Chapter 607: The Sinking of the

"Captain, distance to target five nautical miles, all normal, ready to fire torpedo!" the torpedo operator reported in a low voice, his finger already on the launch button, expression tense and focused.

Lin Rui took a deep breath, eyes firm, said in a low voice: "Torpedo tube No. 1, load, aim at the midsection of the target ship's hull, prepare to fire!"

"Understood! Torpedo tube No. 1 loaded, target locked, ready to fire at any moment!"

At this moment, Sato Ichiro on the Yamato Maru, still anxiously scanning the sea, had no inkling that the shadow of death had already silently fallen over his head.

Most crew had relaxed their vigilance, some even leaning against the hull to rest; they thought that by increasing speed they could easily shake off the Nanhua submarine threat, unaware that a deadly submarine had already locked onto them in the deep sea.

"Fire!" Lin Rui ordered, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"Boom!" A deep, muffled roar as the torpedo shot from the torpedo tube of the Q003 submarine, cutting through the water with a sharp whistling sound toward the Yamato Maru, leaving a faint trail in the black sea.

The crew in the command compartment stared at the display, daring not to breathe, awaiting the result of the attack.

Only a few dozen seconds later, a massive flash erupted on the distant sea surface, accompanied by a deafening explosion.

The Yamato Maru's hull was struck by the torpedo, the midsection instantly blown open with a huge breach, seawater raging into the compartments.

"Bad! We've been hit by a torpedo!"

"Quick! Plug the leak! Abandon ship!"

The Yamato Maru instantly fell into chaos, crew scrambling in panic, screams, explosions, and the roar of incoming water intertwining, shattering the sea's calm.

Sato Ichiro was knocked to the deck by the blast wave, blood streaming from his mouth, he struggled to rise, gazing at the rapidly tilting hull, his face showing despair.

"How could this happen… how could there be a submarine…" he muttered, his eyes full of resentment and regret. He knew the Yamato Maru was doomed, the two thousand tons of provisions aboard had turned to nothing, and he would hardly survive to return.

Inside the Q003 submarine, the crew, seeing the fire and explosion on the sea surface, cheered.

"Hit! Captain, we've hit the target!" the torpedo crew shouted excitedly.

Lin Rui's face showed a faint smile, yet he remained calm, saying in a low voice: "Don't be careless, continue monitoring the surrounding waters, ensure no Japanese Army escort ships are approaching, then withdraw quickly to the predetermined rendezvous point."

"Understood!" the crew immediately suppressed their smiles and threw themselves into evacuation preparations.

The Q003 submarine slowly altered course, silently slipping into the deep sea, heading away, soon vanishing in the black water, leaving only the burning Yamato Maru on the surface and floating provisions and warship wreckage.

On the sea surface, the Yamato Maru's flames grew stronger, the hull kept tilting, seawater had already flooded most compartments, crew leapt into the sea to escape, but most were drowned or burned by the flaming wreckage.

Sato Ichiro stood at the edge of the sinking hull, staring at the endless ocean, his heart full of despair.

This attack was merely a microcosm of the Nankai Fleet's harassment of the Japanese transport lines.

Under Lin Rui's and many submarine captains' command, Nanhua submarine forces struck unseen, continuously attacking Japanese transport ships.

The Japanese Army's supply line in the East Indies was almost completely cut, large amounts of plundered supplies sank to the seabed, and the Japanese Army's garrison in Southeast Asia gradually fell into a shortage of provisions and material scarcity.

And Jiang Zhiyuan's Pacific Fleet, using this flexible harassment tactic, further solidified Nanhua's sea control in Southeast Asian waters.

The Nanhua Pacific Fleet's continued raids left the Japanese Army's East Indies supply line in total paralysis, many transport ships sunk, provisions and materiel unable to reach the Japanese mainland.

Prolonged inability to obtain provisions from occupied territories will plunge the Japanese mainland into trouble.

Japan continuously ships plundered colonial resources to the Japanese mainland.

Inside the Southern Army headquarters, the atmosphere was so oppressive it stole one's breath.

In the Southern Army command, Terauchi Hisaichi sat at the head seat, his face as gloomy as water, the table before him spread with a map of Southeast Asian waters and battle reports of each sunk transport ship.

Each report was like a massive stone, crushing everyone's breath.

"Everyone, the situation is already extremely critical."

Terauchi Hisaichi spoke slowly, his voice hoarse and heavy, his gaze sweeping the assembled generals, "Nanhua submarines and destroyers appear and disappear; our transport ships are being sunk one after another."

"The East Indies supply line is almost completely severed; if this continues, the troops stationed in the East Indies will not only lack supplies, but our plundered goods cannot be sent back home. Headquarters has already been sending urgent Telegrams."

The East Indies needs industrial equipment, all of which must be shipped from the Japanese mainland.

It amounts to basic materials shipped to the Japanese mainland, then Japanese weapons and equipment shipped to the occupied zones.

As soon as he finished speaking, Chief of Staff Fan Cun Rao rose immediately, his tone urgent: "Commander, the current situation is severe; the Nanhua Fleet controls the throat of the Malajia Strait, and our former transport routes are now completely impassable."

"Continuing to delay will only cause more supplies to be held up, even captured by Nanhua forces; we must swiftly agree on a new evacuation route to safely transport the East Indies' materiel and remaining troops to the Philippines, then await a chance to return to the mainland."

"Fan Cun Rao is right," General Imamura Jun, commander of the 16th Army, nodded anxiously, "but the Nanhua Fleet is powerful, its submarine forces cover Southeast Asian waters, and any route is fraught with danger."

At this moment, the Japanese Army had to acknowledge the strength of the Nanhua Navy.

Even intelligence reports of two Nanhua aircraft carriers suggest there may be even more carriers.

"If we rashly choose a route, we may repeat the disaster, with transport ships sunk again; then we won't be able to report to headquarters, and the troops stationed in the East Indies will be completely doomed."

Everyone fell silent, each face marked with gravity and helplessness.

They all knew that the current situation left the Japanese Army with few options; any misstep could lead to irreversible disaster.

Since its formation, the Southern Army's strength has dropped from four hundred thousand to three hundred thousand troops.

Although headquarters is reinforcing the Southern Army and the Pacific area, it believes opening a route through Australia is of greater strategic importance than retaking Singapore.

Terauchi Hisaichi raised his hand, his fingertip tracing the map, his gaze fixed on the Java Sea and the Makassar Strait, deep in thought.

A moment later, Terauchi Hisaichi snapped his head up, his eyes firm as he said, "I've decided; we will go through the Java Sea, then cross the Makassar Strait, and finally reach the Philippines."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked up, their faces showing surprise.