124: Chapter 34 Landing Attempt

The news that the new fleet of the Meijian Country had departed ahead of schedule hit the heart of Li Ling like a massive boulder.

"Three months," he said, standing in the command center and looking at the sea chart on the wall with furrowed brows, "it's three months ahead of schedule."

"My Lord, is the intelligence accurate?" Chief of Staff Zhang Wanshan asked, "Has the new fleet of the Meijian Country really departed ahead of schedule?"

"Accurate," Li Ling nodded, "Satellite photos captured images of their fleet sailing in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. There are at least twenty vessels, including four Battleships, six Cruisers, and ten Destroyers. The scale is even larger than the previous allied forces."

"What should we do then?"

Li Ling did not answer. He stared at the sea chart, tapping his fingers gently on the tabletop, his mind racing.

"System," he whispered in his mind.

"Yes?"

"If the new fleet of the Meijian Country arrives in three months, what is our win rate?"

"With the current military strength, the win rate is approximately sixty percent."

"Only sixty?"

"Yes. However, if the host can resolve the resource issue within three months and build two more Dreadnoughts, the win rate can be increased to seventy-five percent."

"The resource issue..." Li Ling pondered, "The mineral deposits in the Northeast are too far away to help with our immediate needs. Importing from the German Empire will also be too late."

"Host, the system suggests that you consider another plan."

"What plan?"

"Take the initiative. Before the new fleet of the Meijian Country arrives, destroy their forward base first."

Li Ling's eyes lit up: "A forward base? You mean... the Philippines?"

"Correct. The Meijian Country has an important naval base in the Philippines—Manila Bay. If the host can dispatch a fleet to launch a surprise attack on Manila Bay and destroy the supply and maintenance facilities of the Meijian Country in the Philippines, their new fleet will be unable to engage in long-term combat in East Asia."

Li Ling walked to the sea chart, his gaze falling on the location of the Philippines.

Manila Bay was one of the most important naval bases of the Meijian Country in the Far East. It contained shipyards, oil depots, ammunition depots, and barracks, serving as the logistics hub for the Pacific Ocean fleet of the Meijian Country. If it could be destroyed, the new fleet of the Meijian Country would lose its source of supplies, and its combat effectiveness would be greatly reduced.

"That makes sense," Li Ling nodded, "But the problem is, Manila Bay is over a thousand nautical miles away from us. If our fleet makes a long-range raid and gets discovered by the Meijian Country..."

"That is why concealment is necessary," the system said, "The host can use Submarines and Torpedo boats to carry out a surprise attack without needing to deploy the main fleet. The Submarines can sneak into Manila Bay, launch torpedoes at night, and attack the vessels and facilities in the port. The Torpedo boats can provide support in the open sea and intercept enemy ships attempting to escape."

Li Ling pondered for a moment, then smiled: "Good idea. Pass the order: mobilize the entire Submarine force, target—Manila Bay!"

Three days later, ten Submarines departed secretly from the naval port and disappeared into the vast ocean.

By the pier, the Princess and Empress Su Wanqing stood in the night, watching the Submarines sail out of the port one after another. Empress Su Wanqing's hands were tightly clutching the corner of her dress, her knuckles turning white.

"Sister Wanqing, do not worry," the Princess said softly, "Since my husband has sent them, he must be certain of success."

"I know," Empress Su Wanqing smiled faintly, "But every time I see them go on an expedition, I still feel afraid."

"Me too," the Princess gazed at the Submarines gradually disappearing in the distance, "But all we can do is wait for them to return at home."

The two women stood by the pier for a long time, and only turned to leave when the last Submarine had completely disappeared into the darkness.

Meanwhile, Li Ling was not idle either. He ordered all coastal Radar stations to operate twenty-four hours a day, closely monitoring the movements of the new fleet of the Meijian Country. The Air Force reconnaissance planes also strengthened their patrols, searching for enemy activity within hundreds of nautical miles of the coast every day.

"My Lord, where is the current location of the new fleet of the Meijian Country?" Chief of Staff Zhang Wanshan asked.

"According to satellite reconnaissance, they are still in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, about two thousand nautical miles away from us," Li Ling pointed to the sea chart, "Based on their sailing speed, they will arrive in about forty days."

"Forty days..." Chief of Staff Zhang Wanshan calculated, "That is enough time for the Submarine force to make a round trip."

"Correct," Li Ling nodded, "So we must destroy Manila Bay before they arrive."

He turned around and looked at the ocean outside the window: "This battle concerns the direction of the entire war. If we win, we can seize the initiative. If we lose..."

He did not continue, but Chief of Staff Zhang Wanshan understood what he meant. To lose would mean total ruin.

Twenty days later, the Submarine force sent back the first telegram.

"Have arrived at the outer waters of Manila Bay and are currently scouting for enemy activity. Moored in the port are two Cruisers of the Meijian Country, four Destroyers, six transport ships, three coastal defense artillery batteries, and one oil depot and one ammunition depot each."

After reading the telegram, Li Ling's lips curled into a smile: "Good. Let them act tonight."

That night, the ten Submarines took advantage of the darkness to sneak into Manila Bay.

The sea surface was pitch black, with only the lighthouse in the port emitting a faint light. The Submarines were like underwater ghosts, silently approaching the targets in the port. The captains lay before the periscopes, carefully observing every detail of the port through night-vision devices.

"Torpedo tube number one, prepare. Target: enemy Cruiser."

"Torpedo tube number two, prepare. Target: enemy oil depot."

"Number three..."

"Fire!"

The ten Submarines fired torpedoes simultaneously, dozens of torpedoes cutting through the sea surface, dragging white wakes as they rushed toward their targets.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The violent explosions shattered the silence of the night. One Cruiser was hit in the ammunition depot by a torpedo; the entire ship was blown in two and sank rapidly, leaving only a patch of burning oil on the sea surface. Another Cruiser was hit in the engine room, lost power, and floated on the sea surface, tilted, as the sailors on the deck jumped into the sea in panic to escape. The oil depot was hit, and the towering flames illuminated half the sky, with thick smoke billowing and obscuring the starlight.

The garrison forces of the Meijian Country in the port were awakened from their sleep and rushed to their battle stations in a panic. But in the darkness, they could not see where the targets were at all and could only blindly fire back. The shells landed in empty water, kicking up huge water columns, but could not harm the Submarines that had already dived.

"Retreat!" the Submarine commander ordered, "All Submarines, dive to fifty meters and withdraw at full speed!"

The ten Submarines dived rapidly and disappeared into the deep sea. Behind them, Manila Bay was in chaos, with flames reaching the sky and explosions echoing one after another.

Early the next morning, the Pacific Ocean fleet headquarters of the Meijian Country received an urgent telegram from Manila Bay.

"Manila Bay has been subjected to a surprise attack by Submarines! Two Cruisers have sunk, four Destroyers are heavily damaged, and the oil depot and ammunition depot have been destroyed, resulting in heavy losses! Preliminary estimates indicate that repairs will take at least six months!"

Admiral William McKinley, commander of the Pacific Ocean fleet, read the telegram with an ashen face, and the coffee cup in his hand fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

"Li Ling!" he gritted his teeth, "It's him again!"

"General, the supply facilities at Manila Bay have been destroyed; even if our new fleet arrives in East Asia, it will not be able to obtain supplies," the adjutant said cautiously, "The morale of the fleet's officers and soldiers has also been dealt a heavy blow, and some are starting to whisper in private that this war simply cannot be won."

McKinley took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down: "Pass the order: have the new fleet reduce speed. Before finding a new supply base, do not enter the coastal waters of the Qingxia Kingdom."

"Yes!"

After the order was issued, the speed of the new fleet of the Meijian Country dropped from eighteen knots to twelve knots, giving Li Ling more time to prepare.

Meanwhile, in Jiangning Prefecture, Li Ling was celebrating the victory of the Submarine force.

"Well done!" he slapped the table, grinning from ear to ear, "With Manila Bay bombed, the new fleet of the Meijian Country has become like a motherless child; let's see how they can still fight!"

"My Lord, will the Meijian Country establish a new supply base elsewhere?" Chief of Staff Zhang Wanshan asked.

"They will," Li Ling nodded, "But it will take time. Manila Bay is their largest base in the Far East, and reconstruction will take at least six months. Six months is enough time for us to do a lot of things."

He walked to the sea chart and looked at the location of the Philippines: "Next, we need to do two things. First, continue to strengthen the naval construction and strive to build two more Dreadnoughts within three months. Second, accelerate the progress of the Northern Expedition to unify the country as soon as possible and secure more resources."

"Yes!" Chief of Staff Zhang Wanshan stood at attention and saluted.

Li Ling turned around and looked at the ocean outside the window: "This war is developing in a direction favorable to us. But we cannot let our guard down. The Meijian Country will not give up easily; they will definitely find a way to retaliate."

He clenched his fists, his gaze becoming firm: "But no matter what they throw at us, I will take it on."

That night, Li Ling went to the Production Base to inspect the progress of the new Dreadnoughts under construction.

In the shipyard, the hulls of the three massive ships had already begun to take shape. Workers were installing the bases for the main gun turrets, and welding sparks rained down, illuminating the entire shipyard.

"Old Zhao, can we go any faster?" Li Ling asked.

"My Lord, this is already the limit," Old Zhao shook his head, "Unless we increase manpower and equipment."

"I will find a way for the manpower and equipment," Li Ling said, "Borrow another batch of engineers from the German Empire, and allocate equipment from the Production Base. I want to see these three Dreadnoughts launched within three months."

"Yes!"

When Li Ling left the Production Base, it was almost dawn. He stood on the hillside, looking at the eastern sky that was gradually turning white in the distance, a complex emotion welling up in his heart.

"System," he said softly.

"Yes?"

"Tell me, can we really win?"

"Host, you have already won so many times. This time will be no exception."

Li Ling was silent for a moment, then smiled: "That's good."

He turned and walked down the hillside, striding toward the barracks.

A new day, a new battle, is about to begin.