As time enters November, the South China Sea is finally calm and suitable for sailing.
Leizhou Peninsula.
The cross-sea detachment of the 1st Marine Division has been practicing for several months and is as hungry as a tiger.
Murong Fu swept away the gloom and ordered the entire army to enter a wartime state.
"The enemy on Hainan Island is not strong. It is only because of the storm season that it blocks our way forward. Everyone, we have been seriously delayed. I believe you have seen the military intelligence report. The damn Annan people actually took advantage of Guangxi
The opportunity of civil strife invaded our territory and killed our people. The blood debt must be paid with blood. The headquarters has ordered that our 1st Marine Division attack Thang Long with the cooperation of the South China Sea Fleet. But if we cannot solve Hainan Island here, we will fight
When we go to Annan and show off our power in a foreign land, we have nothing to do with it. Do you think you can accept it?"
Needless to say?
Everyone in the cross-sea detachment was excited and gearing up, vowing to resolve the Hainan Island battle in the shortest possible time and participate in the Annan campaign in a timely manner.
Seeing that the morale of the army was ready, Murong Fu immediately issued an order for the entire army to attack.
Although landing operations have not been possible due to storms in the past few months, the reconnaissance of Hainan Island has continued.
Although Huang Qi, the prefect of Qiongzhou, was stubborn and resisted resolutely, and even united with the indigenous leaders on the island, he was a man of great ambition and talent and did not know how to march and fight.
His deployment was full of mistakes.
Especially since Hainan Island is surrounded by sea, he has limited troops at hand and it is impossible to cover everything.
However, he naively believed that the only place where the 1st Marine Division could land was in Qiongzhou, near the Leizhou Peninsula, so he continued to reinforce the defense line and deploy heavy troops along the coastline here.
As a result, prevention in other directions was ignored.
"It has been agreed beforehand that we will test our landing skills through this battle. Therefore, I decided to attack from the front, break open the enemy's defense line, and use actual combat to hone our landing skills."
Murong Fu's attitude was resolute and he never thought about fighting a clever battle.
The enemy on Hainan Island is not strong and will not cause much trouble to the First Marine Division.
Such an opponent can be used to test the various preparations they have made during this period for the landing operation.
If this frontal attack can be carried out smoothly, it will be enough to prove that many of their methods can withstand the test.
In the future, when landing operations are carried out anywhere, they can be used immediately to form fixed operational specifications and regulations.
After the storm season passed, Huang Qi, the prefect of Qiongzhou, also knew that the National Defense Forces were about to attack, which made him anxious.
He would run to the beach almost every day, stop and look north.
Not only that, he also had to boost the morale of the people below.
"His Majesty has already pledged to build an army in Guilin, and will soon march eastward. By then we will attack from two sides, and the rebels will definitely be defeated. The day of regaining Guangdong is not far away."
The people below were stupid and ignorant. They were all very happy after hearing this deception, and their morale actually increased.
But when no one was in front of him, Huang Qi showed a dejected expression.
After he decided to fight to the end, he indeed sent people to Guangxi to contact Emperor Yongli, hoping to receive reinforcements.
However, everyone in Guangxi, from the emperor to the civil and military officials, were short-sighted and busy fighting for power and gain, and did not care about Hainan at all.
Yongli just gave a few appointment notices and granted a few useless titles, and then turned a deaf ear.
As for the weapons and troops that Huang Qi wanted, he didn't see any of them.
Looking at the crooked melons and cracked dates under his hands, Huang Qi vaguely felt that something was wrong.
Since they had chosen to attack by force, the 1st Marine Division decided to attack in the day and afternoon.
When the overwhelming number of warships lay across the sea, the defenders on the island quickly became chaotic.
"Don't be afraid. Our army has adequate defenses and good geographical location. There is no chance of the rebels landing."
Huang Qi held up a scribe's sword and shouted at the top of his lungs, which finally reassured the defenders.
On the National Defense Force side, Shang Kexi greeted Murong Fu and let the main warships of the South China Sea Fleet move forward one after another.
After reaching a certain distance, the side faced the coast, and hundreds of light and heavy artillery began to attack the defenses on the shore indiscriminately.
Seeing the flames steaming on the beach, thick smoke billowing, the ground shaking, all the seemingly indestructible defenses being blown into pieces, flying wantonly in the air, the defenders were so frightened that they fought.
Fortunately, no troops were sent on the beach, otherwise, there would be absolutely no chance of survival under such a bombing.
Huang Qi was obviously so scared that he almost peed his pants, but he still tried his best to maintain the image of having no plans left.
"Hmph, all my plans are in the water. Even if the rebels blow up the coast to pieces, their ships will never get ashore. It is a waste of medicine and it is an advantage for us."
The surrounding officials and military officers quickly flattered him, almost saying that Zhuge was alive and Sun Wu was reborn.
Just as the South China Sea Fleet was preparing its artillery fire, another small fleet came out and approached the shore.
However, this fleet did not move forward in one go, but stopped when they got close.
Huang Qi couldn't help but feel very nervous and wanted to see how the effect of his arrangement was.
He prayed silently in his heart, hoping that the warships of the National Defense Force could move forward again.
However, the National Defense Force seemed to have guessed his thoughts, and all the warships no longer moved.
Instead, several wine barrel-like objects suddenly ejected from each ship.
Unfortunately, after these things were thrown out, they did not float on the water, but sank in the blink of an eye.
Seeing that the sea had returned to calm, Huang Qi and others were a little baffled as to what the National Defense Force was doing.
But just ten breaths later, the entire sea surface suddenly boiled with dozens of huge water columns, soaring into the sky like a dragon emerging from the water.
Along with the impact of the water column, a lot of wood, iron chains, and even burning oil were wrapped up, causing the sea surface to become eroded.
Seeing this scene, Huang Qi was dumbfounded and sat down on the ground, feeling as if the world was spinning.
The big thing is over!
On the battleship, Shang Kexi was still explaining tactics to Murong Fu.
"The enemy has buried hidden piles and even mines in the sea on the shore. They just want to wait for our warship to hit it and either get entangled or be blown up. In response to this situation, we invented the barrier-breaking bomb.
Each bomb is equipped with 50 kilograms of new explosives. By being thrown into the water, it can clear all obstacles and mines within 30 meters nearby. You see, there is no danger in this area.
"
Seeing the sea surface gradually returning to calm, Murong Fu was overjoyed.
"Commander Shang is very good! After this battle is over, I will personally take credit from you."
Following the passage opened by the Nanhai Fleet after breaking through the barrier, the officers and soldiers of the First Marine Division rushed to the shore in small boats.
The Hainan landing operation has officially entered the next stage.