In the afternoon, on Wake Island, the main force of the Japanese joint fleet was heading towards the Tang Empire with a mighty force on the Pacific Ocean.

This fleet consists of more than 100 ships, including combat ships such as super crossbow-type battleships, heavy cruisers, light cruisers, destroyers, submarines, aircraft carriers, seaplanes and other combat ships, as well as coal refueling ships, gasoline, food freshwater supply ships, tugboats, maintenance ships, etc., and fifteen warships carry 20,000 Japanese Marines and a large number of artillery and other heavy weapons and equipment.

The most conspicuous of them are the six super crossbow-type battleships. Their bodies are huge, like small hills.

Especially the flagship Nagamon, it is well deserved to serve as the flagship of the Joint Fleet as the largest and most powerful super crossbow battleship of the Japanese Navy.

The Nagamon battleship was regarded by the Japanese Navy as a trump card that was not allowed to be used until the final decisive battle. According to this guiding ideology and speed restrictions, since its establishment and service, the Nagamon has never been far away from Japan. On the one hand, it has become a star warship as the pride of the Japanese Navy, and on the other hand, it was ridiculed by its fellow naval colleagues as a coward warship that dared not fight and was afraid of being sunk.

Standing on the bridge of Nagato, Lieutenant General Kobayashi looked down at the giant ship.

Kobayashi was under tremendous pressure to allow Nagato to participate in the battle. Because Nagato is very special, it represents the strength and industrial power of the Japanese Navy. For political reasons, it is not allowed to be sunk, otherwise it will be a heavy blow to the Japanese Navy.

But Kobayashi still convinced his boss General Kato because he never understood how the battle cruiser fleet commanded by Ono Shi Sandian was completely wiped out by the weakly exploded Tang Royal Navy.

International public opinion seems to have been manipulated by those who are interested. It has always been believed that the Tang army's submarine attack was successful. But the Japanese military also believed it. However, according to the recollection of the commander of the Iranian submarine who fled back, the incident occurred in a clear daytime. How did the submarine with weak speed sink a much faster battlecruiser without being discovered?

Kobayashi had such a big question mark in his mind. He knew that the truth might have another reason. He was worried, so he persuaded Kato to allow him to put the Nagato battleship into the battleship of Tang, and he felt that this would be more confident.

At the same time, Kobayashi also learned that the four aircraft carriers completed by the Tang army at the San Francisco shipyard have returned to the Tang Empire.

This incident made the Japanese military very angry. According to the principle of war, Japan was in a state of declaring war with the Tang Dynasty, and the US government should prevent the Tang army from obtaining these four aircraft carriers. However, due to the Japanese shelling, a US military officer died. The Americans were extremely dissatisfied with the Japanese government, so the Tang army's aircraft carrier was released.

After thinking about it, Kobayashi felt that all this seemed to be a trap set by Zhang Meng for the Japanese. He didn't know what consequences would the Tang army's acquisition of four aircraft carriers bring to the Japanese joint fleet. But he still prepared two aircraft carriers and two seaplane carriers for this.

"Hisser Commander, the submarines we deployed in the waters around Datang have sent us the latest information."

Fleet Chief of Staff Major General Tanaka Kameji hurried over, he had just returned from the telecommunications room.

"It was discovered that the so-called aircraft carrier battle group of the Tang army had left their naval base and headed to the northeast. Because the overall speed of the Tang fleet was very fast, our submarines were not in terms of speed and endurance. In addition, they were worried about being discovered by the Tang army's anti-submarine ships, so they failed to keep up."

"In your opinion, why do you think the Tang Army aircraft carrier battle group suddenly left the port?"

"Along the way, I believe that our every move is within the surveillance range of the Tang army's submarines and reconnaissance aircraft. They should know that we are coming soon, so it may be the one who takes the initiative to fight us."

Kobayashi frowned and asked in confusion: "What kind of reliance do they have to destroy our complete battle cruiser team. Now they have the courage to fight, but they dare to take the initiative to attack. Don't they know that if they encounter the main force of our joint fleet, they will definitely be dead?"

"Maybe they thought they were too impatient after winning the first battle." Tanaka Kameji was also puzzled, and could only think that Tang Jun had a problem with his brain.

"No! They must have something to rely on!"

Kobayashi's keen military intuition told him that asking for the enemy is a very dangerous thing, especially when despising enemies who are much weaker than him, they will always fall into the hands of such enemies because of underestimating them.

"What do they rely on? Are they just four aircraft carriers and thirty-six small battleships worth thousands of tons? They can't be our opponents at all. Our six super crossbow-type battleships alone are enough to destroy them, not to mention that we still have dozens of large cruise warships, and they should not be able to fight back! If it were their submarines, I think there is no comparison at all. Our main battleships are equipped with sonar equipment, so they cannot get close to the main fleet."

Kobayashi closed his eyes. As soon as he had a light of inspiration, he seemed to have thought of something, but he always felt that he could guess it a little bit short of it.

"Tang Jun wants to use an aircraft carrier to decide the outcome with us!"

"It's impossible! The last time Shi Sannen Ono encountered was definitely not the other party's aircraft carrier, because their aircraft carrier had not been built yet at that time!"

"It's an airplane!"

Kobayashi Jizao suddenly became excited. He finally discovered the real reason why the Tang army dared to take the initiative even though they knew that their strength was not as strong as the joint fleet.

"It must be their aviation force! It was their aviation force that destroyed the fleet of Shinnomi Ono!"

Tanaka Kameji asked in confusion: "Commander, their aviation troops have just been formed for a few months!"

Kobayashi said in a deep manner: "We have all ignored a key issue. The Tang army has been misleading us that it was the submarine that destroyed the Ono Shisanidi fleet. In fact, they also had an air force in addition to the submarine. If it weren't for the air force, how could they have owned the naval aviation force within a few months after receiving four aircraft carriers and were involved in air strikes against Fiji."

"What do you mean is that the Tang army used the air force to destroy the Ono Shisanidi fleet from the beginning?" Tanaka Kaguji seemed to understand a little, but soon shook his head and said, "Impossible. Their air force only has a few hundred P6E and F11C trainer aircraft, which are all aircraft products of the Americans during World War I. We know the combat effectiveness of those aircraft, relying on a few 30 kilogram aviation bombs, or a 7.92mm machine gun? It is absolutely impossible!"

When Kobayashi heard it, he felt it made sense, but suddenly he thought about it again.

"What if this is a trap designed by the Tang army? They cannot put everything on the surface for us to show them. Just like us, many secret weapons and equipment are hidden secretly. The Tang army must have hidden a group of torpedo bombers that are enough to destroy Ono Shisandian Fleet, because only when the aircraft drops torpedoes can it be possible to create the illusion that the fleet is sunk by submarine torpedo attacks."

Tanaka Kameji was stunned. This was something he hadn't expected.

"It's just that the Tang army will go to war with us from the beginning?"

"Others cannot, but Zhang Meng, the leader of the Tang army, must have prepared again! Don't forget that he was a guy who robbed many banks in the empire. He must have been worried about being retaliated by the empire, so he carefully designed all of this."

After Kobayashi finished speaking, he even believed it himself.

"It seems that the Tang army has so much money but does not build battleships but aircraft carriers. It is indeed like a plane winning the last battle."

Tanaka Kameji looked a little scared about the unknown and hurriedly said, "What should we do?"

Kobayashi thought for a while, then suddenly snorted coldly, and a cold light appeared in his eyes.

As a strong man who has been through the battlefield for a long time, since Kobayashi knows the cards in the other party's hand, he will inevitably take corresponding countermeasures.

"Since the Tang army has an aircraft carrier in hand, what would you do if you were the commander of the Tang army?"

Tanaka Kaguji thought for a while and said, "Our battleships cannot be destroyed. They want to repel us. If it were me, they would cut off the supply line of the Imperial fleet. After all, we came to the expedition from thousands of miles away. I heard that the Tang army had laid a large number of mines in the waters around the local area. I think they would fight for a war of attrition with us!"
Chapter completed!