Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 280 Mantis Shrimp Hammer Strike

On February 2nd, 2108 of the Han calendar, just as Xuanchong was engaged in a naval battle, Qin Tianyi was "collecting sounds" in the shipyard.

"Sound collection" has become a key subject for musicians in the 22nd century. Before that, musicians were obsessed with tuning in the recital room, and music theory had not yet developed to the point of emphasizing that "the audience for music is the majority of people."

In the 22nd century, music returned to the masses; musicians often went to factories, streets, and other crowded areas to collect original sounds, so that they could use more universal "phonemes" to capture the hearts of the public in their performances.

Just as she was recording in the factory without makeup, Qin Tianyi suddenly walked to the window facing the sea, paused, opened her communicator, and slowly said, "The song has started."

Xu Xi in the communication: "Hmm, didn't you not use the song around him?" Then she paused: "You still prepared it? What happened?" Then she realized that Qin Tianyi had secretly "hid a piece of music" in the crowd around Xuan Chong.

Xu Xi: It's already started? (Surprised that Qin Tianyi started using it so quickly)

Qin Tianyi: "I didn't start it."

Xu Xi: "What?"

Qin Tianyi's "song" is a kind of collectivist spiritual suggestion; when the person in charge is hesitant, starting the song will make the emotions and rationality of the group resonate, thereby dispelling the hesitation caused by the personal selfishness in the mind of the person in charge.

This is similar to ancient divination, where when a monarch hesitated, the divination results would influence the emotions of the group, thus forcing the monarch to make a decision.

Qin Tianyi has secretly planted Geyao by Xuan Chong's side, but she did not take the initiative to activate it, and Xuan Chong lured it out in advance.

Qin Tianyi smiled, her tone slightly reproachful: "I told you, there was absolutely no need to give him a boost with my songs. He's always been very opinionated!"

Qin Tianyi was praising Xuan Chong's sense of responsibility.

When the person in charge can demonstrate courage and determination in making important decisions, there is no need for divination to provide omens.

Just as Li Shimin made his decision on that day, divination was completely unnecessary. Even if it was an ominous sign, should they just disband the group?

Xu Xi nodded, clearly thinking of something, and said to her, "If you want to get closer to him, you have to take good care of him. His generation was the most honest generation."

…A crimson glow hung over the East China Sea…

On the Xuan 4 main fleet side, after dispatching two escort ships, Zhou Xu had lost interest in continuing the fishing competition on deck. Some astute officers had already ordered the spectators who weren't participating to leave the deck. (In case nothing serious happened afterward, those who caused tension on the entire ship would become the subject of ridicule.)
Zhou Xu paced back and forth on the bridge, a pipe dangling from his lips, a nautical chart laid out on the table before him. The atmosphere on the bridge was one of anxious waiting.

Once the chips are placed, the heart is tied to them. This has been Zhou Xu's habit over the years.

Suddenly, the telegraph operator's fingers began to tap rapidly. Zhou Xu put down his pipe and began to listen intently to the telegraph codes. Meanwhile, those in the captain's cabin who were good at reading people moved quietly, not disturbing the captain's thoughts, and simply opened the exhaust vents discreetly.

Before the telegraph operator could even translate the code into text, Zhou Xu already knew the message from the phonetic transcription: the two frigates had been shelled. This meant that Liu Haoxing's earlier report wasn't just "a young man showing off," but a genuine discovery of enemy activity.

Zhou Xu also sounded the alarm. The soldiers who were fishing on the deck immediately put down their fishing rods and returned to their posts. The area was quickly cleared to reduce collisions between people.

Meanwhile, the deck crew organizing the fishing competition quickly gathered up the fishing rods. In the end, running out of time, they had no choice but to kick the cheap buckets directly into the sea.

In a limited space, more people do not necessarily mean higher efficiency, as is the case with elementary school students on a field trip. If everyone is asked to clean up the trash before leaving, although the time spent picking up trash by each other is less, it will lead to crowding and pushing around the trash cans.

The Han navy is a veteran force, and while there is a sense of relaxation during voyages, it can quickly switch back to combat readiness.

In the Xuanchong era, the US propaganda machine would show you them playing billiards and having barbecues on the deck, relaxing in various ways, but they could quickly switch into combat mode when needed.

Those second-rate countries that buy the corresponding equipment and try to imitate this "freedom style" to promote their own combat capabilities are simply trying to draw a tiger but ending up with a dog.

The navy that faces the United States as its adversary does not have this freedom. It must constantly focus on real combat missions and remain on high alert—a struggling student trying to improve their grades cannot simply learn to play basketball like a top student.

…a life-or-death struggle…

The Eastern Shu fleet has already deployed its fleet. The original three-line column formation of "III" has now become a "个" (ge) formation, and the airships have all moved to the front of the "人" (ren) shape.

Little did they know that at that very moment, a small dot was already following below the character "个". During a previous military exercise, Xuan Chong, through his system's pencil case "measuring tool", learned that during a fleet's reconnaissance mission, its flanks and rear were blind spots. Theoretically, if they were to follow from 20 kilometers behind, the enemy would not be able to detect them.

During the pursuit, Xuan Chong also gained a general understanding of the size of the Eastern Shu fleet.

This is a task force consisting of eight high-speed battleships, thirteen cruisers, four aviation cruisers, and two high-speed ocean-going supply ships. The fleet possesses considerable combat power, but what is its purpose?

Xuan Chong: "They're not just going to take a quick bite and leave, are they? We've lost the most important strategic port on the front lines, and now they're playing this game?"

Xuan Chong didn't think much of it, because he had already reached the "effective range" of the artillery fire after his superpower cheat. Xuan Chong had already filled the shell with layers of torque, and the shell now "possessed the inertial guidance structure of a ballistic missile gyroscope".

Xuan Chong stared at the air cruiser formation in the middle of the Shu army fleet in the distance; at this moment, a flying boat was being guided to take off from the protruding iron tower of one of the air cruisers.

Airships are different from carrier-based aircraft; carrier-based aircraft take off in a flash, while airships take off vertically and remain airborne for half an hour.

Xuan Chong wasn't exactly an "experienced" captain, but he was observant and precise in his calculations. For instance, during the release of the airship by his own aviation cruiser, Xuan Chong noticed that its electromagnetic signal would be very strong at that moment.

Furthermore, during takeoff, the airship and the warship were perpendicularly close together, like a little girl pulling a helium balloon. The electromagnetic signal of the airship was the same as the signal of the warship on the sea.

It is worth mentioning that the last modern naval battle was fifteen years ago.

This naval battle was the first since the world's top navies entered the era of "electromagnetic stealth".

So, in modern naval warfare, the "combat experience of captains" is not an advantage for those veteran captains with outstanding achievements.

The light cruiser HMS Mantis Shrimp, like an assassin, began its pursuit. After following for two hours, it suddenly accelerated and closed in, launching a new wind-up target drone in a zigzag pattern.

All gun positions are ready, but the observation posts cannot see the enemy's naval forces and can only determine their location by the electrical pulse of the "drone".

The officers and soldiers on board did not question Xuan Chong's attempt to try his luck by firing; because no one expected to hit the target, and his mission was simply to draw the enemy away.

The personnel conducting the electrical pulse diagnosis reported the maritime data. After Xuan Chong refined the data to the decimal point, the cannon muzzle was fine-tuned, and the firing began.

After the shell left the barrel, the flame did not spread out in a ring-shaped shockwave at the muzzle. Instead, it continued to be constrained by an invisible force field, concentrating forward. Although the shell was too fast to be seen with the naked eye, the flame transformed into a bright, clearly visible, fifty-meter-long tube.

The firing observer removed his goggles after firing and stared into the distance. This was a cross-fire exercise spanning fifteen kilometers.

After Xuan Chong's cross-shot, he suddenly felt as if his line-drawing ability had been somewhat depleted. But it didn't matter for the time being.

…sponge into the sky…

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Shu fleet, the entire fleet formed a wild goose formation, on high alert, keeping a close eye on the enemy situation on the sea surface at a 230° heading. They were completely unaware that a small shrimp was following at the tail of the "goose formation".

The Shu warship commander dispatched two cruisers to keep an eye on the escape route of the two fleeting Han-class frigates.

But suddenly, the Shu general looked up sharply, sensing something—a sharp cannon shot rang out; he was trying to figure out where the cannonball had come from. But the shriek quickly receded into the distance.

However, after passing three ship positions, the shell landed straight on an aircraft carrier cruiser in the center of the fleet, emitting a huge flash. The airship, which was taking off, suddenly had its steel cables snap and detached directly from the ship's steel tower; and because the steel tower tilted due to the explosion, the steel cables broke unevenly, with the first and last cables breaking twenty minutes apart. The entire airship tilted seventy degrees and then, like a goldfish suffering from swim bladder disorder, began to float belly up.

The situation was even worse for the aircraft cruiser below, as the hydrogen tank exploded during refueling, and flames roared into the air.

On the flagship, Qin Hexin suddenly stood up: "This is a cannon attack assisted by dragon power!"

"Where exactly did the cannon fire come from?" Telegrams were relayed among the various fleets of Eastern Shu. This exchange of information among the Shu ship captains created a sense of panic in the communications. After all the ships with their forward-facing "human" formations announced that "the sea ahead is calm," the Eastern Shu captains realized they were being followed.

Just then, the second volley of strafing shells came, hitting the second aircraft carrier cruiser. Fortunately, this cruiser had already finished launching its airship, so although it had taken a hit, the overall damage was not too severe. This volley of strafing shells also confirmed to the observers on the masts that the attack came from behind.

Seemingly clinging to the outdated belief from his previous life that "aircraft carriers pose the greatest threat," Xuan Chong aimed his guns at the aircraft carrier cruiser. Amidst the crew's chants of "May Nezha protect us," all three shots hit their mark.

The captains of the main warships of the Eastern Shu fleet cursed on the channel, saying it was like "the hunter gets pecked by the goose." Undoubtedly, the Eastern Shu ships felt immensely humiliated. After fifteen days of sailing, crossing storm zones, and carrying out a strategic surprise attack mission, they were not only discovered halfway through their journey, but also followed and had their attack stolen.

The Eastern Shu fleet had to adjust the observation direction of its airships, and as a result, they could vaguely see a contrail spreading behind them, but at such a great distance, the "point" that created the contrail was unclear. From a high-altitude perspective, once the contrail was visible, it would take at least one hundred seconds for the optical equipment on the airships used to measure the enemy ship. The Bird-Eye Mantis Shrimp was no longer there.

The airship then relayed a message to the main warship of the Eastern Shu: "There is a new stealth warship behind us, firing at us. It is uncertain whether there are other enemy ships following us."

The commander of Eastern Shu was now in a real bind!

Since the current Han dynasty's advanced high-speed warships are typically used as vanguards for large fleets, is it possible that a large Han fleet is approaching from dozens of nautical miles behind (the Sparrow-Eyed Mantis Shrimp)?

Ultimately, Eastern Shu decided to dispatch five fast cruisers to intercept the Bird-Eyed Mantis Shrimp. The flagship was a warship codenamed "Dragon Armor."

Qin Hexin arrived on the warship, her pupils gleaming, and she activated her abilities.

The internal engine structure materials of the warship were reinforced to the limit, and the steam drove the pistons to roar repeatedly, and the ship quickly reached thirty knots, evading the enemy by zigzagging.

…an hour later…

As the Eastern Shu fleet changed formation, a separate fleet was dispatched. Faced with such a powerful "dog-hunting team," the "nimble dogs" began to turn around.

From Xuan Chong's perspective, after the smoke plumes of the ships lined up in a row on the sea, he ordered the Sparrow-Eyed Mantis Shrimp to turn and flee north.

However, it didn't completely flee in panic; after traveling thirty nautical miles, the patrol ship 023 immediately circled around and began shelling a warship that lacked stealth capabilities.

After bombarding for a while, Xuan Chong discovered that his shells had been deflected. However, he then had a vague feeling that there were people similar to himself in the pursuing fleet.

When Xuan Chong was driven away, the commander of the main fleet of the Eastern Shu asked about the situation of the squadrons that participated in the driving mission.

The detachment replied: "We have engaged in combat. The enemy is a single ship, and we have not detected the enemy's main force."

Meanwhile, on the Dragon Armor, aboard the sub-fleet, Qin Hexin, dressed in a special sacrificial robe, had blue light flashing in his eyes.

The captain of the Dragon Armor realized that the battle his ship was involved in was unusual, involving extraordinary beings: "Patriarch, who is on the other side?"

Qin He thought to himself, "There are dragon-powered individuals in the north. For now, they can still hold out."

Qin Hexin's Dragon Force effect is "Armor Transfer", which concentrates some of the material properties in a certain place, making the armor that could originally be penetrated ten times stronger. Of course, this comes at the cost of weakening the strength of other materials. Excessive transfer of strength will cause other structures to break.

Captain: "The higher-ups are asking if any new fleets have been spotted?"

Qin He answered the tactical question with a hint of annoyance: "No!"

After enduring another round of armor-piercing shells with her superhuman strength, she said, "Fire back quickly! He's attacking, I'm defending. His shells are hitting me really hard."

The two sides then chased each other across the sea until sunset, at which point the battle ended.

...small fights replace big fights...

Meanwhile, just as the detachment was on its way to capture Xuan Chong, the main force of the Eastern Shu raiding fleet spotted rows of new plumes of smoke on the sea. Zhou Xu's fleet had arrived, and the Eastern Shu fleet, fearing for their lives, immediately turned and fled.

Through continuous photography from the airship, Zhou Xu saw that the enemy fleet's high speed had been brought to a halt, and there were already signs of impact in the center of the fleet. Confirming that he could justify this battle both morally and legally, he decided to "quit while he was ahead."

Zhou Xu's decision was quite correct.

This patrol fleet has now completed its main strategic mission, buying sufficient time for the ports and the fleet behind to complete their combat readiness deployments. From now on, as long as the warships under its command remain at a moderate distance, that will be a great success.

If too many ships were to sink, even if he were rewarded by his superiors, he wouldn't be able to explain it to his officers and soldiers.

Zhou Xu ordered all the fleets to release smoke and retreat westward. Before leaving, he sent a telegram to Liu Haoxing: "Retreat immediately. Don't be reckless. Go back alive to receive your new appointment. If you want to be worshipped, don't be too hasty."

Note: In modern Han dynasty, soldiers who died in battle were honored with sacrifices at the Temple of Martial Arts. Therefore, in military slang, "to receive offerings" is "don't be reckless."

The naval battle in the Ryukyu Islands had a bizarre ending.

The Eastern Shu fleet, which had come to launch a surprise attack, was discovered in advance. After damaging two modern Han Dynasty frigates with artillery fire, it was suddenly attacked from behind, severely damaging one aircraft carrier cruiser (which later sank). They mistakenly identified the old-fashioned, converted warship, the "Sparrow-Eyed Mantis Shrimp," as a new, advanced vessel. Consequently, they mistook Zhou Xu's fleet for their main force and, prioritizing the safety of their own fleet, retreated directly towards Xiangtan Mountain.

The entire battle started strong but ended weakly, much like a large tiger in a zoo trying to launch a sneak attack, only to be discovered and leave in embarrassment.

…In the decisive battle of the Grand Fleet, no one dared to go all in; Li Hongzhang's thinking was twenty years ahead of the European war…

During the night voyage, Xuanchong also received a telegram instructing him to return home after the battle was over.

Xuan Chong breathed a sigh of relief. He had always been able to move freely among the current Han superhumans, but now he had encountered enemy superhumans in the national war.

It's quite normal, considering such a large fleet is a national strategic asset. Having a powerful "superpowered" vessel to oversee it is expected. Xuan Chong himself never intended to challenge an entire fleet with a single ship, especially given the enemy's battleships.

As for the outcome, we'll talk about it when we get back! Xuan Chong had no idea what kind of complicated reactions his battle had caused in the rear.

At noon on February 2nd, at a hotel outside the Nangong District of Jianye City, upon receiving news of a maritime firefight in the Liu District, the highest-ranking officials immediately canceled a series of diplomatic meetings with Dongshu.

In the coastal areas, the current Han Navy headquarters coordinates the messages sent back from the front lines.

They could not afford to be careless in this matter; they had dealt with Eastern Shu several times before, and Eastern Shu always liked to use deception. In the previous three wars, Eastern Shu often used negotiations to cover up its military operations.

A few days ago, the current leaders of the Han army believed that victory was assured and the enemy was out of options; it was time to listen to their surrender rhetoric of "submitting to the imperial rule." But they hadn't expected the enemy to be so cunning, planning a sneak attack. Clearly, they hadn't fought enough, hadn't thoroughly beaten the enemy.

The Han Dynasty's diplomatic envoy pointed at the envoy from Eastern Shu and cursed him: "You hypocrite and cunning one, are you a barbarian?"

For this courtier from the Jianye faction, the campaign against Shu was originally a perfect test paper. However, the coastal cities, which were considered safe, were hit by Shu's cannonballs, making this an indelible stain on the test paper.

In a brief discussion, the important figures in Jianye City, dressed in imperial robes, made a decision by banging on the table.

The intelligence reported by Zhou Xu must be kept highly confidential. Zhou Xu's name has been recorded, and he will certainly be the one rewarded for his contributions later.

At the same time, the telegraph room began to mobilize the surrounding battlecruiser groups to form a high-speed fleet and deploy interception missions. Meanwhile, the old battleships with low speed were grouped into a second echelon to block the enemy.

…a major undertaking…

Within just a few hours, coastal cities issued unfounded "tsunami warnings," forcing a large number of merchant ships and fishing vessels to return to port. Meanwhile, airships took off urgently from airports.

The trainee censors (officially employed journalists) also noticed that some of the fortresses near the city were now emitting white steam and smoke, indicating that the heating systems inside were starting up. These onlookers, eager to see what was going on, began climbing over the security cordon to get to the bottom of the news. However, they were eventually arrested.

(End of this chapter)