Zhu Tian: The Fiery Years Begin with Taking Qin Huairu as a Concubine

Chapter 356 The arrow is on the string and must be fired

MacArthur's battlefield intuition told him that the Republic of Borneo was really attacking, so he abandoned those tight defensive positions and launched a direct attack.

And he also brought more than a dozen cargo ships and 50,000 mercenary troops to capture prisoners from the United States! ?

This action can no longer be described as a provocation, it is simply arrogance.

MacArthur was so angry that his lungs were about to explode! He did not reply to the telegram from the Republic of Borneo in order to avoid losing his prestige.

You may be angry, but those who come with bad intentions will not come, and those with good intentions will not come.

MacArthur quickly sent a telegram to the troops stationed in the Philippines, warning them to be careful.

Another telegram was sent to the aircraft carrier fleet in the Indian Ocean, telling them not to wait any longer and to seize the opportunity to advance and reach the designated waters to attack the fleet and cargo ships of the Republic of Borneo.

If the negotiations here had not been completed, MacArthur would have wanted to give up here immediately and lead the attack immediately.

In his imagination, the battle should be that he would lead a fleet of more than a dozen aircraft carriers and hundreds of warships to surround the enemy and attack, looking for the enemy's weak points to bombard them.

Blow up those factories and civilian facilities and send the Republic of Borneo back to the Stone Age overnight.

Then the Republic of Borneo took advantage of the terrain and waged a protracted war in the rainforest.

After the United States achieved its battle objectives, in order to reduce casualties, it was better not to enter the rainforest and just let them go.

Finally, everyone sat down to negotiate, divided the territory according to mountains and rivers, and then stirred up ethnic differences, and under the banner of freedom and democracy, divided this place into ten or eight countries!
Just like what has been done before in many places, this beautiful country has rich experience.

Great Britain and Eastern Europe are also very skilled because everyone is playing with these things.

Get some public intellectuals, get some cultural people to promote love and beauty, get some little princes to tell stories of revenge.

It saves money and trouble to watch them bite each other!

………………

Diole Adams, a two-star general of the United States stationed in the Philippines, almost dropped his jaw when he saw the warning telegram.

The Republic of Borneo only has a dual-carrier fleet of a few junky ships, and it also has a dozen freighters, yet it dares to come and seek death! ?
The current Philippine bases are no longer dispensable as before. Having suffered losses at the hands of the Japanese, they were all rebuilt after World War II due to strategic needs.

With the expansion of the airport and the addition of ships, it has become an important military base.

He suppressed his anger and gave an order. Three of the most advanced submarines began to load torpedoes and leave the port in a menacing manner, ready to find and meet the enemy.

Diole Adams himself boarded the Lexington-class aircraft carrier and wanted to destroy the enemy personally.

The two aircraft carrier fleets in the base also began to get ready, carrying more than 70 fighter jets, loaded with torpedoes and bombs, and headed for the appropriate sea area to meet the enemy.

Two destroyers, two cruisers, two battleships, and two supply ships followed.

He didn't even bring the rocket attack boat, which is similar to the Kashaqiu tank. It's okay for attacking fixed positions, but it's wishful thinking to think it can attack moving targets on the sea.

There are more than enough of these ships, more than enough to use them all.

The United States' aircraft carrier fleet has a cruising speed of 22 knots and a maximum speed of 33 knots.

Those shabby little aircraft carriers in the Britannia have a maximum speed of only 22 knots. Once they are caught by Diole Adams, they can’t escape!
Several reconnaissance planes roared into the sky, looking for any trace of the enemy.

Twenty of the B29 strategic bombers at the base airport received the mission and began to carry heavy armor-piercing bombs and stand by, ready to bomb the enemy's aircraft carrier fleet at any time.

They are all waiting for the reconnaissance results of the aircraft so that they can destroy the enemy in one fell swoop.

It’s not that General Diole Adams has no more planes and ships, there are so many of them in the base, but he can’t find the personnel to operate them.

We can only treat them as backup supplies and use them when necessary.

MacArthur, who was negotiating far away at the 38th parallel, could not find any fault with his subordinates' tactical arrangements in the telegram.

It was already cautious enough not to go knocking on the door rashly!
In the eyes of the United States, just a few destroyers are enough to defeat the old fleets in Borneo. This luxurious configuration is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

If they were to attack the Republic of Borneo, they would still be a little worried about the lethality of the artillery. In a head-on battle at sea, they would not take the Republic of Borneo seriously at all.

.....................

The three submarines that set out first from the United States have decided to take the lead in this battle and end this child's play war.

They knew that the Republic of Borneo did not even have anti-submarine fighters, let alone basic destroyers to deal with submarines, so they prepared to rush over and use a few sonar torpedoes to eliminate the Borneo fleet.

The United States submarine is already equipped with an eight-kilometer attack range. This is an upgraded version of the sonar MK14 torpedo. It has been equipped for so long, but there has been no chance to use it.

The weapon is propelled by a propeller. After moving five kilometers, it activates the sonar system and navigates to the place with the loudest noise.

It is their secret weapon improved after World War II and also the killer weapon of submarines.

Three daring and careful submarines passed through the waters of Sulawesi Island and ambushed on both sides of the strait, engaging in the strait blockade warfare they were most familiar with.

They had a great idea because this was the shortest route from the port of Jakarta.

They are the most advanced submarines available today, able to surface and attack at any time from a distance of eight kilometers, leaving the enemy with no way out.

As long as they surface for three minutes, they can fire all the eight MK14 torpedoes they carry. With three submarines firing twenty-four torpedoes, the enemy's guns may not even be able to aim and the battle will be over.

The fighting power is so awesome!
...............

The aircraft carrier fleet of the Republic of Borneo was very slow, mainly because of those battleships, which were really running too slowly.

The maximum speed was only about 11 knots, and the cruising speed was only knots. After a whole day, it still hadn't reached Sulawesi Island.

It was almost dawn before we arrived near the strait.

In the dark night, three submarines were anchored on the water surface in preparation for an ambush. The current submarines had no underwater attack capability at all.

Even if a submarine encounters a hostile submarine on the seabed, it is really a case of the brave prevailing in a narrow road. The only way they can do is to engage in hand-to-hand combat and try to force the other side out of the water.

A submarine with a silent engine while quietly waiting for prey on the surface is both the safest and the most dangerous submarine.

The submarines of the United States had no idea whether they were alive or dead. The radar stations on these islands had already discovered them and contacted the fleet.

We didn't fire because we were afraid they would dive and run away, so we didn't attack them.

The fleet led by Wang Yongfu had received the news long ago.

By the time the enemy appeared on the radar, they were still more than 30 kilometers away from their submarine and outside the detection range of the American ship's radar.

Wang Yongfu gave an order and several anti-ship missiles flew over.

The American soldiers on several submarines were still discussing entertainment activities lively when, in the pre-dawn sky, several anti-ship missiles accurately hit the sides of their ships.

There were several loud explosions, but the thin-skinned submarine did not react at all, its engine did not even start working, and it sank directly after a series of explosions, losing contact with their aircraft carrier fleet.

With the development of technology, the battlefield has become more cruel and ruthless. If you are technologically weaker than others, you don’t even know where the enemy is.

If you want to fight to the death, you must first find the enemy.

It took the United States' aircraft carrier fleet more than ten minutes to react. The submarine team's thirty-minute radio communication was interrupted.

Three submarines lost contact all of a sudden, and not a single one sent any message.

Although I don't know why I didn't have time to call for help and I'm very confused, I guess the enemy took the shortest route and came from Sulawesi Island.

The United States' aircraft carrier fleet began to leave the port, formed a battle formation near the base, and headed for Sulawesi Island.

The reconnaissance planes of the aircraft carrier fleet rushed into the sky and roared towards Wang Yongfu and his men, casting a net, trying to find the Borneo fleet among those islands.

However, Wang Yongfu's fleet was too slow, so An Yaqing suggested waiting for an opportunity near the strait. Because their battle mode no longer required eyes, preparing for a night battle would bring out their advantages.

Xie Hong also suggested, "Captain Wang! At night, we have the advantage of radar technology. With the attack range, it is not too late to fight a guerrilla war."

"There are many reefs in this sea area. I heard from Senior Zhang that the enemy may still be at the stage of requiring nautical charts and may not have the ability to fight at night in complex environments."

There are so many enemy fighters and bombers that it is a bit risky to attack them all at once during the day, and we cannot launch enough missiles.

Wang Yongfu thought about it and adopted their suggestions, using their strengths to defeat their weaknesses.

Operating at night can indeed give you a great advantage, as half of the enemy's fighter planes will be blinded, preventing them from rushing in in a swarm.

The double aircraft carrier fleet of the Republic of Borneo stopped at the mouth of the strait, found a bay, and began to repair and stand by.

The United States' Lexington-class dual-carrier fleet marched forward at a distance of more than 30 nautical miles and began a dragnet-style search.

Reconnaissance planes are roaring everywhere, and this reconnaissance work is a bit ridiculous now.

Several reconnaissance planes were shot down by missiles when they approached the area of ​​the Republic of Borneo, and they didn't know what shot them down!

These planes were also scared and stayed far away from the land. Now everything depended on the eyes and binoculars of the pilots and observers, and they did not dare to approach the land for fear of being shot down.

At dusk, the aircraft carrier fleet hiding in the Sulawesi Strait set off and headed towards the Medan base.

The United States' aircraft carrier fleet was also searching for targets. Several reconnaissance planes had just discovered the Republic of Borneo's aircraft carrier fleet, and the weather was beginning to get dark.

The reconnaissance plane was shot down directly by the missiles launched by Wang Yongfu and his men. Only one plane that was a little further away reported by radio that there was enemy military intelligence in the northwest direction.

However, we do not know the exact location of the enemy, and can only roughly judge that we encountered the enemy based on the place where the accident happened.

There is no way. Today's airplanes fly too slowly, with a maximum speed of only 600 kilometers per hour. There is no radar or positioning system on the airplane. It all depends on the pilot's personal experience and the co-pilot's telescope, sextant, and compass.

The radio is the life of the plane, and it all depends on the command. Otherwise, the pilot himself won’t know where the plane is flying!

For a missile with a speed of Mach 1.5, an airplane without radar has no idea where the attack is coming from!
These reconnaissance planes only have a speed of about 500 kilometers per hour and a flight altitude of 2,000 meters. The assistants need to use telescopes to observe the enemy situation, take pictures with cameras, and check the sextant to determine and calculate their own position.

The deputy also has to take a map and mark his route on it, otherwise he really won’t be able to go back.

When the missiles came, we really didn't know anything!
………………

On the sea in the night, a series of reconnaissance planes were shot down, and the United States' aircraft carrier fleet became anxious.

According to their thinking, based on the distance at which the enemy shot down the reconnaissance plane, the enemy was less than one hundred or two hundred nautical miles away.

The sea area near Palawan Island is only so big and there are so many islands, which means that a fight could break out at any time.

In order to prevent small torpedo boats from launching sneak attacks on the thin-skinned aircraft carrier, several cruisers and destroyers began to fire flares continuously, heading towards the northwest direction reported by the aircraft, and firing colorful positioning calibration paintballs.

It is not only to calibrate the artillery distance, but also to remind one's own troops.

Their artillery had rich experience in naval warfare and performed in a proper manner, searching and preparing at the same time, and the paintball was fired in an orderly manner.

The light from the flares illuminated the area as bright as day, and colorful streams of water exploded in the surrounding sea.

The observers climbed up to the high observation tower and searched for the enemy with night vision goggles.

Inside the command room, the calculators were sitting on a large table, busy analyzing distances and wind speeds with nautical charts, and summarizing the information from observers...

This is an aircraft carrier fleet with rich combat experience, which is not comparable to the unconventional ones like Wang Yongfu and his team.

General Diole Adams thought for a while and ordered ten fighter planes to take off at night in the hope of finding the enemy.

The carrier-based aircraft on the aircraft carrier, pilots in groups of two climbed onto the planes in silence, and the fighter planes began to take off one after another, and immediately there was a formation of five ace fighters, searching for the enemy fleet along the entire edge of their own fleet.

After the search failed, five fighter jets flew towards the northwest where the reconnaissance plane was shot down.

Then another five fighters took off and began to move behind the fighters in front, firing flares from the front and back.

The fleet below also helped to fire flares and provide guidance for the fighter jets.

Everything was orderly and well-trained. The colorful water columns and flares made the entire sea surface magnificent.

However, there was already a bad premonition within the entire aircraft carrier fleet.

Now is different from the future. Once a night fighter takes off, it basically means death or disappearance, and there are very few cases of successful return.

Real carrier-based aircraft do not land casually like in the movies. Flying out during the day is very risky and requires a professional adjutant to calculate the route and record the way home.

Even when returning like that, they often couldn't find the aircraft carrier, let alone at night! ?

According to landing safety regulations, the carrier-based fighters will discard all ammunition and auxiliary fuel tanks on the aircraft before landing.

You should know that today's carrier-based fighter jets are different from future aircraft. They are basically equipped with giant torpedoes and high-explosive armor-piercing shells.

These things are extremely dangerous. You can only return by rushing to the right enemy ship and dropping them, or by finding a safe place to drop the explosives.

but!

War is cruel. It is not enough if you do a good job in basic work or if your water column is beautiful.

Ten minutes later, news came that five more planes were shot down.

Then another five fighters lost contact, and the only thing the carrier fleet could hear was screams from the radio, and they didn’t even know where the enemy was! ?

Those ace pilots got their lunch boxes, and they didn’t even know what attack methods the enemy used! ?

Everyone in the command room of the aircraft carrier fleet was now in a state of panic. The enemy actually had a method that they didn't know about, which was to completely control the air superiority at night! ?
Thinking about the air defense capabilities of the Republic of Borneo during the day, the reconnaissance plane couldn’t even fly in, and I don’t know what shot it down.

Now it seems that it is definitely not an ordinary anti-aircraft gun. That anti-aircraft gun is not so powerful that it is impossible for the pilot to be unable to send back messages.

Those submarines did not lose contact due to accidents, but were really sunk by the enemy. The atmosphere in the command room became solemn.

We have lost air superiority too! ?

Inside the command room, everyone had an uneasy look on their face.

This at least shows that the enemy's torpedo technology and air superiority are much better than ours.

The arrow is on the string and must be fired!
There is no way out now, we must find the enemy.

The only good news was that there were no fighter jets in the Republic of Borneo, and he didn't believe that the enemy could withstand his full-strength attack.

General Diole Adams immediately came up with the dumbest solution, which was to find the enemy first and then destroy them all at once.

Looking at the officers, he ordered:
"I order: two cruisers and two destroyers to depart northwest immediately. The next group of ten fighters should be ready. Do not move forward rashly. Cover the cruisers' actions!"

"The main purpose is to search for the enemy, and the rest of the troops will continue to follow up!"

The air became heavy for a moment, and then the response from his subordinates was heard. The general's order was in line with the rules.

Although it is a bit radical, it is the best solution in this complex environment.

Everything depends on finding the enemy's aircraft carrier fleet first before we can make the next plan.

Two high-speed cruisers and two destroyers of the United States broke away from the aircraft carrier fleet and moved quickly to the northwest. They were fast and advanced in front to lure the enemy.

There is no way now. Their actions are equivalent to using themselves as bait.

But! This is their mission.

If we can only take the beating without being able to fight back, and we don't even know where the enemy is, once the news gets out, the entire aircraft carrier fleet will collapse.

(End of this chapter)