Chapter 1326 Set sail
At four o'clock in the morning, a layer of gray-white fog shrouded the surface of the Yangtze River in Chongqing in late autumn.
This fog was not entirely natural; it was a mixture of gunpowder smoke drifting from the north, the dampness of the river, and the deepest chill before dawn. It was thick and sticky, reducing visibility to less than 100 meters.
The beams of searchlight struggled to pass through, scattered into blurry, hazy streaks of light that fragmented the dock, the silhouettes of boats, and the busy figures of people into disjointed pieces.
After nearly eight hours of intense, almost non-stop work, the tracks of the last batch of 04A infantry fighting vehicles finally rolled steadily onto the wide gangway of the "Changjiang Fenjin" roll-on/roll-off ship, and were put into place with the sound of the hydraulic fixing device locking.
The accompanying infantry and support personnel had already been settled in the designated cabins and deck areas.
The massive gantry crane completed its final lift—several sealed containers filled with precision instruments and spare ammunition were securely placed in the designated reinforced area on the flatbed barge.
The dock dispatcher waved signal flags and shouted loudly, his voice sounding somewhat distorted by the fog and the roar of diesel engines.
The cacophony of metal clanging, engine roars, and shouts from the loading and unloading operations gradually subsided, leaving only the gentle lapping of the river against the hull and dock piles, and the distant sounds...
The dull, oppressive rumble of cannons seemed to never stop.
Ugh!
A long, deep, resonant whistle, carrying the vibrations of water vapor, suddenly ripped through the silence and thick fog of the early morning!
On top of the bridge of the "Yangtze River Endeavour," a huge whistle spews out plumes of white steam, announcing that this giant ship, carrying steel and mission, is about to set sail.
Immediately afterwards, the other roll-on/roll-off ships, flatbed barges, and small tugboats and armed speedboats that were moored alongside also sounded their horns.
Waaaaahh ...
The sound of ship horns rose and fell, echoing across the wide river, crashing against the sleeping mountains on both banks, and then returning, creating a deep and magnificent resonance.
The sound was full of industrial power, but also carried a sense of desolation as it headed towards an unknown battlefield.
"Unmoor the cable! Retrieve the gangplank!"
"Attention all vessels, maintain distance and depart at low speed according to the pre-arranged sequence!"
The order was transmitted rapidly via the ship's high-frequency radio.
The heavy nylon rope was untied from the mooring bollard and fell into the murky river water with a splash, where it was quickly retrieved by the sailors.
The heavy steel gangway connecting the ship and the shore was slowly raised and retracted under the drive of a hydraulic device, completely separating it from the dock.
The massive hull of the "Yangtze River Endeavor" shuddered slightly, and the main propellers began to operate at low speed, stirring up large clumps of churning river water below the stern.
With the careful and powerful pushing and towing of several tugboats, the 5,000-ton roll-on/roll-off ship, like a giant beast slowly awakening, began to move away from its berth very slowly, bit by bit, turning its blunt, rounded bow downstream, towards the fog-shrouded waterway leading to the eastern battlefield.
The fleet, like a silent and massive ghostly ship, began to creep.
At this moment, Han Feng, wearing a heavy military overcoat, stood on the open-air observation platform on the side of the bridge on the highest level of the "Yangtze River Endeavor" ship, surrounded by two guards.
The river wind, carrying the biting chill of early morning and a strong fishy smell, rushed towards him, blowing the hem of his coat and the graying strands of hair at his temples.
He gripped the cold metal railing tightly with both hands, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
Beneath our feet, we felt the steady yet powerful tremor of tons of steel carrying hundreds of elite soldiers and countless deadly weapons as they cleaved through the ancient Yangtze River.
The tremor traveled through the deck, through his bones, and all the way to his heart.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze piercing through the churning river mist before him, fixed on the northwest direction—that was the main urban area of Chongqing.
Despite the dense fog and the distance severely obstructing the view, the sky appeared a sickly, constantly flickering dark red.
It was as if there was a wound that would never heal, constantly oozing blood and burning.
BOOM!!
Occasionally, a particularly violent explosion occurs, with an orange-red fireball suddenly expanding and briefly illuminating a billowing cloud of smoke, even vaguely outlining the tattered and distorted silhouette of the distant city skyline.
The dull rumble, like the unwilling gasps of a dying beast, continued relentlessly, intertwining with the sound of the river waves below and the low hum of the ship's engines, creating an eerie and heavy background soundscape of war.
The war taking place in Chongqing is completely different from the battles he remembered that were fought by sheer willpower and sheer numbers.
The war here is a brutal struggle between information, steel, firepower, and mutated flesh and blood in every inch of ruins.
He could imagine the fierce battles taking place right now in those burning streets, collapsed buildings, and dark underground networks.
Meanwhile, his 6th Army quietly passed the edge of this inferno and headed towards another equally unknown and perhaps equally brutal battlefield.
A complex emotion churned within him.
There was a subtle excitement about proving oneself on the new battlefield, a mix of expectation and pressure regarding the performance of this brand-new force in its first battle, and concerns about the complex situation in the Nanjing war zone...
But at this moment, what resonates most is an almost instinctive empathy and solemnity as a soldier facing a similarly arduous and extraordinary battle waged by his comrades.
After a full day and night of intense artillery fire, the artillery fire from the direction of Chongqing seemed to have entered a period of fatigue.
The continuous roaring sound became less frequent, and the frequency of the flashing firelight also decreased significantly.
But this is by no means the calm of victory; it is more like a brief respite before the storm, or both sides licking their wounds and gathering strength in preparation for the next, bloodier clash.
"Reporting to the Commander."
Major General Xiang Qidong, the chief of staff, appeared behind him at some point. Unlike him, Xiang Qidong was dressed neatly in his military overcoat.
"The escort ship commander has just confirmed the formation's position and speed. Our fleet is currently being led by the 'Jiangzhou' frigate as the command ship and forward escort."
Xiang Qidong paused, then added:
"The 'Jiangzhou' is a Type 053H3 ship with a standard displacement of 2250 tons. Its main armament consists of a twin-mounted 100mm main gun, four twin-mounted 37mm automatic anti-aircraft guns, and two quadruple launchers for YJ-83 anti-ship missiles. It is also equipped with anti-submarine rockets and lightweight torpedoes."
"The ship was launched in 50 and has only been in service for less than 7 years. It is a very new ship. It was given to our theater navy by comrades from the Eastern Theater Command. The captain is an old river defense veteran with rich experience."
