Munitions Empire-Chapter 1212: The Battle of 1132 New Island

The New Island landing site was already shrouded in darkness. The sailors on duty stood wearily by the railing of the Beiyuan-class Destroyer, yawning and rubbing their eyes.

Above their heads, the radar rotated endlessly, while the soldiers in the radar room held warm tea in their hands, their heavy eyelids battling to stay open.

In the dim light, the radar operator glanced at the radar screen. Nothing unusual appeared; the usual clutter persisted, caused by waves or other random digital noise.

Suddenly, the alarm emitted a clear beep, jolting him awake. He put down his tea cup and stared intently at a faint dot on the screen.

Without delay, he grabbed the intercom next to him and reported urgently to the bridge, "Bridge! Bridge! Radar has detected a suspicious target!"

From his headset, the voice of the bridge officer on duty responded, "This is the bridge duty station! Please confirm the nature of the target! Repeat, confirm the target’s nature!"

The captain was asleep, and the Fleet Supreme Commander had worked the entire day and needed rest. If every minor disturbance triggered a battle alert, no one in the fleet would get any sleep that night.

Therefore, the officer on duty hoped the radar operator could first verify the target before deciding whether to wake the captain or sound the battle alarm.

"I don’t know. Based on its size, it’s similar to an aircraft, but its altitude is zero! The target is on the water! It’s not a low-altitude invading aircraft," the radar operator examined the data closely and reported to the bridge officer on duty.

But just after he spoke, another similar dot appeared on the radar screen!

"Bridge! Bridge! This is the radar room! A second target has appeared! This isn’t a coincidence!" He clutched the intercom, shouting loudly.

In his headset, there were two seconds of silence before the red battle alert light above the radar room began to rotate, and the ear-piercing alarm blared.

"Woooo—" The battle alarm was triggered, and the dozing sentinels immediately grabbed their binoculars and began surveying the visible sea.

The darkness was overwhelming, with only the moon providing dim light in an environment of low visibility. The sea stretched like an ebony canvas, occasionally shimmering with silver waves. Nothing could be made out; visibility was practically zero.

The entire fleet was under strict blackout conditions. Naturally, it appeared pitch-black. Behind them, another colossal shadow belonged to the Beiyuan 9 Destroyer, which was also patrolling slowly.

"Beiyuan 9! Beiyuan 9! This is Beiyuan 50! This is Beiyuan 50! Suspicious target detected! Battle alarm has been triggered! Please stay on guard! Please stay on guard!" At exactly 1:17 AM, the foremost destroyer, Beiyuan 50, relayed an urgent message to the fleet.

By 1:18 AM, the Beiyuan 9 Destroyer also sounded its battle alarm. All combat personnel hurried to their stations, while sailors donned life vests and maneuvered the ship’s guns to face potential threats. Simultaneously, the Dongwan 2 Battleship received the alert from the vanguard fleet.

"Knock, knock, knock…" A naval officer dressed in a white uniform knocked on the Supreme Commander’s quarters. Lu Qianshan opened the door with a face of confusion, accepting the message and glancing at the contents.

That one glance erased all traces of sleep. He immediately raised his head and commanded, "Order the fleet to sound the battle alarm! The carrier fleet is to detach and accelerate, with Guard ships following closely! Ensure the carrier remains untouched by threats!"

No matter how the enemy chose to engage, the carrier was his greatest counter-offensive asset. It had to be protected at all costs; everything else was secondary.

"Inform the landing fleet! Suspend all transport operations! Dispatch Beiyuan 20 and Beiyuan 21 Destroyers to assist the vanguard fleet! Verify the situation on site!" Directing his first fleet battle, Lu Qianshan was exceedingly cautious, issuing a flurry of orders.

He then grabbed his hat from the wall, placed it firmly on his head, and declared, "Let’s move! To the bridge!"

At 1:23 AM, the Beiyuan 50 Destroyer’s main gun fired a flare, illuminating a segment of water. Sailors aboard the trailing Beiyuan 9 Destroyer saw the flare streak upward, lighting the surroundings brilliantly.

"Ratatatata!" Shortly afterward, they heard the distant clatter of machine guns. It was the Beiyuan 50 employing its Bofors 40mm Anti-Aircraft Gun.

Due to the angle, sailors aboard Beiyuan 9 could only perceive tracer bullets from the Bofors, though they couldn’t discern the target being fired upon.

"Message from Beiyuan 50: Enemy speedboats detected on the water, moving rapidly… They plan to breach blackout protocol…" The communications officer read out the telegram. Moments later, Beiyuan 50 turned on its searchlights, the powerful beams sweeping across the sea.

"Activate searchlights! Load the main gun with flares! Fire toward three o’clock! One round at 50 degrees; one at maximum elevation! Illuminate the starboard side!" The captain of Beiyuan 9 immediately issued his orders.

Once he grasped the nature of the threats, his tactics crystallized. Since the enemy lacked large warships, the Tang Navy’s forces weren’t afraid of exposure. Visibility became paramount under those circumstances.

An array of orders saw Beiyuan 9’s searchlights activated, their brilliant beams scouring the seas, while flares transformed the sky into daylight.

They quickly identified an enemy speedboat racing toward them. The vessel’s diminutive appearance became glaringly apparent from its frontal perspective.

"Fire at will! Prevent them from approaching!" The Beiyuan 9’s captain immediately gave the order to open fire. Instantly, its smaller-caliber anti-aircraft guns roared to life.

"Ratatatata!" A salvo of tracer bullets streaked toward the horizon, scattering around the speedboat and raising plumes of seawater. The speedboat, evidently aware of its exposure, altered its trajectory and sidestepped rapidly.

"It’s too fast!" Watching their rounds consistently miss the mark, a sailor gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Boom!" The ship’s forward-mounted 127mm main gun fired, the sheer brilliance of its muzzle flash commanding awe. In the distance, a massive geyser erupted near the speedboat’s right side. Once again, the shell failed to hit its mark.

"Such a small vessel… Are they planning to launch torpedoes?" The first officer set down his binoculars, nervously speculating aloud.

The captain of Beiyuan 9 shook his head, dismissing the idea. "No way! They just got their hands on torpedo technology—we sold it to them—not enough time for deployment!"

"Then what’s their plan with such desperation? Are they going to board us for hand-to-hand combat?" The first officer raised his binoculars again, anxiously observing the Mirage Country’s speedboat maneuvering amidst gunfire.

"I don’t know…" For the moment, the Beiyuan 9 captain couldn’t fathom their motive. Regardless, he knew one thing for certain: the enemy must not be allowed to approach their warship. "Weapons officer! Order all turrets to continue firing! Sink it!"

"Another one! Another one!" A lookout shouted, pointing to the distant sea. Everyone redirected their focus almost instantly, binoculars snapping toward another direction.

Indeed, another speedboat was closing in swiftly from afar. The stern-mounted 127mm main gun turned, attempting to target the second vessel.

"Increase speed! Maximum throttle!" The captain of Beiyuan 9, sensing disaster, frowned deeply. "Send an urgent message to Beiyuan 50! Tell them to accelerate to maximum speed and maintain formation!"

"Understood!" The communications officer rushed to relay the order.

"Captain! Beiyuan 20 reports they and Beiyuan 21 are approaching us and expected to join formation in 37 minutes…" The fleet liaison officer, headset pressed tightly to his ear, reported.

"Tell them to turn on searchlights! Sweep the sea! Prepare flares! Enemy vessels are all small boats—stay vigilant and keep your distance!" Ideas flashed through Beiyuan 9’s captain’s mind. He strode quickly to a radio console, seized the intercom, and shouted, "Open the general channel!"

Watching his subordinates adjust the settings, he pressed the speaker and bellowed, "Attention all warships! Attention all warships! This is Beiyuan 9! This is Beiyuan 9! I suspect the enemy speedboats are loaded with explosives! Do not let them approach! Do not let them approach!"

"Beiyuan 20 acknowledges!" "Beiyuan 21 acknowledges!" The two reinforcement destroyers promptly replied.

"Damn it! It’s already hit us!" One second later, the desperate voice of Beiyuan 50’s captain came over the radio.

Almost simultaneously, the right side of Beiyuan 50, positioned ahead of Beiyuan 9’s starboard, erupted in a massive explosion. Roaring flames enveloped the destroyer, with flying debris reaching as high as the flares in the sky.

At 1:56 AM, Beiyuan 50 Destroyer was struck and exploded by a Mirage Country suicide speedboat, sustaining severe damage. In the explosion’s immediate aftermath, 29 crew members were confirmed dead, and 17 were reported missing.

By 2:03 AM, Beiyuan 20 and Beiyuan 21 joined the engagement.

At 2:11 AM, the first Mirage Country suicide speedboat was hit by a shell and exploded, shattering into fragments. Previously sunk speedboats had merely submerged; this one disintegrated entirely.

At 2:25 AM, reinforcements Beiyuan 90 and Beiyuan 94 arrived and joined the battle. Almost concurrently, a second Mirage Country speedboat detonated upon impact.

At 2:30 AM, a Mirage Country suicide speedboat was struck and exploded 15 meters off Beiyuan 20’s starboard side, damaging the ship’s searchlight and killing 2 sailors while injuring 10 others.

By 3 AM, the Tang Navy confirmed that no new Mirage Country suicide speedboats were appearing; all intruding vessels had been eliminated.

At 3:22 AM, the severely damaged Beiyuan 50 Destroyer began to list heavily. Repairs failed, and the ship was abandoned. By sunrise, Beiyuan 50 sank to the ocean floor, with total losses including the captain and 35 crew members, alongside 18 missing personnel.

According to reports, Mirage Country deployed over 50 suicide speedboats. The Tang Navy suffered the loss of one destroyer, with another damaged...