Empire Conquest
Chapter 361 - 357: Following the Same Method

Chapter 361: Chapter 357: Following the Same Method

When the air-raid alarm sounded, not only Tanimoto but also Spur was startled.

To the west, several planes were trailing black smoke as they plummeted into the ocean.

They were not enemy planes, but Newland’s own fighters that had been shot down.

Enemy aircraft had already arrived; leading the charge were the fighters, in no small number, ferociously attacking the ship-borne aircraft of the 16th Special Mixed Fleet.

Since friendly planes were in the air, the escort battleships did not dare to open fire.

There were no bombers or torpedo bombers from the enemy spotted yet; the fighters that had rushed ahead were only attacking the returning ship-borne aircraft and had not targeted the battleships on the sea surface.

However, this situation did not last long.

In less than five minutes, two Xiaotian fighters swooped towards the "Fenjin."

As both fighters were carrying external fuel tanks, which made them somewhat resemble bombers and the threat from the fighters’ machine guns was significant, the Captain of "Fenjin" did not wait but gave the order to fire to several high-altitude gun groups on the starboard side.

According to Newland Navy’s combat regulations, as long as the ship was threatened, the captain had the authority to bypass the commanding officer and directly issue combat orders, including orders to open fire.

Indeed, this same rule applied in other navies as well.

As the flagship began firing, the high-altitude guns on other battleships roared into action.

The leading Xiaotian had no chance to evade and was immediately enveloped by a barrage of fire, while the one behind narrowly dodged the attack.

Although no one said it, the situation was clear.

The Liangxia Navy’s fighters were following the planes from the 16th Special Mixed Fleet.

When Hal sent the telegram, Tanimoto had planned to inform Spur that accepting the 16th Special Mixed Fleet’s plane group would likely be hazardous.

He hesitated for a moment but eventually refrained from speaking.

By his own consoling thoughts, he was an advisor from the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom, and Hal was a close friend and even a benefactor of Spur.

Moreover, the 16th Special Mixed Fleet was already done for; those ship-borne pilots were all Newland Navy personnel.

Asking Spur to refuse help to a close friend and to abandon the pilots of the Newland Navy?

It was a clear choice.

Tanimoto understood this simple principle.

Moreover, sending a telegram might reveal their position and possibly not reach Hal from the 16th Special Mixed Fleet in time.

The "Lek" had already sustained severe damage and was fleeing the battlefield at full speed.

In actuality, Tanimoto also wanted to use the planes from the 16th Special Mixed Fleet to organize an attack that afternoon.

All in all, for these reasons, Tanimoto did not remind Spur.

Now it was too late for regrets.

The battle lasted for over ten minutes, and after all the escort battleships had joined the fight, the Liangxia Navy’s fighters finally turned and flew away.

Ten minutes had been enough.

Dozens of ship-borne aircraft from the 16th Special Mixed Fleet were almost all shot down, many thanks to the high-altitude guns.

"Maintain course and speed, clear the deck and then let the fighters take off. As for the 16th Special Mixed Fleet’s aircraft, have them all force land nearby, dispatch destroyers to salvage the pilots," finally, Spur spoke. "Bring all the escort battleships close together, travel in a tight formation. Pay particular attention to the western sky, deploy all fighters to the west of the fleet, and prioritize the west for anti-air battleships."

The flurry of commands issued by Spur unexpectedly left his advisors somewhat flustered.

Since last evening, he had barely spoken a few words.

As his staff got busy, Tanimoto approached Spur.

Spur just gave him a glance and said no more.

Tanimoto felt awkward, unsure of what to say.

Indeed, from the look in Spur’s eyes, Tanimoto could tell that Spur did not blame him, as no one could have anticipated that Liangxia fighters would follow closely behind.

In battle, no one has the power of foresight.

If Tanimoto had been able to predict every move of the Bai Zhizhan, he would not have joined the Newland Navy, much less be fighting in their uniform.

Now was not the time for talking.

It was crucial to fight well this battle!

According to Spur’s deployment, he apparently planned to abandon the afternoon’s attack operation first, withstand the 41st Special Mixed Fleet’s attack, and then discuss other matters.

Could they withstand it though?

The 17th Special Mixed Fleet had two "York"-class carrier fleets, carrying a total of only 56 F4Fs, of which 32 were sent out on escort missions. Other planes, previously on air patrol, were either shot down by enemy planes or had to land quickly due to running out of fuel.

This meant that only 16 F4Fs were left.

With the combat power of Liangxia’s shipborne air force, 16 F4Fs were definitely not enough.

If there were 8 "Xiaotian" in the escort Plane Group, they would be able to defeat these F4Fs.

If they couldn’t withstand the attack from Liangxia’s 41st Special Mixed Fleet, then what should be done?

What could be done!?

The 17th Special Mixed Fleet had actually been traveling southeast at high speed, and Spur’s order to maintain their course and speed was in fact a plan to retreat after the battle ended.

If they didn’t retreat, what could they do?

There was still no news from Dutte and Clark, which was not a cause for celebration.

Even if Clark’s Plane Group’s attack had succeeded, even if they had sunk two "Imperial Capital" class ships, since there was no excess fuel to return to the fleet, those dozens of ship-borne aircraft would be lost for good. After the battle ended, it would be good enough if the rear guard destroyers could rescue all the fallen pilots.

Dutte?

Even if Dutte’s Plane Group could return to the fleet and land successfully on the carrier, that would only be around 2 PM.

After that, it would take at least 1 hour to repair the damaged ship-borne aircraft, and an equal amount of time to reload and refuel the planes that had completed repairs.

In other words, being able to organize and launch an attack before 4 PM would be quite an achievement.

That still left 4 hours!

If Liangxia’s 41st Special Mixed Fleet traveled west during these 4 hours, increasing the distance by 200 kilometers, Spur’s attack would be in vain.

Follow them west?

What if they could catch up?

Traveling west for 200 kilometers would mean definitely not being able to escape the pursuit range of the Liangxia 43rd Special Mixed Fleet before daybreak.

Let the ship-borne aircraft launch a one-way attack?

Not to mention whether the pilots would agree, even if there were no problems, Spur would never issue such an order because he couldn’t bear that responsibility!

Speaking of which, pilots were actually the Navy’s most valuable asset.

In fact, the Saiyi Navy suffered from not having enough pilots.

After repeated defeats, by the time Tanimoto presided over the Military Command Department, the pre-war servicemen pilots had been nearly wiped out.

Anyway, no matter how you looked at it, the battle with the 41st Special Mixed Fleet would be over after this attack.

Retreating was the wise choice.

Just at this moment, the Communication Advisor hurried over again.

Noticing the excited expression on the Communication Advisor, Tanimoto immediately guessed it was good news.

Indeed, it was good news.

Clark’s Plane Group had already launched an attack, and Dutte’s Plane Group had found another "Imperial Capital" class ship before this and their attack went very smoothly. Both "Imperial Capital" class ships were heavily damaged and had caught fire, with the first one attacked likely to sink within a few hours.

It was 12:25 PM already.

A successful strike!

So, was there a need for a follow-up attack?

Clearly, that was not the issue to consider now.

When the Communication Advisor brought the telegram, the High-altitude Guns on the two rear heavy cruisers had already opened fire, and the 41st Special Mixed Fleet’s Plane Group struck.