, 859 Who was fooled by Sunset Twelve of the Old Empire?

Victoria Palace, New Delhi.

In the conference room, around the huge sand table, there were a large number of high-ranking generals of the Anglo-Indian army, including Lieutenant General Alexander, who had arrived from Calcutta. The first to speak was William. Joseph. Major General Slim, as Chief of Staff in the Indian Theater of Operations, Major General Slim is now somewhat smug. Because this time, the "Mughal Project" of sea and land linkage is actually his handiwork.

Originally, the plan for a decisive battle proposed by the Eastern Fleet was only to concentrate the Eastern Fleet and the Australian Grand Fleet to fight a decisive battle with China's "Western Fleet" in the Indian Ocean south of Ceylon. However, Rear Admiral Slim, with his keen sense of the battlefield, found another excellent fighter in the plan proposed by the Eastern Fleet. Taking advantage of the gap between the Chinese fleet going south and the British fleet, concentrate the superior forces of the two armies and start a decisive battle with the Chinese army units that landed in Balasol! Strive to annihilate or inflict heavy damage. This was the core of the Mughal Plan, and as the first-hand planner of the plan, he was of course confident in the war, as well as in the victory of the British Navy under Admiral Cunningham's command.

The progress of the war can be said to be clear at a glance on the sand table. The Chinese naval fleet near the Bay of Bengal and the island of Ceylon has already left. There is about 1 corps of the Chinese Defense Force on the island of Ceylon, which is now entrenched around Trincomalee and should be waiting for a follow-up force to land. On the west coast of Orissa in East India, another squadron landed from Balasol, except for about 1 division of troops who went south to seize the port of Paradiphub, the remaining 2 corps of about 2 corps from Balasol all the way to Kolkata and had advanced to the area of Kelgopur in West Bengal. It's a day's journey from the Hooghly River west of Kolkata.

On the banks of the Hooghly River, the 150,000 men of the First Anglo-Indian Army under the command of Lieutenant General Alexander were ready to strike at the invading enemy. Another Anglo-Indian Army, commanded by Lieutenant General Nelson, is also on its way to Orissa by train from Madhya Pradesh and has now reached Jamshedpur, less than 100 kilometres from Klegpur. As long as this squadron in Klegpur launched an attack on the Hooghly River, the Third Army would attack their rear route, and it could also fight with the First Army against the squadron. Although Major General Slim could not guarantee that the 300,000 British and Indian troops with less reliable combat strength would be able to defeat the 100,000 lightly armed squadrons, as the chief of staff of the Indian theater of operations, he did put forward the most correct and feasible plan for a decisive battle. As for what the final war will look like, it will depend on the skills of Lieutenant General Alexander and Lieutenant General Nelson.

After Major General Slim finished his explanation, the solemn expression on the face of Admiral Diere, the commander of the Indian theater of operations, finally eased a little, he stood on the edge of the sand table with his hands behind his back, stared for a while, and asked lightly: "Is there any news from Admiral Cunningham?" ”

"Your Excellency, the Indian Grand Fleet (the new number after the merger of the two British fleets) reports that they have been discovered by the Chinese Navy and that they are now being watched by two seaplanes from afar. Admiral Cunningham wanted to lure the Chinese to the shores of Africa to buy us enough time. ”

"Louis," Admiral Dill asked Louis beside him. Mountbatten said, "Do you expect Admiral Cunningham to buy us a few days?" ”

Mountbatten was now sent to New Delhi as a liaison officer by Admiral Samorville, commander of the Eastern Fleet. Hearing Admiral Diere's question, he pondered it carefully in his heart and replied: "Admiral Cunningham retreated all the way to Africa, about 5,000 nautical miles to Cape Town, and it was estimated that it would be a 10-day voyage. But the Chinese will not be stupid and keep chasing. I expect them to turn around in 3 to 5 days, and at most 9 Chinese aircraft carriers will arrive in the Bay of Bengal in 7 days. ”

"Harold, do you hear me, we have 7 days to annihilate this squadron in Klegpur." Admiral Dill looked at Alexander and said, "In seven days, more than 600 carrier-based aircraft on nine Chinese aircraft carriers will come to help in the war." ”

"Help? Not necessarily, I'm afraid? The corners of Lieutenant General Alexander's mouth hooked, and a hint of mockery appeared. Your Excellency, according to the report from the front, the squadron that landed in Balasol was not the Chinese National Defense Force, but the Chinese Red Army, or Border Guards, which believed in GC doctrine. ”

"So what?" Admiral Dill glanced at Alexander, smiled coldly, and said, "Do you want to take advantage of the contradictions between the Chinese to make them defeat themselves?" Harold, if you have such thoughts before the fall of the Soviet Union, it is quite normal that at that time the two parties in China were vying for the dominance of the country...... Even if the enemy hits their own land, they will not forget the infighting. But now, at least in the eyes of the Kuomintang, the Chinese and G have no chance to compete with them for the right to rule the country. Moreover, the willingness of the Chinese and the G to throw troops into India is also a gesture that reassures the Kuomintang. Under such circumstances, the Chinese Kuomintang will not exterminate them, because they think they are victors and want to show some grace. ”

"So, Harold, after the meeting is over, you should go back to Calcutta to arrange a decisive battle, and if that squadron does not move within 48 hours in Klegpur, the First and Third Armies of the Anglo-Indian Army will take the initiative to attack! Two-way pinching, defeat 100,000 with 300,000! Remember, you only have 5 days. ”

At this time, in the building of the GC International Oriental Bureau in Baotou, Suiyuan, China, Mao Zd, the leader of China G, was also wearing an overcoat, looking at the sand table for a long time, and muttered to himself: "Speed, speed is the key!" Now all three parties are in a race against time...... It's up to whoever wins. ”

……

"Report, the South Sea Fleet reports that the British fleet did not stay in the waters near the Maldives, but continued to flee to the southwest!"

"What!"

Hearing this news, Luo Yaoguo, who was studying the war with Bai Chongxi, Long Tenghui and others, immediately stood up, took the telegram and looked at it twice, his eyebrows were already twisted.

"Fuwen, is this Cunningham going to Cape Town?" Bai Chongxi couldn't help but be surprised.

Luo Yaoguo shook his head and didn't answer, but walked to the chart and stared at it for a while, and said with a serious face: "Cunningham didn't dare to fight a decisive battle, this is really a bit surprising, it stands to reason that he has 6 motherships, Male and Colombo can also deploy more than 300 fighters, and our 9 motherships with 650 carriers should be able to fight...... But he fled to South Africa one by one, could it be that he really didn't want India or Australia? ”

"I think this Cunningham is self-aware, knowing that their Tubenose Swallow is not our FW-190's opponent, and the Swordfish is not as good as the A-4 Thunderhawk, so I want to use the fleet as bait to lure away our 9 motherships." Navy Minister Long Tenghui also twisted his eyebrows and began to analyze the opponent's intentions.

In fact, neither they nor Zhao Zheng of the South Ocean Fleet and Chen Si of the Western Ocean Fleet did not expect that Cunningham did not have 6 motherships in his hands at all, and his Ark Royal and Indomitable were both severely damaged in the "Battle of Truk Sea" and are still being overhauled in Sydney. Therefore, Cunningham, who has only 4 motherships, does not dare to fight a decisive battle with the 9 motherships of the Chinese Navy at all, and it is his real intention to lure the opponent away from the vicinity of India.

"I think ...... can only explain it like this. Cunningham simply wanted to divert Zhao Zheng and Chen Si from the vicinity of India, in order to create conditions for India's decisive battle on land. Luo Yaoguo nodded and agreed with Long Tenghui's opinion.

"Then should we order Zhao Zheng and Chen Si to transfer the fleet back to the Bay of Bengal and ignore Cunningham?" Bai Chongxi suggested. "Now that the troops of the Chinese G have advanced to Klegpur, it is only a day's journey from Calcutta, and it is estimated that the attack on Calcutta will begin in two days tomorrow."

Spare Cunningham?

Luo Yaoguo immediately waved his hand after a little thought and vetoed this suggestion. The distance between the British fleet and the South and Western fleets is only about 500 nautical miles, and as long as they make every effort to catch up, there is still a chance that they can catch up. If you let them go now, you will definitely be a scourge in the future. Thinking of this, Luo Yaoguo gritted his teeth, and just wanted to give an order to continue the pursuit, but the South and Western fleets sent a telegram asking for battle. "Report, Taiwan urgently, Commander Zhao suggested: The Nanyang and Western fleets should divide their forces, and the pursuit fleet should be formed by the aircraft carrier Taiwan, the heavy cruiser Nanjing, and four destroyers of the 1936 type, to pursue the British fleet at a speed of more than 30 knots, strive to delay the British fleet, and create conditions for the main force to annihilate the enemy."

"Zhao Hanyu is trying to fight hard?"

Looking at Luo Yaoguo, who had a solemn face, Minister of the Navy Long Tenghui took a deep breath, "Auxiliary Marshal, the Taiwan is our best aircraft carrier, 27,000 tons, 100 carrier-based aircraft, and a speed of 34.5 knots, if it is lost like this, it will be too ......."

"Can you catch up with the British fleet with the Taiwan?" Luo Yaoguo asked.

"This ...... It should work! The British fleet would not be able to sail at more than 25 knots at a speed, and their boilers would have to burn out soon. The Taiwan is our newest and best aircraft carrier, which can maintain at least 30 knots. Such an hour can be shortened by 5 nautical miles, and 36 hours is 180 nautical miles, when the A4 Thunderhawk can attack. Long Tenghui pointed to a certain sea area northeast of Madagascar and said: "It should be able to fight in this area, there are 65 Thunder Eagles on the Taiwan, if you are lucky, as long as you can severely damage an aircraft carrier, the British fleet will not be able to escape." It's just that the Taiwan itself could be sunk by the British fleet, they can carry 350 carriers, and the Taiwan has only 100. ”

"If Cunningham were to attack the Taiwan, how much time would it take?" Luo Yaoguo asked again.

"If the two sides are 320 nautical miles, or 592 kilometers, the British Swordfish may not be able to reach it, and the maximum speed of the Swordfish is only 222 kilometers per hour. If Cunningham wanted to fight back, he would have to turn the fleet around, drive in the direction of the Taiwan for an hour or two, and then send out the Swordfish and fly for two hours to attack. ”

"This plane of the British...... Hehe, no wonder Cunningham didn't dare to fight a decisive battle if he wanted to run away. Luo Yaoguo smiled, "I agree to this plan, let Zhao Hanyu do it, you must not let Cunningham go!" ”

In fact, at this time, the pursuit of the aircraft carrier Taiwan had already begun. As the commander-in-chief of the South and Western fleets after the merger, Zhao Zheng knew how heavy the burden was. Therefore, after confirming that Cunningham did not dare to fight a decisive battle with him near the Maldives Islands, he pondered this method of pursuing the enemy with the formation of an aircraft carrier of Taiwan as the vanguard, and as soon as this method was proposed, it was immediately supported by Chen Si and Meng Hailong. However, without saying hello to the General Staff, it is definitely not possible to take the best aircraft carriers in China to take risks. So, while Zhao Zheng reported his plan to the Wuhan General Staff, he personally led the vanguard formation with the Taiwan as the core and began to chase at a high speed of 31 knots.

Standing on the island of the Taiwan aircraft carrier, watching the starry sea being split by the bow of the Taiwan, the 27,000-ton aircraft carrier is speeding on the sea at a speed of more than 57 kilometers per hour. Zhao Zheng's mood couldn't help but get excited, with a speed of 31 knots, the distance between his formation and the Cunningham fleet could be shortened by 6 nautical miles per hour, and the air attack could start in less than 30 hours!

But will this air strike be successful?

Zhao Zheng held the railing of the ship island tightly, and the battle between aircraft carriers was almost a gamble, which was full of all kinds of accidental factors. 65 55 500kg bombs hung on 65 A4B Thunderhawk dive bombers could theoretically absolutely destroy six aircraft carriers at Cunningham! In the same way, Cunningham's barracuda and swordfish can throw bombs and torpedoes of sufficient weight on their heads!

However, I am not without a slight advantage in this gamble! Because Cunningham could not have imagined that he would be crazy enough to use one aircraft carrier to fight his six aircraft carriers, and the British bombers and torpedo planes had a relatively short range, it must have been himself who attacked first the morning after tomorrow. If you're lucky, you might be able to achieve unexpected results in the first wave of attacks.

……

Advance! Advance! Move forward!

Also under the stars, brigades of troops rolled forward along the dirt roads of the Indian state of West Bengal. The sound of people shouting and neighing. On top of a vast plain south of the Ganges. The Red Army, which had just set foot on the Indian subcontinent, was desperately racing against time to launch the designated offensive position. Just today during the day, intelligence officers from the Indian GCD spotted a British-Indian army brigade getting off the train at the Jamshedpur railway station in southern Bihar! There are more than 100,000 of them, estimated to have arrived by train from the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

The purpose of this force should have been to go out with the Anglo-Indian First Army near Calcutta to flank the main force of the GC International South Asian Army. However, this arrangement of the British and Indian troops also gave the GCD army a chance to attack. Ye Ting and Xiang Ying seized this opportunity and launched an attack on the main force of the Anglo-Indian army, which had just arrived in Jamshedpur and had not yet completed its deployment, as many as 150,000. If this battle can be won, the GCD army's foothold in India will be firm, and half of West Bengal, southern Bihar, western Madhya Pradesh, and the vast territory of the entire Odisha state west of the Hooghly River will become the revolutionary base of the GCD in India!

Under the stars in the Indian spring. The 100,000 GC international officers and men who received the instructions of the central authorities to "fight for the liberation of the Indian people" rushed forward in a mighty manner. They are now not in a hurry, but in a fight! Fight not with guns, but with your own legs! They must fight as quickly as possible, in the shortest possible time, and must give their opponents a fatal blow before they finish deploying and enter the battle state!

Comrade Ye Ting, the commander of the GC International South Asian Army, sat in his jeep and advanced in the dark with the staff officers of the headquarters and the baggage convoy. This comrade commander who went through many hardships and setbacks in the Chinese revolution and eventually grew into a fighter for GC internationalism. Although the road was dusty, it couldn't hide the excitement and a little nervousness on his face. Around the column of his headquarters, there were all infantry marching with stuffy heads, as well as carriages carrying mountain artillery and field artillery, and in the night, in addition to the sound of the march of the army, there was also the voice of the political work cadres mobilizing and cheering: "Comrades! Keep it up! Hurry up! 30,000,000 Indian toilers are watching us......"

"Comrades! As long as we work harder and catch the Indian puppet army by surprise, we will definitely be able to eat 100,000 of them in one go! ”

"Yes! What's this point? We're going all the way to New Delhi! Plant the red flag all over South Asia! ”

"That's right! Plug in all of South Asia! In the future, it will be inserted all over North Asia, West Asia, East Asia, and the whole world! ”

The cheers and shouts of political cadres and soldiers resounded in the procession. This revolutionary army, which was in a period of demoralization after the collapse of the Soviet Union last year, seems to have completely passed. After several months of ideological education and political mobilization, the big guys are now full of confidence in the liberation of all mankind again, and they are full of spirit and eager to try again. Especially when this force really set foot on Indian soil, the shadow of the Chinese defense force that had been overwhelming them suddenly seemed to dissipate! Everyone has a kind of pride that the sky is high and the birds fly, and the sea is wide and the fish jumps. Perhaps the emancipation of mankind and the cause of China's liberation will be reborn in this land where the world bourgeoisie is the weakest!

Looking at the army outside the car window, Comrade Ye Ting's hanging heart seemed to be completely relaxed. With such a morale-filled and well-trained army, the battle that begins tomorrow morning will definitely be a complete victory!

!#

，