When Chu Yuan and the others rushed to the riverside, he sat down heavily on the ground.

Although the battleships, submarine chasers, and other ships were still firing incessantly at the sky, it was clear that the anti-aircraft guns and machine guns were insufficient to cope with the current situation.

The Dawn Army's fighters and bombers flew arrogantly over the high sky, dropping bombs with impunity.

BOOM BOOM BOOM~~~!

Suddenly, an explosion erupted, setting a battleship on fire!

Soldiers screamed, rolling around, some were blown to bits directly, while others were engulfed in flames, unable to bear the searing heat of the fire, they had to leap into the Great River to try to extinguish the flames.

Many more had their legs blown off, arms torn, or heads bleeding profusely.

The medics were completely overwhelmed, often trying to save people, only for the rescuers themselves to become casualties as explosions rang out.

Most other warships no longer held any salvage value, already sunk or in a state of semi-submersion.

On the riverfront, numerous soldiers, soaked to the skin, were swimming ashore. These were the lucky ones, they had not perished with the warships, nor been devoured by the mutated big fish in the river, safely reaching the shore.

Chu Yuan's face was enormously grim. Grabbing an officer who had retreated from the fleet, he barked, "Who the hell is the enemy? Speak!"

"Young Marshal... it... it seems... it seems to be the Dawn Army!"

"What! The Dawn Army!"

Chu Yuan was momentarily stunned, then roared, "Bullshit! The Dawn Army is thousands of miles away, how could they know we were stopping here tonight?"

"I don't know about that, but those bombers, it seems only the Dawn Army possesses them, the other nearby forces don't have such bombers."

Chu Yuan was silent for a moment, then suddenly realized, Ye Fan is on Wanguo Island.

"That must be it, Ye Fan is on Wanguo Island, he must have mobilized these Dawn Army fighters. Our dispatch plan must have affected something of his, that's why he's doing this."

Thinking about this, Chu Yuan shivered all over.

No one ever took Ye Fan seriously before; he was just a warlord on the northeastern frontier, even if he had some influence, it was far away and didn't affect them.

But now, things were different. That guy was extending his claws here, becoming a mortal enemy of Jiangzhou.

At this moment, Chu Yuan knew he had to do something to salvage this out-of-control situation.

Not to mention, the soldiers and equipment on those four transport freighters must be salvaged.

"Quick! Get the people on the transport ships ashore, abandon ship and retreat!"

Though he didn't have to say it, the transport ships had already reached the shore.

Tanks and squads of soldiers were scrambling out of the ship holds in disarray.

Fortunately, they weren't the Dawn Army's first wave of targets, hence they had a lucky escape.

Chu Yuan was making amends after realizing his oversight, directing the troops for a hurried retreat.

Not only was the army retreating, but any remaining operable ships were also ordered to retreat immediately.

The Dawn Army had traveled a great distance, which posed a significant weakness — their planes couldn't carry much fuel.

If they continued to skirmish here, they were likely to run out of fuel for the return flight, and there wasn't an airfield nearby where they could land.

So as long as they retreated swiftly, there was still a chance to escape.

The bombers might have a longer range, but the bombs they carried wouldn't be many. After bombing two carrier groups, they probably depleted their bombs and would have to head back.

Hence, Chu Yuan saw a glimmer of hope and ordered the division to expedite its withdrawal.

His plan was sound, but the Dawn Army also had a prepared response.

North of the Celestial River, there was a stretch of highway.

On the highway, all vehicles and obstacles were cleared away, making it suitable for aircraft take-offs and landings.

John's forces were waiting here, with two massive transport planes parked on the road.

The transport planes had also flown in from the Golden City; one filled with fuel, the other with ammunition.

Currently, the Dawn Army didn't have an aerial tanker, but the transport plane could temporarily substitute.

Planes landed here one after another, with those foreign soldiers quickly refueling the planes.

Not only refueling but even the bombs were replenished here,

These gas-guzzlers filled up, loaded with new aerial bombs, and took off again.

The entire process was extremely fast, consuming just over half an hour before the planes were airborne again.

Replenished fighters erupted with formidable combat power once more.

Following Ye Fan's directive, these Jiangzhou navy forces mustn't be allowed to return to Jiangzhou in any substantial numbers.

To retrofit carriers and battleships, the industrial strength over there in Jiangzhou must be impressive. If those already trained naval forces returned, it's possible that another fleet could be quickly built, which Ye Fan didn't want to see.

If they're going to fight, they must thoroughly eliminate these viable forces.

The ensuing battle could be described as entirely one-sided.

When the bombers returned, they launched a ferocious pursuit of the two fleeing battleships, four transport ships, and four submarine chasers.

The booming aerial bombs fell from the sky, and the fleets, now devoid of air defense protection, turned into complete targets. After two rounds of bombing, first the submarine chasers, followed by the transport ships, and finally the two battleships, all sank into the Celestial River.

The fleeing troops along the shore also encountered fierce pursuit. Fighter jets unleashed their cannons, repeatedly diving from above, mowing down swathes of sailors.

Even gunship planes joined the fray, with this Hero Level aircraft showing its prowess by unleashing relentless firepower, becoming the most lethal threat to soldiers' lives.

The numerous machine guns on the aircraft formed a rain of bullets descending from the sky, with enemy counterattacks having negligible effect, leading only to continued casualties and death.

After completing their bombing mission, bombers dispatched their final munitions towards the enemy's armored forces.

The tanks brought ashore by four transport ships were blasted into heaps of scrap metal.

Witnessing this scenario, Chu Yuan's heart bled, but without anti-aircraft firepower, it was impossible for them to contend with the fighter jets in the sky. His only recourse was to scatter the forces, letting everyone flee for their lives.

At this moment, Chu Yuan led by example, his jeep separating from the main force amid the fiercest battle, initiating his escape.

He justified his actions by claiming he needed to return to Jiangzhou to report the news, allowing the Grand Duke to prepare early.

Chu Yuan's escape triggered a chain reaction, and the rest of the officers who could run did so. Those who were slower vanished in the bombardment by planes.

With no officers to direct them, Jiangzhou's soldiers utterly collapsed, dispersing and fleeing, even if it meant venturing into zombie-infested towns ahead.

......

The first gleam of dawn pierced the horizon, and daylight broke.

The night-long battle finally came to an end.

After the Dawn Army's aircraft completed their second wave of attacks, they finally retreated.

In this battle, the Dawn Army employed a night raid strategy, decisively annihilating over twenty ships of Jiangzhou's First Fleet, including two carriers and two battleships.

Of Jiangzhou's First Fleet's twenty thousand sailors, less than two thousand managed to return alive to Jiangzhou.

The rest perished in the Celestial River, becoming fish food, or died on the way home, ultimately becoming a meal for zombies.

A majority of the fleet's officers were lost, but at least Chu Yuan survived and returned to Jiangzhou, averting total annihilation.

Upon returning to Jiangzhou, Chu Yuan emulated the ancients, shedding his clothes and baring his shoulders in thorns, voluntarily seeking forgiveness from Zheng Jinnan.

Zheng Jinnan was infuriated by Chu Yuan, especially upon learning that during the battle, Chu Yuan and his leading officers were off indulging in pleasure, staying overnight on a pleasure boat, making Zheng Jinnan wish he could shoot Chu Yuan dead.

There were multiple causes for the failure in this battle. Firstly, no one anticipated the Dawn Army would come such a long way for a night raid.

The second reason was Chu Yuan's responsibility; had the fleet advanced normally or had everyone been on duty, it would have been impossible for the Dawn Army to handle two fleets with just over twenty planes.

Without officer directives, the soldiers fought independently, making it hardly surprising they lost.

Thirdly, the weapons were indeed insufficiently powerful. The inadequacy of the air defense missile system allowed the Dawn Army's planes to rampage unabated in their bombardment.

All these factors compounded to lead to this unprecedented defeat.

Zheng Jinnan personally beat Chu Yuan half to death, and was ready to drag him out for execution when others persuaded him otherwise.

Zheng Jinnan ultimately gave Chu Yuan another chance, ordering him to redeem himself by reconstructing Jiangzhou's First Fleet.

This was undoubtedly difficult, but Zheng Jinnan knew Ye Fan had arrived at Wanguo Island and might soon become his fiercest enemy.

Therefore, regardless of the cost, the fleet had to be rebuilt.

Not only had to be rebuilt, but considerable funds were also invested in missile technology development.

Of course, this couldn't be completed overnight, yet it was necessary.

Meanwhile, Zheng Jinnan reorganized forces and didn't let Ye Fan off easily.

He immediately communicated with Wanguo Island's council, informing them that Ye Fan was indeed at Wanguo Island, urging them to find him at all costs.

Once Ye Fan steadies himself at Wanguo Island, it spells disaster for the foreigners there.

Zheng Jinnan knew a bit about Ye Fan. From Ye Fan's bold assault on the Hai Shan Wei to rescue fellow Qin Han People, he identified Ye Fan as a quintessential Qin Han nationalist.

As soon as Ye Fan gains the upper hand, it could be the end for others.

Zheng Jinnan's message reached Wanguo Island by the next morning.

Also transmitted to Wanguo Island was the news of Jiangzhou's First Fleet's destruction, which couldn't be kept secret.

By this time, Wanguo Island was holding a meeting, having just announced that Chen Bufan had become a member of Wanguo Island's council.

With Jiangzhou's First Fleet defeated, Cao Zhenxu's hopes were utterly dashed, and Chen Bufan naturally secured a council seat.

Ye Fan had just joined the council when he saw Chairman James's gloomy face.

"Fellow council members, it's been figured out that the party responsible for last night's assault on Jiangzhou's First Fleet was the Dawn Army's air force from Divine Dragon Province."

"Ye Fan is currently on our Wanguo Island, and Zheng Jinnan demands that we must locate him, and absolutely not allow him to establish a presence on Wanguo Island!"

"I now declare, immediate lockdown of Wanguo Island. Outsiders are not to enter, and those inside cannot leave."

"Each council member, return promptly to your post to conduct a citizen check."

"Councilor Chen Bufan, Ye Fan is Qin Han, and your side is the focus of the checks. You're new here and may be overwhelmed, so have Cao Zhenxu assist you in checking all the Qin Han People!"

Ye Fan observed the chairman's expression, understanding deep down that he harbored some suspicions about him.

And there were still five days before his main force arrived.

Within those five days, Ye Fan couldn't expose himself, and had to ascertain Wanguo Island's military setup, while creating favorable conditions for his main force's landing.

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