Just as the East China Sea Fleet had launched T-shaped tactics, it was quietly floating on the sea, waiting for the enemy ships to enter the urn.
About 18 nautical miles on the sea.
The Fuso Combined Fleet and the four light cruisers of the 2nd Torpedo Squadron, which set sail from the treasure island of Kaohsiung, are ramming into the muzzle of their guns leisurely at this moment.
The main force of the 2nd Mine Squadron is composed of the Denryu and Nagara-class light cruisers, which are the Denryu, Ryuda, Isuzu, and Avukuma light cruisers respectively.
The news that Fuso's revenge fleet was completely destroyed some time ago was perfectly covered up by Fuso's senior officials.
To the people of Fuso, the imperial fleet was only attacked by land-based aircraft of the Patriotic Army.
Only two battleships, Kirishima and Settsu, were damaged. The other battleships were only slightly damaged and have all returned to the mainland and are being repaired in the shipyard.
After all, Nagato and Oulu are the spiritual totems of the Fuso people, and they cannot fall under any circumstances.
This resulted in the Fuso sailors on the ship remaining as defiant as ever.
They still naively believe that the Fuso United Fleet is still the overlord in the Asia-Pacific region.
"Attack the strong black iron, the indestructible city on the sea!"
"I sincerely ask you to defend the Kingdom of the Sun!"
"On that warship that should guard the four sides of the empire, Zhen Tie!"
…
The sailors who were busy on the deck sang "Warship March" on a whim.
They didn't realize at all that they would be singing at the bottom of the East China Sea later.
On the flagship Avukuma light cruiser, the Aunt Rising Sun flag flapped in the sea breeze.
Captain Haruo and Colonel Qiancao were sitting in the command cabin on the bridge, drinking black tea and tasting snacks.
Don’t think this scene is a bit eye-popping. After all, the Fuso Navy calls itself an “aristocratic service.” Even the red bricks of the Fuso Navy’s Etajima Naval Academy are imported from John’s Kingdom.
Therefore, in terms of food, drink, housing and transportation, the Navy has to distinguish itself from the inferior Army Red Deer every second.
Our energetic naval officers must embody the noble temperament of a British man on any occasion and at any time.
Colonel Haruo looked at the blue sea outside the porthole window, and couldn't help pointing out the window and sighing to the deputy captain, Major Yoshikasa Kishine:
"Alas, it's a pity, Mr. Ji Li, because with the rise of the Huaguo Weiguo Army, we won't be able to frequent such a vast sea territory in the future."
"Your Excellency, Captain, the scenery here is indeed good, but I always feel a little uneasy in my heart. According to domestic intelligence, the Chinese Patriot Army currently has many unknown battleships, cruisers, and destroyers. Its strength is actually Not bad..."
"Moreover, even the Revenge Fleet suffered losses at the hands of the Patriot Army. This time we received a secret signal from the base camp and returned to the mainland from Kaohsiung. Navigating in their waters with such a high-profile route is really risky!"
Major Yoshikasa is not as arrogant as Colonel Haruo. He is very opposed to returning to the mainland through the Treasure Island Strait. After all, the risk is too great.
In fact, Ji Li and the other three captains all chose to set sail from Kaohsiung, pass through Houshi, Rao Hengchun, and then Chiwei... and finally reach the safe route of the mainland.
However, this commander-in-chief is so stubborn that he just wants to take the route of Treasure Island Strait.
He said that he wanted to inspect the Penghu Islands, but he was still the captain, with the highest official position among the captains, and the commander-in-chief of the 2nd Mine Team.
Major Yoshikasa's repeated reminders made Colonel Haruo very dissatisfied and threw away the fork in his hand.
"Major, are you questioning my decision? The Patriot Army's navy has not yet grown in size. Their battleships and cruisers seem to be still in Jiaozhou Bay."
"And after we bypass the Baodao Strait, we will immediately change our course and pass through Diaoyu and Chiwei Islands without sailing into Lu Xiaojia's Yu Province waters."
"The chance of encountering a ship of the Patriot Army is very low, and even if you encounter it, so what? As a samurai of the Japanese nation, are you that brave?"
Colonel Haruo has full confidence in the strength of the 2nd Mine Squadron, especially the Avukuma light cruiser at his feet, which is the sister ship of Fuso Kingdom's latest Nagara-class cruiser.
The displacement is as high as more than 5,000 tons. The ship is equipped with 7 Type 3 140mm main guns, 2 Type 3 76mm anti-aircraft guns, and 4 Type 1 12.7mm machine guns...
As long as he doesn't encounter weird weapons like battleships, Colonel Haruo is confident to give it a try.
Upon seeing this, Major Ji Li also bowed wisely: "Hey! My subordinates are too worried. As long as we don't encounter the main naval force of the Patriot Army, there should be no big problem on this trip!"
"Jili Jun, you must have absolute confidence in the strength of our combined naval fleet and the empire. Although the Chinese Patriot Army has risen now, they are ultimately supported by the Western powers..."
As Colonel Haruo spoke, he sat down and put a piece of grilled salted fish fillet in his mouth. Then he seemed to be choked. He was speechless for a while and said, "Uh... ugh..."
Major Yoshili thought that Zhifu had been choked, so he quickly handed him the black tea and patted Zhifu on the back with one hand: "Your Excellency, Colonel, please drink the black tea and take it slow!"
"Uh-huh!"
"Uh-huh!"
Suddenly, several dragon roars pierced the air came from the sky, and Major Yoshili felt a chill down his spine.
"boom!"
"boom!"
I saw more than a dozen 406mm missiles whizzing one after another, hitting the sea hundreds of meters away from the Fuso ship. In an instant, flames burst out, and the explosion exploded out of thin air on the sea surface, exploding dozens of giant water columns tens of meters high.
During the time when Haruo and Yoshikasa were arguing, they had unknowingly sailed within 14 nautical miles of the East China Sea Fleet, which meant that the Japanese warships were within the effective range of the main guns of the two battleships Soryu and Zhuyan.
However, this distance is too far, and the four Japanese warships are still sailing.
Even with the help of MK8 fire control, MK38 shooting director, and computers, the hit rate of the battleship's main gun was still very low, and none of the shells hit the Japanese ship.
"Baga, it's an enemy attack!" Colonel Zhifu also reacted and spit out the salted fish slices stuck in his throat, "Asshole, get out of my way quickly!"
After pushing Yoshikasa away, Haruo shouted through the microphone to the observers on the triangular mast: "What are you doing? Find out the location of the enemy ship quickly!"
Major Yoshikasa quickly rushed into the cockpit with three steps and two steps at a time, sounding the combat alarm.
The remaining three Japanese warships also sounded piercing sirens one after another. Fuso sailors wearing brown and blue military uniforms continued to rush out of the ship's cabins. They rushed towards their respective combat units in a slight panic.
The observer was also frightened and said, "Hi, Captain, I will find the enemy ship that attacked me right away!"
Having said that, the observation soldiers quickly concentrated on searching the sea level with their rangefinders.
However, the Nagara-class cruiser does not have a towering illegal tower like a battleship, and the observation post on the triangular mast is not high enough to provide the best view.
Moreover, the weather in Baodao Strait at this moment was not clear, but the observers still searched for the looming hills at the end of the sea level.
"Reporting to the captain, I have found the position of the enemy ship, which is about 13 nautical miles ahead of our fleet..."
Listening to the real-time report from the microphone, Colonel Haruo looked very ugly, "Baga, our luck is so bad that we actually ran into the Patriot Army!"
During this time, the main guns of the two battleships Canglong and Zhuyan did not stop firing.
Several rounds of volleys were fired at the four Fuso ships one after another, but these Japanese soldiers seemed to be protected by the Amaterasu Japanese god, and they were able to dodge all the shells.
"Boom! Boom!"
Major Yoshili listened to the sound of the whizzing shells outside the window, and his body couldn't help but tremble. It was because he was so scared, and he quickly persuaded Jifu:
"Your Excellency, Captain, the Patriot Army has 8 ships, and there are also battleships. They have seized the opportunity again, and they seem to have implemented T-tactics."
"We only have four cruisers. We are now at an absolute disadvantage. The chance of breaking through the encirclement is very slim. It is better to take advantage of the fact that we are still far away from the Patriot Army and their shells cannot easily hit us. Captain, please give the order quickly. Change course and turn in!"
"Major Ji Li's suggestion is very good. It will not be easy for our ship to fight today. Let's bypass these arrogant Chinese people for the time being and let them look good next time..."
Colonel Haru was calm on the surface, but he was actually panicking in his heart. He did not want to die in the belly of a fish, so he quickly issued an order to the signal troops: "Inform the fleet to prepare to change course and turn towards the Penghu Islands!"
