Episode 18 Carrier Battle Group

At the afternoon meeting, the chiefs of various departments of the People's Guard, as well as several people outside the People's Guard, such as the commander of the Army Aviation, the commander of the Navy Aviation, the commander of the People's Guard, the commander of the People's Guard, the commander of the People's Guard, the commander of the People's Guard

The chief is of course Xiang Xiaoqiang, but right next to him, the second position, which used to be fourteen square seats, is now empty.

Now everyone is already seated, and the hands of the wall clock are almost pointing to two o'clock, but everyone looks at the empty seat, and looks at Xiaoqiang hesitantly, I don't know if it is counted as a person now.

Everyone knew that this meeting was to discuss how to support the Baoding Rebel Army, that is to say, the spearhead of this meeting was directly aimed at the Manchus, and the content of the discussion was also how to deal with the Manchus. And everyone knows who Princess Liaoyang is. According to what many people think, this kind of meeting should be avoided by Princess Liaoyang.

But now, the chair next to Xiang Xiaoqiang is so empty, so eye-catching, it seems to be reserved for Princess Liaoyang. Otherwise, there are so many people coming to the meeting today, why are you not satisfied?

At the conference table, the officers talked and laughed in a whisper, Xiang Xiaoqiang also lowered his head, and whispered something to Xiuxiu on the other side, Xiuxiu nodded from time to time and wrote it down in his notebook.

Until the big wall clock on the wall "creaked" and everyone raised their heads and stared at the clock face, and the hands pointed to exactly two o'clock. Then, the pendulum of the wall clock "when...... When ......" knocked twice, it was long and pleasant.

The door of the closed conference room opened, and the guards in the corridor outside stood up and saluted, while the little female officer sitting at the door as a stenographer stood up and reported in a straight voice:

"Her Royal Highness Princess Liaoyang has arrived!"

Fourteen squares appear in the doorway. She was dressed in a crisp Ming Army spring uniform, and the copper plum blossom marking the rank of colonel sparkled on the epaulettes. The tie is sandwiched with a Vermilion Bird diamond tie clip that symbolizes the Ming Dynasty, and the small diamonds are inlaid around the gold Vermilion Bird, reflecting ten thousand points of light, almost piercing the eyes of the people in the conference room.

Xiuxiu shouted, "Stand up!" ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang took the lead and stood up first, facing the fourteen squares. The others stood up as soon as they saw Xiao Qiang, and although they didn't expect this hand, they all stood up and stood up facing the fourteen squares.

Fourteen Gege nodded and smiled at everyone, and gently raised his right hand with snow-white gloves, which can be regarded as completing the simple public etiquette of a princess. Then she walked over to the conference table and smiled left and right:

"Don't dare to be, let's sit down."

Fourteen Gege sat down first, and then Xiuxiu shouted again: "Sit down!" ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang took everyone to sit down again.

At this time, the entire conference room was already silent, and everyone was sitting straight, staring at the fourteen grids, each with a ghost.

The old guys in the People's Guard, who often get along with Fourteen Gege, have a serious face at the moment, but they are snickering in their hearts. The officers of those foreign units still thought that Princess Liaoyang usually attended the meeting like this, and they really saw the dignity of the "princess colonel", and they all felt eye-opening, saw a scene that they could not usually see in the army, and they all felt that it was very enjoyable to hold a meeting with Princess Daming at the same table.

But no matter who it is, at least at this moment, they all subconsciously feel that Princess Liaoyang is the princess of my Daming, and few people think that she is Manchu Gege.

And in their opinion, there is not only Princess Liaoyang, but also Xiuxiu. Although within the People's Guard, everyone is already familiar with Xiuxiu, but in the eyes of many people in other units, Shangxiu is still covered with a veil of mystery as a "Ryukyu princess".

Originally, just because of the Baoding incident, the navy would not have come to such a high-level figure, but this time two commanders came at once. On the one hand, in the Ming and Qing wars, it was all the performance of the army, and the navy did not get any opportunities, so now I want to pay attention to it. On the other hand, they heard that there were two famous princesses at this meeting, and they both wanted to come and see something new.

……

Xiang Xiaoqiang first asked Xiuxiu to read the report of the Baoding incident for everyone. Everyone knows this, so it's relatively concise.

Then, without saying a word to Xiaoqiang, he first announced to everyone His Majesty's basic attitude towards this matter, that is: firmly control this force in the hands of the Ming Dynasty, and vigorously support it through airdrops and other means, not like the previous Northern Qing riots, just let the local underground organizations give limited assistance, basically leave it to its own devices.

This time, we must use a large and comprehensive assistance to make this armed force stronger, and set an example for the people who are overwhelmed by the oppression of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, so that they dare to resist and dare to revolt, and after the uprising, they do not have to worry about defeat due to food, weapons, and other reasons.

Then, the purpose of the meeting was announced: to work out an airdrop plan, and try to carry out the first airdrop within three days.

Immediately afterwards, Xiang Xiaoqiang announced to everyone His Majesty's naming of this rebel army:

People's Guard Taihang Mountain Column. Abbreviated as the Taihang Mountain Column.

Everyone understands that Xiang Xiaoqiang moved quickly, and he ran to His Majesty as soon as possible and grabbed this power. Moreover, this has set a precedent that if there is a large-scale uprising anywhere in the future, it is estimated that it will have to be included in the People's Guard.

The main purpose of Xiang Xiaoqiang's meeting was to communicate with the army and navy, mainly the navy. First of all, it is a matter of coordinating cooperation between the army and the navy, that is, the transport planes of the army aviation will first fly north from the sea carrying supplies, first land on the airfield of the Changshan Islands of the Dongjiang Fleet, fill up with fuel, and then fly from the Bohai Sea into the interior of the Beiqing Dynasty for airdrop.

In addition, what is more important is to strive for the Navy to send an aircraft carrier to the Dongjiang Fleet in the north, so that it can sail into the Bohai Sea, let fighter planes take off from the aircraft carrier, and merge with transport planes in the Bohai Sea to escort them. Because it took off directly from the airfield of the Changshan Islands, the distance to Taihang Mountain was too long, and it exceeded the combat radius of the Kingfisher fighter.

Of course, this is just to say that the sky is dropped during the day, and if it is airdropped at night, there is basically no need for escort. Because there was no airborne radar in this era, night air combat was almost impossible, and in general, it was difficult for enemy fighters to find targets. But the effect of the airdrop at night will be much worse, and even if the Taihang Mountain column marks the correct location with a bonfire, it will be difficult for them to find what they have thrown down in the vast darkness.

From the geographical point of view, the Bohai Sea belongs to the "inland sea" of the Northern Qing Dynasty, and it is difficult for the Ming army to eat in the Bohai Sea with the inertial thinking of Xiang Xiaoqiang. Because the land on all sides is very close, it is within the strike range of the Qing army's land-based aircraft. And without air supremacy, there is no sea supremacy.

But then I thought about it, with the current level of the Qing army's air force, it is difficult to maintain air supremacy on land, let alone at sea? The most important point: the Qing army did not have dive bombers! There were a few torpedo planes, but with the level of the Qing army's torpedo planes and the Qing army's torpedo pilots, flying to the sea was basically a target.

Don't talk about the torpedo machine of the Qing army now, even if it is a torpedo machine during World War II, which is synonymous with "easy to hit". Torpedo planes are characterized by slow speed, low flight, and inflexibility, and can only produce results unless they are dispatched in large numbers at once and with the cooperation of a large number of fighters and dive bombers.

What's more, the entire air force of the Northern Qing Dynasty also had a squadron and more than 30 torpedo planes, which basically did not fly in peacetime. In the past, the warships of the Ming army often operated wantonly in places where they could see the coastline of the Northern Qing Dynasty, and the torpedo planes of the Qing Air Force did not dare to dispatch. I don't know what will happen this time when we force into the Bohai Sea.

In other words, although the Ming fleet may be very close to the land, the Qing army lacked effective means to attack the Ming fleet. As long as you stay out of the range of shore artillery, you are basically fine.

……

Generally, there are three types of fleet commanders in the navy, one is divided according to the location of the fleet, such as the commander of the East China Sea Fleet, the commander of the Dongjiang Fleet, and the commander of the South China Sea Fleet...... The other is according to the type of ship, such as the commander of the battleship fleet, the commander of the aircraft carrier fleet, and the commander of the cruiser fleet...... In addition, there is the commander of the detachment, that is, if more than one warship is dispatched to carry out a mission, it must be organized into a detachment, and the commander is temporary, just on the flagship, and it will be revoked after the mission is completed and returned.

Like today, it is the commander of the aircraft carrier fleet of the Ming Navy. In this way, he will be in charge of transferring aircraft carriers from one local fleet to another.

The Navy's consistent behavior is neither humble nor arrogant, and it avoids getting involved in rectification. Therefore, even if they wanted to seize the opportunity to make some military achievements this time, the two commanders did not put it on the shelf at all. What's more, they are all with the rank of lieutenant general, which is on par with Xiang Xiaoqiang.

The commander of the aircraft carrier first proposed that the Ming Dynasty had a total of these four aircraft carriers, each of which was extremely valuable, and that it was absolutely impossible to rush into the Bohai Sea without adequate protection.

Asked Xiaoqiang what level of protection was needed, the commander of the aircraft carrier said:

"First of all, more than ten destroyers are needed. Because although the threat from the air is not large, because of its proximity to land, it will definitely encounter the attack of a large number of torpedo boats of the Qing army. This requires destroyers to deal with these torpedo boats. In addition, Port Arthur has the heavy cruisers Mandate of Heaven, Yongzheng, and the light cruiser Xuantong. Weihai had the heavy cruiser Kangxi, as well as the light cruiser Guardian. Oh, and now it's been changed to the Hirobu...... All of them can pose a lethal threat to our destroyers and even aircraft carriers.

"Therefore, in order to counter this threat, we also need at least four heavy cruisers to escort us. Of course, it would be better to have battleships. With battleships to escort it, maybe two cruisers will do. In addition, a formation of minesweepers. Because between the 'entrance fence' in the Bohai Sea and the Miaodao Islands, the Qing army will definitely lay a large number of mines. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang was depressed in his heart, this is simply a big fleet! When the East Indies were attacked, the fleet was no more than this size. But that was the whole of Pazia and millions of tons of oil a year. Now this is just to support the uprising behind enemy lines in the Northern Qing Dynasty.

Moreover, when Xiang Xiaoqiang noticed that he said that he hoped for the battleship to escort the escort, he seemed quite unconfident.

Xiang Xiaoqiang knew that the status of battleships at this time was much higher than that of aircraft carriers. The position of commander of the battlefleet in the navy is also the highest among the commanders of all types of ships. Now he, the commander of an aircraft carrier fleet, actually said that he wanted the battleships to deign to escort the aircraft carriers. This feeling is like letting Shen Rongxuan treat him as a little brother to Xiang Xiaoqiang.

Sure enough, the generals around him, whether naval or not, either showed a sarcastic smile or simply laughed, thinking that this was a deliberate joke and self-ridicule to emphasize the difficulty.

However, although Xiang Xiaoqiang was a little depressed in his heart, his face was still impassive, and he motioned to Xiuxiu next to him to write it down.

The commander of the Navy and the commander of the aircraft carrier whispered a few words, and then raised their heads and said that there are not enough planes on one aircraft carrier, and in order to form air superiority in such an air defense area as the Beijing-Tianjin area, at least two aircraft carriers, that is, about 150 fighters.

This is close to Xiang Xiaoqiang's thoughts. Xiang Xiaoqiang has also been thinking that one aircraft carrier may not be enough, and he is thinking about whether it will be too presumptuous to propose two, but he can't imagine that the Navy will propose it itself. It is not that 150 fighters are needed to escort the escort, but the main thing is to remove the maintenance and aircraft that cannot fly for some reason, so that it is relatively easy to ensure that about 100 fighters are in the sky. This figure, in such an important air defense area as the Beijing-Tianjin-Tang region, can ensure that the Qing army planes are pressed to the ground.

……

"Our navy has four aircraft carriers," Xiang Xiaoqiang said, "and now except for the Tianshu in the South Sea, the other three are in the Zhoushan Islands and the East China Sea Fleet." The traditional strategic task of the East China Sea Fleet is to defend against the Japanese Navy. Two commanders, if two ships are transferred at a time now, then the East China Sea Fleet will only have one aircraft carrier. Will this affect the primary mission: the defense of Japan? ”

The commander of the HNA and the commander of the aircraft carrier discussed in a low voice for a moment, and then the commander of the HNA raised his head and said:

"This shouldn't be a problem. A decisive battle with the enemy navy was the task of the battleship. The main reason why we have built so many aircraft carriers is to send them to the northern seas and to carry out air strikes against the inland areas of Beiqing from the sea. Now this kind of mission is exactly what it was originally intended for. Now the six battleships of the Ming Dynasty are all in the East China Sea Fleet. Although Japan had ten battleships, it should be able to meet them. ”

The commander of the aircraft carrier added:

"Besides, it is not far to be transferred to the Changshan Islands, unlike the voyage that takes several days to transfer to the South Seas. It only takes half a day to sail from Zhoushan Islands to the Changshan Islands in Liaodong, and once something happens, it can be transferred back as soon as possible. ”

Although it was the tone of the Cannon Club, Xiang Xiaoqiang still nodded and accepted.

However, the most difficult thing for him to accept at the moment is the price. He didn't think about it so carefully, and felt that the cost of dispatching more than a dozen transport planes to go deep into the clear land was already big enough, and if he added an aircraft carrier, it would already be too much. I didn't expect that now not only aircraft carriers will be dispatched, but also cruisers, and maybe battleships!

…… As for the question of who the battleship "deigned" to escort, this is not a problem for him. It's a matter of one sentence to him. It can be said that as long as the battleship is also written into the plan, and then Zhu Yourong is asked to sign it, the battleship commander will have to be willing if he is not willing, and he will have to escort the aircraft carrier with his nose pinched.

Now, Xiang Xiaoqiang can be regarded as deeply aware of the hardships of the United States in later generations. The aircraft carrier is very cool to play, and it can be sent overseas to deter people inland at every turn, but the aircraft carrier battle group is really a money-burning thing!

Although the cost of battleships is much higher than that of aircraft carriers, the cost of use is still relatively cheap, after all, it can go to sea to fight with a single ship, and as long as one is arranged in one place, it can form a fairly strong deterrent. Not to mention the high cost of aircraft carrier maintenance, and the self-defense capability is still so fragile, as soon as it goes out, it will have to form a task force and support the whole front and back.

……

A staff officer of the Navy was communicating with the staff officer of the Army Aviation to discuss some details. At this time, Fourteen Gege quietly handed Xiang Xiaoqiang a note.

Xiang Xiaoqiang took it quietly, and saw that it was written: Temporarily adjourn the meeting, I have something to say to you.

Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at Fourteen Gege suspiciously, but a spirit immediately felt abnormal.

Fourteen Gege gently kicked his foot under the table with his foot, at first it was still a light touch, but then seeing that he didn't react, he began to step on the surface of his foot, and the strength was greater.

Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at her face, and saw that the fourteen grid expressions were still serious, and he didn't even look at him, listening to other people's speeches very dignifiedly, and writing down one or two places in the notebook from time to time.

Probably impatient, Fourteen Gege exerted great strength, pressed the heel of his leather shoes against Xiang Xiaoqiang's toes, and then stepped on it hard, and then turned it hard.

"Ahh!!h

Xiang Xiaoqiang shouted, and the conference room suddenly fell silent, and everyone stared at him in shock.

Xiang Xiaoqiang immediately covered his stomach and bent down, his expression was painful, and he muttered:

"Everyone, everyone...... Let's take a break...... Xiuxiu, go and call a military doctor for me......"

Xiuxiu's face turned pale with fright, and she couldn't care about everyone anymore, so she hurriedly hugged him and looked at him, and said in a trembling voice:

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency...... You're ......."

The other people in the conference room also "coaxed" and gathered around, gossiping about it. It's like Xiaoqiang's henchmen and subordinates squeezed to the front, as if they were all in a hurry.

"Don't ...... Don't be nervous," Xiang Xiaoqiang slowly straightened up, waved his hand, and said, "It's okay, it's okay...... Actually, it's ...... What's the matter, I had a little cold last night, so I asked the military doctor to prescribe some medicine...... I ...... again this morning I had skin allergies and took another medicine...... Alas, the doctor said that if these two drugs are taken together, there may be some side effects, which is cramping in the lower abdomen...... Hehe, at that time he said that the side effects were very unlikely, so I didn't care...... I didn't expect to be so lucky and bumped into ......"

As soon as he said this, there was another sound of "ah......", "oh......", and "hehe......" in the conference room, and everyone was relieved. Xiuxiu still hugged him and gently rubbed his belly, but his face was a little bloody.

She knew that what colds and allergies Xiang Xiaoqiang said were all shadowless things, and now she is making it up so blindly, there must be a reason.

……

When he took a break for a while, he called Xiuxiu and Fourteen Gege to Xiaoqiang and return to his office.

Without waiting for Xiuxiu to ask, Fourteen Gege took the initiative to smile and apologize to her:

"Huh...... Xiuxiu, I'm sorry, I accidentally stepped on the adult just now...... I suggested that the meeting be adjourned. Well, there's something to say. Just show that you're here, and you listen to it too. ”