Volume 2: War breaks out Chapter 18: War on the Radio (Part 2)
"That is to say, our other three main fleets and the Southwest Fleet are now within the attack range of Japan's shore-based bombers and the Japanese fleet."
Tan Renhao felt a little nervous, "Can you contact the various fleets again and ask them to at least improve their combat readiness, so that the officers and soldiers don't concentrate, and even if it's an exercise, they must be prepared to fight."
Liao Hanxiang glanced at the communications staff who were busy on the other side of the cabin.
“They’ve been trying to contact other fleets, but it certainly hasn’t had much effect.
You know Pei Yuming's attitude.
Although Lieutenant General Jiang Bangguo has no grudge against us, he is a very conservative general. Without real evidence, will he trust our judgment? "
Tan Renhao could only smile bitterly. Bei Yuming had long disliked the Fifth Fleet, and Jiang Bangguo was the commander of the Second Fleet in the last war. He had a very strange temper. If it were not for his great military achievements and the fact that most of the important officers of the Second Fleet were trained by him, he would probably not have been the commander of the Second Fleet long ago.
Both men fell silent. The only sounds in the cabin were the whispers of the staff officers and the ticking sound of the radio.
Ji Xiaobin marked the location of the Japanese bomber fleet on the nautical chart, while Wu Xianyu was busy arranging staff officers to continue sending messages.
Tan Renhao was suddenly startled and realized that he was in danger.
"Chief of Staff, stop sending telegrams immediately!"
Tan Renhao had no intention of consulting General Liao Hanxiang at all. "Quick, stop immediately. Tell all the warships to stop communicating by telegraph and use flag signals instead!"
Liao Hanxiang frowned at first, but then he reacted immediately.
Wu Xianyu was also stunned, and then he understood what Tan Renhao meant.
More than a dozen staff officers immediately turned off the radio signal transmitter and adjusted the radio to receive-only mode.
"The Japanese bomber group has changed direction and is heading towards us. It will enter the fighter interception airspace in about half an hour."
There is also new news from Ji Xiaobin.
Tan Renhao gritted his teeth. He was too careless. He actually forgot about the radio positioning.
Although radio positioning can only determine the approximate location of the signal, it is enough to launch an attack.
"Immediately switch to anti-aircraft formation..."
"Lao Liao, we haven't declared war on Japan, so we can't take the initiative to intercept!"
Wu Xianyu quickly reminded Liao Hanxiang.
"Why should we care about so much now? When the Japanese bombers fly over our heads, that's when the war will begin!"
Liao Hanxiang gritted his teeth and said, "The interception distance is set at 50 kilometers. All Japanese bombers that enter this range must be shot down. They must not be allowed to reach the airspace above the fleet!"
Ji Xiaobin looked at Wu Xianyu hesitantly, and after Wu Xianyu nodded, he gave the order.
According to the regulations of the Imperial Navy, in non-war times, if the fleet encounters a sudden incident and needs to take military action, the fleet commander and the chief of staff must make a decision at the same time. This is an arrangement to prevent the fleet commander from actively provoking a war.
Ten minutes passed quickly, and the Japanese bomber group was still approaching rapidly.
All the fighter jets parked on the three aircraft carriers have taken off, and the three aircraft carriers have returned to the core of the formation.
Everyone felt so nervous that they couldn't breathe. Could it be that the Fifth Fleet would fire the first shot of the war?
Suddenly, the green signal light on a radio flashed , and the staff officer sitting next to it quickly wrote down the contents of the telegram.
He didn't even have time to repeat it before running to hand it over to Chief of Staff Wu Xianyu.
Wu Xianyu took just one look and his expression changed immediately, then he handed it to Liao Hanxiang.
"Damn it, it's finally here!"
While handing the telegram to Tan Renhao, Liao Hanxiang said, "The fleet has entered combat status. Ji Xiaobin, have the fighters take the initiative to intercept the Japanese bomber groups. The air defense range has been expanded to 150 nautical miles. The war has broken out!"
The war broke out!
The officers in the cabin were all stunned, but immediately returned to their seats. This time, they were no longer busying around.
"Renhao..."
Hao Dongjue walked carefully to Tan Renhao.
"Japan has officially declared war on the Empire!"
Tan Renhao handed the telegram to Hao Dongjue, and he suddenly felt like a stone had fallen from his heart, but he knew this was not a good thing.
The telegram was sent directly by Marshal Sagittin at the Imperial Navy Department (not the Navy Command, but the Navy Department in the imperial capital), indicating that Japan had officially declared war on the Tang Empire and the Kingdom of Korea half an hour ago.
Apart from the declaration of war, the only content of the telegram was to require all fleets to enter a state of war immediately.
However, this does not mean that the empire's major fleets can immediately enter a state of war. The Fifth Fleet is an exception, and the other fleets may take several hours to complete mobilization, and these few hours will directly determine the fate of these fleets.
Ji Xiaobin had returned to the combat command center as quickly as possible, and his post was there during the battle.
Tan Renhao hesitated for a moment, but finally stayed.
Although he was the chief of aviation operations staff, it was too late to go to the Taizu aircraft carrier now, and there was not much for him to do.
"Chief of Staff, contact other fleets immediately!"
Liao Hanxiang's hands were struggling slightly. He struck several matches, but none of them lit up.
Tan Renhao went to help Liao Hanxiang light a cigarette, he seemed very calm.
"Major, your prediction has come true, but today will be the most shameful day in the history of the Empire."
Tan Renhao did not say anything. He looked at the marine clock on the wall in front of the bridge. Today was 7:45 am on July 7, 1321 in the Imperial Tang Calendar (September 18, 1939 AD ).
Tan Renhao will never forget this time in his life. A few years later, a sculpture will be erected outside the Imperial Navy Headquarters building. On top of the sculpture is a clock. The time on the clock is always fixed at 7:45, the most shameful moment for the Imperial Navy in hundreds of years.
Radio silence was no longer of any meaning. More than a dozen communications staff officers kept sending radio signals to other fleets and naval bases, but they had not received any response.
The first message came from the combat command center.
Anti-aircraft fighters intercepted a group of Japanese bombers 100 nautical miles away from the fleet. Although they shot down more than 30 Japanese bombers, they failed to completely repel these demons that were heading towards the fleet. At least nearly 50 Japanese bombers were still heading towards the fleet!
Soon, the shrill air defense alarm (combat alarm, not ordinary air defense alarm) sounded, and the Fifth Fleet's air defense force would be tested in actual combat for the first time.
