Empire Conquest
Chapter 75 - 71 Tiger Tiger Tiger

Chapter 75: Chapter 71 Tiger Tiger Tiger

At 8:40, Genda released his torpedoes from the Type 97 ship attack, and by 8:55, when the last Type 99 ship bomb dropped its payload, the entire operation had taken only fifteen minutes.

The harbor was already engulfed in billowing black smoke.

At the deep water pier, the twelve targeted battleships were all ablaze, with occasional smaller explosions.

Above the docks, the air was filled with smoke and dust, and several areas had erupted into fierce flames.

Had war just erupted like this?

"Colonel!"

"Send the message, our surprise attack has been a comprehensive success!"

While Genda was giving the order, the radio operator once again activated the long-wave radio to transmit three simple characters.

"Tiger, tiger, tiger!"

This was the code signaling that the surprise attack was successful, the operation had gone perfectly.

Genda didn’t delay any further and called for the last few planes that had dropped bombs to return to base.

Yet, Genda felt not the slightest bit triumphant because within the harbor, they had failed to spot the four carriers that were reported to belong to two Special Mixed Fleets.

Beside the piers, where the carriers were supposed to be docked, there were four oilers instead.

Certainly not a mistake, those were indeed oilers, and they were distinct to Liangxia’s Navy, part of their fleet.

These 30,000-ton oilers, equipped with heavy cruiser-class propulsion systems, were capable of speeds exceeding 25 knots and could accompany the fleet on operational missions. Generally, they were assigned to the Navy Commander’s direct control within the Special Mixed Fleet, their primary mission being to refuel carriers during combat.

In appearance, fleet oilers shared some similarities with carriers, such as their flat decks and considerable tonnage.

But Genda was certain he hadn’t mistaken them.

The fleet oilers had their bridges at the rear of the vessel, while the carriers had their islands on the starboard side; the decks of fleet oilers were cluttered with various equipment, while carrier flight decks were tidy.

All four fleet oilers were present, but where had the four carriers gone?

Genda didn’t dwell on it, for pondering was fruitless.

He had led the first charge, dropping torpedoes just as the dive bomber group arrived over the harbor. By the time he climbed to high altitudes, the harbor was shrouded in gunsmoke. Several anti-aircraft batteries and some battleships were already firing back in reprisal.

The situation was a bit chaotic; over a hundred fighters required coordinated command, and even if Genda had the mythical ability to multitask, he couldn’t afford the distraction.

Despite months of training specifically for a surprise attack, it was on the battlefield that Genda realized many things couldn’t be learned through exercises and rehearsals.

Imitation might achieve a façade of precision, but the essence remained elusive.

The four carriers might be somewhere else.

Even if the four carriers weren’t in Chengjiang Port, what of it?

Before Genda could report back, the second wave of planes commanded by Lieutenant Colonel You Yong had already taken off, speeding towards Chengjiang Port at 300 kilometers per hour.

Because there had been no surprises, operations proceeded exactly according to plan, so the second wave predominantly consisted of ship attacks.

In simpler terms, it was a concentrated effort to target the battleships in the harbor.

In total, there were over seventy ship attacks, three-quarters of them with air torpedoes!

It was clear that whether or not the four carriers were in the harbor, they would proceed with the second wave of bombings as planned, then make adjustments accordingly.

The nature of those adjustments would be determined by the outcome of the second wave of bombings.

Since the return flight was faster, Genda would meet up with You Yong’s planes coming from the southeast in about forty-five minutes.

At this moment, the location was approximately 500 kilometers south of Chengjiang Port, and about 200 kilometers south of Foot Island.

Inside the Command Bridge of the "Heng River," the flagship of the Second Aviation Mixed Fleet.

After breakfast, upon arriving at the Command Bridge, Liu Xiangzhen had remained standing in front of the nautical chart. Standing motionless like that, nearly two hours had already passed.

Yet, nobody was surprised.

This was Liu Xiangzhen.

When contemplating a problem, there was absolutely no idle chatter, nor were there any unnecessary movements; he seemed not so much a living person but more like a statue.

Of course, this caused quite an inconvenience for the others.

The main issue was that the Command Bridge was simply too cramped!

If one were to say, this was the worst aspect of a carrier; the internal compartments were generally a notch smaller than those of a battleship, making many areas seem incredibly cramped.

However, there was nothing that could be done about it. Both were 25,000 tons, but a battleship carried just over a thousand officers and soldiers, whereas a carrier held more than two thousand. Not to mention, the carrier also housed hangars capable of accommodating dozens of ship-borne aircraft and fuel tanks that could carry hundreds of tons of bombs and over a thousand tons of aviation gasoline.

As a result, despite having a larger hull volume, the carrier actually had tighter interior spaces.

Take the Command Bridge, for instance; on a battleship, it was definitely very spacious, able to accommodate dozens of staff, and it was possible to set up a full panoramic nautical chart table. The carrier’s Command Bridge, at most, could fit a dozen or so officers and soldiers because there wasn’t enough space, so the charts had to be hung on the wall.

To be precise, it was actually a glass partition placed at the entrance that could serve as a screen.

Such a design’s greatest advantage was that both sides could be utilized. Normally, the outside would have the sea chart, while the inside displayed the tactical diagram, achieving a clear and immediate visualization.

This was why every officer had to pass by Liu Xiangzhen when entering or exiting.

Fortunately, Liu Xiangzhen was not the type to cause trouble for his subordinates, even though he was now the commander of two aviation mixed fleets.

Yesterday afternoon, a telegram from Navy Headquarters put Liu Xiangzhen squarely in the limelight.

In fact, this was expected.

Liu Xiangdong had been promoted to Vice Admiral and was relieved from his post as commander of the Second Aviation Mixed Fleet to take up the position of Acting Commander of the Southern Fleet. Liu Xiangzhen was promoted to Navy Brigadier General, concurrently assuming the post of Acting Commander of the Second Aviation Mixed Fleet and temporarily serving as the overall combat commander of the Special Mixed Group.

In other words, the First Aviation Mixed Fleet was also under Liu Xiangzhen’s temporary command.

Subsequently, Liu Xiangdong returned to Chengjiang Port via seaplane.

However, that was of secondary importance.

The main content of the telegram was an intelligence report.

On the evening of the 23rd, a submarine from the Domestic Fleet to the south of the Nanzhu Sea, outside the San Bernardino Strait, spotted Newland Navy’s "Pensacola" and "Salt Lake City" heavy cruisers entering the strait and inferred that the two warships were preparing to return to Marra City.

Now, things got interesting.

Although the "Pensacola" and "Salt Lake City" were Newland Navy’s oldest constructed Treaty heavy cruisers, whose performance had long been outdated—otherwise, they wouldn’t have been deployed to West East Ocean to act as the main force for regional fleets—these two warships had always been a symbol of Newland’s naval presence in West East Ocean.

Strictly speaking, these two warships were the rods of colonial domination exercised by the Newland Federation over Nanzhu Country.

Crucially, these two warships had earlier been in the northern Nanzhu Sea engaging in joint exercises with the Permanent Fleet of the Saiyi Navy.

The exercises had not ended, so why were they returning?

Had the exercises already concluded?

And importantly, the two Newland warships did not take the shortest route by entering the Flame Sea through the Two-car Strait and then heading south to Marra City; instead, they took a longer route through the San Bernardino Strait. This decision surely didn’t come on a whim from the commander but must have had a significant reason, perhaps to conceal their movements.

Taking a detour to the south meant that the two heavy cruisers would burn an extra thousand tons of heavy fuel—an expense that’s not at all cheap!

So, where had the Saiyi Navy’s Permanent Fleet gone?

Were they operating in the Nanzhu Sea?

Or could it be that they had already entered the Flame Sea!?