"Lions, elephants and rabbits, all with all their might!"

Zhang Zheng stared at the banner framed in yellow silk on the bulkhead, which was sent to Port Moresby by Captain Qian before the departure of the Two Oceans Fleet. The words are written by His Majesty himself, and the standard willow body is skinny.

Zhang Zheng cautiously hung it in the command room of the flagship Fengxiao (Guo Jia) aircraft carrier. The commander of the navy understood what His Majesty meant, although the strength of the two oceanic fleets at present far exceeded that of the Japanese Combined Fleet, the decisive naval battle would determine the trend of the war and the future fortunes of the country, and there was no room for the enemy to be underestimated.

It's like twenty nautical miles away, fighting for the island of Peleliu. On a small island of less than 10 square kilometers, the 2nd Wing of the 14th Division of the Japanese Kwantung Army and some Korean laborers, a total of 11,000 garrison troops, actually blocked the 27th Army of the Yangzhou Army, which had more than 40,000 troops, on the beach outside the airfield in the southwest for several hours.

Prior to this, four battleships of the Two Oceanic Navy: Highway (Yuan Shu), Wenjie (Han Fu), Gongxu (Kong Ling) and Gongshan (Liu Dai); four heavy cruisers, Hansheng, Mengqi, Wenyuan (Zhang Liao) and Wenqian (Lejin); and eight light cruisers poured hundreds of tons of shells on the island, and the carrier-based aircraft on the eight marshal-class aircraft carriers of the two fleets took turns to take off, and after shooting down dozens of Type 96 attack planes, the other hundreds of Japanese planes were blown up in the hangar before they could even take off - the runway on the airfield was bombarded by the 410-millimeter naval guns of the battleship Koo, and several large craters several meters deep.

After gaining air supremacy, the fleet's artillery extended its shelling, and the obstacles near the coast, the mine arrays on the beaches, and the cement fortifications were almost swept away, and the Pterodactyl carrier-based aircraft group dropped more than 1,000 500-kilogram aerial bombs at all possible fortification sites.

Rear Admiral Mao Quartz, commander of the Indian Ocean Fleet, who was in charge of the bombing operation, reported to Zhang Zheng that there were no more targets worthy of continuing to strike on Peleliu, and the landing operation could be launched at any time.

But it turned out that the greatest result of naval bombing was only the Japanese planes at that airfield. Elsewhere, the Pterodactyls and naval guns only blew up buildings on the surface, and the vast majority of the Japanese were completely unharmed, hiding in bunkers and fortifications waiting for the Han army to land.

The 2nd Regiment of the 1st Brigade of the Marine Corps made a feint and landed at White Beach in the north to contain the Japanese troops. While the 27th and 235th regiments of the 79th Division of the 237th Army landed at Orange Beach in the center and south. When the landing craft approached the beach, the Japanese opened the iron gate of the bunker, and in an instant, heavy artillery fired. The Japanese troops on the headland continued to fire 47-mm anti-tank guns and 20-mm twin guns at the Han troops who were rushing to the beach.

There is a 9 at the northern end of the southwest beach of Pelleliu. The 1-meter-high headland overlooks the landing beach below. On this small promontory, the Japanese erected a 47-mm anti-tank gun and six 20-mm twin machine guns, and blocked the entrance, leaving only a narrow gap as a machine gun muzzle.

Such a small "point" cost the 1st Brigade more than a dozen walrus amphibious tanks and clouded leopard armored vehicles. The soldiers were pinned down on the beach and in a dilemma, and Colonel Kan Aiguo directly scolded in the intercom: "This is the target that is not worth hitting on? The pilots of the Pterodactyl bombed with eye droppings? ”

The 237th Regiment encountered a similar point of fire on the southern flank, where their amphibious tanks were destroyed before landing, the landing craft were overturned, and the soldiers were ploughed several times by Japanese machine guns in chest-deep water. The casualty rate was frighteningly high, and many of the soldiers who barely managed to climb ashore made it ashore threw away their guns and equipment.

In comparison, the 235th Regiment had the best record, as they were furthest from the heavy artillery fire on the left and right flanks. When they advanced to the outskirts of the airfield, they encountered the first wave of counterattack organized by the Japanese commander Nakagawa Prefecture. The Japanese tanks rushed through the airfield and forced the 235th Regiment to retreat, but they were soon attacked by the resentful Mao Quartz, who was being scolded, and the naval guns, pterodactyl bombers, and tanks and howitzers of the landing force were bombed in turn, and the few Douding tanks and accompanying infantry in Nakagawa were quickly eliminated.

When it was getting dark, the 235th and 237th regiments occupied a two-kilometer-wide beach and advanced one kilometer in depth from south to north, and initially established a landing field.

However, the 1st Marine Brigade was not so easy, they were hit by the heavy artillery fire on the "point" and could not move their nests, and did not go further.

On that day, the three landing forces of the Han army suffered a total of 1,100 casualties, 200 killed and 900 wounded. This is already the largest casualty figure of the Han army in a battle after the declaration of war against Japan.

Zhang Zheng summoned the commanders of the various units and held an emergency meeting on the Fengxiao. The commander of the Navy was furious at the meeting, pointing to the eight-character banner and denouncing the commander of the Indian Ocean, Rear Admiral Mao Quartz, "Do you have long eyes on the back of your head?" And what do you say, 'there are no more valuable targets', and the fortifications of those little devils are coming out of the ground? Before the war, His Majesty repeatedly reiterated that he must not be careless against the enemy, and even sent a royal pen to warn us and others, but what was the result? The result was that two regiments were crippled! ”

Kan Aiguo's eyes were about to burst into flames, if it weren't for Zhang Zheng's presence, Lao Kan would have rushed up and strangled Mao Quartz to death. More than 100 people were killed in battle, more than 300 soldiers were wounded, and the 2nd Regiment of the 1st Marine Brigade was completely disabled. The most infuriating thing is that he didn't touch the edge of Little Japan at all, and was suppressed by others for a few hours with a "point".

"In the early hours of tomorrow morning, except for a few Ling Long, who are responsible for the vigilance of the fleet, the rest of the reconnaissance planes will all take to the air to guide the firepower of the battlefleet and give me the firepower of the little devils! Commander Mao, if there is another mistake, you jump into the sea and swim back to the Moro Kingdom, and go and ask Your Majesty for your guilt! ”

"Yes, resolutely complete the task! If there is really a mistake, I don't have to jump into the sea to ask Your Majesty for the guilt, I will go directly to the army to block the gun's hole. "Major General Mao Quartz, don't mention how aggrieved he is, he, the commander of the Indian Ocean, has lost face all over the two oceans!

That night, the Japanese army sent a surprise detachment to attack and harass the beachhead of the 235th Regiment, but the commanders of the Han army at all levels, who suffered a big loss during the day, had long lost the idea of underestimating the enemy against the Japanese, and even designed a small trap to completely annihilate the invading enemy.

Zhong Yi, who was on a state visit to Zamboanga, also received a report on the first day of the battle, and Zhang Zheng did not conceal his command mistakes and requested that the 1st Marine Brigade, which suffered heavy casualties, be replaced on the battlefield.

His Majesty read the battle report three times, and suddenly called the attendants beside him, "Does Peleliuu Island have any aliases?" ”

"Yes, Your Majesty!" This attendant is a former Filipino native, and is very familiar with Philippine waters, "The local fishermen used to call Peleliuu Island Peleliu!" ”

"I ......" His Majesty almost burst out foul language, waved his hand to send off the attendants, and called Captain Qian, "Send a telegram to Zhang Zheng, the 1st Marine Brigade is the glorious division of the empire, and there is no reason to retreat in a battle!" If the war continues to be anxious, special aerial bombs are allowed! ”

"Peleliu ......" Qian Zhihao has left, Zhong Yi is still repeating these three words, the name of Peleliuu Island is not very familiar, but if you have known that it is Peleliu Island - in the previous life in World War II, the place where the 1st Marine Division of the U.S. Army broke its soul, then what else is there to do, just burn it down!