"How many are you out?"

In the gently undulating waves of Colombo Harbor, a shirtless man was staring at the British warships leaving the harbor in the darkness through a specially constructed telescope called a periscope, while wiping the sweat from his forehead with a towel.

This is not a human work to hide in a submarine and spy on enemy ports, especially those located in the tropics. The inside of the submarine was stuffy and hot, and the stuffy can-like submarine was stuffed with dozens of rough men, and after a long time, the cabin was full of the mixed smell of engine oil, diesel and stinky sweat. And recently the British also knew that the Ming Navy had ships that could sneak underwater! Therefore, they also came up with some anti-submarine methods, including "looking" and "exploding".

The so-called lookout is to let the lookout look underwater or on the surface of the water from the lookout post of the ship or the airship flying at low altitude - the submarine of this era cannot dive for a long time, because the diesel engine cannot be used when diving, and the propeller can only be driven by the battery, not to mention the slow speed, the power in the battery is limited, so the time that can support the submarine diving is also very short. Normally, submarines only dive for a while when they are close to enemy ships or enemy ports, and most of the time, especially when they are on the road, they usually float. And when floating, it is easy to be spotted by airships! Even if the submarine is in a state of submersion, as long as it is not a big night, the lookout can still roughly judge the position of the submarine by the periscope, snorkel and the tracks left on the sea surface by the launched steam gas torpedo. Sometimes, if the water is particularly clear and the submarine is not deep enough, the lookout even sees the submarine in the water by returning the water.

And after seeing the submarine, of course, it is to drop a bomb into the water! The reason why a bomb explodes underwater and crushes through the hull of a submarine can still be quickly thought of by the British with their intelligence, after all, it is the same reason as a torpedo breaking through the thick hull of a battleship.

So the British quickly figured out how to drop bombs into the sea, and they also equipped the bombs with water pressure fuses and trigger fuses that could explode when a certain water pressure reached or when it touched the hull of the boat in front.

In recent months, a number of submarines have been reported to have been bombed, and five others have gone missing. Therefore, the Daming Navy Submarine Command issued an order not long ago, requiring all submarines not to approach enemy ships during the day, and all active attacks can only be launched at night! At the same time, submarines must also be especially careful when carrying out reconnaissance and mine-laying missions and must not approach heavily guarded ports of the enemy during the day.

However, the Ming Navy's Western Fleet did not let up its surveillance of the port of Colombo, which was too important to be the last supply base for the Royal Navy's Indian Grand Fleet before it went deep into the Indian Ocean for combat missions. The Port of Colombo is about 1,000 nautical miles from Mumbai, which means that the Colombo base can give the Indian Grand Fleet an additional 1,000 nautical miles.

Moreover, since the British have been operating in Colombo for many years, the port facilities here are good, and there are also docks that can repair and maintain large ships, and the Hindustan Shipyard has also opened a branch in Colombo, which can carry out major repairs of British ships of any class in Colombo.

So, not only can the Indian Grand Fleet be resupplied in Colombo for the last time before the battle, but it can even be overhauled for the last time here...... It's up to the engineers and workers of the Hindustan shipyard to ensure that all ships are in the best condition.

Because of the importance of this port, the Western Fleet of the Ming Navy has sent submarines, airships, camouflage reconnaissance ships, and electronic signal monitoring ships to monitor this port 24 hours a day.

During the day, airships and reconnaissance boats disguised as large fishing boats operate in the sky or at sea near Colombo. At night, the submarines assigned to the Western Fleet would quietly approach, reconnoiter with periscopes, and release ten or eight mines......

"Thirty-three ships have already left, and there is still a steady stream of them behind!" Major Luo Xuan, the captain of the large ocean-going submarine B-33, who personally observed it through the periscope, blinked and said in a low voice, "***, tonight is the day when the British devil's fleet leaves port...... It's a pity that we've run out of torpedoes, otherwise we'd have been able to make a meritorious contribution tonight!"

"How can it be so simple," the first mate of the submarine, Lieutenant Luo Zenan, who has the same surname as Luo Xuan, touched his mustache and said in a Hunan official, "The circle around Colombo Port is full of mines laid by the British army, and who would dare to rush into it without an exact route map?" And every few days their minelayer will be adjusted, last month one of our camouflage reconnaissance ships was caught in a mine when approaching at night to reconnoitre, I heard that more than 30 people on it were all ...... Alas!"

"Luo Shan (Luo Zenan's number), don't sigh, fight...... There is no immortal!" Luo Xuan comforted his old fellow, and then ordered loudly, "Radio, contact the command department...... Report to them that the Grand Fleet of English Goblin is leaving the port of Colombo!"

"Yes, sir!"

With a series of radio waves emitted from the B-33, the Admiral of the Western Fleet, who was far away at Temasek Fortress, soon learned that the British Grand Fleet had finally completed its rest and replenishment, and began to attack in a big way.

When the news arrived, it was still the middle of the night, and Rear Admiral Luo Bingzhang, the chief of staff of the fleet, who was on night duty in the Admiralty Department of the Western Fleet, did not dare to slack off, and quickly hung up the phone to Admiral Li Chenghui and Admiral Li, who were sleeping with the Japanese concubine in his arms.

Half an hour later, the Admiral of the Western Fleet in the Temasek Fortress was bustling, and Admiral Li, who had arrived in a hurry, shouted loudly as soon as he walked into the combat command center: "Ru Zhai (Luo Bingzhang), where is our aircraft carrier?"

"The First Voyage Battle is near the Gretel Strait...... We are still searching for the British aircraft carrier group that left Colombo 10 days ago."

Chief of Staff Luo was talking about the First Air Force of the Western Fleet, which also has one Shuzhongwang-class, one Guangdong-class, and two Liaodong-class. Ten days ago, after learning that an aircraft carrier group of the British Navy had left Colombo, it was immediately dispatched to set up an ambush near the Andaman Sea and the Gray Strait -- Lee Chenghui and Luo Bingzhang had a very novel idea, wanting to fight a decisive battle between aircraft carriers.

It's a pity that although their ideas are good, they have been going around for ten days in the first voyage of war, and they have found nothing.

The aircraft carrier formation of the British Royal Navy, which penetrated deep into the Indian Ocean, was completely lost as if it had sunk into the sea!

Now the main force of the Royal Navy's Indian Grand Fleet has been dispatched again, but don't lose a trace again...... In that case, the people of the Western Fleet will lose their fortune!

The British Royal Navy's Indian Ocean Fleet is the opponent of the Western Ocean Fleet, and if it can't be beaten, what's the matter if they disappear right under their noses?

"Let the first air go out to the vicinity of Ceylon and search carefully!" Li Chenghui thought for a while, and then said, "Order...... All of them are out of action!"

"Military, go out now?"

"Yes!" Li Chenghui nodded, "They will definitely stare at us...... Let's make a big move, enter the Andaman Sea, and put on a posture of attacking India, and maybe we can lure them over for a decisive battle!"