After separating from the landing fleet, the speed of the covering fleet decreased significantly. The covering fleet is on the hypotenuse, while the landing fleet is on the right-angled side, and it is obvious that the landing fleet has a long route, so the speed of the covering fleet should be slowed down, and the intention is to be detected as late as possible. On the flagship Nanyang, fleet commander Deng Shichang and deputy commander Wen Biao looked to the left with interest, what were they looking at? It turned out that the gunners on the battleship Raptor, which was driving side by side on the left, were sweating and practicing their guns.

Since the captured enemy ships were received, the command required the gunners to be familiar with the performance of American-made guns. The cruiser Raptor, like the Imperial cruiser, had 8 350mm guns, 4 in the front and 4 in the rear. The distance between the guns was 1?2 meters, while the interval between the guns of the Imperial cruisers was 1 meter. The gunners performed their own duties, only to see the loader two people in a group carrying the cannonball, and under the commander's command, the cannonball was sent into the barrel, and then the operator turned the wheel, the aiming hand reported the direction, the gunner pulled the running bolt rope, and then the movement of the firecracker came, and suddenly a puff of green smoke came out of the tail of the cannon, but there was no earth-shattering roar, and there was no cannon discharge.

It turned out that the artillery shells for drill were practice shells, and there was only a primer without gunpowder. Training artillery loaders is the hardest and most numerous. The loaders had large shoulders and round waists, and the muscles on their bodies almost broke the navy shirt. There is a certain difference between American-made naval guns and Imperial naval guns, and in order to master the way of American-made naval guns, the gunners have not stopped since the day they received the battleship. Even on the expedition, the gunners practiced according to the instructions, and such scenes abound on the receiving enemy ships, and the scene of heat is exhilarating.

“505。 I heard that you have been training carrier-based aircraft pilots in Keelung Harbor! Wen Biao retracted his gaze and opened the chatterbox. Deng Shichang said: "It's not a secret, the old man is training carrier-based aircraft pilots in Keelung, and it's no secret now. To be honest, I received an order from the joint command. I almost couldn't believe my eyes, I didn't expect the old man to have such luck and catch the last train of the expedition to the United States. "The same is true for me, I received an order from the command, and I didn't sleep that night in excitement, and your uncle drank with me all night in a depressed mood."

mentioned that the corner of his uncle Deng Shichang's mouth showed a smug smile, and now his uncle has become the commander of a fleet. As an old man, I am naturally happy. Deng Shichang said: "This expedition to the United States is probably the last time the old man will gallop across the ocean, and the future imperial fleet will be the world of your young people." "Lao Ji is determined to be thousands of miles away, and there is no problem for you to work for another ten years." "You young people have grown up. It's time for the old man to give way, this time he can go on an expedition to the United States, the old man is content, and he should return to his hometown. Enjoy the joy of your grandchildren. ”

"Report! The captain of the cruiser Yangtze suddenly fainted. It has been sent to the hospital ship for rescue! "A subordinate reports urgently." 505, I'll take a look, if the condition is serious, I will temporarily serve as the commander of the Yangtze River ship! Deng Shichang nodded in agreement. The Yangtze River Cruiser is the command ship of the 2nd Aircraft Carrier Squadron, so there is no room for error. Wen Biao's figure appeared on the side of the ship, and a traffic hall came up. Usually the fleet has two transport boats to facilitate the movement of personnel between the fleets. Soon, Wen Biao boarded a traffic boat and headed straight for a medical ship.

Wen Biao walked into the ward and saw that the captain was pale and unconscious. "What's the situation?" "I guess there was a heart problem. The patient suddenly fainted and remained in a coma after being brought in. A bespectacled medic replied. We must do our best to rescue! ”“506。 I've encountered this situation, and if it is a heart problem, it is basically not saved. At present, we have no choice but to treat heart disease conservatively. Wen Biao looked at the military doctor and knew that the other party was telling the truth, "I will go to the Yangtze River ship and report his condition to me every hour." ”

Wen Biao boarded the Yangtze River ship and immediately ordered the flag soldiers to report to the flagship that the captain of the Yangtze River was seriously ill and could no longer command the battleship, so he temporarily stayed on the Yangtze River ship. When the bad news came that afternoon, the captain stopped breathing. The body was re-transported back to the Yangtze River ship, and Wen Biao personally presided over a sea burial for the Yangtze River captain. Under the whistle of all the warships, the corpses wrapped in white cloth were slowly lowered into the sea. The battle had not yet begun, and a general was folded first, and a hint of bad omen rose in Wen Biao's heart.

It was another dawn, and the sea was twilight. A reconnaissance submarine of the US Pacific Fleet floated on the surface of the sea, and the submarine seemed to be stationary. At this time, the captain of the submarine held a telescope and looked southwest. "Report to the captain, sonar found a large number of ships in the southwest direction, 50 kilometers away." A communications soldier below made an urgent report. "Dive immediately and don't start the machine. Keep the course paddling forward. "If the other side is an enemy fleet, the machine will be discovered by the other party's sonar, and the submarines of this period will hardly be able to escape once they are discovered due to their own reasons.

After about an hour, there was a buzzing sound ahead. The U.S. submarine dived to a depth of 30 meters, and the vibration generated by the warship's propeller was very clear at this distance. The captain ordered the advance to stop, and all the crew pricked up their ears. The vibrations became louder and louder, and when there was movement above, the submarine began to be impacted and shook from side to side, almost to the point of unbearable state. "It's the enemy fleet, not the cargo ship!" The captain said decisively. "Well, this is a large fleet, and the target is definitely the West Coast," one of his subordinates said in a lost voice.

Half an hour later, the movement subsided, and after another half hour, the captain ordered to surface, and needless to say, a radio wave shot into the sky. In the command module of the flagship Nanyang, a communications officer hurriedly came in and reported: "Report 505, the enemy's radio signal has been detected!" Sent out right near us. Deng Shichang said decisively: "Immediately lift the radio silence and send a report to the landing fleet that our department has been discovered." In addition, a report was sent to the headquarters in Hawaii to report the details of the situation. "After being passed on by the mid-level communications ship, the message also flew to the Oahu command.

The train on the platform gasped for breath, and Buck was saying goodbye to Hanrow. Suddenly, a military jeep rushed into the platform at a gallop, and before the car could hold up, an officer quickly jumped in: "Report to the general, the No. 18 reconnaissance submarine has discovered the enemy fleet in the sea area of 35?2 degrees north latitude and 118 degrees east longitude, and the target is San Francisco. The enemy fleet did not carry a landing force, judging it to be an advance fleet. Needless to say, Buck said, "General Han Ruowei, our judgment is correct. Now that the situation is critical, I implore His Excellency the General to sit in San Francisco and report to Washington as soon as possible. ”

"Your Excellency General, I hope you will cooperate with General Shaq in deploying the defense of San Francisco, and I will lead the fleet to meet the enemy, and make specific arrangements for our telegraph contact." Buck got into the jeep and left quickly. Soon sirens sounded on the docks, and the battleships on standby left the docks to assemble. After Han Ruowei broke up with Barker, he immediately rushed to the defense headquarters, at which time Shaq was already waiting at the headquarters, and his attitude towards Han Ruowei changed drastically. "General Shaq, don't say anything, the situation is very critical, quickly order reinforcements to concentrate in San Francisco, and requisition as much as you can." Han Ruowei picked up the phone after speaking.

At a quarter past 7 a.m. EST, inside the White House in Washington, President Cleveland is having breakfast. During this period, the enemy fleet was slow to launch an attack in Panama, and the enemy's main fleet was slow to make a road to the road, and the General Staff Headquarters analyzed that the task force did not make an attack and disrupted the enemy's deployment, and the enemy had to make new arrangements if he wanted to launch a landing operation. This good news made the president's mind much more stable, Panama's land defense was impeccable, and Cleveland's nervous mood gradually improved.

At this moment, a purple telephone suddenly rang, the phone of the East Coast Defense Command. It was impossible for the phone to enter the president's room without special circumstances, and Cleveland picked up the phone in surprise. "It's General Han Ruowei???, what?" Cleveland stood up. In less than half an hour, the generals appeared at the White House again. The atmosphere at the venue was tense, and everyone was grim-faced. Cleveland said: "We have been fooled again, the enemy fleet is a feint in Panama, intended to confuse us." The enemy's appetite is great, the target is the territory of the United States, the main enemy fleet does not appear in Panama at all, and we have made the mistake of common sense again. ”

After a long time, Ingmart, commander-in-chief of the US-British coalition forces, said: "Your Excellency, there is no need to panic. The enemy fleet is a labor expedition, and as long as we can crush their attempts in the storm, the enemy will be defeated because of the supply problem, and now there are two months left before June, and two months will be untenable for them. Cleveland said: "General Hanrowe reported that General Shaq can gather 100,000 troops in San Francisco at the maximum, and the west is empty at present, and it will take 20 days to transfer troops from the Mexican border at the earliest, so we must prepare for the worst." ”

"Is it possible to transfer troops from Los Angeles and save time by sea!" Secretary of the Navy Van Sted suggested. "The forces in Los Angeles cannot be moved, and if the enemy's target is Los Angeles, we are fooled again. In addition, what should I do if I am attacked by enemy warships when I transfer troops by sea? Ingmart objected. Navy Commander Lester said: "Your Excellency, the fleet led by Admiral Buck has been dispatched, considering that our anti-aircraft fire has caused the enemy's air strike efficiency to decline, it is completely possible to delay the enemy fleet to approach the west coast, as long as we can delay the enemy fleet, we have gained time." ”

Ingmart said: "Your Excellency, General Lester is right, interception at sea can buy time, as long as our reinforcements continue to arrive on the west coast, the enemy will not want to stand still. Taking a step back, even if the enemy captured San Francisco, it would have to pay a heavy price. The long sea journey will restrict their reinforcements. Once the storm season comes, their transportation will be disrupted, how long can San Francisco's projectile land last? What is always needed now is to make a calm and correct judgment. ”

President Cleveland said, "Order Admiral Buck to lead the Pacific Fleet and delay the enemy fleet's approach to the West Coast, especially San Francisco, as much as possible." Immediately draw up a plan to reinforce the west coast, and in addition, do not announce it to the outside world for the time being, so as not to cause panic among the people. Ingmart, commander of the US-British coalition forces, continued: "Your Excellency, in view of the importance of Panama, I propose that Panama's forces be transferred back to the United States, and Panama's defense should be handed over to the British troops!" The other generals agreed.

President Cleveland said: "I instruct the High Command, the Admiralty, and the General Staff Headquarters to immediately come up with a new defense plan." In addition, the Kingdom of Great Britain and Her Majesty the Empress were informed that in view of the crisis on the American continent, they would immediately send additional troops to Panama. (To be continued......)

PS: Did the Americans' response work?