Chapter 478: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 488 Plain White Banner: A Thought of Defection, Sudd

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Haifang Port, regarded as the Fifth Division's safe house and the Japanese fleet's garrison.

Relying on strong ships and powerful guns, no matter what setbacks the Fifth Division suffered outside, returning here would save their lives.

Inside Haifang Port's harbor district, it was the calm before the storm.

The sea surface shimmered, with over a dozen warships quietly moored at the port's wharf.

These over a dozen warships included both French and Japanese vessels.

The main force of the French colonial fleet was almost all here, and this was also their last family assets.

The flagship "Lamotte-Picquet" light cruiser, displacement ten thousand one hundred tons, eight 155mm main guns raised toward the sky.

Two corvettes, "Charlene" and "Dumont de Ville," full-load displacement 1970 tons, three 138mm main guns.

In addition, there were two cannonboats, the 850-ton "Tatoul" and the 570-ton "Ma He He."

The remaining ships in the port were all Japanese warships.

The Japanese Army originally deployed a stronger fleet here, once sending out battleships to help the Fifth Division land in French Indochina.

But because the French Army knelt too quickly before, the Japanese Army recalled the battleships and part of the warships back to the country.

Currently only seven Japanese warships remained in the port.

The Japanese flagship was a Yubari-class light cruiser, plus three Shiratsuyu-class destroyers and three coastal cannonboats.

Five French warships, seven Japanese warships, both sides shared Haifang Port, each garrisoned at one end of the port.

Inside the bridge of the French Lamotte-Picquet cruiser.

Fleet Commander Lieutenant General Jin De Ku stared at the top-secret cipher from Governor De Gu.

The cipher content was very simple: rise up against the Free France camp, sink all Japanese ships in the port, coordinate with the Youth Army to annihilate the Fifth Division on land!

"Commander, should we open fire on the Japanese? This is a major taboo." A navy Rear Admiral hesitated somewhat.

Lieutenant General Jin De Ku was thinking.

His fleet had just defeated the Thai Navy before, exactly when morale could be used.

Vichy France could not maintain rule over French Indochina, and even their own supplies were almost used up.

Better to take this opportunity, tender a letter of allegiance, and directly transfer to Free France.

That way, their colonial fleet could directly turn to the British, much better than following the Japanese to eat raw fish!

"This way, transmit my order, all sailors immediately enter combat positions, the reason is...... the Thai fleet has come for revenge, immediately organize counterattack."

With Jin De Ku's order, the sailors on the French warships began to busy themselves.

Except for some officers on the Lamotte-Picquet cruiser, the captains of the other ships did not know their true mission, everyone still thought it was really the Thai fleet coming to sneak attack.

A few minutes later, all sailors entered combat positions.

Lieutenant General Jin De Ku then via radio reported his true purpose to the captains of each ship.

"Now distribute attack targets, the Charlene corvette's main gun aims at the Japanese Shiratsuyu destroyer, torpedoes aim at the Japanese flagship!"

The Dumont de Ville's main gun aims at the Japanese Shi Ri destroyer......"

The news came out, each ship was in an uproar!

They were going to sink the Japanese fleet in the port?!

On the Japanese flagship Yubari, several sailors were leaning on the railing smoking, pointing at the wharf.

They saw a large group of Army Garrison soldiers fully armed, rushing aggressively toward the French wharf, the fast-running Army soldiers had already climbed onto the French warship's gangway.

"Look, those Army Idiots are going crazy again?"

"They think they can run rampant on land, can they also point fingers at will at sea?"

"What the hell?! Why are a bunch of Army Idiots wanting to board our ship, are they going to disarm us?!"

The Japanese sailors on the ship saw the Army Idiots' grand mobilization appearance, and all became nervous at once.

An Army Lieutenant Colonel ran onto the Yubari cruiser, with a panicked expression shouting: "The French have mutinied, immediately sink the French warships!"

The Japanese sailor held a cigarette in his mouth, pointed at the bridge: "Go find the captain!"

And the Yubari's captain had also just received a telegram from General Nakamura.

The observer on the bridge also simultaneously reported, discovering that the French fleet's naval guns had already aimed at the Japanese fleet!

The Japanese warships immediately sounded alarms, everyone began rushing toward their own combat positions.

At this time, at the French fleet at the other end of the port, gunfire began to erupt.

A Japanese Army soldier forcibly boarded a French warship, using a bayonet to stab a French sailor.

This made the French greatly panicked and angry, thinking the Japanese wanted to exterminate them.

This also made the hesitant French captains make up their minds: annihilate the Japanese fleet!

Unknown who fired first, the crisp gunfire broke Haifang Port's calm.

Immediately after, the French warships' anti-aircraft machine guns and anti-aircraft guns turned their cannon muzzles.

Boom boom boom—!

The originally anti-air machine guns and cannons swept horizontally toward the Japanese Army soldiers on the wharf.

Those Army Idiots who hadn't reacted yet were instantly turned into blood mist.

"Eight Gua! The French really defected!" The Yubari captain's eyes were about to split, shouting crazily.

"Quick! Main gun aim at the Lamotte-Picquet!"

However, the French Army warships had long planned ahead and seized the initiative.

The eight 155-millimeter main guns of the "Lamotte-Picquet" had long since targeted the Japanese Army flagship Yubari cruiser.

At such close range within the port, cannons of this caliber possessed world-shattering power.

Boom—!

With a single order from Admiral De Ku, the French flagship let out a thunderous roar.

A 155-millimeter high-explosive shell trailed a long tail flame and struck the starboard side of the Japanese Yubari directly.

A massive explosion fireball rose from the midsection of the Yubari's hull.

Plop, plop!

Huge torpedoes successively detached from their launch tubes and leaped into the water.

The torpedoes bore white tail streaks, charging toward the Japanese warships in the narrow waters of Haiphong Port.

A distance of several hundred meters was nothing more than ten-plus seconds for a torpedo.

The Japanese Yubari cruiser, currently in a state of stillness, was fundamentally unable to make effective evasive maneuvers.

Boom—!

A torpedo slammed into the engine compartment of the "Yubari," instantly detonating the fuel hold below deck.

Immediately after, a second torpedo struck the keel, and a huge water column mixed with steel debris shot up into the sky.

This Japanese flagship tilted violently in the explosion, and massive amounts of seawater poured frantically into the enormous breach......

The French Army's four frigates and cannonboats also opened fire wildly at the Japanese warships that had no time to guard against them.

According to the targets previously assigned by Admiral Jin De Ku, French artillery and torpedoes continuously poured firepower onto the Japanese warships.

Countless steel fragments accompanied by the severed limbs of Japanese sailors fell onto the wharf like raindrops.

As for the Japanese soldiers on the wharf, facing the warships' machine guns and autocannons, they could only clutch their heads and flee, momentarily at a loss......

Ten li outside Haiphong Port, the sky grew dim, aboard a train fully loaded with Fifth Division soldiers retreating.

Even though the noise of the train rubbing against the rails was great, Nakamura Akito clearly heard the rumbling cannon fire and explosions coming from within Haiphong Port at this moment.

General Nakamura opened the car window, stuck out half his body, and the sky in the direction of Haiphong Port to the east was illuminated blood-red by firelight!

The adjutant rushed into the carriage, holding a telegram just received in his hand.

"General... news from the Haiphong garrison."

"The French fleet has turned traitor! They are slaughtering our navy in Haiphong Port!"

This is bad!

Haiphong, as the safe house of Nakamura's Fifth Division, was actually overturned by someone!

Where should the Fifth Division go? I barely managed to resurrect once, surely I won't be wiped out by the Youth Army base again?

The Japanese Army had nowhere to go, facing the risk of being caught up by the Youth Army.

And the French colonial army had already found its destination.

In Hanoi City, Governor De Gu led his remaining French troops, holding a white flag, walking out of the city.

The French troops surrendered to the Youth Army, and reporters rushed to press the shutter at this scene.

The onlooking civilians pointed and discussed, greatly surprised.

The French ruled French Indochina for over fifty years, were knocked down by a single blow from the Japanese Army two months ago, and were recently defeated repeatedly by the Thai Army.

Now the Youth Army has come, and kicked away both the Japanese Army and the French Army?!

Lv Muzhi met this Governor De Gu, the other party stepped forward and saluted him.

Both were generals of the army, one a General of the Army, the other a Navy Admiral, this surrender ceremony was thus equal.

Governor De Gu said to Lv Muzhi: "Your Excellency, truly once the thought of defection arises, one suddenly feels the heavens and earth are vast!"

Lv Muzhi was speechless; this was hardly a single thought arising, how many times had he defected already...