Seven Seas Beacon Fire

Under the impetus of the Prince of Jin, the army officially changed the name of cavalry machine guns to light machine guns, and at the same time changed the name of infantry machine guns to heavy machine guns.

The Type 08 machine gun, a copy of the Madsen machine gun, has performed quite well. However, this light machine gun still has some problems, such as the barrel being prone to overheating and the firepower sustainability being relatively poor.

Even so, the gap between the Type 08 light machine gun equipped by the Ming army and the Chaussat equipped by the United States was no less than the gap between the ZB26 and the Type 96, or the gap between the PKM and the M60.

Furthermore, based on the experience gained in actual combat, the Ming army further improved the light machine gun in the subsequent production process. Seventeen years after the outbreak of the war, based on Madsen's long barrel recoil and swaying bolt locking principle, the top-feed magazine was changed to an assault drum magazine that holds 50 rounds of ammunition on the left side of the gun. The new light machine gun was then finalized and named the Type 18 light machine gun the following year.

The production of this latest light machine gun was not large, but it was enough to equip a considerable number of assault teams. This machine gun, which greatly improved the sustained firepower, demonstrated its suppressive power over the United States' equipment. Several high grounds and hills around Yuanshan Port, which were originally controlled by the United States, were in dire need of repairs.

Moreover, as time went by, the United States Army soon discovered that the situation was more difficult to understand than they had imagined. Just as the Federal Army and Navy were preparing to cede these high grounds and hills after communication, and to allow the destroyers to use high-powered searchlights to guide the naval guns to bombard these hills and high grounds, the Ming Army's assault teams did not simply aim to tear apart the United States Army's front-line positions and create a breakthrough for the main attacking force, as the United States had imagined.

It seems the Ming army simply forgot to let the main force follow. These assault teams stuck to the United States garrison like chewing gum, clinging tightly to their backs as the troops retreated.

This thwarted the Navy's original plan that the army would retreat from the high ground and then the Navy's naval guns would inflict casualties on the Ming troops who controlled the United States Army's positions. The gunners on the Federal Navy destroyers, who were hesitant to fire, had no idea whether to fire or where to fire.

Because in the darkness, even under the illumination of high-powered searchlights, the officers and soldiers on the destroyer had difficulty distinguishing which of the faint figures on the high ground were from the United States Army and which were from the Ming Army.

Seeing that the Ming army's assault teams were about to retreat... or more accurately, they were about to rush directly to Yuanshan with the retreating United States army, at this critical moment, Brigadier General Douglas showed amazing decisiveness - he ordered the remaining artillery under his command to open fire.

The artillery was equipped with light artillery such as 75mm field guns that had been towed along the way during the retreat, as well as 75mm sampan guns that the navy had brought over from warships. These guns mainly fired shrapnel shells. Clearly, Brigadier General Douglas was no longer concerned about friendly casualties at this point.

If these routed soldiers were allowed to be driven into Yuanshan by the Ming army's assault teams, how much chaos would that cause? No one could say for sure whether it would directly disrupt the entire retreat.

The cannons had just begun to roar when the retreating United States soldiers cursed. Many of them could guess that such an order was not given by General Walker, but rather by Douglas, who had been known since his military academy days for his ruthless pursuit of victory.

For a moment, the retreating United States troops ran even faster, and many people kept saying affectionate greetings like "that Arkansas bastard." Douglas's shelling did cause more casualties to the United States troops than to the Ming troops, but in the end, he did stop the Ming troops from sticking to him like chewing gum.

At this moment, Li Renxu, who had been paying close attention to the progress of the assault team, put down his binoculars. Everything was proceeding as he had predicted, but he did not smile because he knew what the next step would be.

"Send a signal to tell the follow-up troops that they can move in, and also notify the assault team that they can withdraw when the follow-up troops advance."

From the very beginning of formulating the entire battle plan, Li Renxu was extremely careful in utilizing the two garrison divisions under his command. The quality of the officers and soldiers of these veteran units was worlds apart from that of ordinary Ming troops. If the losses were too great, he would have nowhere to turn for help.

The assault team has now driven the enemy troops down several hills and hilltops, and the main force that follows no longer needs to fight for the hilltops. They can quickly move in between the hilltops and hilltops.

When there are still enemies on the hilltop, doing this would draw heavy fire from the enemy's high ground, inevitably resulting in heavy casualties. However, now that the enemy no longer has any high ground, allowing these troops to bypass those high ground and directly penetrate in is a way of breaking with conventional thinking.

Li Renxu had studied the combat style of the United States army. Although the social atmosphere of the United States was relatively open and free, the United States army was quite the opposite. In many ways, they were even more rigid and dogmatic than the Leitanian army.

Prioritizing the occupation of high ground in combat is practically a standard opening move in chess for most military units today.

As long as WA-chan gets on the high platform, everything will be alright.jpg

However, this time he deliberately chose not to take those high ground positions, because in previous battles, his troops had suffered a lot of shells from the United States Navy in their struggle to seize these high ground positions. So today he was going to abandon his mindset and use a retro fighting style to leave the United States with an unforgettable experience.

The Colombians soon discovered that the commandos chasing them had stopped. The commandos seemed to have disappeared into the darkness. It seemed like they could be anywhere in the jungle of Silla, but they were nowhere to be found.

If this were the United States Army during World War II, they would probably have to resort to the fire zone tactic, which means firing at a pre-marked area regardless of whether they saw the enemy or not, waiting for the enemy to run into their dense fire net.

The only drawback of this tactic is that it consumes too much ammunition and shortens the lifespan of weapons. For the United States, which is always wealthy and powerful, the federal troops within the Wonsan encirclement simply do not have enough extra ammunition to squander.

However, the Americans soon realized that they didn't need to worry about so many things, because the enemy seemed to have emerged from the darkness. But the next moment they realized that what they were encountering was not the previous assault team, but a large number of Ming troops.

These Ming troops were visibly less skilled than the previous assault teams, and their offensive tactics were quite simplistic: they would send waves of skirmishers crashing against the temporary defensive lines the Colombians had built after retreating from the high ground. The quality of a normal Ming army division was not much better than that of the Russian "gray brigade," and most of them could only handle this level of complex offensive tactics.

The Colombians then realized that the enemy had not gone to fight for the high ground, but had instead poured all their resources into Yuanshan, clearly having come directly from the valley.

So the destroyers that had previously held back from firing were now finally given the new order—to open fire on the valley and use heavy artillery fire to block the Ming troops that were surging forward.

While the tactical skills of these Ming army divisions were indeed lacking, their only redeeming quality was their exceptional bravery and willingness to sacrifice themselves.

The gunfire from the United States destroyers did not stop their advance. The orders these Ming soldiers received today during their regrouping were to charge into Yuanshan at all costs, launch continuous attacks, and not to withdraw without orders.

Looking at the increasingly dazzling artillery fire in the distance, Li Renxu understood what his previous orders meant for the officers and soldiers of these reorganized divisions. He was indeed making two plans tonight—without naval support, he would let his troops and the enemy's troops entangled in a fierce battle, with each side intertwined with the other. Even if the Federation Navy's shells fell indiscriminately, they would fairly take the lives of officers and soldiers on both sides at the same time.

With naval support, the fierce battle here, which is like a boiling pot of water, can not only attract the attention of most of the United States Army and Navy, but also guide the Navy to its target.

But regardless of the outcome, the officers and soldiers of these reorganized divisions will have to bear the greatest casualties.

Li Renxu, having put down his binoculars, turned to a soldier in naval uniform behind him: "As you can see, our army brothers are advancing under enemy fire, suffering casualties every moment. Are you sure the navy can arrive before dawn?"

Lin Xie, the chief of staff of the First Fleet of the Royal Navy of the Ming Dynasty, met the gaze of the second young master of the Prince of Jin's mansion. At this moment, he did not say anything such as "Actually, you don't need to launch an attack." After spending some time together, he knew that the army's distrust of the navy could not be eliminated in a short time. This seemingly redundant "double insurance" was necessary from the army's perspective.

So he simply replied calmly, "You will see before dawn today how the navy soldiers, like their army brothers, advance under enemy fire."

Chapter Sixty-Six: Now that things have come to this, let's play a game of chess.

The one-way distance from Vladivostok to Wonsan anchorage is over 300 nautical miles. For most cruisers and even destroyers, this distance is just a warm-up. However, for many small boats transported by rail with a displacement of less than 100 tons, this distance is already quite far. Especially since they have to maintain a speed of 20 knots throughout the journey in order to save time, this makes their already limited range even worse.

In fact, for more than half of the torpedo boats participating in this operation, their voyage was only enough for a one-way ticket for the mission.

Therefore, in the initial version of the battle plan, the Ming Dynasty Royal Navy also considered conducting a one-way attack.

Of course, this doesn't mean that the officers and soldiers on these torpedo boats should launch a suicidal attack like the one in the Kikusui Special Attack, such as attaching an explosive charge to the bow of the torpedo boat and using it as the last torpedo.

The General Staff's initial plan was for the torpedo boats to retreat north after launching their attack, then run aground in the bay of the Silla Peninsula. The officers and men of these torpedo boats would then be escorted back to Vladivostok by land with the support of the army. As for the torpedo boats, those that could be used would be towed back after the war, while those that could not be used would be discarded.

This can only be described as the national foundation of a great Eastern power. However, this method of using every penny to its fullest extent has naturally drawn criticism. Although torpedo boats are not worth much money, they are still made from the hard-earned money of the people, and should be treated with care as much as possible during combat.

However, the limitations of the itinerary are very real. Although some people suggested adding extra fuel drums to the speedboat and throwing them into the sea after use.

However, it is obvious that even if the decks of torpedo boats were piled high with oil drums, the additional fuel would not be enough to make these small torpedo boats with insufficient range make a round trip, not to mention that in the final battle to launch an attack, the horsepower would have to be pushed to the maximum, and the fuel consumption at that time would be even higher than at a cruising speed of twenty knots.

Under such circumstances, it is unrealistic to think that a few oil drums can solve the fuel problem.

So Li Che came up with an idea – why not refuel midway?

A round trip of over 600 nautical miles is a very long distance for a torpedo boat, but for a destroyer or cruiser, it's just a warm-up.

Therefore, simply adding some refueling probes to destroyers and cruisers, just like tactical aircraft in another world refueling in the air when performing long-range missions, and having torpedo boats take turns coming to the side of destroyers and cruisers to be refueled by these big sisters during the voyage, can effectively solve the fuel problem.

Many military innovations are simply a matter of creativity, with no real technological barriers. This kind of maritime refueling technology is just like aerial refueling; what's so technically difficult about it?

In the 21st century, some people on the internet have asked why air forces of various countries did not use aerial refueling tactics to extend their range during World War II. Propeller aircraft, with their lower flight speeds, were clearly more suitable for aerial refueling. Pilots could even open the cockpit canopy, take the refueling hose and nozzle lowered by the tanker, and then manually insert them into the refueling port to refuel.

Is there any technological barrier involved? If you can think of it, you can do it; refueling these torpedo boats at sea is the same.

In the dark and stormy night, the entire formation traveled in darkness and silence, with each torpedo boat having only one night light at its stern. This was a way to ensure that no torpedo boats were lost or separated during the voyage.

Of course, even so, there will inevitably be some unlucky ones who lose track of their allies at night, but that doesn't matter. The decision to deploy as many as 300 torpedo boats was made to fight an oversaturated battle.

From noon until the early hours of the next day, after half a day and a night of sailing, everyone in the fleet understood that they were getting closer and closer to their destination. In fact, the fleet had already entered Dongxinluo Bay, but the atmosphere of tension was still palpable throughout the fleet.

Inside the command tower of the No. 588 large torpedo boat, which was at the very front of the entire formation, the mechanics were listening intently to the radio signals coming through their headsets. They needed to pay close attention to any activity coming through the headsets, because if the agreed-upon signal appeared, it would mean that they were now approaching Yuanshan.

But just as the mechanic was engrossed in listening to the signal through his headphones, he suddenly felt someone pat him on the back. This annoyed him slightly. Who was bothering him at such a crucial moment?

So the mechanic turned his head and saw the vice-captain's big face: "I think you don't need to listen to that stuff."

If it were anyone else, the power supply officer would definitely have argued or scolded them, but the deputy captain on the 588 torpedo boat was actually the one who had served the longest on the ship. Almost every crew member on the ship was welcomed by the deputy captain when they joined the torpedo boat.

So the mechanic just looked confused.

The deputy captain pointed out the window. The mechanic's work area had no windows, so he couldn't see what was happening outside. Therefore, when the mechanic put down his headphones and came to the window to look out, he was surprised and his eyes widened.

The orange-red light reflected from behind the water-lined horizon clearly indicates that a large-scale fire must have occurred behind it.

Looking at the entire Dongxing Luowan area right now, apart from Yuanshan, which is located at the core of the encirclement, it is obviously impossible for such a fire to occur elsewhere. This is not a fire, it is the fire of war!

Now, without the need for radio signals, the attack formation can roughly determine the direction of the target. This is great news for everyone, since radio guidance can never be as fast and accurate as seeing it with the naked eye.

The fleet silently began its weapons checks and preparations for the attack as it sailed. Everyone was silent in preparation for the upcoming battle, and the reason for their silence was simple—the firelight over there was so conspicuous that one could imagine how intense the battle was.

What they are seeing now is a beacon that the army brothers on the ground have carved out with their own lives.

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After the torpedo boats, which were originally piled up on the dock like sardine cans, and the destroyers and cruisers, which were crammed together like salted fish, left the port of Vladivostok, only a few old battleships and armored cruisers with mottled hulls and strong "historical traces" and a few slow patrol boats and gunboats remained.

It looks like a rural village where the young and middle-aged adults have gone to work in the city, and elderly grandparents are surrounded by their chickens, ducks, geese and dogs, guarding the door and waiting for their children to come home.

Li Che gazed for a long time at the direction of the naval port's outlet to the sea. He had watched the fleet depart from here yesterday, and with the fleet's departure, all the work he had been busy with for the past month or so had come to a temporary end.

He proposed this battle plan, and with the assistance of many people, they worked together to refine and gradually implement it. Compared to the occasional small suggestions and clever ideas he had come up with to his father and grandfather in the past 18 years of his life, this was the first time he had proposed and led the completion of such a massive "systematic project."

If this were a real-time strategy game, then he had already done everything he could in terms of management. Once the fleet set sail, the on-the-spot command on the battlefield and the handling of various emergencies would no longer be his concern; everything would be left to the brave naval officers and soldiers.

In this sense, his current situation is perhaps more like playing a ship girl game. After assembling the girls and clicking "deploy," the rest is left to the dice girl. He worries about whether the fleet will get stuck in a ditch during the campaign, whether the enemy ships' planes will miss, and whether the destroyer's 381mm torpedoes can effectively eliminate the enemy fleet in night battles. (ksks114b@sbkd♂5xjshj14Orz.........)

In short, none of these admirals could influence the situation, which is remarkably similar to his current predicament.

He told himself that there was no need to be sentimental now. He had done everything he could, whether it was using his grandfather's authority to allocate resources as much as possible, or using his experience from another world to equip the ships in this operation with 40mm cannons that were as close as possible to twin 37mm guns and 13mm heavy machine guns that were as similar as possible to twin 25mm guns.

He has done everything he could, and within the scope of his authority, he has done his best. Therefore, he should have no regrets now, whether the action is successful or not.

But as he watched the fleet set sail from the dock, the officers and soldiers piloting the torpedo boats pulled out several large barrels of liquor from a mess hall warehouse before departure. Each of the officers and soldiers who boarded the boats at the same dock as him received a bowl of liquor before stepping onto the boarding ladder, drank it down in one gulp, and then boarded the speedboats destined for hell with hearty laughter.

Li Che still remembers that the deputy captain and captain of the No. 588 large torpedo boat were the last to board. After receiving the wine bowl, the deputy captain turned around and clinked glasses with the captain. With a smile that Li Che saw as a contempt for death, the deputy captain said, "Let's meet at the Martyrs' Shrine!" He then tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, letting out a satisfied sigh as the strong liquor went down his throat. He rubbed the back of his head, which had been shaved into a long gourd shape, and strode up the gangway with a pigeon-toed gait.

At this moment, Li Che truly felt how profoundly emotions could affect a person, and he genuinely felt a strong urge to go with Jun.

He was well aware that the idea was insane, but at the time, his mind was racing with adrenaline, and he didn't care much about safety. After all, Yunyun was able to volunteer in Gaza. To use a somewhat hellish analogy, it's questionable whether the UN staff in Gaza or the soldiers participating in this battle had a higher mortality rate.

He even thoughtfully considered that Cheng Hengqi would definitely not allow him to board the torpedo boat, so he hoped to participate in the battle together on the cruiser that was Cheng Hengqi's flagship. It should be safer on the flagship than on the torpedo boat, right? Look, I even considered this. How considerate! General Cheng Hengqi, please agree to let me participate in the battle. Since you are a commander like Li Yunlong of the sea, you must be able to understand me, right?

Unexpectedly, not only did everyone on the dock look at him in astonishment, but even Zhu Miaoyun widened her beautiful eyes. In her eyes, Li Che had always been a very calculating person. This included his previous selection of a group of young officers from the navy to serve as the detachment commanders for this operation. In addition to providing a group of higher-quality front-line commanders for this operation, perhaps what others saw as more important was that Li Che had selected a group of people for himself from within the navy.

Therefore, in Zhu Miaoyun's eyes, Li Che's image had a bit of a "scheming and calculating" feel to it. She felt that he was like Lao Liu, not the kind of person who would charge into battle on his own. But this time, it was a refreshing change of perception.

Cheng Hengqi, whose fighting style was always brave and even considered somewhat reckless by his colleagues, turned pale upon hearing Li Che's sudden idea. He immediately summoned several officers from the headquarters and ordered them to keep a close eye on this guy and make sure he didn't get on the ship.

Just kidding! Who in the Ming Dynasty doesn't remember what happened to the general who got lost with the crown prince during Emperor Chengzu's northern expedition? That crown prince was fine, but if something happens to you, the future crown prince, then I, Old Cheng, might as well just take off my uniform and retire.

Ultimately, his momentary enthusiasm resulted in him being closely watched by four burly men who were even taller than him.

After the fleet left, Li Che couldn't sleep that night. When the sun rose again that day, Li Che went to the dock to gaze into the distance. He didn't know how long he stood there until someone came up behind him and asked, "Is this how you pass the time?"

Li Che looked at Long Keduo, who had appeared beside him at some point. Commander Long didn't seem to be in a particularly good state of mind either. It seemed that he wasn't the only one who hadn't slept well last night.

"Come and enjoy the sea breeze. Commander Long, is there anything I can help you with?"

"I was looking for someone to keep me company and kill some time. I saw the young master standing here enjoying the scenery early in the morning. I have a chess set in my office. How good is your chess skill, young master? Would you like to come and kill some time together?"

Hearing that Commander Long had come to invite him to play chess, Li Che did not refuse. However, he inexplicably felt that this conversation under the circumstances was somewhat like playing Gwent. He pointed to the dock at his feet and said, "Then let the general send guards to bring the chessboard and pieces over. We can play chess here while enjoying the sea breeze, and wait for the warriors to return."

The chessboard arrived quickly, and Commander Long also had two small stools delivered. With everything prepared, it looked more like an old man in a park in another world.

Li Che certainly knows how to play Go, but he doesn't usually play with others. The main reason is that his playing style is considered too brutal in this era. He is quite talented at Go. In another world, Li Che met "Cupping King" and "Old Zhan" on the internet. When he was passing the time at Yunyun's place, he would play Go with Yunyun.

Yunyun's Go skills were honed with the help of the AI ​​"Jueyi," and Li Che, who played against her for a long time, naturally had a somewhat "dog-like" style of play.

Although he could sense that Commander Long had come to him to play chess today in order to ease the atmosphere—after all, as the commander of the coastal defense, could Commander Long really not find someone to play chess with?

This is called human nature.

But I'm sorry, Lao Long, I'm feeling rather down right now. Since you've come to ask me to play chess, then I'll just let you vent a little.

Amazing skill! Activate!

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Chapter Sixty-Seven: Fine lads, a great victory over the bandits!

"Who taught you to play chess?" Long Keduo looked at the chessboard with a worried expression. He was confident that his chess skills were comparable to those of top-level national players, who would at most give him a two-piece handicap. He had played against countless people and seen all sorts of playing styles, but he had never seen such an unsportsmanlike manner of playing chess before.

It has absolutely no aesthetic appeal!

With his large group of stones being captured once again, Long Keduo had no choice but to resign. On a whim, he went to play two quick games of chess with the grandson of the heir, but he has been losing ever since.

"Commander, you play chess with too much composure, which is not good for winning. If you want to win, you should honestly end the game when you have an advantage and carefully finish the game; when you are at a disadvantage, you should not make a lot of random moves and wait for your opponent to make a mistake."

Li Che seemed completely oblivious to how ugly Long Keduo's expression was. He was completely unaware that he had ruthlessly crushed and trampled on Long Keduo in the area where middle-aged men are most proud. It should be noted that more than half of men become emaciated after middle age and thus devote themselves to a series of hobbies such as fishing, chess, and antiques.

For these middle-aged and elderly men, they are truly "without women in their hearts," and their dedication to their hobbies is unimaginable to ordinary people. If you defeat them in their proudest field, it will hurt them more than mocking them for being weak.

“Go is the way of a gentleman, and you’re playing it like this…” Long Keduo pointed at Li Che, but he swallowed the rest of his sentence, probably considering the man’s status. In the end, he could only ask helplessly, “You always play the 3-3 point, which is like a beginner’s opening move. But you win every single game. Sometimes I play well and you win by two or three points, and sometimes I don’t play well and you still win by two or three points… How exactly do you play Go?”

Because the 3-3 point is the point consistently recommended by various AIs, whether it's AlphaGo or other AI programs, they all play the 3-3 point corner. This shows that the 3-3 point move is definitely not as disadvantageous as humans previously thought. On the contrary, it may be the best way to deal with the star point. So everyone can just play it as a standard opening. Of course, Li Che could explain why he played it this way, but such a reason is simply unacceptable in this era.

His method of attack naturally struck people of that era as odd.

It's like someone showing AI-generated erotic images to pre-AI era netizens. If netizens only see one or two of these cyber-erotic images, it's fine, but if they see too many, they'll definitely realize that there's no soul behind this style of image.

"Because this is the betting method with the highest winning rate," Li Che replied.

"Why?" Long Keduo asked, "No matter how you look at it, 3-3 is not an ideal opening. How do you know that this move has the highest winning rate?"

That's because you lack the computing power of AI and haven't experienced the baptism of the AI ​​era.

Li Che thought this in his heart, but he replied aloud, "You can understand it as me working backward from the result. I know what the correct answer is, so I will actively choose the path to the correct answer, even if it may seem a bit unreasonable to others in the process of choosing the path."

"What the Crown Prince is saying... sounds just like something out of a charlatan from Mount Longhu. Does the Crown Prince have some kind of divine guidance? If you really know the correct outcome, then who told you? Your words are really hard to believe."

“Without the guidance of gods and Buddhas in heaven, you can simply understand it as me having a destiny.” Li Che said this with a serious expression, which sounded very arrogant and absurd. The way he said it even sounded somewhat presumptuous.