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

The Annamese occupied only so many islands and reefs, so at first it was impossible to pinpoint the targets of the Umbrella's attacks. But as the islands and reefs were taken down one by one, the targets gradually became clear. Wei Jinzhong and others understood this very well and were prepared to be ambushed at any time.

Therefore, in the later operations, each time the enhanced version of the artillery was sent as the vanguard to circle around the target island reef 40 nautical miles away to check with radar to confirm that there were no Annamese ambushes on the outside. The other two older models followed 10 kilometers away, and the last missile ship crashed 10 kilometers behind.

The Annamese weren't unaware that the Umbrella would search, but they didn't have a better way to ambush. Of the many islands they occupied, they only built docks on three of them, and the others were just enough to stop transport boats. Larger ships couldn't get close at all, so they could only ambush from the outside.

In the dead of night, both sides were prepared for a naval battle to break out at any moment, and the battle did break out as expected, with 0 firing the first shot...

Taking advantage of its long range, the enhanced version of the artillery, which was 20 kilometers away, fired first and then began to retreat to the side after firing a few shots.

Having finally caught a glimpse of the Umbrella Corporation's tail, Annam was not about to let it go so easily. A Poison Spider and a Petya-class destroyer sped off in pursuit.

The Petya-class naval guns consist of two twin-mounted AK-726 76mm naval guns, with a range of 15 kilometers against sea targets and 6 kilometers against air targets. Each turret carries 1000 rounds of ammunition, for a total of 2000 rounds for the entire ship.

At this distance, Biejia-level players simply cannot hit them.

All they could do was roar and accelerate to catch up, praying that the Umbrella Corporation's warships would be hit by missiles so they could go up and reap the rewards.

Annam truly hated the people under the protection of the Umbrella Corporation. As soon as the Poison Spider fire control radar locked on, it pressed the launch button and launched a major attack right away.

With a loud "thud," the flames suddenly blazed up, and even from dozens of kilometers away, the long trail of flames could be clearly seen drawing a distinct path across the sky in the dead of night.

At the same time, a piercing alarm sounded on the enhanced version of the ship, making everyone's heart pound. Captain Wei Jinzhong held his breath, while the radar operator next to him shouted: "Our ship is locked by radar. Styx missile, distance 22 kilometers, estimated arrival in 65 seconds."

"Activate the jamming radar!" Wei Jinzhong shouted the order.

The 981-2 radar deception and jamming radar was quickly activated to suppress noise and perform deception jamming against the enemy radar.

At the same time, the 981-3 radar is activated, reducing clutter interference to the fire control radar.

Time passed second by second, and 0⑶⒎ sped off at full speed, Wei Jinzhong silently counting the time in his mind.

After the Styx missile shot into the sky with its trail of flame, it gradually decreased in altitude, quickly dropping from 400 meters to 300 meters, 200 meters, 100 meters... Its trajectory remained straight as it hurtled toward 0⑶⒎.

At that moment, everyone—whether it was An Nanfang launching the missile, Wei Jinzhong's troops being targeted, or the other two 0 ships rushing forward at full speed—held their breath, their hearts in their throats.

The Annamese frantically chanted "Hit! Hit!" while the protectors yelled "Can't hit! Can't hit!" The Siamese boys on the boat, in particular, were pounding with excitement, their faces flushed, and their legs trembling.

Wei Jinzhong silently counted to 55 seconds, and the Styx missile was already flying close to the sea, at an altitude of about 20 meters and a speed of 400 meters per second.

At that moment, Wei Jinzhong shouted, "Launch chaff and jamming missiles!"

With a loud 'thud,' the 945-1 transmitter launched a barrage of chaff, creating a radar fog within a 300-meter radius.

The last few seconds seemed to freeze time, as if an eternity had passed.

"Whoosh!"

The Styx River, leaving a long trail of flame, flew past more than 200 meters to the side of 0⑶⒎, and a cheer immediately rang out from the enhanced version.

A few seconds later, a chorus of curses erupted from the Annamese warship, with waving hands, stomping feet, and all sorts of foul language filling the command center.

Wei Jinzhong laughed loudly and ordered, "Aim the main guns at the enemy ships and give them a shout!"

"Boom!" "Boom!" Two cannon shots rang out, and mocking voices echoed through the night sky over the South China Sea.

In the distance, cheers erupted from the two 0 ships; the fact that they could still fire meant they were alright!

"Full speed ahead, target: enemy ship!"

During the Third Sino-Democracy War in 67, the Styx missiles launched by the Kingdom of Kinta all hit their targets due to the lack of electronic jamming capabilities, with no cases of missing the target.

In the Fourth Sino-DPRK War of 73, the Israelites used chaff jamming and electronic deception to cause all 52 Styx missiles launched by the Kinta missile boats to miss their targets.

The missile continued to fly across the sea, and after about two or three minutes, its engine ran out of fuel and it plunged into the sea.

Three warships, from three directions, aggressively surrounded the enemy ships from the south.

The Styx missile uses a liquid rocket engine. After launch, it needs to complete the booster separation (about 10 seconds), cruise altitude climb, terminal guidance radar activation, and flight altitude reduction processes, which take about 30 seconds. Therefore, the missile's minimum range is 8 kilometers, but in actual use, due to various circumstances, this distance is around 10 kilometers.

Once within this range, the Styx missile becomes completely ineffective.

Seeing three 0 ships aggressively surrounding them from three directions on the radar, the Annamese side panicked. It was only a dozen kilometers away, and at the speed of warships, they could catch up in just seven or eight minutes. Moreover, they were still in pursuit, so the time would be even shorter. Once the three 0 ships, which looked like porcupines, got close, the Poison Spider's weak cannons would instantly turn them into sieves.

If only one Beja-class destroyer remains, it will be a matter of whether it can take one of the enemy ships down with it, especially against the ferocious 0. It is highly unlikely that it can, since the enemy will retreat after being damaged.

Moreover, the Annamese had no idea that the ship with the 100mm gun was a 0. According to their records, it should be a 05 with a displacement of 1500 tons, similar to the Petya. When it turned around and charged like that, the people on the warship immediately lost their courage.

"Quickly, keep the poison spiders firing!" The voice of Zhihuiguang on the Biejia-class warship trembled slightly, and he even forgot to say the word 'command,' which made the people around him even more panicked.

The Tarantula-class destroyer, as a missile ship, carries four Styx missiles, while the Beja-class is a light anti-submarine frigate whose main missions are escort and anti-submarine warfare. Its weapon configuration mainly consists of anti-submarine rockets, torpedoes, and naval guns, and it has never been equipped with Styx missiles.

"Quickly, turn around at full speed!" After ordering the missiles to continue firing, the Annamese commander immediately ordered the fleet to turn around. The task now was no longer to destroy the Umbrella fleet, but to get back safely!
Warships don't have brakes, and even when sailing at full speed, they dare not turn around directly. They can only reduce power output and then turn around. Although it's not as dramatic as an aircraft carrier turning around, it still makes the people on board very anxious.

On the other side, on the Poison Spider, with two "chu" sounds, two more Styx rockets shot into the sky. Ten seconds later, the boosters separated, and the rockets rapidly ascended towards the direction of the enhanced version of the pursuing cannon.

Having learned from the previous examples, Wei Jinzhong and the others on the ship were no longer so afraid. Moreover, the 981-2/3 jamming radar was already activated, making it difficult to say whether the target locked by the Poison Spider fire control radar was real or fake.

The two ships were still moving towards each other, and the distance was rapidly closing. The radar operator reported loudly, "My ship has been locked on by the enemy ship, 16 kilometers away, and the missile is expected to arrive in 52 seconds."

"How's the situation with the chaff and jamming?" Wei Jinzhong asked loudly.

"Filling complete!"

Our chaff and decoys are a copy of the French "Dagues" system from the 80s. They are installed on both sides of the ship and use 8 rotating launchers and 4 fixed launchers. They can launch chaff, infrared flares and smoke grenades. After launch, the launcher compartment doors need to be opened manually to replace the depleted launch modules one by one.

The entire loading process takes 3-5 minutes, making continuous firing impossible.

The enhanced version charged diagonally to the left. Wei Jinzhong silently counted the time. Although modern warfare cannot be said to completely disregard martial prowess, it relies most of the time on precise, machine-like operations. At this moment, he had to and could only trust the data reported by the radar operator.

With the second ticking away, Wei Jinzhong roared again, "Launch the chaff and jamming missiles!"

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

The container rotated and sprayed in all directions, and the chaff exploded in the air, creating a vast amount of interference.

Everyone held their breath, and many even closed their eyes in fear. If such a small warship as 0⑶⒎ were hit by the Styx, the consequences would be horrific.

A few seconds later…

"It flew past!" the observer shouted at the top of his lungs.

Cheers suddenly erupted in the command room.

In the early Type 053H, a large, square, flat bridge was used, resembling a "matchbox" in appearance. There were a few small portholes on the front, which were made of bulletproof glass and could withstand 12.7 mm machine gun fire. The high position of the portholes limited the viewing angle for observing the deck and surface targets, and feedback from below indicated "poor observation visibility." Starting with the fourth ship, the bridge layout was changed to a three-sided structure with a 45° bend, imitating the "Betya-class" corvette. The second layer protruded forward by about 1 meter, and the number and size of the portholes increased, taking into account both stealth and observation needs, and significantly improving both horizontal and vertical visibility.

The enhanced versions of the 0 missile ships and missile-carrying versions both borrowed this design; the command center had windows for observing the outside world. Of course, if hit by a shell, the entire ship would be destroyed...

It wasn't until the 05⑶H⑶ type in 99 that a fully enclosed central bridge tower design was adopted, and the portholes were removed.

"Go! Full speed ahead and pursue the enemy ships!" Wei Jinzhong roared with a grin.

The poisonous spider only has 4 spare bullets. If we don't chase it now, when will we?
On the other side, the Annamese watched the missile's exhaust plume shoot toward the horizon, and instantly felt as if they had lost their parents. Some cursed, some were terrified, and some were at a loss. There was only one Styx missile left. The previous three missiles had all missed. Would this last one hit?

This River Styx is really no good!
After all, the decision was made during the Fourth World War in 75; otherwise, the Russians wouldn't have been so quick to agree...

At least that's what Annamese people think now.

If it were launched immediately at that moment, Wei Jinzhong's side wouldn't have time to replace the chaff, and it might actually hit. The jamming radar technology at home at that time was far inferior to that of the Yiselie in 75. Tests showed that, in conjunction with chaff, it could reduce the hit rate of the Styx to 20%.

The two sides chased each other at sea. Under the pitch-black night sky, they could not see anything more than ten kilometers away. They could only locate each other by the data provided by radar and pursued each other in the dark.

The five warships on both sides only occasionally fired their enhanced 100mm naval guns.

Therefore, rough is good, and big is beautiful!
When it turned to run away, the Venom Spider was in good shape again. With its full-powered combustion engine and a top speed of 42, far exceeding that of other warships, it sped off in a flash.

On the contrary, the Beja-class, with a speed of only 30 knots, was being slowly closed in by the 037. The shells that occasionally landed on the surrounding water made the people on the Beja-class tremble with fear. They wished they could hold onto the Poison Spider. How could they abandon their brothers and run away?
You're not human!
After chasing each other at sea for more than an hour, Wei Jinzhong finally ordered them to give up.

At that time, warships could not achieve second-level linkage between fire control radar and cannons. Manual input had a delay of 10-15 seconds. Without the assistance of optical sights, firing in the dark had a near-zero hit rate.

Continuing to pursue them is pointless and could easily lead to falling into their trap. It would be better to turn back and take down the Annamese outpost on that island.

Hopefully, this naval battle will help the Annamese people to wake up.

Listening to Wei Jinzhong recount the naval battle, Wang Yaotang drank with relish, saying, "From now on, the South China Sea will be under our protection!"

Wei Jinzhong's expression froze. He really wanted to grab his boss's shoulders and shake him hard. A dignified naval battle had been reduced to something like a gang fight by what he was being told...

The prestige just vanished!
Wang Yaotang laughed heartily, "The Annamese are just petty thugs to me, I can't give them any credit."

The people of my hometown in the South China Sea are not as powerful as the Annamese. Where do you place my hometown by saying that?

Wei Jinzhong pursed his lips, not wanting to speak. He was the boss, what could he do? Was he supposed to beat him to death?

After laughing enough, Wang Yaotang asked, "What's the situation at sea now? Have they taken down all their other strongholds?"

"They've all been taken down, leaving only Nanwei Island, which is heavily guarded. It's surrounded by coastal defense artillery, Petya-class and Tarantula-class destroyers, and Su-22s occasionally make appearances and fly around it. There are also two armed helicopters parked on the island. For the time being, there's not much we can do about them."

“I see.” Wang Yaotang nodded. “Then we should focus our efforts on harassing their supply lines and slowing down their construction as much as possible.”

"At night, we'll row our way closer and fire dozens of incendiary bombs at a time to harass them. In another month and a half, our aircraft carrier and carrier-based aircraft will be ready, and then we'll have a showdown with them!"

Wei Jinzhong nodded. "I understand."

"By the way, didn't my hometown say they were going to build meteorological observation stations on Meiji Reef, Zhubi Reef, and Yongshu Reef? Has construction started yet?"

"The governor contacted me. Construction has started on Meiji Reef and Zhubi Reef, and Yongshu Reef has been approved for us. We are the construction boss, you have the final say. Just report to them. If there is any need for construction, they can also help," Wei Jinzhong said with a smile.

Wang Yaotang clicked his tongue twice, thinking, "So this means they have a base at sea!"
Yes, the future.

The aircraft carrier is not silent. It doesn't mention whether the land is for commercial or industrial use, but even if it's just for commercial use, the lease term is 50 years!
The specific area wasn't mentioned above, but they probably wish they could make it as large as possible, ideally reaching 10 square kilometers.

While our hometown might become more professional in land reclamation in the future, Hong Kong is currently the leader. We can use Hong Kong's management and technology, along with the people from our hometown, to get it done at the lowest cost.

Yongshu Reef is 900 kilometers from Kuching, 1200 kilometers from Haikou, 1100 kilometers from Manila, and 1400 kilometers from Singapore. It is indeed a pivot point on the South China Sea shipping route. If managed well, it could be an unsinkable aircraft carrier.

After waiting for two days on Yongxing Island and calling back half of the men, Wang Yaotang arranged for a ship to go to Hong Kong so that everyone could go back and relax. They had been fighting the Annamese at sea for two months with their lives on the line. It was only because the soldiers from his hometown were hardworking and resilient that they were able to endure hardship. If it were soldiers from other countries, they would have rebelled long ago.

They were treated to good wine, good meat, and good girls, but only a small number of people actually went home to reunite with their families; most people did not move their families out.

This matter reminded Wang Yaotang that if it needed to be done, it needed to be done faster.

I had considered having someone move my family to Hong Kong, but now I think that was a bit wishful thinking. The social environment here isn't very healthy, and my family would inevitably be affected. They should stay in Guangzhou, where it's safer.

Returning home by sea is no different in Hong Kong or Guangzhou; who can stop me?

While the crew rests, the ship also needs maintenance. After two months at sea, totaling over 800 hours, a major overhaul isn't necessary, but the propulsion system needs cleaning, and some gun barrels have reached the end of their lifespan.

The barrel life of guns in my hometown is generally around 1000 rounds, and those 57mm naval guns have basically reached the end of their service life.

Warships aren't expensive to buy, but the maintenance costs are outrageous.

The rotation of personnel reduced the intensity of attacks on Annamese transport lines, which caused some uncertainty and suspicion on the Annamese side.

……

"Could it be that Wang Yaotang is sending some kind of signal?"

"Hu Zhiming, naval base, small conference room," a senior officer said uncertainly.

The Annamese suffered a complete defeat in the naval clashes during this period.

All the previously constructed islands and reefs were destroyed, resulting in the loss of 13 vessels of various sizes and the death or injury of over 800 people.

The two transport fleets suffered heavy losses, losing 18 ships of various types and suffering 460 casualties.

The Styx missile, on which high hopes were placed, turned out to be utterly worthless and fled in panic.

We can no longer use the excuse that the Umbrella Corporation only dares to attack transport fleets; the Poison Spider and the Petya-class are the main warships of the Annamese.

This shows how strong Wang Yaotang is; what about Lao Zhong?
The Lao-Chinese have an even bigger 05!

Of course, the Annamese could also say that their main fleet was tied down by the Chinese, otherwise they would have wiped out the Umbrella Corporation if they had sent out their entire fleet, but such words could only comfort themselves.

"I feel that Wang Yaotang might be sending a signal of seeking peace," someone suddenly said.

Nguyen Van Hai immediately became interested, but his face remained expressionless.

To be beaten up like this and still think about peaceful coexistence? You have no shame!

"He's just a person after all. Even if he has support from that side, so what? If they were really rich, they would have developed their own business long ago. Why would they sell it to outsiders? They... heh."

What follows is self-explanatory: the neighbor has a terrible temper; he'd rather resort to violence than talk, and when he does, it's a deadly move.

The events of nine years ago are still vivid in our minds. The north was demolished into a blank wasteland. The Annamese absolutely do not believe the nonsense that the Russians say their neighbors dare not take action!

“No matter what, Wang Yaotang is still a businessman. We all know how expensive war is. He’s raising his own army, which is even more expensive. As far as I know, his crew members with buzz cuts earn at least $1000 a month. He spends more than $100 million a month just on salaries!”

"Doesn't maintaining warships cost money? Doesn't using shells cost money? Doesn't there need to be compensation for the dead and wounded? What about fuel?"

"He's spent at least $2000 million in these two months!"

"What will he get by spending so much money? A deserted island?"

"Just for those two beat-up oil tankers?"

The more he talked, the more sense it made, and his tone became increasingly certain. "He's done so much, it's enough to satisfy his neighbors. He has no chance of taking Nanwei Island, so why bother fighting?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Nguyen Van Hai said coldly, "Nonsense! They destroyed my islands and reefs, attacked my ships, and killed my officers and soldiers. What are you talking about seeking peace? Your crimes are unforgivable!"

After saying that, he suddenly stood up and stormed out.

A deathly silence fell over the meeting room. Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to speak, their faces slightly flushed.

But gradually, everyone realized that if General Ruan was really that angry, then why did he leave right after saying that?

Shouldn't we give them a good scolding?

and so……

The old man is using this as a pretext to retreat; he's probably waiting for them to handle it privately.

A cunning and treacherous old fox! (End of Chapter)