Episode 107 Gambling

The battleship Nagato, but the general flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet, is the office of the commander of the Combined Fleet, and is the symbol of the entire Great Japanese Navy.

The Nagato had the largest caliber 410 mm main gun of this era, and was one of the "seven great warships of the world" in the Navy's holiday era. The design blueprint of the Nagato completely broke away from the characteristics of previous British battleships, and was the first battleship to have "pure Japanese blood". The popularity of the Nagato and its status in the hearts of the Japanese people far surpassed that of the later Yamato. Although the Yamato is larger and more advanced, it has been kept strictly secret from design to completion. But the Nagato was made a lot of fanfare.

Since its construction in 1920, the Nagato has been enthusiastically sought after by the Japanese people, and has almost become one of the spiritual pillars of the Japanese people and an important source of self-confidence. In Japan, "Nagato" became almost synonymous with "battleship". Even in the painting class in elementary school, elementary school students draw warships, and they all draw the characteristic silhouette of the Nagato. In their hearts, the Nagato is a warship, and a warship is Nagato.

Therefore, for the current Ming Navy, the Nagato has become a very tempting target. Sinking or seriously injuring the Nagato would not only greatly damage the strength of the Japanese Navy, but also deal a heavy blow to the morale of the Japanese people. At the same time, in the Ming Navy, there was not a single battleship as powerful as the Nagato. If the Nagato can be sunk, it will not only boost the morale of the Ming army and people, but also greatly improve the comparison of the naval strength of the two sides.

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However, because of this, the General Staff of the Ming Army did not dare to take it lightly and did not dare to be too optimistic. But Xiang Xiaoqiang is now very optimistic. The previous record of easily sinking a battleship and two cruisers made him feel that the feeling of the Ming aircraft carrier had been completely found, and it was natural to continue to sink enemy ships easily. In Xiang Xiaoqiang's eyes, the Nagato number has been erased.

But in the eyes of Xiong Dingming and the other admirals, it was not so easy. This time is so different from the previous ones. Sinking two cruisers, needless to say, the other side is a single ship, isolated and weak, anti-aircraft firepower. Even the sinking of the battleship Hiei in the port of Naha was due to the fact that it succeeded in killing all the fighters at the Okinawa base in advance, and it was only necessary to deal with the artillery fire on the ground and on the ship. Naturally, there is not much difference.

But now the goal is the Yokosuka military port, one of Japan's four major mainland military ports, which is also close to the capital, Tokyo. The defensive forces that the Ming army fleet will encounter are by no means comparable to Okinawa. Not to mention the strength of the anti-aircraft artillery fire around the Yokosuka Naval Port, the key point is that there are two airports near Tokyo, namely Yachiyo Airport, 20 kilometers east of downtown Tokyo, and Atsugi Airport, 35 kilometers southwest of Tokyo. Both airfields are fighter airfields, and each has a fighter brigade stationed in peacetime. These two airfields alone are already on par with the number of fighters in the Tianshu subfleet, or even surpassed. The fighters of the Tianshu detachment are also two groups, but after a series of previous battle losses, these two groups are now not enough.

The premise of the Ming army's decision is that the surprise attack on the two airfields must be successful. At the very least, most of the Japanese fighters had to be destroyed on the airfield, so that the Ming planes could fully grasp the air superiority over the Gulf of Tonkin, so that the bombers and torpedo planes could concentrate on bombing the military port. If a large number of Japanese fighters are allowed to fly, then an air raid will turn into a big air battle, and the Ming planes will not be able to bomb properly, not to mention, they will suffer heavy losses.

Even if all goes well and two airfields are successfully attacked, then there is not much time left for the Ming army to bomb the military port. Niigata Airport in the north and Nagoya Airport in the west are both just over 260 kilometers away, which is less than an hour's flight. The Ming planes had to return immediately after half an hour of bombing. Regardless of the outcome of the battle, it is necessary to return home. Otherwise, they will be followed and pursued by a large number of Japanese fighters until the location of the aircraft carrier formation is discovered. Then the whole fleet is in danger.

The tight schedule, the large number of missions, and the limited number of bombs and fuel were the hallmarks of this air attack.

For this reason, the entire General Staff of the Navy, except for Xiang Xiaoqiang, the generals and staff officers were all solemn and solemn. Xiong Dingming has basically taken over the command of the Tianshu detachment now, and Xiang Xiaoqiang is already just a name. It can be said that this time it was a gamble. Because it was not only the planes that were involved, but also the safety of the three aircraft carriers themselves. And the General Staff of the Navy dared to make this bet, because the pilots of the Navy sent by the Ming Army this time were all veterans, and the essence of Japan's air power was now on the battlefield on the mainland, and those who stayed at home should be novices.

In addition, the General Staff of the Strait judged that the total number of Japanese planes was not large in the first place, and it was estimated that the number of planes was around 1,000, or even less than 1,000. Now, in order to ensure the air situation on the mainland battlefield, the main forces should have been sent to the mainland. No more than 200 fighters will remain in the country. In addition to the 80 or so at the two airports near Tokyo, the remaining more than 100 should be scattered across various airports across the country. Even if fighters from Niigata Airport and Nagoya Airport arrive to reinforce them, they should not be too many. Up to one squadron each.

That night, Xiang Xiaoqiang didn't go home, he lived in the headquarters with Xiuxiu, and slept in the general's single room in the fortress during the Unification War. As soon as there was an update, the orderly came back to wake him up, so that he could run to the command hall as soon as possible.

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The Tianshu squadron sailed north in the dark western Pacific Ocean, and the entire fleet maintained strict light control and radio silence. That is, it does not show a trace of light, nor does it emit a trace of radio signal. The entire fleet was completely hidden in total darkness.

Throughout the night, mechanics were in the cabin repeatedly inspecting the plane, checking the ammunition and refueling the plane. At about three o'clock in the morning, the pilots began to get up, eat breakfast, listen to briefings, and prepare for the flight. At about four o'clock, it was still dark, but by this time the fleet was approaching the intended position for attack. After a night of high-speed driving, the fleet arrived about half an hour earlier than expected.

The command to prepare for takeoff sounded on the aircraft carrier. The fleet lifted the lights, and in the light of the lights, the deck lifts began to roar, lifting one plane after another to the deck. Immediately, two rows of small lights were lit up on the deck to mark the runway.

The fleet turned its rudder and began to sail against the wind, ready to release the planes.

In the howling sea breeze at dawn, various passwords fluttered in the loudspeakers of the bridges of various ships. And between the flagship and other warships, the signal lights also flickered frequently. Finally, the signal lights for take-off flashed, and the roar of engines on the decks of the three aircraft carriers was deafening.

In the darkness between heaven and earth, the Ming army's fleet took off.