To the southwest of the archipelago, in the Sulu Sea, the general flagship of the East Asian Combined Fleet "Pinghai".

On the bridge, Admiral Sa Zhenbing, commander of the Combined Fleet, sat on a small, unadorned wooden chair, wearing a narrow-brimmed beanie, short-sleeved civilian clothes and knee-length shorts, his calves covered with monochrome gray stockings, and a pair of soft-leather loafers

The rapid commands came and went in his ears, and it was the music he knew and loved the most.

"Measure! The lead No. 1 target is sailing in the same direction directly, with a speed of 20! ”

"The second fastest battle in the team!"

"The distribution of firepower of the squadron is confirmed, this ship and the Ninghai ship attack the No. 1 target, and the Weihai Jinghai attack the enemy's 2 ships ......"

"Lock on to the target! Distance 200,2 rounds,

"Confirm the test firing of the main gun of the Ninghai ship!"

"This ship's impact point is confirmed! The first 400 of the starter, the nearly 300 ......"

"2 ship bomb impact points confirmed, the first front deviation of 200,400 yards......"

"Instant correction starts, wait for the result of the calculation, 5, 10, 15 seconds ......"

"Correction complete, lock on target! Test firing of the 200, 2, 2 and 4 main guns from the distance! ”

……

"All the main guns of this ship are divided into two batches of rotational salvos, the first batch of No. 1, No. 3, No. 5, and No. 7 main guns, and the second batch of No. 2, No. 4, No. 6, and No. 8...... Shoot! ”

The blazing fire reflected off the portholes, the mechanical tremors that were clearly different from the shaking of the waves, the rumbling of the violent bouncing echoes in the eardrums, and the large puffs of blue-gray gunpowder smoke rolling outside the portholes...... Although it is only a fragment of the whole grand opera, it is enough to make people intoxicated.

It is scheduled to be a drama of fate starring a cannon giant ship like Pinghai. In this scorching Sulu Sea, a one-sided rehearsal for the absence of personnel is being carried out.

"Confirm the signal of the towing ship! This ship is covered with projectiles! Stay locked! The second batch - launched! ”

"Confirm that the projectile of the Ninghai ship hits!"

“…… The second round of coverage of the projectile of this ship! ”

"Target 1 turns right! Speed 20! ”

"The No. 1 target course turns to 330, and the speed is 20!"

"2 targets follow and turn right!"

"The first speed of the whole team!"

"The whole team turned right 1 point

……

"At the end of the first phase of the exercise today, all the main gun positions of the ship will be cleared, and the second phase of the exercise will begin, and all the auxiliary gun positions will be ready to meet the enemy's lightning attack troops."

"The third speed of the whole team, the inside escort destroyer is about to drill the gap, pay attention to the observation, beware of collisions!"

"The air alert 4 direction is approaching a large swarm! Height 2-0-0,3

(Note: According to the Imperial Navy's Counting Rules.) The altitude is reported in units of 10 meters, and the distance is reported in units of 100 - 91 points and 4 feet, and in the case of the above value, the height is a ruler, and the distance is 3 yards - about 27 kilometers)

"Prepare for air combat, transfer the right to operate the ship to the air defense command post, and prepare all anti-aircraft gun positions and damage control teams for ......"

……

Being in this rehearsal scene where the enthusiasm is more scorching than the temperature, enjoying the unnatural pleasure of the senses and the soul, Sa Zhenbing kept reciting a bunch of numbers that he had already memorized.

"If the Indian intelligence is fine...... On the side of the Entente, the backbone of the forces is the fear of battleships, 5 battle patrols. 32381 main guns, 112 343 guns, 98 305 guns. Mobile Forces 3 aircraft carriers, almost 200 carrier-based aircraft ...

"We can assemble up to 18 dreadnoughts. 6 battle patrols, a total of 32380 guns, 350 guns, 32305 guns. Mobile forces 4 aircraft carriers, 250 carrier-based aircraft. ”

"On the terms of the Entente, the maximum speed of the formation of the 5th battle patrol is 26 to 28 knots, and the formation of our battle patrol is a knot."

"The maximum speed of the formation of 20 warships of the Entente side is 2022, and the formation of our warships can reach 25 if the Longwei 2 and Yuezi 4 ships are left...... However, to do so is obviously at the risk of being broken by the enemy individually......"

"The advantage of our mobile forces is not great. 43,250200,[Take the strategy of prioritizing fleet air defense, most of the space is used to carry fighters.] I'm afraid it's enough to offset that little advantage in a purely defensive battle......"

"At the end of the day...... It is necessary to rely on the main force to fight, however, our main team does not have a clear advantage. and even slightly inferior to the enemy ...... in the number of ships and main guns"

"Try to weaken the enemy as much as possible before the main battle...... It is not enough to count on mobile forces, the base air force, the submarine team, and the surface mine strike team will all be used, but more important than that is how to bring out the commander of the Entente Fleet, Jericho, who is known for his prudence, to fight a decisive battle in our favor......"

"Battlefield...... Bet ......"

Repeating these two words like a mantra, Sa Zhen's brows furrowed more and more.

"Report! The Admiralty at the base camp called. ”

"Read."

"Fly to Manila as soon as you receive the power, and wait for Chief of Staff Yan to personally pass on the instructions of the headquarters."

The next day, at a naval airfield outside Manila, a four-engine transport plane painted in navy blue-gray slowly landed at the end of the runway.

The gangway fell, and an old man with white sideburns with a rather elegant face and posture came out, it was the then Chief of Staff of the Navy, Senior General Yan Fu, although he was in his sixties, his body was still tough, and his straight snow-white dress looked particularly eye-catching under the tropical sun of Manila.

Sa Zhenbing, who was waiting outside the plane, stepped up with an arrow and clasped Yan Fu's hands tightly: "Brother Ling again, it's been hard all the way." ”

Yan Fu smiled and nodded: "Brother Ding Mingxian, I haven't seen you for half a year, you have lost a lot of weight." ”

After a little greeting, the two of them took an open-top car confiscated from the US army, escorted Jane, and drove to a remote villa requisitioned in the suburbs at the speed of watching flowers and scenery.

"Brother Ling again, are you going to do it?"

Before the car drove out of the airport, Sa Zhenbing couldn't wait to ask.

Yan Fu took off his military hat and took out a handkerchief to wipe the beads of sweat on his forehead: "Fast or not, it's not just our navy that has the final say......

"How?"

Yan Fu wiped his sweat and hurriedly took off his white gloves: "It's really hot here...... India's strategy is a general war on land and sea, and the full coordination of the navy and army is a prerequisite for the success of the operation - hey, this is also an official statement, in fact, the most fundamental, is the problem of 'bait'. ”

"Bait?"

"You know, lure out the jerricho bait, or rather, the bet."