Empire Conquest-Chapter 769 - 57: Advancement and Retreat Without Basis

Local time on the evening of September 12, east of the Oakland Islands, "Wujiang" class submarine.

Like the "Han River" submarine that had fired the first shot of the Boss Bay War by launching a cruise missile in Boss Bay a month ago, "Wujiang" belonged to the "Nanjiang" class, as the seventh vessel of its class. The only difference was that "Wujiang" was not equipped with a Vertical Launch System for firing cruise missiles.

For submarines operating in the Sunset Ocean, the presence of a Vertical Launch System was not of significant consequence.

Inside the command center, more than a dozen officers and soldiers were intently watching Major Ran Wenqiang, the commander, whose gaze, however, was fixed on the vertically standing information screen.

Just over ten minutes earlier, Ran Wenqiang had ordered the retraction of the towed sonar array and to ready for battle.

The enemy warships were over twenty kilometers away, and the side array sonar could capture the noise emitted by the enemy vessels without needing to use the towed sonar.

Naturally, the enemy ships were also within the range of the heavy torpedoes.

According to the original plan, unless the officials left in charge had destroyed the infrastructure in the base and activated the naval mines deployed within the harbor, they were to wait for orders from above, confirming that they had entered into a state of war with the Bulan Kingdom before they could attack the royal navy vessels of Bulan.

The officers left on standby would only act if they were at war with the Bulan Kingdom or if they were attacked by Bulan military forces.

An explosion would be the signal to start the war!

The current problem was that the Bulan Kingdom had not formally declared war on the Liangxia Empire, at least "Wujiang" had not yet received orders that it was at war with the Bulan Kingdom.

Yet, the royal navy warships of Bulan appeared outside Scapa Bay, preparing to enter the military port still controlled by the Imperial Navy.

So, should they open fire on those warships?

The contingency plan provided a solution for such a scenario, though it did not stipulate a definitive action, leaving it dependent on the actual situation.

This actual situation hinged on whether Bulan warships really invaded Scapa Bay, posed a threat to the Imperial Navy personnel left on standby, and whether it was possible to support those personnel after attacking Bulan warships and successfully retreat, ensuring the submarine’s safety.

With so many uncertainties, anyone would hesitate.

Inside Scapa Military Port, there were dozens of officers and soldiers!

If "Wujiang" revealed its position and was discovered by Bulan warships, the only choice for those remaining officers would be to surrender to the enemy after completing their mission.

Moreover, there were dozens of officers and soldiers aboard "Wujiang".

Although there were only three Bulan warships over twenty kilometers away – identified by acoustic signature as one Type 42 Destroyer and two Type 22 Escort Ships, which had not used their active sonar and had not detected the nearby "Wujiang" – "Wujiang" had a great chance of sinking all three Bulan warships in one fell swoop. However, the towed sonar had initially detected several targets; they were just too far away, dozens or even hundreds of kilometers to the east, making it impossible to determine the nature of the targets.

Nonetheless, a precise assessment was unnecessary.

That must have been the Domestic Fleet of the Bulan Royal Navy, which undoubtedly included at least one "Invincible" carrier, definitely carrying a dozen anti-submarine helicopters.

As a small carrier primarily for anti-submarine warfare, the "Invincible" class carries predominantly anti-submarine helicopters. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The "Invincible" class carries a few "Sea Harrier" aircraft only when operating far from homeland, without the support of shore-based air defense.

When conducting anti-submarine escort missions near the homeland, the "Invincible" class only carries anti-submarine helicopters.

Theoretically, the "Invincible" class could carry over twenty "Sea King" anti-submarine helicopters, deploying eight at a time in two different directions for anti-submarine search missions.

Considering the other warship-borne anti-submarine helicopters, an "Invincible" class escort fleet’s anti-submarine net could reach up to 100 nautical miles.

If there was a carrier to the east with over a dozen anti-submarine helicopters, then "Wujiang" attacking now would be tantamount to suicide.

But would it be better to wait?

Ran Wenqiang had served in the Imperial Navy for over a decade and had been a submarine commander for five years; he knew the current situation – or rather, the stakes – all too clearly.

The three lead ships, the destroyers and escort ships, were clearly scouting the way.

Obviously, the Bulan Royal Navy had already considered that the Imperial Navy’s withdrawal from Scapa Bay did not equal abandoning this vital military harbor.

There had to be submarines of the Imperial Navy outside the harbor.

Clearly, for a large attack submarine, hiding under the sea for several days, or even dozens of days, was not difficult.

The key point was that finding a lurking submarine was not so simple.

It became even more challenging with merely passive sonar.

Given the current circumstances, if those three Bulan warships used active sonar, Ran Wenqiang would not hesitate. He would launch torpedoes following the contingency plan as soon as the Bulan warships entered the 12 nautical mile actual control zone, sinking them all.

The reason was simple.

Using active sonar indicated a hostile intent, practically an attack posture, so "Wujiang" could not risk being detected and possibly attacked by remaining silent.

The problem was, the Bulan warships had not used their active sonar!

Moreover, to this date, no information had been received regarding the Bulan Kingdom formally declaring war on the Liangxia Empire.

Although the three Bulan warships had already entered the contiguous zone, the waters governed by the Imperial Navy, they had not shown any hostility.