680 Closing (7)

July 8 at 3 p.m., cloudy. ※※※※※ I ※ I ※ ※

Southwest Pacific Ocean, 780 km off Norfolk Island.

A canoe-like one-winged hummingbird long-range reconnaissance plane flickered in the clouds, this kind of four-seater, stout, all made of balsa wood, with a range of 2,500 kilometers of aircraft restarted on the South American route, a large number of balsa wood hoarded in Ecuador after a steady stream of transport back to China, not only extended the air force reconnaissance type, has become the darling of the navy and air force, according to this year's production plan, the two armies will be equipped with at least more than 500 planes.

Although it is not as beautiful as fighter and attack aircraft pilots, Xue Wei still likes this feeling very much, with a speed of 400 kilometers per hour, a ceiling of more than 10,000 meters, and a long range, the hummingbird does not match its name at all, but is like a goshawk soaring in the sky, even if it encounters its own bumblebee, there is no need to worry too much about safety.

Outside the window, the white clouds floated like cotton wool, one by one, one by one, making people feel as if they had touched heaven, but for the Sparrow 6 crew, they did not believe in heaven and were willing to call this place the top of the clouds.

It belongs to the top of the nine clouds of all Chinese.

The two reconnaissance lookouts in the back seat held binoculars, and did not forget to joke with each other when they carefully observed the sea, the unique ultra-long endurance also means a long period of fatigue flight, sometimes even flying for six or seven hours in a row, fortunately there are 4 crew members in the plane, and it is not too lonely.

"Third child, you said that in the future, we will die, is it the lower eighteenth floor of the Yama Palace? Or do you come to this kind of place as the foreigners say? ”

", do you want the emperor to live in this place? Let me tell you, it has to be above the nine heavens, and then we will become the stars in the sky, shining every day, so that Yang Yuan has to look up when he goes to heaven, this is fucking delicious! ”

"That's a good point, let their next generation get crooked neck disease if they are reincarnated."

"Haha."

Xue Wei listened to the words of the co-pilot and the two crew mates behind him, and he also smiled at the corner of his mouth, but thinking about it, if the heaven in the white man's mouth is really like this, I'm afraid it is really boring, because he watches it every day, so it is better to go to the Yama Palace, at least he can be familiar with the king of Hades.

After keeping a high altitude close to the clouds, Xue Wei looked at his watch, and the smile on the corner of his mouth gradually faded over time, not only because the visibility at sea would drop in more than two hours, but also because the amount of fuel was already running out, if he couldn't find the warships that said on the telegram that they had lost their targets, it would be in vain today.

According to a telegram from Task Force 3, the repeated division of forces by the Australian Grand Fleet last night left the submarine and several tracking reconnaissance ships too late to follow up, and by the morning it was found that 15 ships were out of sight, including eight of the most important capital battleships.

In order to find these guys, the Sparrow 6 was scattered into this area of sea along with 7 other partners who took off from the Raider training mothership, but it is not easy to find a sailing fleet on the sea, and the command can only roughly calculate an area based on the speed of the opponent last night, but it is also a vast sea area of millions of square kilometers.

As the Empire's three early training motherships, the Raider and its two sister ships played a major role in the defense of the Empire at the beginning of the war, but because it was refitted, it was no longer needed to take on front-line combat missions when the motherships continued to join the Navy.

Originally, it stayed in China as a training mothership with its companions, but because the empire lacked a base in this area, it was not until it recently took Port Vila, but Port Vila was far away and could not cover the entire Dongao and Sealand, so 3 training motherships began to be sent to this sea area, and the Sparrow 6 was also deployed here with the mothership as a supplement to the naval reconnaissance force.

To tell the truth, there is no more suitable reconnaissance force than training motherships, they themselves have a speed of about 25 knots, and the range is also 4,000 nautical miles, with Port Vila as a base, it can basically cover the entire waters of Dongao and Zealand, and ordinary warships can't catch up at all, plus when carrying out reconnaissance missions, they can carry 8 hummingbird long-range water reconnaissance aircraft, 6 Hornets and 6 Dragontooth torpedo attack aircraft, even if they encounter a small warship with speed, it is enough to escape by their own strength.

However, this also brought trouble, because the aircraft carrier is too small, only two destroyers to escort it, and the target at sea is small, so when encountering poor visibility, it is easy to get lost in long-distance flights with radio navigation alone.

Two engines hummed overhead, and the propellers broke through the clouds, creating a pale white ribbon of clouds behind the fuselage, all of which of course could only be seen from the mirror.

"Captain, isn't it. (Full text reading, all in. (.i. Want. Wen. "After reading the watch, the co-pilot also began to worry about fuel.

"I know, search for another 30 minutes, and if you haven't found it yet, I'll go back."

"Okay." The co-pilot turned his head and said with a smile: "Third brother, you have to keep your eyes open this time, don't miss that cruiser like last time." ”

"Vice team, don't worry, I've been drinking half a bottle of cod liver oil every day these days, and my eyes are so good!"

After the lookout, nicknamed the third child, finished speaking, the co-pilot suddenly opened his mouth wide, slapped his forehead, and wailed: "Half a bottle? You're fucking ruined! ”

Xue Wei also laughed, cod liver oil is a high-end product, and the army is also a quota supply, pilots like him have a small bottle a month, so it is just a few drops a day, this guy is good, half a bottle a day! It's a luxury.

"No, third child, you're just like us, just a small bottle every month, could it be that Doctor Yang is your relative?" Another crew member was surprised: "I haven't heard of it." ”

The third child scratched his head, and after a while, he smirked and said: "Actually, I didn't drink what I sent before, I thought I would take it home to our sister, she is now in college and needs nutrition, I didn't expect last time, hehe." ”

Xue Wei knew that when attacking the Hebrides last time, the third missed a cruiser, and was almost rushed to the landing site, but fortunately, the submarine on the sea found it and notified him to catch up, although the weather was very bad that day and he could not be blamed, and the above did not hold him responsible, but he just felt that he didn't see clearly, and he had a pimple in his heart, so he saved it for more than a year, and drank it with cod liver oil to protect everyone's eyes.

"Third child, where do I still have a few bottles, you can take them back and call them for your sister in a while."

"I have it too, anyway, I can't get used to this taste, I heard that this thing is good for the eyes, and now that there is a war, it is difficult to buy it in China, so you can bring it back with you."

"Hehe, no, no."

"You're welcome, it's not for you, it's for our sister, she goes to college to study for eyes, just in need, if you feel sorry to go, or wait for your sister to graduate, introduce me to me?!"

"Captain, can you open the hatch?"

"Haha."

In the light laughter, Xue Wei looked at his watch again, and just as he was about to return to the flight, the third child behind him, who was even holding a telescope when he was talking, suddenly shouted: "Captain, three o'clock, 2 biplanes!" ”

Xue Wei hurriedly looked, only to see two black dots in the distance rapidly approaching, and hurriedly shouted: "Everyone sit down, third, determine the type of plane." ”

"Like a camel, no, it must be a camel! Captain, they found us. ”

"Don't worry, they can't catch up with us." Almost at the same time as the third child confirmed, Xue Wei knew that he had encountered a warship, because only the Camel F2 naval type that Britain and the United States had just equipped could come here, so he immediately shouted: "The plane is handed over to me, everyone pay attention to searching the sea surface, this time you have to look carefully." With that, he immediately flicked the pole and rushed head-on to the two camels.

The speed of the Camel F2 Navy biplane is only 200 kilometers per hour, but the hummingbird can be as high as 400 kilometers at full speed, so when it approached, Xue Wei immediately deflected the fuselage, and before the two camels could intercept it, they had already rushed over and flew behind them.

As if knowing that this would be the result, the two camels chased after their butts despite their speed, and after flying for 15 minutes, the black plume of smoke that suddenly jumped out of the sea level made the third child suddenly excited.

"Captain, over there."

Following the third child's fingers, Xue Wei also saw the smoke column, so he began to descend in height without saying anything.

A moment later, a fleet appeared in front of everyone, and the third saw that several camel F2s were taking off from a mothership and rushing towards them, and the other warships next to them were also facing the enemy, and the machine guns and cannons began to rotate.

"Illinois, I saw 2 old Illinois class."

"Neptune, it's the British Neptune!"

"Confirm, 3 American Omaha-class light cruisers."

"Confirm."

"Be careful, five o'clock, 3 camels!"

"Da-da-da-da."

"Hold on, hold on, I'm going to get rid of them at an accelerated pace."

"Captain, the number is wrong, how can you not see how many ships?"

"Then I'll fly low and circle a few more times."

"Be careful, 11 o'clock, cruiser rapid-fire guns."

"I know, my eyes are wide, I must count them, à your grandma, hit me! Contact the mothership, reported, found part of the lost fleet, is being counted in detail, location, 850 km east of Norfolk Island, south latitude. ”

"Call, Sparrow 6 call, hear please answer, hear please answer!"

"Roger, Bird's Nest receive."

"Captain, they're starting to turn the rudder, in the southwest direction."

"Sparrow 6 report, location."

"Old Xiao, the reconnaissance plane found that it was 850 kilometers east of Norfolk Island, about 270 nautical miles away from us, and when it was found, it was heading north, and it seemed that it was going to the Fiji Islands, but it has now turned northeast."

Holding the telegram he had just received, Li Ding walked to Xiao Tianzhi's side, the two have been old partners for many years, since he, the former deputy captain of Beiyang Dingyuan, arrived in Ryukyu, the two have been working together, so they are very familiar with Xiao Tianzhi's temper, and after pointing out the approximate location, he immediately continued in a deep voice: "According to the preliminary investigation, there are only 1 Neptune and 2 old Illinois-class, and no Delaware and Bellerophon have been found, and I have checked all the ships currently under surveillance, and there are 4 cruisers and all 5 class destroyers missing. ”

"Oh?!" Xiao Tianzhi's eyes suddenly exploded with a cold light: "Confirmed? ”

"Sure, the pilot is sure they're not in the formation!" Li Ding pointed his finger around the chart and said: "Judging by the speed, these five main battleships should still be within this 160-nautical-mile circle, and I have ordered the reconnaissance plane to expand the search, but there is no time." ”

Xiao Tianzhi understood what he meant, it was 3 o'clock in the afternoon, which meant that it was impossible to find the five battleships that disappeared before evening.

If it happens overnight, the search difficulty will be dozens of times greater than it is now, and all the hummingbirds that can be mobilized by yourself are only more than 20, and it is impossible to search such a large area, so now you must immediately determine the search direction.

But the premise of this is that it is necessary to know where Claxton's target is, whether it is Noumea or somewhere else, and it is now almost certain that these 5 capital ships are the real killer moves he throws.

"The battleship formation is currently on Raoul Island, 120 nautical miles away from a nearby enemy fleet, why don't you let them go out and fight first and force Claxton out?" Li Ding suggested.

Tianzhiyi waved his hand and vetoed the suggestion, Claxton used the division of troops to confuse his vision, and used the old battleship as bait, he also clearly used 2 motherships to scare people, if the battleships were to intercept them, not to mention how troublesome it would be to deal with so many fleets scattered within hundreds of nautical miles, and if they were scared to scatter and run away, especially the "disappeared" capital ships also fled together, it would be troublesome to chase them again.

So now it's not about catching up with them and fighting wildly, but about determining their target!

Thinking of this, Xiao Tianzhi immediately looked at Li Ding and asked, "Guess what, are they supporting Numea, or are they preparing to leave?" ”

"The attack on Noumea may be very large, although 5 battleships can do something, but the British and Americans are now afraid of our planes, and I asked the second task force, two regiments of the Marine Corps have already landed in Port Noumea, so even if they succeed, they will not gain much, and it is very likely that they will be entangled by us."

Li Ding thought for a moment and continued: "Judging from the course, they are facing the Fiji Islands, so I tend to let them leave. ”

"Really?"

Xiao Tianzhi lay on the table, quietly looking at the chart, his eyes slowly resting on Port Vila, 570 nautical miles north of Noumea, which is now the Empire's temporary base at the far end of the southwest Pacific Ocean and the base camp for attacking Noumea.

But if you want to go beyond Noumea and go deep into Port Vila, is this guy too bold? It's not at all like his previous cautious, almost conservative style!

Is Claxton really that bold?

And even if he can shell Port Vila, what about after that? Do you want to follow the Hebrides all the way back to the west coast of the United States? Or go straight to the Solomon Islands to Rabaul and Bactria ?

Just kidding!

Not to mention how many warships are waiting for him along the way, even if he is lucky to the sky, the endurance of 5 battleships is not enough.

Therefore, they will definitely have to turn back after the attack and join up with the main fleet that is currently scattered, because it is impossible for them to complete the endurance to cross South America or Africa without supplies.

From this point of view, Claxton had no intention of escaping at all, so the Indian Grand Fleet did not cooperate in the operation, but since he did not escape, where was he going to go when he came out?

Xiao Tianzhi looked for it, there are not many places in the southwest Pacific for such a large fleet to anchor, or simply only one!

Sealand!

"Claxton is going to Sealand!"

"To Sealand?"

"Yes, you see, Sydney Harbour with Australia in the back is a good environment, but there is only one entrance to the sea, and if it continues to anchor there, it will be a dead one, which Claxton must know.

He must have known our purpose, so he dropped anchor and left, knowing that as long as his fleet was in one day, we would not dare to land in Eastern Australia wholeheartedly.

So he took a step back.

This is a crucial step!

From the perspective of the environment, Sealand is a large island, and there is no shortage of food and resources, and it is much more difficult to blockade than a small island like Noumea, which can be moved on all sides, which is equivalent to increasing the range of fleet activities, which can be attacked, retreated, defended, and even hid in the French Polynesian islands if necessary. ”

"But let him retreat, why did he come to Noumea? Looking at the way you just looked, could it be that you still suspect that he is going to Port Vila? Li Ding was puzzled.

"This is also what I thought was strange before, but now that I think about it, he has to fight, if he doesn't send a fleet to make a show, the Noumea defenders will lose confidence, or it will be ours in half a month, so he must come, not only to give the Noumea defenders confidence, but also to the Australian garrison, otherwise he patted his ass and ran away, leaving all the east coast of Australia empty, who bears this responsibility?"

Therefore, he will feign an attack, and then retreat as an advance, telling the country that he has fought, but has not fought, so that the fleet can be withdrawn to Sealand, as long as the fleet is kept, we will not be able to land in Eastern Australia with peace of mind, we must rely on the army to gnaw from west to east, so that it is impossible to take the whole of Australia before the end of the year.

Not even in the first half of next year! This accomplishes the purpose of delaying us and buying time for the Entente. ”

After the analysis, Li Ding also gasped, and said with some surprise: "This doesn't look like Claxton's mind, is it Seymour?" ”

Xiao Tianzhi also frowned: "This is also strange to me, Claxton has always been known for being cautious, and Seymour would definitely not dare to make such a desperate plan if he escaped death, so I suspect that there is another person!" ”

"So what do we do now?"

"Now?" Xiao Tianzhi suddenly hooked the corners of his mouth, pointed his finger at a place, and said slowly: "My old Xiao has no other skills, but he is more patient, hehe, so we won't go back to Port Vila, nor will we go to Fiji, just wait for him here!" ”

"Wait here?" Li Ding was stunned for a moment, but when he saw Xiao Tianzhi's fingers, a hint of joy suddenly flashed on his face, and he nodded: "I understand." ”

"Order the battleship formation to move towards the Fiji Islands at once, whether Claxton goes to Noumea or Port Vila, it must go here when you come back! Then let's surprise him here first and see how he plays tricks! ”

"Yes!"