In the northern part of the South Island, a transport ship full of soldiers docked at the dock of a fishing village. This port is very small and is usually used by some small ships. However, the transport ship itself is not big, so it can barely dock.
The springboard was lowered, and goblins carrying Cyric Type 1 rifles walked off the deck one after another. The pier was already crowded with people. They were the infantrymen of the Mirage who came for reinforcements.
After determining the landing site of the Tang Army, the Mirage troops stationed on the new island began to mobilize. They were not bombed, so the dispatch and command were also very orderly.
"This idiot Mirage Wu Zhong still needs me, Mirage Wu Erlang, to support him in the end." The commander of Mirage Army's 3rd Corps stood on the simple dock and said with a grin.
"General! The 3rd Division has come ashore, and all follow-up troops are expected to arrive tomorrow night." An officer reported the assembly of his troops to Mirage Takejiro.
Mirage Takejiro, who still didn't know the situation of the South Island war, didn't realize the seriousness of the problem. He waved his hand and casually ordered: "Then stay in place for one night, and then send reinforcements to the central part of the island after gathering tomorrow morning."
"Yes! Sir!" Seeing countless soldiers crowded together on the dock, the officer was also very confident in the combat effectiveness of his regiment.
But the confidence of another person is collapsing. Mirage Wuzhong, whose headquarters is located on the outskirts of Da Nanwan, is now as anxious as an ant on a hot pot.
He had sent a telegram to the base camp for the third time, requesting more support and hoping that the navy could appear on the battlefield as soon as possible.
The 300 Zero fighter jets that were originally expected to be able to reliably suppress the Tang Navy were now completely out of reach.
Nearly a third of them were lost in the bombing, and seventy or eighty of the remaining aircraft were shot down in constant battles. Mirage Wuzhong could no longer produce decent air power.
Although he still has about 120 Zero fighters left in his hands, as well as the Dragon-Slaying bomber force that has suffered heavy losses and has less than half left, these aircraft really no longer dare to be dispatched easily.
Mirage had finally lost 300 of the pilots it had managed to save in less than two days since the war began. Mirage Tadashi really couldn't shoulder this responsibility.
Therefore, he could only give up the air superiority in the southern part of the island and let the aviation force decide how many aircraft to dispatch to attack the enemy paratroopers in Leping and Dongshan.
Air power cannot be counted on, and the progress of ground troops is also very slow: the guard troops deployed on the beach are collapsing, but they still have to fight alone.
The reinforcements were blocked in Leping and Dongshan, and could not get close to the beach: the second and third armored units, which had high hopes, did not seem to be able to exert their due combat effectiveness against the airborne light infantry of the Tang Empire. So laborious.
There was no way to change the situation in a short time on the ground or in the air, and Mirage Wuzhong had to place all his hopes on the sea.
As long as the Mirage Army's fleet rushes into the Tang Army's landing site, the main force of the Mirage Army with 12 battleships can destroy the Tang Army's landing fleet in an instant!
Unfortunately, what annoyed Mirage Wuzhong was that the main fleet of the Mirage Navy, which was supposed to be arriving soon, actually slowed down on its own: they didn't know why, but they were unwilling to approach the landing site of the Tang Army.
The staff officer reported the news from the navy to Mirage Wutada in a state of laughter and tears: "There is a call from the base camp. The navy fleet is stagnant and is waiting for us to provide air cover. If we cannot seize air supremacy near the landing site, the navy fleet will not be able to participate in the battle."
In fact, the commander-in-chief of the naval fleet, Mirage Haifeng, received a message from Mirage Haiang. He was frightened by the attack power of the Tang Army's carrier-based aircraft: Mirage Haiang's squadron suffered heavy losses, and Mirage Haifeng was not sure whether his fleet would Also hit hard.
You must know that his fleet is the only support of the Mirage Kingdom and its capital: if his fleet has three strengths and two shortcomings, then the Mirage Kingdom's national destiny will be...
So Mirage Haifeng immediately sent a message to Mirage Haiping, the navy spokesman in the base camp, requesting the aviation force to provide effective cover support.
Only with sufficient aviation cover will the navy enter the battlefield. If not, they will have to wait until it is absolutely safe at night before entering the battlefield for a decisive battle with the Tang army.
After receiving the telegram, Navy Admiral Mirage Haiping immediately requested more aircraft cover from General Mirage Wuk, the Army spokesman in the base camp. As a result, Mirage Wuk could only ask Mirage Wuzhong to study reinforcements for the navy.
This matter went full circle and came back to Mirage Wuzhong: Mirage Wuzhong also wanted to support the navy, but he really didn't have the ability.
The aircraft and pilots in his hands have suffered heavy losses, and the remaining ones are too timid to support naval operations. He really wanted to mobilize the aviation forces from the new island and the main island to participate in the war, but conditions did not allow it.
Several airports on the island have been severely damaged. The remaining two airports that can be used can only accommodate so many planes. It is useless to bring more planes.
In other words, Mirage has fallen into an endless cycle and cannot extricate itself. Their only hope is probably to wait until nightfall, when the Tang army's planes are unable to join the battle, and then let the fleet rush into the landing site.
Of course, in addition to being unable to support aircraft, the other supporting Mirage Army still gave itself enough face: Mirage Wuzhong hoped to have reinforcements of more than two divisions, and the base camp suddenly sent the elite 3rd Army stationed on the new island. The entire corps has been mobilized.
"It's still unclear where the Tang Dynasty's plane took off, right?" Mirage Wuzhong walked back and forth in his headquarters, and his uneasiness was clearly visible to his subordinates.
"Yes, we can only rely on guessing. Some people think that the Tang Army may have a super large ship that can take off planes..." the staff officer said casually.
He didn't know that he knew the truth directly, so after he finished talking about the most logical possibility, he continued to guess: "Some people also said that the other party has an airship that can release airplanes, a very big airship."
"Some people say that the Tang Army's plane may have a huge fuel tank on it. It can take off directly from Beiyuan City... and fly to our side." The more he said, the more outrageous he said, making Mirage Wuzhong not even know what to do. What to say: "In addition... there is a rumor that a small island has surfaced recently, and the Tang Army built an airport on it..."
Such speculations are almost always baseless, and no one can tell which one is true. Such things that have no reference value at all are of no use to Mirage Wuzhong.
In fact, he really had no way to deal with the Tang Army's secret weapon that could take off planes: the navy were all bastards who dared not participate in the war, and his own subordinates in the army and air force were also a group of incompetent idiots!
"..." He didn't know what to say and finally chose to wait: apart from the performance of the two armored divisions attacking Leping and Dongshan, the only thing he could count on was a naval assault.
Either his armored division broke through the defense line of Tang paratroopers and rushed to the southern beach in the afternoon, or the naval fleet rushed into the Tang landing site after nightfall and defeated the Tang army fleet... There was no third way.
In fact, Mirage Wuzhong was not idle this morning: on the one hand, he ordered the Mirage troops stationed near Great South Bay to strengthen their defensive positions. On the other hand, he forcibly recruited people to join the army, distributed weapons, built trenches and barricades, and strived to Turn the Great South Bay into a fortress.
In addition, he also applied for the shipment of anti-aircraft guns and other weapons and equipment from the new island to strengthen the air defense on the South Island as much as possible: the new and extremely fast Tang Army bombers are really impossible to intercept with the Zero fighter. All he could count on were anti-aircraft guns.
The third thing Mirage Wuzhong is doing is to mobilize the forces that can be mobilized to repair the field airport on the island that is full of bomb craters.
The only two airports cannot support large-scale air operations, and Mirage really needs more airports to accommodate more aircraft. Because if the number of aircraft is not increased. With the existing aircraft, he really has no way to cover the navy's operations near the South Island.
It's a pity that the Mirage Army's logistical maintenance and support capabilities are really limited. They estimate that it will take at least two days to repair the two least damaged airports - Mirage Wu Zhong is really scared. Two days later, their South Island has been occupied by the Tang Army. .
There was no way. Although Mirage Wuzhong criticized the airport's maintenance speed, he could not make the maintenance speed faster.
…
"Report! Marshal! The alert destroyer heading southeast has discovered the enemy fleet!" In the bridge, an officer sent Bernard the latest intelligence.
"Just arrived at Beiyuan 061?" Bernard was stunned. He had been looking for the main fleet of the Mirage Kingdom. He even suspected that the warning destroyer missed the opponent's fleet and allowed the opponent's fleet to penetrate into him through the gap. warning zone.
But now he knows that the Mirage fleet is still outside his warning circle... It seems that the opponent has slowed down and is not heading south at the fastest speed!
"This is interesting... They are scared..." Bernard, who had never been able to completely destroy the Mirage Army Field Airport on the South Island, keenly smelled a hint of a fighter.
"They want to wait until nightfall...to neutralize the advantage of our carrier-based aircraft, and then fight us decisively!" He pressed his hand on the chart and said to the chief of staff beside him.
"It's very possible." The chief of staff nodded and agreed with Bernard's analysis.
"Then why don't we... get a big one." Bernard clenched his fist and smashed it on the map: "Anyway, whenever they come, let's surprise them with the Styx."
"I think there is no problem." The chief of staff agreed again: "Now even if the main fleet of the mirage army moves south at the fastest speed, it will not threaten us."
"Then follow plan No. 2!" Bernard ordered with determination.
——
Two updates today
(End of chapter)
