On the flagships of the Chinese and American navies, Zhang Jianjun, Commander of the 5th Fleet of the Asian Coalition Navy, looked at the chart. Three hundred nautical miles away, Nimitz, Commander of the US Pacific 1st Fleet, punched the chart on his table. The two commanders issued the same order in Chinese and English respectively: "Begin the second wave of attack!"

The naval admirals of both China and the United States shared the same view: regardless of tonnage, ships in modern naval warfare were consumables. Compared to the previous naval battle, the radio interference technology employed this time allowed carrier-based aircraft to damage various enemy warships. In the next engagement, the opponent would certainly summarize the experience from this battle and develop newer countermeasures, so the tactics prepared this time would inevitably be countered to some extent. Since the latest means of both sides could still exert maximum efficiency at this stage, there was absolutely no reason to call a retreat before the combat power of the carrier formations was exhausted.

The carrier-based aircraft formations of the Chinese and American navies had long been awaiting orders. As the signal flags were raised, the fully loaded fighters started their engines and began to taxi and take off along the noticeably less crowded decks.

This time, the US military chose a direct attack. Under the surveillance of air search radar, any curved flight path had little practical significance. The purpose of the US military's curved route last time was merely to avoid direct air combat with Chinese carrier-based aircraft. At this stage, the means of both Chinese and US forces were clear, and it was time to clash in the air.

The American carrier-based pilots, ready for combat, did not see the Chinese fighter formations performing guard duties in the air until they flew near the Chinese aircraft carriers. This surprised the American pilots greatly. Had China not sent out a second wave of attacks?

Just then, the commander of the US attack formation received a telegram from the US carrier: "Enemy second wave attack has arrived near the formation."

The US attack formation commander ordered fiercely, "Prepare for battle! Make those Chinese homeless!"

"Sink the US carriers!" The voice of the commander of the Chinese second wave attack formation was filled with murderous intent.

Aluminum foil, thrown out by the fighters, danced in the wind like snowflakes at an altitude of several thousand meters. Chinese and American pilots flew through the gaps in the dense but no longer precise anti-aircraft fire, which created clusters of exploding shell smoke, and charged towards their planned targets.

This time, the fighters responsible for guarding their respective fleets did not immediately join the battle. Air search radars, having lost their continuous tracking ability, could not form an efficient air defense network. Neither the Chinese nor the American navy was helpless; instead, they adopted a countermeasure of making up for lack of precision with quantity.

The enemy air force was not here for a stroll; to complete their mission, they inevitably had to cut into the air defense fire net. At this stage, the air defense fire net would be used to weaken the enemy's combat power first. When the air defense fire switched to close-range shooting, the fighters would then join the fray. Otherwise, the powerful fire net, unable to accurately distinguish friend from foe, would accidentally injure a large number of friendly fighters.

The fighters in the second wave of attack formations of both China and the US dodged various anti-aircraft fire like butterflies flitting through flowers. Fighter after fighter circled, dived, and pulled up, performing various extreme maneuvers. Many of the anti-aircraft munitions streaking across the sky were tracer rounds added to test ballistics or signal commands.

The different colored lights were very conspicuous amidst the smoke screens released by the fleets. A large number of inconspicuous anti-aircraft shells and bullets formed a large net of death, shrouding the incoming enemy aircraft groups. Whether the fish would die or the net would break, both the Chinese and American armies were using lives as the price, attempting to deal a fatal blow to the enemy.

The carrier-based pilots were all blood boiling at this moment, with no thought of life or death in their minds. As the top fighter pilots in the military, every one of them knew very well that thinking about life and death in battle would only lead to a faster death. Many pilots understood this level through reason, while more pilots relied on intuition—once the battle began, considerations of life and death would not even surface in their minds.

In an extremely short time, the pilots who avoided the enemy's anti-aircraft fire charged into the medium-range circle. Every pilot was ready to engage the enemy pilots, and in the blink of an eye, they began to circle or kill with the enemy aircraft pouncing on them. While the fighters were entangled together, the pilots burdened with bombing missions began the final stage of the attack.

Whether dive bombers or level bombers, they all became targets for anti-aircraft machine guns. Bomber pilots had to find bombing angles while dodging the dense rain of bullets, leaving no room in their hearts to consider life and death.

As the bombing unfolded, reports of damaged warships came one after another in the fleet communications of both China and the US.

The second wave of attacks ended quickly. In the Asian Coalition's carrier battle group, four aircraft carriers were already emitting thick smoke and fierce fire. Before the war, the Chinese National Defense Force internally emphasized that the US military was by no means the "young master soldiers" blathered about in Chinese newspapers. Facts proved that the National Defense Force's judgment was correct.

The Chinese Air Force was not afraid of death in battle, and neither was the US Air Force. American pilots who were afraid of death could not have been selected for the carrier air wings. The US military was well-trained and technologically advanced, and the attack angles of their dive bombers were extremely tricky. Even in the face of the Chinese fleet's powerful air defense fire, American fighter pilots could still find various fleeting entry points.

Fleet Commander Zhang Jianjun's expression was grim; the loss of the aircraft carriers greatly exceeded imagination. But Zhang Jianjun quickly asked, "How many fighters do we have left that can continue to be committed to the third wave of attack?"

"Commander, should we be a bit more cautious?" Chief of Staff Li Guodong suggested.

Zhang Jianjun's expression remained grim. Facing the suggestion, he answered decisively, "I don't believe the US third wave of attack can make all our carriers lose their takeoff and landing capabilities! Even if there is only one carrier left capable of takeoff and landing, after the pilots land, push the planes into the sea immediately and clear the runway! As long as the pilots are fine, we can have as many planes as we need!"

The command center instantly quieted down considerably. The staff officers knew that Zhang Jianjun was burning his boats!

No one raised an objection. As Lieutenant General Zhang Jianjun said, replenishing aircraft was not a difficult problem. Compared to pilots who had accumulated combat experience, planes were worthless!

At this time, Lieutenant General Nimitz, Commander of the US Navy's 1st Pacific Fleet, also issued the same order. At this moment, of the eight US carriers, one was heavily damaged and three were moderately damaged. Although two had been hit by Chinese rockets in multiple places, the carriers had not lost their combat effectiveness. After ordering the launch of the third wave of attack, Lieutenant General Nimitz added, "After the third wave of attack ends, our forces will withdraw from the battlefield!"

The eight US carriers had 600 fighters of various types, and had lost about 300 at this point. The remaining fighters were indeed enough to launch a third wave of attack. The US military had now determined that each Chinese carrier was equipped with 90 fighters, meaning the eight carriers had 720 fighters. According to US military statistics, China had also lost about 300 fighters. The US military indeed still had the strength to fight.

Looking at the somewhat hesitant staff officers, Lieutenant General Nimitz did not explain much, only saying, "Now is our chance to inflict heavy damage on the Chinese fleet. We cannot watch this opportunity slip away!"

The US Navy officers could all understand Nimitz's view. While developing interference technology, the US research department was also working hard to study how to counter interference and had made considerable progress. Judging from the current development progress of the Chinese Navy, the next engagement would be even more brutal. If they could inflict greater losses on China in this naval battle, the next engagement would at least be a little easier.

Since no one objected, the third wave of attacks from both China and the US was launched again. To avoid a head-on collision with the Chinese carrier-based aircraft group, the US military chose a straight-line flight path. Just as the US fleet staff anticipated, the US fighters did not encounter the Chinese aircraft group. This news relieved many US officers, but also caused many officers who were certain of the aggressive spirit of the Chinese naval commanders to frown.

With nearly half their losses, the Chinese naval commanders still firmly attacked the US fleet. This attitude posed a huge threat to the US military. Given the current technological level of China and the US, fighting like this would sooner or later lead to the possibility of one side suddenly gaining an advantage in a major naval battle. If the US Navy gained the advantage, it would be fine. But if the Chinese Navy gained the advantage, the US Navy would inevitably suffer heavy losses. Thinking of such a future, the brows of those frowning US naval officers furrowed even deeper.

Within just an hour, the third wave of attacks from both sides had begun. With the experience of the first two waves, the third wave of attacks from both China and the US was extremely sharp and also extremely tragic. Radar operators on all ships had completed a large number of tests in the past month. After two waves of attacks, they had improved a lot in their techniques for switching wavelengths.

Although interference could not be avoided at long distances, after enemy fighters entered close range, they were all gradually able to switch to effective wavelengths more quickly.

Those pilots who tried to find more effective attack angles suffered losses far higher than in the first two attacks. Conversely, those pilots who launched attacks with the simplest ideas from the beginning were able to strike and leave, thereby surviving better.

Both China and the US had already withdrawn their damaged carriers, and the undamaged carriers all became the main targets of attack. Pillars of water shot up into the sky around the carriers, and the cruisers serving as air defense nodes also received special attention. The thick smoke from various burning warships mixed into the smoke screening the fleet, making visibility even blurrier.

The third wave of attack lasted for 20 minutes. Although both the Chinese and US fleets suffered heavy losses, they were both able to maintain a basic air defense system. Fighters from both sides all chose to end the attack and left the battlefield without looking back.

In this attack, two more US carriers were hit and lost their takeoff and landing capabilities. When Lieutenant General Nimitz prepared to speak, the US officers in the command room unknowingly held their breath. Hearing Lieutenant General Nimitz order, "Disengage from combat, maintain careful guard!" the US officers all breathed a sigh of relief.

On the Asian Coalition side, after Zhang Jianjun learned that another 110 fighters had been lost, he sighed and issued the order to retreat. At this time, on the two Chinese carriers that could still launch and recover fighters, fighters were occasionally pushed from the deck into the sea. No matter how many Chinese fighters there were, they could not exert combat effectiveness without a takeoff and landing platform. Since the fleet had done its best, there was no need to take risks.

After the Chinese and US navies tacitly disengaged from combat, American newspapers began to publish extras, proclaiming that the US military had won a "great victory." The US military did not mention that they had lost more than 30 cruisers and destroyers, but instead focused their propaganda on the fact that their capital ships had not been sunk. As the opponent of the US military, the Chinese Navy was proclaimed by American newspapers to have lost 4 aircraft carriers, 2 battleships, 8 cruisers, and 27 destroyers.

The American people needed such a great victory too much. After hearing the news on the radio or in the newspapers, spontaneous marching columns appeared in many large cities. The streets became a sea of waving Stars and Stripes, dotted with a small number of British flags and quite a few Nazi swastikas. The American people felt the power of unity in the flow of marchers.

Compared to the United States, the Chinese government's propaganda regarding the Marshall Naval Battle was not particularly enthusiastic. The focus of propaganda at this time was China's successful landing on Ceylon, also known as Sri Lanka (the Lion Kingdom). Furthermore, in the Battle of Sri Lanka, a detachment of the Indian Ocean Fleet centered on two British battleships and the aircraft carrier *Ark Royal* was sunk.

In addition, after capturing Mumbai, the Indian National Army held the city against the British counterattack. The Chinese government confidently announced that British colonial rule in India would soon end. In all of Asia, only Australia, New Zealand, and the Arabian Peninsula remained under colonial rule. China's next step was to completely liberate these regions!

These were the tasks of the propaganda department. Coalition Navy Commander Yamamoto Isoroku flew directly to the capital to see He Rui. Upon meeting Yamamoto, He Rui praised, "The Navy fought well."

These words immediately put Yamamoto at ease. Yamamoto did not evaluate the Marshall Naval Battle, but instead asked about the Midway Naval Battle that had been abandoned halfway before. "Chairman, Yamaguchi is preparing to take advantage of the opportunity of the US carrier losses to launch the Midway Naval Battle. I feel this battle will be very arduous."

"Commander Yamamoto, current electronic technology cannot achieve radar interference, and electronic equipment unaffected by interference like aluminum foil cannot be developed at this stage." He Rui had already seen the battle report and explained to Yamamoto, "At this stage, neither the US military nor our military can achieve information sharing within the fleet. Yamaguchi-kun wants to fight the Battle of Midway; although it is very dangerous, there is a chance of winning."

Mentioning the technological development of the US military made Yamamoto's head ache. Yamamoto understood America's industrial strength very well, but when American cutting-edge technology was displayed, Yamamoto was truly somewhat afraid after the fact. If China did not possess technology that was in no way inferior to the United States, the current campaign would have ended in a great American victory.

Lieutenant General Zhang Jianjun's command of the campaign seemed to be just force against force, but in reality, the technological content intrinsic to the campaign was extremely high. In this world, China and the US were in the first tier, while Britain was considered a naval power only second to China and the US. In the Battle of Ceylon that ended not long ago, China had only dispatched a fleet centered on two aircraft carriers to easily annihilate half the ships of the British Indian Ocean Fleet.

According to battle reports, the British fleet also possessed fleet air defense systems obtained from the United States. In the battle, the British military did their best. But the British Navy was only using American technology and equipment; because they had not participated in the research and development, there were many gaps in details when using them. Facing opponents of the same level, these slight gaps were not fatal. But for the Chinese Navy, these detailed problems were various flaws. Utilizing these flaws, the Chinese Navy easily inflicted heavy damage on the British forces.

In the engagement with the US military, the US military did not have these flaws. Based on their own research and development, the US military even tried hard to find some flaws in the Chinese Navy to launch attacks. Only two days after the Marshall Naval Battle ended, the Coalition Navy had already summarized a thick volume of content. Most of it was detailed issues that only China and the United States could understand.

Thinking of this, Yamamoto asked, "He-kun, should we ask Yamaguchi-kun to wait a bit longer?"

Since Yamamoto used the address "He-kun," He Rui also spoke his more personal, true views. "Yamamoto-kun. The US military should have also discovered these detailed problems, but they cannot solve them at present. If we wait a while longer, the US military is very likely to solve these problems. And the Japanese Combined Fleet still hasn't gained any advantage. Of course, the armies of both China and Japan are my heart and soul. This matter should be decided by the Navy Commander."

Yamamoto hesitated for a moment, but did not ask whether this "Navy Commander" referred to the Coalition Navy Commander or the Japanese Navy Commander.

For Japan, participating in this war was a gamble on the nation's destiny. This gamble did not start now, but began when Japan broke out in revolution and killed the Emperor and his son. Yamamoto knew very well back then that Japan had to win a future in the great war that would decide the world's destiny.

Now, there was a view in Japan that Japan could hide behind China. Just like the Soviet Union acting as a mantis stalking the cicada, or at least a key and important force. Yamamoto was extremely contemptuous of the insight of this group of people! These people were short-sighted themselves and thought others were fools too. How could a powerful country like China give Japan benefits for nothing? If they did nothing, the profits distributed after the war would also be very small.

Thinking of this, Yamamoto asked, "He-kun, can we do a wargame simulation?"

He Rui knew Yamamoto was not very confident, so he smiled and said, "I refuse."

Yamamoto was not surprised. He asked sincerely, "He-kun understands military development so well. Without He-kun's deduction, I cannot understand the upper limits of war."

He Rui did not care about Yamamoto's flattery, but answered seriously, "Our engagement with the US military is full of various uncertainties, but the engagement with the British military can be fought very handily. It is because the current US military is innovating and constantly progressing in new fields, rather than entering a stage where they only know set patterns like Britain."

Speaking of this, He Rui asked, "Can we just have a discussion between you and me?"

Yamamoto was delighted in his heart and quickly answered, "I would like to hear the details."

He Rui then explained, "Both the Chinese and American navies are currently doing their utmost to develop technology. As long as technology improves, it can unleash amazing combat power. However, in the current technological bottleneck period, whoever has more elite pilots is more likely to win the campaign. I believe Yamaguchi-kun highly recognizes the level of Japanese pilots."

Yamamoto thought for a while before nodding somewhat helplessly. "xx Immortal" was still a Japanese characteristic to this day, and the Japanese Air Force's more than 20,000 pilots also followed the selection mode of exerting human characteristics to the limit. In the past two years, Yamamoto had become very disgusted with such thinking. But he didn't expect He Rui to actually think that individual peculiarities would have an unexpected influence in a special stage of war.

After nodding helplessly, Yamamoto answered, "Chairman, I will allow Commander Yamaguchi to launch the Battle of Midway."

He Rui gave a bitter smile. "Hehe, then let's look forward to Yamaguchi-kun's lasting military fortune."