@@@@@@@

Wind and waves crashed against the reef on the Riau Islands, and on two fishing boats along the coast, fishermen craned their necks and shouted slogans to drop their white sails.

The light cruiser Pearl River, like a light gull, sailed towards the Singapore Strait against the waves. This Xiangjiang-class light cruiser is the product of learning from the British Navy's emphasis on seaworthiness, with a slender and graceful lead-gray hull, a floating bow, a high freeboard design, a plump stern, and a symmetrical four-seat triple 155mm naval gun, demonstrating China's determination to catch up with the world's top manufacturing technology.

Next to it was the Qinling-class destroyer Xianxia, which appeared on the sea for the first time in a square stern design.

They are all from the 22nd Fleet escorting the A-line fleet, and as fast warships in the rear of the palace, they are mainly responsible for clearing trailing ships and submarines from enemy sneak attacks. Of course, at this moment, not a single warship in the South China Sea is willing to disturb them, and even the Japanese submarines that they encountered not long ago can only watch as they pounce on them like hounds, sinking rapidly and disappearing into the depths of the ocean.

Report. The Japanese submarines have been expelled, and the Pearl River and the Xianxia have returned. ”

At the eastern entrance of the strait, a huge fleet of A-shaped ships is slowly passing through the strait at a speed of thirteen knots. Leading the way were the aircraft carrier Xikang and the heavy cruisers Wuhan and Changsha. The flagship aircraft carrier Tibet was accompanying the flank of the flotilla, slowly moving at a low speed of ten knots. On the narrow ship island, the word 06 is printed with eye-catching, which means that the Tibet is the sixth fleet aircraft carrier of the Republic of China Navy. In the aviation command post, which protruded outwards in large letters, the officer loudly reported to Zhu Binhou, who was sitting on a chair reading a book.

The diminutive Zhu Binhou was one of the top three ace pilots in the European War, and after the war, he shouldered the responsibility of creating a naval aviation unit and participated in the war to recover Taiwan. Later, through his own efforts, he was admitted to the Naval Academy to study navigation and command, and gradually became an aircraft carrier captain from an aircraft carrier flight officer, and was finally awarded the rank of vice admiral the year before last. Commander of the 22nd Fleet of the Second Fleet.

Zhu Binhou put down the book "Air Supremacy" in his hand, walked to the porthole and raised the binoculars. The first thing I saw was two very familiar figures, the Taiwan and the Tangnu Ulianghai. These were the first two aircraft carriers of the Republic of China Navy, but with the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty and the commissioning of the North Sea class, it was decommissioned and dismantled in 1926, and most of the time was used for aircraft transportation because of its wide deck and hangar. At the moment, their deck was surrounded by a windbreak fence, in the center of which were 37 snake-reducing fighters held in rope, and in the lower hangar there were also 45 fighters of the same model with their wings removed.

Next to them. It was the Pearl River and the Xianxia, which rushed back quickly, and behind the two warships, was the Singapore Fortress bathed in the morning light. On the majestic and strong forts, a group of fifteen-inch millimeter coastal heavy guns pointed to this side, fully demonstrating the strength of the most powerful fortress in the Far East of the British Empire. But the Changi Naval Base beneath the fort was a mess. Two British destroyers watched the passage of the convoy, and behind them were troop carriers packed with British soldiers preparing to leave for Sumatra.

Inside the fortified watchtower, Percival, commander-in-chief of the British Far East Army, was angry at the sight of the fleet, and a month ago he was sure to block the flotilla and the 22nd fleet from entering the Indian Ocean. But now he doesn't have time to take care of this, and the intelligence from Beijing is taking people by surprise. On his orders, merchant ships began to leave. The battleships formed in groups to wait for orders, and the army soldiers boarded the transport ships under the reprimand of the officers, and heavy artillery, field guns, machine guns, and ammunition were sent to the province of Jambi, Sumatra, on the other side of the strait.

But even so, the fortified fortress known as the "Gibraltar of the East" at his feet gave him and the British a lot of confidence. Everyone was just surprised. I didn't expect Japan to send a huge fleet before the negotiations were officially announced. Although this "dispatch" was in doubt, since so far there was no news of the Japanese fleet, they finally decided to trust Chinese intelligence. After all, no military would suddenly change the communication password for no reason. So Percival decided to send two more infantry divisions to Jambi Province, and also transported four 203mm heavy guns that had been stored in Singapore after the European war as soon as possible. This decision did cause a lot of trouble for the Japanese army, especially the 4 heavy guns that caused the Japanese army to suffer a lot of losses.

Of course, after thinking about it again, Percival still did not take the initiative to attack first, but sent the news back overnight to wait for orders. Because he felt that there was no need to give Japan the truth, and he believed that even if the Japanese navy was completely pressurized, Singapore would not be able to be captured.

It was this decision that completely destroyed the Anglo-Dutch forces in the Far East.

"The British don't seem to be reacting." After Deng Haoqian checked the navigation table, after signing it and handing it to the chief navigator, he walked over and looked at the fortress that had not moved, and was very surprised: "The Military Intelligence Bureau didn't give them the information?" ”

This iron-blooded young man who dared to fight to avenge his father in the Battle of Qingdao finally embarked on his father's path and is now a staff officer of the rear admiral of the 22nd Fleet. Zhu Binhou smiled and pointed to the group of fortress cannons opposite: "The waterway of the Singapore Strait is narrow, and there is such a strong fortress as a backer, is Percival in a hurry?" ”

"That's right." Deng Haoqian agreed with this sentence. Because the fleet is heavily combated, what it is most afraid of is a fortress with large-caliber heavy artillery, so even if the second fleet comes to fight, it can only rely on aircraft bombing, and then send the army to take the rear road from Malaya. However, the British had almost 100,000 troops in Malaya, and the Netherlands had recently sent 20,000 troops to help, so there was really no need to be too nervous.

After he looked at it twice, he put down his binoculars and asked, "Brother Yunzhang, judging from the telegram of the General Staff, I am afraid that the Soviet army is going south in the past few days." You say, what should we do if the Soviets take Iran quickly? The Persian Gulf is a narrow inland sea, less than 400 kilometers wide at its widest point, and if we deploy aircraft in the Hormu Strait, we may have to withdraw to the Indian Ocean. ”

Zhu Binhou scratched his eyebrows, which was also what he was worried about. The loss of Iran means the loss of access to and from the Persian Gulf, and the 22 fleet is certainly the first to bear the brunt. Moreover, the waters of the Persian Gulf are too narrow for the movement of the fleet, and if the Soviet troops deploy bombers in the Strait of Hormuz, the fleet will have to retreat to the Indian Ocean. The problem is that the Republic of China only has a base in the Indian Ocean on the Maldives Addu Atoll, which is very close to Sri Lanka, and if Japan attacks Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the probability of a conflict with the Japanese navy will greatly increase.

Not afraid of the Japanese Navy, although the 22 fleet has only two aircraft carriers. But before departure, all of them had been equipped with the latest fighters, torpedo planes and dive bombers were much better than those of the Japanese, and the aviation tactics were more perfect. What worries him is that he is afraid that the conflict will lead to the failure of the strategy of the General Staff to exchange space for time, and he is also worried about how to repair the ship after it is damaged.

"Didn't the General Staff say that it was going to negotiate with France? I don't think it's better to let the country contact the French Navy, allow our supply ships to bring a few destroyers there for a while, and if the negotiations can be successful, even if the Soviet Union takes Iran. We can go to Djibouti to rest. ”

"That's a good idea. Imitation of electricity, toot toot. "Zhu Binhou was only halfway through his words, and the piercing air defense sirens suddenly sounded." What's going on? The officers gathered in front of the charts were all taken aback. Zhu Binhou's pupils shrank even more. You must know that this is a strait, and there is a fleet blocking the channel in front, so there is no place to cry if you encounter an air raid.

Deng Haoqian was also surprised. Immediately look at the Operations Staff Officer and Communications Officer.

"Report! A sea reconnaissance plane taking off from Natuna spotted a large group of Japanese planes 353 kilometers southeast of us, and initially identified at least 46 96 bombers in the group. ”

The communications officer's words were like a sledgehammer striking everyone on the head. The war has broken out! Japan must have suspected leaks after discovering the 22 fleet, so they did it in advance without waiting for the fleet to arrive! Inside the bridge, it suddenly fell silent, as a soldier. There is no one who does not want to throw themselves into this torrent to fight! Go and sacrifice! But Zhu Binhou knew better that this war was not a war of the 22nd fleet for the time being, and his task was to safely escort the fleet to the Persian Gulf, where it was his own battle. So quickly put aside the messy thoughts. Pick up the compass and lie on the chart and calculate carefully.

"The Type 96 bomber is the best bomber of the Japanese Army now, it can carry 800 kg of torpedoes or bombs, has a combat radius of 1,500 kilometers, and a maximum speed of 330 kilometers after carrying bombs. If you come to us, it's about seventy minutes of contact. Zhu Binhou quickly calculated the time of the arrival of the Japanese fleet. After listening to him, Deng Haoqian immediately asked: "How long will it take for the fleet to pass?" ”

"You can enter Malacca in two hours and pass through Kuala Lumpur in fifteen hours."

After hearing this, Deng Haoqian immediately frowned: "The channel is too narrow, if the Japanese plane targets Singapore, I'm afraid we will also be bombed." Brother Yunzhang, do you want to evacuate the next batch of transport ships to Mersing? ”

Zhu Binhou waved his hand vigorously. Seeing that the Soviet army is going south, the A-shaped fleet is the only guarantee for rapid intervention, each of which is extremely precious, if it is evacuated, who can guarantee whether it can pass through Malacca? So he didn't want to give up any of them, and after asking the wind direction, he ordered: "It's a southwest wind now, and the Xikang can release the plane at full speed to the west." Wuhan and Changsha were ordered to immediately clear the waters ahead, and the first batch of fighters took off half an hour later. After lift-off, it cruised along the Sumatran side of the Linga Islands, and any Japanese plane that tried to cross the strait did not need to report it and shoot it down. The ships accelerated through the strait and prepared for air defense. Send a light signal to Singapore to inform the Japanese fleet of its location and arrival time! ”

"Brother Yunzhang, is this true?"

"I can't care so much! The Hurricane fighters of the British Far East Air Force were similar to the early Snake fighters of our Air Force, and had a great advantage over the Japanese Type 97 fighters. Since we are not fit to do it ourselves, let's let them go. After Zhu Binhou interrupted, he immediately looked at the combat staff officer and asked for the order to be executed immediately. A few minutes later, a destroyer broke away from formation and sailed towards the Singapore fortress, using flags and light signals, to signal the time and direction of the Japanese attack and the arrival of the group. Fifty-seven British Hurricane fighters took off one after another, and the British transports that had wanted to wait for the flotilla to depart after the convoy did not care about the danger of collision and left the port to rush towards Sumatra.

Thirty minutes later, the first batch of 12 "Forceful" carrier-based fighters crossed over the accelerating fleet, and the news of the British encountering a Japanese aircraft formation was also heard on the radio at the same time, and a few minutes later the first major air battle broke out between the two sides in the South Seas.

On February 23, 1939, while the 22nd Fleet and the A-shaped fleet of the Chinese Navy were passing through the Singapore Strait, more than 100 Japanese warplanes took off from Batavia and attempted to bomb the Anglo-Dutch positions 15 kilometers west of Palembang. But what Japan didn't expect was that Zhu Binhou would inform the British Far East Air Force of the news in advance. In the face of the Japanese Army's Type 97 fighters escorting the plane, the British Far East Air Force, which had a clear advantage in performance, slaughtered in all directions, shooting down 23 Japanese planes at the cost of losing 12 planes. At the same time, the 5th Division of the Japanese Army, which had already landed from the port of Lampung, crossed the Musi River and launched a tidal attack on the Anglo-Dutch-controlled province of Jambi and Belitung Island.

Half an hour after the outbreak of the war, the Japanese negotiating delegation, which had successfully completed its delayed task, submitted a declaration of war to the British and Dutch governments in London