cicada

Chapter 1496 Sinking
Inside the bridge of the Yamato Maru, Captain Kono stared ahead while smoking a cigarette, with a steaming cup of coffee beside him.

Hundreds of meters away, the dimly lit stern lights of the Xuefeng guided the Yamato Maru along its course.

These blackout lights are only used by fleets under blackout regulations. They can only be seen from a specific angle, similar in principle to the anti-aircraft lights on cars.

Having confirmed that the flight path was correct, Kono plopped down in his chair, his eyelids starting to droop.

Because the cargo on board was so important, all the crew members were exhausted after several days of sailing, including him.

Gradually, Kono and the other two crew members on duty slowed their breathing, and the bridge fell silent.

After an unknown amount of time, Kono suddenly felt a sharp pain in his finger. He quickly shook his arm and opened his eyes.

On the floor, a glowing red cigarette butt was burning silently, clearly the source of the excruciating pain.

Looking at his scalded right hand, Kono kept gasping for breath, his heart filled with shock and uncertainty.

In his memory, he had only closed his eyes for a moment, so how could the cigarette he had just lit have burned out?
Kono scratched his head, stomped out his cigarette, and suddenly remembered the mission. He hurriedly looked up ahead.

Fortunately, the taillights on the Xuefeng were still flashing, indicating that the Yamato Maru was on the correct course.

He breathed a sigh of relief and looked towards the bridge, only to find the helmsman and the second navigator still fast asleep, which infuriated Kono.

"Baka! Wake up!"

"Woooooo~"

Kono's shout and the Snow Peak's whistle sounded at the same time, startling the helmsman and the second navigator. The two jumped up and almost hit the pipes above their heads.

Kono stepped forward and slapped each of them, then picked up his cup and took a sip of coffee. The warm coffee proved that the three of them had only slept for a short while.

But he was still a little worried, fearing that something might happen to the other two cargo ships, so he went to the stern and flashed his flashlight.

Not long after, lights flickered a few times on the sea behind them, and Kono then returned to the cabin to begin his inspection.

Walking down the brand-new corridor, which still smelled of paint, Kono whistled cheerfully, feeling incredibly grateful to President Shimizu.

The Shimizu Trading Company has dozens of captains, but only three new freighters. Without the president's appreciation, he would never have had the opportunity to pilot this new freighter that was just imported from Britain.

Thinking of the great kindness and virtue shown by the president, Kono silently vowed that he would definitely become a retainer of Lord Shimizu and devote himself to the cause until his dying breath.

After taking the oath, he walked into the crew's lounge, where a strong smell of foot odor and sweat hit him, and his snoring was deafening.

Kono calmly covered his mouth and nose. Fresh water is precious at sea, and the crew can only take a shower when they are ashore, so it's normal for it to have some odor.

After walking around the lounge, he nodded with satisfaction. The crew took good care of the ship; every part was polished to a shine and there wasn't a speck of dust.

After inspecting the crew quarters, Kono went to the cargo hold, where the snoring was even louder.

The Japanese squad was sleeping haphazardly, and although the ship was safe, their laxity was excessive.

Kono looked disdainful. What elite Locust Army? They weren't even as good as him, a commoner. He patiently shook the officer on duty's shoulder and called out his name.

The officer on duty was fast asleep against the bulkhead when he heard the shout, and immediately woke up, his right hand instinctively reaching for the pistol at his waist.

"Officer, don't be nervous, we've arrived at Tokyo Port."

Kono made a joke, but the officer, whose head was still foggy, took it seriously, yawned, and started to walk out.

This left Kono both amused and exasperated, so he had no choice but to tell the truth, glancing at the Kwantung Army soldiers as he spoke.

The officer was furious and kicked all his men awake. He then strode quickly to the warehouse door.

Under the dim light, the sturdy steel door and lead seal remained intact, and all the hidden marks were unchanged.

"Baka! No sleeping!" the officer shouted.

Ozawa was unaware of the farce on the Yamato Maru; at that moment, he was intently focused on the radar screen because the sonar operator had heard some unusual noises.

As the first destroyer in the Japanese Navy to be equipped with sonar, the Yukino could detect submarines several kilometers away.

With the addition of newly installed electronic detection equipment, the Xuefeng's theoretical detection range for ships, masts, and periscopes has reached 30 kilometers.

Inside the sonar compartment, the sonar operator covered his earpiece with both hands, listened for a moment, and then reported to Ozawa.

“Starboard bearing 095°, distance 3000 yards, metallic echo.”

"Woooooo~~~~"

An alarm sounded inside the ship, and the crew members quickly jumped off their hammocks and rushed to their respective positions.

With a clear enemy signal, the fleet's lights and radio control were immediately lifted, and the Xuefeng's searchlight turned toward the direction reported by the sonar operator.

Ozawa used the boat's binoculars to scan the sea surface, and soon spotted a submarine that was submerging.

Gazing at the familiar outline of the conning tower, he picked up the communicator and reported to the crew: "Barau-class!"

The Balau-class submarines were a new type of American submarine and a bitter rival of the Japanese Navy, which the Yukifumi was very familiar with.

The fact that the enemy submerged at this time clearly indicated that they were preparing to launch a torpedo attack.

Ozawa calmly reported the submarine's location and ordered the ship's twin 127mm guns to fire. If the Balau-class submarine successfully submerged, they would be in trouble.

A few seconds later, with several loud bangs, the Yukikaze hull shook, and the battle began.

The shells landed and exploded in the target area, splashing water dozens of meters high. Unfortunately, no oil slicks or submarine wreckage were found on the surface.

Ozawa frowned slightly and ordered in a deep voice: "Attention all compartments! The submarine is approaching the starboard side. All personnel, prepare for battle!"

"Notify the cargo ships to temporarily disperse, maneuver in anti-submarine formation, and keep an eye on the torpedoes."

Upon receiving the order, the signalman on the Xuefeng used lights to send a signal, and the Yamato Maru and the other two cargo ships immediately began to maneuver in a zigzag pattern on the sea.

The sonar operator remained motionless, still listening to the sounds in his headset, until several sharp whooshing sounds came from the water. "Starboard 100°, torpedo in!"

“One!”

“Two!”

"2500 yards! 2000 yards! 1500 yards!"

As the torpedo rapidly approached the Xuefeng, Xiaozechuan pushed aside the helmsman, grabbed the rudder, and swerved sharply to the right, his eyes fixed on the starboard side.

Most torpedoes currently use steam power, which leaves a noticeable white wake in the sea. This is the primary way for the navy to detect and evade torpedoes.

Inside the ship, all the crew members gripped the handrails and everything around them, listening intently to the sonar operator's report over the loudspeaker, their expressions extremely tense.

"1000!"

"500!"

"300!"

After a few seconds, no explosion occurred, and cheers erupted on the Xuefeng.

But the next second, the sonar operator shouted again that torpedoes had entered the water, and the number had reached six, which was the total number of torpedoes launched from the bow of the Balau-class ships.

Unlike last time, this time the US submarine was not targeting the Snow Peak; all six torpedoes were fired at the three cargo ships.

Ozawa clenched his fist and slammed it against the control panel, shouting angrily, "Damn it! The Americans are using a feint!"

Whether his anger was genuine or feigned, there was nothing he could do now except order a full-speed charge towards the submarine.

On the Yamato Maru, Kono gripped the rudder, his eyes fixed on the sea as the searchlight swept across.

Just as Kono was about to pop his eyes out, a violent explosion suddenly occurred at the tail of the Yamato Maru, without any warning.

The explosion was incredibly powerful; the stern of the Yamato Maru looked as if it had been bitten by a monster, and a massive amount of seawater instantly flooded into the cabin.

After such a heavy blow, the Yamato Maru should have sunk immediately, but the heavy cargo hold balanced the weight of the seawater, giving Kono and the others a chance to catch their breath.

Ozawa, who witnessed all this, turned ashen-faced. The Americans must have used the MK18 electric torpedo; no wonder the first two torpedoes didn't leave any trails.

He couldn't help but sigh; the gap between Japan and the United States was too great, so great that it was despairing.

The Japanese Navy also had oxygen-93 torpedoes that left no trail, but due to the complexity of the manufacturing process, the total production over nine years was less than three thousand.

In contrast, the U.S. Navy produced more than 9000 MK18 missiles in just three years, not counting other models.

While Ozawa was still lamenting, the Yamato Maru was hit by another torpedo in the middle, and the cargo ship broke in two and slowly sank.

Amidst the flames, the crew of the Yamato Maru and the soldiers of the Kwantung Army abandoned ship and jumped into the sea one after another.

"Boom! Boom!"

Two other cargo ships were also hit by torpedoes, and flames illuminated the surrounding sea, where people crying for help were scattered everywhere.

The Xuefeng dropped depth charges like a madman. If they failed to sink the American submarine, the entire crew would face court-martial.

Finally, just before the three cargo ships sank completely, the Xuefeng delivered a brilliant last-minute blow.

A depth charge was detonated, and initially a small number of bubbles rose from the seabed. Then, more and more bubbles appeared, and finally, oil slicks appeared on the surface of the sea.

Just as Ozawa was about to order the bombing to continue, a Balau-class submarine surfaced, its hull covered in damage.

After a while, a white flag was raised from the top of the command tower and waved. Ozawa then ordered a ceasefire.

The crew of the Snow Peak were used to it; they preferred money to killing and war.

Seeing that the Japanese had stopped firing, the American soldiers emerged from the submarine, stood in a row on the surface deck, and raised their hands to signal surrender.

"Record the coordinates of the sunken cargo ship, rescue the crew and prisoners... and report what happened here to Tokyo."

Ozawa had his men do what they did best—rescue people—while he faced the sea in silence for a long time. No one knew what the captain was thinking.

An hour later, Hayashi Fuichiro was awakened by the ringing of the phone. The call was from Finance Minister Tsushima Hisaichi.

The other party told him in an extremely sorrowful tone that the Golden Lily transport fleet had been attacked and sunk, and urged him to come to Tibet Province immediately to discuss the matter.

Lin Fuyi rushed to the minister's office and saw Tsushima Juichi pacing back and forth in the room like a trapped beast.

Upon seeing him arrive, Tsushima Juichi immediately asked a question: should we salvage the cargo ship?

Lin Fuyilang shook his head: "There is no safer place than the seabed. Your valuables won't disappear there, but if you are defeated..."

Tsushima Juichi's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands lightly, already understanding the unspoken meaning of Hayashi Fuichiro's words.

If the cargo ship is salvaged, and Japan is defeated, the valuables will likely fall into the hands of the Americans.

Conversely, if the artifacts are not salvaged, they will remain at the bottom of the sea and will still belong to the empire decades later, with only some paintings and calligraphy damaged at most.

This is actually a good thing. For Japan, it doesn't matter whether these things are good or bad; what matters is that they cannot be left to the people of the Republic of China.

“Very well, I will go see His Majesty the Heavenly Locust now and explain our plan in detail.”

Tsushima Hisaichi skillfully appropriated his subordinates' ideas for his own use, a common practice in government offices. However, he was still relatively kind and did not completely exclude Hayashi Fuichiro.

The car with the license plate of Tibet Province sped out of the yard. Lin Fu stood by the window, somewhat puzzled. What exactly was Zuo Zhong going to do?
The Golden Lily Project was something the other party asked him to push forward, so was the sinking of the cargo ship also part of the project?
But what was the purpose? Why did Zuo Zhong want to sink the cargo ship? Did the Military Intelligence Bureau want to salvage it secretly?

These questions lingered in Lin Fuyilang's mind, and the answer he sought lay three hundred nautical miles southeast of the cargo ship's sinking site.

In a certain area of ​​the Pacific Ocean, Gu Qi wiped the sweat from his forehead, crawled out of the cabin, and said something to Wu Chunyang.

"Inform the co-pilot that the magic plan has been successfully completed and awaits further instructions."