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On February 2, the Japanese fleet passed through the Strait of Malacca and arrived in Singapore. Here, the Japanese fleet will undergo a short two-day rest and replenishment, which will also be their last replenishment. And, according to the plan of Heihachiro Togo, they were going to abandon the slow supply ships and increase the maximum speed of the fleet to 5 knots. Therefore, in Singapore they have to replenish enough supplies. For a battleship or an armored cruiser, it would be no problem to sail directly back to Japan after the supply of Singapore. However, for destroyers it will not work. The destroyers ordered by Japan have a range of only 2,000 nautical miles, and they need to be resupplied in the middle of the way. And going north from Singapore has always belonged to China's sphere of influence, and the Japanese fleet has no place to supply at all. As a last resort, the Japanese fleet stacked coal wherever it could put things on the destroyer, and let the destroyer carry half more coal. At the same time, several supply ships were sent from their homeland, which were to rush to the predetermined seas. Once it gets rid of the pursuit of the Chinese Navy, it will be able to resupply.

And after discovering that the Japanese fleet had arrived in Singapore, the Chinese home fleet also set off. They will be in the northern part of the South China Sea, waiting for the appearance of the Japanese fleet. However, more and more cruisers or destroyers of the Chinese Navy appeared in the open seas of Singapore, which made the Japanese fleet very worried. Whether it was Heihachiro Togo or Onijima Rengui, they all knew that once they were caught by the Chinese home fleet, they would have to die dead.

At the same time, two 'Fuji-class' battleships from the Japanese mainland also set off from Yokosuka Naval Base with five cruisers and one destroyer. Originally, the home port of the Japanese Combined Fleet was the Sasebo Naval Base in the southern part of the southern island of Kyushu, but after the Osumi Islands and other islands were ceded to China, it was no longer safe, so the home port of the Japanese fleet had to be evacuated to a safer place in the north. It's just that as soon as the Japanese fleet left the port, the Chinese Navy had already received the news. The detachment led by Vice Admiral Li Haitao, chief of staff of the home fleet, immediately set out from the port of Naha in the Ryukyus, ready to track or intercept the Japanese fleet.

"Your Excellency, what did the British say?" Shark Island asked anxiously. Heihachiro Togo went to visit Vice Admiral Filimantel, commander of the newly formed British Far East Fleet, hoping to invite the British Far East Fleet to visit Japan, so as to cover the safe return of the Japanese fleet. In this case, the Japanese and the British would have ten battleships together, and no matter how arrogant the Chinese navy was, I am afraid it would have to think carefully. It's just that Heihachiro Togo is obviously disappointed again this time.

"The British have rejected our demands, and they have clearly guessed our intentions. These British, who want us to fight with the Chinese people, will not provide us with protection at all! Heihachiro Togo said secretly.

"So what do we do?" Shark Island asked.

"Your Excellency Yamamoto has approved my plan, so let's follow the plan! Fleet, departure tomorrow evening. I hope I can escape the surveillance of the people of China at night! Heihachiro Togo said.

"Yes, Commander!" Sameshima replied. Now, only dead horses can be used as live horse doctors. If you can escape, it's best to escape, but if you can't escape, you can only fight to the death. This may be the fate of their Japanese Navy!

On the evening of the month, the Japanese fleet had already completed its replenishment, and all the Japanese naval soldiers who had disembarked to rest had already returned to the warship. However, it was already 2 o'clock in the evening, but the Japanese soldiers did not rest, but the warship started a fire, and thick smoke came out of the chimney.

"Ready to go! The supply ships remained, and the fleet left at a speed of 5 knots and headed straight for the Sulu Sea! Heihachiro Togo ordered.

The Japanese fleet, consisting of four battleships, six armored cruisers and fifteen destroyers, sailed from the Singapore Naval Harbour and crossed the Strait of Singapore into the South China Sea. And at the moment, outside Singapore, there are no warships of the Chinese Navy. After all, this is the territory of the British, and it is also an international waterway, and Chinese warships cannot stay for a long time. It's just that every once in a while, warships pass by here to monitor the Japanese fleet in the military port. And the Japanese fleet, having chosen the interval time, set out from Singapore and began their escape. As for whether they can escape, no one knows.

The Japanese fleet had very good luck, and until they entered the South China Sea, they did not encounter warships of the Chinese Navy. By daybreak, they were already in the South China Sea, two hundred kilometers from Singapore.

At 6 a.m. on the 2nd, a Chinese Navy 'Tianshui-class' cruiser passed outside the Singapore Naval Harbor, preparing to monitor the Japanese fleet in the harbor. However, when they passed through the Singapore Military Port, they found that it was empty, except for the warships of the British Far East Fleet, and the more than 20 warships of the Japanese fleet had all disappeared.

The captain did not dare to slack off, and immediately sent the information to the hands of Admiral Deng Shichang, commander of the home fleet on the battleship 'Zhonghua'.

"What? Actually escaped by the Japanese fleet? Order the warships in the South China Sea region to find them immediately! Even if you dig three feet into the ground, you have to find out the Japanese fleet! Deng Shichang ordered angrily. No one knows better than him that China has now placed its hopes of victory on this battle, and the interception and killing of the Japanese fleet returning to China is China's first battle against the Pacific Alliance, and this battle must be won. It would not be good if the Japanese fleet was allowed to flee back.

All of a sudden, the warships deployed in the South China Sea immediately took action, frantically searching for traces of the Japanese fleet. When this news was reported, it immediately attracted the attention of the Admiralty. After Wang Yuze found out, he ordered the Military Intelligence Bureau to give full support. Many merchant ships in the South Seas, and even agents of the Military Intelligence Agency hired fishing boats with wireless telegraphs and went into the sea to look for traces of the Japanese fleet. As everyone knows, this battle is very important, and it is necessary to find out the Japanese.

"Turn southeast into the Java Sea!" On the morning of the 2nd, Heihachiro Togo gave the order to turn the fleet.

"Why? Commander, isn't it ready to enter the Sulu Sea through the Guò Lumbucan Strait? Major General Onijima asked suspiciously.

"The South China Sea is the territory of the Chinese people, and there are many warships and even merchant ships of the Chinese here, and we cannot guarantee that they will not be discovered. By now, the people of China should have known that we had left Singapore, and they must be looking for us all over the world. If you continue to go to the South China Sea, there is a good chance that you will be discovered. We descend south into the Java Sea, enter the Sylebes Sea in the Makassar Strait, and cross the Sarangani Strait into the Pacific Ocean. The men would not have imagined that we would take this route, and by the time they were still looking for us in the South China Sea, we would have entered the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean is so big, and if the Chinese want to intercept us, it will not be so easy! Heihachiro Togo laughed.

"Your Excellency, what about our supplies?" Major General Sameshima asked. In this case, it will undoubtedly have to take a detour, which will make the Japanese fleet insufficiently supplied.

"Let's get the supply ship south! As long as we enter the Pacific Ocean, we will be able to evade the pursuit of the Shina people! Heihachiro Togo said.

"Yes, what a good plan your Excellency Commander! I believe that those stupid people of China would never have imagined that we would take this path! "Major General Sameshima made a sycophant, and Togo Heihachiro was very useful.

The Japanese fleet immediately turned around and headed south into the Java Sea. It was also the luck of the Japanese fleet, and an hour later, a destroyer of the Chinese Navy passed the course they had originally set. If they don't turn, I'm afraid they will be discovered by the Chinese Navy.

A day later, the Japanese fleet had already entered the Java Sea. In order not to reveal their whereabouts, the ships encountered along the way, whether merchant ships or fishing ships, were sunk by the Japanese fleet, which allowed the Japanese fleet to pass through the Java Sea without being detected by the Chinese navy.

In the blink of an eye, two days passed, and the Japanese fleet was like a stone sinking into the sea, without the slightest news, which made the Chinese navy very impatient. In order to find traces of the Japanese fleet, Deng Shichang had already sent more than ten warships to set off. It's just that most of the areas they are looking for are in the South China Sea. Even though the South China Sea is very vast, under such an intensive search, the Japanese fleet has absolutely no place to hide.

"Zhang Aiqing, is there any news of the Japanese fleet?" On the evening of the 4th of the month, Wang Yuze summoned Zhang Cheng, the Minister of the Navy, at the imperial palace. Now, full-scale preparations have begun, and the army has begun to rush to the front. It can be said that the whole country is waiting for the Navy to fire the first shot. And now, the Japanese fleet actually fled, which seemed to make China, which was full of strength, punch the cotton.

"Back to Your Majesty, we have sent a large number of warships to look for it, as long as the Japanese fleet has not returned to China, they will definitely not be able to escape!" Zhang Cheng replied that he was also very anxious. It was originally planned well, but how could such a thing happen when things came to an end.

"What about the Japanese home fleet? Where have they been? Wang Yuze asked. Since the Japanese home fleet has already left the port, it will definitely join up with the Japanese returning fleet. If you really can't find the Japanese fleet back to home, maybe you will get some news by keeping an eye on the Japanese home fleet.

"Your Majesty, the Japanese mainland fleet is heading south, but their speed is very slow, and they are still circling around Hachijojima!" Zhang Cheng replied.

PS: The fourth update is here! Tomorrow's three watches, no update in the early morning! A total of 09 chapters have been updated this month, and I hope everyone will continue to support Xiaoyu next month! (To be continued.) Please search for [book], the novel is better and faster!)