"Captain, do you need to add more?" The first mate signaled with a coffee pot carrying more coffee.

"No need, thank you, I want to go and have a good rest later. But half an hour ago, did you hear anything? It seemed like there was a huge explosion in the distance?"

Last night, Captain Victor has only slept for a while. He plans to wait until he enters a wider channel and hand over the ship to the first mate to manage so that he can go back to the captain's room to sleep.

But as an old captain, Victor expressed curiosity over a half hour ago about a sound coming from afar.

"I didn't hear it, Captain, half an hour ago. I just got up in the cabin." The first mate shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he had no idea what happened half an hour ago.

"Okay, after you read last night's driving log, I'll go back to the cabin to rest." The captain raised his coffee cup and signaled that the first mate should start to complete his work.

The first mate turned around and entered the cockpit, poured himself a cup of coffee and then slowly opened the sailing logs of last night to browse. The captain continued to lean on the railing to enjoy the delicious coffee and sea breeze, which was his habit for many years.

But he didn't know that more than an hour ago, the three of their freighters had already appeared on the radar detection screen of a fleet on the ocean. When it was just dawn, a reconnaissance aircraft ordered to go to the area looked over them and determined their identity and distance.

"His Excellency General. I found three foreign cargo ships directly in front of the fleet. I have sent a reconnaissance plane to confirm that it is not our ship and whether I have ordered the submarines in the front to sink." On the latest and largest aircraft carrier in the fleet, the coordinator is asking the fleet commander and combat commander Xu Jiangwen for the next order.

"Three foreign cargo ships? It's interesting." After reading the report sent back by the reconnaissance plane, Xu Jiangwen chuckled.

"It's been opened just now. One of the three cargo ships has a displacement of 8,000 tons. It's a pity to sink. He sent helicopters and Marines to land and board the ship, and try to seize these three cargo ships without sending radio communications from the other party. We are in short supply of these surface ships to enhance our transportation capacity. One ship just sank, and now three more ships are seized to get a good start!"

Xu Jiangwen, who was in a little comfortable mood, did not directly order the three cargo ships to sink, but instead took a freight capacity of nearly 20,000 tons. Being able to use it for yourself is naturally the best choice.

"Commander, isn't this a bit risky? What if the other party sends a radio notification?" The staff officer around him was a little worried that Xu Jiangwen's approach would endanger the security of the fleet's landing.

"What are you afraid of? Now that the distance is so close, even if the other party starts to prepare, there is not much time left. In addition, although Darwin is an important port town in northern Australia, the population in this area is not large. There are not many troops stationed in it. Our troops are more than 100 to 1. With such a gap in strength, we are too useless!"

The newly established Nanyang Fleet is the only long-range combat fleet of Hualian. It concentrates more than 70% of the navy's main warships and professional navigators. The main purpose of this battle is to raid Australia.

When the three helicopters left the fleet and rushed towards the three cargo ships, a few wet foreigners were spitting sea water on the deck on one of the escort destroyers in the fleet.

Look at their clothes, they belong to the Australian Navy's sailors. Not far from the destroyer, the sea was covered with oil and many floating fragments, which meant that a ship had just sank not long ago.

"You despicable Chinese people. You are a shameless sneak attack. Do you know this is a declaration of war on a sovereign state?" After finally recovering, the older first mate among the sailors began to speak righteously, with a trembling body. He didn't know whether he was angry or afraid of escaping from death.

"Sneak attack? Maybe you have been on the sea for too long and don't know it. Now this time is 50 minutes. In Greenwich time, one hour and fifty minutes ago. Britain has already declared war on China on behalf of the Commonwealth and its allies, and China has also declared war on its opponents. We use submarines to sink your ship is not considered a sneak attack. But you are very lucky. You are the first batch of prisoners of war that have been captured since the war started. Two people come and take them down for a good hospitality. What should be washed? Wash them with the military reporters later. I will interview them and send them back to report..." The destroyer captain chuckled and left with his hands behind his back.

It is exactly as Xu Jiangwen said that although Darwin is an important town in northern Australia, there is actually not much population here.

Even in the early 1960s, it was only established as a market, and even so, the population was only over 100,000, not to mention now.

The landing location was chosen on a beach more than 100 kilometers west of Darwin. The purpose was to form a bridgehead as soon as possible and then take down several nearby harbors. At the same time, it is also an area with relatively weak military power on the other side, and it is almost impossible to pose too much threat to the landing troops.

The landing troops should be careful, and only a few small patrol ships of the Australian Navy stationed in Darwin Harbor were left.

Although this port is the most important port in northern Australia, historical changes have not made it an important military base like later generations. First of all, it was not bombed by Japanese air strikes and bombings like later generations, because although Japan clearly knows what this port means, Japan is really powerless and they cannot stretch their hooves so long.

In addition, Britain and France did not go to war directly with Germany, which also led to the fact that although the British were nervous at home, in overseas colonies that were not threatened by military force, these British gentlemen were more willing to live in a relaxed and comfortable environment, drinking afternoon tea and eating snacks leisurely.

The last reason is that the British absolutely do not believe it. The Chinese will challenge the world's former No. 1 power!

"Commander, now there are more and more freighters, and the troops responsible for aircraft landing are already a little overwhelmed!" After a few hours, the communication officer next to him once again reported the latest progress.

This kind of aircraft landing operation is indeed a very effective method for ordinary cargo crew members who have never seen before. Many ships were caught off guard by this sudden attack.

Moreover, there are strong interference radio waves everywhere in the sky, so it is probably a bit trapped to use radio communication in this area. Now, there are more than a dozen prisoner ships flying the Chinese flag in the fleet, following behind the fleet.

"No need. Now the distance is not far, just send a signal or a flag slogan to the other party. The Hualian Navy fleet here will surrender immediately. Otherwise, sink on the spot!"

After harvesting more than a dozen cargo ships, Xu Jiangwen also knew that the closer he got to the destination, the more ships the fleet would meet. Conquering one by one would waste a lot of precious time, so he simply gave the other party a force to conquer.

"yes!"

"Wait! The escort ship in front of the fleet accelerated into the opponent's fleet group and ordered the aircraft carrier to start releasing the attack aircraft. The fighter plane flew over the opponent to directly deter him. There must be fools who were blind. They would sink directly without reporting, so that these high-ranking white ghosts knew that we were not talking about April Fool's Day jokes!"

Xu Jiangwen added his orders, because he could imagine that in the face of the surrender ultimatum issued by the Chinese Navy, there must be some fools who are not open to the eyes and treat them as jokes.

"Listen to all the ships, we are the Chinese navy, China and Britain have declared war, and now there are only two ways to go before you. If the boiler is turned off and the flag is surrendered, or we will be sunk to the bottom of the sea! Repeat, we are..."

On the sea, in front of the freighter with the British flag were several warships flying the Chinese flag. The English from their tweeters was very pure and clear. More importantly, it was loud enough to ensure that everyone in the boiler room could hear this most powerful notice from the Chinese to foreign countries since the Opium War.

"Surrender? Joke! Are these pigs crazy? Tell them that we are the fleet of the British Empire, and if we dare to attack us, we are challenging the anger of the British Federation Invincible Navy!"

Although the fleet suddenly encountered a sudden change, the formation of the fleet immediately became a little confused, but soon a freighter named Ibota in the fleet became the center of the fleet. On this freighter, a gentleman-like captain put down the telescope on his chest contemptuously and arrogantly told the communication sailor around him about the content of the reply.

"Damn, I really treat my cannons as clothes drying racks! Captain, blasting his mother's cannons to let them know that this is not a joke!" The first mate rushed up his head after seeing the other party's reply.

"No, our artillery is a little less powerful, give it a big gift! Correspondent, call the attack aircraft and give it a 500-kilogram shell to taste." The destroyer captain looked at the opponent's thousand-ton body, then looked at the 160-mm cannon in front of his head, and immediately had a plan in his mind.

"See, I have said that these pigs can only yell. If they really want to start, they must first consider the navy of our British Empire!" In the freighter, the captain saw that the Chinese destroyer's gun did not point at him under his scolding, and felt even more proud.

Seeing this situation, the originally panicked cargo fleet gradually stabilized its position. Some white-skinned and blurred sailors ran to the deck and kept provoking the Chinese warships. For a moment, the entire fleet was quite arrogant.

However, this arrogant voice did not last long. Two naval attack aircraft soon appeared in the sky. The howling sound of their high-speed dive began to make people feel panicked.

"Ship, Captain!" Looking at the attack plane getting closer and closer to him, the crew on the deck began to panic. The two planes were obviously coming for him. The sailors with better eyes could even see the thick and fat bomb under the plane flashing dazzling light in the morning light.

"Don't panic, I don't believe it. They dare to take action!" Although the captain was a little panic, for face issues, he could not easily take back his words just now. This is the glory of his family.

The whistling sound of "Woooo..." is getting closer and closer. Some of the crew members on the ship can no longer bear this psychological torture and begin to look for lifebuoys around them and look for cover. If something really happens, it will be enough to save their lives.

"God! The Chinese really dare..." While the crew members were hiding, the captain, who had always been known for his gentlemanly demeanor, finally cursed in disbelief when he saw the bombs under the fuselage of the two planes break off the hook under the wings. He could not imagine that the Chinese really dared to take action, and he was also regretting that his arrogance caused him to become a tragic person who sacrificed...

Four bombs weighing 500 kilograms each hit the freighter of thousands of tons, just like a thunder firecracker as thick as a small flashlight, stuffing them into a bamboo tube with a wrist-shelf-sized ignition and exploded. One blown and one shattered.

The entire freighter became fragments on the sea like that thin bamboo tube. The shock wave generated by the explosion even threw the cargo on the ship dozens of meters high and smashed the surrounding sea surface. Looking at the instant changes of Abbott, the foreigners who were still arrogant on the fleet immediately spoke in silence.

"Tell them that my patience is limited. Compared with the cargo ships that come to capture you, I would rather participate in the naval battle of landing or blocking the harbor. Those who want to survive should surrender immediately, otherwise I would give you a happy and then participate in the naval battle I like more!"

The tweeter on the destroyer sounded the pure English again. However, this time, after seeing the opponent's thunder method, no one dared to question the opponent's determination anymore, because they saw that not only the opponent's gun gun muzzle pointed at the fleet. At the same time, the torpedo tube on the destroyer had been opened, and the thick torpedo was shooting into the water with great enthusiasm.

The captain smiled happily when he saw this. He turned to the correspondent beside him and said, "Notify the fleet that the periphery of the harbor has been cleaned up. Please participate in the operation to block the harbor!"

On the other hand, on the aircraft carrier "Yinglong", the main flagship of the Nanyang Fleet, Xu Jiangwen is calmly deploying combat operations and issuing task instructions to units at all levels.

"Note that the target map in your hand was taken back three days ago. Please pay attention to distinguishing the buildings on the side of the dock. Some of these buildings are oil depots, some ammunition depots, and many bulk depots. What we want to attack and destroy are armed targets such as the barracks. Other non-armed targets should be retained as much as possible for their use after capture."

"You must be clear that these targets marked on the map have not been verified and confirmed by ground spies. There will definitely be hidden targets. Pay attention to cover and identify them as soon as possible when attacking..."

In the sky, among the groups of attack aircraft, the pilots received a reminder from the captain of the attack brigade that in their hands, there was a detailed aerial target distribution map. These distribution maps clearly marked the targets they needed to be responsible for the attack.

"All beach grabbers should pay attention to the additional unknown targets, but we should pay attention to the battle maps we have only taken plane photos from the sky, because we have not conducted field observations here, and although the accuracy is not enough after the preliminary identification of the stereoscopic observation mirror."

On the first landing ships, the Marine Corps attack squad leader looked at the beach getting closer and closer. While recalling the various data marked on the map in his arms, he heard the commander's advice when he handed the map to himself.

"The ships responsible for participating in the blockade of the harbor, the charts in your hands are just the reconnaissance information of the previous submarine troops on the periphery. Be careful of the protection nets and mines, and put safety first..." This is the Navy's advice.

In addition to the precautions during the attack, a very important one of the various reminders is the precautions for various map errors. Although before the war began or even a few days ago, with the help of the "watching tower", the Chinese army could use satellites and high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft from the sky to capture a large amount of map information about the area.

But what you see in the air is just a floor plan, and it is impossible to show the height of some targets such as an equally important third number.

For ground combat troops, if they are not sure whether the target of the attack is a building but not the height and floors of the building, it is likely to cause mission failure or other serious consequences, which is a weakness in aerial reconnaissance.

Moreover, in this time and space, although there are many Chinese and overseas Chinese in China, Darwin is an exception. Here, no Chinese and overseas Chinese have settled here, so it is difficult for the intelligence department to confirm the target of attack from the verification of ground personnel.

The choice of this area in this operation was not the most ideal target in the combat plan, because although Darwin's geographical location is important and connecting important railway lines, it is not ideal in maritime logistics, and the route of the transport fleet is closest to the actual controlled area of ​​the Americans than the other predetermined target.

Once the opponent's submarine is touched or there is something wrong with the sea battle, this will cause the landing troops to be cut off. However, in the end, this place is determined as the main landing point, because although Australia is large, it is ideally suited to the northwest direction, which is a large desert.

At the same time, road traffic is inconvenient and there is no railway traffic line, which is very unfavorable to the rapid and in-depth attack of the offensive troops. Therefore, it is only hard for the navy to work harder in the early stages of the war to ensure the safety of the last distance of the maritime traffic line.

Before this, the intelligence system in the army sent a large number of satellites and high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft to conduct large-scale reconnaissance on the three originally scheduled landing sites.

This is an old practice, but as time and combat areas expand, there will always be situations where ground personnel cannot be found in advance for some areas.

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Chapter completed!