Chapter 760: Landing in Australia!

In the morning at Kempard Bay, the sea was as calm as a mirror.

The sun had just lifted half its head from the horizon, dyeing the eastern sky gold‑red. There was no wind, no waves, only occasional gulls shrieking sharply. The water glittered like shattered gold, wave after wave rolling to the shore then retreating, producing a rhythmic rush.

Li Te stood on the bridge of the Steadyfar, and had been standing there for a full two hours.

He didn't sit, didn't lean, just stood upright, hands behind his back, holding a telescope and watching the brightening horizon. The telescope's lenses reflected a faint light in the dawn, and he remained motionless like a statue.

Chief of Staff Lin Huaiyuan walked to his side and handed him a cup of hot tea.

"General, have a sip of tea. You've been standing all night."

Li Te took the cup, didn't drink, and simply held it in his hand to warm his palm.

"Is the fleet all ready?"

Lin Huaiyuan nodded.

"Ready. Twenty‑four transport ships, forty thousand troops, two mechanized divisions. The Fourth Division and the Fifth Division are all aboard. Ammunition, fuel, fresh water, dry rations—enough for three months."

He pointed at the dense silhouettes of ships in the distance.

"Look, they're all there."

Li Te followed his finger with his gaze.

On the sea, the twenty‑four transport ships formed a massive formation, quietly awaiting departure orders under the escort of several destroyers. The vessels varied in size and age, but now each was laden with soldiers, tanks, trucks, and Main Guns, like a herd of beasts poised to pounce on prey.

Further away, the silhouette of the Far‑reaching battleship loomed especially majestic in the dawn. Its 380‑mm Main Guns were raised high, barrels pointing toward Australia, like two eyes ready to strike at prey.

Li Te set the telescope down and stared at those ships for a long time.

"Lin Huaiyuan, tell me, how big is Australia?"

Lin Huaiyuan was momentarily stunned.

"Very large. Over six million square miles. Bigger than the whole of Europe."

Li Te nodded.

"Over six million square miles. With our forty thousand men spread across it, each would have to cover about one hundred fifty square miles."

He turned and looked at Lin Huaiyuan.

"Do you think that's enough?"

Lin Huaiyuan thought for a moment.

"General, Australia is vast, but the Yingguo have few troops defending it. Intelligence says the British Army in all of Australia numbers fewer than thirty thousand, scattered across Perth, Darwin, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. Our two divisions can split into two routes; one sweeping across, they simply can't hold it."

Li Te was silent for three seconds.

"Being unable to stop them is one thing; fully occupying is another. Australia is too big. Even if we crush all their troops, holding such a vast territory still requires time and manpower."

He walked to the chart table and pointed at a small dot on Australia's west coast.

"Pida Mara. We'll land here. Then the troops will split into two routes. The Fourth Division will move east along the northern coast, targeting Darwin and Cairns. The Fifth Division will move east along the southern coast, targeting Perth, Adelaide, and Melbourne. Finally they will rendezvous at Sydney."

His finger drew two red lines on the map.

"Three to four months. In three to four months we can cover these six to seven thousand kilometers."

Lin Huaiyuan took a deep breath.

"General, this Distance… is far enough."

Li Te nodded.

"It is far enough. So we must be fast. The faster the better. The Yingguo won't have reacted yet, and we must be at their front. By the time they react, we'll already have taken it."

He straightened his posture and looked at the increasingly bright sky outside the window.

"Order all ships to prepare for departure."

The order was relayed, and the Steadyfar's signal lights began to flash.

One by one, the transport ships started engines, their roaring thunders echoing across the sea. The bows cut the water, raising white spray. Destroyers escorted on both sides, scanning the surrounding sea vigilantly.

Li Te stood on the bridge, watching the massive fleet slowly sail out of Kempard Bay.

In the distance, the sun had fully risen, its golden light spilling onto the sea, onto the ships, and onto the soldiers about to head to battle.

The fleet headed south, toward Australia, toward that unknown battlefield.

Pida Mara, a small port on Australia's west coast.

Calling it a port is a stretch; it's really just a crude pier, a few dilapidated warehouses, dozens of households. Usually only a few fishing boats dock; when a merchant ship arrives, it's a big deal.

At this moment, the sun had just risen, and the pier was silent. Several local fishermen were mending nets, preparing to go out to sea. An old man sat on the pier, smoking a pipe, squinting at the calm sea in the distance.

He suddenly froze.

The pipe slipped from his mouth, landed on his leg, burned briefly, but he felt nothing.

On the sea surface, countless black dots appeared.

The dots grew larger and clearer—it was ships. A great many ships, big and small, forming a dense formation, sailing toward this side.

The old man opened his mouth, trying to shout, but no sound came out.

A young fisherman beside him followed his gaze and also froze.

"What… what is that?"

The old man finally shouted, "Ships! So many ships!"

The pier erupted into chaos. Fishermen dropped their nets and ran toward the village. Some shouted, "The enemy is coming!" others yelled, "Run!" while others stood frozen, unsure what to do.

But it was already too late.

The first landing craft surged onto the beach, its hatch crashing open.

Sea water rushed in, icy, up to the ankles, knees, and waist. Soldiers in earth‑colored uniforms leapt into the sea, rifles raised, charging toward the beach.

More landing craft slammed onto the shore, more soldiers plunged into the water. The beach instantly filled with a black mass, surging toward the shore like a tide.

A British Army sentinel rushed out of a house, and before he could raise his gun, several soldiers pinned him to the ground. He struggled, shouting something, but no one listened. He was bound tightly and tossed aside.

When the Fourth Division commander Liu Zhenjie set foot on the beach, the sun had just risen to mid‑air.

Liu Zhenjie looked around— the dock was under control, the warehouses were occupied, the villagers had been gathered onto an open area, hands clasped over their heads, trembling. A few soldiers were inspecting those warehouses, moving the supplies out.

Chief of Staff Zhang Haiyang ran over, his face full of excitement.

"Division commander! All taken! One company of the British Army, over a hundred men, all captured. Not a single one escaped!"

Liu Zhenjie nodded.

"Casualties?"

"None. We have zero casualties. The British were still sleeping, and got blocked in their blankets."

Liu Zhenjie smiled.

"Good. Relay to the troops: use the time to rest. After the supplies are unloaded, set out immediately."

Zhang Haiyang was stunned for a moment.

"Division commander, are we not waiting for the Fifth Division?"

Liu Zhenjie shook his head.

"No waiting. Each goes its own way. Our line is the north, theirs the south. Whoever reaches Sydney first treats the other."

He walked to the dockside, watching the fleet unloading in the distance.

Tanks rolled off the ships one after another, their tracks crushing the sand and leaving deep ruts. Trucks followed the tanks, hauling ammunition, fuel, and food ashore. Soldiers lined up to receive supplies, inspect equipment, then formed ranks awaiting the departure order.

Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion, like a precise machine.

Liu Zhenjie looked at those soldiers and suddenly asked.

"Zhang Haiyang, tell me, how far is it from here to Darwin?"

Zhang Haiyang thought for a moment.

"Over four thousand kilometers. Following the coastline, at least four thousand five hundred."