Chang Enduo and other officers clearly saw the Japanese soldiers who had just abandoned ship suddenly blown into the air by two shells.

It was a heartening scene!

Many soldiers and civilians on both sides of the Yangtze River witnessed this scene, and everyone cheered.

Chang Enduo's heart raced again, fearing that the gunners on the opposite bank might steal his credit with another shell.

Fortunately, what he feared did not happen: Lin Fan only shelled the Japanese soldiers fleeing in panic on the opposite bank, and immediately focused his attention on the remaining minesweepers and tugboats.

Tobi Ryota was piloting a minesweeper. These types of ships didn't require speed, so it was impossible for him to go fast.

When he saw that the destroyers "White Mist" and "Black Dragon" had been hit and were no longer moving,

he immediately sent a message back to the Third Fleet headquarters requesting assistance.

Although his ship was slow and bulky, Captain Tobi Ryota did not give up. He didn't want to lie down and give up!

He tried hard to steer the minesweeper to turn.

An unexpected thing happened: after all this time, his ship hadn't detected any mines,

but at this moment, one exploded right in front of his bow.

Captain Tobi Ryota, completely unprepared, was knocked unconscious at his post.

There were two more minesweepers like his in this temporary fleet.

Their luck was much better than Captain Tobi Ryota's.

Captain Yukawa Kouda was also trying hard to save himself. He had witnessed Captain Tobi Ryota's tragedy

and quickly stopped his ship from recklessly sailing into unknown waters.

Slowly and carefully, he maneuvered the minesweeper, cautiously preparing to turn.

On another minesweeper, Captain Reizui Hiroki had also learned a lesson. He had just swept up a mine

and detonated it.

Now he had much more room to maneuver

and could operate more freely.

Although these ships moved differently, they all did the same thing:

Whether minesweepers or tugboats, they all sent out requests for help.

Some sent their messages to the First Fleet, others to the Third Fleet, and still others to the Second Fleet.

The entire Japanese Navy's four fleets in the Yangtze River area received the distress calls.

Vice Admiral Hasegawa Kiyoshi, commander of the Japanese Third Fleet, immediately ordered after receiving the news: "The Third Fleet's aviation unit will sortie to urgently rescue the besieged warships."

His current flagship was the "Izumo," an armored cruiser built by the British Armstrong factory.

Construction began in May 1898, and it was launched on September 25, 1899.

It was completed on September 1, 1900.

At the time, it was a world-class cruiser with a displacement of 10,000 tons, 14,500 horsepower, and a maximum speed of 20.8 knots.

The ship was 132.28 meters long, 20.93 meters wide, and had a draft of 7.39 meters.

Its main weapons included four 200mm main guns, fourteen 150mm guns, twelve 76mm guns, and eight 40mm guns.

It also had four 457mm torpedo launchers.

The ship had a crew of 641.

After Commander Hasegawa Kiyoshi received the distress signal from the forward fleet, he first dispatched the aviation unit.

They were the fastest and could reach the battlefield in the shortest time.

Then, he personally led the entire Third Fleet to set out.

In his opinion, this was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

It was a complete overreaction. Hasegawa Kiyoshi's purpose was to demonstrate on the Jiangyin sea.

Many of the ships under his fleet were deployed today, and the two destroyers in the temporary minesweeping fleet were sent by the First Overseas Expeditionary Fleet under the Third Fleet.

Rear Admiral Shiozawa Koichi, commander of the First Overseas Expeditionary Fleet, was enraged when he learned that the fleet he had sent out in the morning was being bombarded by the Nationalist army.

He immediately set off from Nantong, sailing against the current.

He wanted to retrieve his warships as quickly as possible.

The First Overseas Expeditionary Fleet had three light cruisers, one coastal defense ship, one minelayer, nine destroyers, and twelve gunboats.

The gunboats were the fastest, so the twelve gunboats rushed to the front.

The Third Fleet directly under Hasegawa Kiyoshi had the "Izumo" cruiser and the "Notoro" seaplane carrier.

The "Notoro" was originally an oil tanker, but it was converted into a seaplane carrier on June 1, 1934.

This aircraft carrier had a standard displacement of 14,050 tons, 5,000 tons more than the "Izumo."

It was 140 meters long, 18 meters wide, and had a draft of 8 meters.

It had 5,850 horsepower and a maximum speed of 12 knots.

It had a crew of 250.

Its weapons included two 120mm dual-purpose single-barreled guns

and two 76mm single-barreled guns.

This warship could carry eight Type 14 seaplanes and could also be used as an oil tanker after modification.

And that wasn't all. Hasegawa Kiyoshi's First Fleet had much more strength than that.

His Third Battle Squadron had three light cruisers.

The First Torpedo Squadron had one light cruiser and twelve destroyers.

The First Air Squadron, also under the command of Hasegawa Kiyoshi, was an air combat unit based on the Kaga and Hosho aircraft carriers, with about 100 aircraft.

All these units were mobilized.

Although they were a million times unwilling, the First Air Squadron's planes had to take off.

Although they knew that the Jiangyin airspace had become a restricted area, now that the empire's warships were being bombed, these pilots under the navy's jurisdiction had to fight.

As early as when the two destroyers caught fire, Vice Admiral Chen Jiliang, commander of the Navy First Fleet Command, also ordered: "Send a torpedo boat to attack those two destroyers."

The Nanjing government's naval system was also full of factions and cliques.

The two naval fleets, although now severely damaged and with only a few torpedo boats still operational,

had not stopped competing with each other.

Why did each fleet only send out one speedboat?

It was only because in the past few months, the navy had fought several guerrilla-like battles with the Japanese aviation units.

All of the navy's large warships had been hit by Japanese aircraft bombs.

Only speedboats could still play hide-and-seek with the Japanese planes on the Yangtze River.

With luck, they could still evade the Japanese planes' bombing.

In order to prevent being bombed, the Nationalist army's navy now tried to send as few ships as possible each time.

Captain Ge Zhiqiang operated a torpedo boat of the Navy Second Fleet, speeding across the Yangtze River.

Today's attack was suddenly ordered by Commander Zeng Yiding himself.

Captain Ge Zhiqiang rushed past the line where many naval warships had sunk, and ahead were the Japanese destroyers.

Both Japanese destroyers had now lost power, and the bow of one had already risen, and it would sink into the river in no time.

The hull of the other destroyer was also severely tilted, and it would sink sooner or later.

Captain Ge Zhiqiang did not hesitate and ordered: "Fire torpedoes!"

Whether the destroyer in front was about to sink or not, it was better to have it already sunk.

What was even more urgent was that giving it the final blow was also a battle功啊 (gong a - merit)!

For safety, Captain Ge Zhiqiang deliberately sailed his speedboat to a place less than 500 meters away from the two destroyers to launch the torpedoes.

Watching the two torpedoes drive the waves on the Yangtze River, the distance of 500 meters was quickly reached.

Two loud bangs, the sound was much louder than the previous artillery battle.

There were still many ordinary people watching the battle from high places on both sides of the Yangtze River.

Everyone saw that the "White Mist" destroyer, which had already tilted a lot, had a huge hole torn below the waterline.

River water poured in visibly, and the entire hull tilted even more severely.

Everyone understood that even if the Japanese had a large rescue ship on the scene, they would not be able to save the "White Mist" destroyer from sinking.

The other torpedo also hit.

The stern of the "Black Dragon" had already been blown off, and now the bow had also risen.

The torpedo fired by Captain Ge Zhiqiang exploded on the upturned belly of the ship.

The "Black Dragon" sank much faster.

The attacks from several artillery batteries on the Jiangyin Fortress stopped.

Lin Fan's Special Operations Column's attack at the Henggang Wharf also stopped.

The entire river surface was now full of burning ships. The two destroyers, three minesweepers, four tugboats, and five torpedo boats that the Japanese had sent this time were all accounted for here.

At this time, the Nationalist army's torpedo boats were busy rescuing the Japanese crew members who had fallen into the water.

Each of these crew members was a war achievement!

The torpedo boat seized by Commander Chang Enduo was now being towed hard on the river surface by a torpedo boat sent by the First Navy Fleet.

The crew of this speedboat had been replaced.

Nationalist army crew members were standing on it, waiting to tow the boat back, maintain it, and continue to use it.

The hull of the "White Mist" destroyer, which had been severely tilted by the shells, was slowly tilting toward the river.

Captain Kamizu Tetsuya helplessly watched his warship, losing power and enduring the bombing here.

Until now, he still didn't understand: when did the Nationalist army's artillery batteries on the fortress learn to sneak attack?

And they were so accurate.

Before his thinking was over, he was awakened by the terrified shouts of the soldiers on his ship.

A huge thing on the river surface, hidden under the water, was rushing toward his warship.

"Full rudder to port! Full rudder to port!" Years of experience and habit made him exclaim subconsciously.

Captain Kamizu Tetsuya had guessed that the thing underwater was a torpedo.

But now he was not in the captain's room, and at the same time, this warship could no longer be operated.

In Captain Kamizu Tetsuya's terrified orders, a loud bang came.

The entire warship shook.

Captain Kamizu Tetsuya had to issue the last order: "Abandon ship!"

Petty Officer Mizumasa Yuki was very lucky. He was not injured by the hundreds of shells that had hit this destroyer just now.

Now he heard the captain's order to abandon ship.

He immediately rushed to the cabin, he was going to find his younger brother Mizumasa Yuta.

Mizumasa Yuta's work was in the engine room at the bottom of the ship, and they dared not run out without orders.

Now the order issued by the captain on the deck could not be passed down to the bottom of the cabin through normal channels.

Everyone on the deck knew this.

But no one cared.

After the captain issued the order, they immediately began to jump into the water to survive.

These crew members had to leave here as soon as possible. If they were too close when the destroyer sank,

they would be sucked down by the vortex generated when the warship sank.

When Petty Officer Mizumasa Yuki rushed into the cabin in a panic, he saw that there were open flames everywhere in the entire cabin.

He had to choose the road forward, constantly changing the route.

The facilities on the side of the destroyer facing Jiangnan were the most severely damaged.

He couldn't find a way to go to the next level at all.

Many of the steels had been twisted.

The stairs down had also been broken.

Petty Officer Mizumasa Yuki had to change direction and rush to the other side of the destroyer first.

On this side of the destroyer, the stairs to the next level were still there, still completely good.

As soon as Petty Officer Mizumasa Yuki rushed to the next level, he felt that the entire warship was tilting even more severely.

He had to speed up.

But what made him angry was that when he just found an entrance to the next level,

this door was actually closed.

He could hear the sound of people knocking on the door inside.

It seemed that when the battle had just begun, when the destroyer was hit by a bullet, someone had closed the sealed door here.

What he thought should be to close all the watertight doors.

When Petty Officer Mizumasa Yuki opened this door, he saw seven soldiers rushing out.

He asked loudly: "Have you seen Mizumasa Yuta in the engine room?"

Their two brothers were both on this ship, so their popularity was not bad.

Most people knew their two brothers.

Three people pointed to the other side and said: "We didn't see him, but on the next level on the other side, there are still some people asking for help."

These people saw that Mizumasa Yuki's intentions were not good, they didn't know if it was guilt or what.

Someone quickly said: "The next level has already flooded, we have no way to rescue them."

After saying this, the person quickly rushed out.

At this time, leaving here one second earlier was the difference between life and death.

Petty Officer Mizumasa Yuki walked with difficulty towards the direction pointed out by these people just now.

Now the cabin was tilted so badly that he couldn't walk well anymore.

He walked forward for a while, then turned a corner, and then he felt a rhythmic vibration under his feet.

He looked around, and there was an iron pipe lying across not far away.

He quickly rushed over, and shook the iron pipe hard.

After quickly demolishing it, he returned to the place where he had heard the knocking just now.

He smashed it down hard.

He knocked three times, and the counterattack below became regular.

He also returned three times, Petty Officer Mizumasa Yuki knocked once quickly and twice slowly.

The knocking below also returned once quickly and twice slowly.

Determined: there were people below!

Petty Officer Mizumasa Yuki looked around, and there was no entrance to the next level.

He could only continue to look forward, looking for the entrance to the next level.

There were stairs down a dozen meters further ahead.

Mizumasa Yuki rushed close and walked down, but he stopped after only three steps.

Below was water.

All water.

What to do?

Those people who escaped just now really didn't lie: the entrance to the next level was all water.

Looking at the water level that was still rising.

Mizumasa Yuki finally woke up: he couldn't save his younger brother.

The person in that position just now, he didn't know who it was, he was trapped in the cabin.

Temporarily there could still be some air, even if this destroyer sank to the bottom of the river, there would still be some air in his position.

It was just that the oxygen inside would eventually be exhausted.

Mizumasa Yuki was unwilling to think about what would happen next.

What he had to do now was to get out quickly.

Just while he was thinking, the water level under his feet had risen by half a step on the stairs.

The entire "White Mist" destroyer was tilting even more severely, the first mate was trying hard to persuade Captain Kamizu Tetsuya to abandon ship together.

Captain Kamizu Tetsuya looked at the two Nationalist army torpedo boats on the river, which had passed the position of the two destroyers.

They were constantly salvaging those crew members on the river in some places downstream.

He looked at the rescued crew members, the look of relief on their faces.

He said coldly: "I am the captain, the captain will always be with his ship."

Seeing that the destroyer was about to capsize soon.

The first mate had to salute Captain Kamizu Tetsuya with a few people on the deck, and then turned and jumped into the river.

The angle of inclination of the "White Mist" was getting bigger and bigger, and the speed of inclination was getting faster and faster.

Seaman Mizumasa Yuki was still crawling with difficulty on the deck one level below.

Now he couldn't stand up anymore, the ship had tilted into a right angle.

His hands grabbed hard on everything on the ship that could be grabbed, constantly trying to escape.

Under him, the river water was rising sharply.

Captain Kamizu Tetsuya watched the "Black Dragon" destroyer sink into the river earlier than himself.

Now it was his turn.

At this moment, he heard the shrill air defense siren suddenly ringing on the entire river surface.

Air defense sirens were ringing on both sides of the Yangtze River.

It was really not a good place for Lin Fan to shoot down planes now.

But he didn't have time to change positions.

He could only order: "The artillery squad pack up, the entire Special Operations Column disperse and hide."

Anyway, hide first.

The officers, soldiers, and people watching the battle on both sides of the river all began to look for places to hide.

The air defense units on the Jiangyin Fortress had entered their positions, ready to fire at the approaching enemy planes at any time.

The officers and soldiers on the fortress were the easiest to hide, they only needed to run a few steps to enter the permanent air-raid shelter.

The people on both sides of the river were the most difficult to hide, they had to drill into the bushes and hide on the spot.

They nervously raised their heads and looked at the sky.

Lin Fan was busy raising the muzzle of the anti-aircraft gun towards the sky.

The entire Special Operations Column now had only a dozen soldiers left, assisting Lin Fan here.

While walking towards the command post, Liu Xing excitedly said to Commander Xu Kang next to him: "This Special Operations Company is really something.

They now have more than a thousand people, why is it still the establishment of a Special Operations Company?"

Xu Kang said with a wry smile: "Commander! You don't even look at what color his company is?

In that company, I heard that all soldiers are organized to learn to read and study every day.

The organization has even been established in the班 (ban - platoon).

How could the principal increase the establishment of such a team."

Liu Xing was silent for a while, and then said: "The anti-Japanese united front should not just be said in the mouth and written on paper!"

Xu Kang said with a smile: "The principal took out two armies, maybe he is regretting it now."

Liu Xing didn't answer, and forcibly changed the subject: "Do you report today's battle report or do I report it?"

Xu Kang immediately said: "The Special Operations Company was forcibly留 (liu - retained) by me, and I will now report the battle situation to the commander face to face, and the commander will relay it to Nanjing.

Please give credit to my Jiangyin Fortress!"

Liu Xing was puzzled: "You留 (liu - retain) people, and you take the credit.

Won't the Special Operations Company have any complaints? I don't think that Company Commander Lin is someone who is easily fooled."

Xu Kang looked around and waved his hand, and his subordinates retreated tactfully.

Seeing this, Liu Xing also waved his hand, and the guards and staff who followed him also withdrew from the room.

Xu Kang then said in a low voice: "On November 6th, they shot down more than 50 planes, and I didn't get any credit.

All of them were truthfully reported, but there was not a word of commendation from above.

It seems that Company Commander Lin also knows the situation, and he didn't say anything.

Therefore, I can only try my best to meet his ammunition requirements.

In addition, Company Commander Lin guessed that the Jiangyin Fortress could not be defended."

"Be careful!" Liu Xing said sternly.

"Whether it can be defended or not, don't you and I know it in our hearts?" Xu Kang said in a low voice.

"This Company Commander Lin made a request: if we can't take away the guns when our artillery battery retreats, he wants them.

He said that his team can take the guns and break out of the Japanese encirclement!"

Liu Xing suddenly understood: "No wonder his team is training every day!

He really has a heart.

The battle in Huishan the day before yesterday was also equivalent to an exercise.

Do you really believe that they can take the guns and break out of the Japanese encirclement?"

Xu Kang was silent for a while: "If anyone can break through the encirclement, among all the teams here,

I still believe in his team.

Sometimes I have to say, it's all about belief, their belief is firmer than ours."