On the first day of battle, Ban Chao made an unprecedented move and split his fleet into twenty or so different groups and sent a few of them to do battle with many of the islands under Xu Da's control. This tactic greatly confused Xu Da. Not only had Ban Chao targeted the islands, but he’d specifically chosen the island at the northern and southern extremes.
Xu Da knew that his islands couldn't hold under this amount of pressure. However, if he sent his own detachments to reinforce his islands then that would be effectively giving Ban Chao what he wanted. If he didn't address this matter soon, then it was possible for Ban Chao to pincer Xu Da in three directions.
Such tactics were not uncommon, it turned out to be an outlier on such a map as this. Xu Da quickly had a dilemma on his hands. After thinking about it a bit, he decided to retreat his forces further into his territory, and send reinforcements from there.
This maneuver took several days, and by the time he’d repelled the American forces sent to pincer him, he’d already suffered many casualties. Unfortunately, this was the best outcome he could have hoped for, given what his opponent had forced him into.
The simulation remained remarkably quiet for a few days, until Xu suddenly dedicated half of his entire fleet to a frontal assault, right up to the edge of his home defenses. He then began to bombard Ban Chao’s ships with an assortment of missiles, torpedoes, and everything else he had.
Few of these projectiles managed to hit Ban Chao’s fleet, but this offensive was more of a challenge than anything. Ban Chao could have ignored this obvious taunt, but the temptation was too overwhelming, as he was still reveling in success after his initial moves.
Xu Da had clearly expected such a move, so he moved his forces into position for combat. The first fleet was to engage with the bulk of Ban Chao’s fleet to distract them long enough for the second fleet to reach and destroy their target.
As this strategy hinged on the amount of time his first fleet could buy, Xu Da went to command the first fleet.
The two forces first met at noon, and a fierce battle in the sea and air quickly unfolded. With Xu Da and Ban Chao leading their respective forces, victory would not be swift. As the hours passed, the lives of many were lost. At the end of the day, the two forces backed off, neither side seemed to have gained an advantage.
That was, until Xu Da’s second fleet arrived at the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond, California, the largest shipbuilding yard in all of the United States at that time.
There were a few ships standing guard, but how could they compare to Xu Da’s forces? By the time Ban Chao learned of this incident, though, it was already too late.
Despite still having access to a few other shipyards, this was still quite the blow to him and his troops.
Still though, he had straws to grasp at. While Xu Da had ordered his troops to retreat back to his main force as quickly as they could, his second fleet was still on the other side of Ban Chao’s fleet.
Unwilling to let this opportunity slip by, Ban Chao sent his reserves to chase down Xu Da’s forces.
But, Xu Da hadn’t been so foolish as to believe that his men would all be able to make their way safely back to base, and had ordered them to split up on their retreat. He’d also set up multiple ambushes for Ban Chao’s ships along the way. He’d even sent the majority of the submarines in his main fleet to assist the ones returning home.
The next day of combat was one that began with Xu Da’s men full of confidence and morale. This was for many reasons. First, Ban Chao’s fleet had effectively lost access to half of their potential future reinforcements. Furthermore, the ambushes that Xu Da had set up had worked like a charm.
Perhaps the biggest though, was because he was reforming his fleet. Xu Da and his men had all noticed, over the past few days, how inefficient their ship and plane formations had been — so a change was needed.
Yet, his forces would be temporarily in disarray as he moved them around. If Ban Chao caught wind of this, he would definitely immediately attack. This was the reason Xu Da had to reform his forces in secret.
As such, Xu Da split his fleet into three, and the largest retreated from the front lines before the sun even peeked above the horizon. Xu Da had decided to reform this group first.
To buy time, Xu Da had his other two fleets launch as many smokescreens as they could in their direction, and draw the fight towards the main fleet’s directions.
Both sides had sensor technologies, sure, but they weren’t enough to tell the exact distance between two ships. At least, not to the level of accuracy for one to consistently land direct hits.
With how confusing the day’s fighting was, the day ended with few losses for either side.
Chapter 47
Battle at Phillippine Sea Part 2
Ban Chao finally realized that Xu Da was reorganizing his troops. With this in mind, Ban Chao abandoned his original plans and focused on a full offensive.
Just as his forces were about to reach Xu Da’s, though, a large smokescreen enveloped the parties involved. Then, Ban Chao heard numerous explosions coming from the ships around them.
This was unusual, considering that the ship he was in was near the back of his fleet’s forces, and normally shouldn’t have been targetable.
But then he suddenly realized what he’d overlooked. This was Xu Da’s turf, so how come Xu Da hadn’t deployed his defenses on the surrounding islands? Clearly, he’d wanted to lul Ban Chao into underestimating his forces.
And such a simple tactic had worked beautifully.
Caught by this sudden barrage, Ban Chao was slow in sending out forces to deal with these land-based forces. This period of confusion was barely enough for Xu Da to organize his biggest fleet, and it quickly made its way to the other two.. This two hour period of confusion was more than enough time for Xu Da to reorganize and the newly organized fleet was making its way back to the other fleet.
The key difference between the old fleet and the new, reorganized one, was the ease with which the ships and aircraft could harmonize with and support each other. This particular formation had been taught to Xu Da by Meng Yi, and it was quite terrifying how such a formation could utterly decimate an unprepared enemy. After just a few more moments of fighting, Ban Chao quickly realized the difference between the opposing fleet and his, and immediately moved to retreat his fleet until it was a few hundred kilometers from Xu Da’s.
Xu Da didn’t look to push his luck, and didn’t pursue Ban Chao’s retreat. Instead, he took this time to reorganize his other two fleets.
But, it was just before the last light of day that he received some unfortunate news.
“Admiral, our recon air force has been nearly wiped out.” The messenger quickly briefed Xu Da.
“Ban Chao’s work?”
“Most likely. One of the pilots was able to send us some information before his plane was downed.”
“Is Ban Chao planning a night raid? They lost three carriers today alone. Not to mention their support ships, military aircraft… shouldn’t they be looking to rebuild their forces and come up with a new strategy?”
“I wouldn't know about that sir, the pilot said that it seemed that close to a quarter of the enemy’s forces were trying to sneak their way over to the Philippines.”
“The Philippines? Hmm, we don't have any strategic positions there that should be noted… right?” Xu Da had to rack his brains for a long moment until he realized just what Ban Chao was aiming for. “Tawi Tawi, our supply depot and our secret refuelling station. Quick, how many of our ships are docked at Tawi Tawi?”
The messenger racked his brains. “I believe I heard the captain say about eight or so ships? One of them is a heavy carrier.”
“Tell the captain to take five ships and set out to pincer this fleet. Also, warn the ships at Tawi Tawi to be prepared for battle. This is likely a last-ditch attempt by Ban Chao to deal some damage to us.”
“Yes, sir.”
As the messenger rushed to carry out his
orders, Xu Da sent commands to the rest of his fleet. All submarine and aircraft units were to set out and spread out tens of kilometers into all directions. He had an inkling of an idea regarding what Ban Chao could be planning. He just needed to confirm his suspicions.
Unfortunately for Ban Chao, night raids were something Xu Da had recently spent a great deal of time on. He’d grown interested in his simulations against Meng Yi and Meng Tian, and his unique twist on them had quickly impressed his teachers. So, they’d quickly taught Xu Da the basics of night raids as well as some advanced tactics for them.
With that, Xu Da was now rather proficient in night raids.
As he’d predicted, Ban Chao’s fleet arrived, guns blazing, within the hour. This time though, the situation was different from the skirmish just hours earlier. For one, Ban Chao’s fleet was structured in a way that wouldn’t allow Xu Da’s ships or planes to escape. The light or heavy carriers, or at least what were left of them, surrounded Xu Da’s ships. Many ships were even periodically placed behind the larger ships so that even if something escaped, they could be chased down.
Another thing that was different was that given the darkness, Xu Da’s land defenses couldn’t attack Ban Chao’s ships without potentially hitting allied ones.
Thankfully, Xu Da had sent his submarines and aircraft out earlier.
With a single command, all these machines returned to the scene to flank Ban Chao’s ships and aircraft. This unexpected double barrage and torpedoes and bombs from the flank again caught Ban Chao off guard.
Although the battle raged for the entire night, by morning, the victor was clear.
The majority of Ban Chao's ships were in flames, while Xu Da still had several left to fight with. Excluding the ships at Tawi Tawi, Ban Chao was absolutely done for.
And even then, Ban Chao’s forces had failed to destroy the ships there. With the result no longer in question, Ban Chao surrendered. As everybody pulled off their helmets, they couldn’t help but feel astonished, impressed by the results. Xu Da’s growth was quite frightening — especially considering how long he’d been on planet four.
“Color me impressed, Xu Da.” Said Baron. ” You have improved quite a bit. Those mentors of yours sure know their stuff. Is there any chance we’d be able to invite them to our next round of simulations? I didn’t see them in our last tournament.”
Xu Da shook his head. “These two are just a step away from being masters, what use would they have for a few measly silver coins?”
“That's true, any master can earn hundreds of times by competing in official tournaments.” Baron thought about it. “Would you be able to invite them over, Xu Da?”
Guan Yu interjected. “I think I speak for the rest of us when I say we'd all like to meet Meng Yi and Meng Tian, and perhaps exchange a few blows if possible. It's not every day that we are able to find worthy opponents.”
“I don’t know… the two of them like to stick to themselves. Hell, they even left their old faction just because they disliked the people there — and that faction included people such as their father and grandfather.”
“Please try, Xu Da.” Baron implored. “This could be a great chance for all of us to improve. We trust your skill, but these two may be geniuses that we could learn a great deal from.”
“Alright, but I'll warn you. I still haven't paid these two for their service. So… that may end up being a factor in their decision.”
“Just payment?” Baron chuckled. “Give them my regards and tell them I have a proposal that might benefit all of us greatly.”
“You got it.”
The next few days went by relatively quietly as the Under One Banner faction anticipated the return of Xu Da and potentially, the arrival of the Meng brothers.
These two had their family name, Meng, tattooed on their left arms. Though they looked like thugs due to their statures, they exuded confidence and intelligence. They were the genius Meng brothers, Meng Tian and Meng Yi.
Meng Tian introduced himself. “Hello there, fellow Chinamen. How do you do. I am Meng Tian, and this is my brother, Meng Yi.”
“Greetings esteemed masters. I am Baron, and I'm sure Xu Da has told you about me. Have you given any thought to my proposal?”
Meng Tian nodded. “Yes, I hear you have quite the library of blueprints in your head. I would like to see if there is anything of interest to me.”
“Excellent, will it just be the two of us, or will your brother be joining us?”
“Just you and me. Meng Yi, go ahead and have a few sims against these guys. This could take quite a while.”
Yue Fei and Guan Yu both approached Meng Yi for a simulation match, and Meng Yi decided that it was best if the two teamed up against him. Guan Yu and Yue Fei were the best aerial strategists in Under One Banner, yet they had no idea how big the gap between them and a master was.
This would be the perfect test for their abilities.
Chapter 48
The Deal
Without knowing more about Meng Tian, Baron wasn’t sure how the deal would go. But, he took a chance and spoke as the two sat down.
“Master Meng Tian, I sincerely thank you and your brother for taking the time out of your busy lifestyle to mentor Xu Da. His growth has been quite incredible.”
“It’s not too big a deal. I have heard about you, though. Rumors have been spreading for quite a while now.”
Baron blinked twice. “There are too many rumors floating around for me to keep track of them. Which ones might you be talking about?”
Meng Tian couldn’t help but smirk. “Oh, there’s loads out there. For example, how you managed to best elder Yue Fei in your first simulation. Although he was going easy on you, that’s still quite the feat.”
“Ha, you flatter me. There was a bit of luck involved in that.”
Meng Tian continued. “You're being too modest. There are also rumors of you planning on creating a faction that involves two elders. Seeing as Guan Yu and Yue Fei are out there challenging my younger brother, I suppose that rumor is more or less confirmed. Tell me though, who is going to lead the faction?”
“Han Xin and Yue Fei will be co-leaders. Guan Yu will be an advisor of sorts.”
Meng Tian leaned forward, gazing into Baron’s eyes. “I'm quite surprised that Guan Yu and Yue Fei would even consider joining a faction, let alone be interested in creating one. Whoever convinced them must have had quite the bargaining chip.”
Baron knew what Meng Tian was getting at, but decided to play dumb. “What you say is true. Sorry to disappoint you but much of that credit has to go to Han Xin. He is a longtime friend of both Guan Yu and Yue Fei, and so they were glad to join.”
Meng Tian wasn’t having any of it, though. “Oh is that so? I see, I had thought that it was you that had started this whole thing. Enlighten me, what’s to be the official name of your faction, assuming you win the tournament?”
“Under One Banner.”
If possible, Meng Tian seemed to lean in even closer.” Oh? With a name like that it seems you guys have an even deeper meaning behind your name.”
“What could you possibly mean?” Baron asked, feigning ignorance.
After staring at Baron a while longer, Meng Tian finally relaxed and leaned back in his chair. “Fine, keep your secrets, if that's what you want. I'm here today to work out a deal with you.”
Baron nodded. “Yes, we still need to compensate you for Xu Da’s lessons. I assume you aren’t interested in coins?”
“Perceptive. My brother and I prefer blueprints to coins. We deal with aerial sims most of the time so if you could give us the radio blueprint that you gave Xu Da and something else of comparable value, we can call it even.”
“How direct.”
“Even with an eternity to live, time is still a poor currency to waste.”
“Well said. Well, the radio will not be a problem. However, there is something I have that will pique your interest, but you will have to do something else for us wh
en the time comes.”
“Oh? And what is this blueprint you speak of?”
“A radar tower, along with radar technology small enough to put into any aircraft.”
Baron’s words brought Meng Tian to his feet. “You have something so precious? I'm not even sure anyone else within the Chinese community has the latter. How did you come by such a treasure?”
“Back on Earth, they called me the Wikipedia of warfare.”
"...I don’t know what that means.”
“I know the inner workings of many, many instruments of war. More so than anyone else of my time. Probably.”
“Interesting… So what do you want me to pay for this blueprint? I’m sure you understand its worth.”
“I-We. We want you to participate in the Faction Selection Tournament with us, as well as train us for a few decades. After that, you will be free to leave our faction, if you wish. What do you say? You might even learn one or two of our secrets.”
"...We will need time to consider your offer.”
Baron nodded and stood up. “Take your time. You will have until your brother finishes his simulation with my colleagues to decide. Speaking of which, Xu Da will take my place as your company. I would really like to see how our best aerial strategists compare to your brother. Please, excuse my absence.”
Baron left the room while Xu Da took his place.
Xu Da couldn’t help but be nervous. After all, he was the cause for the meeting. “What are your thoughts on this?”
Meng Tian sighed. “Just as you said, he has quite the interesting blueprints. He knew just what to offer for me to cave in to his demands. In this case though, he was that our trade benefitted me slightly more than he, so that I would be in debt despite the apparently equal trade. Quite the negotiator, he is.”
“Yes, he does know how to bargain. So what do you say? Are you in?”
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