Chapter 10: Chapter 6: The Bugle Call of Battle

With less than five minutes remaining until the voting deadline, the results had already exceeded 94%, growing slowly at a rate of 0.01% per second.

"Comrades, our soldiers have clearly expressed their trust in our fleet leadership. Therefore, I hope everyone will also think carefully for the soldiers when formulating plans. Everyone who has come to this era is our flesh and blood brother; you must be responsible for their future."

The people waiting for the results in the multi-function hall nodded slightly. The soldiers of the Republic were truly lovely; for the sake of the Republic, they were willing to sacrifice everything. Whether it was the surging Yangtze River, the treacherous Wenchuan, or the Trans-Pacific a month ago, wherever the Republic pointed its sword, the soldiers of the Republic would inevitably fight. They would not return until their objectives were met.

Just as everyone was waiting for the final end of the voting, another communication request suddenly connected to the command console. "Report, Expedition No. 26 has an urgent military intelligence report."

"Patch it through."

"This is Expedition No. 26, I am Captain Ai Xin. The entire crew of this vessel supports the decision of the Fleet Command Headquarters. Our current position is 120 nautical miles southeast of the fleet. An unknown acoustic source has been detected at the 3 o'clock position of our vessel, approaching the fleet from underwater. Depth is 30 meters, speed is 4 knots. Based on our judgment, we suspect it is a World War II-era conventional submarine. Request instructions on whether to intercept."

Hearing the report, Xia Hai'an naturally looked toward Chief of Staff Li Hao to hear his opinion; the latter nodded slightly.

"Expedition No. 26, this is Xia Hai'an. I order you to sink the invading enemy and ensure the all-around safety of the fleet."

"Yes, sir!"

With that single order, the fate of that mysterious submarine was determined so simply.

The designation of this submarine was I-72, a Type Ka class conventional power submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy. It had an underwater displacement of 2,440 tons, a length of 104.7 meters, and a width of 8.2 meters. In 1938, it was the latest model of the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was born in the Kobe Shipyard and had just been completed and launched in January 1937. This was its first long-distance training cruise. At this moment, it was submerged, conducting a submersed training run at a speed of 4 knots, leisurely like a giant whale, completely unaware that death was gradually descending.

"Ozawa-kun, the sonar operator reports something unusual ahead of us."

"Can you determine what it is?"

"I don't know, I can't distinguish it. The sonar operator thinks it sounds a bit like a destroyer."

"Oh, then it's probably a whale or a school of fish or something. Ignore it."

"Shouldn't we be more careful? Could it be the Chinese?"

"The Chinese? Do you think the Chinese have a real navy? We are not far from Yizhou Island; they wouldn't have the guts. And even if it were the Chinese, with their insect-sized brains, how could they possibly discover a submarine while we are submerged!"

"What if it's the Americans or the British? It's better to be careful. The crew has been training for less than half a year; if they are forced to the surface, we will be punished by the Navy Headquarters."

"Baka! Ogawa-kun, are you even a warrior of the Imperial Japanese Navy? Our submarine is the strongest in these waters. How could those white devils' scrap metal have the courage to challenge our Great Japanese Empire? Are our torpedoes just for show? Are you questioning the Bushido spirit of the Imperial Japanese Navy? You must apologize!"

"Hai! I was too cautious. I apologize."

"Very well. Maintain course and continue forward."

"Hai!"

Just as the Japanese crew was boastfully expressing their full confidence, Expedition No. 26, acting as the messenger of death, had quietly maneuvered to the 5 o'clock position of the I-72.

"Attack position ready."

"Prepare torpedo launchers No. 1 and No. 3. Prepare two acoustic homing torpedoes for guidance."

"Launcher No. 1 ready. One acoustic homing torpedo loaded."

"Launcher No. 3 ready. One acoustic homing torpedo loaded."

"Old Ai, do we need to use two torpedoes against such an old-fashioned submarine?"

"No, this is our first battle. So, to be safe, execute the attack strictly according to anti-submarine warfare protocols."

"Understood."

"Flood No. 1."

"Flooding of launcher No. 1 complete."

"Flood No. 3."

"Flooding of launcher No. 3 complete."

"Input target data."

"Target data input complete."

Approaching the attack, Ai Xin confirmed the target position on the sonar display once more. "Fire No. 1."

"Launch of launcher No. 1 complete."

"Fire No. 2."

"Launch of launcher No. 2 complete."

"Cut wire in 20 seconds."

"Yes, cut wire 20 seconds after launch."

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Wire cut for torpedo No. 1, wire cut for torpedo No. 2."

As the acoustic homing torpedoes transitioned to their guidance state, the somewhat clueless sonar operator on the I-72 finally proved useful for once. "Report, noise detected behind our vessel, suspecting a torpedo."

"Baka, why be nervous about a torpedo? It poses no threat to us. Ogawa-kun, are there any other of our submarines nearby?"

"No, the High Command clearly stated that only we are active in these waters. The Third Fleet is currently anchored in Puhai and is not active nearby."

"Captain, the torpedo is coming straight for us!"

"Baka, there is no such thing as a torpedo that can attack a submarine in this world!"

"Ozawa-kun, better be careful."

"You all are too cautious. Emergency blow! Surface to a depth of 2 meters and raise the periscope. I want to see who this torpedo is attacking. I suspect one of our brother boats detected that noise source earlier. Could it really be a Chinese destroyer?"

"Hai!"

Just as the I-72 was clumsily surfacing like an old ox, the two acoustic homing torpedoes slammed directly into the submarine's hull at a terminal speed of 50 knots. In less than a second, they transformed into two brilliant orange-red flowers in the sea, dazzlingly beautiful. The struck I-72 froze for an instant as if hit by a pressure point, and then the massive water pressure twisted the nearly 10-meter-diameter submarine like a pretzel. Following the fire and explosion of the heavy oil tank, it snapped into several sections and slowly sank toward the seabed, with scattered debris and oil slicks floating to the surface, spreading in all directions along the rising columns of spray, a mournful announcement of the tragedy following the flapping of a butterfly's wings. The first shot of the transmigrated People's Liberation Army combat group in this era officially began their expedition in this age, marked by the unsuspecting sinking of the Imperial Japanese Navy's I-72. Their target was the stars and the sea!

"Report, target confirmed destroyed, sunk."

"Save the target's acoustic signature. Label it: Hostile Submarine A1938001."

"Acoustic signature labeled."

"Surface to 40 meters, maintain silent running."

"Drain ballast tanks, target 40 meters, level, engines off."

"Sonar, any non-natural acoustic sources in the vicinity?"

"No suspicious targets within a 5,000-meter range."

"Release communication buoy. Report combat results and acoustic signature data."

"Yes, sir."

Just as Expedition No. 26 released the communication buoy from the rear of the submarine, inside the command cabin of the Beiping, everyone was waiting for the report of the results. As the first enemy engagement of the entire fleet, everyone hoped to hear a successful start. If the attack had failed, it was highly likely the existence of the fleet would be immediately known to the Japanese military, potentially disrupting the overall plan. Although the Imperial Japanese Navy used World War II-era weapons, they were still the second-strongest navy in the world at this time. Although the South China Sea Fleet was powerful, if they were targeted, they would surely be plagued by flies, becoming an incessant nuisance.

"Report, Expedition No. 26 has sent a combat report."

"Read it."

"Hostile submarine confirmed sunk. Acoustic signature data has been uploaded."

Before the communicator's words had even finished, applause erupted in the command cabin. A successful start—it was truly good news.

"Order: Expedition No. 26 to surface, recover combat traces, and determine the enemy's nationality and designation."

"Yes, order issued."

*Beep, beep.* Expedition No. 26 received the message almost simultaneously with the issuance of the order.

"Old Ai, Command requires confirmation of the sunk submarine's designation."

"Active sonar, two confirmations, 15-second interval."

"Yes. Active sonar attack 2, 15-second interval. All hands, prepare for shock absorption."

With the order, the bow of the killer whale emitted two deafening *bang-bang* sounds. The massive sound vibrated through the seawater, spreading out from the whale. From a distance, it looked as spectacular as a spatial tremor. Some fish swimming around the vessel were directly stunned by the sound waves and drifted slowly toward the surface.

"Active sonar has not detected any suspicious targets."

"Emergency surface!"

"All hands, emergency surface! Prepare for collision. No. 1, No. 3, No. 5, emergency blow! 3, 2, 1, blow!"

A massive amount of air and seawater suddenly erupted from both sides of the Expedition No. 26's hull, and the bow pitched up sharply, as if a giant whale were leaping out of the sea.

"Deploy landing party, Marine First Alert. Turn on sea radar."

"Landing party ready, permission to deploy."

Under the sunlight, the hatch of Expedition No. 26 opened, and fully armed crew members stepped out of the submarine one by one. The last time they had seen sunlight was when they surfaced for fresh air before the formation departed; in less than 24 hours, the air they were breathing was from over 70 years ago. Although this era did not have as much pollution, the air was always permeated with a hint of blood and gunpowder—it was unclear if it was brought by the fires of war on the distant continent or by the combat traces rising and falling with the waves nearby.

"Bodies spotted at 9 o'clock."

"Recover them. Watch for other suspicious items and bring them back together."

Following Ai Xin's command, inflatable rubber boats were lowered to the surface. Two sailors rowed vigorously toward the floating bodies, scrambling to drag the oil-covered corpses onto the rubber boat, and in the process, fished up a leather suitcase that was half-floating in the water.

"Old Ai, it really is the Japanese. I-72, a new boat that just launched last year. In the original history, it was sunk by the Americans near the Solomon Islands on November 10, 1942. I didn't expect it to die at our hands now."

"Quite good. It's their luck to die at our hands; consider it their jackpot."

"Organize it. We're going down."

"Yes, sir."

Knowing who their opponent was—the one they had sent to the bottom of the sea—Ai Xin lost interest in further inspecting the bodies and turned back to descend into the submarine's command cabin.

"Communicator, notify Fleet Command: Enemy submarine confirmed, Imperial Japanese Navy I-72. Confirmed sunk. Recovered several sailor corpses and crew belongings. Request permission to retain."

After receiving the latest situation, Xia Hai'an took a deep breath.

"Order: Expedition No. 26 to continue underwater alert mission. Retain the recovered crew belongings; dispose of the bodies as you see fit."

"Yes, sir."

"Fleet Second-Level Combat Readiness. 50-kilometer radius patrol."

"Yes, sir."

Having arranged the fleet's tasks for the day, Xia Hai'an spoke to everyone seated in the multi-function hall.

"Since we have already determined our strategic direction, everyone, start moving. I order—"

Before he could finish, everyone stood up abruptly and snapped to attention.

"Each ship and Army Group shall select specialized staff officers to come to the Beiping to join the Fleet General Staff. Effective immediately, the Staff Department must establish our fleet's future direction of attack within 24 hours and produce our development plan for the next five years within one week. If necessary, the accompanying expert group is requested to cooperate with opinions regarding logistics and base construction.

The war correspondents will merge with the General Political Department to establish the Fleet News and Diplomatic Department. Within one week, determine the fleet's diplomatic and propaganda work plan for the next five years. Additionally, within the next 13 hours, draft announcements to be sent to all existing countries in the world, as well as domestic political groups and news media. I will make an announcement to the whole world tomorrow morning at 8:00, declaring our entry into the great journey of resisting Japan and saving the nation as a significant political and military force.

Each ship, accompanying Army Group, armed forces, and accompanying merchant ships shall conduct personnel verification and statistics; this must be completed within 24 hours. The Beiping's electronic control room will handle personnel registration and the production of electronic name tags to ensure, through various means, the future lives and work of all fleet personnel.

Does anyone have any questions?"

"No."

"Good. No questions. Everyone is dismissed. There will be plenty to do later. Political Commissar, stay behind; I want to talk to you."

With a wave of Xia Hai'an's hand, the crowd in the multi-function hall gradually dispersed.