126: Chapter 36 Login

The thick fog on the sea was like a cold, damp white wall, wrapping the entire surface of the sea tightly.

Li Ling stood on the observation tower of the coastal defense command post, the sea breeze carrying fine droplets of water that lashed against his face, cold and biting, but he did not move, his eyes locked firmly on the constantly moving dots of light on the Radar screen.

Forty landing ships, twenty transport ships, twelve escort Destroyers, and four Cruisers bringing up the rear—the Allied forces had brought out their entire repertoire this time.

On the satellite reconnaissance photos, the landing fleet was divided into three echelons, approaching the designated landing point on the southeast coast from different directions.

The troops being transported numbered at least three divisions, about thirty thousand men, and the artillery and vehicles they were equipped with packed the decks and cabins of the transport ships.

"Sir, the enemy vanguard is thirty nautical miles from the beachhead." The Chief of Staff's voice came from behind him, low and urgent.

Li Ling did not turn back: "Are all units in position?"

"They are all in position. The thirty-six artillery bunkers in the artillery positions have all completed camouflage, the gunners at the coastal defense batteries are already standing by at their stations, the shooters in the Heavy Machine Gun nests are all ready, and the final check of the minefields and barbed wire entanglements has been completed. The Air Force Reconnaissance Squadron is ready to take off at any time, and the helicopters—"

"That is enough." Li Ling interrupted him, raising his binoculars to look at the misty sea in the distance, "Tell the brothers to stay calm and wait until the enemy is within range before firing. Let them get close, and hit them so hard they will never dare to set foot on our beachhead again for the rest of their lives."

The signalman relayed the order, which traveled along the hidden field telephone lines to every gun position, every machine gun nest, and every forward observation post.

The gunners pushed the shells into the chambers, locked the breeches, and placed their fingers on the firing mechanisms, waiting for the order to fire.

The machine gunners straightened the ammunition belts, confirmed that the feeding was smooth, and aimed the muzzles at the pre-designated firing points on the beachhead.

The fog on the sea began to thin, and the morning light filtered through the gaps in the clouds, dyeing the sea a grayish-blue.

In Li Ling's binoculars, those blurred ship silhouettes gradually became clear—black hulls, low gunwales, decks crowded with soldiers wearing khaki uniforms, their steel helmets reflecting a dull light in the morning sun.

A soldier stood by the side of a landing ship, looking toward the shore.

He was probably a recruit, his face wearing a mixture of nervousness and excitement, his hands gripping his rifle tightly, his knuckles white from the effort.

What he did not know was that behind that seemingly calm beach, hundreds of eyes were staring intently at him through the gaps in the camouflage nets, and hundreds of gun muzzles were already aimed in his direction.

"Sir, the enemy vanguard has entered the edge of the minefield." The report from the observation post came through the telephone line.

"Wait a little longer." Li Ling's voice was so calm that it did not sound like he was commanding a bloody battle about to break out, but rather like he was waiting for a chess game to reach a critical juncture.

He lowered his binoculars and glanced at the luminous watch on his wrist—6:37 AM. The sky was already bright, and the sun was rising from the horizon, illuminating the entire beach in a golden hue, providing excellent visibility.

"Wait until they enter the beachhead fire coverage zone." He added, his tone still flat.

The Allied commander did not seem to realize the danger approaching.

The landing fleet did not slow down, still approaching the beach at a speed of about ten knots.

The bows of the landing ships cut through the waves, white spray rolling on both sides of the hulls.

The soldiers on the transport ships began to assemble, lining up on the decks, waiting for the moment the ramps were lowered.

In the distance, the turrets of the Cruisers slowly rotated, pointing toward locations on the shore that might be firing points, but their reconnaissance was clearly not meticulous enough—those carefully camouflaged gun positions and fortifications looked like nothing more than bushes and reefs from the sea.

"Sir, the distance is three thousand meters." The Chief of Staff reported again, his voice tinged with nervousness.

"Let the coastal defense batteries open fire first." Li Ling ordered, "Aim at the enemy transport ships and landing ships, hit their assembly areas."

The moment the order was given, the coastal defense batteries hidden in the coastal mountains unveiled their camouflage nets.

Dark gun muzzles protruded from the rock bunkers, the gunners pulled the lanyards, and a tremendous roar shattered the silence of the morning.

The 305mm coastal defense shells whistled through the sky, trailing orange-red exhaust flames as they slammed into the enemy fleet on the sea.

In the first salvo, two shells hit a transport ship.

The violent explosion tore a huge hole in the hull of the transport ship, and seawater rushed in madly. The soldiers lined up on the deck were knocked over by the shockwave; some were blown directly into the sea; some were hit by shrapnel and fell on the deck covered in blood; others, without even time to react, sank to the bottom of the sea as the hull broke apart.

The second salvo followed closely behind, with the target shifting to the landing ships.

A landing ship fully loaded with soldiers was hit in the bow, the massive explosion shattering the bow, and the hull tilted rapidly.

The soldiers on the deck were in a panic; some jumped into the sea to escape, and some tried to lower lifeboats, but it was all too late.

The tilting hull capsized within seconds, and hundreds of soldiers fell into the icy seawater like dumplings being dropped into a pot. Floating steel helmets and rifles bobbed in the spray, and cries for help were swallowed by the sound of explosions.

"Well done!" Li Ling gripped the barrels of his binoculars, his knuckles turning white from the force.

The Allied fleet immediately fell into chaos.

The Cruisers began to return fire at the coastal defense batteries, shells landing on the mountains, blowing away rocks and dirt, but those gun positions had been carefully reinforced, and ordinary Cruiser shells could not penetrate them at all.

The landing ships and transport ships tried to turn and retreat, but they were too slow, like a flock of clumsy ducks within the range of the coastal defense guns, with nowhere to run.

Meanwhile, the thirty-six artillery bunkers on the shore also tore off their camouflage.

105mm and 150mm howitzers opened fire simultaneously, shells pouring down like a rainstorm on the beachhead and the near-shore area.

Those landing ships attempting to storm the beach were covered by artillery fire; some were hit in the ammunition magazines and turned into fireballs after exploding; some were hit in the engine rooms, losing power and spinning on the sea; others had their hulls flipped directly by shells, floating on the sea bottom-up, with their propellers still spinning in the air.

"Sir, the first wave of landing troops has routed, and the enemy is turning to retreat!" The Chief of Staff reported excitedly, his voice unable to suppress his thrill.

"Don't be hasty." Li Ling lowered his binoculars, his mouth curling into a cold, grim arc, "Let the coastal defense guns continue to bombard, do not stop. Tell the artillerymen, sink one ship and it counts as one, cripple one ship and it counts as one, keep hitting them until they dare not look back. Even if we use up three basic loads of ammunition today, it is worth it."

The bombardment from the coastal defense guns and howitzers lasted for a full forty minutes.

In those forty minutes, the sea was filled with burning wreckage, floating corpses, and struggling survivors in the water.

The Allied landing ships and transport ships suffered heavy losses, with over twenty sunk or severely damaged, and at least five thousand soldiers buried on the seabed or trapped on burning ships.

Blood stained the sea for hundreds of meters, glowing with a glaring dark red in the sunlight.

Four escort Destroyers tried to rush into the fire coverage zone to rescue the survivors, but they were met with precise strikes from the coastal defense guns.

One Destroyer was hit by a 305mm shell, its hull breaking in two and sinking within three minutes; another was hit by multiple shells in succession, catching fire, billowing thick smoke, and finally exploding and sinking.

The remaining two, seeing the situation was bad, turned around and ran, not even having the courage to look back.

Four Cruisers hovered on the sea further away, blindly bombarding the coast with their naval guns.

Shells landed on the beach, on the reefs, and in the bushes, kicking up piles of dirt and gravel, but not a single one hit any valuable military target.

Those carefully camouflaged fortifications and gun positions, under the cover of sand, stones, and bushes, were as if they did not exist, impossible to detect.

"Sir, the enemy Cruisers are still bombarding, should we send out the Air Force?" The Chief of Staff asked.

"No need." Li Ling shook his head, "Let them bombard. When they run out of shells, they will naturally leave. Our gun positions are all reinforced, and ordinary Cruiser shells cannot penetrate them. Save some ammunition; there are still tough battles to be fought later."

Sure enough, twenty minutes later, the Cruiser bombardment stopped.

The smoke on the sea gradually dissipated, the thick fog had completely cleared, and the sunlight shone on the sea without obstruction, illuminating the wreckage and floating corpses clearly.

Looking as far as the eye could see, the sea was filled with burning oil, broken planks, tilting hulls, and those survivors still struggling in the water.

"Sir, the remaining enemy ships are retreating toward the open sea." The signalman reported.

"Send out the Torpedo boats." Li Ling's voice was still calm, as if he were discussing a trivial matter, "Pick up those survivors. Although they are enemies, they are still human. Saving them will not put us at a disadvantage in terms of public opinion later."

"Yes!"

The Torpedo boats sailed out from the hidden harbor, their white wakes carving arcs on the sea.

The sailors on the boats lowered lifebuoys and rope ladders, pulling those Allied soldiers, whose lips were purple from the cold, onto the decks one by one.

Some knelt on the deck and vomited, some wailed loudly, and some sat blankly with hollow eyes.

These people were lucky; they had survived.

But those who sank to the bottom of the sea, those who were blown to pieces in the explosions, and those who were swallowed by the seawater would never come back.

Li Ling walked down from the observation tower, his face as grim as iron.

He walked to the sand table in the command post, looking at the small flags marking the enemy and friendly situation.

The first wave of landing had been repelled, and the enemy had suffered heavy losses, but this was only a probe.

He knew that the Allied commander would not give up; the second wave, the third wave, the fourth wave... they would try again and again until they found his weakness or exhausted all their strength.

"System." He thought silently to himself.

"Hmm?" The System's voice echoed in his mind, carrying a rare hint of seriousness.

"Tell me, how will the Allied forces fight next?"

The System's voice paused for a moment, as if it were performing calculations and analysis.

Then it said: "According to satellite reconnaissance and intelligence analysis, the main Allied force is still cruising on the open sea and has not retreated. Their commander is named General MacArthur, a Major General in the Meijian Country Army, who participated in the Spanish-American War and is known for his varied tactics. After suffering this loss, he will very likely change his tactics."

"What kind of tactics?"

"Feint in the east and attack in the west." The System said, "He will first send small units to feign an attack on another part of the coast to attract our attention and forces, and then the main force will launch a surprise attack at the real landing point. Host, your coastline is too long; it is impossible to defend everywhere."

Li Ling was silent for a few seconds, then said: "I know. That is why I do not intend to defend everywhere. I want them to guess; I want them to be unable to guess where I have stationed heavy troops, and unable to guess where I will be waiting for them."

He turned around and said to the Chief of Staff: "Pass the order: all Radar stations along the coast are to enter the highest state of alert, scanning continuously for twenty-four hours. The Air Force Reconnaissance Squadron is to be divided into four groups, taking turns to patrol in the air. Once they discover the enemy fleet changing course, report immediately. The Special Forces are to advance to the open sea and set up a reconnaissance network on the periphery of the enemy fleet; I want to know their every move."

"Yes!"

The Chief of Staff took the order and left, and Li Ling stood alone in front of the sand table, looking at the small flags representing the enemy ships.

Outside the window, the sun was bright, and the sea was shimmering.

But Li Ling knew that this was just the calm before the storm.

The enemy would not give up; they would come again and again until they were completely defeated or found his weakness.

And what he had to do was find the enemy's weakness before they found his.

"System." He thought silently to himself again.

"Hmm?"

"Tell me, after this battle is over, can I have a good sleep?"

The System was silent for two seconds, then said: "Host, the last time you had a good sleep was probably five years ago."

Li Ling was stunned for a moment, then gave a bitter smile.

"You are right." He sighed, "Then I will continue to endure it. I am used to it anyway."

Outside the window, seagulls circled in the sky, emitting sharp cries, as if announcing something.

And Li Ling knew that a new storm was brewing on the other side of the horizon.