In early March, a huge fleet set sail from Tokyo Bay in Japan, divided into two parts, with the front and rear fleets spaced about 100 nautical miles apart. The fleet that opened the way ahead was led by the cruisers Han Wudi and Yuanyang, the flagship of the Chinese Imperial Pacific Fleet, and supplemented by 18 battleships, including the Beijing and Harbin. Among them, there are 15 frigates and 15 destroyers. There are 10 transport ships, 20 attack submarines, 6 reconnaissance submarines, 12 submarine hunters, 4 minesweepers, 1 hospital ship, and 93 large and small warships.

The fleet that followed was mainly led by transport ships, including 55 landing ships and carrying nearly 40,000 officers and men of the 1st Army and the 1st Heavy Artillery Brigade of the Eastern Front. In addition, 10 gunboats served as escorts, and 10 transport ships met the needs of the army. The headquarters of the capital has been preparing for this unprecedented expedition for half a year. The expedition changed dramatically, as the Imperial Navy Command called up about 3,000 former Japanese naval officers and sailors, all of whom volunteered.

The purpose of the expedition to Australia was twofold: first, to test the ability of the Imperial fleet to fight in the ocean, and to accumulate experience in ocean operations, so as to create conditions for future expeditions to the American continent. The second is to quickly capture Australia by surprise and complete the South Sea strategy in the shortest possible time. Headquarters requested that Australia be occupied before the typhoon season arrived at the end of May. In addition, the headquarters demanded that during the expedition to Australia, it must take two strategic points on Guam and Saipan, and did not create conditions for the future capture of the Hawaiian Islands.

The blue sea stretches as far as the eye can see, and the blue sea and blue sky seem to blend together, making people feel that this is the shijie of water. The fleet sailed at full speed and at maximum speed. The white marks drawn by the battleship form a ribbon of waves on the sea surface, which is beautiful and dizzying. Inside the flagship command module. Fleet Commander Dai Hui raised his head from the chart, and saw that Deng Shichang, the deputy commander of the fleet, looked ahead with a serious expression and said, "Brother, how do you feel?" "The Imperial Navy's expeditionary operation, this is the moment I have been looking forward to day and night, and in just 20 years, it has been like a dream, and the Imperial Navy has finally galloped across the ocean."

Dai Hui understood the feelings of an old navy who had been bullied and humiliated by foreigners, but Dai Hui was thinking about the upcoming naval battle at this moment. "Dude. After repeated analysis, Guam and Saipan are regarded as strategic points in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Fleet of the coalition must be strictly guarded, and it is very likely that we will encounter the main fleet of the coalition Pacific Fleet. If Saipan and Guam are lost, the Hawaiian Islands and Australia will open their doors. Therefore, the enemy will not give in easily. The headquarters demanded that Guam and Saipan be taken. That's what it takes. ”

Deng Shichang stroked his beard and said: "I hope that the main fleet of the coalition forces will appear in Guam, we have a giant in our hands, and I am confident to challenge the opponent." "I estimate that the Pacific Fleet of the coalition forces will definitely set up its base in Hawaii, and in this regard, there will be no more than 20 enemy battleships on Guam and Saipan, and the headquarters also analyzes it in this way. If it is really as we analyze and judge, we will win. Deng Shichang was in a good mood and asked, "How far is it from Guam?" A staff officer working on the charts straightened up and reported, "Report." Depending on the speed of the fleet, Guam is still 5 days away. ”

Deng Shichang glanced at Dai Hui. Dai Hui nodded. Deng Shichang continued: "Order all the reconnaissance submarines to be dispatched, rush to the waters of Guam one step ahead, and give feedback on the reconnaissance situation in time." Dai Hui said: "Brother, my idea is that if you can defeat the enemy, you can achieve your goal." Our main objective was to occupy Guam and Saipan, and in order to avoid losses, in the event of an encounter with the enemy fleet, two cruisers were thrown directly into battle, crushing the enemy with one blow, and if the enemy fleet chose to flee, we left him alone. ”

On a gunboat of the transport fleet, Zhuang Lei, commander of the 1st Army and 1st Division, Hu Biao, commander of the 1st Brigade, and Tie Tower, commander of the division's reconnaissance group, stood on the deck and observed with interest more than a dozen short and sturdy soldiers cleaning the deck. "Division commander, those who are not of our race will be suspicious, and the recruitment of Japanese sailors is worrying!" Hu Biao muttered. "I don't understand what the Admiralty thinks, it's hard for the Japanese not to hate us?" The tower echoed. Zhuang Lei smiled: "I'm afraid this is an expedient measure, the Imperial Navy is expanding rapidly, and experienced sailors can't meet the needs of expansion." ”

"The navy is a high jishu branch of the army, and it can't be trained for a few months before you can go to the battlefield like the army. These Japanese sailors had a great deal of experience at sea and had the relevant jishu, presumably the Admiralty was based on this consideration. However, these Japanese sailors did not hold important jobs, they basically engaged in hard and tiring errands. Don't underestimate deck cleaning, which is the most important part of the daily maintenance of a battleship. "Damn, these dwarves are working hard, it's been more than an hour, and no one is lazy and slippery." Hu Biao said.

"Division commander, I heard that their salaries are the same as those of our sailors, and it seems that money can make ghosts grind." "I heard from the fleet command that 30,000 Japanese sailors were recruited this time, and the selection was very strict, and only 3,000 were selected. The relatives of these 3,000 people were registered, and in order to prevent these Japanese sailors from rebelling, the military regulations of the nine clans of Zhulian were formulated. I also heard that if a Japanese sailor died in battle, the empire would provide a pension. The former Japanese government never provided pensions to soldiers who died in battle. ”

"What is an ancient civilization, this is the fine tradition of the Chinese nation, how can barbarians do it." The tower said disdainfully. Zhuang Lei said with a smile: "When I was in the military academy, I read the president's overview of the Japanese nation, and the president's analysis of the Yamato nation is very thorough, and it can be said that it is three points. The President said: "The Japanese are different, they are very united and dedicated. When this nation itself becomes strong, it will lose its humanity and become insane. Especially for the vanquished, the Japanese will turn into beasts, and they will never have mercy on the weak. However, once the Japanese were conquered, they could become tame lambs. ”

"The Japanese will forget about hatred and have peace of mind. Due to the harsh living conditions of the island country, there is very little vendetta among the Japanese, and they will forget all the wounds in front of the strong, and reverently bow down at the feet of the strong. The president's opinion was too incisive, as evidenced by everything in front of him, which was why the Imperial Navy weishenme called up Japanese sailors. In the past six months, I am afraid that you have deeply realized that Japanese women are eager to rush into the barracks naked and get into your bed. ”

"Teacher, your explanation is also incisive, frankly speaking, the Japanese girls are really flavorful, and the birds are docile and lovely." Hu Biao seemed to remember that moment of ecstasy. "Japanese ladies are really good, teacher, you are a little orthodox, the taste of Japanese women is called a cool, and it will turn you into a fascination with your service." The tower couldn't help but praise. "Alright, don't be complacent, you two. Tower! I ask you what kind of Japanese girl is Junko, what are you going to do? I heard that Japanese girl was made by you to have a big belly! ”

"Commander, don't tell my wife, otherwise my wife will castrate me with a scalpel. Junko has my seed, and I'm going to put her in Japan. The tower had a look of embarrassment on his face. Hu Biao said indifferently: "Which one of them I got is a Japanese widow, she was married for three months, and the man went to war, probably died in Korea." I've already written a letter to my wife, and she's very open for me to bring back the Japanese. Damn, Lao Tzu and the widow did it, but this Japanese is too likable. ”

Zhuang Lei shook his head with a wry smile, and when the whistle sounded, a boatswain blew the whistle, and the Japanese sailors who were working hard immediately stood in line and sat down on the spot to rest. The Japanese sailors probably noticed that someone was watching, and they sat with their heads bowed and in an orderly manner, never looking from side to side or talking to each other. After a while, two sailors brought two buckets of fragrant white rice and a pot of salted fish, and when the Japanese sailors saw the white rice noodles, their faces suddenly showed greedy eyes. "It's time for breakfast, let's go!" Zhuang Lei turned around and left after speaking.

"I've heard that the Japanese don't have enough to eat, and every meal is strictly rationed, so it's no wonder that Japanese sailors are enthusiastically signing up." Hu Biao couldn't help but shake his head when he watched the Japanese sailors gobble up. "If the Japanese sailors can eat our food, I'm afraid they will even forget their ancestors. Little Japan's brain is in water, and a good day is just a good day to jump into the fire pit! The tower shook his head, and the two of them seemed to have compassion. The Japanese sailors were on the ship, and although the food was not as good as that of the imperial sailors, there was no problem with having a full stomach.

Guam is located in the western Pacific Ocean, the southernmost point of the Mariana Islands, and is the gateway to the islands of the Western Pacific. The island covers an area of more than 500 square kilometers and is inhabited by the Chamorro people. After nearly 300 years of Spanish rule, there are not many original Chamorro people on the island, and they are basically a mixture of Spanish and Chamorro people. Due to the war, Spain has now unconditionally given Guam and Saipan to the United States and Britain, with the British entrenched in Guam and the Americans entrenched in Saipan.

Guam is 3,500 miles from Australia to the south, about 3,700 miles from the Hawaiian Islands to the east, 1,600 miles from the Philippines to the west, and 1,550 miles from Tokyo, Japan to the north. This shows how important Guam's strategic value is. Dumon Bay, Guam, was the naval base of the coalition forces, and after several years of expansion, on the basis of the Spaniards, the Tumon Bay military port dock was expanded more than ten times. In particular, in the past two years, with the powerful attacks of the Chinese army, Guam's military value has become more and more concave, so there is no doubt that Guam has become an important strategic point for the coalition forces in the western Pacific.

Saipan is located about 200 kilometers northeast of Guam, and the two echo each other, and the strategic location is equally important. However, Saipan did not have a natural harbor, so it was impossible to dock large warships, and the coalition fleet was mainly at the Tumon Bay military port on Guam, while the imperial Pacific Fleet commanded by Dai Hui was mainly targeting Guam.

(To be continued......)

PS: The Imperial Fleet opens the curtain on the ocean!