. The second guard group was discovered to be a conventional submarine of Type 041 wandering in the Philippine Sea. The mission of this boat was to explore the path of the Type 094 strategic nuclear submarine that went forward to perform combat readiness patrol missions in the Western Pacific waters, that is, to explore and search enemy submarines lurking on the route.

At any time, the Chinese Navy has two strategic nuclear submarines to carry out combat readiness patrol missions at sea.

Before the 096-class service, the 094-type was the Type 094-type. Generally speaking, a Type 094-type is active in the northern waters of the Yellow Sea or the Bohai Sea, and the other is out to the Western Pacific. There is no way to let the strategic nuclear submarines exit dangerous waters. The reason is that the maximum range of the JL-2 carried by the Type 094 is only 8,000 kilometers. If a missile is launched in the Bohai Sea and the northern Yellow Sea, it can only hit the northwest part of the United States, such as Seattle. Only by launching missiles in the Western Pacific can it cover the west coast of the United States, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco.

After Type 096 was put into service, the situation changed.

The maximum range of jl-3 reaches 12,000 kilometers, so even if missiles are launched in the Bohai Sea and the northern Yellow Sea, it can cover one-third of the United States and pose a threat to megacities such as Chicago, Boston, and New York. If it goes forward to the Western Pacific, it can hit Philadelphia, Houston and Las Vegas.

Because there are only two Type 096 in service, one can not be guaranteed to be patrolled at sea at any time, so there are still four Type 094s performing combat readiness patrol missions. According to the new deployment method, all Level 096 is included in the North Sea Fleet, and all Type 094s are included in the East Sea Fleet.

In order to maximize the strategic threat, Type 094 must go forward to the Western Pacific to carry out combat readiness patrol missions.

Generally speaking, when strategic nuclear submarines set sail, they are accompanied by an attack nuclear submarine. However, the Chinese Navy does not have many attack nuclear submarines, so when covering strategic nuclear submarines, several conventional submarines are often arranged on the route in advance to enhance the cover strength.

After discovering the 2nd guard group, the Type 041 immediately sent out information.

Now, Mu Haoyang was a little overwhelmed.

"Is it a trick?" Zhou Yusheng was also very confused.

The other major commanders felt that it was not reasonable. What reason did the Japanese Navy recall the Second Guard Group?

"If it's a trick, it's too much." Mu Haoyang took the ruler and measured it on the chart a few times, and said, "In a few hours, we will know whether the Japanese Navy has recalled the Second Guard Group or made a fancy trick to let us relax our guard."

Several main commanders were proficient in naval warfare and understood the meaning of Mu Haoyang's words.

The submarine discovered that the 2nd escort group was about 120 nautical miles northeast of Luzon Island, Philippines, and about 100 nautical miles away from the Bashi Channel. The 2nd escort group headed north and returned to the north with a speed of 14 knots, so the relative speed with the Combined Fleet is between 26 knots and 38 knots. If the relative speed is 26 knots, then after four hours, even if the 2nd escort group turns to full speed, it will not be able to catch up before the escort group enters the South China Sea. If the relative speed is 38 knots, the 2nd escort group will have to turn after two hours.

Of course, there is another possibility, that is, the joint fleet slows down before entering the South China Sea and waits for the second guard group.

The question is, what's the point of doing this?

Judging from the sea area where the submarine discovered the 2nd escort group, after leaving the Japanese territorial waters, the combined fleet not only sailed to the Bashi Channel along the shortest route, but also had a speed of more than 22 knots. If the combined fleet had sailed south for a distance when the 2nd escort group was discovered, the speed was still around 24 knots. From this, it can be inferred that the combined fleet would not stay, otherwise it should have slowed down.

The faster you run, the more fuel you consume, which means that the joint fleet is in a hurry.

Therefore, as long as the 2nd guard group has not turned around after two hours, they will not follow the joint fleet to the Indian Ocean, but will return to Naha.

The question is, how can we know that the 2nd guard group did not turn two hours after being discovered?

Half an hour had passed when Mu Haoyang received the message.

The main task of the Type 041 conventional submarine is to cover the strategic nuclear submarine. If you do not keep up with the 2nd escort group, you will not be able to risk tracking the 2nd escort group.

Fortunately, this matter has attracted the attention of the Second Ministry, and Ma Mingtao also contacted Li Guoqiang and asked the intelligence personnel of the Second Ministry to monitor the ships entering and leaving Naha Port.

If the 2nd guard group maintains speed, they will return to Naha before dawn.

Mu Haoyang could only wait patiently.

Intuition, Mu Haoyang believed that the Japanese Navy had recalled the 2nd Guard Group. He could not make a positive judgment before obtaining the exact news.

After a while of discussion, Mu Haoyang took the initiative to end the discussion and asked the main commander to go back and rest.

No matter how much discussion is now, it is useless. It is better to keep your energy behind.

In the early morning of July 23, Mu Haoyang got up half an hour early, arrived at the Officer's Restaurant before 7 o'clock and ordered a very sumptuous breakfast.

He was not the only one who got up so early, but also Zhou Yusheng.

"Do you still have an appetite?"

"Are you different?" Mu Haoyang pointed to the plate on Zhou Yusheng's hand, "Why, didn't you fall asleep last night?"

"I'm not the only one who didn't fall asleep. Lao Yang came early in the morning. I heard that he had been busy at the aviation combat command center last night."

"What are you busy with?"

"Don't you understand him?" Zhou Yusheng smiled, "Old Yang is very self-disciplined and always prepares for the future. He is definitely planning a strike plan. If you have a whim and decide to kill the joint fleet entering the South China Sea, he will definitely come up with a combat plan immediately."

Mu Haoyang also smiled, he knew Yang Yufang very well.

During the East China Sea War, Yang Yufang's preparations were more sufficient than anyone else, so they were valued and became Teng Yaohui's number one adviser.

As soon as the two started moving, Ma Mingtao rushed over.

"I knew you were here and didn't sleep last night?" Ma Mingtao smiled and handed a translated secret telegram to Mu Haoyang. "I just received it. The second guard group entered Naha Port before dawn and is now leaning on the dock. But what came back was not ten warships, but six."

"Six ships?" Mu Haoyang frowned.

"Six multi-purpose destroyers, two air defense destroyers and two multi-purpose destroyers did not return."

"In other words, these four warships were incorporated into the joint fleet?"

"It shouldn't be in the joint fleet."

Mu Haoyang glanced at Ma Mingtao and asked him to make it clearer.

"The support ships for the joint fleet will be strengthened from Nagasaki and will leave the port several hours later, so I think these four destroyers will act with the support ships, meet with the joint fleet in the southern South China Sea, or the Anambas Islands, and then head to the Indian Ocean together."

Mu Haoyang nodded thoughtfully, thinking that Ma Mingtao's words made sense.

"The question is, why did the Japanese Navy send out all the 2nd guard group?"

Ma Mingtao glanced at Zhou Yusheng and said, "This is not simple yet? The submarines you sent out are almost filling the Philippine Sea."

Zhou Yusheng was stunned and then understood.

In the Japanese Navy, the main task of the local fleet is anti-submarines. Therefore, the Japanese Navy dispatched the second guard group, mostly to deal with Chinese submarines operating in the Philippine Sea, to cover the joint fleet and let the joint fleet quietly enter the South China Sea. Who knew that it would eventually backfire.

If Ma Mingtao's guess is not wrong, then there can be a reasonable explanation for what happened before.

After the Joint Fleet left the port, the speed was immediately increased to 24 knots. Therefore, when the 2nd guard group was discovered, the Joint Fleet had already entered the Bashi Channel. Because there was no base in the South China Sea, and the Joint Fleet's speed was very fast, if the 2nd Fleet followed into the South China Sea, it would have to turn back after sailing hundreds of nautical miles, otherwise it would not be able to return to Naha. Therefore, the 2nd Fleet separated from the Joint Fleet before this, and then divided four destroyers to cover and support the fleet, while the other warships returned to Naha at cruise speed.

"If the Joint Fleet entered the South China Sea last night, it had sailed more than 200 nautical miles." Mu Haoyang put down his milk cup and took out a cigarette. "We must first figure out which route the Joint Fleet will take to determine when the Joint Fleet will leave the South China Sea based on the voyage."

"After creating so many ghost names, it will definitely not be open and honest."

"You mean..."

Ma Mingtao took the cigarette handed by Mu Haoyang and said, "The Japanese Navy has done a good job of keeping confidentiality. The purpose is to prevent us from knowing the whereabouts of the Joint Fleet. We believe that the Joint Fleet will sail at a speed of twelve knots, thereby misjudging the situation on the battlefield."

Mu Haoyang nodded and expressed his recognition of Ma Mingtao's views.

If you don't know that the 2nd guard group has returned or have not received relevant information, Mu Haoyang may indeed think that the joint fleet has moved south at a speed of 12 knots. When arranging reconnaissance forces, Mu Haoyang will naturally make the naval patrol aircraft and the reconnaissance satellite of the second department reconnaissance satellites reconnaissance on the Bashi Channel when the joint fleet is expected to arrive. Although it won't take long, Mu Haoyang will find the problem because the joint fleet did not arrive as expected, at this time, the joint fleet has left the South China Sea and left the reconnaissance range of the Chinese Navy. Without more accurate intelligence support, Mu Haoyang is likely to think that the joint fleet did not go to the Bashi Channel, but bypassed the Philippine Islands, passed through the Sulawesi Sea and the Makassar Strait, and entered the Indian Ocean from the Java Sea through the Sunda Strait.

There is no doubt that such a serious misjudgment is enough to cause a catastrophic result.

To put it seriously, when the Chinese fleet was still sailing on the South China Sea, the combined fleet had arrived and India would launch a ground attack immediately. By the time the Chinese fleet arrived, the Indian-Japanese joint fleet was already on the verge of war in the Andaman Sea and used a classic ambush to eliminate the Chinese fleet.

"The problem is that our submarine has discovered the 2nd guard group and sent a telegram. Wouldn't the Japanese Navy notice it?"

"That depends on whether the Japanese Navy intercepted the signal from the submarine."

"This..." Zhou Yusheng hesitated for a moment and did not continue.

"The submarine uses directional communication equipment. Unless a Japanese Navy patrol aircraft happens to pass through the submarine, the Japanese Navy will not know that the second guard group has been exposed." Ma Mingtao smiled and said, "This kind of thing is almost impossible to happen."

"If the Japanese Navy had noticed it, it would not have allowed the 2nd guard group to return to Naha directly." Mu Haoyang summarized Ma Mingtao's words. "Are you full? Go to the combat command center, listen to the opinions of Lao Yang and Zhang Yuting, and it is not too late to make a judgment."...
Chapter completed!