"not good!"
"This is a trap! This is the enemy's trap!!"
"They've been waiting for us!!!"
Realizing what was happening, Sugiyama Rokuzo roared, "Retreat! Send orders to the 4th Fleet immediately—"
However, it was too late.
From the very beginning, they fell into a trap that the Cambodian Phnom Penh fleet had prepared long ago.
At this moment, on the flagship of the Phnom Penh Fleet—the Bismarck-class battleship Kampot—Commander Han Qingfeng was receiving a report from the staff: "...According to the latest situation, all the submarines of the Southern Expeditionary 3rd and 4th Fleets on the outskirts have been sunk by our side...Currently, the enemy is tightening its defenses towards Finsport, and is less than twenty nautical miles away from us."
Han Qingfeng's face was terribly grim, but he did not immediately issue combat orders. Instead, he calmly asked, "Have all the formations completed the encirclement?"
The chief of staff replied, "As planned, Task Force 100 and Task Force 101 have surrounded the enemy in the waters around Finsh Harbor."
Han Qingfeng breathed a sigh of relief.
His fleet comprises six task forces: Task Force 98 (carrier task force), Task Force 99 (carrier task force), Submarine Fleet 102 (submarine task force), and Transport Fleet 103 (transport task force), which, together with the main force of the Democratic League's navy, headed north.
Only Task Force 100 (battleship and heavy cruiser formation) and Task Force 101 (light cruiser, destroyer, and submarine formation) remained on the mainland.
If the main aircraft carrier group hadn't headed north, he wouldn't have been ambushing here.
Thinking of this, Han Qingfeng felt a surge of anger, but he quickly calmed down. He knew very well that now was not the time to be angry.
Moreover, at this critical juncture, the enemy will obviously not engage in further conflict and will certainly choose to break out.
Therefore, they must all be sunk in this sea area!
"Immediately order the 100th and 101st Task Forces to attack the Southern Expeditionary 3rd and 4th Fleets." Han Qingfeng made the decision decisively.
"yes!"
……………………
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A series of explosions echoed across the distant sea as more than a dozen Bismarck-class battleships, along with dozens of Richelieu-class, Brittany-class, and Dunkerque-class battlecruisers from Task Force 100, launched a concentrated bombardment of the Southern Expeditionary Fleet!
"Damn it! They're really here!!"
Hearing the deafening roar of the cannons and looking at the surroundings enveloped by dense shells, Sugiyama Rokuzo couldn't help but curse loudly.
"The Empire! The Empire! Why does the enemy have so many Bismarck-class battleships!"
Sugiyama Rokuzo gritted his teeth, his eyes growing increasingly sinister. "I hate it! I hate it so much!"
Sugiyama Rokuzo truly wished he could commit seppuku to atone for his sins!
He knew he had no chance of escaping and could only fight to the death!
"Order all warships! Attack—!!!"
With a furious roar, Sugiyama Rokuzo commanded his flagship, the heavy cruiser Ashigara, to charge towards the Bismarck-class battleship!
The heavy cruiser Ashigara was the third ship of the Myo-class heavy cruisers of the Sakura Kingdom. Its initial displacement was 10 tons. It was equipped with 10 Type 3 200mm main guns (twin x 5), 6 Type 10 120mm anti-aircraft guns, 12 Type 12 610mm torpedo tubes (twin x 6, with 24 Type 8 No. 2 torpedoes), 2 Type 12 7.7mm machine guns, 2 seaplanes/1 catapult.
Opposite him was the Bismarck-class battleship, with a standard displacement of [missing information] tons, a full load displacement of [missing information] tons, a top speed of 30.12 knots, and a maximum range of 8,500 nautical miles. It was armed with eight 380mm main guns, twelve 150mm secondary guns, and 36 machine guns.
The difference between the two is too great!
However, Sugiyama Rokuzo had no other choice.
"kill--!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
During the charge of the heavy cruiser Ashigara, personally led by Sugiyama Rokuzo, all 12 Type 1 and 2 610mm torpedo tubes were fired, and a total of 12 torpedoes roared towards the Bismarck-class battleship opposite.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Twelve torpedoes struck the deck, causing a violent explosion.
It cannot completely destroy this steel behemoth, nor can it stop its advance.
Amidst the smoke and dust from the explosion, two Richelieu-class battleships approached from the left and right, each armed with eight 380mm main guns on the foredeck, nine 152mm dual-purpose guns on the aft deck, and twelve 100mm anti-aircraft guns on both sides of the hull. They unleashed a barrage of fire at the Ashigara heavy cruiser.
"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang -!"
"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang -!!"
"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang -!!!"...
The battleship Richelieu opened fire simultaneously, instantly penetrating the foredeck of the heavy cruiser Ashigara, shattering the deck, breaking the hull, and breaching the cabin.
"Boom! Boom!!! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"...
The main guns of the Richelieu-class battleships continued to fire, igniting a raging fire inside the Ashigara heavy cruiser. Sugiyama Rokuzo, filled with resentment, sank to the bottom of the sea, and before he died, he was run over by the Richelieu battleship.
On the other side, seeing the only heavy cruiser sunk, Vice Admiral Masago, commander of the Southern Expeditionary 4th Fleet, felt utterly disheartened.
“It’s over! It’s all over!” Yamagata Masago muttered to himself. “I never thought this operation would fail... I never thought the National League Navy would be this powerful…”
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