"Junmen, the Yingyi fleet seems to have retreated! Do you want to pursue it?"
When Ma Xuchen, Chief of Staff of the First Air War, reported to Zhuge Weidao the good news that the British-Yiyi fleet had begun to escape, Zhuge Weidao had just won the first aircraft carrier battle victory in human history, and also pioneered the use of aircraft carriers to launch artillery attacks and torpedo attacks. The "God of the Navy", who had an astonishing record of sinking battleships, was frowning as he watched his men fish out the plane with a crane.
This is really a stupid operation!
The SsangYong carrier-based seaplane takes off directly from the aircraft carrier, but it cannot land directly on the aircraft carrier. This is because the "experts" of the Naval Aviation Admiral's Office, the group of people promoted by Zhuge Weidao, insist that the balsa wood body of the Ssangyong aircraft cannot withstand the blocking ropes and blocking nets, and the aircraft carrier deck is too short to allow it to be used. This kind of "large aircraft" with two wings, two engines and two seats taxis and lands on it.
In the early test flights, there were many accidents in which the aircraft was damaged by blocking ropes and blocking nets, and there were also several casualties.
So there is an operating mode that takes off from the aircraft carrier, lands on the water, and then uses a crane to hoist the aircraft from the water back to the deck... The biggest problem with this mode is that it is too slow to retract the aircraft, and one has to be used one by one. The boom is raised again.
This method of recovering the aircraft is understandable from the perspective of normal safety management. Which unit can undergo training and then have an accident, either with equipment damage or casualties? Moreover, the personnel and equipment lost are all of high value!
If Zhuge Weidao were the admiral of the aviation force, he might be able to handle it, but Guan Tianpei doesn't have the backing of the Zhuge family. If he really wants to throw people and planes off every day, how can he be the admiral of the army? Not to mention being promoted to the high position of admiral of the Nanyang Fleet.
But now on the battlefield, the method of using a crane to lift an aircraft is not only inefficient, but also very dangerous. In order to avoid collision with the aircraft, when the aircraft carrier lifts the Ssangyong aircraft on the sea, it has to stop on the sea first and then use it. The dinghy towed the planes around, lifting them one by one. The entire recycling process can take an hour at a quick pace, or two or three hours at a slower pace!
It's rare to be so leisurely during a war... Even if you can be so leisurely, you will miss the opportunity to fight, just like now! The Yingyi are about to run away, but the four aircraft carriers of the Ming Dynasty have not yet completed the salvage of the aircraft! And it’s not that it’s almost or even half completed, but that it has only recovered less than 30 aircraft. It’s impossible to start action immediately. It will take at least an hour and a half to complete the salvage... With a speed of more than 20 knots, the Yingyi fleet could run 70 kilometers in one and a half hours. In addition, the Yingyi fleet was already about 20 kilometers away from the location where the Ming aircraft carrier recovered the aircraft. It’s almost outside the combat radius of Ssangyong aircraft!
If Zhuge Weidao leads an aircraft carrier formation to pursue, since the speed difference between the two formations is only about 3 knots, that is, they can only get closer to 5 kilometers per hour. If they want to get closer to 20 kilometers, they will have to chase for 4 hours. By then, it will take 4 hours. All dark. From dark to dawn, it takes at least 10 hours, plus or minus 14 hours. The British fleet can run 300 nautical miles, and they all reach their naval base in the Andaman Islands.
According to the intelligence obtained by Zhuge Weidao, the British have been operating in the Andaman Islands for many years, and have also designated the central and northern parts of the Andaman Islands as restricted areas. Therefore, the Ming Navy is not familiar with the situation there, and if it goes there rashly, it is likely to be led into a minefield...
"Give Mr. Chen an order to pursue him as far as the Great Strait." After weighing the situation, Zhuge Weidao decided not to pursue him.
Ma Xuchen breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "The military is wise, we have won enough in this battle... Not only did we sink 2 British and Yi battleships, we also sunk 6 British and Yi destroyers, and shot down Nearly a hundred British and foreign suicide planes, our own losses were only 8 Ssangyong aircraft and dozens of sailors. Not only was this battle a great victory, but it also pioneered coordinated sea and air operations. With this battle, the military was able to It’s flaunting naval history.”
Guo Xiaobao also happily came up and asked: "Junmen, shouldn't we return in triumph?"
"Returning in triumph?" Zhuge Weidao turned around and looked at Guo Xiaobao, "Where are we now? Baozhi, have you seen the purpose of our sending troops this time?"
"The purpose of sending troops?" Guo Xiaobao couldn't answer - it's not that he forgot, but he didn't know at all!
Because when the First Air War was launched, there was no clear purpose. It was to go west to the Indian Ocean and go around in circles, hit wherever it landed. If you insist on having a purpose, it is to contain and break diplomatic relations... you can say it is a maritime guerrilla!
"Liberate India!" Zhuge Weidao said with a smile, "Xiaobao, the emperor's declaration of war doesn't say anything anymore. We want to liberate all countries in India."
"Now?" Guo Xiaobao was stunned, "Isn't it a little early now?"
Ma Xuchen also said: "Yes, Military Gate, the Malay Peninsula has not yet been taken, and the Strait of Malacca has not been opened, so even if we want to take India... it is impossible!"
Zhuge Weidao shook his head: "It is not that we want to take India immediately, but we want to take advantage of the British and Indian naval forces concentrated in the Gulf of Oman and the Andaman Sea to touch Bombay, the capital of the Indian Empire. I heard that Emperor William is now The emperor is guarding the country, and he is guarding it in Bombay! If our fleet goes to Bombay to drop bombs and cannons... Can Emperor William not call his fleet back from the Gulf of Oman and the Andaman Sea? This way the Persian Gulf Wouldn’t the fleet be able to recapture Muscat, and the Malay Peninsula is even more certain of victory?”
He looked at the two people in front of him and saw that they both had surprised faces. He knew that they must be very in favor of his suggestion, so he nodded and said: "Since you don't object, then this matter has been decided. .... By the way, how long can the fleet's supplies last? Is it enough for us to go to Mumbai?"
"We have just gone out with enough supplies!" Ma Xuchen said, "We have brought a high-speed supply ship, a high-speed oil ship, a high-speed coal supply ship and a high-speed ammunition ship, which is enough for us to operate in the Indian Ocean for two or three months."
Zhuge Weidao clapped his hands and said, "That's enough... hurry up and formulate a plan for a surprise attack on Mumbai, try to complete it before the plane is recovered, and then send a telegram to the Admiral of the Nanyang Fleet."
"Yes, Junmen!"
Ma Xuchen and Guo Xiaobao looked at each other and had no choice but to give Zhuge Weidao a military salute and accept the task.
...
"Junmen, a telegram from Yihang's battle against Zhuge Junmen!"
Batan Island anchorage, battleship Hongwu Emperor. Guan Tianpei, who was standing on the back deck watching one after another of Ming Dynasty's "beggar's battleships" slowly sailing into the anchorage, heard Ge Yunfei's voice full of surprise.
He quickly retracted his gaze from the "Island" class shallow-water heavy gunship with a standard displacement of 7,000 tons, a dual 320mm 45-caliber armored turret and strong key protective armor, and looked at Ge Yunfei: "How about it? Does it have to be like this?”
"A great victory!" Ge Yunfei said with a smile, "A great victory...sinked 2 British new battleships and 6 destroyers, and shot down more than 100 British and foreign suicide planes! His own losses were slight, and he could hardly can be ignored!"
"Hahaha..." Guan Tianpei stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Zhuge Daozi is really capable! He can win such a battle... By the way, when will he return? I We have to go back to Wen Lai Hong Kong to throw a celebration banquet for him."
"Junmen," Ge Yunfei said, "Zhuge Junmen will not come back for the time being. He will pursue the victory to liberate India!"
"Ah? Liberate India? Now..." Guan Tianpei looked at Ge Yunfei, "What exactly does Zhuge Daozi want to do?"
"Junmen," Ge Yunfei sent up a copy of the telegram, "Zhuge Junmen wants to lead a naval battle to Bombay, India, to meet Emperor William of the Indian Empire!"
"Oh, so that's it!" Guan Tianpei thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay! It's time to let the First Air Battle scare Emperor William. He shouldn't always let Indians come to die. If you have the ability, you should do it yourself! "
