Chapter 259

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

The Yangtze River, on the river surface about forty kilometers downstream of Jinling.

The turbid river water was churned into an even more turbulent state by the wakes of countless vessels.

Here, the former tranquility of a thoroughfare was gone, transformed into a waterborne battlefield filled with steel, flames, and gunpowder smoke.

After the previous total annihilation of the First Upstream Fleet, the devils organized a Second Upstream Fleet, which continued advancing upstream on the Yangtze under the remote command of Combined Fleet Commander Gu Qingchuan.

The Second Upstream Fleet possessed over twenty cruisers, destroyers, and gunboats, as well as an even greater number of armed motorboats, converted gunboats, and torpedo boats.

These vessels were all of modest tonnage and shallow draft; they were the main force Gu Qingchuan managed to cobble together to push forward after being blocked at the Jiangyin Channel. The flagship was the Ryutsu, a cruiser of over three thousand tons.

The tactics were also clear: utilize numerical and equipment superiority to smash Xia Guo's naval power and clear the waterway.

Gu Qingchuan rode a battleship still far in the rear; orders transmitted continuously over the airwaves: "Do not spare ammunition! Maintain speed, attack in echelons, drive away any Chinese ships that dare block the way! The Air Force is to fully suppress the enemy air force and shore defenses! Open the waterway to Jinling, create a battle opportunity for the Army!"

The orders were clear, but execution was fraught with difficulty.

Xia Guo Navy First Fleet, on the bridge of the Ninghai Cruiser.

Fleet Commander Chen Jiliang held binoculars, his face grim.

In the lenses, dense shadows of Japanese ships pressed in from multiple directions downstream, and large numbers of Japanese carrier aircraft circled in the sky, diving now and then to drop bombs or strafe.

"Report to the Commander! Enemy fleet divided into three routes: the center is the main destroyer group, the left and right wings are gunboats and light craft, closing on our upstream defensive position! Distance approximately twelve thousand meters!" the observation soldier reported loudly.

"Has contact been made with the Air Force?" Chen Jiliang asked.

"Contact was made long ago! A squadron of BF109s from the Southwest Air Force has already taken off, and the Central Air Force's I-16 and Hawk groups are also en route, estimated to arrive in the battle airspace in ten minutes!"

"Good!" Chen Jiliang put down the binoculars, took a deep breath, "Transmit orders to all ships: follow the predetermined plan, concentrate firepower, strike the enemy's protruding center first!

Pinghai and Ninghai main guns prepare! Yat-sen, Haiqi and other ships provide flank cover, guard against enemy small craft raids! Tell An Bang's Torpedo Battalion, watch for the right moment, sortie from the flank river branch, target specifically the enemy large warships and clusters!"

Orders were swiftly conveyed; this Xia Guo Navy fleet, composed mainly of old vessels, had long been fully prepared for this anticipated Yangtze blocking battle under the management of Chen Shaokuan and Chen Jiliang; gun muzzles had long been trained on the water the Japanese fleet would inevitably pass.

Almost simultaneously, the Japanese fleet opened fire.

Dozens of naval guns spat flames; shells shrieked across the river surface, landing around the Xia Guo fleet, throwing up thick columns of water. The river surface instantly boiled.

The Ninghai and Pinghai, this pair of sister ships, immediately returned fire with their main guns. Four 140mm shells flew toward the leading Japanese destroyers with a sharp tearing sound.

The river surface was narrow; shell landing points were quite dense.

A Japanese destroyer was hit by two shells in succession; its speed visibly faltered, and it gradually fell out of formation.

The aerial combat also erupted abruptly.

BF109s painted with the Blue Sky White Sun emblem, relying on excellent climb rate and speed, swooped down on the Japanese Type 96 carrier fighters like falcons.

The pilots were all veterans who had clashed with the Japanese many times; their tactics were cunning, and within a few exchanges, a Japanese plane was trailing black smoke and plunging toward the riverbank.

The Central Air Force's mixed group joined in afterward, tangling with the Japanese planes, striving fiercely to seize control of this critical airspace and relieve pressure on the fleet below.

However, the Japanese fleet's numerical advantage began to show.

Multiple gunboats and armed motorboats, using speed and small size, attempted to outflank from the wings, harassing the Xia Guo fleet with dense machine cannon and machine gun fire.

"Report! Four enemy high-speed motorboats spotted on the port side, closing in!"

Secondary guns and machine cannons on several Xia Guo old-style cruisers opened fire fiercely, weaving a net of fire across the river surface.

One Japanese motorboat failed to dodge in time, was hit by multiple shells, and disintegrated in an explosion instantly.

Just as Japanese attention was drawn to the front and flanks, from a downstream river branch thick with reeds, a dozen sleek black shadows suddenly darted out like arrows released from a bow!

Yangtze River Torpedo Battalion Commander An Bang personally led his most elite S-type torpedo boat squadron, choosing this optimal moment to strike.

These torpedo boats were extremely fast, cutting sharp white wakes across the river surface, thrusting straight into the Japanese fleet's flank and rear!

"Target, that enemy destroyer on the right flank! Distance two kilometers, salvo!" An Bang shouted over the radio on the lead boat.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Several torpedoes fired from both sides of the boats, entered the water, and rushed straight at the target.

That Japanese destroyer was fully focused on the frontal gun duel; by the time the lookouts spotted the torpedoes and fast boats attacking from the flank and rear, it was too late.

The Captain frantically ordered a turn, but a river is not the open sea; maneuvering room was limited.

Boom! Boom!

Two torpedoes struck the destroyer's midsection and stern almost simultaneously.

The violent explosion directly blew this first-class destroyer in two; flames and thick smoke soared skyward, and it sank rapidly.

The torpedo boats' assault disrupted part of the Japanese formation; several nearby gunboats hurriedly swung their guns to deal with these agile water mosquitoes.

But the torpedo boats, having scored a hit, did not linger; they either sought out Japanese small craft to engage, or used high speed and agile maneuvering to weave through Japanese gunfire, waiting for the next target.

In this melee, that venerable warship nearing forty years of age, mottled yet still unyielding — the Haiqi Cruiser — was enduring immense pressure.

It had larger tonnage, excessive age, and poor maneuverability; a four-thousand-plus-ton behemoth, it was the priority target of multiple Japanese vessels, and its hull took hit after hit.

A 120mm shell struck its forward deck, blowing off a secondary gun and starting a fire.

Another shell exploded near the bridge; fragments shattered the portholes, and many officers and men were killed or wounded.

Captain Deng of the Haiqi had blood streaming down his forehead, yet he remained at his command post, voice hoarse as he ordered damage control teams to fight the fire and ordered the remaining guns to continue returning fire.

That single still-usable 203mm main gun, every roar seemed especially heavy, posing a tremendous threat to Japanese vessels and successfully pinning down a portion of their firepower.

But the Haiqi's damage was worsening.

A round of concentrated fire from the Japanese fleet; several shells struck near its waterline and superstructure in succession.

The fire spread, compartments flooded, speed dropped slower and slower, and the massive hull began to list slightly.

Captain Deng gazed through the thick smoke toward Jinling's direction, and also fixed his stare on that gray silhouette flying the Rising Sun Flag on the distant river surface — the Japanese light cruiser Ryutsu.

That three-thousand-plus-ton Ryutsu, as flagship, was calmly holding a relatively safe position in the rear, commanding a pack of destroyers and small craft like wolves, frantically tearing at the Xia Guo fleet's defensive line.

The thirty-eight-year-old Haiqi could no longer return to port; Captain Deng reminiscenced about the Chiyuan's Captain Deng Shichang from back then.

Today, the Yoshino's disciples and descendants are right before our eyes!

Since it cannot return to port, even if we have to ram, we must ram and sink the Ryutsu!