The Beacon of Laiyang Metal

Chapter 76 The Destruction of the Mixed Fleet 4

Although these auxiliary ships performing rescue missions have completed boiler ignition ahead of schedule, they want to change the warships from a static state to a high-speed maneuvering state in a snap, even if the Japanese Emperor comes.

As the torpedo approached rapidly, the torpedo track that was originally faintly visible in the telescope became increasingly clear.

On the sea around the Japanese fleet, white water marks were drawn by torpedo tracks, like sickles in the hands of death, announcing that these ships that dared to stay where they were were about to follow the footsteps of the three cruisers.

Moreover, the targets of the nine torpedoes are different. Each torpedo is locked on a transport ship or troop carrier, and the speed is so fast that it seems to take off against the sea surface.

These ships performing rescue missions have stopped their rescue missions since the moment they discovered the torpedo.

The originally orderly rescue scene suddenly turned into chaos. The Japanese sailors fled in panic amidst the sharp sirens, trying to find a safe place to hide on the ship. Some even jumped directly into the sea in a panic, hoping to Escaped a torpedo strike.

The Japanese sailors in the boiler room who were responsible for providing power to the warship, under the screams of their superiors filled with fear and helplessness, desperately waved their shovels and filled the coal into the furnace, praying that the warship under their feet would speed up. Move to avoid the fatal blow of the incoming torpedo.

Thanks to the efforts of the sailors in the boiler room, the ships that had been parked in place slowly began to shake, and there was a tendency to start.

At this moment, Kishida Kazuhiko stood on the bridge of the destroyer, his eyes fixed on the rapidly approaching torpedoes. His whole heart was completely tugged by these incoming torpedoes. He secretly prayed for the blessing of Amaterasu in his heart, and prayed for the rest of the torpedoes. Miracles can happen with ships.

Although the Japanese sailors on these supply ships and troop carriers had tried their best, the miracle that the old Japanese man prayed for, Kishida Kazuhiko, still did not happen. He could only watch these high-speed incoming torpedoes getting closer and closer. Coming closer.

"Boom boom."

From the moment the first torpedo hit a troop carrier in the middle of the fleet, the continuous explosions sounded like firecrackers, one after another, resounding in the sea area.

Although the Japanese warships parked in the same place have moved slightly, for the targets of the Japanese warships that are nearly 100 meters long, the torpedo is nothing more than a matter of hitting the bow or the stern of the ship.

Moreover, these supply ships and troop carriers, which are generally in the 2-ton class, are not as good as those thick-skinned cruisers in terms of tonnage and defense. Only one SET-72 torpedo can sink or severely damage them.

At this moment, these hit supply ships and troop carriers burst into flames, the huge explosions were deafening, and the mushroom clouds after the explosions soared into the sky.

As for the Japanese troop carrier that was hit by the first torpedo, the entire hull was instantly swallowed up by the ignited flames after the explosion. The Japanese Marines who were packed inside the cabin were in bad luck.

At this moment, each one of them was on fire, struggling and crawling out of the cabin like a man on fire. After running onto the deck, they scrambled to jump off the high deck.

However, after some Japanese sailors jumped into the sea, although the flames on their bodies were instantly extinguished, these Japanese soldiers were no longer visible on the sea.

As for the slower-moving Japanese Marines on the deck, they were covered in fire and just staggered a few steps on the deck before falling headfirst onto the deck and never getting up again.

However, this saves the step of incineration separately when the Japanese deal with the aftermath. However, with the tilt of the ship, these little Japanese may not have a chance to collect the corpses.

Immediately afterwards, two more SET-72 torpedoes hit two adjacent transport ships.

The huge power of the explosion caused the two ships to disintegrate instantly, sending debris flying everywhere. The fuel, weapons and ammunition originally stored in the cabin were also exploded in an instant.

The power of the explosion caused the sea water in this area to roll up like a storm, artificially creating huge waves.

Amid the violent shaking, Japanese sailors on other ships, including Kazuhiko Kishida on the destroyer, were also stunned by the scene before them.

While they were amazed that humans could create such devastating power, their hearts were filled with fear and despair.

At this moment, they only have one idea, that is, to escape quickly, escape from this dangerous place, escape from this place that has frightened them from the bottom of their bones.

Finally, after the continuous violent explosions, the wreckage of warships and the corpses of dead sailors were floating all over the sea. Broken limbs and broken arms could be seen everywhere, and the blood that flowed out dyed the sea area red.

At this moment, the entire sea was filled with a strong and pungent smell of blood.

In less than a cup of tea after the explosion, a group of sharks that did not originally belong to this sea area were attracted by the strong smell of blood.

They first swam around the body parts and corpses floating on the sea. After confirming that there was no danger, they immediately started writhing on the sea surface, and then they continued to tear around the corpses and residual limbs floating on the sea surface, enjoying this hard-won "buffet feast".

Murai Ryuhei, a cook on the Japanese troop carrier, was currently on the sea surrounded by sharks, rising and falling with the waves of the sea. The sound of the shark tearing and chewing beside him was like a note of urgency in Murai Ryuhei's ears.

As a cook on a ship, Murai Takahei slaughters sharks, which are ubiquitous on the sea and can be used as meat supplements.

In his opinion, except for shark fins, which are eaten by the nobles, sharks, which have rough meat fibers and are difficult to chew, are really bad things.

Often a whole shark weighing hundreds of kilograms, Murai just removes the fins on both sides and the fattest part under the belly of the fish, and then kicks the struggling shark into the sea.

Then he stood on the deck, laughing with his companions as he watched the shark with its fins cut off being torn apart by its own kind and being devoured cleanly. It's just that Murai Ryuhei never imagined that one day he would be faced with a situation where he was struggling to survive in the mouth of a shark.

At this moment, Murai Ryuhei swore to Amaterasu and his goddess Junko: "If he can survive this time, he will never kill a shark at will in the future. No, he will never touch any fish in the ocean in the future." I won’t even touch it, and I will only be a vegetarian for the rest of my life, even if I face punishment under military law.”

But Murai Ryuhei's oath was not heard by their so-called Amaterasu, or they heard it and ignored such a mere soldier.

While struggling in the sea water, Murai Ryuhei first felt that his leg was pressed by a heavy object and could not break free; then a heartbreaking pain struck from the inner thigh.

He could feel something pulling him down underwater.

Murai Ryuhei waved his arms desperately, trying to call for help from the surrounding lifeboats floating on the sea, but amid the chaotic and noisy background around him, his voice was drowned in the sea as soon as it was uttered.

How can these Japanese sailors who are too busy taking care of themselves have the time to take care of an ordinary cook who is rising and falling on the sea?

In the end, amid Murai Ryuhei's heart-rending screams and despair, he was quickly dragged to the bottom of the sea by the shark and disappeared completely above the sea surface, never to surface again.

Standing on the bridge of the destroyer, Kazuhiko Kishida watched helplessly as the fleet suffered a devastating second blow. His heart was filled with mixed emotions, full of pain and regret.

He regretted that he should have made a small mistake and still ordered the fleet to stay for 20 minutes to rescue the crew members who fell into the water even though he knew that the crisis was not resolved. He regretted that he did not choose to make a decisive decision and immediately order the warships to evacuate this dangerous sea area.

But now, even if Kishida Kazuhiko repented, he could not hide the fact that their mixed fleet was once again torpedoed and destroyed nine ships.

At this time, including the three cruisers that had been sunk before, more than half of the original mixed fleet of more than 20 ships had been sunk, and all the main force had been lost.

It can be said that the menacing mixed fleet of the Japanese was completely disabled like a bereaved dog with a broken spine.

Looking at the severed limbs and arms that were still being bitten by sharks on the sea, as well as the large number of Marines rising and falling on the sea after the troop transport was destroyed, Kishida Kazuhiko felt his heart dripping with blood:

"So many Marine warriors who spent a lot of money and food from the empire and were able to destroy some small countries were lost in this sea area without firing a single shot."

Suddenly, Kishida Kazuhiko felt a tightness in his chest and a sweetness in his throat. Then he coughed violently. The blood he coughed up in a fit of rage instantly stained the handkerchief he was covering his mouth and nose red.

Immediately afterwards, a wave of dizziness hit him, almost making him faint and fall to the ground.

Kishida Kazuhiko knew that even though there were still nearly a thousand struggling elite Imperial Marines on the sea, for the entire fleet, the defeat of this battle was irreversible.

Now, if the fleet stays in this sea area for one second longer, it will be at risk of being hit by an enemy torpedo for the third time at any time, just like the two previous torpedo attacks.

The only thing he can do now is to preserve the strength of the fleet as much as possible, withdraw to this dangerous area, and wait for further orders from the base camp.

Relying on the support of his subordinates behind him, Kishida Kazuhiko's face was as pale as paper, he gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and gave the retreat order helplessly.

But while giving the order to retreat, Kishida Kazuhiko's heart was full of doubts: "Why can the enemy submarine bypass the surrounding destroyers on guard and appear near the fleet without anyone noticing? And can it successfully launch torpedoes?"

It stands to reason that once discovered by a destroyer, a submarine will generally choose to dive to the bottom of the sea and remain silent, or simply escape far away, and will rarely risk another sneak attack.

Why did his destroyer fleet not find any traces of submarines under close surveillance?

Then all of this points to one fact: "They have lagged behind the enemy in terms of tactics and equipment, or the enemy used some unexpected means to release torpedoes and attacked their own fleet!"

These questions swirled in Kishida Kazuhiko's mind, causing his body, which had become extremely weak due to mental fatigue, to shake again, almost to the point of fainting.

"buzzing"

At this time, there was another sound of engines in the sky.

This familiar voice made Kishida Kazuhiko realize: "The enemy's surveillance fleet aircraft is here again!"

It was only when he looked through the bright light from the searchlight that he discovered to his horror: the incoming planes were no longer units of one or two, but a large number of dark planes attacking in the direction of their fleet. Come.

But before Kazuhiko Kishida could issue the urgent air defense order, his throat felt sweet again, he vomited a large mouthful of blood and instantly passed out on the ground.

(End of this chapter)