127: Chapter 37 Feint to the East, Attack in the West

In the early hours of the third day, the Radar station reported that the enemy fleet had split into two routes, with one moving towards the northeast and the other remaining in the open sea.

The force heading northeast was relatively small, consisting of about fifteen landing ships and six Destroyers, while the main fleet in the open sea still had over thirty vessels holding their positions.

Li Ling stood before the Radar screen, watching the moving dots of light, his fingers tapping lightly on the desktop.

Outside the window, the sky was still dark, with only a faint, fish-belly white light showing along the eastern horizon.

"Feinting to the east to attack in the west," he murmured. "The route to the northeast is a feint; the main force is still waiting in the open sea. Once we shift our forces to the northeast, they will launch an attack from the real landing point."

"My Lord, what should we do?" the Chief of Staff asked. "Should we call back the troops from the northeast?"

"No," Li Ling shook his head. "A feint is still an attack. If we don't defend against it, the feint will become the main attack, and they will take the opportunity to land in the northeast. Therefore, we must defend the northeast, but we don't need to commit all our forces there."

He walked to the sand table, picked up a few small flags, and rearranged the troop deployment.

"Send the Second Brigade to the northeast to defend using the existing fortifications. Have the Air Force Reconnaissance Squadron dispatch four aircraft to circle above the feinting fleet and apply pressure. The main force will remain here and continue to hold its position."

"And what about the main fleet in the open sea?"

"Watch them closely." Li Ling drew a line on the sand table with his finger. "Order the Submarine force to advance to the open sea and lie in wait on the periphery of the enemy's main fleet. Report immediately once they start to move. Also, have the Torpedo boats deploy to ambush positions along the coast, and wait for them to get close before attacking."

"Understood."

After the orders were issued, the Tang Army troops moved quickly. The soldiers of the Second Brigade boarded trucks and armored vehicles in the darkness and sped off toward the northeast. Four reconnaissance planes took off from the airfield, the roar of their engines piercing the night sky as they flew toward the northeastern waters.

Everything was proceeding according to plan, but Li Ling couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"System," he murmured in his mind. "Do you think General MacArthur will guess that I've seen through his feint?"

The system's voice paused for a moment, then said, "General MacArthur is a famous general; he will not underestimate you. It is very likely that he anticipated you would see through his plan. Therefore, he is currently gambling—gambling on whether you will move your main force away or stay put."

"Then if I stay put, am I playing right into his hands?"

"It is possible," the system said. "But if he kept his main force in the open sea while the real landing point is in the northeast, then his feint is actually the main attack. Host, you are facing a classic game theory dilemma—you do not know the enemy's true intentions and can only gamble."

Li Ling was silent for a few seconds, then smiled.

"Then let's gamble," he said. "I'll bet that his main force is in the open sea, and that his feint is just a feint. If I lose, I accept it; if I win, he loses."

He turned around and said to the Chief of Staff, "Pass the order: the main force is to remain on standby, and all units are to enter the highest state of combat readiness. The Radar station is to report the enemy fleet's position every five minutes, and any unusual movements must be reported immediately."

"Yes!"

Time passed minute by minute. The sky gradually brightened, and a thin mist rose over the sea. On the Radar screen, the feinting fleet in the northeast was slowly approaching, about fifty nautical miles from the coast. Meanwhile, the main fleet in the open sea still showed no signs of movement.

"My Lord, the enemy fleet in the northeast is thirty nautical miles away," the Chief of Staff reported. "The Second Brigade is in position, and the Air Force reconnaissance planes are circling above the enemy fleet."

"Tell them to wait a little longer," Li Ling said. "Wait until the enemy enters range before firing."

"Understood."

Twenty minutes later, the enemy fleet in the northeast entered the range of the coastal defense guns. The Artillery Company commander of the Second Brigade did not ask for instructions and directly issued the order to fire. Dozens of shells streaked across the sky, landing precisely in the middle of the enemy fleet. The sound of explosions traveled from afar, and the flames were clearly visible in the morning light.

The enemy fleet immediately fell into chaos. The landing ships began to turn and retreat, while the Destroyers tried to provide cover but were suppressed by artillery fire. The Second Brigade's artillery bombarded them continuously for fifteen minutes, sinking or damaging seven or eight enemy ships, while the rest fled in panic, disappearing into the mist.

"My Lord, the enemy fleet in the northeast has retreated!" the Chief of Staff reported excitedly.

Li Ling did not smile. He stared at the moving dots of light on the Radar screen, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Something is wrong," he suddenly said. "It was too easy."

"What?"

"The enemy's feint was repelled too easily." Li Ling's fingers tapped faster and faster on the desktop. "They committed fifteen landing ships and six Destroyers, and after we sank or damaged seven or eight of them, the rest just ran away. This doesn't look like a feint; it looks more like a probe. They are testing our reaction speed, firepower density, and troop deployment."

The system's voice echoed in his mind, "Host, your guess is likely correct. General MacArthur is using these ships to probe your defensive layout. The reason the main fleet in the open sea has remained motionless is because they are waiting for a result—waiting for you to expose your true defensive weaknesses."

Li Ling turned abruptly. "Pass the order: all artillery positions are to relocate immediately! The camouflage unit is to set up decoys at the front-line positions! Quickly!"

The Chief of Staff was stunned for a second, then immediately went to relay the orders. The artillerymen began dismantling the guns and towing them with trucks to reserve, concealed positions. Meanwhile, the camouflage unit used inflatable models and canvas to set up fake artillery and fortifications at the original positions, which looked exactly like the real ones from a distance.

In less than an hour, all the real artillery positions had been relocated, and the decoys had been set up. Looking from the air, the original artillery positions still seemed to exist, with all the guns arranged there "intact," even with the barrels pointed in the same direction.

Li Ling stood in the new command post, watching the Radar screen. The main fleet in the open sea finally moved—over thirty vessels divided into three echelons, approaching the southeastern coast at a speed of fifteen knots. Their target was the very coast that had been shelled earlier.

"As expected," Li Ling sneered. "They want to launch a real attack while we have finished a round of shelling, haven't replenished our ammunition, and our troops are still resting."

"My Lord, should we have the artillery open fire?" the Chief of Staff asked.

"No rush," Li Ling raised his hand. "Wait until they enter the range of the decoys before firing. Let them think we are still at the original positions."

The enemy fleet drew closer and closer. The mist over the sea had mostly dissipated, and the sunlight illuminated the silhouettes of the vessels clearly. The landing ships and transport ships, escorted by Destroyers, were arranged in a tight formation. The decks were crowded with fully armed soldiers, their steel helmets reflecting a cold light in the sun.

Ten nautical miles, eight nautical miles, six nautical miles...

"Fire!" Li Ling issued the order.

The inflatable models and canvas at the decoy positions were instantly ripped away, revealing dozens of artillery positions disguised as rocks and mounds of earth. The gunners pulled the firing lanyards, and shells poured down like a torrential rain into the middle of the enemy fleet.

The Allied forces were caught off guard. They had assumed that the coastal defense guns had exhausted much of their ammunition in the previous battle and were in the replenishment phase; they did not expect to be met with even denser and more intense firepower. The landing ships were hit one after another—some caught fire, some had their hulls broken, and some sank directly to the seabed. The ammunition and fuel on the transport ships were detonated, massive fireballs shot into the sky, and thick smoke obscured half the sky.

"Pursue them!" Li Ling ordered. "Deploy the Torpedo boats and sink every ship still afloat! Do not give them any chance!"

The Torpedo boats rushed out from their hidden coves, charging toward the chaotic enemy fleet at speeds exceeding thirty knots. Torpedoes left trails of white wakes, striking one enemy ship after another with precision. Explosions rang out one after another, flames soared into the sky over the sea, and oil and wreckage covered the entire area.

The battle lasted less than two hours. The Allied forces' second wave of landing troops was completely routed. Over thirty vessels were sunk or severely damaged, and more than eight thousand soldiers were killed or fell into the water. Only a few Cruisers and Destroyers managed to escape the encirclement, fleeing in panic toward the open sea.

"My Lord, a great victory!" the Chief of Staff's voice was trembling with excitement. "We sank over twenty enemy ships, captured six, and eliminated over eight thousand of the enemy!"

Li Ling nodded, but there was no smile on his face. He stood by the window of the command post, watching the burning wreckage and floating corpses on the distant sea, and remained silent for a long time.

"System," he murmured in his mind.

"Hmm?"

"What do you think General MacArthur is thinking right now?"

The system's voice paused for a moment. "He is probably thinking that this Li Ling is even harder to deal with than the legends say. Perhaps he is adjusting his plans, preparing for the next attack."

"The next one?" Li Ling sneered. "Does he still have troops?"

"Host, reinforcements from Meijian Country and the British and French are on the way. According to satellite reconnaissance, a landing force of at least fifty thousand is currently assembling. This war is far from over."

Li Ling closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Then we will keep fighting," he opened his eyes, his gaze like iron. "We will fight until they have no troops to send, no ships to use, and no general dares to come and take command."

He turned and walked toward the command console.

Outside the window, the sun was setting, dyeing the entire sea blood-red. In the distance, the wreckage was still burning, and the thick smoke looked particularly glaring in the twilight.

A new night was about to fall, and new battles would be quietly brewing in the darkness.