Chapter 2939
The sailors on the troop transport loosened the cables and raised the sails, and slowly sailed away from the Cavite military port. Zheng Agui and others stood on the side of the ship and could see a steady stream of troops gathering on the dock to board the ship. With so many troops invested, it can be seen that the targets to be attacked in this operation are far more than the few they know.
What makes Zheng Agui a little regretful is that when he returned to Manila from Bangui this time, he had no chance to go home and take a look.
Looking west from where the troops now set out, one can see two towering mountains on the Bataan Peninsula on the west side of Manila Bay, Mount Natib to the north and Mount Bataan to the south. Balangya Town, where Zheng Agui's family settled, is located on the coast of the eastern foot of Mount Natib.
If he could take a break during the past three days, he would have had time to run back and forth between the Cavite base and Balanga Town to see if his family was okay, and he could also say goodbye to his family in person before setting off for the expedition. , instead of relying on that crookedly written will.
However, the battalion commander said during the training yesterday that if the combat tasks assigned by the headquarters can be successfully completed this time, there will definitely be corresponding leave arrangements after the war. Wouldn't it be even more satisfying to go home with combat allowance and military medals?
After sailing out of the port, Zheng Agui found that the ship he was on was in a huge fleet. Within a few miles, there were more than ten troop transport ships and almost the same number of supply ships. In the further outer waters, several armed warships can be seen, which will undertake escort missions on the fleet's way south.
On the top of the mast of each ship is a conspicuous two-color flag of Hainan and Han, flying in the blue sea and sky. It was the first time for many people, including Zheng Agui, to see such a spectacular sight. They couldn't help but feel excited and shouted loudly on the deck.
Such an intuitive display of armed forces is far better than the mobilization speeches given again and again in the past few days. At this moment, everyone felt the strength of the Haihan Army, which gave them a lot more confidence in the next combat mission.
At noon, they saw Corregidor Island appearing on the sea on the right side of the fleet, which indicated that the fleet had arrived at the exit channel of Manila Bay and was about to sail into the South China Sea.
The fleet's sailing direction also began to turn south, and in the evening it would enter the Verde Island Waterway at the southern tip of Luzon Island.
And the food on this ship is much better than when they came to Manila. This is due to the fact that there is a fully equipped kitchen on the ship. There is no need to just throw the messy ingredients into the pot and cook them like an ordinary troop carrier. Forget about the big pot of chowder.
According to the flight schedule, Bangui Camp is expected to arrive at the destination of this mission in three to four days. Of course, these precious few days cannot be wasted just eating and sleeping. The soldiers participating in the war must seize this opportunity. For a period of time, I kept all the details of the battle plan in mind.
Although Zheng Agui's company seemed to have been designated as a candidate mobile unit, the company commander still did not dare to be careless. He still ordered everyone on the ship to study the combat plan carefully in squad units and assign tasks to each soldier in advance.
There are ten people in Zheng Agui's squad, and more than half of them are just like Qiu Yong and Qin Bo, they are just new recruits who have been in the army for less than four months. Zheng Agui had to spend more time explaining the battle plan to them in detail and answer their various questions.
Considering that Zheng Agui himself has only been in the army for more than a year and has never set foot on a battlefield, the experience he can impart to these people as a "veteran" is really limited.
When he couldn't answer his men's questions, he could only read the contents of the "Combat Regulations" over and over again and let them understand it on their own. Although these regulations are the most basic tactical skills and battlefield principles, they are the essence of the Haihan Army's years of actual combat experience. Strictly abiding by and enforcing these regulations may not necessarily increase combat effectiveness, but it can try to avoid making low-level mistakes on the battlefield. All Zheng Agui could do was to prevent everyone, including himself, from panicking and forgetting all the military skills he had mastered when they entered the battlefield. As for what the real battlefield will be like, they can only rely on imagination for the time being.
The morning after leaving Manila Bay, the fleet arrived in the waters near Verde Island.
"Squad leader, look at the sea to the north!"
Zheng Agui, who was relaxing on the deck, heard the greetings from his men and turned around to look to the port side. There was a small fleet of ships speeding towards the sea. Looking at the shape of the ship and the flags on the mast, it is not difficult to tell that this is also a unit belonging to the Haihan Army.
Soon the company commander came forward to answer this question. Joining the large force here was an amphibious battalion stationed in Batangas Port. The main defense area of this force is the Verde Island Waterway between Luzon Island and Mindoro Island, ensuring that this important waterway connecting Manila Bay and the central area of the Philippine Islands will not be invaded by foreign enemies.
The fact that this unit left its base to join the operation once again confirmed that the Luzon Region's original military defense zone was about to expand southward.
That day, the fleet entered the Sibuyan Sea on the south side of Luzon Island. This area is still theoretically within Haihan's sphere of influence, but there are no more Haihan garrison points within a few hundred miles.
The fleet was also divided into two here. One part of the troops sailed south to Panay Island, another important target of the operation. The other part of the troops, including the Bangui Battalion, continued eastward across the Sibuyan Sea and headed for The other two targets are Masbate and Samar.
On the morning of the third day after leaving Manila Bay, the fleet arrived at the east side of the Sibuyan Sea. The outline of land appeared on the sea level in front. According to the chart, that was Masbate Island, the destination of Bangui Camp's trip. .
This location is only a hundred miles away from the town of Masbate. The fleet flagship "Weitai" issued an order using a semaphore, and all troops entered a state of first-level combat readiness.
The fleet began to slow down and adjust its combat formation. Combat ships with ship-borne artillery gathered in front of the fleet, preparing to launch the first wave of offensive after arriving at the predetermined location. The two swordfish-class reconnaissance ships quickly left the fleet and headed out to the target sea area to conduct inspections.
According to the scheduled combat plan, the naval force will first conduct a close-in fire attack on the port near Masbate Town, destroying the local armed ships and coastal defenses, and then the Bangui Battalion will land to launch the next offensive.
Although the company where Zheng Agui and others belonged was not the first batch of landing troops, everyone was in combat mode from this moment on. The company commander has informed them that when the fleet formation is adjusted, they will move forward at full speed and are expected to arrive at the battlefield at noon.
(End of chapter)