Chapter 156: The brat's elite navy is finished!

Witnessing the spectacular scene in the night sky illuminated by the roaring flames, Executive Officer Zhou Hang could not conceal the excitement and pride on his face. He declared:
"It is magnificent! All three of our torpedoes struck the enemy's battleship with absolute precision!"
A triumphant gleam flashed in his eyes as he continued with mounting excitement: "Combined with the armored cruiser we sank earlier, our operation tonight has successfully sent one battleship and one armored cruiser to the bottom! This is an extraordinary achievement; the combined displacement of these two vessels exceeds forty thousand tons at the very least!"

Considering that the Phantom-class submarine Number One itself displaced a mere four hundred tons, this victory amounted to more than a hundred times its own displacement—undoubtedly a monumental triumph.

Seeing the remarkable results achieved by the submarine under his command, Shen Honglie could not help but wear an expression of unrestrained elation.
After taking a few deep breaths to steady his surging emotions, he turned to the officers and men inside the control room, issuing an order with a resolute and urgent tone: "Very well, we must withdraw rapidly now!"
"Dive to a depth of forty meters immediately and clear this area!" His face grew stern. "Otherwise, once the enemy fleet regains its composure, they will surely attack us with depth charges!"

At this moment, the Phantom-class submarine Number One had no spare torpedoes left and was effectively stripped of all combat capability.
If they lingered here any longer, discovery by the enemy would be inevitable.

Meanwhile, the remaining Phantom-class submarines continued their assault until their torpedoes were entirely exhausted, whereupon they regrouped and slowly withdrew from the waters.
They left behind a heavily battered and still-burning enemy Third Fleet.
Across the vast expanse of the sea, the wreckage of warships and enemy sailors trapped amidst heavy fuel oil littered the surface.
At the same time, the enemy destroyer squadrons frantically scoured the area for attackers while attempting to rescue the struggling survivors in the water.

In this engagement, the twenty submarines commanded by Shen Honglie had fought fiercely for nearly two hours, emerging virtually unscathed while securing a devastating victory.
The enemy Third Fleet's flagship, the battleship Fuso, along with the battleship Chōtei, had been sent to the bottom, while the battleship Ōya suffered severe damage and was rendered virtually combat-ineffective.
The Fuso-class battleship Taifū was also critically damaged, the armored cruiser Unan was completely lost, and two of her sister ships suffered severe destruction.
In addition, three light cruisers and two destroyers were sunk.
When added to the vessels damaged earlier during daylight, the losses inflicted upon the enemy Third Fleet were catastrophic, leaving them practically powerless to mount any further offensive against the Nanshan Fortress.

As the morning light dawned over Kyoto, Second Lieutenant General Jiro Saburo, holding the post of Navy Minister—though merely a puppet of the House of Peers—still commanded a position coveted by many politicians.
Jiro Saburo had begun reviewing the day's documents as early as five o'clock, maintaining a stern and diligent demeanor.
However, just as he was engrossed in his reading, Rear Admiral Miki hurried into the room.
The rear admiral's face was ashen and he was breathing heavily, clearly bearing urgent news.
Without waiting for Jiro Saburo to inquire, he reported immediately:
"Your Excellency, the Navy Minister, a disaster has occurred! Our Third Fleet stationed at Blue Island has been attacked by the Chengyun military forces! The losses are unimaginably severe!"

Upon hearing this, Jiro Saburo's face instantly drained of color. He furrowed his brows deeply and asked in disbelief: "How can that be! What has happened? Give me the details!"

Rear Admiral Miki swiftly handed over a telegram, explaining anxiously: "Your Excellency, this is the final transmission sent by the Fuso before she went down!"

Jiro Saburo took the telegram, his eyes scanning the text with terrifying speed.
When he finished reading, his complexion turned even more ghastly, and sweat poured like rain down his forehead.
The once energetic Navy Minister suddenly appeared to have aged many years in a single instant; his body trembled involuntarily, and his entire presence seemed to be rapidly collapsing.

Seeing the trembling and enraged state of the minister, Rear Admiral Miki asked anxiously, his face etched with worry: "Your Excellency, are you well?"

Yet Jiro Saburo appeared entirely deaf to Miki's concern, muttering repeatedly to himself: "How could this happen? How can their submarine force possibly be this formidable?"
His voice carried shock and incomprehension, his eyes revealing a profound terror.
Even as he spoke, he struck the tea table before him in rage, roaring: "Those damned intelligence agencies! Didn't they assure us that we had complete mastery over the military movements of the Dongfang Dynasty?"
His voice grew louder, his agitation mounting: "How could there be such a colossal oversight! They should all go commit seppuku before the Emperor! They are all good for nothing!"

Rear Admiral Miki could only lower his head in silence, lacking the courage to interject as a heavy, oppressive tension hung in the air.
With the rapid expansion of the adversary's navy, their intelligence apparatus had swollen into a massive center of power.

Yet Miki had no desire to become entangled in the bitter feuds between the two leadership factions. He understood all too well the cruelty of such political maneuvering and feared being dragged down by a single misstep.

After the Navy Minister finished venting his furious tirade for nearly five minutes, his voice finally subsided, and he said heavily: "Summon the Chief of the Navy General Staff here immediately!" The losses suffered by the Third Fleet were too immense for him to bear alone.
Resolving this crisis demanded formidable naval backing—specifically the intervention of the revered father of the navy and member of the House of Peers, Ōno Hyōe.

With a grim expression, the Navy Minister ordered his adjutant: "Quickly telephone the Chief of the General Staff and tell him to accompany me to Your Excellency Ōno's residence!" The adjutant acknowledged the command and rushed off to execute it.

Without delay, the Navy Minister set out for Ōno Hyōe's estate.
By the time he arrived at the statesman's mansion, Admiral Saionji Kojirō had already reached the premises.

Despite his deep anxiety, Jiro Saburo offered a polite greeting: "Councilor Ōno, I deeply apologize for disturbing you at such an early hour."
Although Ōno Hyōe struggled to maintain a calm facade, he could not entirely conceal the worry in his eyes as he replied gently: "No apologies are necessary. We are all striving for the sake of our navy."
Clearly, he was already aware of the contents of the telegram.

Amidst the tense atmosphere of the gathering, Admiral Saionji Kojirō asked in a steady, resonant voice: "Mr. Minister, are the losses sustained by the Dynasty's Third Fleet truly as severe as reported?"
As the decorated general who had once led the imperial fleet to victory over the Bear Dynasty's armada, Saionji Kojirō was regarded as the spiritual pillar of the navy.
He had witnessed firsthand the service's evolution from a modest coastal escort force into a world-class naval power.

At this moment, unease and stern resolution flickered in his eyes. He understood that encountering such a devastating blow precisely as they prepared to challenge the global maritime hegemony, if mishandled, could completely shatter the future of the navy.

The telegram revealed not only the loss of numerous capital ships but also casualties among a great multitude of middle and high-ranking commanders.
According to the roster, this represented nearly half of the navy's young and ambitious officer corps—an undoubtedly catastrophic blow to the fleet!

Having listened to the reports, Jiro Saburo's expression darkened further. He lowered his head in deep thought, confirming the tragic news in a heavy tone: "The reports have been confirmed. Multiple capital ships of the Third Fleet have been sent to the bottom."