Empire Conquest
Chapter 91 - 87: Enduring Bombardment

Chapter 91: Chapter 87: Enduring Bombardment

When the enemy planes came screaming in from the left rear, all the officers and sailors aboard the "Heng River," including Liu Xiangzhen, were startled.

Not until then did the light cruisers behind the "Heng River" and the heavy cruisers to the port side open fire.

Soon after, the High-altitude Guns on the "Heng River" roared to life as well.

However, nearly all of the High-altitude Guns were firing at the enemy aircraft in front, with only a few targeting those coming from behind.

The few planes in front were fighters!

That’s right, the Zero Fighters that dominated the "Typhoon" in the aerial combat.

These fighters all had a streamlined auxiliary fuel tank hanging from their bellies, which looked like an air bomb, causing the gunners at the High-altitude Guns to mistake them for bombers.

But where have you ever seen bombers flying so low and so fast?

Torpedo bombers usually carry out level bombing missions, and this tactic of horizontal bombing is only used against stationary targets such as ground facilities and warships docked in ports. The accuracy of horizontal bombing against high-speed warships cannot be guaranteed.

Those fighters out in front were merely drawing fire for the torpedo bombers that followed.

Additionally, they could use their machine guns to strafe the High-altitude Guns on the warships.

"Fire at the attack aircraft from behind, direct the High-altitude Guns to..."

"Careful!"

As he shouted, Zhuang Bisheng rushed to Liu Xiangzhen’s side, tackling him to the ground.

"Bang bang bang—"

Almost at the same time, barely a second late, a burst of gunfire hit the portholes in front of Liu Xiangzhen.

This was the aviation bridge, not the Command Bridge, and the ordinary glass in the portholes couldn’t stop machine gun bullets.

Fortunately, Zhuang Bisheng’s reactions were quick, otherwise, Liu Xiangzhen would have become the first Navy General to die for his country in combat during this war.

A roaring sound came from the sky, and the Zero Fighter strafing the bridge whooshed over the "Heng River."

"Commander, are you injured?"

"I am fine." Liu Xiangzhen got up and nodded in thanks to the Combat Staff Advisor. "Quickly issue an order, intercept those torpedo bombers behind."

Zhuang Bisheng didn’t waste any words, grabbing the intercom earmarked for internal communication.

In fact, when he tackled Liu Xiangzhen, he had already seen those five enemy aircraft flying in formation, their bellies nearly scraping the sea surface, speeding towards them.

Without a doubt, they were torpedo bombers, the infamous Type 97 ship attack.

Soon, the twelve High-altitude Guns located on the outer side of the portside flight deck, specifically the twelve quadruple 40mm High-altitude Guns, turned their barrels and aimed at the enemy aircraft approaching from the left rear, unloading their ammunition all at once.

The enemy planes were now less than three kilometers from the carrier, and at any moment they could drop their air torpedoes.

Without time for precise aiming, it didn’t matter if the shots missed; the shells flying past or hitting the sea near the enemy aircraft could still disrupt the pilots.

Even the best pilots would find it hard to remain calm amidst a barrage of gunfire.

Under the fear of being hit at any moment, it was easy to make mistakes, and even the simplest actions that had been mastered could go awry. For example, a slight tremble of the hand holding the control stick at the moment the torpedo was released could cause the flight path to deviate.

Any one of these factors could make the attack fail entirely.

In the blink of an eye, the two Type 97 ship attacks on the left were enveloped in a storm of fire.

After being hit by the 40mm shells, the two torpedo bombers plunged into the sea like drunk brutes, in reality, being smashed to pieces on impact.

However, the other three Type 97 ship attacks took the opportunity to close the distance to two kilometers.

The twelve High-altitude Guns didn’t have time to aim again.

Probably out of fear of being shot down, all three Type 97 ship attacks dropped their torpedoes at this point, then veered off, changing their attack course.

The alarm sounded.

"It’s not an air raid alarm, it’s a torpedo strike alert."

Almost simultaneously, the Heng River began to turn at full speed.

According to evasive tactics, the Heng River should turn to the left, that is, to point the bow toward the direction of the incoming torpedo. After all, if the bow is hit by a torpedo, the carrier can still sail, but if the stern is hit, the propulsion and steering systems would be destroyed, rendering the carrier unable to sail.

However, the enemy aircraft was approaching from the left rear.

That is, if it turned left, it would need to change course by roughly one hundred thirty degrees to face the incoming torpedo.

On the contrary, if it turned right, it would only need to adjust by fifty degrees.

No matter which direction it turned, it could not expose its broadside to the torpedo; the turn had to be completed quickly to reduce the battleship’s projection length in the direction of the torpedo attack.

This was basic strategy that any captain would understand.

The air torpedo had a short range but was not slow, while the carrier’s turning speed might not have been very fast.

The Heng River did not turn hard to port, but hard to starboard.

While turning at full speed, Liu Xiangzhen had already returned to his post, which was actually a spot made available by a combat center staff officer.

Those three 97 ship attack bombers had already flown away, with one trailing black smoke, looking like it would crash soon. As for those Zero Fighters, they had long disappeared without a trace.

On the right, the Nanjiang was firing its High-altitude Gun.

It was using 130mm high-caliber anti-aircraft fire and was firing to the northeast, evidently trying to intercept an approaching enemy aircraft.

This kind of high-caliber gun, with a barrel length forty times its diameter, was specifically designed for air defense, with an effective range of about ten kilometers.

Soon, black clouds of smoke from exploding high-altitude gun shells appeared in the distant sky.

There were some rapidly moving spots visible, but it was unclear whether they were fighters or dive bombers.

Just then, the lights on the Command Bridge went out.

What happened?

Liu Xiangzhen was stunned and grabbed onto a railing beside him.

In the blink of an eye, a great force from the floor beneath his feet threw everyone in the Command Bridge, including Liu Xiangzhen, into the air.

Were they hit by a torpedo?

After hitting the ceiling, they fell heavily back onto the floor.

Liu Xiangzhen hadn’t figured it out, and he hadn’t even heard the explosion before hitting the ceiling and passing out.

He didn’t know how long had passed, but when he woke up, he was already on the flight deck, where a medic was dressing his wounds.

Actually, it was the searing pain from treating the wounds with iodine that woke him up.

At the rear of the flight deck, near the stern, thick smoke was rising; there were many officers and soldiers near the fire point, but no one was fighting the fire.

What the hell?

The splitting headache made Liu Xiangzhen much more alert.

It was black smoke from burning rubber, deliberately created to make the enemy pilots in the air think the Heng River was in bad shape.

However, Liu Xiangzhen also noticed that the Heng River had slowed down significantly, its speed dropping to less than ten knots.

Definitely hit by a torpedo, otherwise it wouldn’t be so slow.

"Commander, it’s done."

"Thank you, go and help the others."

The medic didn’t dawdle and ran off with the first aid kit.

At that moment, Liu Xiangzhen stood up.

However, his attention was no longer on the Heng River, but on the northwest. Over there was a straight column of smoke that could be seen from more than ten kilometers away!