Volume 2: War breaks out Chapter 22: The Fallen Giant (Part 2)
The "Li Jing" entered Zhoushan Port before sunset. Although there was no bombing, there were obvious changes in the port. All the warships were evacuated, and there were officers and soldiers active on the air defense positions around the port. Anti-aircraft fighters flew in the sky from time to time. All the goods piled up on the dock were transported away , and there were many more military police. Camouflage cloth was pulled up on all the docks on the west side.
Tan Renhao only slept for four hours. When Hao Dongjue woke him up, he still had a headache and was in a daze.
When he came to the gangway outside, the cool sea breeze quickly sobered him up, and he also remembered what General Liao Hanxiang had said to him.
The war has just begun, and the two main fleets that are not operating in the Western Pacific (the Fourth Fleet operating in the South Atlantic, and the Independent Fleet operating in the Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean) are still thousands of miles away, and they may not be able to return in ten days or half a month.
Now, the Imperial Navy only has the Fifth Fleet in the Western Pacific region that can continue to fight. How should the next battle be fought?
When the warship docked at the dock, Tan Renhao and Liao Hanxiang were the first to arrive at the dock. Wu Xianyu was left behind to organize the fleet officers and soldiers to go ashore for rest, while Brigadier General Ji Xiaobin was responsible for contacting the dock workers to repair the damaged "Taizu" aircraft carrier as soon as possible.
Half an hour later, Liao Hanxiang and Tan Renhao arrived at the Navy Headquarters.
Unlike peacetime, at least a battalion of Marine guards has been set up outside the Navy Headquarters. Sandbags have been piled up outside the gate and machine guns have been mounted. All people entering and leaving are required to show their credentials.
"General Liao, the marshal is waiting for you in the office."
A captain officer was waiting for Liao Hanxiang at the gate. He was an adjutant of Marshal Sagittin.
When Tan Renhao walked into Marshal Sagittin's study and saw the Marshal for the first time, he felt that the Marshal had aged several years.
The marshal was almost 70 years old and had a strong military body, but now he looked old and frail, even a little tired.
"Liao Hanxiang, it's good that you're back, it's good that you're back!"
Sajitin repeated, "What's the situation of the Fifth Fleet?"
"Luckily, only the Taizu suffered moderate damage, but it will be repaired soon. I have asked Brigadier General Ji Xiaobin to handle the repair of the warship. We will try to complete the repair work within five days."
Liao Hanxiang smiled faintly and then sat down.
"Major, please sit down. Please sit down. Don't stand."
Marshal Sajiting nodded to Tan Renhao and said, "I heard that it was you who strongly recommended General Liao Hanxiang to change the course of the fleet, which allowed the fleet to avoid the Japanese bombers?"
Tan Renhao was slightly startled. After seeing Liao Hanxiang nod at him with a smile, he said, "Marshal, this is actually what I should do, and it is mainly General Liao Hanxiang who is responsible..."
"I know I know."
Sajiting let out a long sigh. "Now, the Fifth Fleet is the only fleet with basically complete combat effectiveness that we can find within a radius of 5,000 kilometers. You are the only hope left for the Imperial Navy, and the only fleet we can count on."
Liao Hanxiang's expression changed, and he immediately asked, "Where are the Fourth Fleet and the Independent Fleet?"
Sajiting smiled bitterly and handed a document to Liao Hanxiang.
"Look, this is what the Western powers are plotting."
As soon as he opened the file, Liao Hanxiang's expression changed drastically, and when Tan Renhao took the file, his expression also looked extremely frightened.
These are declarations of war from several countries against the Tang Empire, and they were all signed this morning .
The British Empire, the Kingdom of France, and the Kingdom of Italy declared war on the Tang Empire almost at the same time.
"Right now, only the Russian Empire and the United States of America have not declared war on us."
Sajitin lit a cigarette, his hands trembling slightly. "However, this will definitely happen soon. At least the Russian Empire will not sit idly by. As for whether the United States will declare war on us, it depends on the direction of the war. Just like the last war, the United States will not take the initiative to join the war at the beginning, but will decide which side to stand on after the war situation becomes clearer, so as to gain the greatest benefits.
However, we cannot expect too much from the United States of America to remain neutral or even support us in the war.
Prime Minister Xue Xiyue issued a national war mobilization order two hours ago. In addition, we have officially declared war on Japan this afternoon. Tomorrow, Prime Minister Xue Xiyue will officially declare war on several other countries.
In addition to us, the German Empire and the Persian Empire will also join the war in the next few days.
Prime Minister Xue Xiyue has personally sent special envoys to these two countries to discuss the issue of joint operations. "
"Then we should do something now."
Liao Hanxiang slowly calmed down. "At least, we can't let other countries think that we are easy to bully now."
"Yes, so I have ordered the Fourth Fleet to go north to meet up with the Independence Fleet, and then operate in the waters near the Cape Verde Islands to block the fleets of the British Empire and the Kingdom of France from advancing out of the Pacific Ocean or entering the Indian Ocean. However , the situation over there is not much better. They can only hold out for a year at most, or maybe even less."
Sajitin's expression turned bitter. "Have you received the loss report of the First Fleet?"
The two nodded.
The First Fleet was subjected to three consecutive rounds of bombing by hundreds of Japanese bombers in Naha Port. Except for the battleship "Changchun" which was in the dock for regular maintenance, the other eleven battleships either sank, capsized, or suffered severe damage that was almost beyond repair. In addition, more than 20 battleships were destroyed, and more than 3,000 officers and soldiers were killed.
In other words, the First Fleet had completely lost its combat effectiveness in just a few hours and was "completely" destroyed by the enemy.
"The Third Fleet only managed to escape with some fast warships. All five battleships were sunk. Vice Admiral Choi Sang-hoon and Major General An Youtian both died with the flagship. Although the Second Fleet managed to escape with three battleships and two battlecruisers, they were all severely damaged and could not be repaired within half a year."
Sajitin's expression could not be described as sadness or anger. "We really need to do something now, but we must first rearrange the command system so that the navy can get through this difficult time."
Both of them frowned slightly. Marshal Sagittin's meaning was very simple: someone had to be held responsible for the tragic losses suffered by the navy.
