sjar Where did Chapter 1279 go?
Where did Chapter 1279 go?
Fourth Army Operations Command Room
The Second Squadron of the Japanese Combined Fleet has been at sea for a week, and this place has been busy for a full week as well. Everyone takes turns resting, with most only sleeping a few hours before getting up again to oversee their assigned area.
To counter the potential pressure the combined fleet might exert on the island city, all available resources—airplanes, submarines, and even civilians on the shore—have been mobilized. No one knows where they will land, so we must be fully prepared.
As Ma Leizi told them, no matter how many Japanese come, we must treat it as a major battle. This is mainly because we cannot afford to lose now. Currently, apart from the Jiaodong Peninsula, almost all of our coastline has fallen. This is our only remaining coastline, and it can also restrain the Combined Fleet from moving south; therefore, it is of paramount importance to us.
The previous air raids on Korea did indeed halt the Japanese Combined Fleet's southward advance, but at the same time, our region became a thorn in their side.
According to Li Shaoyi, the defenses on the Jiaodong Peninsula are quite strong, and it's also relatively close to our rear base. Under these circumstances, even if this area is attacked, we can send reinforcements immediately. However, if Southeast Asia were attacked, we would be too far away to help, and would have to rely on local personnel for resistance.
The military in Southeast Asia also sent a telegram to China, indicating that they had received this favor and hoped that China would continue its efforts. They said that they could let them know if they needed anything. More than 100 pilots and more than 100 flight trainees were sent over in advance.
For Ma Leizi, our country has a strong and well-equipped military, especially the Marines, which are not lacking at all. The Shandong Peninsula is a densely populated area, and when the Japanese invaded, many people from the inland areas also evacuated here, so the last thing we lack now is manpower.
However, in some ways, what we lack most is personnel. For example, naval crew members and air force pilots are what we are in dire need of. The more than 200 people sent to us from Southeast Asia are a godsend. Even those flight trainees will be qualified in a while and will be able to fly fighter jets in the sky.
Still no discoveries today?
Upon hearing Li Shaoyi's voice from outside, the operations staff present immediately stood at attention, saluted in Li Shaoyi's direction, and then began their work. If Ma Leizi hadn't been there, the operations director would have given Li Shaoyi a briefing. But since Ma Leizi was currently pacing around, a report wasn't necessary.
"Who can argue with that? Whether it's news from Japan or telegrams from our intelligence department, these guys have been gone for a week, but they still haven't reached our vicinity. This is the outermost line of our aircraft search, and this is the outermost line of our submarine search. We're already hundreds of nautical miles from the shore, almost to Korea."
Ma Leizi said with a frustrated look, "There are two circles drawn on the map. Our planes are almost always searching around here. Apart from returning to refuel and change crews, the dozen or so reconnaissance planes are basically all at sea."
In addition, six submarines are also conducting search missions. It's important to understand that our aircraft and submarines are equipped with radar, which is incredibly advanced for this era. The human eye might not be able to detect the Second Fleet, but with radar, it's a different story. The entire sea is virtually undefended for us; wherever these steel behemoths appear, we will definitely be able to locate them.
But now it's not just Ma Leizi who's having second thoughts; the brothers who participated in the search mission are also wondering if the Second Fleet was just a decoy and never actually came to our side.
Li Shaoyi also stared at the map with a grave expression. The search was a meticulous task, so only veteran soldiers were dispatched. These men were battle-hardened and unlikely to make basic mistakes. A week had passed, and they hadn't even spotted a trace of the Japanese. That could only mean one thing: they hadn't entered the search area.
Li Shaoyi turned around and took out a cigarette, which Ma Leizi lit for him. There was no no-smoking policy here; cigarettes were probably the best thing in the entire command center. Especially at night, when waiting for telegrams or phone calls from the reconnaissance personnel, many people would feel sleepy, and having a cigarette would make them feel much more alert.
Just look at the ashtray in the operations command center; it's overflowing with cigarette butts. Unfortunately, our efforts yielded no useful intelligence. The Japanese Second Fleet seems to have vanished entirely. However, Japanese newspapers indicate they planned a retaliatory operation against the Fourth Army; but where has that retaliatory operation gone?
When Li Shaoyi finished half a cigarette, he suddenly thought of something else. The Japanese weren't stupid; they knew we were ready and might not choose to land here. If they did choose to land in northern Jiangsu, it wouldn't be far from here.
However, northern Jiangsu lacks any decent seaports; most of the sea area is just mudflats. Landing in this region would be extremely difficult. But it's still better than a direct assault on the island city's defenses.
During this time, Japanese spies were also busy in the surrounding area. The anti-tank guns brought from Europe had been arranged, with nearly 20 280mm anti-tank guns being used for daily firing training towards the near sea. Together with our shore-based aircraft, a three-dimensional defense system had been basically formed.
In this situation, if the Japanese were to launch a full-scale attack on Shimajima, it's not impossible for them to succeed. However, relying solely on the Second Fleet would likely be insufficient; a stronger naval force would be necessary. Therefore, the Japanese are unlikely to engage in a direct confrontation with us at this point.
According to the Japanese, their fleet was meant to compete with the Americans for control of the Pacific Ocean. How could they possibly want to fight us to the death? If they were to fight us to the death, where would they get their fleet to compete with the Americans for the entire Pacific Ocean?