The successful sinking of the Mutsu was too important for the young Chinese navy. This battle fundamentally shattered the myth of the combined fleet. At the same time, it also allowed China to completely surrender the shadow of the defeat of the Sino-Japanese War. China
The navy can stand proudly in the east of the world, and its impact on military morale is simply immeasurable.
In addition, the victory of this naval battle also eloquently proved the importance of air power. Aircraft carriers have been able to replace battleships as the dominant force on the sea. It also proved that the path China adhered to from the beginning was correct and also has unparalleled value in the military field.
However, Chen Shaokuan did not feel much joy at this time. It was certainly gratifying to sink the Mutsu, but at this time the Japanese combined fleet was still wreaking havoc along the coast of China. It is conceivable that the Yangtze River Delta region would not be spared. Qing, Wuhan is like this.
It is a center of heavy industry, but it is also a place where China's wealth gathers, and it is also an important financial center. It is not unimportant. However, because it is in such a bad geographical location in the Yangtze River Delta, defense becomes very difficult.
The silt-covered tidal flats are not conducive to the construction of large forts, and submarines cannot get close, let alone attack with torpedoes. Although China has also deployed some mines, due to the rush of time, the number is not too many, and it is not rigorous enough.
Ri himself still has loopholes to exploit.
Therefore, it is difficult to defend such a big city with just some coastal defense artillery and air force. In fact, when Chen Shaokuan decided to deal with the Mutsu, he was throwing Shanghai out as a bait. This is why he felt even more pressure.
reason.
In fact, this is also a big gamble. If the battleship Mutsu cannot be sunk, then Shanghai's sacrifice will become worthless, and the Chinese Navy will be nailed to the cross of shame. But fortunately, he won the bet, and the Mutsu battleship
Sunk, the strength between China and Japan has reversed.
What China has to do now is to try its best to inflict heavy damage on the Japanese. Originally, Chen Shaokuan was planning to go directly north to assist Shanghai, but Shen Honglie put forward a more attractive suggestion, which was to attack Keelung and Ryukyu to completely defeat these two problems.
Apart from that, these two ports are important Japanese naval bases.
A large amount of supplies and repair docks have been prepared on the dock. If these are destroyed, Japan's combined fleet will have no choice but to return to the mainland, and the blockade of eastern China will be completely broken.
As early as when Japanese warships launched the attack, Chinese submarines had already been dispatched one after another, cutting off Japan's retreat path. Dozens of submarines had gathered on the sea route between China and Japan, and every five submarines formed a battle
The groups are completely arranged according to the wolf pack tactics. Each group is responsible for a sea area. It can be said that it is easy for the Japanese to come here this time, but it is difficult to go back.
Now the submarine force is also stepping up its deployment, which will probably cause great harm to the Japanese. However, if the Japanese can return to Keelung and Okinawa, which are relatively close, they can avoid greater losses. After all, there are only a few hundred kilometers in between.
, it won’t reveal too many flaws.
Once these two ports are destroyed, Japan will have no choice but to return to the mainland. There is a distance of thousands of kilometers in between, and there are Chinese submarine forces ambushing along the way. Japan himself will shed his skin even if he does not die.
The Qing was left behind, and their mission was to completely destroy the Mutsu's auxiliary ships, including two cruisers and several destroyers. After the Mutsu sank, these warships dispersed, but no matter how fast they were,
It would not be faster than the plane. The Qing returned to the port for repairs, while Chen Shaokuan led the task force with the Qidian and Yangwei as the core towards Keelung. The Guangxi, which was in better condition, also set off as an escort ship.
The Chinese fleet rode the wind and waves all the way to Keelung. Keelung is located in the northeast of Taiwan Island and is a natural deep-water port. After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894, Taiwan was taken away by Japan, and Keelung became an important port area for the Japanese combined fleet.
As China's power continues to grow, Japan also regards Keelung as the most important base to contain China.
Therefore, Keelung Port was expanded twice, and a maintenance dock was added at the same time. A large amount of fuel and arms were stored in the port, which can provide sufficient logistic support for the huge combined fleet. It has been a thorn in the side of the Chinese Navy and a thorn in the flesh since the day it was built.
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Originally, Taiwan was Chinese territory, and it should also be China's base for heading to the sea. However, it was stolen by the Japanese and became a fulcrum to contain China. All walks of life in the Chinese government feel the pain. How can the sacred territory be allowed to be invaded by Japanese pirates? China will definitely
Taking back the sacred territory, and judging from the current situation, this day is not too far away.
Unlike the complacency of the Chinese Navy, Japanese Combined Fleet Commander Kato Kanji was like a thunderbolt at this time. Although he successfully attacked Shanghai and destroyed many cities along the way, causing huge losses to China, these are not the same as those on the mainland.
The sinking of the Austrian ship is nothing compared to this, and the balance of the war has begun to reverse!
How to judge the victory of a war can never be measured purely by the number of losses. Otherwise, the Germans would have been the victors on the Soviet-German battlefield in World War II. But in fact, the Soviet Union's status as a victorious power is unquestionable, even if
No matter how heavy the losses are, as long as we can win, it is worth it.
France suffered heavy losses in World War I, and the damage was greater than that of Germany. It seems that the war was not worth the gain. In fact, from another perspective, if France were defeated, the country would be completely gone and become a province of Germany. Failure
The end is even more terrible.
This time, the wealth and population that China lost in Shanghai must be far greater than that of a Mutsu, but China is still the undisputed winner, and the strategic initiative has completely transferred to China. As long as this advantage can be maintained,
All cities along Japan's coast will become the target of China's attack. Now that Japan has destroyed Shanghai, China will be able to destroy Tokyo, making Japan feel even more painful losses!
Of course, Kato Kanji is very aware of the stakes involved, but now he is more worried about the safety of his fleet. The several battleships he has now are Japan's last trump cards. If there are any more losses, Japan will be completely lost.
The possibility of losing money, especially the sinking of the Mutsu, made the Japanese not have enough confidence in powerful battleships.
If the Mutsu can be sunk, then there will be no exceptions for the Kaga and Nagato. What's even more terrible is that Japan's naval aviation has suffered serious losses. If all three of China's aircraft carriers go north, Japan's
There is no ability to resist, so the top priority now is to retreat back as soon as possible to preserve our strength!
The goal of Kato Kanji's retreat is Keelung. It is relatively close to the Japanese fleet, and has complete facilities and tight defense. It can quickly replenish Japanese warships and restore them to their best condition. However, Kato Kanji believes that it is best to move the fleet
Withdraw to the homeland. Defending Japan's homeland is now more important than anything else.
In this era of sea power, changes in the strength of the navy have an increasingly serious impact on the war situation, especially for an island country like Japan. After losing its maritime advantage, it is equivalent to having a rope around its neck. As long as China exerts its strength,
You can hang yourself to death.
After all, Japan is still a small island country with no foundation at all. One failure has completely exposed its fragile side. At this time, Kato only felt that the red sun on the Japanese flag has begun to fall to the west. At this moment, the national destiny has been lost.
A reversal has occurred!
The Japanese fleet temporarily anchored in the Zhoushan Islands and adjusted the formation. Kato placed the cruisers and destroyers on the periphery to form a defense network. Then he placed the two aircraft carriers in the middle, and the most majestic and powerful
The Kaga and Nagato have been reduced to escorting the Akagi.
This change quietly announced that the status of the aircraft carrier had undergone a shocking change. At the same time, the Japanese also withdrew all the landing troops. They came as fast as they could and withdrew even more hastily.
Kato Kanji knew very well at this time that the Chinese fleet would definitely go north to launch an attack, but he did not expect that the Chinese would attack Keelung. In fact, at this time, the Japanese still had a sense of superiority, thinking that the Japanese navy was still powerful, and they were the only ones.
Attack China, but China has no ability to fight back.
However, they soon paid the price for this idea. After a night of sailing, when the sky was just getting a little brighter, the Chinese fleet finally passed through the Taiwan Strait, and Keelung Port was right in front of them.
The first wave of attack groups was ready. The first batch of sixteen fighters and twenty bombers roared into the sky from the Qidian and Yangwei, and headed straight for Keelung. At this time, the Japanese fleet
We are in the northeastern waters of Keelung, and there are still about two hours before we can reach Keelung.
In fact, the distance between the Chinese and Japanese fleets is not much different from Keelung, but Japanese people believe that China will go north along the coastline, so Japanese people focus on bypassing, and also to avoid the attack of offshore submarines, but the result of the bypass is that Japan
My speed is much slower.
The Chinese naval aviation launched an attack on Keelung first. The Japanese soldiers in Keelung Port never thought that the Chinese would attack them. Japan is the most powerful country in East Asia. How could anyone provoke Japan?
Japan's dignity, it was this kind of arrogance that made Japan neglect to take precautions. Even when they learned that the Mutsu had sunk, they did not have enough vigilance.
It wasn't until the plane appeared in the sky over Keelung that the sleepy Japanese suddenly felt that the disaster had come. The Japanese soldiers ran frantically towards the air defense positions, preparing to shoot into the air. There were also several Japanese
The plane was also preparing to take off to fight the enemy, but their reaction was obviously a little slow!
The Chinese Air Force has long formulated a credible attack plan. The first target to be destroyed is the oil depot. About 800,000 barrels of oil are stored in the oil tanks at Keelung Port, and they are all stored in the open air.
This situation actually happened in the original historical time and space, that is, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the difference was that the United States had more oil than Keelung, but Japan turned a blind eye to this goal, and the United States Pacific
The fleet regained its combat effectiveness within half a year, which was caused by this mistake.
In fact, attacking the oil storage tank does not simply cause a lot of fuel loss, because the fuel will also burn. This kind of power is simply unimaginable. It can be said that if Japan attacked the oil depot in the United States, I am afraid that the entire Pearl Harbor would have turned into a
In a sea of fire, everything was burned to the ground. It was much more efficient than simply bombing with planes, but now it is Japan that enjoys this kind of treatment! (To be continued.