they sink at sea, bringing everything around them into the dark depths of the sea. None of the Marines, who were not captains, wanted to die at sea with the transport. Although they all have a lot of things on this ship, they don't want to disappear together.

The roar of explosions that had been raging all night finally dissipated as the sky grew brighter. Most of the crew and marines who fell overboard were rescued. Including He Dazui and Song Tieniu. However, many officers and soldiers are still unaccounted for or killed in the fierce fighting at night.

It was a night of heavy losses for the Ming Navy. This fierce battle, which took place 170 nautical miles west of Midway, left a deep impression and a lesson on the Ming Navy. The U.S. Navy's submarine forces, lacking in technical capabilities, inflicted heavy losses on formidable opponents with successful tactics and courage.

Because the time of the voyage was discovered by spies, and the convoy was insufficient, coupled with the fact that the time was at night, the escort aircraft carriers, which were the main escort force in the flotilla, failed to provide strong air support for the flotilla. This led to the successful conduct of a large-scale ambush by the US submarine forces.

The fleet numbered T903 had one escort destroyer, four transports and two troop carriers were sunk in this ambush. Two other ships were damaged, and more than 2,000 officers and men were killed or wounded.

Most of the casualties came from a large troop carrier converted from a cruise ship. The troop carrier was hit by a torpedo and damaged the keel, causing the cruise ship to sink to the bottom of the sea in a short period of time. Few of the entire Marine infantry battalion and crew on board were able to escape.

In addition, more than 100 artillery pieces, dozens of tanks, armored vehicles, and a large number of military supplies also sank to the bottom of the sea.

The escort formations of the Ming Navy carried out an extremely frantic retaliation against the American submarine forces that launched the attack. More than a dozen escort destroyers almost all of their own depth charges were still empty. It is estimated that at least six more U.S. submarines were sunk. But the damage has already been done and can no longer be recovered.

After the incident was reported to Zhang Cheng, the angry Zhang Cheng directly sent the commander in charge of the shipping and the planners to the military court. Zhang Cheng ordered the Military Intelligence Bureau to intensify the search for spies in Japan, and at the same time sternly ordered that any convoy must have sufficient escort forces before it can sail.

At this time, most of the main fleet of the Ming Navy had gathered near the Hawaiian Islands, and the Navy was planning a decisive battle with the US Navy to clear the surface forces of the US Navy and prepare for landing on the American continent.

And the Americans on the other side think similarly, they think that their strength is not weaker than the Ming Navy at all. They also wanted to destroy the main naval force of the Ming Dynasty through a decisive naval battle, so as to take the Hawaiian Islands, which could radiate and control the entire Pacific Ocean. Then the battle line was advanced to a place close to the Ming mainland, so as to remove the Ming Dynasty's powerful threat to the Americas. No one wants to see a powerful armed force squatting on their doorstep all day long.

Both sides are fighting fiercely, and a large-scale naval decisive battle of unprecedented scale is about to break out.

......

"Finally landed alive." Walking from the transport ship to the dock, He Dazui, who had nothing but the military uniform and some personal belongings on his body, stretched his waist hard, raised his feet and stepped on the solid cement floor, "It feels so good to be down-to-earth." ”

"Let's go to the meeting place." Song Tieniu, who was walking behind him, pushed him, "I'm dying of hunger." ”

Song Tieniu, He Dazui, and hundreds of other Marine officers and soldiers were all rescued by a nearby troop transport ship after dawn. At that time, these young men who were all alive and well on the land were all shivering with cold, and it took a long time to gradually recover their strength.

Even if they didn't fall into the sea and hid in the lifeboat, the swelling of the waves still doused them all into soup. I stayed all night in the cold, and no one could stand it.

The heavily overloaded troop carrier was originally just a standard ration, but by the time it had picked up so many people, food and water supplies were somewhat out of reach. Fearing another attack, all the ships sped towards Hawaii, and there was no exchange of personnel on the way, and the basic supplies were still guaranteed anyway. It's just eating hard-to-swallow field rations and not being able to take a bath.

When they finally arrived in Hawaii, the most important thing these soldiers who were not in a very good state of mind to do now was to have a good meal and then take a hot bath and sleep beautifully for a day and a night, they were really tired.

"Assemble everyone! Let's go to the camp," the officers began to gather the officers and men after everyone had disembarked. Their weapons and equipment were left at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, and now they had to rest in the camp and wait for orders from above.

"Buzz~~~" Several HNA warplanes whizzed over the harbor and flew into the distance. He Dazui, who was in the marching army, looked around, looked around, and then whispered to Song Tieniu on the side: "The situation here is not good." It's heavily guarded everywhere, it can't be that the Americans are going to fight, right? ”

He Dazui's words are still not wrong. The menacing U.S. Navy split into multiple fleets from the west coast and attacked the Hawaiian Islands. These fleets were followed by a large convoy of transports. Several divisions of U.S. troops will choose whether or not to land on the Hawaiian Islands depending on the situation of the battle. This attack was different from the previous ones, and if there was any hesitation before, then the Americans were serious this time.

After the decisive victory in the North African battlefield, the Ming Dynasty quickly seized the initiative on the battlefield. Facing the Ming army, which could land on the continent of Europa at any time. In order to prevent the European allies from falling into a bitter war and turning to the Ming Dynasty to seek peace, thus creating a situation in which the United States alone confronted the Ming Dynasty, the Americans made up their minds to come to a major military operation and forced the Ming to divert their main attention.

Looking at the entire world battlefield, the only place where it is possible to achieve decisive results in a short period of time and regain the strategic initiative is Hawaii.

As long as the U.S. Navy can successfully take Hawaii and open the way to the Ming mainland. At that time, even if the Ming Dynasty can successfully land on the Europa continent, those allies will not easily choose to give up. Because they can still see the hope of victory.

No one will give up when there is still hope. This is war after all, and the fate of surrendering and admitting defeat will make people shudder just thinking about it.

From the President of the United States to the Congress of the United States, the most severe orders were given to the Navy. They were ordered to seize the Hawaiian Islands no matter what, and for this they could pay anything.

The determined U.S. Navy poured its head into action. The main forces of the Navy were divided into several powerful air strike fleets, which swooped down on Hawaii from different directions. Together with the various types of warships escorted and the submarines that serve as a long-range reconnaissance force, the size of this fleet is suffocating.

The U.S. Navy even brought out the old battleships that were originally planned to be used as shore defense forces. These old, low-speed battleships were still heavily armed, armed with large guns and sturdy armor. Unable to join regular naval warfare, it can act as a convoy for the landing force and an artillery fleet.

In the face of the menacing US Navy, the Daming Navy did not show weakness. Numerous warships have gone to sea to prepare for a bloody battle with this formidable challenger. However, the Supreme Command of the Ming Dynasty is making preparations with both hands. If the Navy wins, then everything is easy to say, and the Americans will inevitably choose to retreat. However, if the navy is defeated in battle, or if the losses are too great to fully control the sea dominance, the garrison forces on the islands must also assume the responsibility of holding on.

Before the war, the Ming Navy stationed nearly 50,000 marines on the Hawaiian Islands all year round. When war broke out, the navy urgently mobilized troops to expand the island's defenses to 100,000 men. During the previous fierce battles around Hawaii, the Americans also tried to land on various islands and seize a stronghold. But these attempts failed. However, the Ming Navy is still constantly strengthening the defense force here.

After the arrival of the rotating units from Japan, the Ming already had five Marine Divisions and one coastal defense force on the Hawaiian Islands. Coastal Heavy Artillery Units, Hawaiian Local Garrisons, several anti-aircraft artillery anti-aircraft regiments, a separate armored mobile regiment, a special engineer brigade, and a large number of logistical support forces. If we add the garrison and ground staff of the various airfields of the HNA and the shore-based forces of the Navy. The total number of troops on the Hawaiian Islands is close to 200,000!

After all, these are just islands. This number of troops was enough for the garrison. (To be continued.) )