Zhanjiang Port, the flagship of the 2nd Fleet of the East Asian Combined Fleet "Ruixiang".

"It turned out to be the Philippine side."

Admiral Ma Shengyu, commander of the 2nd Fleet, put down the telegram and sighed with regret that the enemy had not moved to Ha Long Bay, which was most conducive to the operation of the East Asian coalition, as he had hoped.

A telegram from the Admiralty at the base camp had just arrived, and after quickly deciphering the intercepted radio communications between the British-French-Dutch Combined Fleet and the US Asian Fleet, it was confirmed that the first target of the Anglo-French-Dutch Combined Fleet was Subic Bay, followed by Lingayen Bay and Manila Bay.

The order given to the 2nd Fleet by the Admiralty at the base camp was to sail to the Lingayen Bay side as soon as the supplies were completed, and prepare for a decisive battle with the enemy fleet there.

Decisive battle?

Really want to use the old guys of the 2nd Fleet to go to a decisive battle?

It seems that there is no other way.

Although the day after the capture of the Lashana anchorage, Commander Sa transferred the main force of the main force—four Japanese and North Korean dreadnought battleships, two Japanese battle cruisers, one Japanese armored cruiser, and four Japanese light cruisers—to form the 2nd Mobile Force with Lieutenant General Yamaya Heto under Commander Commander Yamaya, and galloped overnight to the aid of the South China Sea. It's just that the water is far away and can't quench the thirst of the near, and it will take at least ten days for the 2nd Mobile Unit to reach the Kaohsiung base, the scheduled supply point, at the cruising speed, and it will take several days to reorganize at the base before it can participate in the battle, and it is impossible to expect them to be able to help in the first place.

The problem can only be solved by the existing forces of the fleet of the South China Sea side!

The order of the base camp was accompanied by a note: The main force of the 3rd Fleet blockading Manila Bay will hold the exit of Manila Bay to prevent the US fleet in the bay from escaping, but if the enemy's main fleet changes to Manila Bay as the first target during the advance, the main force of the 3rd Fleet will rush to Lingayen Bay to join the main force of the 2nd Fleet. The landing convoys in Subic Bay and Lingayan Bay will all be transferred before the enemy fleet arrives, and all the lightning-stricken ships in the covering fleet will be assembled in Lingayan Bay.

Death Attack?

That is to say, at the expense of a large number of losses in light forces, in exchange for the final victory of the main battle forces?

No, not only light forces, but even the entire South China Sea fleet and the combined Anglo-French-Dutch fleet are worth it!

Can it be understood in this way?

Will the base camp still hope for a repeat of the last naval battle in the South China Sea at Lingayen Bay? A war of annihilation that will turn one-sidedly against our army?

Forget it, this time, just to seize the limited victory of temporarily repelling the enemy fleet and gaining time for the return of the 2nd Mobile Force, it is expected that the price to be paid will probably be the total of all the losses of the Imperial Navy in the past thirty years......

Even if the South China Sea fleet is defeated, it doesn't matter, when the other side really drives us out of Lingjiayan Bay, their own losses should be very considerable, at most, we will not be able to send troops and materials to the Philippine side within ten and a half days, and the troops that have already landed will probably have to suffer a lot.

Taking a step back, even if the troops that had already landed were wiped out because they could not receive help in the next ten days and a half, the 2nd Mobile Force would be able to regain sea supremacy and relaunch the Philippine landing operation—of course, no one wants the situation to deteriorate to that point.

Don't worry, in two days, everything will be clear.

Ma Shengyu subconsciously touched his long-lost ear.

……

Beijing, headquarters of the Joint Staff of the base camp.

"How long will it take for the landing fleet on the Philippine side to be unloaded?"

Liu Bailiang, chief of the General Staff, looked down at the beautiful girls in uniform standing solemnly with a push rod in their hands next to the picture table, and asked Zhang Yaoqian, the chief of staff of the army, beside him.

"Under normal circumstances, it would be six more days on the Subic Bay side and five more days on the Lingayen Bay side."

Liu Bailiang scratched his head: "If the fleet is withdrawn tonight, how long can the troops that have landed be able to support?" ”

"Judging from the current situation, at most half a month, if there is a large-scale fierce battle after this, I am afraid that it will not be able to support it for even a week." Zhang Yaoqian bowed his head and said.

"We can only count on the Navy now."

Liu Bailiang sighed and pointed to the direction of French Indochina on the map table: "The progress of the Sixth Army is going very well. ”

I saw four big red arrows, from east to west, pointing to Haiphong, Lang Son, Cao Ping, and Lao Cai one after another, forming an encirclement of Hanoi.

Over the past few days, our 100,000-strong army has been in full swing, with the 68th Army on the right at Le Lo Cai on the front road, the 55th Army on the middle arriving at Cao Binh City yesterday, the 65th Army on the left arriving at Lang Son today, and the 1st Army of the Asian Liberation Army, which is a surprise soldier on the left flank, successfully landed in Halong Bay and penetrated directly into Haiphong and Hanoi.

Zhang Yaoqian smiled slightly: "Lao Xiao is personally commanding there, he has been in the south, and he has been thinking about the operation over there for more than ten years." ”

"Jiawu, Ya and O, didn't take his turn to come out, this time he was holding back his breath to go into battle, let's wait for him to show his might."

After Liu Bailiang finished speaking, he looked at the small island on the edge of Guangzhou Bay: "The ultimatum to the Governor of Hong Kong has expired, haven't you surrendered yet?" ”

"No way, it seems that you have to teach those self-righteous white aristocrats, who are always stuck in the sweet dreams of half a century ago, and really can't adapt to this era." Zhang Yao pulled his neck, which was a little sore.

Liu Bailiang pressed his temple: "That's right, in a sense, we are doing good deeds, using our cannons to make them wake up early, just as they used cannons to wake up those high-level minions with pigtails half a century ago." ”

"Half a century ago they taught us that if we fall behind, we will be beaten, what are we going to teach them this time?"

"Order, the order of this world cannot be determined by white people alone, the earth is not a hunting ground for white nobles, and all systems that enslave human beings should be abolished!" Liu Bailiang said word by word, obviously such a consciousness has been ingrained in his mind and cannot be shaken.

Zhang Yaoqian nodded: "Yes, we want to destroy the old order, what is more difficult than this, but it is to establish the ideal new order, but even if it is the previous task, I can't believe that it can be achieved through this war." ”

Liu Bailiang patted the railing and said with a smile: "Things always come step by step, how many old orders have we destroyed in the past twenty years?" How many new orders have been established? But I always feel that it is not enough, far from enough, and I establish a new order, only to find that there is an old order in front of me, and the cycle will never stop. No one can establish an absolutely ideal new order, just do the things in front of us, and we can't do it all, and our next generation. ”

"The next generation is indeed ......"

Zhang Yaoqian pondered for a while, and his face was worried: "By the way, your hill is now in Subic Bay, and you have already gone ashore with the troops, do you want to take care of ......"

Liu Bailiang's eldest son, Second Lieutenant Liu Qingshan, is currently serving in the 71st Regiment of the 18th Infantry Division, which landed on Luzon yesterday after the Marines.

"Being a soldier is his own choice, and a man should be responsible for his choice to the end, and everything depends on him."

Liu Bailiang said it righteously, but there were some uneasy ripples on his wrinkled forehead.

Can a father not worry about his son who is on the front line?

But this is war, this is the new order...... Qingshan my son, bet with your life and spell out your honor and future!