Chapter 26

Chen Fei and his comrades, facing the疯狂涌入的 Japanese army, could only rely on the buildings to shoot. The Japanese army did not care that they were already surrounded; they only wanted to eliminate the marines in the fortress at all costs.

Chen Fei was now hiding behind a window, shooting at the Japanese soldiers. Through the window, Chen Fei saw many Japanese soldiers had already passed his position and were rushing behind him. He realized he was surrounded.

At that moment, the door was slammed open, and a Japanese soldier rushed in, bayonet at the ready. Chen Fei turned his gun and fired, the bullet piercing through the Japanese soldier's chest, causing a spray of blood. Soon, the second and third soldiers rushed in. Chen Fei had a habit of counting the remaining bullets in his magazine. He knew he was out of bullets and didn't have time to reload. He threw the rifle away.

The Japanese soldier deflected the rifle with his bayonet, and it clattered against the wall. Taking advantage of this moment, Chen Fei leaped in front of the Japanese soldier like lightning, drew his combat knife, and slashed his neck. The cut cleanly severed the vocal cords and carotid artery, so the Japanese soldier didn't even have time to scream. Blood splattered all over Chen Fei's face.

Blood covered his eyes, and the world turned red. In this red haze, a Japanese soldier appeared at the door. Chen Fei instinctively pounced on him. The Japanese soldier had never seen such quick movements and was stunned, giving Chen Fei the chance to stab him in the heart.

Chen Fei suddenly felt a jolt in his body and involuntarily took a few steps back. He knew he had been hit. At this moment, another Japanese soldier rushed in, without a bayonet on his gun. Seeing Chen Fei hit, he didn't even bother to reload, instead discarding his gun and drawing a katana to slash at Chen Fei.

In modern warfare, the role of a combat knife is no longer for close combat, so the marines' knives were very short. As the Chinese martial arts saying goes, "An inch longer, an inch stronger." Chen Fei dared not resist and turned to dodge, but he forgot he had been hit, and his movement was much slower.

The katana struck his shoulder heavily, and Chen Fei fell to the ground with a thud. Before falling, he pulled the Japanese soldier down with him. Seeing an opportunity, Chen Fei tried to slash his neck with his combat knife, but the knife felt incredibly heavy, and he couldn't lift it.

The Japanese soldier knelt on him, raised his katana, and was about to stab Chen Fei in the chest. Chen Fei knew he was about to die. In that moment, he suddenly thought of Matsushima Keiko, her pitiful appearance, and her captivating eyes...

At that moment, the Qing army's cavalry charged in and shot the Japanese soldier dead.

The rain had cleared, and the sky seemed brighter than ever. The carrier-based aircraft took off and retaliated with a bombing raid on Pyongyang.

Under the encirclement of the Qing army's cavalry, the Japanese army attacking Mount Mudan was completely annihilated. The Japanese forces in Pyongyang, having lost their elite combat units, retreated into the city and refused to surrender. At this time, Ye Zhichao received a telegram from Li Hongzhang about a ceasefire and negotiations. Although he found it strange, he never imagined it was Lin Yuan's doing. Thus, Ye Zhichao led the Qing army to camp outside Pyongyang.

A helicopter landed outside Mount Mudan, picking up Lin Yuan and the marines, along with the bodies of seventeen marines.

A somber atmosphere enveloped the Beijing ship. Although many did not know the fallen marines, they were all comrades-in-arms, and everyone felt deep sorrow.

Shen Wanqing was walking on the deck, and a member of the Confidential Affairs Section was monitoring her from a distance. It was more like companionship than surveillance. Even if Shen Wanqing were an enemy spy, with the Beijing ship back in the past, she had no way to leak state secrets.

Shen Wanqing saw Lin Yuan standing alone by the railing, leaning against it and gazing quietly at the sea.

She knew that over a dozen comrades had been lost, and Xu Feng was still missing. As the planner of the operation, Lin Yuan must be deeply saddened. For some reason, she wanted to comfort him.

She walked up to him but didn't know how to start. After much thought, she finally said, "Do you have a moment?"

She was afraid he would coldly reject her.

In the cool sea breeze, a fragrance suddenly wafted over. He knew she was behind him but felt he had no face to turn and look at her. He was afraid she would stand for a while and then silently leave. Hearing her ask, he felt a sense of relief.

He turned and smiled, "Let's chat for a bit."

Shen Wanqing smiled sweetly and said, "I've always wanted to ask, why did you take me to the Japanese warship back then?"

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "I was worried you were a foreign spy and had some secret connection with the Japanese warship. I couldn't figure out what the secret was, so I decided to take you on the ship to see if I could find any clues. But I found nothing, so I realized I was overthinking it. There was nothing between you and the Japanese."

Shen Wanqing laughed and said, "So I'm cleared of suspicion. I have another question. With our fleet's strength, we could have sunk all the Japanese warships. Why did you go to such lengths to persuade them to surrender?"

Lin Yuan said, "That's the core of my plan, which I considered when we returned to the past. Our comprehensive supply ship didn't come with us, meaning the aircraft carrier has no fuel or ammunition. The Beijing ship is nuclear-powered, so it doesn't need fuel, but the over seventy carrier-based aircraft do. If the fuel runs out, the aircraft can't take off, and we lose our combat capability.

"Our carrier-based aircraft are strong, but our ammunition is limited, and we have no way to replenish it. So, I wanted to form our own escort fleet, and the Japanese Combined Fleet is the best choice. Although the Japanese warships that participated in the First Sino-Japanese War were quickly phased out after the war, they are still a good choice for us.

"The food on the carrier is even more limited. Without resupply, we can last at most twenty days. Our soldiers can't stay at sea forever, so we need a home port. Port Arthur and Weihaiwei are our best choices. So, I thought that by capturing this Japanese fleet, we would have the capital to offer to the Qing court. We can dock at these ports and use our advanced technology to build a new, strong China!"

As Lin Yuan spoke, his expression suddenly darkened. "It's also because of this that I decided to attack the Japanese forces on the Korean Peninsula. But I never expected such heavy casualties. It's all my fault, and I plan to resign."

Shen Wanqing quickly said, "It's not your fault. If anyone is to blame, it's the Qing government and the Japanese. You should be leading everyone to take revenge, not blaming yourself!"

Lin Yuan blushed and said, "You're right. What I should do now is boost everyone's morale and unite them to build the strongest China!"

Seeing Lin Yuan like this, Shen Wanqing smiled and said, "How do you know people can't live at sea forever? Have you seen 'The Legend of 1900'?"

Lin Yuan was taken aback, not understanding why she mentioned the movie. He had seen it, where the main character lived his entire life on a ship. He replied, "I've seen it."

Shen Wanqing smiled brightly and said, "I haven't seen it yet." Without waiting for Lin Yuan to respond, she turned and walked away. Lin Yuan watched her slender figure and smiled. Then he quickly walked to the command room, where the greatest plan was about to unfold!

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