Hong Kong Island: From a small stall to a global supplier

After firing two rounds of rockets, without caring about the situation on the island, the eight small boats turned around and rowed frantically outwards.

After going a hundred or two meters past the area with the densest reefs, the motor started clattering again. We drove slowly, trying to avoid the reefs. The further out we went, the fewer reefs there were. In addition, the small boat itself had a shallow draft, so the speed gradually increased.

The island is in complete chaos right now, and there's no one there to control them. The four 0 ships waiting 30 kilometers away rushed towards this side at full speed as soon as the first round of attacks began.

The island's radar has been destroyed, so there's nothing to fear. Leave one missile boat to support the tugboat, while the other three quickly head towards the South Wei Island pier.

As the distance closed to 15 kilometers, the 343 fire control radar basically locked onto the 122mm coastal defense gun. First, the 100mm twin-mounted naval gun, an enhanced version of the gun, fired. With two loud booms, two armor-piercing incendiary shells hit the 600mm thick reinforced concrete of the gun emplacement, causing sparks to fly everywhere.

The island was ablaze with flames, almost as bright as day, and you could clearly see the violent explosions at the gun emplacements even with binoculars.

Although the 343 radar is not the most advanced, and has a slightly larger error when locking onto moving ships and aerial targets, it has no problem locking onto fixed targets.

However, current technology in China and Laos is not yet capable of directly driving the gun barrel rotation and automatically feeding and firing ammunition through the fire control system. It still relies on the semi-automatic coordination between gun position operation and the fire control system.

After the radar detects the target, it transmits parameters such as azimuth, range, and velocity to the local control console at the gun position via cable. The gunner at the gun position manually rotates the control lever to adjust the azimuth and elevation of the gun barrel according to the parameters displayed on the control console, and performs secondary calibration through the optical sight. After confirming that the parameters are correct, the gunner manually presses the button to fire.

The whole process takes about 10-15 seconds, which greatly reduces the hit rate when hitting moving targets, but the hit rate is still relatively high when hitting stationary targets.

The three 0 ships continued their advance, quickly closing the distance to about 8 kilometers. The enhanced version of their artillery stopped approaching and focused on using armor-piercing incendiary shells to clear out the large-caliber coastal defense guns. Meanwhile, the other two 0 ships advanced to about 5 kilometers and opened fire with their 57mm guns, beginning a barrage of bombardment on the ships moored at the dock.

“Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!”

The roar of artillery fire was almost continuous, the shells of the gun emplacements were blown off, and the cannons were blasted into scrap metal.

The Annamese soldiers, still reeling from the rocket bombardment and in a state of shock, were forced to take up gun positions by their officers. Without fire control radar to locate targets, and with the enemy in the dark while they were in the light, the Annamese soldiers on Nam Vui Island could only determine the position of incoming ships by observing the muzzle flashes on the sea. Braving the constant threat of being bombarded in all directions, they had to estimate the enemy ships' positions, calculate their azimuth, and manually adjust their aim to fire...

In this situation, let alone sinking the attacking enemy ships, the limit for the Annamese soldiers was simply to fire a warning shot.

There's no higher!

The island's 25 large-caliber artillery pieces with a range of over 10 kilometers were completely suppressed.
The 52 rounds in the drum magazine of the twin 100mm naval guns were all emptied. Most of the large-caliber coastal defense guns on the island were removed. The loaders at the gun positions quickly loaded the drum magazines. After a while, the guns started roaring again.

On the other side, two older 037 gunboats rushed up to clear the gunboats moored at the dock, and then the cannons aimed at the buildings and continued to pour fire. The Annamese on the island controlled a dozen small 23mm and 37mm cannons to return fire. Even with tracer fire, the dark sea was not very useful. On the contrary, once they opened fire and exposed their position, they would be concentrated by the eight 57mm cannons and then fall silent.

If you don't struggle, you'll lose interest.

After bombarding the sea for more than ten minutes, the three 0 ships emptied 60% of their ammunition reserves. All the gun emplacements of various calibers on the island were destroyed, and the artillery was exhausted and had to retreat for a short rest.

Wang Yaotang contacted Wei Jinzhong, "The firing positions have all been taken out, can we land now?"

“It’s almost impossible!” Wei Jinzhong explained in a deep voice: “According to intelligence, they also have tanks. They were caught off guard by the surprise attack and it’s been half an hour. They should be ready by now. In addition, we don’t have landing ships. If we land at the dock, we won’t be able to transport enough troops in a short time, and we won’t be able to fight their tanks.”

Wang Yaotang then remembered, "A 100mm naval gun could shoot down their tanks, right?"

"Of course we can, but the problem is that the battlefield is too small. Once we land, it's easy to accidentally hit other tanks. Tanks are more likely to hide behind buildings so we can't aim at them."

"Oh, never mind then. Let's wait and see if their tanks come out as targets. If not, we'll retreat." Wang Yaotang was quite decisive.

In war, the worst thing you can do is hesitate.

Sure enough, two T55 tanks appeared a few minutes later. The fire control radar had just provided data, but the targets were too small and were moving. The gunner could only aim using the optical sight. Before the parameters could be adjusted, the targets disappeared again.

The warship changed position and fired two shots, but without seeing the specific results, Wang Yaotang immediately ordered a retreat.

There were only two operational objectives for today. The first objective was to destroy the island's radar and communication systems, which has now been achieved.

The second objective, removing the large-caliber coastal defense artillery to prepare for the next attack, has also been achieved.

The third target, the ammunition depot, was not successfully detonated.

It is still uncertain whether food, water, and power generation equipment have been destroyed. However, it was confirmed that there were indeed tanks on the island, making a landing operation very difficult.

Two hours later, the fleet rendezvoused with the Xingye, which had emerged from its base on Zhongjiao Reef, and sailed northeast for several hours straight towards the central part of the Spratly Islands, more than 200 nautical miles away.

Theoretically, there must be a backup radio station on Nanwei Island. Now that they've exposed their weakness, the Annamese will definitely be furious and will surely organize a fleet to retaliate.

Indeed, this was the case. Nanwei Island was only 600 kilometers away from Hu Zhiming, and a combined fleet consisting of a Petya-class destroyer and a Venom Spider-class destroyer could reach it in just 15 hours.

Just two hours after they fled, the fleet commander stood on the deck in astonishment, staring at the dark, abandoned area.

No, what about my huge South Wei Island base?
Damn it, can anyone tell me what's going on?

Before long, the disheveled island leader boarded the warship's deck, and upon seeing his superior commander, he burst into tears.

Tragic, too tragic!
We were developing Little Nan Niang when we were suddenly attacked by rocket launchers... The pirates must be wiped out, we have no choice but to wipe them out!

After hearing the whole story of the attack and seeing someone searching for unexploded 107mm gun shells in the ruins, the fleet commander was dumbfounded. This thing was too familiar, but wasn't it from the army?

How did they manage to conquer this vast ocean?

Okay, it must have been installed on the ship, but...

"This thing only has a range of 8 kilometers. What the hell are you doing? How could you not even detect it?" The commander poked his nose with his finger, spittle flying everywhere under the light.

The person in charge on the island didn't dare wipe his face; he just lowered his head and remained silent.

After the Umbrella Corporation's warships were driven away last time, they became more vigilant, keeping radar and sonar on standby 24 hours a day, but they didn't observe any ships getting this close.

If the radar hadn't been destroyed by the barrage of fire, it wouldn't have been bombarded so fiercely by the warship's guns. Theoretically, coastal defense guns far surpass naval guns in caliber, firepower, accuracy, and defensive capabilities, so it's impossible for them to lose in a firefight.

With the defenses on the core islands of the Spratly Islands destroyed, a large gap has appeared in the entire defensive island chain.

"You fucking piece of trash, just wait to be court-martialed!" The fleet commander cursed until he had finished, then disembarked and landed on the island.

The person in charge on the island turned pale and collapsed to the ground.

If he had known, he would have ordered the guns to be opened fire when Umbrella came to scout ahead.

The fleet commander was so angry for a reason; the destruction of Nanwei Island had indeed ruined a major plan for the Annamese military.

In the latter half of 87, after Laos and China explored NSQD, Annam became more vigilant. They reacted immediately after discovering that Laos and China planned to establish meteorological observation stations on Mischief Reef, Subi Reef, Yongshu Reef, and Chigua Reef.

The Russians' support for Annan is fundamentally aimed at containing Laos and China and creating obstacles for them; they must take all necessary actions.

In January 88, Annam began to take action, mobilizing a large number of transport ships and warships to cause trouble for Laos and China, and also mobilizing troops to seize the islands and reefs around Yongshu Reef in order to form an encirclement of Yongshu Reef.

In less than two months, taking advantage of its closer proximity to the Nansha Islands, in:

West Reef: After reclamation, the area is 0.283 square kilometers, and more than two platoons of troops are stationed there.

Wu Nie Reef: A lighthouse and fortified reef were built, and about 20 soldiers were stationed there.

Daxian Reef: garrisoned with approximately 50 troops, an artificial entrance has been excavated to connect to the lagoon.

Dongjiao: With a garrison of more than two platoons, it is one of Annam's core areas in the Spratly Islands.

Liumen Reef: It has 5-6 reef forts and is garrisoned by more than two platoons.

Nanhua Reef: garrisoned by about 10 troops, with a reclaimed area of ​​over 1 square meters.

Bolan Reef: Submerged at high tide and exposed at low tide, with a fortified reef built on it.

Nairo Reef: garrisoned by about 10 soldiers, with stilt houses built.

Ghost Howl Reef: garrisoned by about 10 soldiers, with a lighthouse and fortified reef.

Qiongjiao: There are about 10 troops stationed there, and there are simple facilities.

In addition to occupying the above-mentioned islands, they also reinforced their forces on the 11 islands and reefs they had previously occupied.

These were occupied before 1975:

Nanwei Island: The military command center in the Spratly Islands, with a garrison of approximately 550 troops, and an airport runway and port.

Hongxiu Island: Garrisoned with approximately 100 troops, with a radar station deployed.

Nanzi Island: It has a garrison of more than 200 troops and the first port in the Spratly Islands.

Dunqian Sandbar: Contains military facilities and a communications station. Jinghong Island: Its area has increased fivefold after reclamation, and it is garrisoned by approximately 100 troops.

Anbo Sandbar: garrisoned by more than 30 soldiers, with a lighthouse and bunkers.

Occupation from 1978 to 1987:
Ranqing Sandbar: It is garrisoned by about 30 troops and has a helicopter pad.

Zhongjiao: Fortified with bunkers and anti-aircraft machine gun positions. (Now destroyed)
Bisheng Reef: Garrisoned with more than 30 troops, and land reclamation.

Baijiao: It was occupied in 1987 and its area reached 1.94 square kilometers after reclamation. An airport runway is under construction and is designed to be 3000 meters long.

Riji Reef: Occupied since 87, with a lighthouse under construction, designed to be 42 meters high.

The plan is to build 21 islands in the Spratly Islands to further expand the scope of encroachment, construct an "encroachment command system," and expand the area of ​​islands and reefs through land reclamation to enhance the ability to monitor shipping lanes. The aim is to complete the occupation based on "actual control" through so-called "arbitration."

(As of 2025, it still occupies 29 islands and reefs, and has been exploiting the oil and gas resources of the three major oil fields of Baihu, Daxiong and Huanglong, with annual profits exceeding US$250 billion.)
The Annan side has done so much, knowing that the Lao and Chinese sides cannot just stand by and do nothing; they are already prepared for conflict.

In fact, a naval battle would take place just a few days later on March 14, known as the 'Battle of March 14'. The South China Sea side sank two tank transport ships and severely damaged one landing ship, and recovered six islands and reefs, including Chigua Reef, Huayang Reef, Dongmen Reef, Nanxun Reef, Zhubi Reef, and Yongshu Reef.

The reason why Wang Yaotang removed two oil tankers in the South China Sea a few days ago was because it was judged that if a conflict occurred, these two oil tankers would inevitably become supply stations for the Chinese and Laos. However, it was unexpected that Wang Yaotang would react so strongly.

They're just two oil tankers, aren't they?

Crazy!
Damn it, it's already outrageous for a private individual to have two 0s, how come you've added another one?
The exact model of this newly added warship is still unknown, but judging from the damage to the 122mm coastal defense gun, the gun caliber is 100mm, and its fierce firepower must be the Type 79 100mm twin-mounted gun. Therefore, it is a newly added Type 05!
The Chinese are insane! They let a private individual develop such a large military force!

With things having come to this point, the fleet commander was at a loss and reported to headquarters to discuss what to do.

The Umbrella Corporation's warships must still be roaming the Spratly Islands. They even dared to attack Nanwei Island, the "command center." How could they let the other islands and reefs go?
One 'Beyja' and one 'Poison Spider' are not enough to defend such a large area of ​​sea.

Standing next to the wrecked 122mm coastal defense gun, the fleet commander kicked a piece of debris away and said, "I was against taking down those two oil tankers from the start, but the people in Haiphong and Da Nang insisted on doing it."

You never had any conflict with that guy surnamed Wang, so it's easy for you to talk when you're not the ones suffering. Now look what's happened!

However, he was afraid of being criticized because of his previous defeat in battle, and he was also ridiculed for a while. The bad consequences of his actions fell on his own head.

Fuck your mother!
……

On the other side, just as dawn was breaking, after breakfast, Wang Yaotang called all three captains together for a meeting.

Before he came, the South China Sea authorities gave him a map of the Spratly Islands, which marked the 11 islands that had been previously occupied, and also included areas that the South China Sea authorities believed the Annamese might occupy in the near future.

For the time being, Laos and China's coastal defense forces are insufficient. The main force in the South China Sea must be focused on the Gulf of Tonkin to confront Annam's Haiphong and Da Nang. The remaining forces can only protect the construction on Mischief Reef, Subi Reef, and Fiery Cross Reef. They are completely incapable of navigating the seas.

It's a bit unreasonable to hand over the problem to a private individual, but... when it comes to simply causing damage, Wang Yaotang is clearly the professional.

The key point is that you don't have to bear any responsibility.

Wang Yaotang is a Hong Kong citizen and a British citizen. Furthermore, according to various treaties after World War II, early recognition by neighboring countries, and documents from international organizations, this area belongs to China. Therefore, the act of building military facilities on the islands and reefs occupied here is illegal. If private armed forces attack such illegal facilities, it can be regarded as an act of self-defense against 'aggression'.

At the same time, the homeland has the right to take any measures against foreign warships and private armed forces that illegally enter its jurisdictional waters.

Of course, if we forcibly apply Articles 101 and 110 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and Articles 2 and 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, Wang Yaotang would be guilty of 'piracy,' 'war crimes,' and 'crimes against humanity.'

Ultimately, it all comes down to who wins and who loses.

If you win, you're right!

Getting back to the main topic, the meeting room.

Wang Yaotang pointed to the map, "Ahead is the central part of the Spratly Islands. Before this, the Annamese occupied Jinghong Island and Ranqing Sandbar, and recently they may have also occupied other islands."

"The Spratly Islands are so large, there's no need to fight the Annamese face-to-face. We should use guerrilla warfare. My idea is to take down their various islands and reefs first. What do you think?"

Wei Jinzhong smiled and raised his hand: "I say: Boss, you're brilliant!"

"You bastard!" Wang Yaotang laughed and cursed.

“We just took down their Nanwei Island. Even if the Annamese realize we’re going to attack their islands, they won’t be able to tell which one it is. So our first wave of operations was definitely a success.” Wei Jinzhong immediately put on a serious face and said, “Jinghong Island and Ranqing Sandbar don’t have many troops stationed there, and their military facilities aren’t very complete. With our current firepower, it’s easy to deal with them.”

"However, we need to be careful next time we operate, to avoid being ambushed by them."

The other two nodded with smiles.

"Alright, let's hurry up and get these two teeth pulled first!" Wang Yaotang slammed his hand on the table.

After resupplying the four warships, the Xingye immediately headed north back to Yongxing Island. It couldn't follow the others; it was too slow, and if it got caught, it wouldn't look good.

Four speedboats (0) passed through the northern part of the central Spratly Islands. As a result, the speedboats that approached the reefs discovered buildings on the first protruding reef, "Ghost Shout Reef," which was not on the list of occupied islands provided by the South China Sea authorities.

Upon discovering the problem, the two old-fashioned 0 ships immediately turned and moved closer. These two ships had small displacements and complete sonar, which allowed them to avoid the trouble caused by the terrain to the greatest extent possible.

After several speedboats circled halfway around, they indeed spotted the boat and people. The request was relayed to Wang Yaotang, who immediately ordered the cannons to be opened fire.

"Boom boom boom——"

"Boom boom boom——"

Regardless of whether there were people on the island, the two warships immediately launched a barrage of fire, destroying everything in their path!
Wang Yaotang never intended to occupy this place; destruction was far more convenient.

After discovering the problem of 'Ghost Howl Reef', the fleet slowed down slightly, and the speedboats moved closer to the islands and reefs along the way, immediately using artillery to erase any traces of human activity they found.

Moving northeast along the islands and reefs, after passing 'Hua Reef', you will reach 'Jinghong Island'.

You can see the buildings on the island from 20 kilometers away. Annam has 100 troops stationed here. There are a lot of reinforced concrete buildings, coastal defense guns, and communication stations, but no radar stations.

The islanders learned via radio that Umbrella had attacked Nanwei Island, causing massive damage, so they were on high alert. People were constantly watching the surrounding sea from the rooftops, and they were the first to spot a group of ships rushing towards them.

Without any warning or announcements, they opened fire immediately without hesitation.

But it didn't work.

Without radar, let alone fire control radar, they relied on the naked eye to aim through an optical sight, resulting in a pitifully low hit rate.

Three 0 ships led the charge, covering 5 kilometers in just two or three minutes. The coastal defense guns fired only a few rounds; it was just a show.

When they got within about 15 kilometers, the enhanced version of the cannon fired first, the fire control radar locked on, and with manual assistance, the twin 100mm naval guns opened fire.

“Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!”

The coastal defense batteries were the first to be hit hard, with smoke and dust from the explosions rising more than ten meters high.

After three rounds of firing, the main coastal defense gun exploded with a loud bang, shooting flames more than ten meters into the air and causing the entire camp to tremble.

It was clearly a shell that exploded.

The main 100mm coastal defense gun was overturned, and the Annamese on the island completely lost their confidence. At this moment, the other two 037 ships also approached, and the eight 57mm caliber guns also opened fire wildly, and the entire island was completely covered by artillery fire.

That wasn't all. Eight speedboats approached to within about 5 kilometers and stopped. They loaded half of their 24-tube 107mm guns with incendiary bombs and opened fire immediately after adjusting the firing parameters.

“Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!”

Jinghong Island was completely engulfed in flames. If anyone on the island survives, Wang Yaotang will call him the strongest!
After the artillery barrage, there's no need to send anyone up to inspect the area; once the fighting is over, it's done.

The fleet headed north again, rounding the 'Oxbow Reef' in the northeast corner before turning southwest to its first target, 'Danqing Sandbar'. Because the sandbar's load-bearing capacity was insufficient, there were very few buildings and few troops stationed there; a single round of artillery fire would suffice.

Considering that there must be communication equipment on Jinghong Island, and that Annam might have already caught up, they did not search for any new islands or reefs nearby, but turned north.

There are quite a few obstacles to overcome along the way. First, there's 'Hongxiu Island' 30 kilometers to the northwest, then 30 kilometers further north is 'Dunqian Sandbar', and further still there's 'Nanzi Island', but let's skip that one.

The enemy in Annam will almost certainly guess the route of the attacked island based on the route taken, and going there would easily lead to an ambush.

An island isn't built in a day, and there's no need to think about removing it in a day.

There's plenty of time; we'll go back to Yongxing Island to resupply.

Play hide-and-seek, take your time. (End of Chapter)