Empire Conquest
Chapter 84 - 80 Moths to the Flame

Chapter 84: Chapter 80 Moths to the Flame

After leveling off, Jiang Haiyang glanced back.

The bomb he had released hit the carrier and exploded inside the hull. The hit was located on the forward half of the flight deck, towards the port side.

A great fire had erupted on the carrier.

In the sky, the second and third dive bombers had already dropped their bombs, but they all missed the carrier. The fourth was diving, and the fifth had reached its dive entry point.

The interval between dive bombing attacks was about ten seconds, exactly the same as in routine training.

Jiang Haiyang didn’t pull the dive bomber up even though low-level flight wasn’t the dive bomber’s strong point and the turbulence was severe.

The key issue was that enemy ships were everywhere.

Climbing now would be like offering himself as a target for the enemy ships’ high-altitude guns!

Don’t forget, that fast battleship hadn’t been hit and was fiercely firing its antiaircraft guns, as if attempting to fill the sky with shells.

Staying low not only made evasion easier but also caused the enemy ships to hesitate.

Of course, this didn’t mean he could rest easy now.

Before leveling off, the dive bomber piloted by Jiang Haiyang had been targeted by another enemy ship, a light cruiser, operating on the other side of the carrier.

Shells exploded around him continuously, and the sky seemed ablaze.

From a distance, this lone dive bomber looked like a fragile, helpless bird flying over an erupting volcano.

He flew through the dense barrage for minutes before the surroundings gradually quieted down.

Only after confirming he was out of the enemy ships’ high-altitude gun range did Jiang Haiyang pull back on the control stick to climb higher.

The biggest problem with low-level flight was the high fuel consumption.

It was only at this moment that Jiang Haiyang looked back again.

Only two dive bombers had made it out with him, and one of them had lost half of its vertical tail fin, while the other’s left wingtip had been blown off.

"Boss Jiang, you hit it, you scored a hit!"

"How about you?" Jiang Haiyang asked, removing his breathing mask.

"Completely missed, only you scored a hit," replied the pilot of another dive bomber.

Jiang Haiyang didn’t know what to say for a moment.

"Is it just you two?" After a while, wiping the sweat from his face, Jiang Haiyang asked again.

No one answered, nor was there a need to.

Half a squadron, fourteen planes, and only three survived. Such an outcome had never happened in past drills, not even imagined.

Compared to the torpedo plane group, they were lucky.

Who could have thought that, in just a few minutes, over twenty aircraft from two torpedo attack squadrons would all be shot down without a single torpedo being dropped?

This was the cruel reality of war!

Compared to war, past mock exercises were like playing house.

"Brother Jiang, look below. It’s our people!"

After hearing the reminder, Jiang Haiyang looked down at the sea.

Indeed, there were two pilots floating on the water surface; actually, there were three, but one was seriously injured and being supported by two comrades.

"Take down the coordinates, we’ll report it to the fleet later."

After instructing the navigator, Jiang Haiyang brought his gaze back.

Regardless, his first naval strike battle was over.

Jiang Haiyang didn’t know that he had become the first pilot of the Empire’s Navy Air Force to hit an enemy ship with a bomb, and moreover, the first to hit a carrier.

After returning, he would surely receive several medals.

However, what he wanted now was just to make a successful return to the Fleet, more precisely, to reach the emergency landing area, because the dive bomber’s remaining fuel would only allow for another two hundred kilometers of flight; the Fleet was four hundred kilometers away, which meant that even with a tailwind, he definitely wouldn’t be able to land on the carrier.

At this moment, the battle on the "Chicheng" had just ended.

Although they were more than ten kilometers away, the raging inferno on the "Jiahe" was still a harrowing sight, as if that carrier had already met its demise.

In fact, when the "Jiahe" was under attack, the situation aboard the "Chicheng" was also fraught with danger.

The reason was simple; since the "Jiahe" was to the southwest, the first Shipborne Air Force Wing that arrived concentrated their attack on the "Jiahe." By the time the second Shipborne Air Force Wing’s Plane Group arrived, the melee had already started, and several dozen ship-borne aircraft turned their attack towards the nearby "Chicheng."

However, the "Chicheng" was much luckier than the "Jiahe."

It wasn’t because the "Chicheng" was the Fleet’s flagship and received special attention, but because the second Shipborne Air Force Wing had dispatched too few escort fighters.

Additionally, the performance of the Liangxia Navy’s ship-borne fighters was far too poor.

Although they could hold off the Zero Fighters, they definitely couldn’t defeat them.

The result was that only a small portion of the anti-aircraft fighters were deployed to deal with the escort fighters, while the majority of the Zero Fighters were sent to intercept the bombers and attack aircraft.

But it didn’t stop there.

Some fighters that had previously provided cover for the "Jiahe" joined the battle to protect the "Chicheng" after completing their escort mission because they were closer to the "Chicheng."

Strictly speaking, had it not been for this, the "Jiahe" might not have been bombed.

Regardless, the first round of the Special Mixed Fleet’s attack had ended.

Although it lasted only a brief ten or so minutes, Lan Yun and Tanimoto were deeply moved by the dauntless and heroic spirit displayed by the Liangxia Navy pilots.

Lan Yun had been part of the last great war, serving aboard a battlecruiser and witnessing the Liangxia Navy’s forward-charging spirit.

Tanimoto was a new generation military officer; although he was born before the outburst of the last great war, he hadn’t participated in it, let alone in combat against the Liangxia Navy.

This was actually Tanimoto’s first battle.

Dozens of ship-borne aircraft, like moths to a flame, charged in disregard of the formidable fighters and the dense high-altitude guns—even if it meant certain death, they did not hesitate.

It seemed as though dying on the battlefield was the only way to reflect the value of a soldier.

Tanimoto counted over fifty enemy aircraft attacking the "Chicheng," and after the attack ended, certainly less than ten flew away.

This wasn’t combat!

Yet, this indeed was combat!

If all the soldiers of the Liangxia Navy were like this, then the opponent was far too terrifying.

Thinking of millions, perhaps tens of millions of such valiant enemies, fearless of death and armed with the most advanced equipment, Tanimoto couldn’t help trembling uncontrollably.

It was at this moment that Tanimoto finally understood why Admiral Takano had been so strongly opposed to being enemies with the Liangxia Empire, why he had drafted a plan to sneak attack the Liangxia Navy after taking over the Permanent Fleet, and why he persisted alone even when the situation worsened.

Once this battle had started, the Saiyi Navy and the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom had already lost.

If the Liangxia Empire exerted all its strength, it would be sheer luck for the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom to avoid annihilation.

But what else could be done?

"Report!"

Someone suddenly shouted out, startling Tanimoto nearly out of his skin.

"The ’Jiahe’ reports that the damage is under control, and it can accommodate returning ship-borne aircraft, but it will take a few hours to repair the flight deck."

As he spoke, the signals officer handed over the telegram to Lan Yun.

After a quick glance, Lan Yun passed the telegram to Tanimoto.

The bomb had hit the front end of the carrier’s flight deck, and seemingly because of its high velocity, it had penetrated the flight deck and then the side of the hangar before exploding.

Both the hangar and the flight deck were damaged, but fortunately, it wasn’t to the extent of crippling the ship.

However, there was nothing to be happy about!

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