71: Chapter 71 The Third Major Naval Battle (Preliminary Battle)

## 1. Meeting in the Foggy Sea

The fog on the sea was so thick it looked like cotton wool that couldn't be dispersed.

Li Ling stood on the bridge of the dragon soar. Through his binoculars, there was only a vast expanse of white, and he could see nothing. The sea was eerily calm, and even the sound of the waves seemed exceptionally dull, like something pressing down on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

[Host, Radar shows a large number of targets thirty nautical miles ahead, approaching at high speed.]

"How many?" Li Ling asked in a low voice, his tone sounding exceptionally suppressed in the thick fog.

[At least forty vessels, approaching us at a speed of eighteen knots. Judging by their speed and formation, they should be the vanguard of the United Fleet.]

Forty vessels. Li Ling calculated rapidly in his mind. The main force he could mobilize now was six Dreadnoughts, plus three Pre-dreadnoughts and some auxiliary vessels, totaling less than twenty ships. The force ratio was close to one to two, not even counting the difference in vessel quality between the two sides.

"All ships maintain radio silence and do not emit any light," Li Ling ordered in a lowered voice. "All vessels enter combat readiness. Load armor-piercing shells into the main guns and preheat the torpedo tubes."

The orders were transmitted ship by ship via signal flags and lights, spreading silently through the thick fog. The six Dreadnoughts and three Pre-dreadnoughts slowly adjusted their formation into two columns, like a pack of giant beasts lurking in the dark, waiting for their prey to arrive.

Just then, the lookout suddenly shouted, "Ship silhouette spotted on the starboard side! Distance approximately five nautical miles!"

Li Ling abruptly raised his binoculars and looked in the direction the lookout was pointing. In the thick fog, a blurry dark shadow was gradually growing larger. It was a large Cruiser flying the Rising Sun flag of Japan, its bow cutting through the waves as it steamed toward them at full speed.

Right after, more ship silhouettes emerged from the fog. One, two, four, eight... within just a few minutes, over a dozen enemy ships appeared in their field of vision like phantoms, densely packed, their masts like a forest.

"It's the vanguard of the United Fleet!" the Chief of Staff exclaimed in shock. "How did they find their way here?"

Li Ling did not answer. He stared intently at the enemy ships that were gradually becoming clearer, his mind racing. According to the original plan, the main force of the United Fleet should still be over two hundred nautical miles away; the vanguard should not have appeared in this position. Either the intelligence was incorrect, or the enemy had changed their route, bypassing his reconnaissance network.

[Host, Radar shows that these enemy ships are only the vanguard, and a larger fleet is following behind them. If we do not break contact as soon as possible, we are highly likely to be surrounded.]

"I know," Li Ling gritted his teeth. "But it's too late to retreat now. Pass the order: all ships prepare for battle, target the enemy vanguard, fire at will!"

The moment the order was given, the main guns of the six Dreadnoughts opened fire simultaneously.

## 2. Blood and Fire

The 305mm shells tore through the thick fog, dragging orange-red trails of flame as they crashed into the enemy ships. The first salvo hit the Japan Cruiser that had appeared first. The shells penetrated the weak armor and exploded inside the hull.

A massive fireball erupted from the middle of the Cruiser, with thick smoke and debris soaring dozens of meters into the air. The entire warship seemed to be snapped by an invisible giant hand; its keel broke, and the hull listed rapidly. Sailors screamed as they jumped into the freezing seawater, but even more people were swallowed by the explosion before they could react.

"A hit!" the gunners cheered.

But there was no joy on Li Ling's face. More enemy ships were pouring out of the fog, and their reaction speed far exceeded expectations. The vanguard of the United Fleet was clearly not a disorganized rabble; those vessels dispersed immediately after being attacked, taking evasive action to dodge the gunfire while beginning to return fire.

Shells whistled over the dragon soar, landing on the nearby sea surface and kicking up towering columns of water. Seawater poured over the bridge like torrential rain, drenching Li Ling's uniform, the icy sensation making him shiver.

"Hard port!" Li Ling ordered. "Don't stay in one position, maintain maneuverability!"

The massive hull of the dragon soar carved an arc across the sea, sending spray flying in all directions. At the same time, four Japan Destroyers charged out from the flanks, rushing toward Li Ling's fleet at a high speed of over twenty-five knots, their deck torpedo tubes already aimed at the targets.

"Torpedo boats, intercept!" Li Ling ordered.

Eight Torpedo boats shot out of the formation like arrows from a bow, charging toward the enemy Destroyers. The two sides engaged in a fierce close-range clash; the Torpedo boats launched torpedoes, while the Destroyers returned fire with their naval guns. Shells rained down on the sea, torpedoes left white wakes, and explosions resounded one after another.

One Torpedo boat was hit by an enemy shell, causing its ammunition depot to explode. The entire boat was blown in two and sank rapidly. The dozen or so officers and men on board had no time to jump into the sea and disappeared beneath the surface along with the Torpedo boat.

Li Ling gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to look at the sinking Torpedo boat.

"Main guns, aim at the enemy flagship!" he ordered coldly. "Salvo!"

The main guns of the six Dreadnoughts roared once more, as over a dozen 305mm shells rained down concertedly on the Japan vanguard's flagship—an old-style Battleship. The shells penetrated the armor and exploded inside the hull, triggering a chain reaction.

The Battleship's magazine was detonated, and the violent explosion tore the entire warship to shreds. Shrapnel, severed limbs, burning fuel... everything flew into the sky amidst the flames, then rained back down onto the sea.

The shockwave of the explosion was felt even on the dragon soar several nautical miles away, causing the glass windows of the bridge to buzz and rattle.

The sinking of the enemy flagship dealt a major blow to the morale of the Japan vanguard, but they did not rout. Led by several Cruisers, the remaining vessels continued to fight back tenaciously while calling for reinforcements from their main fleet via radio.

"My Lord, enemy reinforcements are approaching, approximately fifty nautical miles away!" the Radar Operator reported.

Li Ling's heart sank. Fifty nautical miles, at the speed of the enemy ships, they would arrive in two hours at most. Meanwhile, his fleet's ammunition was already half-depleted, and several Pre-dreadnoughts had also sustained light damage, with their combat effectiveness declining.

"Pass the order: the fleet turn southeast and break contact," Li Ling issued the order to retreat.

The Chief of Staff was stunned. "My Lord, we can still fight—"

"Enough," Li Ling interrupted him. "If we keep fighting, once the enemy's main force arrives, we won't even be able to leave if we wanted to. Retreat and preserve our strength."

The fleet began to turn, gradually breaking contact under the cover of the thick fog. Although the Japan vanguard attempted to pursue, their ships were not as fast as the Dreadnoughts, and coupled with the thick fog affecting visibility, they gave up after chasing for a few nautical miles.

## 3. Assessing the Losses

After returning to the temporary anchorage, Li Ling immediately called a meeting of all ship captains. The meeting room was filled with smoke, and everyone's face was filled with exhaustion and gravity.

"Report the losses," Li Ling said, getting straight to the point.

"The dragon might sustained light damage, the dragon leap sustained moderate damage, and the longxiang dreadnought sustained light damage," the Navy Commander pointed to the markings on the sea chart. "Of the three Pre-dreadnoughts, two are heavily damaged and one is lightly damaged. We lost two Torpedo boats, and one is heavily damaged. 123 officers and men were killed in action, and over 200 were wounded."

123 people. Li Ling silently repeated the number in his heart, feeling as if his chest were blocked by something.

"And our achievements?"

"Sunk two enemy Cruisers and four Destroyers, and heavily damaged one enemy Battleship and three Cruisers," the Chief of Staff flipped through the records. "In addition, the Intelligence Department intercepted the enemy's radio communications, confirming that the commander of the enemy vanguard was killed."

Silence fell over the meeting room.

Judging from the exchange ratio, this could be considered a victory. But everyone knew that the real hard battle was still ahead. The main force of the United Fleet, with over fifty vessels, was aggressively charging toward them, and Li Ling's fleet had suffered considerable depletion of ammunition and morale after this battle.

"My Lord, the enemy's main fleet is expected to arrive in two days," the Intelligence Officer stood up. "According to satellite reconnaissance, their formation is extremely tight. Cruisers and Destroyers are on the outer perimeter for security, Battleships are in the center, and there is a large number of Torpedo boats and Submarines escorting them. If we fight them head-on, our chances of winning are not high."

Li Ling did not speak. He walked over to the sea chart, staring at the markers indicating the enemy's positions, and remained silent for a long time.

"The enemy has a weakness," he finally spoke. "Their supply line is too long, and their escort forces are insufficient. If we can cut off their supply, they won't hold out for long."

"My Lord, you mean...?"

"Submarines," Li Ling turned around. "Deploy all Submarines to launch surprise attacks on the enemy's supply convoys. The Special Forces must also coordinate with them to carry out sabotage in enemy-occupied ports, blowing up their oil depots and ammunition depots."

"But our number of Submarines is limited..."

"That's why they must be used where they are needed most," Li Ling interrupted him. "Don't get tangled up with the enemy's anti-Submarine vessels; focus solely on the transport ships. When a transport ship sinks, what's lost is not just the supplies on board, but also hundreds or even thousands of tons of ammunition and fuel. If we sink a few more, the enemy's main fleet will run out of food and ammunition. When that time comes, they will collapse on their own without us even having to fight."

The officers exchanged glances and nodded one after another.

Although this tactic could not directly destroy the enemy, it could greatly weaken the enemy's combat effectiveness. Moreover, Submarine warfare carried relatively low risk and would not cause too many casualties.

"In addition," Li Ling continued, "keep the Radar Stations operating twenty-four hours a day. Report immediately if the enemy splits their forces or shows any vulnerability. We must seize every opportunity to fight; we cannot let them comfortably march right up to our doorstep."

After the meeting ended, Li Ling stood alone on the deck of the dragon soar, looking up at the sparse stars in the night sky.

[Host, what are you thinking about?]

"Thinking about the brothers who sacrificed their lives," Li Ling sighed. "123 people, 123 families. Their parents, wives, and children are still waiting for them to return home."

[War always claims lives. Host has already done very well.]

"Not enough," Li Ling shook his head. "Still not good enough. If my fleet were a bit stronger, if my tactics were a bit more comprehensive, perhaps they wouldn't have died."

[Host, the system reminds you that the enemy is still approaching, and you have no time for self-reproach. The most important thing now is to fight the next battle well.]

"I know," Li Ling took a deep breath. "I just... need a bit of time to process this."

He turned around and walked back to the bridge.

On the distant sea, the thick fog still had not dispersed, like a white wall blocking the view. But Li Ling knew that behind that wall, a massive fleet was approaching, bringing destruction and death.

He had to be prepared.