In the waters between the Dongsha Islands and the Zhongsha Islands, a huge fleet consisting of four aircraft carriers, several high-speed battleships, a large group of light and heavy cruisers, destroyers, and supply ships is heading in the direction of the Philippines. No pop-up window on the net, fast update //

Their task was to cover the landing force for the landing force to land on the Philippines, and of course it would be better if they could destroy the Japanese Combined Fleet as well―――――― provided that they showed up.

For China, the Japanese archipelago, the Ryukyus, Taiwan and the Philippines form a string of pearls that locks the defense navy along the coast. Although the recent recapture of Taiwan by the Wehrmacht has opened a gap in the string of pearls, it is still not enough for China.

The reason is simple: even if Taiwan is captured, China will still need to pass through the Philippines if it wants to march south, and if it wants to attack Japan directly, it will need to go through the Ryukyus.

Therefore, this gap that locks China's pearl string must be expanded.

Therefore, within the Communist government, there was considerable discussion about the direction in which to go in the next stage of the offensive.

There are two main options for the direction of attack, one is the Ryukyus, and the other is the Philippines.

It should be said that the supporters of both directions are not small, and on the whole they are evenly matched.

For quite a few high-level executives, making Ryukyu their next target is a good choice. Because the Ryukyus were not only a way to attack Japan, but also could cause a certain obstacle to Japan's mainland to connect with the South Seas and Australia―――――― it is probably impossible to cut it off, after all, the Pacific Ocean is so big. You can go around anywhere, at most it's a little farther away.

What's more, Ryukyu is also a former vassal state of China...

The Ryukyu Kingdom is the collective name and common name of the two dynasties in the history of the Ryukyus, the First Sho Dynasty and the Second Sho Dynasty, and also includes the early Sanzan period. The three kingdoms of Shannan, Zhongshan and Shanbei.

The ancient Ryukyu Kingdom was located between Taiwan and Kyushu in Japan, and once paid tribute to the Ming and Qing dynasties of China. After being invaded by the Satsuma Domain, he also paid tribute to the Satsuma Domain and the Edo Shogunate in Japan. The ancient Ryukyu Kingdom was repeatedly invaded by external forces in the islands. In particular, after the invasion of the Satsuma clan in 1609, the Satsuma clan controlled and interfered in the internal affairs of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Due to its special geographical location, the Ryukyu Kingdom is known as a transit point for trade in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia, and its trade is well developed, and it is known as the "Tsuryo of the World".

In 1879, the Ryukyu Kingdom was annexed by Japan. It was forcibly established as Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. At that time, some Ryukyuan people supported the annexation, but most of them were opposed and negotiated with Japan, the Qing Dynasty, and the legations of the great powers in Japan in the hope of restoring the Ryukyu Kingdom through diplomatic means. Ryukyuan people who went into exile during the Qing Dynasty and launched the Ryukyu Restoration Movement. They are called detached people. Based in Fuzhou, Beijing, and Tianjin, these people demanded that the Qing Dynasty negotiate with Japan on the Ryukyu issue, which is known as the Ryukyu Case. However, it was eventually shelved due to disagreements between China and Japan.

In 1945, the Battle of Okinawa broke out. Under the fierce attack of the US military and the stubborn resistance of the Japanese army, the civilians of Okinawa suffered heavy casualties. According to different estimates, the population has declined by about one-tenth to one-third. Some historians believe that the Japanese army forced or induced Okinawan civilians to commit mass suicide, but this statement was denied by the Japanese side and was not included in the textbooks, causing controversy. It is also the reason why some Okinawans resist Japan.

As China grew stronger, many Chinese people began to revive the idea of Celestial Empire in their hearts. That is, the idea of Chinese supremacy, for which the reconstruction of the "tributary system" of the past is undoubtedly quite attractive.

And the Ryukyus. Undoubtedly, like Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and other countries, they were all once part of this system.

In fact, Yan Guang has always held a non-denial attitude towards this sentiment in the country, and the only thing that makes him regret is only one thing, that is, by the time he established the national government, almost all the people who have been cleared have died......

The last Qing leader in history is Xiang Zhili, Xiang Zhili's name is Siguo Jin, and he was originally the fifth son born to Xiang Wenhui and Xiang Sihu's daughter. Later, because Xiang Wenhui's brother Shang Qian had no heir, he was ordered to enter the Yicun family and became Shang Qian's heir.

Since Xiang Zhili was born in 1830 and died in 18 years, he obviously couldn't meet Yan Guang, who didn't come to this world until 1908, so naturally he didn't have the opportunity to be used by Yan Guang.

Of course, Yan Guang didn't think about picking out some of the existing Ryukyu people, but unfortunately there were no influential people in the Ryukyus at that time who were willing to stand up. And those who don't have enough influence, Yan Guang doesn't want either. After all, Yan Guang still has his own plans, and he doesn't want to startle the snake...

Therefore, this has always been Yan Guang's regret.

That said, when the proposal to attack the Ryukyus or the Philippines was presented to Yan Guang, Yan Guang did not choose the Ryukyus, but the Philippines.

The reason is simple, he needs to attack Australia as quickly as possible, and occupy this vast and sparsely populated continent before the Americans and the British have reacted...

And if you want to go south, you must first take the Philippines that is in the way, so Yan Guang must not waste time and resources on the Ryukyus...

"If you want to fight the Ryukyus, you can fight at any time, and he won't run away anyway, but in Australia, it's really possible to run away..."

Of course, these are Yan Guang's words to a few high-level officials at a secret meeting, after all, the less people know about Australia's ambitions, the better, in case there is a British, American, German, and Japanese spy within the high-level It would be bad.

Today's China is a vast country, and a considerable part of the country's population is Caucasian, like Slavs or something, and after more than 20 years, it is not uncommon for Caucasians to be in the national government.

So, if it's really mixed in with British and American spies. It's not unusual.

At least Yan Guang himself knew very well that there were many spies in Soviet Russia within the Nationalist Government, after all, the Nationalist Government occupied Southern Russia, a place with a considerable number of Slavs. It's just that some of these spies can't be caught yet, and some of them don't know who they are. It's quite difficult.

After all, this kind of thing cannot be killed with a stick, otherwise the national policy of the national government would not have to be done.

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After deciding on the Philippines as the direction of attack, the Defense Navy dispatched four large and medium-sized aircraft carriers, the "Lingbo", "Kunlun", "Luofu" and "Canghai", plus a number of battleships and groups of cruisers and destroyers, as well as landing ships carrying a large number of landing forces...

It is also a tragedy, although after the launch of the "Limbo" aircraft carrier, the construction of the follow-up "Fubo" and "Tabo" has begun, but so far it has only entered the outfitting stage. If you want to put it into service, you still need to wait for a while, and in addition, only the "Kunlun-class" aircraft carrier and the second ship "Luofu" and "Canghai" can be put into operation.

Of course, this does not mean that there are only these four aircraft carriers in the Ocean Fleet, not to mention those aircraft carriers that are under construction, outfitting and sea trials on the slipway and dock. In the early days alone, there were several aircraft carriers used for experiments or training.

It's just that these aircraft carriers are inferior to the latest 'Lingbo-class' and 'Kunlun-class' in all aspects of performance, especially in terms of speed, they are a big difference with these two aircraft carriers, and they are not suitable for fighting with these two aircraft carriers at all, so these aircraft carriers can only stay in port in the end. And only these four were sent.

However, although it is said that there are four ships, the combat effectiveness of these four ships is extremely strong. …,

For example, the standard displacement of the Kunlun class is 34,000 tons, the full load displacement is 43,000 tons, and the number of carrier aircraft is 90. The standard displacement of the Limbo class is 62,000 tons. The full load displacement is 83000 tons, and the full load capacity is 180 aircraft. More than 200 aircraft with full load...

In the Japanese Combined Fleet, there are only two aircraft carriers, 'Akagi' and 'Kaga', that can reach the Kunlun-class level. There is not a single one that can reach the level of 'Limbo'...

Therefore, as the commander of the ocean fleet this time, Chen Shaokuan has considerable confidence.

According to the intelligence of the Military Intelligence Agency, the only aircraft carriers that Japan can use at present are "Kaga," "Akagi," "Soryu," "Flying Dragon," "Shozuru," and "Zuizuru."

The total number of aircraft carried by the six aircraft carriers is only more than 400, of course, not counting the reserves.

The number of carrier-based aircraft in Chen Shaokuan's fleet has already reached more than 400. Moreover, the performance and design of both Lingbo-class and Kunlun-class aircraft carriers are more perfect than those of Japanese aircraft carriers. Especially in terms of take-off efficiency, the Limbo class, which uses an oblique flight deck, is much higher than that of Japanese aircraft carriers.

"But naval battles are also a matter of luck..."

Saying that, Chen Shaokuan put the book in his hand aside.

"The president's proposal to discover the enemy first and strike the enemy first is an iron law in the new naval warfare after the aircraft carrier is launched, so only by discovering the enemy one step ahead can we really lay the foundation for victory. If the enemy had discovered us first, we might have lost..."

"yes..."

Hearing Chen Shaokuan say this, Shen Honglie also smiled.

"But luck is also very important in naval battles, after all, it is not uncommon for a battleship to sink just because a shell hits the vital point in a naval battle. And the 100 shells that were hit, almost all the people on the ship died, but there are countless things that are just unsinkable..."

Hearing Shen Honglie say this, Chen Shaokuan also smiled.

"yes, you're right..."

Saying this, Chen Shaokuan looked aside.

"Haven't you discovered the location of the Japanese fleet yet?"

Chen Shaokuan actually agrees with Shen Honglie's words, after all, the tragedy of the 'Hood' just happened last year.

On May 24, 1941, the Hood, together with the battleship Prince of Wales, intercepted the German battleship Bismarck, tracking the Bismarck in the Danish Strait. In the ensuing Battle of the Danish Strait, six minutes after the exchange of fire between the Hood and the German ship, Vice Admiral Horan, the commander of the Hood, ordered the ship to turn in order to fire its full firepower from the side, but at this time, on the one hand, the excellent artillery fire skills of the German Navy, and on the other hand, the bad luck of the Hood may have arrived, and the two formed an unfortunate coincidence that the Hood was directly hit by Bismarck's 380 mm main gun shells at a distance of 14,870 yards and penetrated. As a result, the ammunition depot of the stern "Y" main gun exploded, and the hull broke and quickly sank. Including fleet commander Lancelot? Vice Admiral Holland, 1,418 officers and men of the ship were killed, and only 3 were rescued. The trio, Tedbriggs, Bobtilburn and Billdundas, were rescued by the British cruiser Elitri.

This incident is extremely tragic, but it is not unprecedented, for example, the Arizona at Pearl Harbor was also because 800 kg bombs pierced the front deck of the Arizona, detonating the black powder magazine of the seaplane catapult, and then detonating the smokeless powder magazine of the main turret, resulting in the death of 1,177 officers and men in the explosion. And now the Arizona is still calm in Pearl Harbor.

As an 18-year-old student, he entered the Nanyang Naval Academy at the age of 17 to study seamanship. Chen Shaokuan can also be said to be well-informed.

Of course, that's not true. However, after the establishment of the national government, as a member of the Fujian family. Although the Fujian system did not dominate the entire navy like the Chinese Navy in later generations, Chen Shaokuan still flourished because of his outstanding ability. …,

And the battlecruiser HMS Hood was the last battlecruiser built by the British. It is the fourth warship named after "Hood" in the history of the British Royal Navy, and belongs to the admiral-class battle cruiser. The ship was built by order of 1916 under the War Emergency Response Act.

In 1916, it was the time of the First World War, because China and Britain were still allies at that time. So when the Hood was launched and not long after it was put into service, Chen Shaokuan had the opportunity to witness the true face of the Hood.

The Hood had a standard displacement of 42,100 tons when it entered service. It became the largest warship in the world at the time and was seen as the pride of the Royal Navy. During his career, he has been attracting attention many times as a ceremonial ship to show the prestige of the United Kingdom.

Although the Chinese Navy at that time already had the 'Baxia-class' battleships and the 'Jianwei-class' battle cruisers, it still had to say a word about the Hood, after all, as a battle cruiser, the Hood had a full load displacement of 45,200, and its displacement was even larger than any battleship at that time.

For Chen Shaokuan at that time, the Hood was simply a behemoth.

Therefore, when the news of the sinking of the Hood reached China, and the reason for the sinking was still the same......... At that time, Chen Shaokuan himself obviously didn't believe it.

So many times, people really don't believe in fate...

However, compared with Xinfang, Chen Shaokuan still believes in intelligence more.

Chen Shaokuan was still quite convinced of Yan Guang's proposal to find the enemy first and strike first, after all, it was still very advantageous to strike first many times―――――― although he didn't know it, this was actually the concept of fighter that Yan Guang had heard about in his later life.

Before the enemy discovers, it is necessary to determine where the enemy army is.

Chen Shaokuan was not particularly worried about this, because for this campaign, the Air Force had specially dispatched a number of YJ40 early warning planes to carry out early warning tasks for the fleet.

Of course, while performing early warning tasks, they also took on the task of finding the enemy.

In fact, this is a very suitable task for AWACS, because the YJ40 is equipped with the latest radar, and its search range for low-altitude aircraft is more than 100 km, and the search range for large ships is also up to 320 km...

Although this distance is really nothing compared to the radar of later generations, it is quite remarkable in this era.

What's more, the Japanese army in this era has only just been equipped with radar, and it has installed radar on warships, and that radar often has problems.

The bottom line is that at least radar is always much stronger than visual sight.

And visually, there will be some problems due to the weather, but in the case of radar―――――― well, radar will actually be interfered with to a certain extent, but it is much stronger than visual.

And Chen Shaokuan himself has seen the power of radar and early warning aircraft, so he himself is not particularly interested in the problem of discovering enemy troops...

"General, just now there was news from the Air Force that the Japanese fleet has not yet been discovered..."

Just as Chen Shaokuan was thinking there, an officer walked over and said.

"Haven't you found it yet..."

Hearing this, Chen Shaokuan frowned.

Now they are not particularly far from the main island of the Philippines, and if they continue to get closer, they will undoubtedly enter the range of Japanese army fighters...

Chen Shaokuan is still very confident in his own fleet, at least he doesn't think that his four aircraft carriers will lose to the six aircraft carriers of the Japanese, but if you count the Japanese army aviation forces...

Being outnumbered, that is only possible when they are very strong, and in terms of carrier-based aircraft, the carrier-based aircraft of the National Defense Navy are not as obvious as the ground aviation fighters, at least there will not be a situation where the ZD20 will fight with zero combat.

What's more, in the hands of the Japanese, there is also a four-style that can support the situation...

Chen Shaokuan asked himself that the performance of the carrier-based aircraft equipped by the navy was definitely better than that of the Japanese Zero Battle, but if the Japanese Type 4 was also involved, I am afraid that he would also need the help of the Air Force.

And the Air Force, and the Navy are significantly worse than the Army ...