Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 61 Target "Izumo" (2) (Please read and collect)
"Boom boom boom..."

"Tattoo..."

The dense anti-aircraft firepower on the Izumo tried to stop the bombing of the Chinese Air Force, but the proud sons of the sky had already made up their minds to die. They rushed forward in the rain of bullets and dropped bombs one after another. From time to time, planes were hit and exploded in the air.
But they still completed the bombing, and at least three bombs fell on the ship. Unfortunately, the bombs were all small 3-pound bombs. The Izumo was not seriously damaged by this attack with little lethality, but only suffered minor injuries, and more than a dozen sailors were killed.

The Chinese Air Force also lost 5 aircraft. They left the sea with endless regrets and sadness. Even if they had an aerial torpedo, the Izumo would have been damaged if it did not sink.

"Bakayaro, are the Empire's air warriors all good-for-nothings? Why would they let the Chinese bombers get close to the fleet?"

Lieutenant General Hasegawa, who escaped the disaster, cursed angrily. Colonel Kamata was also frightened. Fortunately, it was just a false alarm, but he was still frightened. He took the opportunity to persuade Lieutenant General Hasegawa:
"Commander, the Chinese aircraft have discovered us. For safety reasons, I suggest that the Izumo evacuate—"

Lieutenant General Hasegawa interrupted Colonel Kamada with his hand and said firmly:

"Kamata-kun, stop talking. It's just a few mosquito bites. The Chinese bombers carry too few bombs and pose no real threat to the Izumo.

The more this happens, the more the Izumo cannot leave, because we want to make the Chinese people despair!"

Seeing the commander's firm attitude, Colonel Kamata did not say anything more. He just asked all combat positions to be on high alert to prevent the Chinese Air Force from attacking again.

Before they knew it, the sun had set and night had fallen. Colonel Kamata then breathed a sigh of relief, because it would be impossible for the Chinese Air Force to launch an attack after dark because the current aircraft did not have the capability to fight at night.

At 8 o'clock in the evening, the Chinese torpedo boat fleet quietly approached the Izumo under the cover of darkness. They were less than one nautical mile away from the Izumo.
In order to avoid being detected by the sonar on the enemy ship, they reduced the speed of the ship to the minimum and approached the Izumo with difficulty relying almost on the ocean current and the only bit of power.

Due to the limitation of torpedo performance, they had to penetrate to within 500 meters of the enemy ship before launching the torpedo. Even if they hit the target at this distance, they would still be sunk.
Zhang Tianshou returned from studying abroad at West Point, full of enthusiasm for a big battle with the Japanese. As a result, all 31 ships of the powerful First and Second Fleets sank themselves on the Yangtze River waterway in Jiangyin, with the sole purpose of preventing the enemy navy from entering the Yangtze River waterway.

That day, Zhang Tianshou knelt on the riverbank and cried loudly for the Chinese navy that disappeared in the river. These warships were purchased from abroad with the hard-earned money of the people, and they sank to the bottom of the river the day before the Battle of Songhu started.

He couldn't figure it out. He would rather stay on the river and fight with the Japanese warships until they sank than sink himself. It would just mean shedding a little more blood, but at least he could show some naval spirit.

Just like now, even if I fail, at least I can die!
800 meters!
700 meters!
600 meters!
As the Izumo was getting closer, hope was getting closer too. Zhang Tianshou and the others did not consider their own safety. For them, launching a torpedo was victory.

Due to long-term ultra-low-speed operation, the "Shi Kefa" suffered a mechanical failure, leaving only the "Yue Fei" and "Wen Tianxiang";

Suddenly, a searchlight lit up on the sea. Zhang Tianshou's first reaction was that he had been discovered by the Japanese. There were still dozens of meters left to the launch distance, so he immediately started the motor and accelerated towards the Izumo.

"Boom boom boom!"

The secondary guns on the Izumo's broadside fired wildly at them, and the Yue Fei was hit by a rapid-fire shell and caught fire instantly;

The soldiers jumped into the sea one after another, and the "Yue Fei" sank immediately, with more than half of the officers and soldiers on the boat killed.

"emission!"

Zhang Tianshou decisively gave the order, and the torpedo flew straight towards the Izumo at a distance of less than 500 meters, hitting the tail of the Izumo accurately. "Boom!"

The "Wen Tianxiang" was also hit by the Japanese artillery fire, and Zhang Tianshou and others fell into the sea. Although their torpedoes did not sink the 10,000-ton Izumo, it also dealt them a heavy blow. This was a desperate blow by the indomitable Chinese Navy, and it was also the Chinese Navy's declaration to the world that they had never given up fighting.

After Zhang Tianshou fell into the sea, he swam towards the shore with difficulty in the dark. The invaders' warships were still showing off their might in China's territorial waters, and he was unwilling to leave.

He wants to live, he wants to keep fighting, Yue Qianli once said that the Chinese navy will become strong one day...

August 8, Wusongkou

A huge fleet slowly approached from the place where the sea and the sky met, almost blocking out the sun. It was escorted by four aircraft carrier formations, namely the Kaga, Akasei, Ryūshō and Fōshō, guarding hundreds of large and small ships, and carrying tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers from the 3rd and 11th Divisions, preparing to land at Chuanshakou, Shizilin and Wusongkou.

On the flagship aircraft carrier "Kaga", the commander of the Shanghai Expeditionary Force, General Matsui Iwane, was in high spirits. As a fan of the Three Kingdoms, he put on a drama and said to the Chief of Staff, Major General Iinuma Mamoru and others:
"Gentlemen, when Emperor Wu of Wei of China marched south, he had an army of 800,000 and a thousand warships, but this was the only thing he had!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Matsui Iwane imitated the tone of Emperor Wei Wu and said:
"Let's drink and sing, how long is life? It is like the morning dew, and the past days are full of suffering. I should be generous, and my worries are unforgettable. How can I relieve my worries? Only Du Kang."

Seeing that General Matsui was in a very talkative mood and was acting very high-handed, Major General Iinuma said in a playful way:
"I think we should change it to how to solve the problem. Only warships are better. When the Empire's invincible fleet arrives in Shanghai, it will be the time for the Chinese to surrender!"

Lieutenant General Fujita Susumu, the commander of the Third Division, said murderously:

"Surrender is far from enough. Before the destruction of China, anyone who dares to talk about peace is the public enemy of the empire!"

Lieutenant General Yamamuro Munetake, the commander of the 11th Division, agreed and said arrogantly:
"What Fujita said is very true. The idea of ​​being content with a small fortune is not good. There is a voice in the empire now, the so-called anti-expansion faction.

Before the fighting even started, they were thinking of limiting the end of the war to Nanjing City. As long as the Chinese surrendered, China's national system would be preserved, and the empire would only need to get North China.

Such a person is not worthy of your majesty's trust. My 11th Division will not stop at the gates of Nanjing.
What the empire wants is the entire China!"

General Matsui Iwane nodded with satisfaction and said:

"Gentlemen, this is a war to destroy a country. It will take one month to occupy Shanghai and three months to destroy China. His Majesty has high hopes for you. After landing, you can gallop across the vast China. We will not withdraw our troops until China is destroyed!"

Following Matsui Iwane's order, more than 200 land-based and sea-based fighters took off from aircraft carriers and Taiwan Island and flew directly to Wusongkou.

Upon learning that the Japanese were going to land at Wusongkou and other places, the Standing Committee Chairman was not to be outdone. He sent out almost all the fighter planes to bomb the Japanese landing ships. Hundreds of fighter planes from both sides launched a huge air battle for air supremacy over Wusongkou.

In the Chinese fighter formation, Zhou Xin piloted his beloved IV-3 fighter and fearlessly faced enemy aircraft that were twice his size...

(End of this chapter)