187: Chapter 97 The Invisible Front (Autumn-Winter 1907)

A month's time is neither too long nor too short.

During these thirty days, Li Ling's military camps and naval ports fell into an unprecedented state of busyness. On the assembly lines of the Production Base, the first batch of brand-new radio equipment was being assembled, tested, and packed. Those iron boxes, flashing with indicator lights and covered with knobs and antennas, were passed through the hands of workers, carrying the warmth of the industrial age and the scent of steel. They were packed into moisture-proof wooden crates and shipped to various units. In the workshops, sparks flew from welding, the clattering of rivet guns rose and fell, and the air was thick with the scent of rosin and solder, as if some invisible gunpowder was being loaded.

The first batch of one hundred long-wave radio stations was prioritised for equipping the First Fleet's six Dreadnoughts and four Pre-dreadnoughts. When the communications officer on the "dragon might" turned on the base-customised long-wave radio for the first time, he put on his heavy headphones, tuned the frequency, his fingers trembling slightly on the knob. Then, he heard a clear voice coming from the "dragon leap" in another naval port, shocking him so much he almost dropped his headphones—it wasn't the blurry "dit-dah" of Morse code, but a genuine human voice, as if the other person was standing right in front of him, with even their breathing clearly audible.

"Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?" The communications officer's voice trembled, his throat tight.

"I hear you, very clearly." The other party's voice came through the headphones, equally surprised. "Old Zhang, are you in the next cabin? Why does it feel like you're speaking right next to me? I can even hear the waves on your end!"

"No! I'm on Bridge No. 2!"

"Holy crap! This thing is amazing!"

Similar scenes played out on every warship equipped with the new radios. Sailors gathered around the iron boxes, marveling at them. Someone even whispered into the radio, "Mom, I've joined the military," and then smiled with red-rimmed eyes. The sailors stroked the cold metal knobs on the radio casings with their rough fingers, as if touching a sacred artifact. An old sailor squatted next to a radio, smoking a pipe, and sighed, "If the Beiyang Fleet had one of these back then, we wouldn't have lost the First Sino-Japanese War so miserably."

Tactical radios were distributed to all divisional headquarters of the Army's five Army groups. Radio operators were gathered in the military camps for a ten-day intensive training course. They learned how to set up antennas, tune frequencies, troubleshoot, and keep communication lines open amidst the flames of war. Instructors slapped the circuit diagrams on the blackboard and shouted at the top of their lungs, "Remember! The higher the antenna, the further the signal travels! Don't be afraid of being hit; if all else fails, use the vehicle-mounted antenna! No matter how fierce the enemy's artillery fire is, it won't break your connection with headquarters!" On the training grounds, young operators frantically adjusted knobs, sweat dripping from their temples onto the equipment, only to be quickly wiped away.

The training for Walkie-talkies was even closer to actual combat. Each Walkie-talkie team consisted of two people: one responsible for carrying the 3.5-kilogram machine on his back, and the other holding the handset to make calls and reports. They were taken to the field for simulated drills, traversing rolling hills and dense forests, practicing how to maintain stable communication while running. Once, a team tripped while climbing a slope, and the Walkie-talkie rolled in the mud a few times. When they picked it up and patted it, it could actually still make calls normally. The operator looked at the mud-covered machine and grinned, "This thing is sturdier than my family's hoe!"

During one drill, a Walkie-talkie team from the Third Army Group called for support during an "attack": "Tiger calling Eagle's Nest! Enemy machine gun nest spotted on the slope ahead! Coordinates: 0-5-3, 7-2-1! Requesting artillery coverage!" Thirty seconds later, the artillery fire from the rear artillery positions fell precisely on that slope, sending the Blue Army, acting as the hypothetical enemy, flying. The Red Army commander held up his binoculars, watched the rising dust and smoke in the distance, and sighed, "This speed is more than ten times faster than a messenger riding a horse! And they won't be killed by an enemy's stray bullet on the way. Before, it took a messenger fifteen minutes to make a run; now, it's just a matter of a single sentence."

Meanwhile, Li Ling stood in the central control room of the Production Base, rubbing his hands in satisfaction as he watched the radio waveforms being tested on the screen. A dozen meters hung on the walls of the central control room, their needles swaying gently on the dials, and red indicator lights flashed rhythmically, like the heartbeat of some precise organism.

"System, how has the combat readiness training coordinated over this past month?" His voice echoed in the empty control room, carrying a metallic resonance.

[According to reports from the various Army groups, the deployment and training of radio equipment have been fully completed. The average response time of Walkie-talkie operators is under three seconds, and the communication success rate of tactical radios is over ninety-five percent. Host, your military has initially acquired the prototype of 'Informationized warfare'. In the most recent simulated confrontation, the Blue Army units equipped with radios crushed the Red Army, who used traditional communication methods, in response speed, increasing combat efficiency by more than threefold.]

"A prototype?" Li Ling raised an eyebrow. "This is just the beginning. Once we have satellite communications in the future, that will be true Informationized warfare. At that time, sitting in my headquarters in Jinling, I will be able to see the position of every single soldier on the front line, the remaining ammunition of every gun, and even the real-time status of every wounded soldier. Fighting a war then will be just like playing chess."

[Host is correct. However, the most important thing right now is to weave this network well first. The System suggests that in future naval battles, you prioritize using radio for tactical coordination. When your fleet can complete formation changes and firepower allocation at a distance invisible to the enemy, they will have no choice but to take a beating. Additionally, the System reminds you to pay attention to radio battlefield discipline in actual combat—excessive calls will expose the position and size of your own fleet. It is recommended to establish strict communication rules and silence protocols.]

"Good idea." Li Ling nodded, his gaze falling on the coastal area of Japan on the sea chart. "Therefore, I have decided to use them for target practice first."

In November, the autumn wind in Jinling City grew colder, blowing the fallen leaves on the streets into swirling piles in the corners. But Li Ling's heart grew warmer. The first batch of radio equipment had fully formed combat capability, and the communication network between various units had begun to take shape. A massive fleet consisting of six Dreadnoughts, four Pre-dreadnoughts, eight Cruisers, twelve Destroyers, and sixteen Torpedo boats had fully assembled at Jiangning Naval Port. On the docks, cranes turned, hoisting the last crate of ammunition onto the decks; in the boiler rooms, the needles of steam pressure gauges slowly rose, and the mercury columns of thermometers crept up inch by inch like living snakes.

Early that morning, a thin mist drifted over the sea, the grayish-white vapor covering the port like a giant quilt, wrapping the masts and bridges in a hazy shroud. The sirens in the naval port wailed, the sound exceptionally deep and long in the fog, like some ancient beast issuing a call to march. Wearing his dark gray Admiral of the Fleet uniform, Li Ling stood on the bridge of the "dragon might," watching the massive silhouettes of the ships on the dock untying their mooring ropes, a surge of pride rising in his heart. The sea breeze, wrapped in mist, slapped against his face, carrying a mixed scent of salt and rust, making his mind exceptionally clear.

"Set sail!" he ordered briefly, his voice sounding exceptionally crisp as it was compressed in the fog.

The fleet slowly departed from the naval port, their giant propellers churning the seawater, kicking up white spray at the stern like the stretching tails of silver fish. The fleet in the fog lined up, cutting through the thin mist, and sailed towards the southeast. The target: the scouting formation of Japan's United Fleet—those outpost warships cruising between the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan, attempting to spy on the Tang Country navy's strength.

The battle commenced on the evening of the second day.

The two fleets encountered each other in the waters near 130 degrees East longitude and 30 degrees North latitude. The setting sun was sinking into the horizon, and the clouds at the edge of the sky were dyed a dark red, as if the sky were bleeding. Japan's scouting fleet consisted of four Light cruisers and six Destroyers, commanded by Rear Admiral Saneyuki Akiyama, an experienced and veteran naval general. He had originally thought this was just a routine patrol, at most encountering a few small gunboats from the Tang Country. But when his Radar operator screamed and reported "more than twenty large targets appearing ahead," he froze completely, the teacup in his hand dropping to the ground, shattering into pieces and splashing tea everywhere.

"More than twenty?" Saneyuki Akiyama rushed to the Radar screen, looking at the dense cluster of light dots on it, his face pale. "This is impossible! Didn't intelligence say they were still resting and reorganizing?! Our people clearly saw their flagship still docked in the shipyard!"

But the artillery fire would not wait for him to recover. When the first shell from a 380mm main gun landed fifty meters off the port side of the flagship "Yubari," Saneyuki Akiyama finally confirmed—this was not an illusion, this was actual combat. The water column kicked up by the shell rose over thirty meters high, and the cold seawater poured onto the deck like a rainstorm, knocking his adjutant behind him off balance. The adjutant's military cap was swept away by the waves, floating on the sea for a few seconds before sinking.

Saneyuki Akiyama's pupils contracted sharply as he hissed, "All fleet turn! Send a telegram for help immediately! Use the highest priority!"

But Li Ling would not give him that time.

On the bridge of the flagship "dragon might," Li Ling held his newly issued radio handset, his voice calm but carrying a cold, murderous intent: "All ships, hear my order, deploy according to the prearranged plan. The First Division, turn left fifteen degrees to cut off the enemy's retreat; the Second Division, turn right ten degrees and shell the enemy flagship. I want none of them to escape. Remember, hit the engine room first, don't let them run."

Within just a few seconds, the radio waves spread throughout the entire fleet. The six Dreadnoughts and four Pre-dreadnoughts, like chess pieces moved by an invisible hand, carved precise arcs on the sea, quickly completing the tactical envelopment. The turning of the hulls kicked up massive fan-shaped waves, gleaming golden-red under the setting sun. A formation of three Cruisers inserted themselves at high speed from the flank, pouring a rain of shells from their 152mm rapid-fire guns onto the Japan Destroyer group. The scene was like a giant beast hunting on the grasslands—composed, efficient, and ruthless, with every single shell carrying a precise calculation of death.

Before firepower ten times their own, the Japan vessels were like toys made of paper. One Destroyer was hit directly in the middle of its hull by the 380mm main gun of the "longwu," the massive explosion tearing the entire warship in two. The fireball from the ammunition depot's secondary explosion shot into the sky, lighting up the sea surface even dozens of nautical miles away, and the oil floating on the water was ignited, resembling a burning swamp. Another Light cruiser attempted to fight back with torpedoes, but was riddled like a sieve by the crossfire of the Cruiser division. Its hull tilted, flames spewed from every gun port, lighting up the sea fog across the sky, and sailors jumped into the freezing seawater like dumplings into a pot, their struggling cries swallowed by the artillery fire.

Standing on the shaking bridge of his flagship, Saneyuki Akiyama watched his fleet perish in a one-sided massacre, a wave of despairing sorrow washing over him. His flagship was tilting violently, and the sailors on the deck had already given up resistance; some knelt to pray by the fires, some jumped into the sea to escape, and others slumped on the scorching deck with hollow eyes. He closed his eyes, drew the saber from his waist, and shouted with the last of his strength, "Radio! Send a telegram to headquarters immediately: The main fleet of the Tang Country has attacked, our unit has suffered a devastating blow, and we hope the people of our nation will forever remember this grudge!" He paused, then added, "They... have the ears of demons! They can speak across dozens of miles!"

Those final words became the last he ever left in this world. A 152mm shell pierced the conning tower of the "Yubari," sending him and the entire bridge to the bottom of the icy sea. The shell made a sharp metal-tearing sound as it penetrated the armor, and then everything fell into silence.

The battle lasted for less than two hours. Japan's scouting formation was completely wiped out, with none of the ten warships surviving. Burning wreckage, broken planks, and struggling survivors floated on the sea, the oil slick forming a giant black mirror in the night, reflecting the last smear of dark red on the horizon. Li Ling's fleet suffered zero losses, with not even a single sailor grazed by shrapnel—the only "injury" was a recruit who scraped his finger while loading a shell.

As the smoke on the sea gradually cleared, the night completely enveloped the waters. Li Ling stood before the bridge window of the "dragon might," looking at the floating wreckage and oil slicks in the distance. Expressionless, he picked up the radio handset, turned on the broadcast channel, and his voice carried through the long-wave radio to Jinling hundreds of miles away, bearing a calm that announced an established fact: "I, Li Ling, have completely wiped out Japan's East China Sea scouting fleet. Tell those who are still watching from the sidelines—I have arrived. Tell them, from this day forth, this sea belongs to Tang."

When the news reached Jinling, Minister of Rites Shen Zhibai was on night duty in the cabinet. Hearing the voice from the radio, he was so shocked that the brush in his hand fell to the ground, splashing ink everywhere and spreading into a black flower on the Xuan paper. He froze for a moment, then slowly smiled, picked up the brush, and wrote four characters on the table: "The die is cast."

Meanwhile, in the Imperial Study of Jiangning Prefecture, the System's prompt sounded right on cue, exceptionally clear in the empty room: [Ding! Host has completed the 'First Practical Radio Coordinated Combat' and achieved the minor achievement 'The Invisible Front'. Reward: Upgraded version of Radio Encryption Technology, making communication signals even harder for the enemy to intercept and crack. The upgraded encryption algorithm is based on non-linear dynamic passwords; even if the enemy intercepts signal fragments, they will be unable to restore the complete information.]

Hearing the System's prompt, the corner of Li Ling's mouth curled up slightly. "Encryption? Good stuff. But now—it's time to get down to business."

He turned to his adjutant: "Order all fleets to return to port for rest and reorganization. In three days, I will convene a meeting of high-ranking military commanders to formulate the final combat plan against Japan—for the second phase, we will launch a cross-sea counterattack!"

In the night of the East China Sea, the waves lapped against the hull of the "dragon might," making a low echo, as if the entire ocean was whispering. Meanwhile, on the distant horizon, a few panicking Japan fishing boats were desperately rowing towards their homeland, bringing the terrifying news that "the Tang people can transmit voices over thousands of miles" to their capital—a greater storm was brewing, like an invisible giant hand slowly tightening.