Chapter 005: The Sinking of the Japanese Flagship

Shen Wanqing sighed and said, "It's useless. When the shells were coming, I had already contacted my superiors, but there was not a single response. Now that we have returned to the past, no one can prove my identity"

Zhang Hua handcuffed Shen Wanqing, and as soon as he left, Shen Wanqing used a hairpin hidden in her clothes to unlock them. She couldn't help but think of the captain; from the very first moment she saw Lin Yuan, she became curious about this young captain. At just twenty-eight years old, becoming a captain was truly a miracle among miracles. Just now, when he looked at her, his eyes seemed filled with disappointment. How could she make him believe in her? Shen Wanqing pondered to herself, her face involuntarily turning a bit red.

Saying this, Shen Wanqing obediently placed her hands behind her head and said, "I will go with you. I will cooperate with your investigation"

In the battle group of an aircraft carrier, the carrier essentially serves as the brain for all cruisers, destroyers, frigates, and submarines. Through the combat data sharing system, intelligence from the entire battlefield is consolidated on the aircraft carrier, processed, and then distributed to various operational departments. Now, in front of helicopter pilot Ling Xiao and weapons operator Wang Rui, the coordinates of the "Matsushima" vessel are clearly marked.

Zhang Hua smiled and said, "I need to contact my superior to verify whether you are one of us. I require some time, so please accompany us. I hope you will not resist"

Meanwhile, the helicopter scheduled for takeoff was swiftly transported to the deck via the hangar elevator. The mechanics immediately conducted a pre-flight inspection of the aircraft. Upon completion of the inspection, ammunition was loaded, fuel was replenished, and the engine was preheated. The pilot then boarded the helicopter, and under the guidance of the takeoff director, the helicopter roared off the deck, heading towards the designated enemy ship m.hetushu.com.com. After its departure, a Z-25 search and rescue helicopter took off next to respond to potential dangers. The pilot promptly boarded, and under the takeoff director's instructions, the helicopter roared off the deck, heading towards the designated enemy ship m.hetushu.com.com. Following its takeoff, a Z-25 search and rescue helicopter took off next to address possible threats.

Just as Ling Xiao was maneuvering the helicopter to return, he suddenly felt the helicopter behaving like a runaway wild horse, unresponsive to his commands. A sense of ominous foreboding swept over him; the aircraft had been hit!

Wang Rui calmly pressed the launch button, showing no signs of tension or excitement, just as he had during his usual training. The first torpedo glided through the water, like a shark, swimming towards its prey

Lin Yuan was anxious and restless, and several operations officers were also frowning in worry. Lin Yuan noticed one officer spinning a pen in his hand, and suddenly, a forgotten corner jumped into his mind!

Lin Yuan clearly saw that the distance between the two sides was no more than 7,000 meters. In less than half an hour, they would engage in combat. It seemed that the course of history was accelerating. Lin Yuan walked to the porthole, raised his binoculars, and looked towards the Beiyang Fleet, where he saw ten plumes of thick black smoke. He then looked towards the Japanese fleet, where the smoke was much lighter.

Zhang Hua held the camera and said, "Comrade reporter, could you explain why your camera is different from others?"

The advisor beside him asked: "Our anti-submarine mission is mostly undertaken by fixed-wing anti-submarine aircraft, so an anti-submarine helicopter can only carry four lightweight torpedoes. Based on the opponent's tonnage calculations, one torpedo can almost sink a warship. With their twelve vessels, we could sink them all in three sorties. Which one should we target first?"

From the enemy and friendly distribution map, the ten warships of the Beiyang Fleet are arranged in a horizontal line, with the flagship "Dingyuan" and the "Zhenyuan" at the forefront. These two ironclad ships, purchased from Germany, once intimidated all of Japan. However, after the defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, Captain Liu Buchan of the "Dingyuan" ordered the warship to be destroyed to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. The "Zhenyuan" fell into enemy hands and was incorporated into the Japanese Navy. In 1905, it participated in the Battle of Tsushima, was converted into a target ship in 1911, and was dismantled for scrap metal in 1912. Some parts of the ship, such as the anchor and anchor chain, were transported to Ueno Park in Tokyo for exhibition.

The "Matsushima" ship is one of Japan's Three Scenic Ships. It is referred to as a Three Scenic Ship because the names of these three vessels are derived from three scenic spots in Japan. These three vessels are equipped with large-caliber artillery, specifically designed to counter the "Dingyuan" and "Zhenyuan" ships, and are regarded by the Japanese military as the nemesis of the two ships

Lin Yuan pondered for a moment, then with a grand gesture pointed to an enemy ship and said: "Let us take it down, the flagship 'Matsushima'! Moreover, we shall only target this one ship"

When Shen Wanqing returned to the cabin, two pistols were aimed at her.

The Beijing No. 1 primarily has two types of shipborne helicopters: four Z-20 anti-submarine helicopters and six Z-25 search and rescue helicopters. The reason Lin Yuan did not recall them earlier is that in modern warfare, no commander would assign helicopters to anti-ship missions. This is because helicopters are slow, have poor maneuverability, and low payload capacity, making it impossible to carry large anti-ship missiles. If helicopters were to attack enemy vessels, they would merely become targets for the enemy's air defense missiles. No commander would assign helicopters to anti-ship missions, as helicopters are slow, have poor maneuverability, and low payload capacity, making it impossible to carry large anti-ship missiles. If helicopters were to attack enemy vessels, they would merely become targets for the enemy's air defense missiles

Shen Wanqing was at a loss for words, and Zhang Hua turned to Lin Yuan, saying: "Captain, we will investigate this matter thoroughly. I hope the Captain and Comrade Tang will keep this matter confidential." As he spoke, Zhang Hua called over the comrades from the action team

Zhang Hua took her to the closed room and locked her in. Shen Wanqing was not wrong; she was indeed secretly assigned to the ship by the National Security Bureau. Such practices are not uncommon in large operations, and the National Security Bureau had coordinated with the Naval Intelligence Department. If they had not gone back in time, Zhang Hua would have quickly learned Shen Wanqing's true identity through her superiors. However, at this moment, Shen Wanqing truly felt more wronged than Dou E.

Zhang Hua let out a cold laugh and said, "Who can prove it?"

As soon as Zhang Hua, Shen Wanqing, and Tang Fan left, Lin Yuan's intercom rang. The operations officer reported an unusual situation and instructed him to return to the command room immediately. Lin Yuan ran to the command room, where several large screens displayed various information: maritime conditions, meteorological data, and details of the ship's components. On the enemy and friendly distribution map, the Japanese vessels were marked in blue, which is the color commonly used by our military to denote the enemy (Western countries typically use red to indicate adversaries), while the vessels of the Beiyang Fleet were marked in red.

However, the situation is different now. In this era, there are no airplanes, and naval vessels certainly do not have air defense weapons. Therefore, a helicopter equipped with torpedoes can strike local naval ships

In the Battle of the Yellow Sea, the Japanese forces divided their twelve warships into two groups. The first group, known as the First Mobile Unit, consisted of the ships "Yoshino," "Kōsui," "Akitsushima," and "Naniwa." The main fleet of the Combined Fleet included "Matsushima," "Chiyoda," "Iwamoto," "Hashidate," "Birei," "Fusō," "Akagi," and "Seikyō Maru," which maintained a distance from the First Mobile Unit. The speed of the helicopter was significantly faster than that of the warships, and after half an hour, the Japanese fleet appeared within the sight of the two individuals. The main fleet of the Combined Fleet included "Matsushima," "Chiyoda," "Iwamoto," "Hashidate," "Birei," "Fusō," "Akagi," and "Seikyō Maru," which maintained a distance from the First Mobile Unit. The speed of the helicopter was significantly faster than that of the warships, and after half an hour, the Japanese fleet appeared within the sight of the two individuals

Ling Xiao controlled the vertical take-off and landing aircraft, hovering one thousand meters away from the "Songdao" ship. Wang Rui set the torpedo depth to seven meters, a depth sufficient to strike below the waterline of the "Songdao" ship, where the steam engine room and watertight compartments are located. Four torpedoes would be enough to send the "Songdao" ship to the bottom of the sea

Lin Yuan was aware that the Beiyang Fleet was using the lowest quality coal, while high-quality smokeless coal had been sold at high prices by officials. As a result, the smoke produced by the Beiyang Fleet's boilers was darker than that of the Japanese navy, allowing the Japanese to detect the Beiyang Fleet early on, while the Beiyang Fleet remained oblivious. It seemed that the Beiyang Fleet was destined for a disastrous defeat; however, due to the inability of the carrier-based aircraft to take off, at this moment that could change history, this most elite aircraft carrier could only serve as a spectator.

Shipborne helicopter

The staff did not understand why the captain ordered to engage only one enemy ship, but military orders are absolute. The warriors on the aircraft carrier immediately sprang into action. Through the integrated command system, the captain's combat intentions were quickly communicated to all levels of operational personnel. The pilots rushed out from the rest cabin, and the logistics department prepared drinks and food at the exit for any pilots in need. The required amount of fuel for the helicopters, as well as the type and quantity of torpedoes, were displayed on the screens in front of the ammunition depot manager and the aviation fuel depot manager in less than a second after the combat orders were issued. The captain's combat intentions were quickly communicated to all levels of operational personnel. The pilots rushed out from the rest cabin, and the logistics department prepared drinks and food at the exit for any pilots in need. The required amount of fuel for the helicopters, as well as the type and quantity of torpedoes, were displayed on the screens in front of the ammunition depot manager and the aviation fuel depot manager in less than a second after the combat orders were issued. The managers quickly found the designated torpedo among dozens of types of missiles, bombs, and torpedoes, loaded it onto the elevator, which directly ascended to the deck.

The torpedoes they launched are our country's new generation of guided torpedoes, which truly achieve the capability of being fire-and-forget. After entering the water, the torpedoes will automatically seek out the sound of a ship's propeller and launch an attack on the vessel

I don't know why, but Lin Yuan felt quite dejected. He said, "hetushu.com.com, Reporter Shen, do you have nothing to explain?"

Shen Wanqing took a deep breath and said, "At this point, I have nothing left to hide. I was secretly dispatched to the ship by the National Security Bureau. This aircraft carrier is undertaking an experimental mission, which is why there are many non-military personnel on board. The higher-ups considered the overall situation and assigned me to the ship to carry out a covert counterintelligence task. That camera is what I use to communicate with my superiors."

The torpedo entered the water, and the active sonar was activated. To the torpedo, the ship "Matsushima" appeared as conspicuous and bothersome as a roaring drunkard. The torpedo struck the hull, and due to the use of focused energy detonation technology, although the torpedo was only equipped with sixty kilograms of explosives, it could unleash the power of three hundred kilograms of explosives. At the moment of the explosion, the immense pressure propelled the seawater against the hull, and the armor of the hull was torn apart like thin paper in the face of such powerful seawater. Subsequently, the watertight compartments were ripped open one by one, and countless seawater surged into the hull. Despite the torpedo being equipped with only sixty kilograms of explosives, it could exert the force of three hundred kilograms. At the moment of the explosion, the immense pressure propelled the seawater against the hull, and the armor of the hull was torn apart like thin paper in the face of such powerful seawater. Subsequently, the watertight compartments were ripped open one by one, and countless seawater surged into the hull. The hull immediately tilted towards the side taking on water, and the people on the deck frantically grabbed onto anything nearby. The scalding hot boiler met the icy seawater, resulting in a thunderous explosion that accelerated the flooding and tilting of the hull. The flagship of the Japanese fleet—"Matsushima"—was slowly sinking.

Lin Yuan immediately ordered the anti-submarine helicopters to load torpedoes and strike against the Japanese naval vessels

Shen Wanqing replied: "Director of the National Security Bureau, Number 6."

Ling Xiao and Wang Rui are both top pilots, unlike Xu Feng, who is eloquent and talkative; the two are known for their silence. This is their first time executing an anti-ship mission; previously, their strikes were aimed at submarines. Especially for the weapons operator Wang Rui, facing the empty sonar screen, he feels an indescribable sensation in his heart