Chapter 11: The Two Tigers Plan (4)

  Article 4

  From the South China Sea, west of the Strait of Malacca into the Indian Ocean's Andaman Sea, 640 kilometers ahead there is a north-south island chain lying in front, this is the vanguard base for the Indian Navy to dominate the Bay of Bengal and spy on the South China Sea - the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

  This 750-kilometer-long chain of islands stretches north across the Preparis Channel from Myanmar's Nagisa Cape, south across the Great Strait to Sumatra in Indonesia, and east overlooking the entire Malacca Strait, like an iron chain locking the western entrance of the narrow Malacca Strait.

  Since 1789, when the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were occupied by Britain, this place has been regarded as the key to the Indian Ocean. Unlike the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, the Indian Ocean is vast, with few islands in between, making the straits that enter and exit the Indian Ocean particularly strategically important.

  In the 18th century, Britain controlled the strategic nodes of Suez Canal, Strait of Hormuz, Mandeb Strait, Malacca Strait and Lombok Strait to dominate the Indian Ocean, building it into a vast "British Lake". India, which has been ambitious to inherit the Far Eastern sphere of influence of the "Empire on which the sun never sets" since its independence in 1947, designated the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a centrally administered territory as a strategic springboard for defending the Indian Ocean and expanding eastward.

  The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have a winding coastline with many bays, among which the natural conditions of Port Cornwallis in North Andaman Island, Elphinstone Harbour and Mayabunder Port in Middle Andaman Island, and Blair Port in South Andaman Island are superior, all of which are ideal naval bases for the Indian Navy.

  The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been considered India's "Pearl Harbour" by the Indian Navy, becoming a strategic outpost for India to expand its maritime dominance. However, it is an extravagant affair for impoverished India to build a modern naval base in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 1225 km from the easternmost port city of Kolkata on the mainland.

  It wasn't until the 1970s that the Indian Navy undertook a major expansion of the main naval dockyard at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In 1987, a 30,000-ton floating dry dock was acquired from Japan, and deep-water berths capable of accommodating large naval vessels were built. However, it can only accommodate naval vessels up to 8,000 tons and cannot accommodate any of the four aircraft carriers of the Indian Navy.

  In a modernized fleet, without the protection of an aircraft carrier and its air wing, it is impossible to cope with ocean-going combat missions that are beyond the reach of shore-based aviation. For navies with conventionally powered aircraft carriers, the lack of forward supply ports is also a fatal flaw. The Indian Navy, which has consistently continued the Soviet naval ideology, is not unaware of the problems it faces, but after years of exhausting its military strength and emphasizing heavy weaponry over basic construction, does the Indian government have any spare money to build large deep-water port areas?

  "If I had to choose a battlefield, I would rather fight the Chinese Navy at the western end of the Malacca Strait than order my fleet to enter the strait or venture into the South China Sea." As the Indian government has deployed the INS Rajiv Gandhi, a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier formerly known as Gorshkov, and the indigenous INS Vikramaditya, a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier, to its Eastern Fleet, the Indian Navy has formed a formidable force west of Malacca, posing an overwhelming advantage over the combined ASEAN navies.

  But Admiral Tabrez, commander of the Indian Navy's Far Eastern Fleet, still hopes to wait for the Chinese Navy to cross the Malacca Strait and enter the Andaman Sea to fight a decisive battle. "Only then do we have a chance to win." Unlike those foolish bureaucrats in New Delhi, Tabrez, who has been stationed in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for many years, knows the true strength of the Chinese Navy.

  However, it is clear that the Chinese Navy does not have a plan to go west. The "Shanghai" nuclear-powered mother ship, which played a key role in the battle for Java Island, has now returned north and is anchored in Hong Kong.

  During the 5-day stay in Hong Kong, most of the sailors and pilots on board "Shanghai" were allowed to go ashore for rest. However, all the damage control, maintenance, and deck personnel on board were required to immediately engage in repair and maintenance work on the warship and carrier-based aircraft. It wasn't until the secret southern East Sea Fleet's base maintenance team arrived that they were able to take a 1-day rotation off.

  "Time waits for no man!" Xu Jie, a senior colonel who had not left the warship for several days, looked at the construction schedule and carefully calculated every hour. "In fact, the Japanese Combined Fleet at Midway was defeated by the rapid repair of the USS Yorktown by American shipbuilders." Ma Lan, a lieutenant colonel who had spent the entire morning helping to inspect and repair the command system on the bridge, walked into the cabin with two bottles of mineral water, while the cooks on board had already been allowed to take leave and go ashore. For several days, all Chinese military personnel on duty had been eating boxed meals transported from Hong Kong.

  "It's a bit of a sight. No way, the central government has to maintain the 'Beijing' pressure on Japan. Only the 'Shanghai' and 'Jiangsu' can be put into battle." Colonel Xu Jie said while opening the bottle cap. "Actually, the maintenance and upkeep of warships can be completed on schedule, but the gap left by the loss of excellent pilots in sea battles cannot be filled in a short period of time."

  There are only a limited number of excellent carrier-based aircraft pilots in the young Chinese naval aviation. Especially in the "East China Sea Arrow" squadron of the 47th Fighter Jet of the People's Liberation Army Navy, this squadron has nearly 1 casualty rate in combat.

  "2, even squadron leader Liu Qingzheng was shot down and is still missing," continued Ma Lan.

  "Yes! I was just about to discuss this with you. I've already contacted the East Sea Fleet and they agreed to dispatch a team of technical personnel from Jiangsu and Nanjing Military Academy's Aeronautics and Astronautics College. They will arrive in Hong Kong within two days, and on their way back to Shanghai, we can conduct training." Xu Jie nodded slightly in response.

  The war-torn city center of Jakarta, the fierce street fighting is finally nearing its end. The Chinese Expeditionary Force has already controlled most areas of this city that has been baptized by blood and fire many times.

  Among the ruins, no one can imagine that this was once the Jakarta Raya Hotel, a gathering place for JI.

  On the road, Di Qing looked at his Indonesian Chinese soldiers sitting on the ground waiting for the next attack order. These boys learned quickly in the urban warfare that had been going on for almost a week.

  They basically mastered the "four teams and one group" tactics of street fighting born in the Northeast Liberation War, more importantly, they already have a brave heart as a soldier.

  "Thanks a lot!" Di Qing turned to Liu Qingzheng, who was smoking on the side. Due to the lack of heavy firepower cover from ground-based weapons, the Chinese People's National Defense Army arranged for air support guides in each unit of Indonesian-Chinese troops, so that they could call in air support from the J-13H (Chinese improved version of the Russian Yak-141M) vertical takeoff and landing fighter jets deployed by the Chinese Navy Marine Corps at any time.

  Liu Qingzheng had just returned to the North China coast and joined Di Qing's troops as an airborne support guide. As a pilot himself, Liu Qingzheng provided accurate and ruthless firepower guidance.

  "Nothing! I'm taking a plane back tonight." Liu Qingzheng was somewhat excited at the thought of returning to his comrades soon.