Thirty-five nautical miles northeast of the Squid and 6,500 meters above the ground, a military reconnaissance airship was suspended in the clouds and advancing slowly.

This is a semi-rigid airship. Different from the cigar type, the airship is generally shuttle-shaped and painted in blue and white. The logo on the pod indicates that it belongs to the navy.

"Captain, we have received news from the Squid. They have stopped and are waiting for supplies." The first mate walked into the reconnaissance cabin with the telegram.

The organization of an airship is basically similar to that of the navy. The boss is the captain or captain, and there are first mates and various operators below.

"Say sorry to them, and let's treat them to a drink to make amends when we get back." The captain stood beside the observer, his face full of exhaustion.

After receiving the order last night, they took off in an emergency. However, not long after taking off, they had just reached the predetermined altitude and were about to fly with the help of airflow, when they encountered a rain cloud right in front of them.

Rain clouds pose little threat to airships, but rain clouds may encounter convection and turn into thunderclouds at any time, which poses a considerable threat to airships.

It was too dark, and when they found out, they were already very close. The captain ordered to increase the altitude while organizing the wearing of self-rescue equipment.

Then, the airship plunged into the rain cloud. The inside of the rain cloud was unpredictable, the wind direction was very chaotic, and the airship was blown dizzy.

Fortunately, it is a semi-rigid airship, the frame has a certain strength, China has no shortage of rubber, and the skin has good toughness, so it can persist in the irregular turbulence.

They finally flew out of the rain clouds, but it happened to be the darkest time before sunrise. The moonlight and starlight had basically disappeared, and the sun had not yet come out. They were lost!

He wanted to send electricity to Ryukyu and asked Ryukyu to send a backup airship, but found that the radio station was damaged during the shaking.

After the sun came up, they found that they had deviated from the course by more than 100 kilometers...

"I confirm that the number is correct, and all the characteristics are consistent. They are eight main battleships of the Japanese army." The observer looked at the telescope and compared the data in his hand, and finally said with certainty.

"Just as long as you haven't lost track, send a report to Ryukyu. Our boat has discovered the main force of the Japanese combined fleet and is performing a reconnaissance and tracking mission." The captain breathed a sigh of relief and yawned.

"Captain, why don't you go get some sleep first?" the first mate advised upon seeing this.

"Okay, wake me up in an hour and take turns to rest." The captain didn't hold on.

…………

"The Japanese dispatched the main fleet to sail north? Where are they now?" Liu Yiming touched his chin, probably guessing that the Japanese were going to escort.

The Japanese launched a large-scale attack. In Liu Yiming's view, the Japanese could no longer sit still and sought a breakthrough on the battlefield.

Not only Liu Yiming, but almost all Chinese generals who received the news thought so. After all, the Japanese had made a breakthrough on the front line.

Although it is only a small breakthrough in the position, doesn't the battlefield press into the territory of China? If we work harder, maybe we can break through.

"The Japanese's speed is not very fast. It is less than 200 kilometers from Sasebo, but this time the Japanese's behavior is very abnormal." Gu Fan stood up and drew a small circle on the map.

This circle is where the Japanese are located. It is a vague range and the approximate size of the Japanese combined fleet after deployment.

"Abnormal? Which places are abnormal?" Liu Yiming asked curiously.

In fact, in his heart, it is normal for Japanese people to do stupid things, because their thinking is abnormal.

"According to common sense, before the main fleet is dispatched, there should be sufficient preliminary preparations, including investigating the safety of the channel, adjusting auxiliary warships, deploying personnel and materials, etc."

"However, the Navy has not received any information about the large-scale activities of the Japanese military's reconnaissance fleet, and even the Japanese military's activities have been much less recently."

"Under such circumstances, it is very abnormal for the Japanese army to launch a sudden attack. If they received the order suddenly, I suspect that they did not even have the supplies. If not, there must be a conspiracy."

What Gu Fan is puzzled about is why the Japanese suddenly dispatched.

The dispatch of the fleet requires a long period of preparation, and no corresponding news has been received recently.

The deployment of supplies is also not simple, and Gu Fan knows that after cutting off Japan's trade routes, the Japanese army will not have many resources available.

Under this situation, the Japanese Army launched a crazy offensive on the northern front. It is said that a regiment of the border guards of the three provinces blocked the attack of the Japanese brigade with less than 2,000 people and killed more than 40,000 Japanese troops.

It sounds a bit strange, but Gu Fan doesn't think anyone would be so bold as to lie about military information. The intelligence department will verify it.

In the navy, China and the Japanese fought twice. In the first time, neither side took advantage, but the Japanese seriously damaged more ships, and China won a small victory.

The second time, almost all the Japanese battleships were injured, and many ships were moderately or seriously injured. They lost their combat effectiveness in a short period of time. It can be said that the outcome was decided.

Moreover, both times, the Japanese Navy came out in full force, but the Chinese Navy did not do this. Due to various reasons, the most advanced warships only had a fight with the escorting King Kong class and won completely.

If Gu Fan were the commander of the Japanese Navy, he would definitely not send out the large fleet at this time, but would frequently attack with medium-sized warships to look for opportunities.

The only ones that can deal with medium-sized warships are warships of the same level or larger. This is a disadvantage of the South China Navy. The Chinese Navy has also inherited this, and there are insufficient numbers of medium-sized warships.

As a result, the Chinese navy will have to dispatch large warships to deal with the Japanese actions. The more times they are used, Japan will always seize the opportunity.

This was also the method adopted by the German navy when it was weak in World War I. Unfortunately, the Germans' message was clearly understood by the British, and they were forced to fight a large sea battle.

The Japanese did not do this, but chose to huddle up. They only patrolled with some fast and small warships. Whenever the Chinese navy approached, they chose to huddle up.

Of course Gu Fan didn't know that this was because the Japanese navy at that time could not obtain resources and the progress of ship repairs was delayed again and again. There was no way.

After finally recovering the resource tilt, I found that there were only so few resources left in total and I didn't dare to waste them.

This kind of fishing law enforcement consumes a lot of resources, and the Japanese cannot afford it.

This is why Japan has always advocated decisive battles to win.

"Conspiracy?" At this point, Liu Yiming immediately connected the situation.

"Yes, conspiracy. The Japanese navy is most likely just feinting to attract our fast warships to intercept." Gu Fan looked at the situation map.

"Is there still no news from Japan?" Liu Yiming did not answer Gu Fan, but looked at Jiang Wang.

"So far, no effective news has been received. Our informants inside the Japanese army have all gone silent. We don't know what their specific situation is." Jiang Wang nodded slightly.

As soon as last night's incident came out, Jiang Wang immediately sought information from his informants in Japan. Jiang Wang's intelligence network in Japan was very large. He had informants ranging from the government to traffickers and lackeys.

However, he was not notified of this incident in advance, and he was unable to investigate the specific situation if something went wrong.

It can be determined that the Japanese must have kept very strict confidentiality, and all those who know the information may be under control.

"We can think that the Japanese are planning a campaign that can change the strategic situation. Whether it is North Korea or at sea, they are all part of this campaign." Liu Yiming knocked on his head.

"At present, we don't know what the Japanese's goal is, but it is obvious that we cannot just sit there like this."

"Gu Fan, based on normal circumstances, what would be our reaction?"

Liu Yiming was a little upset. He couldn't figure out Japan's chance of turning defeat into victory. After all, the two sides were of different sizes.

In terms of naval strength, the Japanese navy may have a slight numerical advantage when the war started, but once the war started, Japan was destined to fail to win.

Unless the Japanese combined fleet suddenly appears in the Java Sea, lands at the Mayen Naval Base, and goes straight to Huanglong.

Is this possible? The Japanese combined fleet is still under China's surveillance. What do they want to do?

"Normally, this fleet is probably going to escort the army. We will send fast battleships to quickly respond, intercept and delay its progress northward."

"So I think the Japanese are targeting our fast battleship formations."

Gu Fan said.

This is a normal reaction, and it is also the role of seizing sea control. Otherwise, even if the enemy fleet is defeated and the enemy troop transport is not attacked, what role does sea control have?

"The Japanese should know that their ships cannot keep up with our fast battleship formation. Even if they could catch up, they would not be able to defeat us." Liu Yiming shook his head.

The Japanese are easy to be arrogant, but when they are not arrogant, they are very tolerant and cautious. Even King Goujian of Yue could not tolerate it.

Decades later, the Japanese Empire's military strength had reached the forefront of the world. Years of victory had continued to expand it, and the Pacific War began.

But before that, Japan had always been a sensible, humble, and cautious country.

As for the war of aggression, it was an industrial country fighting an agricultural country. It was not an expansion at all. At most, it was an expansion of the army in an attempt to quickly complete the war.

"Then, I really can't understand. Japan can't still have a large-scale naval battle with us, right? Do they still have enough resources?" Gu Fan didn't understand.

In Gu Fan's eyes, the threat from Japan's main fleet is no longer great, because the blockaded Japan has found it difficult to even repair damaged warships.

What can such a fleet do even if it wins a decisive fleet battle? China has more than one fleet and more than just battleships.

Under the blockade of countless small and medium-sized warships, Japan's shipping lanes are still unable to be opened. It will be difficult to repair damaged warships, and resources to maintain the war will soon be exhausted.

As for Huaxia, they can repair and build warships calmly. Anyway, Nanhua has already made a lot of money during this period.

The model verification of the new warship has been completed and is just waiting to start construction.

"If you don't understand, just don't think about it. Anyway, just don't go in the direction they want." Liu Yiming looked at the battlefield situation.
Chapter completed!