I painted an aircraft carrier on the courtyard house for Dongda University.

Meanwhile, on the massive artillery positions along the southeastern coast of Xia Kingdom, the cannons still carried the scorching heat waves from the shelling, and the pale blue smoke was dispersed by the sea breeze, mixing with the salty sea air and seeping into the bunkers.

Colonel Li Tiezhu held up his binoculars, and the outline of the Little Days Fleet became clearer and clearer through the lenses.

He slammed his rough palms heavily on the cannon shield beside him, making the metal lump vibrate and buzz.

"Commander! Those sons of bitches are trying to run away! Damn it, we can't let those beasts get away!"

Signalman Xiao Wang gripped the walkie-talkie so tightly his knuckles turned white, his young face contorted with rage. "Regimental Commander, they're almost out of maximum firing range! We can't let them get away! Back then, they wreaked havoc all over our country without mercy! We have to find a way to keep all these beasts here!"

As he spoke, he rushed toward the gun position, wishing he could personally operate the cannon and fire a few more rounds.

Li Tiezhu grabbed him, slung the binoculars over his shoulder, and grinned, revealing a gap-toothed smile: "What's the rush? 500 kilometers of coastline, 50 reinforced artillery regiments have already formed a tight net! If they dare to cross the 3-nautical-mile red line, they won't get away unscathed. Besides, as far as we know, all of our army's heavy artillery has been concentrated on the coastline. I've even run into several comrades from other military regions. You damn well better use your brain and think about how big this operation is. How could we let these little bastards escape? This isn't like back then. We don't even have planes or warships anymore. Our road and artillery is just the first step."

He pointed to the gun corps that had just finished loading, the barrels all pointing straight at the sea: "So you should be even more satisfied, kid. Just that salvo, our regiment precisely pierced the 'Yukikaze's' ammunition magazine, sending it straight to the fish! The bridges of the other three destroyers were blown off, what else could you possibly be unhappy about?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a rumbling sound came from the sky, like muffled thunder rolling across the clouds.

Xiao Wang suddenly looked up, his eyes instantly lighting up like stars: "It's an Il-28! It's our bomber squadron!"

A formation of more than a dozen bombers painted with the August 1st Army insignia flew low overhead, the bomb bay doors under the wings slowly opening, the sunlight shining on the black bombs, giving them a chilling gleam.

"Drop bombs!" The navigator's command was transmitted to the position via radio. Li Tiezhu and the others clearly saw the first wave of bombs raining down on the Xiao Rizi fleet.

The sailors' hands gripping the breechblocks were bulging with veins, their fingertips rubbing the cold metal again and again—a longing that had been waiting for too long, an obsession etched into their very bones.

On the radar screen inside the bridge, only 13 dots representing the Little Days Fleet remained, each trailing a long red trail—the flames and black smoke of burning fire, the fruits of the battle fought by the army and air force brothers with artillery fire.

But to the sailors, this victory was more painful than being burned alive.

Some people stared at the screen until their molars ached, while others secretly wiped away tears. They had been waiting for this day for far too long.

Captain Zhang Dinghai of the Anshan warship had knuckles that were white from gripping the armrest of the command platform so tightly, and the calluses on his hands were painful from being rubbed together.

His grandfather was a sailor who died in the Sino-Japanese War, and his father was clutching half of a rusted ship's plaque before he died.

At that moment, he stared at the enemy ship on the radar, his voice trembling slightly, yet each word was firm and resolute: "Reporting to the Commander! All officers and men of the Anshan ship request to join the battle!"

He took a deep breath, his chest churning with sixty years of pent-up frustration and anger: "From the sinking of the Dingyuan warship in the First Sino-Japanese War to today, when we hold our own gun barrels, the Chinese navy has waited 63 years for this battle! Our army brothers bombarded the enemy ships until they were smoking, our air force brothers defended the skies, but the reckoning at sea is something our navy has to settle ourselves! If we wait any longer, and all the enemy ships are sunk, we will have failed our predecessors at the bottom of the river!"

His voice suddenly choked up on the radio: "Commander, I beg you to give the order... let us go and retrieve our lost dignity from the sea!"

Only static crackled through the radio, much like the static of a dying telegram. The air on the bridge seemed to freeze; the sailors held their breath, staring intently at the microphone in Zhang Dinghai's hand. Some quietly pulled down their hat brims to hide their reddened eyes.

Ten minutes felt like an eternity.

Suddenly, a deep, steady voice boomed through the channel, carrying the power to pierce through the wind and waves: "Attention all units! Enemy ships have intruded into our territorial waters baseline! I order..."

"All ships, full speed ahead! Torpedo calibration! Main gun loading!"

"Objective: Deplete the enemy forces! Mission: Sink the enemy!"

"Tell the little ones... it's our turn to protect this sea now!"

"Boom!" The whistle of the Anshan warship pierced the night sky first, like the roar of a trapped beast awakening.

The engines instantly ramped up to full power, the ship cleaved through the waves, and the gun barrels steadily locked onto the distant flames.

Zhang Dinghai ripped off his cap badge, solemnly put it back on, and roared into the microphone, "All ships, charge! Let these bastards see that the Xia Nation's navy is still here!"

On the sea, a formation of dozens of ships was like a sword drawn from its sheath. The shouts of the sailors drowned out the wind and waves. In the reflection of the gun barrels, young but resolute faces were reflected. This time, they would never let their homeland be torn apart by the sea again, and they would never let the blood of their predecessors be shed in vain.

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