1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3713

In the special operations division's fleet, there are quite a few ships equipped with steam-powered systems, accounting for about one-third of the ships with a displacement of more than 500 tons.

However, considering the life of the machine and the issues of repair and maintenance, sails are usually still used as the main power in non-combat situations, and steam power is only used in wartime emergencies and actual combat training.

The voyage from Zhenhai Port in the Gulf of Aden to Fubo Port in the Persian Gulf was five or six thousand miles, which was actually beyond the range of the steam power system. The coal used as ballast on the ship was only enough to burn the boiler for two days, and the comprehensive supply ship loaded with coal and fresh water could not keep up with the speed of the combat ship moving at full speed.

The only place where coal and fresh water can be replenished at the same time is the Port of Sohar on the east side of the Strait of Hormuz. It is actually quite close to the Port of Fubo. It would take at least half a day to stop and dock for supplies, which even exceeds the time that can be saved by using steam power for this distance.

Therefore, although Qian Tiandun was extremely anxious, in fact, the three ships he led could not reach Fubo Port at a high speed. After starting the steam power system, they only ran for more than 2,000 miles before the coal on the three ships was gradually consumed, and they could only return to the sail power state again.

However, he kept in touch with the garrison at Fubo Port via radio during the journey, and confirmed that there was no risk of losing the place for the time being, which made him feel a little relieved.

Previously, the fleet set out from Fubo Port and headed towards the Red Sea. It stopped and started along the way and it took half a month to reach the location of Zhenhai Port. But on the way back, they traveled day and night. It only took Qian Tiandun seven days to enter the Strait of Hormuz.

It was certainly not easy to search for traces of pirates in the strait that was over a hundred miles wide with only the three ships he brought back. But in order to catch his opponent by surprise, Qian Tiandun chose to enter the Persian Gulf at night and approach Fubo Port quietly.

There are several large bays near Fubo Port, but due to its steep coast, it is not suitable for building a port, but only suitable for use as a sheltered anchorage. Otherwise, when Fubo Port was originally selected, Khasab, which has an open terrain and average coastal conditions, would not have been chosen.

Qian Tiandun's plan was to temporarily hide in one of the bays and wait for the pirates to attack Fubo Port again. As soon as he received the signal from the port defenders, he would rush out of the bay and catch the enemy off guard.

Although this plan is simple, it can reverse the current situation where the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light. We just need to wait patiently for the opportunity.

Two days later, as expected, a group of pirate ships appeared again in the waters near Fubo Port, and the scale seemed to be even larger than the previous time. It seemed that these pirates would not give up until they captured Fubo Port.

However, this was exactly what Qian Tiandun wanted. If the pirates dispersed, it would still be a hidden danger and it would not be easy to track them down. But if the pirates gathered again to attack Fubo Port, there would be a chance to wipe them out.

Although there were many enemy ships, in front of the Majestic-class battleships, these pirate ships, which were still using boarding tactics as their combat method, basically could hardly pose a substantial threat.

The two infantry companies that rushed back to Fubo Port with Qian Tiandun had already quietly landed in advance and detoured to the base of Fubo Port to meet up with the garrison troops.

With this batch of reinforcements carrying weapons and ammunition in place, let alone a thousand armed pirates, even if the enemy's strength doubled or tripled, it would be unlikely to break through the deployed Fubo Port land defense line without heavy firepower support. The speed of these pirates' assembly was much slower than Qian Tiandun expected. They had been cruising in the nearby waters for two full days and had not yet started to act.

Qian Tiandun judged that this was due to the pirates' lack of unified command and dispatch. Otherwise, if they had not been able to assemble for such a long time, their whereabouts would have been exposed to the enemy long ago, and they would not have been able to catch the enemy off guard.

This sign made Qian Tiandun feel a little relieved. At least it showed that these pirates were not professional armies in disguise, so their fighting power would naturally not be that strong.

After this delay, the Special Operations Division troops returning from the Gulf of Aden had already arrived outside the Persian Gulf. However, Qian Tiandun was worried about alerting the pirates, so he told them not to enter the Strait of Hormuz and to wait outside the Strait for the time being, and to block the pirates' escape route.

All the troops under his command are in place, so Qian Tiandun is no longer in a hurry and just waits for the other party to come to him.

The pirates finally chose to launch an attack early in the morning one day. Unfortunately, their movements had always been under Hai Han’s surveillance. Qian Tiandun had already received the news when they were still several miles away from Fubo Port.

Following Qian Tiandun's orders, the defenders of Fubo Port did not launch an attack when the pirates landed, but deliberately withdrew the defense line to the harbor base in order to lure more pirates to land.

Although this trick was simple, it was very effective. The pirates thought that the defenders were exhausted from the previous two attacks and the seemingly impenetrable defense line finally showed signs of collapse. If they made another effort at this time, they might be able to take over the place.

So the pirate ship boldly sailed to the shore, let all the people on the ship land, and launched a general attack on the base.

Of course, some people also thought that there were originally a few Hai Han warships in this place, but now they have completely disappeared, which is a bit strange.

But the situation was very good at the moment, and anyone who paid attention to these suspicious points would inevitably be laughed at by others. As long as they took this place, even if those Hai Han warships came back, what would happen? Could it be that the ships had wheels installed on the bottom and could they still rush ashore to continue their work?

Since there were not many troops stationed at Fubo Port, the initial infrastructure here was mainly focused on port projects. No decent fortifications were built at the beginning. There were only a few sandbag bunkers built outside the camp and two watchtowers built in the south and the north.

It was not until the recent pirate attacks that the defenders shifted their focus from port facilities to fortifications, working overtime to build shooting bunkers and several artillery positions outside the camp, as well as the tried-and-true barbed wire buffer zone.

These makeshift fortifications played a good role in the previous two encounters, repelling the pirate offensive at a minimal cost and keeping the enemies attempting to attack the base firmly outside the range of fire.

After Qian Tiandun led his troops to the scene, the defensive firepower and combat personnel here were enhanced. If the pirate group that was still using cold weapons were to fight against them, the outcome would be predictable.

When the pirates who were charging screaming came into the range, the positions outside the base suddenly opened fire. Before the pirates could react, the dense fire from hundreds of rifles quickly took their lives.