The guards led the cruiser team back and Bai Zhizhan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At 7:35, four "Wuzhou"-class heavy cruisers in the southwest opened fire first and fired the first round of volleys at the enemy ship 25 kilometers away.

This combat distance exceeds the working range of the optical rangefinder.

As for accuracy, there is nothing to expect.

radar?

The air-to-air search radars equipped by the "Wuzhou" and "Changzhou" cannot be used as gun-aided radar even if they can be used to detect targets on the sea surface.

In the early morning yesterday, the battle with the first main team was proved by the east side of the Shuangche Strait.

When the air search radar detects sea surface targets, the error is more than 1,000 meters, so it is indeed difficult to use it to guide artillery battles.

However, four "Wuzhou"-class ships opened fire on enemy ships.

No matter how large the deviation is, those shells will fall near the four narrow cruisers, and the lookouts can make accurate judgments.

In fact, after the four Wuzhou-class fired, the four Nayi warships pursued no longer opened fire at the Imperial Capital and the Praying Beijing.

But, new questions have come.

Before this, at around seven o'clock, the reconnaissance plane sent back a report, claiming that it was discovered in the previously speculated sea area and was sailing towards Naqiu Port. It was expected to arrive after ten o'clock, and requested to dispatch the carrier-based aircraft immediately to launch an attack.

According to the plan, these reconnaissance planes did not return and hovered near the transport fleet.

Not long after that, after about ten minutes, a reconnaissance aircraft sent another message that about 400 kilometers north of the Third Air Special Mix Fleet, a fleet of dozens of Type 96 land attacks was found, and they flew towards the Third Air Special Mix Fleet.

Calculate from time to time, it will be killed around 8:30.

Fortunately, all twin-engine bombers were found, and the reconnaissance planes did not find the escort fighter, and they were not intercepted by the fighter when they followed the flight.

The reconnaissance aircraft did not accurately report the size of the aircraft group, but only said that there were "dozens" of enemy aircraft.

Bai Zhizhan gave an order at that time, eight "typhoons" that emerged urgently before dawn immediately headed north to intercept the approaching bomber group.

However, eight fighter jets are definitely not enough.

That is not a carrier-based aircraft, it is a real bomber.

Although according to the imperial standards, the maximum takeoff weight is only eight tons and the type 96 land attack with a bomb load of only 800 kilograms can be considered a medium bomber at most, the aircraft is equipped with a 20mm machine gun and three 7.7mm machine guns, and its self-defense firepower is very strong.

Without fighter cover, bombers usually form dense formations to cover each other.

Thinking of dozens of bombers, dozens or even hundreds of bombs flying over, not to mention others, even Bai Zhizhan felt his scalp numb.

That's why, after the cruiser team arrived, Bai Zhi's first order under the battle was to let the fighter take off the airplane in an emergency.

There is nearly an hour left, so hurry up and send all the fighters out.

But then what?

To deal with four heavy cruisers who ran after two aircraft carriers like a mad dog for more than an hour, or to dispatch carrier-based aircraft to bomb the transport fleet as planned?

Both Li Yunxiang and Li Mingbo believed that four heavy cruisers should be killed first.

Even Zhou Yongtao felt that the four heavy cruisers were of greater value. Not only because they were warships, but also because they were the last four large warships of the Navy's Navy's west-eastern ocean. Even if the four "high bears" of the Fourth Cruiser Team were not over, it would be difficult to return to the battlefield in the short term.

In Zhou Yongtao's words, after killing these four heavy cruisers, all the Navy can send out small boats with thousands of tons.

It's a bit exaggerated. After all, a warship with a few thousand tons is a warship, and only a "boat" is called a "boat" if it's less than five hundred tons.

In the long run, this will go a long way toward the second phase of combat operation.

Transport fleet?

After the navy was over, why should the Nai Empire occupy and control the foul port?

Not to mention just a light infantry unit, even a heavy unit, after the sea transportation is cut off, it can only sit and wait for death on an island hanging overseas.

In addition, Zhou Yongtao felt that the transport fleet might not go to the gulf port.

Without the support of the fleet, what can I do if I go there?

Fundamentally, none of them took the transport fleet seriously. Even if it was a troop transport ship, it could be considered an auxiliary ship at most.

What's the meaning?

When calculating military achievements, civilian ships belong to the third category of targets, military auxiliary ships are the second category, and warships are the first category.

To be fair, even if you fight in vain, you must think twice before doing this matter that is closely related to the vital interests of all the officers and soldiers of the fleet.

Getting up from the grassroots level, Bai Zhizhan is very sensitive to credit.

At his current level, credit seems less important, and he may be able to be noble, but for those officers and soldiers who follow him, it is not that simple.

Don’t forget that Zhou Yongtao is just a second lieutenant.

Even if he gained the valuation and appreciation of Bai Zhizhan, he still needed to enrich his personal experience with his military achievements, and his military achievements were a hard condition for promotion.

Even Zhou Rongtao is like this, so there is no need to say more about other officers and soldiers.

Without affecting the overall situation, making some military achievements for yourself is not considered as a false public service.

In fact, before the last war, the Imperial Navy did not even prohibit officers and soldiers from obtaining spoils on the battlefield, and also made clear provisions on the ownership of spoils. Allowing and encouraging obtaining spoils through normal channels is to encourage the fighting spirit and morale of officers and soldiers.

Ensuring that officers and soldiers can get promotion opportunities has a similar meaning as allowing them to obtain spoils.

But this time, Bai Zhizhan did not give in.

After contacting the guards, they confirmed that the four heavy cruisers were intact and were sure to block the four enemy ships and the four light cruisers were already detouring to the rear of the enemy ships. Bai Zhizhan did not delay any further, and asked Li Yunxiang to make arrangements as planned and let the attack aircraft set off after getting rid of the enemy ships.

That's right, it's just to attack the transport fleet.

Subsequently, Bai Zhizhan contacted the destroyer team, and asked the six destroyers to obey the command of the guards and assisted the cruiser team to encircle and annihilate four enemy ships.

In order to reassure Li Yunxiang and others, Bai Zhizhan agreed and made arrangements when the conditions were ripe.

Simply put, after the carrier-based aircraft returned, if the four heavy cruisers were not sunk, the carrier-based aircraft would be arranged to bomb the bombing.

Here, Bai Zhizhan adopted Li Mingbo's suggestion and sent a telegram to Zhu Huasheng and Shenpu of the Lianhua Military Port Air Station.

Set off immediately and flew to meet with the Third Air Special Mixed Fleet.

Given the situation at that time, even if Li Mingbo did not propose it, Bai Zhizhan would make such arrangements.

Don’t forget that the second main team is not over yet, and the Fourth Cruiser Team, which followed the first main team before, is still active. Even if you don’t consider intercepting the second main team, you should consider encountering the Fourth Cruiser Team and the possibility of fighting.

When Bai Zhizhan finished these arrangements, it was almost eight o'clock.

On the flight deck outside, the air service personnel were busy preparing to prepare more than a dozen fighter jets loaded with ammunition and fuel to prepare for the launch.

Launch an attack?

It's still early.

It would be great to let the remaining fighters take off before 8:30 and prepare for the torpedo and bombers that perform attack missions.
Chapter completed!