128: Chapter 38 Fatal Blow

In the darkest moment before dawn, Li Ling was awakened by the emergency alarm of the system.

He practically sprang from his bed, rushing into the command center without even putting on his shoes.

On the Radar screen, dense clusters of light points were approaching the coastline from three directions simultaneously, totaling over eighty ships, including at least ten Battleships and twenty Cruisers.

"What is going on?" he demanded sharply, his voice raspy from sleep and heavy with intense anger.

"Sir, the enemy's main force has mobilized!" The duty officer's face was pale. "They are attacking from three routes simultaneously: twenty ships from the northeast, forty from the east, and twenty from the southeast. Each route is covered by Battleships and Cruisers, and there are at least fifty landing craft and transport ships!"

Li Ling's mind raced at high speed. A three-pronged attack with forces far exceeding previous ones; this time, General MacArthur was determined to land.

He was no longer testing the waters or hesitating, but had staked all his chips in an attempt to break through the Tang Army's coastal defenses in one fell swoop.

"Have the first, second, and third artillery positions fire simultaneously, with each position responsible for one route of the enemy!" Li Ling ordered. "The Air Force is to launch fully, prioritizing the bombing of enemy Battleships and Cruisers! Have the Torpedo boats and Destroyers set an ambush near the coast and launch an attack once the enemy enters range!"

"Yes!"

After the order was issued, the entire coastline instantly erupted into activity.

Gunners operated the artillery in the dark night; shells were pushed into the chambers, breeches locked, waiting for the order to fire.

Pilots rushed to the tarmac, climbed into the cockpits, and the roar of engines rose one after another.

Torpedo boats and Destroyers sailed out of the harbor, forming attack formations on the sea surface.

When the first ray of dawn broke through the horizon, the battle began.

Hundreds of cannons from the three artillery positions fired simultaneously, shells pouring down like a rainstorm onto the enemy fleets in all three directions.

Explosions rang out across the sea one after another; towering water columns rose in succession, and the firelight illuminated the darkness before dawn.

A landing ship was directly hit in the ammunition magazine, the entire vessel blown to pieces, flames shooting into the sky; even Li Ling, over a dozen kilometers away, felt the shockwave.

But this time, the Allied forces did not retreat.

Battleships and Cruisers began to counter-attack; large-caliber shells landed on the coast, blasting dirt and rocks into the air, kicking up clouds of dust.

Several shells landed near an artillery position, hitting a 105mm howitzer; the gunners at the position were flipped over by the blast wave, falling into a pool of blood.

"Sir, five guns at the first position have been destroyed!" The communicator's voice trembled. "Artillery casualties exceed thirty!"

"Have them withdraw to the reserve positions!" Li Ling's voice was as cold as ice shards. "Keep firing, do not stop!"

At the same time, twelve biplanes from the Air Force took off from the airfield, carrying aerial bombs toward the enemy fleet on the sea.

The roar of propellers echoed in the sky as pilots dived to drop bombs, braving the enemy ships' anti-aircraft fire.

A bomb hit a Cruiser precisely, the violent explosion leaving the deck unrecognizable, the bridge blown away, and thick smoke billowing.

But the Allied forces' numerical advantage was becoming apparent.

More and more enemy ships broke through the artillery fire, approaching the beach.

Soldiers on the transport ships began to assemble, landing craft were lowered into the water, and they charged toward the beachhead under the cover of artillery fire.

"Sir, the enemy has begun landing!" The Chief of Staff's voice was filled with irrepressible anxiety.

Li Ling did not answer.

He stared fixedly at the landing craft approaching the beachhead, his right hand slowly tightening on his binoculars.

"Pass the order." His voice was low and cold. "Heavy Machine Gun nests, wait until the enemy is in range, then fire. Let them get close, and fire until they dare not approach the beachhead again."

On the beachhead defense line, hundreds of Heavy Machine Gun nests and light machine gun nests simultaneously uncovered their camouflage.

Soldiers lay behind sandbags, fingers on triggers, muzzles aimed at the approaching landing craft.

The waterline shimmered in the morning light, and the sound of the landing craft engines grew closer and clearer.

When the ramp of the first landing craft slammed onto the sandy beach, hundreds of machine guns fired simultaneously.

Bullets poured onto the beach like a rainstorm; those soldiers who had just jumped off the landing craft were mowed down by the dense barrage before they could even stand firm.

The sand was stained dark red, corpses and wounded soldiers piled up together, forming a shocking wall of flesh.

The soldiers behind stepped over the corpses of those in front to continue the charge, but their charge was meaningless—under the coverage of the crossfire, no one could survive crossing that open beach.

"Machine gunners, change ammunition belts!" The commander's voice shouted through the gunfire.

The machine gunners quickly replaced the scorching hot barrels and empty ammunition belts, reloaded, and continued firing.

Bullets whistled in the sea breeze, hitting the sand and splashing up rows of water-like sand grains.

On the sea, more landing craft were approaching, and more soldiers were jumping into the water, but what awaited them was still that impassable line of fire.

In the distance, the Allied Battleships were still shelling, with shells landing inland, destroying some villages and fields.

But the fire cover of the beachhead positions was flawless, and the Allied Marines could not move an inch on the beach.

Those soldiers who were lucky enough to reach behind the sand dunes were quickly eliminated by Mortars and Hand grenades.

The battle lasted from dawn until noon.

When the sun reached the zenith, there were few landing ships and transport ships left on the sea.

Over forty landing ships were sunk, thirty transport ships were destroyed, and the remainder fled back to the high seas.

The Allied forces' three-pronged attack was completely repelled, with casualties exceeding twenty thousand.

On the beach, on the sea, and on the sandy beachhead, there were corpses and wreckage everywhere, and blood had stained the seawater dark red for hundreds of meters.

The Tang Army's casualties were also significant.

Three of the five artillery positions were destroyed, over two hundred artillerymen were killed or wounded, and the ammunition consumption of the Heavy Machine Gun positions exceeded expectations several times over, with even reserve ammunition nearly depleted.

The Air Force had two planes shot down by anti-aircraft fire, and one pilot was missing after parachuting.

But there was no expression on Li Ling's face.

He stood before the window of the command center, looking at the sea shrouded in smoke in the distance, and remained silent for a long time.

"Sir, the remaining enemy ships are retreating toward the high seas." The Chief of Staff said cautiously.

Li Ling did not answer immediately.

He stared at the ship silhouettes gradually disappearing from view, his gaze so cold that no one dared to look directly at him.

"Pass the order." He finally spoke, his voice raspy and low. "Have the Second Fleet sortie and pursue the remaining enemy ships. Sink as many as you can, do not let a single one escape."

"Yes!"

After the order was issued, the Second Fleet, which had long been on standby, sailed out from the hidden harbor, forming a battle formation to pursue toward the high seas.

The main guns of the Battleships began bombarding from long range, Destroyers accelerated ahead, and Torpedo boats flanked from the sides.

Those retreating Allied ships suffered heavy losses again under the pursuit, with another dozen warships sunk or severely damaged.

When the Second Fleet returned at dusk, the smoke on the sea had dispersed.

The setting sun dyed the sky golden red, the sea surface shimmered, and everything had returned to calm, with only the floating wreckage and oil stains telling of the fierce battle that had just ended.

Li Ling sat in the chair in the command center, with a thick casualty report spread out before him.

He read it once, then read it again, then slowly closed it and placed it on the table.

"System." He murmured in his heart.

"Hmm?"

"Tell me, how much longer does this war have to be fought?"

The system's voice was silent for a moment: "According to satellite reconnaissance, the Allied forces still have a reserve fleet on the high seas, about twenty ships. Their commander, General MacArthur, is still on the flagship and has not retreated. This war, at least one more battle must be fought."

Li Ling closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

"Then one more battle." He said, "After it's over, can I get a good night's sleep?"

"Host, if you win this battle, the Allied forces will completely lose their landing capability in the Far East. You can gain at least a few months of rest."

Li Ling opened his eyes and looked at the sky outside the window that was gradually darkening.

"A few months." He muttered, "Enough."

He stood up, walked to the table, picked up a pen, and signed his name on the casualty report.

"Pass the order," he said to the adjutant beside him, "Double the pensions for the fallen soldiers, and arrange the best treatment for the wounded. Tomorrow morning, I want to convene a military meeting to discuss the next step of the operation plan."

"Yes!"

The adjutant received the order and left. Li Ling stood alone before the window, watching the lights gradually lighting up in the distance.

On the sea, the lights of fishing boats flickered in the darkness, like stars in the sky that had fallen into the sea.

He knew that a bigger storm was still to come.

But he was not afraid.

Because he was Li Ling.