The battleship Zhonghua, the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, slowly docked at the pier. Dai Hui was very satisfied when he saw a large number of torpedo boats lined up on the side of the pier. These torpedo boats will be responsible for safeguarding the security of the landing force and preventing the enemy fleet from launching an attack on the landing force. The Reich's torpedo boats, in terms of speed and attack power, far surpassed the allied torpedo boats. Perhaps Western countries do not pay much attention to torpedo boats, but who would have thought that torpedo boats would be able to show their skills in the Tsushima Strait operation.

As a sharp weapon for offshore attacks, torpedo boats are definitely the nemesis of battleships at a range of 300 kilometers. At present, the torpedo boats of the Chinese Empire have developed to the third generation, with a speed of up to 30 knots, and the caliber of the attack torpedo is 450 mm. At present, the development of the Imperial Navy is very balanced, and a pattern of combining far and near, long and short, and high and low has been initially formed. After more than 20 years of precipitation since the Manchu Qing Dynasty, China's shipbuilding industry has finally achieved positive results.

Dai Hui turned his gaze to the dock and found a familiar figure. "Commander He, personally greet you at the dock, your subordinates are worried!" Dai Hui raised his hand in salute. He Meng's military rank is a general, and Dai Hui's military rank is a general, and there is no problem with claiming to be a subordinate. If it is about selfishness, He Meng is still his quasi-brother-in-law. "Commander Dai, the safety of the sea depends on you, how dare I slack off. Deputy Commander Deng Weishenme did not come? He Meng looked behind him. Deputy Commander Deng was not able to restrain me enough because of his injury, and there was no problem with his injury, so he immediately went to the battleship Shanghai, which was the captured American ship Freedom! ”

The two of them laughed and returned to the headquarters, and He Meng said, "A joint meeting will be held tomorrow." You're staying with me tonight. "Commander He, this is inconvenient, isn't it?" "Your eldest sister went to Incheon to meet Natsuko. I haven't come back, so let's have a good chat. The next day, He Meng and Dai Hui walked into the war room side by side. There are not many generals in the war room, and there are three corps commanders, chief of staff and logistics minister on He Meng's side. Dai Huifang and Deng Shichang were absent, and he was appointed chief of staff of the fleet and director of the operations department.

He Meng sat down. Dai Hui sits on the left. He Meng said: "I have reported to the headquarters, the attack was launched on June 5, and the headquarters approved our operation. Ask us a month to take Tsushima. This attack on Tsushima was carried out by the 1 Corps. The 1st Army was the main attacking force, the 2nd Army was the secondary attacking force, and the 3rd Army was the reserve. At that time, the marines, special forces will cooperate with the actions of the 1st Division. At present, our supplies are directly from Qingdao to Busan and coastal ports. The ease of sea transportation is available with the guarantee of our strategic material attack. Other than that. Yuan Shikai, the governor of Korea, ensured the food supply of the troops. ”

"If we do a good job in logistics, we will be sure of winning the battle. The operation of the 1st Corps will not be repeated here, and now I will ask Commander Dai of the Pacific Fleet to introduce the situation of the covering fleet. Dai Hui stood up and said: "This is the first time for us to conduct a joint land-sea operation. In order to ensure the safety of the landing force, at that time, 120 torpedo boats, 10 submarine hunters. 10 attack submarines, which served as cover in the waters off the western side of Tsushima. The battleship Beijing, the battleship Harbin. Including 10 destroyers and 30 gunboats, they participated in the attack on Tsushima and served as artillery support. ”

Dai Hui continued: "According to the requirements of the campaign, our main fleet is located in the southeast sea area of the peninsula to prevent the enemy fleet from launching an attack on our landing force. Considering the large number of warships of the main warships of the enemy fleet, our task is to stop the enemy fleet, ensure the capture of Tsushima Island, and try to avoid the outbreak of a large-scale naval battle. At present, there is no need to worry about the northern side of the Tsushima Strait, which is only 50 kilometers from the northern tip of the peninsula, and the operational conditions are favorable to us. ”

He Meng stood up and said, "Since the naval forces guarantee the safety of my landing force, we will definitely take Tsushima Island as scheduled." After the naval forces laid mines on a large scale in the northern part of the Tsushima Strait, the headquarters of the coalition forces will soberly judge our intentions. Today is May 10th, less than a month before the offensive was launched, and even if the coalition headquarters discovered our intentions, there would be no time to adjust the deployment of Tsushima. However, I judge that the coalition forces will definitely increase their forces on Tsushima, and it will be more difficult to capture Tsushima. Yue Zhendong! ”

"Here!" Yue Zhendong, commander of the First Corps, stood up! "Your corps headquarters is located on Geoje Island, and you will directly command the landing operation on Tsushima Island!" "Yes! Subordinate Order! After the generals left, He Meng said to Dai Hui: "Commander Dai, the situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly, and Western countries will not easily give up the Japanese archipelago, and the headquarters of the coalition forces will go all out to fight, so they cannot be taken lightly." How to avoid a large-scale naval battle with the enemy fleet and ensure a landing operation, you must be mentally prepared. ”

Dai Hui nodded and said, "I'm not sure in the far sea, but we have an advantage in the near sea, Commander He, please rest assured." Our main fleet is in the United States and Chori and Yeosu, and as long as we can prevent the enemy fleet from launching an attack on Geoje Island, we will complete the mission. After dark, Dai Hui was going to take the flagship of the Zhonghua to Lishui to join the main fleet. On the dock, the battleships Beijing and Harbin arrived at the dock, and the two captains landed. Since the battleships Beijing and Harbin had to undertake the task of artillery support for the attack on Tsushima, they were temporarily placed under the command of the First Corps.

"We stay in touch at all times!" In the dark, He Meng held Dai Hui's hand. "Stay in touch?" Dai Hui said goodbye to He Meng and boarded the battleship, and soon after, the battleship Zhonghua left the dock and disappeared into the dark sea. In order to confuse the enemy, all military preparations were carried out at night. At this time, the wharf began to be busy, all kinds of military ships shuttled back and forth, several steam booms on the wharf were roaring, and all kinds of military supplies were piled up like hills.

The battleship broke the waves on the dark sea, and Dai Hui stood on the deck for a long time. Looking at the dark sea, Dai Hui's heart was surging, his thoughts were thousands, and his desire to fight was gushing. "Commander, it's coming from the capital!" A subordinate reported. Dai Hui returned to the command cabin, and the chief of staff handed over the telegram and said: "Commander Fan has called, in order to plan for the operation in the Tsushima Strait, the Nanyang Fleet is stationed in Keelung Port to attract the enemy's attention. After reading the telegram, Dai Hui's eyes lit up and said: "The headquarters must have a new idea, and it is not just as simple as attracting the enemy fleet. ”

The chief of staff was puzzled: "Could it be that the headquarters has other intentions?" Dai Hui smiled: "I can't judge the intentions of the headquarters. The original Jihua Nanyang Fleet was mainly harassing the enemy in the South China Sea, and now it is suddenly transferred to Keelung Port, which is definitely not placed there, and perhaps it is a surprise. "Report, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Deng is calling!" A communications officer handed the telegram to Dai Hui. Dai Hui took a quick look and said, "Deng Shichang said that the main fleet has been concentrated, and all preparations are progressing smoothly, and they are currently being deployed. ”

The Japanese island of Kyushu Saga military port, the headquarters of the Allied Pacific Fleet is temporarily stationed here. At this time, the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Doug, was listening to his subordinates. "Your Excellency, at present, our main fleet has been stationed in Saga, Nagasaki, Sasebo, Karatsu, Shimonoseki and other military ports, and is ready to be called at any time. Our main fleet is all concentrated, with 22 main warships and 250 combat ships of each type. Doug said: "According to the order of the headquarters, we must ensure the safety of Tsushima Island, but the width of the Tsushima Strait is too narrow, and the enemy fleet will use the coastal sea to attack ships, which greatly restricts our operations." ”

"Your Excellency General is right, as long as we are close to the enemy's near the sea, we will definitely be attacked by the enemy's torpedo boats, and we will not have an advantage in coastal operations. In particular, it will be very difficult to stop the enemy's landing force, I am afraid. "Let's do our best!" "According to the report, the reconnaissance submarine reported that a large number of warships were found in Keelung, Taiwan, including 4 large capital warships with a displacement of about 8,000 tons. After analysis and judgment, it was the newly formed Nanyang Fleet of the Chinese Empire, which appeared in Keelung Port. ”

"The enemy transferred the Nanyang Fleet to Keelung Harbor, is it a sneak attack on us?" The chief of staff was taken aback. Doug pondered for a moment, his eyes off the map and said, "It is possible that they will pay attention to the Ryukyus and order the reconnaissance ships to keep a close eye on the movements of the enemy ships in Keelung Harbor." In addition, report the situation to headquarters immediately. At the headquarters of the coalition forces in Tokyo, Commander Han Ruowei listened to the report of his subordinates: "Tell General Doug that the appearance of the enemy's Nanyang Fleet at Keelung Military Port is intended to confuse us. Tell them not to be disturbed and follow the original jihua action. ”

Han Ruowei continued: "This is the enemy's trick, we can't always be fooled. Chief of Staff Bill said: "Your Excellency Marshal, Ryukyu is empty at the moment, and if the enemy ships attack Ryukyu, we will be passive." Han Ruowei said with a smile: "Ryukyu is thousands of kilometers away from Keelung Port, and the Nanyang Fleet alone will go across the ocean to launch an attack, no strategist will do this, you can rest assured that nothing will happen to Ryukyu." At present, it is our top priority to prevent the enemy from landing on the Japanese archipelago, and we must not be deceived by any illusion. ”

Han Ruowei said: "What is the situation on Tsushima Island? Bill said: "The reinforcement has been completed, and the new commander-in-chief, Yamamoto, has issued a battle order to live and die with Tsushima Island." Han Ruowei sighed and said: "The spirit of the Japanese soldiers is admirable, but they are a little pedantic and lack strategic vision. We must find ways to ensure that Tsushima is not lost, and that it is not a dead country. "Report, the US 1st Army has arrived in Tokyo Bay." A subordinate reported. "Great, let's go to the dock immediately."

The U.S. military has 50,000 troops in Japan, and 80,000 troops in mainland South America. This time, the 1st Army consisted of 3 armies with 100,000 troops. The U.S. military mainly serves as the second line of defense, and their defense area is mainly the area around Tokyo. At present, the U.S. military is also constantly expanding, and its navy is expanding rapidly, and its army is relatively slow. The total strength of the US Army is 1.5 million, and the total strength of the Navy has reached 700,000, and it is still increasing, so it can be said that the United States has completely transitioned to a wartime system.

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(To be continued......)

PS: The pace of the battle is approaching.