Empire Conquest
Chapter 330 - 326: Consecutive Provocations

Chapter 330: Chapter 326: Consecutive Provocations

Zhang Guozhu also realized what was happening.

As he sent out the message, Zhang Guozhu came to his senses.

Due to the temporarily installed air-search radar on the Longxing, which could only measure distance, it failed to determine the flight altitude of the enemy aircraft as they approached. Therefore, they were unable to accurately judge the type of aircraft approaching, knowing only that there were many, resembling an attack aircraft group.

It was only when the aircraft got close that they discovered they were all at high altitude.

Since there was no attack, the high-altitude guns on all four Longxing class ships did not fire; the gunners merely aimed their guns at the incoming enemy aircraft.

Of course, it wasn’t yet appropriate to call them enemy aircraft since the two sides had not yet declared war.

After receiving a definite report that the lookout had visually determined the aircraft were all at high altitude, likely fighter aircraft, Zhang Guozhu immediately issued an order that all battleships were not to fire at the aircraft, specifically not until they were attacked. To be safe, he also ordered the gunners to withdraw the loaded shells to ensure that they would not fire due to a mishap in case of a sudden situation.

Technically speaking, even if attacked, they must first report to the fleet commander.

As the F4F aircraft approached, including the four battleships, over a dozen Imperial warships remained silent.

Additionally, the destroyers of Subsquad 42.5 had already retreated under the support of Subsquad 42.2.

Around seven-thirty, after the big explosion, the four Newland battleships that had lost contact with Subsquad 42.1 before dawn appeared again from the east.

Unlike before dawn, the four Newland battleships didn’t linger from afar and kept heading west, straight towards Subsquad 42.1.

About half an hour later, the fighters from the 21st Special Mixed Fleet arrived.

At this point, the atmosphere had become very tense.

The eight battleships from both sides had their guns aimed at each other, and the distance had closed to less than ten kilometers.

This was the distance for a direct artillery duel!

Although the 400mm main guns of the Longxing class could easily pierce the main armor belt of the Newland battleships with armor-piercing bullets, the fourteen-inch naval guns of the adversaries firing heavy bullets could also penetrate the main armor belt of the Longxing class at this distance, even piercing the turrets and command towers.

It was a distance where mutual annihilation was possible.

A direct hit on the main gun ammunition depot, causing an explosion there, would indeed be a critical, one-shot destruction.

Additionally, the cruisers and destroyers on both sides had all arrived and were chasing each other around the battleships, like hunting dogs in a hunting field.

With over twenty Xiaotian aircraft arriving, the skies suddenly became busy.

However, the fighters didn’t have that long of an endurance, and those Wildcats had already been hovering over the airspace of Special Mixed Fleet 42 for an hour.

Moreover, it was clear that the Wildcats were no match for the Xiaotians.

Although purely coincidental, it sounded like the Xiaotians were specifically targeting the Wildcats.

Xiaotian is a mythical hound from Liangxia legends!

The name was chosen because the engine noise was loud, and during acceleration, there were several violent shakes that made a low roaring sound, earning it the nickname "roaring in the sky," which neatly matched the proverbial discord between cats and dogs.

In terms of performance, the F4F was only slightly better than the Typhoon, and definitely not a match for Xiaotian.

In maximum speed, dive acceleration stability, rate of climb, sustained turning angular speed, minimum turning radius, etc., the F4F didn’t surpass the Xiaotian in any aspect.

The aerial dogfight continued until around eight-thirty.

As the F4Fs gradually returned to base, the four Newland battleships, previously hovering in the east, finally turned around and voluntarily withdrew from Subsquad 42.1.

To say that the Newland Navy was unprepared would definitely be a falsehood!

They clearly came prepared.

Comparatively, the dogfight involving the fighters was more dangerous and prone to accidental discharge, as the isolated pilots faced greater psychological pressure.

The officers and soldiers on the battleships, at least, had companions by their side; when frightened, they could rely on their comrades.

The pilot sat alone in the cockpit of the fighter, still executing high-speed maneuvers, never knowing when he might disengage the gun safety and press the firing switch.

If the aerial skirmish turned into combat, war would have erupted as well.

Those "Wildcats" were clearly looking for trouble!

Fortunately, the fighter pilots from the 21st Special Mixed Fleet didn’t make any mistake.

"Commander!"

After catching the telegram passed by the communications officer, Zhang Guozhu quickly scanned it and then furrowed his brows.

It was a directive from the Navy headquarter.

The 42nd Special Mixed Fleet was to sail eastward and expand its patrol area, dispatch battleships to monitor the Newland transport convoy, and deploy seaplanes to surveil Newland vessels if necessary.

What was this for? Was there any point in monitoring a transport fleet?

The standoff was about to escalate into conflict, so why bother with those cargo ships?

Zhang Guozhu was puzzled; however, it was indeed a command issued by the Navy headquarter, possibly even from the Chief of Naval Staff.

He didn’t delay and immediately had his staff relay the order.

Liu Xiangzhen also received a directive from the Navy headquarter.

However, the content of the order was different.

Maintain distance from the 42nd Special Mixed Fleet while providing them with anti-aircraft cover and simultaneously try to locate the Newland Navy’s carrier mixed fleet.

This order seemed contradictory.

Providing anti-aircraft cover for the 42nd Special Mixed Fleet meant they couldn’t be too far away; otherwise, it would consume too many fighters.

If they operated mostly fighters, they wouldn’t be able to assign many ship-borne aircraft to reconnaissance duties since an aircraft carrier’s deployment capacity was limited.

Even without using catapults, the "Longjiang" class had a maximum daily sortie of 240 missions.

In all previous operations, the "Longjiang" class had never reached this sortie rate, with the highest record set at 224 during the attack on Liuhuang Island.

That was a ground strike mission with a combat radius of less than 300 kilometers, and pilots took turns in flights.

In naval combat, the highest record was 188 sorties during the Flame Sea Battle.

Because catapults were used, the operation efficiency for naval combat missions was slightly lower.

However, the meaning of this directive was very clear.

Continue to conceal and strive to find Newland Navy’s two carrier mixed fleets first to gain the initiative.

Actually, before receiving the directive, Liu Xiangzhen had already made arrangements.

He didn’t direct the 21st Special Mixed Fleet to sail westward, he merely slowed down and then headed south.

In this way, as the 42nd Special Mixed Fleet sailed eastward, it would distance itself from the 21st Special Mixed Fleet.

As for searching for the Newland carrier mixed fleet, Liu Xiangzhen pinned his hopes on the seaplanes onboard the escort battleship, not deploying the ship-borne reconnaissance aircraft immediately.

His reasoning was simple; he judged that this battle wouldn’t start anytime soon.

If there was going to be a fight, then by dawn, the 42nd Special Mixed Fleet would have already been attacked, and Newland Navy’s reconnaissance aircraft might have already spotted the 21st Special Mixed Fleet.

Having missed the best chance to launch a surprise attack, acting now would only be asking for trouble.

Since there was no clear reason to start the war, they had to continue this entanglement, waiting for the next opportunity or creating one at some point.

It must be admitted that Liu Xiangzhen was correct in his grasp of the strategic situation.

This current scenario was also beyond Rofuss’s expectations.

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