Chapter 1 The Sudden Onset

The Japanese Fifth Fleet's Tenth Squadron was suddenly subjected to intense bombardment from the shore, throwing the previously leisurely Japanese soldiers, who had been enjoying the scenery on deck, into complete disarray.

They couldn't even remember the last time they had been attacked so fiercely. Since the start of the war last year, only during the initial battles had they faced a few bombing raids from the Nationalist air force.

Ever since Chiang Kai-shek's air force had dwindled, these Japanese naval fleets had never experienced such a violent bombardment.

Even when they had attacked Humen Fortress a few days prior, they had deliberately avoided the direct fire of the fortress guns, first sending in naval landing forces to attack from behind the fortress.

Aiba Juro had been standing on the deck of the Tenryū cruiser, smugly admiring the sea view. Suddenly, a shell struck the warship beneath his feet and exploded.

He could feel the deck trembling and groaning.

Commander Shida Wataru's orders for a counterattack were not thoroughly executed. The Japanese soldiers of the entire Tenth Squadron were completely unprepared for the sudden attack.

Only after being hit by the shells did they begin to prepare. These well-trained fighting machines could have retaliated quickly, normally.

If their cruiser hadn't been hit by the shells.

After being struck by four shells in quick succession by Lin Fan, the Tenryū cruiser was already listing noticeably.

Its misery had only just begun. Several of the rockets fired by the four rocket artillery companies exploded on the Tenryū cruiser's deck.

The entire deck was filled with flying shrapnel and shattered debris, and many Japanese soldiers were hit and collapsed.

Those Japanese soldiers who were trying to operate the cannons were also unable to stand firmly at their positions.

After continuously blasting four large holes below the waterline of the Tenryū cruiser, it was clear that the cruiser could not escape.

Lin Fan began to change targets, and he began to shell the Tatsuta cruiser.

The smaller ships that had accompanied the two cruisers on their mission were met with a new wave of attacks.

Especially the anti-aircraft guns on the shore, which had a long range and a very fast rate of fire.

The "dong, dong, dong!" of gunfire never ceased. The captain of the Tatsuta cruiser, Nakamura Daichi, watched as the incoming shells from the shore formed lines, heading towards them.

When these shells hit the smaller ships beside them, the ships exploded immediately. When they hit his cruiser, they punched hole after hole.

While ordering a counterattack, he also ordered to accelerate and leave. Amidst the explosions, he could feel the Tatsuta accelerating.

Although the Tatsuta was accelerating, many more shells landed on the deck. Captain Nakamura Daichi felt that the cruiser, which had just accelerated, was slowing down again.

Soon, a Japanese soldier reported, "Engine room is flooding!"

Captain Nakamura Daichi was furious. "Pump water and plug the leaks immediately! I don't care how much is leaking in, we must get this warship out of here!"

He knew clearly that if his cruiser didn't leave now, it would definitely sink here.

Engine operator Matsushita Daiki was also aware of this. Together with several other Japanese soldiers, he tried hard to press wooden planks and cotton blankets against the hole in the side.

Trying to reduce the amount of seawater pouring in, another group of Japanese soldiers in the engine room was busily arranging water pipes, preparing water pumps, and trying to pump out the water that had already flooded in.

Just as they were frantically plugging leaks and diverting water, the warship shook again, and a large hole broke open four or five meters away from them.

This panicked Matsushita Daiki and the other Japanese soldiers who hadn't yet plugged the first hole. Several Japanese soldiers immediately rushed towards the newly appeared hole with wooden planks.

While these Japanese soldiers were still on their way, two more large holes appeared beside them. Shrapnel and fragments of the warship struck these Japanese soldiers, followed by a surge of seawater.

The steel supporting these newly blasted holes was creaking and groaning under the pressure of the seawater, slowly deforming.

It was obvious that these holes were about to turn into a huge wound. All the Japanese soldiers in the engine room could see that this hole could no longer be repaired.

The Japanese Navy's Tenth Squadron's two main cruisers had lost power and were unable to move, and the warships had begun to list.

This caused panic among the Japanese soldiers on the cruisers, and Commander Shida Wataru began to send telegrams to Fifth Fleet Commander Shiozawa Kōichi, requesting assistance.

When Japanese Fifth Fleet Commander Shiozawa Kōichi received the telegram, he was so shocked that he immediately stood up. His subordinates had been ambushed at sea!

This was unacceptable! Commander Shiozawa Kōichi immediately ordered, "The Third Air Flotilla, take off!"

The Navy's Eighth Squadron immediately set out to rescue them. This fleet was led by three cruisers: the Kinu cruiser, the Yura cruiser, and the Naka cruiser.

The Kinu cruiser was one of the Japanese Navy's Nagara-class light cruisers.

Type production began in 1922. The ship had a standard displacement of 6,464 tons, a length of 163 meters, a width of 14 meters, and a draft of 5 meters.

The main engine had a power of 90,000 horsepower, a maximum speed of 36 knots, and the ship was equipped with seven 140mm guns, six 127mm guns, thirty-eight 25mm guns, and two 610mm torpedo tubes. The ship's crew consisted of 440 Japanese soldiers.

The Yura cruiser was also one of the Nagara-class light cruisers, with all the same configurations as the Kinu.

The Naka cruiser was one of the Japanese Navy's Sendai-class light cruisers.

Type production began in 1924. The ship had a standard displacement of 7,355 tons, a length of 163 meters, a width of 14 meters, and a draft of 5 meters. The main engine had a power of 90,000 horsepower, a maximum speed of 35 knots, and the ship was equipped with seven 140mm guns, eight 13.2mm machine guns, and eight 610mm torpedo tubes. The ship's crew consisted of 448 Japanese soldiers.

The overall strength of this squadron was somewhat stronger. After receiving the order, Eighth Squadron Commander Ōno Naoki did not dare to delay and immediately set off.

From its starting point to the location where the Tenth Squadron had been ambushed was more than 130 nautical miles, which would take four hours to travel at full speed.

According to naval combat experience, a few hours was not a long time. Not to mention that the Japanese air squadron had already taken off to reinforce them.

Although the Fifth Fleet reacted quickly and sent reinforcements quickly.

But those enduring the artillery bombardment were still the Japanese soldiers of the Tenth Squadron.

After three or four consecutive rounds of rocket bombardment, of the Tenth Squadron, which had been somewhat sizable, at this time, only a few ships were still holding on.

The sea was filled with the wreckage of warships and sailors who had jumped into the sea.

When the Japanese soldiers on the Tenryū cruiser were hit by the first wave of attacks, some of them managed to fire two shells.

After being bombarded again by intense fire, they immediately became obedient and only endured the beating without retaliating.

Commander Shida Wataru now knew that the attack was coming from the shore. His cruiser only needed to leave this area to avoid being hit.

However, his warship had now lost power and could not move at all.

Five hundred meters away from it, the Tatsuta cruiser had also lost power and was drifting with the waves.

Of the small boats that had been following them, only three were still holding on. Just as Shida Wataru was watching, another small boat was hit.

Captain Yoshimizu Akiyoshi, at the first moment of the bombardment, did not order the small boat to counterattack, but ordered it to accelerate and rush out.

This allowed his small boat to become the farthest one to escape. Not far from it, another small boat was also fleeing quickly.

These two small boats were the only two in the entire Tenth Squadron that could still move. The small boat commanded by Captain Yoshimizu Akiyoshi had already moved beyond the range of the rockets and anti-aircraft guns.

However, the Japanese soldiers on this small boat clearly did not feel safe yet, and they were still desperately accelerating, rushing wildly into the sea.

Warrant Officer Nakashiro Taiji on the small boat looked back and saw the remaining warships of the entire Tenth Squadron sinking and stopping. Only these two had escaped.

He couldn't help but say with relief, "Fortunately, Captain Yoshimizu reacted quickly and commanded properly. We started to break out at the first moment, and that's why we escaped."

A Japanese soldier beside him nervously watched the shells that were being fired at them fall far behind them. Only then did he relax a little and say, "It seems that we have run out of their artillery range."

Yes, they were now in a position that most artillery could not reach. The Special Operations Brigade's rocket artillery had a range of 13 kilometers, and the anti-aircraft guns had a shorter range of 9 kilometers.

They also had 150mm howitzers, with a range of up to 22 kilometers. However, because the howitzers had a slow loading speed and a low rate of fire, the Japanese soldiers on Yoshimizu Akiyoshi's boat thought they were safe. Nakashiro Taiji, who had just spoken, did not know that danger was approaching.

Lin Fan had now stopped operating the anti-aircraft guns. He directly operated the 150mm howitzer and fired at the small boat that clearly wanted to escape.

"Since you've come, don't even think about leaving!"

"Dong!" Now only this cannon on the entire artillery position was still firing, and the sound of the gun was loud.

A shell whistled away, and as if it had eyes, it fell toward the small boat where Yoshimizu Akiyoshi was.

All twenty-odd Japanese soldiers on the entire small boat saw a shell flying toward them, and they all screamed together.

Captain Yoshimizu Akiyoshi opened his mouth and ordered loudly, "Hard to port! Hard to port!" Although the boat was small and easy to turn around, this time he had not yet turned the bow.

"Dong!" This was the sound of the shell hitting the deck.

"Rumble!" This was the sound of the shell exploding on the deck. The fifty-odd kilogram warhead exploded on the small boat, instantly blasting the entire boat into pieces.

Nakashiro Taiji, who had just been happily celebrating his escape, was blown into a bloody mess and fell into the sea.

The small boat behind Yoshimizu Akiyoshi made a sharp turn in fright, and Captain Uehara Tomoya wanted to break through in another direction.

His was the only warship in the entire Tenth Fleet that was still escaping, and he wanted to live.

A strong desire to survive made the faces of the Japanese soldiers on the entire small boat tense and somewhat distorted. Their eyes stared fixedly at the direction of the coastline.

Afraid that another shell would fly over from the shore!

Murphy's Law: If something can go wrong, it will.

The Japanese soldiers' fears finally became reality. In the distance, another shell soared out of the sky.

"It's coming! It's coming!" All the Japanese soldiers on the entire small boat were exclaiming. They all stared intently at the shell. If their gazes could turn into lasers, they would definitely destroy the shell.

Unfortunately, there was no if in this world. Although Captain Uehara Tomoya also struggled and resisted, this shell, which fell from the sky, had already landed before his resisting action had even been transmitted to the small boat.

"Rumble!" Another loud noise, and the last small boat of the Tenth Squadron exploded in Commander Shida Wataru's sight.

His squadron now had only two immobile cruisers floating on the sea. Commander Shida Wataru was still trying hard to command the warship: "Fire, fire!"

The last two cruisers of his squadron had already tilted and could not fire at all. His orders were only to embolden himself.

Lin Fan did not stop. He operated the cannon and aimed at the Tatsuta cruiser, slowly firing another shot. This shot hit the Tatsuta below the waterline.

The sound of the explosion, "Rumble," rang out, and a huge column of water rose more than ten meters high on the sea. The already listing Tatsuta cruiser now had a much greater angle of inclination.

Those Japanese soldiers standing on the deck of the cruiser could no longer stand firmly, and they jumped into the sea one after another to escape.

The well-prepared Special Operations Brigade drove out the hidden speedboats, which puffed black smoke and rushed towards the battlefield.

Lin Fan had not thought of letting the Tenryū cruiser go either. He gave it two more shots, speeding up its capsizing process. Although the two cruisers had not yet completely sunk.

But everyone knew that, in their current condition, even if the Japanese fleet came, it could not save them from their sinking fate.

At this point, Lin Fan stopped and watched as five speedboats rushed towards the sea filled with Japanese soldiers.

These five speedboats were what the Special Operations Brigade had brought from Jurong this time, and they had been specially transported by five cars along the way.

Today was their first time participating in a battle, and the soldiers on the speedboats were also truly participating in naval combat for the first time.

In the past, they had only trained on Taihu Lake, and they clearly felt the difference when they came to the sea.

Battalion Commander Ma Yu stood at the bow of the boat and said loudly, "Charge forward and don't let go of a single Japanese soldier!" Although it was their first naval combat, the education they had received was the same as that of the Special Operations Brigade's infantry.

"Only dead Japanese soldiers are good Japanese soldiers."

As for whether these Japanese soldiers were lying on the ground or in the water, it made no difference.

Commander Shida Wataru, who was still standing on the Tenryū cruiser, had just ordered to abandon ship and let the remaining Japanese soldiers on board escape.

What disappointed him was that the Special Operations Brigade team on the shore had not even spared the lifeboats they had launched. Every time a lifeboat was launched, it would be destroyed by a shell flying over.

They didn't want a single Japanese soldier to live! Anyway, Commander Shida Wataru had no intention of living. He stood alone on the Tenryū cruiser and watched the Japanese soldiers of the Tenth Squadron who had been lucky enough to survive and jump into the sea, desperately swimming towards the shore.

The Japanese soldiers floating in the water could no longer see far away. Only Shida Wataru, standing on the Tenryū, could clearly see five speedboats rushing over quickly from the shore.

When these speedboats rushed to the Japanese soldiers floating on the sea, the sound of gunfire, "Da da da!" rang out, crisp and clear, and carried far across the sea.

The speedboat squadron was equipped with the latest type of submachine guns. All ten infantry regiments that had come from Jurong this time had been re-equipped. They were all using the latest type of submachine guns provided by Lin Fan's blueprints, which had strong firepower, a fast rate of fire, and high accuracy.

At this time, the soldiers were holding submachine guns and firing at the Japanese soldiers floating on the sea: "Pa! Pa!" This kind of shooting at a distance of ten or twenty meters made it impossible for the Japanese soldiers in the sea who had escaped the shells to escape any longer.

One Japanese soldier after another was shot and sank into the sea with the waves.

Commander Shida Wataru, standing on the deck, was screaming loudly in anger, but he was powerless. He pulled out his pistol and fired at the speedboats hundreds of meters away.

The pistol bullets that sounded "Bang! Bang!" could not reach such a long distance at all. Commander Shida Wataru just wanted to vent his anger.

But Battalion Commander Ma Yu clearly did not think so. He thought this was a potential threat and ordered the main guns on the speedboat to aim at the Japanese soldiers on the cruiser.

Commander Shida Wataru, who had long since given up on living, saw that the five speedboats on the sea were all firing at him, and he was unwilling to dodge any longer.

He just stood there waiting. If he wanted to die, of course he couldn't live. When the second round of shells landed, nothing could be found of the commander of this Japanese Navy's Tenth Squadron after the smoke cleared.

Without this troublemaker, the speedboat squadron continued to clean up the battlefield on the sea.

There were 364 Japanese soldiers on the Japanese Tenryū cruiser, and 364 Japanese soldiers on the Tatsuta cruiser, plus the Japanese soldiers on the other small boats. The entire Tenth Squadron had a total of more than 1,600 Japanese soldiers.

Many of them had already been torn apart along with the warships, but the majority of the Japanese soldiers who jumped into the sea wanted to survive, and these Japanese soldiers were scattered throughout this battlefield.

It would really take a while for the speedboat squadron to clean up the battlefield. Battalion Commander Ma clearly had some experience in this. He sent two speedboats to patrol the perimeter.

Three speedboats were cleaning up inside, firing in circles at the Japanese soldiers floating on the sea.

Battalion Commander Tokugawa Akira was the commander of the Japanese Navy's Fifth Fleet's Third Air Flotilla. After receiving the order from Commander Shiozawa Kōichi, he immediately flew his fighter plane from Guangzhou.

He flew towards the sea area where the Navy's Tenth Squadron had been attacked. He led the entire air flotilla's twelve fighter planes and twelve bombers, flew along the Pearl River to the sea, and then flew along the coastline towards the target location.

These planes had never been attacked at sea, so they were not flying very high, in order to facilitate the discovery of warships on the sea.

These planes had been flying along the coast for more than twenty minutes, but had not yet found the target. Pilot Numata Tadashi suddenly saw thick smoke rising from the sea ahead.

He excitedly reported: "Smoke is detected to the right front!"