Sawa didn’t hesitate and imdiately ordered the fleet to enter combat readiness.
Although he wasn’t as famous as Lan Yun, and his qualifications and abilities were slightly inferior, Sawa’s command style, like Lan Yun’s, tended towards caution.
Perhaps, this was all to complent Takano’s bold and aggressive approach.
Before long, two carriers had launched all the Zero Fighters on standby at the front end of the flight deck and spread them out for an aerial search.
At this mont, the extraordinary endurance of the Zero Fighters was fully demonstrated.
Looking across the globe, which ship-borne fighters could patrol the skies for six hours?
At least at the outbreak of the great war in the year 99 of the New Calendar, only the Zero Fighters could achieve this.
Although pilots often complained that because of the long patrol duration, they got assigned unrelated tasks and would miss dinner ti, it sounded more like bragging. The majority of fighter pilots were indeed very fond of these agile and nimble fighters.
In combat, ample endurance ant they could often maintain full-throttle throughout the engagent.
In just over ten minutes, the number of Zero Fighters patrolling the skies had surpassed thirty, and all the ergency-launched fighters were heading north.
If the attack aircraft groups had already arrived, these Zero Fighters would carry out periter interception.
Sawa had already decided that if they couldn’t hold the line, there was nothing to be said, but if they did, he would imdiately dispatch Reconnaissance Aircraft to search for the Third Aviation Mixed Fleet.
No matter what tomorrow held, they had to try their utmost to take down those two "Imperial Capital"-class carriers!
The threat from carriers was simply too great.
Not to ntion anything else, even if those two carriers had retreated into the Zu Island Strait and didn’t co out, as long as they were afloat and not sunk, they constituted a massive threat.
Two carriers ant that sixty ship-borne aircraft could be launched at any mont to attack any fleet within four hundred kiloters.
However, Sawa clearly overthought the situation.
"Report!"
The communications officer ran over and shouted, causing Sawa to shudder involuntarily.
It was a newly received telegram.
Snatching it from the hands of the communications officer, Sawa shivered again.
It was from the Second Main Battle Corps.
Just at the beginning, minutes ago, a large Liangxia Navy patrol aircraft flew over the Second Main Battle Corps and even sent a telegram.
Although the patrol aircraft was driven off with high-altitude guns, the Second Main Battle Corps had been exposed.
An attack was simply a matter of ti.
What was deadly was that the Third Air Corps, a thousand kiloters to the north, definitely could not provide fighter cover for the Second Main Battle Corps.
Don’t forget that the Third Air Corps had given the last dozen or so Zero Fighters to Sawa, leaving only the outdated Type 96 Fighters.
These forr mainstay fighters were not only seriously outclassed in performance but also had a range of only twelve hundred kiloters, incapable of matching the Zero Fighters.
The only force that could provide cover for the Second Main Battle Corps was the Fifth Air Corps.
Actually, according to the arrangents made earlier, the Fifth Air Corps was supposed to provide fighter cover for the Second Main Battle Corps during their northward voyage today. This was also Sawa’s plan, but the six Zero Fighters sent in the morning had already returned at noon, and no further deploynts had been arranged.
At this mont, the Second Main Battle Corps was about three hundred kiloters to the north, and around four hundred kiloters from Zu Island.
This was precisely why the Second Main Battle Corps sent out a signal, requesting the Fifth Air Corps to provide air cover with fighters.
Four hundred kiloters, neither close nor far.
Even if the Third Aviation Mixed Fleet hadn’t entered the East Ocean, if the Liangxia Navy was determined, it was indeed possible they would deploy bombers from Zu Island to strike at the Second Main Battle Corps. Considering the Dostic Fleet had already set sail, and the Second Main Battle Corps was heading north, clearly heading for Watcher Strait, there was also last night’s departure of the Third Air Corps and the transport convoy carrying the landing forces. The Liangxia Navy had reason to launch an attack on the Second Main Battle Corps using shore-based air force before dark, without regard to losses or casualties.
Could it be that the Liangxia Navy deployed patrol aircraft to locate the Second Main Battle Corps!?
That was indeed possible!
War had already broken out, and for the Liangxia Navy, controlling the two critically important straits, Watcher Strait and Throat Strait, was imperative. Since the Bulan Kingdom hadn’t entered the war, no strategic blockade was in place, and there weren’t many garrisoned troops in Lion Spring City, the Liangxia Navy wouldn’t rush to recapture Throat Strait, which leads into the Fan Fla Ocean. So at this critical juncture, they would concentrate all their forces on Watcher Strait.
Now, the only forces that could prevent the Liangxia Navy from capturing Watcher Strait were two battle corps.
Exactly, the Second Main Battle Corps and the Third Air Corps.
The Dostic Fleet had four battleships and two fast battleships not yet in service. In terms of combat power, they were evenly matched with the Second Main Battle Corps.
The key, in fact, was the aircraft carriers!
Trailing behind the Dostic Fleet was at most the "Sea Dragon," and this carrier could operate a maximum of twenty fighters, which would be quite remarkable.
So, would the Liangxia Navy call back the Third Aviation Mixed Fleet?
If the fleet had changed course last night and entered the Xu Sea, it would definitely be able to rendezvous with the Dostic Fleet to the west of Watcher Strait by tomorrow afternoon. At that ti, even if the Second Main Battle Corps and the Third Air Corps arrived, the Dostic Fleet could still launch a surprise attack under the cover of the Third Aviation Mixed Fleet.
Besides, if the Second Main Battle Corps hadn’t reached Watcher Strait, the Third Air Corps definitely wouldn’t dare go block the gunfire.
Don’t forget, the Dostic Fleet’s ti to enter Watcher Strait was in the evening.
Not to ntion the Third Air Corps only had two small carriers, even if there were two fleet carriers, they wouldn’t dare to confront battleships at night.
Once the Dostic Fleet broke into the East Ocean, the operations to land on Guard Island and Wang Island would have to stop, and then they could only give up the critically important Watcher Strait.
At this point, the defeat of the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom wouldn’t be far off.
The key was that all the strategic plans devised before the war, without exception, emphasized the importance of Watcher Strait and even crafted several contingency plans. In the worst case, they even had to consider using last war’s thod of laying naval mines to block the entire strait.
Of course, that was a last resort.
The strait is bidirectional; mining it would also an giving up the chance to thoroughly defeat the Liangxia Empire, given that the Liangxia Navy could wait at ease in the Xu Sea. Not even including the Saiyi Navy, even if you factored in other Great Powers, it was uncertain if they could defeat the Liangxia Navy right at the doorstep of the Liangxia Empire.
Didn’t the last war end with such a result?
After understanding these points, Sawa had made a decision.
He would have to ensure the protection of the Second Main Battle Corps and also be able to deduce the location of the Third Aviation Mixed Fleet after the attack on the Second Main Battle Corps occurred.
It was quite simple: if the attack on the Second Main Battle Corps was carried out by the shore-based air force, then the Third Aviation Mixed Fleet would definitely have moved to the Xu Sea from Zu Island Strait last night.
If not, sending fighters to scout the southeast sea area off Zu Island would definitely find the Third Aviation Mixed Fleet.
If ti was pressed, perhaps an attack could be launched by evening.
Even without hurrying, after dark, they could speed up to catch up with the Second Main Battle Corps and then follow them to Watcher Strait.
Of course, the imdiate priority was to send fighters to cover the Second Main Battle Corps.
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