afterglow

Chapter 345: Carrying the prestige of the British Empire; Speed ​​230 miles?
"Damn it! The engineer commander should be court-martialed!"

The rapidity of the Ming army's attack completely surprised Major General Ingram. He originally thought that with the help of the river blockage and the support of the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment (Battalion), it would be easy to resist the Ming army for half a month.

As a result... in half a night, the Porter Bridge was completely lost to the opponent.

The order to deploy explosives for the Pert Bridge was actually issued yesterday, but this afternoon, the division's engineer command reported that they lacked enough detonating cords and wires and were trying to find temporary alternatives.

So the grinding and whining went on till night without a solution, and no one from the division headquarters came to urge or supervise.

"Good news, Your Excellency, the Navy has agreed to support us." The military intelligence staff walked into the command headquarters with a message, "Fleet A is expected to arrive off the coast of Kuala Terengganu at 6:30, and their arrival will definitely surprise the Chinese. "

"We must retake the bridge or blast it." Ingram stared at the map with many red and blue wooden blocks and ordered: "Plan a counterattack and launch it early tomorrow morning."

British intelligence did not know that the Ming army deployed heavy tank units to the Malayan Peninsula. They mistakenly believed that the tanks of the First Attack Tank Battalion were actually Type [-] medium tanks.

In addition, they feel that it is very difficult for such a ghost place to barely support a relatively light cruise tank. A heavier tank will probably annoy their own people to death first.

Under such circumstances, the confident staff of the British-Indian 9th Infantry Division formulated a counterattack plan-to use an infantry battalion to cooperate with the Royal 3rd Tank Battalion to launch an attack with fire support from the division's artillery.

At this time, Zhou Changfeng was coordinating follow-up matters with the Ming Navy.

The navy naturally hopes that the British fleet will "arrive as promised", so in a sense, the ground troops attacking Kuala Terengganu are used as bait.

Their attack must be violent and terrifying, so as to force the British to cry out for help and increase the possibility of the British fleet risking their lives to help.

Zhou Changfeng was very dissatisfied with this - hell, to put it lightly, if he was bombarded by a battleship's cannon for a few rounds, who would he settle the score with?
However, after learning that the ground troops were making rapid progress and beating the British and Indian troops to the point of crying for their fathers and mothers, the navy did not mention the matter again and only suggested that they be prepared and pay attention to concealment.

Zhao Hanfeng marked the map and said with a casual smile: "If the British fleet dares to come, the navy and air force will definitely make them miserable. If I were the commander of the British fleet, I would definitely retreat directly through the Strait of Malacca. The Ming army would press the border and fight. You’re asking for trouble.”

"That's right, as long as their whereabouts are discovered, they will be defeated. The aviation force alone can sink at least half of the ship to the bottom of the sea." Zhou Changfeng was very sure.

"Jin Zuo, you are still as confident as ever in the aircraft. In my opinion, it is a good achievement that the air force can weaken the British fleet by three. If the speed slows down, our warships can easily catch up."

"How can any aircraft in the fleet fly fast? If the British fleet reduces its speed due to injuries, it will be sunk by a new wave of air strikes."

"After all, aviation torpedoes are much smaller and less powerful than ship-based torpedoes. Whether they can sink battleships...is doubtful."

"No more talking, let's wait and see."

At the same time, on the ocean 31 kilometers east of Kuantan...

The waning moon was high in the sky, and the sky was filled with bright stars. The waves on the sea were very light, and the sea conditions were good, but the visibility was not high because of the dim moonlight.

A slender submarine was sailing at high speed. The bow of the boat stirred up high waves, and the stern of the boat left a long track.

The Lixia [-], belonging to the Jia-Zi-Eighth Submarine Warfare Fleet, was originally patrolling dozens of kilometers south of Kuantan. They discovered the vague silhouette of a ship in the distance two and a half hours ago, but it was not until now that they were sure that they were two battleships. and an aircraft carrier.

The deputy captain stuffed the ship type identification manual into a small cabinet on the side, shook his head helplessly and said: "It's so dark in the middle of the night, I can't recognize it."

"The speed is already 24 knots..." Captain Ling Su couldn't help complaining: "I'm going, I'm really convinced. These British people run so fast, are they rushing to reincarnate?"

The maximum surface speed of the Lixia-class ocean-going submarine is 21 knots, but this British fleet is galloping towards the north at a higher speed of 24.5 knots.

The speed difference between the two sides is more than 6000 meters per hour, and Lixia A-[-] is destined to be thrown away.

The submarine responsible for completing the attack in Batavia was the Lixia A-[-]. Ling Su, who was acting captain at that time, was officially promoted to captain last year and became the commander of this ocean-going submarine.

"Inferring that the Revenge-class battleships are very slow, at least twenty knots at most, the only battleships of the Z fleet that can reach this speed are the Queen Elizabeth class and the Prestigious class." The navigator analyzed the most suitable situation.

Ling Su stared at the chart, picked up a pencil and drew a line casually, and then drew a circle, "Let's follow as much as possible. They will be bombed after daybreak. We will act according to the opportunity. If we can find a loophole... it will be wonderful." .”

"Clear." The officers and soldiers beside him nodded.

Later, Lixia Jia No. [-] sent another telegram reporting the situation:
"This ship is continuing to track the enemy fleet. The visibility is low and the model is unknown. It is only confirmed that it contains one Prestige class, one Queen class and one aircraft carrier. The coordinates are Kuantan 86 degrees and 27 kilometers. The enemy fleet is heading 335 degrees and the speed is 24 Festival."

Not long after, on the battleship Longshuo hundreds of miles away, fleet commander Dong Yunzhang, who had just fallen asleep, was woken up.

The light was too bright, and it took him a while to adjust to it while covering his eyes, and then he saw the excited look on his adjutant's face.

"Report! The submarine sent back a telegram again. It is certain that the fleet it discovered includes two large ships and an aircraft carrier!"

Dong Yunzhang, who was sleeping in his clothes, suddenly woke up. He waved and walked out of the bedroom.

The guard next to him understood and handed him a cup of strong tea that was warm enough.The latter reached out to take it without being very particular about it, and simply raised his neck and drank most of it.

In the battle room of the Longshuo, the "central nerves" of the A-[-] special agent fleet have gathered here.

Between them is a metal table in the shape of a rectangular box. The table top is made of tempered glass and there are light bulbs underneath. When charts or other papers are placed on it, it can be illuminated to increase visibility.

According to the known information, the naval staff were drawing rulers and compasses on the charts, and the pencils made a clicking sound as they crossed the paper.

"If the enemy fleet maintains its current sailing parameters, it is expected to arrive off the coast of Kuala Terengganu in three hours, two and 10 minutes, at approximately [-]:[-]."

"From now on, the fleet A10 will arrive in four and a half hours at the fastest; the main fleet will take four hours; the fleet C[-] will take two hours and [-] minutes."

Fleet C No. 17 is a lightning strike fleet, including 4 light cruisers and 12 destroyers, with an average maximum speed of 34 knots, but obviously they cannot directly touch the porcelain battleship.

Dong Yunzhang, who had a dull expression, stared at the current chart and simulated many situations in his mind.

Half a minute later, under the eager eyes of everyone, he solemnly ordered:

"My order is as follows: Fleet B-[-] will immediately prepare to carry out air strikes and dispatch as soon as the situation permits; Fleet A-[-] and Fleet B-[-] will turn to Kuala Terengganu to meet the enemy head-on; our fleet will first turn southeast for fifty nautical miles , then turn around and block the enemy's retreat."

"Each team continuously releases airships to closely follow the movements of the enemy fleet; send a report to Jiading (Saigon), requesting aviation units to carry out air strikes against the enemy fleet. The order is completed."

"As the saying goes, a lion fights a rabbit with all his strength. Two battleships and an aircraft carrier must not be underestimated, and a desperate counterattack is equally deadly. All soldiers must go all out, and those who underestimate the enemy will be severely punished!"

"Yes!" All the officers present stood up straight, clasped their fists and loudly accepted the order.The whole fleet suddenly became busy, everyone was in high spirits, and their excited hearts could not be restrained no matter what.

The naval officers and soldiers seemed to have seen the scene a few hours or half a day later - the British Empire's arrogant Royal Navy battleship was slowly sinking in flames and thick smoke!
Machine gun loaded!The cannon is loaded!
The officers and soldiers of the Ming fleet were unable to sleep due to excitement in the second half of the night, but on the other side of the British fleet, it was a different scene.

Lancelot had already applied to the Far East Command before setting off with Fleet A, and received a positive reply.

First, starting from dawn on February 2, at least three reconnaissance aircraft were dispatched every two hours to conduct reconnaissance within 27 nautical miles around the fleet’s scheduled route.

Second, throughout the day from morning to night on February 2, the Air Force should send fighter jets to provide air cover over the fleet.

Third, when the fleet is bombarding the Ming army's ground troops, the British-Indian 9th Infantry Division should fully cooperate and use colored smoke bombs and signal flares to mark targets.

At 5:52 in the morning, it was pitch black between the sky and the sea, making people feel as if they were in a closed wooden barrel.

This is the darkest time before dawn. In half an hour, the sun will rise above the horizon. By that time, Fleet A will also reach its target.

In the combat intelligence center room of the battlecruiser Renown, a pre-war meeting was being held, and the captain, Colonel Charlie, was making an impassioned speech.

"... It is the glorious tradition of the Royal Navy to fight every enemy. Our appearance will definitely frighten the Chinese."

He waved his fist and said proudly: "Maybe the Chinese are tough opponents on land, but on the sea, this is just a pond for us British!"

The speech of the captain of the Renown aroused enthusiastic responses. Everyone present was very excited, clamoring to easily break out from under the eyes of the Ming Army fleet after inflicting heavy damage to the Ming Army's ground forces.

Interestingly, the officers were relatively resistant to taking the initiative in the first two days, thinking it was too dangerous, but now, they have become excited.

On the contrary, Lieutenant General Lancelot, who was ambitious about his personal future, was originally obsessed with taking risks, but now he became uneasy and even regretful.

The Ming army has two high-speed battleships with a speed of 30 knots, while Fleet A can only reach 24 knots at most because of the Warrior and Eagle.

Even if the aircraft carrier's carrier-based aircraft can provide a wider range of advance warning, the speed difference of 6 knots is still relatively dangerous - if the reaction is slow, it is likely to be overtaken before it can retreat to Singapore.

But now the arrow is on the string and it has to be fired.

Seeing that everyone was somewhat blindly confident, the taciturn Lieutenant General Lancelot finally decided to give everyone a subtle warning.

He said seriously: "God doesn't like proud and arrogant people. Don't despise them. That will only change God's mind."

Colonel Charlie paused and replied: "But, Your Excellency, God should favor civilized society more."

The complacency and frivolity of his subordinates made the general a little annoyed. He said calmly: "Put away your sense of superiority, Colonel. In fact, in their eyes, you are also a primitive person."

Soon after, the pre-war meeting ended hastily.

Lieutenant General Lancelot's feeling of uneasiness became more and more intense, but his mood did not affect the officers and soldiers with high morale at all. They seemed to like the refreshing feeling of "hit and run, and escape in front of everyone" very much.

Previously, the news that the huge Z fleet had arrived in Singapore had long been known to the whole world. Everyone knew that this was an effort by the waning empire to deter the Ming Dynasty. However, this attempt failed, and the latter declared war when it should.

Now if we really avoid fighting and withdraw to the mainland without firing a shot, the British Empire will really be ridiculed by the world.

Fleet A now not only undertakes the military mission of defending the Far East, but also shoulders the reputation of the Royal Navy and the prestige of the British Empire.

Therefore, now I can only bite the bullet and take the risk.

In a strange atmosphere, the 11 battleships of Fleet A sailed at high speed towards their destination, which was only [-] kilometers away.

At this time, the flight decks of the Taiwei Zuoyuan and Taiwei Right aircraft carriers of the C-[-] Air Raid Fleet were brightly lit, and large reflectors illuminated the decks.

"Report to Chang Geng No. [-] that the department is in good condition."

"Wish you good luck and wait for good news."

These two large aircraft carriers, which were converted from battlecruisers and have a standard displacement of [-] tons, have released all available carrier-based aircraft on the deck.

A large wave of fighter planes formed a formation, and they rushed towards due south!

At 2:27 on February 6, the sky was overcast, the clouds were thick, and the wind was light.

The sun rises from the horizon on time, shining thousands of rays of light onto the vast ocean.For a moment, the sea surface was sparkling.

On the mizzen mast of the battleship Warrior, two air defense observation posts were looking around with their telescopes boredly.

Suddenly, one of them said "Hey", "There seems to be metal reflection in the sky over there."

"Where are they? The clouds are a bit thick today."

Immediately afterwards, the two observation posts trembled almost simultaneously - many aircraft were looming among the clouds!
"The enemy plane is attacking!!!"

"Combat alert!"

"All crew members enter combat positions!"

Fleet A did not wait for the requested air support, but instead waited for the Ming Army's carrier-based aircraft formation—11 Type 10 dive bombers and [-] Type [-] torpedo planes.

Until this time, the pilots and ground crew of the Eagle aircraft carrier were still checking the several bi-wing Sea Fighter fighters on the deck.

“大约20架单引擎飞机，5200英尺高度，航向190度。速度……速度……230迈（370㎞/h）？”

"Boom! Boom!"

Amidst the piercing sirens, the MkV 102mm anti-aircraft guns of the USS Warrior and the USS Reputation were the first to fire.

High-explosive bombs exploded among the clouds one after another, as if they were going to turn the white clouds black.

(End of this chapter)