Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1297 A New Page (5k words, End of Volume)

Now that the bombers have moved forward, it means that the end is near.

"Four targets have separated from the forward-departing bomber at Mach 0.9!" The patrol aircraft in the air reported with a hint of tension, indicating that the Easterners had indeed launched missiles this time.

Although the missiles are small, they can still be seen from patrol aircraft that are also in forward positions, although their signals are much smaller than those of bombers.

"The four bombers began to turn, presumably to return to their formation."

This reassured the American sailors at sea a little. Four missiles, launched and then turned back, clearly weren't aimed at them. Otherwise, there would have been at least eight, and the most reasonable number would have been at least sixteen.

Their voices echoed in our ship's combat command center as well. The fleet commander laughed and said, "They're doing a live broadcast, hahaha."

As television production capacity increased and its usage expanded, the concept of "live broadcasting" gradually took shape in the minds of Chinese people.

We were quite relaxed, but the Citibank staff didn't have that kind of leisure.

Although they knew they had been notified and that it wasn't targeting them, they still felt a little uneasy, since their warships weren't very far from the four targets.

Hoping that Eastern technology was reliable, they actually had this obviously "politically incorrect" idea in their minds.

There's no way to leave; we're already here. This applies to Citibank employees as well.

Not long after, a report from their patrol plane made them tense again.

"The four small targets have disappeared, indicating that they have entered low altitude."

The radar on the patrol aircraft did not have a three-coordinate function and did not know the altitude of the missiles. However, they could analyze that the four missiles were probably submerged in the sea clutter as the altitude decreased. After all, these things were not very big, and the clutter could easily cover them up.

This seemed to remind the Citizens' squadron commander of something; his expression turned grim, and he picked up the microphone: "At what distance did it disappear?"

"About 10 kilometers after launch, there are still 30 kilometers to the target."

“Holy shit!!!” The commander of the US squadron looked extremely grim.

He guessed it. This meant that the Easterners' anti-ship missiles would quickly descend to low altitudes after launch, using sea clutter and the curvature of the earth to hide themselves. There was no other possibility. Given the Easterners' technological capabilities, it was impossible for them to mass-produce four missiles at once and drop them all directly into the sea.

For ships on water, the issue of low-altitude operations is almost unsolvable.

It seems they've learned from the Polar Bear very quickly; the Polar Bear's anti-ship missiles can also descend to low altitudes, no wonder their anti-ship missile performance is so outstanding.

However, they had no idea of ​​the seriousness of the situation. Compared to the two to three-digit flight altitude of the White Bear's anti-ship missiles, the flight altitude of the Zhengxian-62K was only around two digits.

Listening to their conversation on the maritime channel, our comrade laughed: "Looks like we scared them pretty badly this time, hahaha."

"It's good to scare them a little; it's not a bad thing to keep them away from us."

In this atmosphere, the US Navy's 8-ship formation watched helplessly as four targets in front of them exploded one after another, with considerable flashes of light.

As for the contrails, they are not visible. At this distance, the engine propellant would have been burned up long ago, and they are several kilometers away, on the opposite side of the missile's direction of attack, so they are simply not visible.

However, they didn't believe this was a show put on by the Easterners who had planted explosives on the targets for their own benefit; the Easterners didn't need that. They had already proven the effectiveness of these weapons, and today's training wasn't about verifying the weapons' performance at all, but rather a deliberate performance for show.

"How lucky! You know, the missiles they used for training were loaded with combat explosives! Combat explosives!" Although he wasn't equipped with proper anti-ship missiles, the experienced American officer immediately recognized the type of explosives in those four missiles.

Missiles used for training, even in live-fire exercises, can sometimes have weights added to their warheads, as this is both cheap and safe. The weights can be reduced explosive charges, or they can be metal or even cement.

Of course, there were also bombs with cement-filled explosives used in actual combat. For example, the Gauls did this. Of course, the official explanation was that the collateral damage was minimal, but who knows what the real reason was?

The fact that the training warheads were live ammunition made the onlookers, including some Americans, somewhat uneasy.

They were among the first Americans to witness firsthand the combat capabilities of our new anti-ship missiles, and this experience caused them considerable discomfort and a sense of crisis.

This weapon from the East has a high accuracy rate, considerable power, is easy to use, is effective in both air and sea, and should not be large or heavy.

Looking at the other seven ships around him, the commander of the USS Group even felt a little tremble.

He picked up his binoculars again, used his extensive nautical experience to estimate the distance to the four targets, and suddenly gave a decisive order: "Turn around! Go back!"

"Commander, why don't we confront them?" His deputy suggested, implying that since they were already here, they might as well at least put on a show.

"No! This is far too dangerous! You have no idea how dangerous those four missiles are!"

The deputy quickly followed his instructions and issued a retreat order over the maritime public channel before asking, "Commander, I really can't figure it out. Could you satisfy my curiosity?"

First obey, then ask your questions; this order cannot be reversed.

The commander pointed to four plumes of smoke that could be faintly seen in the distance: "Those four targets are less than a kilometer apart. Do you know what that means?"

"What?" When a superior asks this kind of question in this context, even if you know the answer, you should pretend you don't. Who the hell said that foreigners don't care about interpersonal relationships?

"This shows that their missiles have extremely high target discrimination capabilities! With this weapon, they can bypass us and accurately strike surrounding transport ships, and they can also accurately hit us even with interference from surrounding transport ships! How they shoot is entirely up to them!!!"

Listening to the enemy's conversation on the public channel, and watching the enemy turn and leave under radar and binoculars, the comrades all laughed happily.

"They ran away! They ran away! The enemy was scared off!!!"

The feeling of subduing the enemy without fighting is simply wonderful!

"Leave the Tu-4 bombers in the air formation; the rest can retreat! The security of the Tu-4 bombers will be taken over by fighters arriving from Jiuxing Island." With the order from the forward command post in Cape City, the large formation in the air began to turn around.

The Air Force comrades were somewhat disappointed, as they had come up with so many ideas and made so many preparations, but none of them were used. However, the successful completion of the mission still made everyone very happy.

If it weren't for the need to avoid startling the opposing air force, the comrades even had the idea of ​​shining their fire control radar at them. Just now, in order to avoid unnecessary provocation in the development of the situation, both sides tacitly refrained from turning on their fire control radar.

The fleet at sea is still patrolling this area. Although the enemy has left, we must remain vigilant and keep watch here for a while.

More than an hour later, communications were finally restored. On the flagship of the Citigroup fleet, the fleet commander picked up the microphone: "Each ship, write up a report on this operation as quickly as possible. I need to report this to White Hall as soon as possible!"

Feeling immense pressure, he knew that from this moment on, many things in this sea area would likely change drastically.
-
A few days later, at White Hall, Citi Laundry Village.

The Citizens' president, his staff, and the chief of the Citizens' staff all looked at the report in their hands with grim expressions.

"The Easterners have completely achieved their objectives in this operation! This poses a new and enormous challenge to our presence in the Asia-Pacific region!" an aide said gravely. "You're right, but it's all nonsense," a participant suggested with a hint of disdain. "Should we assemble our troops and take some action?"

He is still confident in his naval and air power in the Asia-Pacific region.

The commander shook his head. Although he was a latecomer to the field, he was now more adept at his position and no longer needed the assistance of his staff to make some judgments: "Impossible. We're already stuck in a quagmire in Jiaozhi. We can't afford to get stuck in another one, and this isn't even a quagmire, it's a bottomless pit!"

If we were to compare Citibank to a person, a quagmire might be disgusting but not deadly, but a bottomless pit would be.

His decision was approved by many people.

"Yes, our investment in Jiaozhi is increasing, and the losses and deaths are mounting. If we were to open a new battlefield, even one where we have an absolute advantage at sea, it would be unbearable." The man had half of what he didn't say: Even if Smith wanted to make money, the financial burden of a direct conflict with the East was something the complex behind Smith and his associates couldn't handle in the short term. The money required for this matter exceeded the government's capabilities. In this situation, the government might even have to issue IOUs to the complex, something Smith and his associates simply couldn't accept.

"And judging from this report..." A man in military uniform held up the report in his hand: "It's true that we have an advantage in the Asia-Pacific region, but it's hard to say how much of an advantage we still have within a certain range from the East. And don't forget, the East can completely cover the second island chain..." Everyone here knew perfectly well what they were talking about in terms of covering the second island chain. After all, happy education wasn't so prevalent at this time, and even if it were, it wouldn't bring happiness to these true elites and American elites.

This is the most realistic scenario: if you can get your money back by signing an IOU, then if you lose the case after signing the IOU, it's hard to say what will happen to the IOU.

"Easterners have made remarkable progress in the research and application of new weapons, and we should also develop in their direction!" This is a very obvious truth.

However, sometimes being right and getting it implemented are two different things. Some people dismissed the suggestion, saying, "Our existing system is very effective, and there is no need to change it rashly. We have ship-to-air missiles for light anti-ship missions, and for major missions, we have aircraft and bombs on our aircraft carriers. They are still effective and have not faced any strong challenges!"

New weapons? Isn't it better to just make money with the old stuff?

The emergence of each new weapon signifies a change in the weapons supply landscape, which is not something to be happy about for those who have already benefited.

In reality, the Americans did recognize the superiority of anti-ship missiles in the 60s, but their only dedicated anti-ship missile before the Russians' passing was the Harpoon, which wasn't deployed until the late 70s, and its performance was actually quite mediocre. This speaks volumes.

No one refuted the soldier's words; there was no need to overthink things during a meeting.

“Yes, we certainly can’t escalate the situation with the East. Gentlemen, the pressure on Vietnam is increasing, and anti-war sentiment is starting to rise domestically. The general election is in November, and there are only six months left. Finding another strong opponent at this time will undoubtedly provoke the public and have an extremely negative impact on the election,” an aide said.

In reality, both sides carefully chose the timing of this seemingly calm but actually underhanded struggle. One side relied on favorable timing and location, while the other considered the right timing and popular support.

This person has their own "human" reasons, including technology, while also taking into account the other party's "human" reasons. As we all know, it's normal for Citibank to do all sorts of strange things in preparation for an election.

The commander was deeply pleased with the aide's words, and he nodded repeatedly in satisfaction. His own team was truly the best.

"But are we just going to stand by and watch the East develop like this?" This question resonated with many people. If that were really the case, the appearance of another polar bear would send chills down their spines.

“We have to do something,” someone said.

“Well, I do have an idea, gentlemen,” said one of the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, his face showing an expression as if he were savoring something.

For the Citizens' leader, any idea, good or bad, is better than nothing: "Go ahead."

"Shortly after this matter began, Wajima offered to help us share the burden. I think that's a good direction."

As the members of the Senate and House of Representatives spoke, they recalled the Japanese man who had invited them to dinner through the Big Apple conglomerate. The Japanese man's dishes were stingy and bland, nothing special, but the tableware on which the dishes were displayed was exquisite, interesting, and fascinating.

"Japan? Are you crazy?" The commander decided to retract his idea that "even a bad one is better than nothing."

"No, no, no, Japan was originally one of the places we planned to relocate our industries to. In that case, it is the price they should pay to make them bear more responsibility."

What he said sounded quite reasonable.

"Yes, that's a good suggestion. Besides, the Japanese and the Easterners have a blood feud, so they would never side with the Easterners halfway."

"That's not necessarily the case."

"But at least they can't completely turn back, and the other side won't completely believe them either, right?"

"But don't forget, just twenty years ago, we were still fighting each other with the Japanese."

"You said it yourself, that was twenty years ago, wasn't it?"

"..."

The two sides argued endlessly, it seemed there were quite a few people interested in the dishes served on the Japanese islands. Finally, the leader, unable to bear the commotion any longer, raised his hand to stop the argument.

"We can let them take on more responsibility, but we can't give them too much freedom. There's no need to argue about this anymore." After all, less than twenty years have passed since S2, and he's not a businessman who needs to prioritize money in everything. He still has some memories and is wary of the bloodshed and fire of S2.

Both sides stopped arguing. One side felt that as long as the chain wasn't loose, it was fine; the other side felt that as long as the door was opened a crack, it was okay. Both sides had explained their true thoughts, and everyone had a bright future.

If Gao Zhendong heard their argument, he would tell them that it was actually not much different from the original history. That's how the Japanese island's naval force got its name, the "Seventh Fleet Anti-Submarine Squadron."

"Regardless of how we deal with Japan, there is no doubt that we need to strengthen our presence in the Asia-Pacific region!"

How to strengthen it?

"Send more fleets and aircraft, and increase the size and number of nearby bases."

The suggestion was unanimously approved, since for everyone present, simply increasing the quantity and scale without any change would be profitable for almost everyone.

Moreover, from a geopolitical and strategic perspective, the Citibank's top priority is to contain its rivals who are showing their strength.

However, they seem to have forgotten one thing: such behavior would greatly increase the pressure on their military deployments, waste their economy, reduce their workforce in various industries, force them to bring in more immigrants, and slowly erode and shake their entire foundation.

“I agree. And we should provide substantial support to the forces surrounding the East. My suggestion is Southeast Asia. Recent events there are enough to cause unease among the people there, and I think we can do something about it.”

Geographically speaking, this suggestion is indeed malicious and caused a lot of trouble in the original history, but now it's a little too late.

There's an old saying, "to remove the firewood from under the cauldron." When the core of the problem no longer exists, and some of these countries don't need to go through the process of "spitting it out," then the situation will ease considerably. With just time, everything will be alright.

"I agree. Excellent suggestion!" The leader was overjoyed.

What those present didn't know was that if the situation after 69 or 72 was one of the polar bears being caught in a pincer movement, their decision today was a proactive move into a two-front war, allowing them to enjoy the polar bears' treatment eight years ahead of schedule.

Although it wasn't the New Year, the world turned a new page in this very state.

(End of this chapter)