.August 1, 1929, Sasebo Military Port, Japan.

Warships, big, small, new or old, are neatly arranged next to the dock. In the sun, the sixteen sunrise flags were covered with blood-red colors. On each battleship here, officers and soldiers in white uniforms lined up on the front and rear decks and on both sides. The outside of the bridge of the warship, the masts and open-air battle positions were covered with sandbags. Looking around, the entire harbor was filled with the harbour before the battle.

At 7 a.m., the slightly hoarse voice of the commander of the Japanese Joint Fleet, Naomi Taniguchi, came from the broadcast:

"Four years ago, in this place, the Imperial Navy's military, Marshal Hirahachiro Togo and tens of thousands of officers and soldiers vowed here. Then, he made a great victory against the Russian fleet and made great contributions to the empire! The empire prospered in a battle, and countries around the world dared not underestimate our great Japanese Empire!"

"Marson of Dongxiang once said that a cannon with a hundred shots is better than a hundred shots of a hundred shots! Now, all our naval officers and soldiers are diligent in practicing, skilled in artillery, and their military appearance is strong. No one can defeat the world! The German gang dares to come and invade, and our army will follow the footsteps of the Russians! This is what the country entrusts and the nation expects, and it is also the trust of His Majesty the Emperor in us!"

"It is true that the enemy in front of us is very powerful, far better than the Russian fleet back then. However, our elite troops and weapons defeat the enemy more than ten times, and our tenacious spirit defeats the enemy more than a hundred times. His Majesty the Emperor is looking forward to us fighting bravely, and thousands of people are looking forward to our triumph. We must take the lead and sacrifice our lives for the empire without hesitation!"

"After this battle of the rise and fall of the imperial kingdom, each king works hard to fight the enemy!"

After the brief speech, the national anthem "The Age of the Lord" and the naval military song "The Marine of Warships" began to be played on the radio. The sailors lined up on the deck immediately disbanded and returned to their respective posts.

In the light melody of "The Marine of Warships", warships in the harbor began to anchor and unzip the cables.

At 7:28 am, as the flagship "Kiyi" raised the signal flag for the departure of all, the destroyers belonging to the advance reconnaissance team of the Japanese Navy's 1st Fleet began to sail out of the port.

"The battle is here for the rise and fall of the imperial kingdom!"

Naomi Taniguchi, who was standing on the bridge of the "Kiyi", said to herself softly.

"The battle is here for the rise and fall of the imperial kingdom!"

A low harmony came from the surroundings. Taniguchi Naoma turned his head and saw that it was the captain of the "Kiyi" Ichiro Fukuda, the chief of staff of the Joint Fleet Fukuda Yoshiro, the chief of staff of the 1st Fleet Aoki Tomohei, the chief of staff of the 1st Fleet Aero, the chief of staff of the 1st Fleet Izuru Yamamoto Izuru and others.

Taniguchi nodded silently to everyone, then turned his eyes back to the sea. The six destroyers responsible for reconnaissance and surveillance are leaving the port. The flagship of this destroyer detachment is the new snow-blowing destroyer "Snow" with a static water speed of 38 knots. This destroyer with a displacement of 1,680 tons is equipped with a 610mm torpedo tube, which is the most powerful class of lightning strike among all levels of the Japanese Navy's active destroyer. This class of destroyers is also equipped with three 127mm high-level dual-purpose guns and can perform mine-brushing and mine-sweeping missions. It is a high-speed and multi-purpose destroyer. Unfortunately, the sonar and radar of the destroyer developed by the Japanese technical department are still under test. This destroyer has failed to get rid of the shortcomings of the anti-submarine and weak air defense capabilities of the Japanese Navy.

Following the destroyer reconnaissance team is the main guerrilla force of the 1st Fleet - the Battlecruiser Team. At the beginning of the war, the Japanese Navy had the world's leading battlecruiser fleet, "Chencheng", "Akagi Castle", "Kaohsiung", "Atgo", "Kingang", "Haruna Little Kirishima", and "Hairui". All of these are big guys with fast speed and strong firepower. The Japanese people regard it as pride, and the Japanese Navy regards it as the god of guerrillas, but with the development of the battle situation.

"Chencheng" and "Akagi" sank into the cold Sea of ​​Japan with the entire 3rd Fleet. "Atgo" and "King Kong" also fell in the Battle of Hawaii. When the huge German fleet came from the south, there were only three ships "Kaohsiung", "Haruna" and "Kikishima", and "Hire" accompanied the Shinto Fleet to move in the waters of the Segashima Island.

The battle patrol team is further ahead of the battleship detachment, which Taniguchi Naomi personally is in charge, including the "Kii", "Kaga", "Tosa", and "Fusan". The big ships and guns in Asia are no less than other continents. The "Kii" is currently the largest battleship in Japan, but also occupies the world's first displacement, the first main gun caliber, and the first forecastle height. As far as various data are concerned, only the German "William" can be used in the world.

The two-way battleships are the same as the Kaga class. They are almost the same as those of the Kaga class, except for some small details. The displacement of 40,000 tons makes their tonnage in the Japanese naval battleship second only to the Kii class, but the artillery configuration is the same as the other party - the double-mounted 410 mm 45-diameter main gun, and the 140 mm 45-diameter side gun corridor-style secondary guns, which also means that the Kaga class's defense is one level lower than that of the Kii class.

The lonely "Fusang" is listed at the end of the entire battleship detachment. This dreadnought, launched in 1914, has experienced 15 years of ups and downs. Although the hull has been repainted, the years have left rust in details such as the anchor chain and the ship's waterline. After a major modernization modification, the displacement of 3.65 million tons, a maximum speed of 25 knots and 12 356 mm main guns give the "Fusang" the capital to continue to fight on the battlefield.

The aircraft carriers that were equally large after four battleships were the same large aircraft carriers. The "Shokawa", "Ruihe" and the "Canglong" and "Flying Dragon" transferred from Southeast Asia not long ago were the aircraft carrier battle groups that the Japanese Navy had known for, and they were also the last force to fight against the powerful German naval aviation forces.

"This is the first time that the two ships of Sho and Rui have participated in a naval battle!" Taniguchi Naoma said, looking at the two heavy aircraft carriers. The one who is most qualified to answer this question was the brigade general Izuru Yamamoto standing behind him. Yamamoto, who was only 45 years old, has served on the "Shoka" for more than a year, and has served as deputy commander of the 1st Air Force, chief of staff of the Aviation Technology Department and a staff member of the 1st Fleet. This time he even walked into the flagship command room as an aviation staff officer and an aviation liaison officer.

"Yes, general!" Yamamoto bowed respectfully with a 75-degree small bow. "In 1924, the two ships participated in the military operations of the Hawaiian Islands and the Philippine Islands respectively. However, they did not conflict with the US military; in 1927, Ruihe followed the Chinese task force to the Yellow Sea. However, the Chinese Navy was weak, Ruihe only carried out cover missions to the army!"

"Our enemy is here for a long time!" Taniguchi looked at the middle-aged officer in front of him who was exactly the same height as the military god Togo Heihachiro, with a deep tone and worried tone.

The expression on Yamamoto's face did not change at all, but a trace of loss flashed in his eyes.

"General, please rest assured. Although our naval aviation forces rarely have the opportunity to fight against the enemy. Daily training and exercises are difficult and excellent, and they are slim. All the officers and soldiers on the battlefield are willing to die. This battle will surely make the German bandits frightened!"

Taniguchi Naomi nodded and looked into the distance with a vicissitudes of life. Behind the four aircraft carriers, a large number of light ships were also waiting to leave the port. The cruise fleet composed of three heavy cruisers and four light cruisers will cover the flanks of the main force of the fleet, nine fleet destroyers, and 54 torpedo boats into nine lightning squadrons. This will be the "surprise" in Taniguchi's hands and one of the advantages of the Japanese fleet's home field operations.

In the sky, three teams of fighter jets were patrolling the airspace near the port. The Japanese land-based aviation troops stationed at Sasebo's military port were not only responsible for air defense alert tasks during the fleet's departure, but also went forward to the area within 500 kilometers of the port to participate in the battle if necessary. According to the estimates of the Japanese Navy Headquarters, the battlefield of naval battle will be in the sea 300 to 400 kilometers south of Kyushu.

"General! Brigadier General Kiyomi Kiyomizu, Commander of the 7th Task Force, sent a telegram!"

When the "Kiyi" slowly drove on the departure channel, the captain's communication officer in white military uniform came to the valley entrance that still stood on the bridge.

"read!"

Taniguchi does not shy away from officers at all levels beside him.

"Yes!" The communication officer launched the telegram clip, "To the Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Fleet: The 7th Task Force has been deployed in the designated area. Once the traces of the German fleet are found, they will immediately report to the Commander-in-Chief and wait for an opportunity to attack the German ship. In addition, I wish the Joint Fleet a victory in this battle and the military movement will last for a long time!"

"Reply to Brigadier General Kiyomi Mizumi. You and the ships under your jurisdiction should wait for prey with patience. In this way, the first contribution of the joint fleet is to you!" After the communication officers finished recording and saluting, they turned around and left, Taniguchi turned to the officers not far behind him. "The Germans are proud of submarines, and now our army will learn from the strengths of the barbarians to control the barbarians! A hundred submarines have laid a net of heaven and earth, and we should wait for the good news of the 7th Task Force here!"

Yes, "learning from the barbarians and controlling the barbarians", Wei Yuan proposed in "Haiguo Tuzhi.Xiang" to learn from the military strengths of Western capitalist countries to resist them. However, the ideas of the Westernization Movement failed to truly rise, but were better interpreted in his neighbor Japan. This has to be said to be a joke made by history.
Chapter completed!