Lu Guang stood on the top of the naval base building, holding a telescope and silently looking at the rough sea level in the distance.
Dark clouds rolled in the sky, the wind howled, lightning came one after another, and thunder kept blasting in my ears.
An hour ago, the waves on the coast were rising and falling, unusually gentle, but now, the sea wind has piled huge waves high, and then smashed them down hard, roaring and wreaking havoc. The fierce waves are row after row,
It roars high and rolls in, with white flowers on the top of the waves, like the ferocious teeth of a violent and crazy beast.
Today was originally the day when the aircraft carrier task force set off to join the war in the Persian Gulf. The weather forecast two days ago confirmed that the weather today was not very good and there might be a storm, but the navy did not care too much. Generally speaking, winter in the northern hemisphere
The storms are not too big. Even if you experience wind and rain occasionally, they will stop soon and will not delay major events.
However, at four o'clock in the morning, the airship radar deployed more than 800 kilometers away from the coastline sent a warning. The clouds over the Arabian Sea were dense. The detection wave emitted by the radar confirmed that a tropical storm was approaching. It was currently moving at 100 kilometers per hour.
Moving north at a speed of kilometers, it is expected to reach Karachi at noon.
Under such circumstances, the aircraft carrier task force, with most of the sailors being rookies, will definitely not be able to go to sea. However, Zhiguang still has hope for the eventuality. If the storm suddenly turns, the storm will come as scheduled, but as long as it does not cross the storm front
Or the center. Considering the hydrological conditions of the Arabian Sea that the fleet spans, it shouldn't be a big problem.
However, according to the warning signal at 8 a.m., the storm accelerated its speed and moved northward. It is expected to make landfall around 11 a.m., and the central wind force will reach Category 12 by then. Admiral Proven Grillio, commander of the Indian Ocean Fleet, acted decisively
It is recommended that the mission of the aircraft carrier task force be temporarily suspended and wait until the storm passes before setting sail again.
Although Lu Guang was unwilling to do so, he had no choice but to order the aircraft carrier task force to dock at the anchorage immediately. No one was allowed to disembark, so he could experience the coming storm on the battleship.
From a certain perspective, this is also a kind of practical training!
Karachi Military Port is under the protection of Menola Island and Cliff Peninsula, and the huge waves are blocked from the port. However, the current power of the waves still makes Lu Guang secretly frightened.
"Crack-"
A thunder exploded near the building, and the lightning rod that stood tall sputtered out dazzling sparks.
Admiral Li Haiqing, political commissar of the fleet, strode up to Cheng Guang, took his hand and said:
"Commander, let's go back to the building quickly! When we were in Nanhua, we experienced a lot of tropical storms. If we didn't die on the battlefield but were killed by lightning, that would be an injustice!"
Zhi Guang felt that his face was aching from the wind. He turned his head and said to Li Haiqing with some regret: "Old Li, what do you think this is? Our aircraft carrier formation was just about to go on a mission and encountered such a big storm.
, Those who know the inside story understand that we are protecting the ship, and those who don’t know think that we are greedy for life and afraid of death!"
Seeing the big tree in the distance being violently swayed by the strong wind, Li Haiqing dragged Lu Guang to the stairs and signaled the guards to lock the door. Then he breathed a sigh of relief and comforted:
"Commander, we are not familiar with the weather conditions in the Indian Ocean. Who knew that there are tropical cyclones in winter? At least when we were in South China, we never experienced it in January! As for fear of death, *** Navy
There are no battleships in the Western Indian Ocean. A mere two light cruisers and six destroyers are no match for us. As long as the Army achieves a decisive victory, there will be no problem at all for them. People who understand reason will make their own judgments!
"However, we still have to explain to the boss that we don't know how long this storm will last. Let's see how we can make up for the lack of timely access to the Strait of Hormuz..."
Lu Guang nodded: "Yes, our navy started from scratch, so it is understandable that it would be difficult to deal with such unpredictable natural disasters. This incident also sounded the alarm for us, that is, how to deal with sudden emergencies
Such extreme weather. If we had left the port one day earlier, perhaps this problem would not have arisen! As for the Strait of Hormuz, since a storm has come here, it is estimated that the weather there will not be much better, and the Japanese troops have fled.
It’s unlikely!”
Hearing the "bang bang" sound of the wind outside beating on the iron door, Li Haiqing and Cheng Guang came to the window together. They saw the big tree below bent by the wind, and the waves in the distance stirred up more than ten meters.
The high waves kept hitting the breakwater, and the thunderous roar continued, making everyone look at each other in horror.
"Hey, dear, we are still in a sheltered harbor. I wonder what the scene is like outside? Most of our sailors are newbies. If we are sailing on the ocean and suddenly face such a situation, I am afraid it will be difficult to resist.
It seems that we have to seize the time to train and experience various situations, otherwise it will be difficult for us to become great!"
When Li Haiqing said this, he added: "We want the horses to run fast and not eat grass. Is there such a cheap thing in the world? Even if we want to leave the port in advance, we will probably be stopped by the superiors, so today
It must be God’s will that we can’t leave the port!”
Lu Guang knew what Li Haiqing was referring to.
In order to hide its strength, the Indian Ocean Fleet only dispatched a special aircraft carrier fleet led by Zhao Lei for this mission. The fleet included three aircraft carriers, four light cruisers, 12 destroyers and 28 auxiliary ships. It was completely capable
Complete the Strait of Hormuz mission.
At present, the requirements for the construction of aircraft carriers are not too high. The general approach is to transform the superstructures of oil tankers and merchant, passenger and cargo ships. With the shipbuilding technology obtained by Indian shipyards from the UK, there is no problem in completing the transformation.***
They will only think that this fleet that suddenly appeared is an unfinished modified aircraft carrier obtained by the British from the shipyard in West India, and will have no other ideas. If a battle fleet and a heavy cruiser fleet are dispatched, the great powers will probably be alert.
.
Cheng Chengguang shook his head and smiled, comforting: "There is no way, we are powerless now, we can only try our best to hide our strength. In two years, when our self-built aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines are incorporated into the fleet, then there will be nothing to worry about.
Got it!"
As he spoke, there was a sound as dense as fried beans outside, and under the continuous lightning, rainwater shot down like arrows!
With the deafening thunder, the world was filled with mist. The wind was roaring, lightning was flashing, and thunder was roaring. The sky seemed to have dug a hole, and water was poured down desperately. The strong wind swept the heavy rain, like countless whips, fiercely
Pull it against the glass window.
It was hard to see clearly in the distance, but by the sound of the waves hitting the coast, everyone knew that a tropical storm had landed!
...
More than 900 kilometers away from Karachi, Muscat Port guards the mouth of the Gulf of Oman. Dark clouds are rolling in the sky, strong winds are blowing on the ground, rolling up yellow sand and fallen leaves all over the sky, and the air is filled with a nervous and chilling atmosphere.
General Kotaro Nakamura, commander of the Japanese Indian Ocean Front, was losing his temper at his headquarters in Jalali Castle: "That bastard Seiichi Yoshimoto, doesn't he understand the meaning of orders and prohibitions? If Iraq and Khuzestan lose
, what good will it do if they win a greater victory in Syria?"
Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Anda 23 persuaded: "Maybe they are in trouble..."
"Difficulty?"
General Nakamura Kotaro strode to the map, picked up his baton, and pointed at the map:
"The current situation is already obvious. With lightning speed, the Anjia Army thrust its division directly into Baghdad and cut off the railway from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean. After the main force captured Khuzestan, it quickly moved north, and then fought with the British
Cooperate with us and eat up the main force of our army in one fell swoop. As for me, the enemy has no ships and goes south along the road on the left bank of the Persian Gulf to Muscat. I don’t know that the Year of the Monkey and the Horse are gone!
"Therefore, the danger will not be with us, but only with Khuzestan and Iraq! Yoshimoto Teiichi actually told me to leave Muscat quickly, otherwise there will be problems...Does that bastard want to replace me?
Location?"
Speaking of the end, Nakamura Kotaro gritted his teeth and the veins on his face were exposed.
Kotaro Nakamura was born in the 21st batch of RKU University. In the same period, there were Juichi Terauchi, Kenkichi Ueda, Giichi Nishi, Mikiro Furusou, Kohei Kashii, Miji Takekawa, Kei Hayashi and others. He thought he had outstanding abilities, but he could not even succeed with his junior Mijiro Umezu.
, Ishikawa Koichi and others were quite inferior and couldn't calm down. Now seeing that Yoshimoto Teiichi, a 28th-generation mainland student, also wanted to rebel, they were naturally furious.
"Commander, please calm down!"
Anda Twenty-Three walked to the map with a very serious expression:
"After the Anjia army took over the West India region, we still don't know if any usable ships have been found in large port cities like Karachi and Bombay. According to the empire's intelligence, there are ships in Bombay alone in West India.
There are more than thirty large shipyards, most of which can produce
It is hard to believe that there are no combat ships under repair or about to be completed in the docks of those shipyards that produce 10,000-ton ships. In addition, during the war, passenger ships, cargo ships and oil tankers were hiding in the harbor, and it was very easy for the enemy to organize
A huge fleet was assembled in the Arabian Sea.
"Currently, the enemy has occupied all the ports on the northern shore of the Persian Gulf, and the main force of the Imperial Navy is used in the Pacific battlefield. The Indian Ocean Fleet assigned to us is only equipped with old ships captured from the Dutch and Far Eastern navies, and
Quantity is extremely limited.
"The narrowest part of the Persian Gulf is only more than fifty kilometers. If the enemy on the opposite side launches a cross-sea operation under the cover of its powerful air force, we will have few soldiers and generals around us and no chance of winning! From this point of view, Yoshimoto-kun's
The suggestion still makes sense!”
Nakamura Kotaro was stunned for a moment, looked at the map carefully, and then nodded silently.
"Besides, even if Yoshimoto-kun wants to go south, he can't do it!"
Anda 23 carefully analyzed: "Previously, the commander has basically determined that the enemy's goal is Baghdad to cut off our north-south railway and highway transportation. Then, from the Persian border to Baghdad, which is only two or three days away, the enemy's powerful mechanized corps will attack
I don't think the troops deployed along the way to maintain security and transportation can slow down their attack speed.
"In Baghdad and surrounding areas, we have deployed an independent infantry brigade and two Lanyin divisions, and the enemy's strength is at least five times that of our army. Coupled with the enemy's superiority in firepower, with the help of city defense fortifications, our army can
Holding on for four days is considered an extraordinary performance. Based on a rough calculation, our returning troops need to arrive before the Anjia army captures Baghdad. This pair of officers and soldiers are fighting with the British army and will take at least half a month to get back.
Said, it is obviously too difficult for them!
"Since the city of Baghdad is destined to be undefendable, our troops will retreat from the northern front and fight to the death with the well-armed and recharged Anjia Army. It is basically a situation where there is no chance of victory! Therefore, I agree with Mr. Yoshimoto's view.
Staying on the northern front to fight, defeat the British first, and gain the opportunity to join forces with the German and Italian armies may be the right choice for us who are currently in a difficult situation!"
When Nakamura Kotaro heard Adachi's eloquent words, he knew that he had made the mistake of subjectivism. After pacing back and forth for a while, he calmed down and his expression returned to his normal state:
"Mr. Anda is worthy of being the pillar of the Imperial Army. He was like a wake-up call and woke me up in time! Yes, Yoshimoto and the others cannot go south. Otherwise, under the attack of the British army and the Anjia army, how can they win? It is better to survive in death.
, seek a chance of survival by defeating the British army!
"Hey, it's a pity that we have been unable to contact the troops in Persia and Iraq. On the contrary, the troops deployed in the northern border areas and Syria can communicate through radio! According to the German intelligence, the enemy troops are divided into four groups.
, in the southern part of Iraq, the enemy is advancing towards the city of Kut, and its intention to cut off the southward retreat of Baghdad troops has become clear...
"What's terrible is that the enemy has some method that we don't know about that can actually interfere with our radio signals. In addition, there are no phone lines here, even if we want to mobilize frontline troops! Fighting like this, in my decades of experience
In my career as a soldier, I have never encountered such a situation where the situation between the enemy and ourselves is unknown, and it is impossible to direct the battle of the frontline troops. It doesn't matter if we don't fight, otherwise we will just let the soldiers die in vain!
"Andajun, what do you think of this: Since Baghdad can no longer be defended, and the road south may be intercepted by the Anjia army at any time, why not let General Xishan, commander of the 45th Division, who is commanding the border area of Iraq and Syria, now
, immediately dispatched manpower and took a plane to Baghdad, striving to transfer all the troops there to the northern front, under the unified command of Yoshimoto Sadichi, to form the northern route army of the front!
"In addition, we will send people to Iraq and southern Khuzestan to notify the troops to withdraw to Fa'o, Abadan and Basra. We will send fleets to pick them up for retreat and completely abandon the west coast of the Persian Gulf. The withdrawn troops will be largely
Some of the troops were transferred to Madagascar with me, while other troops were stationed along the line of the Hajar Mountains in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula to ensure the safety of Muscat Port and preserve a hope for the Northern Route Army to evacuate!"
Anda Twenty-Three immediately agreed: "This is a very good idea! Our front army is responsible for the combat mission in the Indian Ocean. Chief of Staff Ishihara has always insisted that the empire should use Madagascar and Ceylon as its two strategic support points in the Indian Ocean. Therefore, we
Moving to Madagascar to fight can also be regarded as a positive manifestation of obeying the will of the base camp.
"Concentrating all the troops along the Persian Gulf, we also have four independent infantry brigades and four Lanyin divisions, leaving a small number of troops to stick to the coastal areas of Oman. This also reflects our high sense of responsibility. Even if the Northern Route Army is defeated in the future, the base camp question will
The blame cannot be blamed on us. Who allowed us to have so few troops? Under the attack of dozens of mechanized divisions from the Anjia Army, who can guarantee that he can turn the tide?"
"Mr. Anda, the Northern Route Army is not weak anymore. They have two main divisions, four independent infantry brigades, and six Lanyin divisions. As far as the current empire is concerned, they are considered a powerful force.
If it can be preserved, we still have to try our best to preserve it!"
Kotaro Nakamura thought about it carefully and then said: "The key to the retention of the Northern Route Army is that the Germans actively cooperated and launched an offensive in Turkey to reduce the pressure on the Northern Route Army. Then, the Northern Route Army aimed in one direction and kept moving forward.
fight, either westward to Egypt with
Rommel's North African officers can join together, or they can fight to the Mediterranean and be assisted and evacuated by the Italian navy, which can achieve the purpose of protecting themselves. The only thing that needs to be done now is to buy time to let the South Chinese army stay in Khuzestan and Iraq longer.
....."
"Yeah, I wonder if the enemy will send troops south along the Persian Gulf coastal highway?" Anda Twenty-Three said to himself thoughtfully.
"Most of these desert areas are barren land. What do they use them for?" Nakamura Kotaro shook his head negatively: "Their target is us. As long as the headquarters withdraws from Oman, the Chinese people have no interest in these deserts! I am now
I still don’t understand what the Chinese want from those barren mountains and deserts in southern Persia. It’s completely difficult to understand!”
"Perhaps as the country has speculated, there is oil below!"
Anda Twenty-Three remembered something and reminded: "According to domestic geological experts' speculation, since Egypt and the Khuzestan region of Persia have rich oil reserves, and the Chinese have also discovered a large number of oil fields in Libya, then the Persian Gulf has the same geological conditions
There should also be large oil fields on the West Coast. Before the war broke out, the Americans set up an exploration company in the Persian Gulf. Although nothing was found, it can't help but make people think of it.
"Think about it, even in areas with extremely difficult exploration conditions in Germany, the Chinese have discovered oil, so it is very likely that they have also discovered oil in the Persian Gulf! Otherwise, the actions of the Chinese cannot be explained at all!"
"Yoshi!"
Nakamura Kotaro nodded repeatedly and then showed joy:
"If this is the case, then the Northern Route Army may really be saved, because the South China Army will definitely not allow the British forces to come back, and will definitely send troops to bring all the coastal areas of the Persian Gulf under control before fighting our army. In this way
The Northern Route Army can buy enough time to fight the British decisively!
"However, we still have to urge the country to ask Germany to declare war on Türkiye quickly, so maybe the whole dead game will come back to life!"
Having said this, Kotaro Nakamura stood up, came to the window, and said: "Now the sky has suddenly turned dark. It is estimated that a storm is coming. Take the time to send a plane and notify the frontline troops to evacuate!"
"Hi!"
Anda Twenty-Three and all the staff bowed in salute and quickly got busy.
...
In the UK, when a new day comes, the city of London, which is almost in ruins, once again sounds the shrill air raid siren, and all the remaining churches are ringing with bells, reminding people of the new round of German bombing.
Here it comes again.
Although most of the city's population has been evacuated to Scotland, there are still hundreds of thousands of people living in the ruins. When the alarm sounded, people wearing bronze helmets quickly hid in air defense bunkers, and the officers and soldiers at the anti-aircraft gun positions nervously
Push the cannon into the cannon and carefully search for the target.
For a time, the sounds of cluttered footsteps, people's shouts, the ringing of bells, the heart-rending sirens, and the cries of old, weak, women and children merged into one, and the dilapidated city of London was in the tense atmosphere of the air raid.
It was running fast and struggling painfully.
Soon, amid the deafening roar of the aircraft, hundreds of German bombers, covered by an equal number of fighter jets, flew over London. When they dropped to a certain height, they dropped strings of bombs from their buttocks.
"boom--"
A building that had just been repaired suddenly collapsed.
"Boom boom——"
I don't know which building was set on fire, and the flames shot into the sky.
Soon, the entire southeast, northwest and northwest of the city were shrouded in explosions, fires and smoke, and the city of London once again experienced the baptism of steel almost every day.
As the British fighter planes taking off from the central and northern regions rushed to the sky above London, the anti-aircraft guns on the ground finally began to fight back. British and German fighter planes were locked in a life-or-death fight in the air!
"Bang bang——"
"Boom boom——"
"Da da da——"
Fighter planes continued to stagger down with thick black smoke trailing from their butts, and parachutes appeared in the sky from time to time. This almost routine bombing did not end until noon.
British Homeland Defense Operations Command in Uxbridge, a suburb of London.
British Prime Minister Churchill felt extremely heavy after receiving the report that the German bombing had ended today and that the ports and cities in the south had once again suffered an almost devastating blow.
It has been more than a year since the war began. Britain has lost almost all its colonies in Asia, and its homeland has been bombed for nearly half a year. If it were not for Britain's strong financial reserves and the strong support of the United States, this war would have been unsustainable!
Fortunately, the Japanese suddenly went crazy and dragged the United States into this war, and also led the Chinese and South China governments to declare war on Japan. In this way, at least in Asia, the Japanese did not dare to expand unscrupulously.
!
Churchill asked the commander of the homeland garrison in the south to pay close attention to the mobilization of the German air force, navy and army, and be alert to the possibility of a landing operation launched by the other party at any time, and then hung up the phone.
At this time, Sir Hall Belisha, Secretary of War, walked into the room and said to Churchill with some frustration:
"I just received news from Syria that a mechanized force of the Japanese army suddenly appeared in the city of Palmyra. It is estimated that the city built on the edge of the desert has been lost. Going north from Palmyra City, as long as the city of Raqqa is captured, then
The troops I have assembled on the front lines of Deir ez-Zor and Mayadin will be surrounded by the enemy. After several months of continuous fighting, our army and the Greek army are very tired. I suggest that the troops withdraw immediately and retreat to the Turkish border to rest and recuperate.
After gathering, we will fight the enemy decisively."
When Churchill heard this, his eyes became very serious and he shook his head:
"No, the current defenses of Jordan and western Syria and Lebanon are very weak. At the same time, our North African troops are fighting the German-Italian coalition forces led by Rommel. Once they get out of the way, the Japanese army will march straight in and completely include the Mediterranean coastal areas.
control!
"Sir, do you know what this means? ***, the armies of Italy and Germany will join forces victoriously in the Middle East. The British Empire will be completely separated from the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Under the oppression of the powerful military power of the Axis Powers, Turkey will surely
Surrender! Therefore, you can retreat, but you cannot retreat to the Turkish border. You can only quickly retreat to the cities on the Mediterranean coast through the railway, and use the city defenses there to deal with the Japanese army!
"Currently, the Chinese and South China governments have declared war on Japan. The war situation may undergo a fundamental reversal at any time. What we need now is to persist, persist, and persist again. Do you understand?"
"All right!"
Hall Belisha shrugged helplessly, turned around and was about to leave, when he bumped head-on into Hugh Sinclair, Director of MI6, who hurriedly walked into the door.
Hugh Sinclair looked excited, holding a telegram in his hand, and said to the Prime Minister and the Secretary of War: "Good news, the South China Army finally sent troops. At four o'clock in the morning, they launched a massive force of more than twenty divisions.
, broke into Iraq and Khuzestan in Persia, and the defense line operated by the Japanese army has been broken! At present, the war is developing in depth!"
"Really?"
Churchill was overjoyed, stood up quickly, took the message, and looked at it carefully.
Hall Bailey took hold of Hugh Sinclair's hand and asked excitedly: "Is the news confirmed?"
"It's confirmed!"
Hugh Sinclair explained: "This information was passed on layer by layer by us, American and Turkish intelligence personnel in Persia and Iraq, and finally a telegram was successfully sent back to London from Turkey. It is reported that the Chinese have studied a wonderful method
Electronic instruments can interfere with the transmission of radio waves...I recommend purchasing this advanced electronic equipment from Nanhua immediately!"
After reading the telegram, Churchill was relieved and said to the Secretary of War with a smile: "Dear Belisha, go and order the troops to retreat. Station all the troops to the Mediterranean coast and defend them to the death. We will remain unchanged in response to any changes and wait for the ***.
We will go dog-eat-dog with the Chinese until they are both exhausted, and then we will take advantage!"
Hall Belisha nodded clearly and quickly walked out of the room.
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister, do you allow the Chinese to occupy the empire's traditional sphere of influence - the Persian Gulf Coast and Iraq?"
Hugh Sinclair asked curiously.
"why not?"
Churchill smiled slightly: "The most important thing for us now is to preserve our strength. The empire can no longer withstand heavy consumption. As long as our army is here, there is hope of regaining colonial rights in the future. If all the people are exhausted, what will we do to regain it?"
Where is the glory of Great Britain?"
~~~~~~~~~~
***: I feel ashamed that I have to sit for more than ten hours every day to code out a chapter! I wonder if I have been suffering from a mental disorder recently. I cannot open my mind and am always staring at the computer screen in a daze!
Tomorrow is Monday. I would like to ask for free recommendation votes and five-star evaluation votes. Thank you!