Friday, 18. February 1949, 22.47 Uhr local time - South China Sea
It was a dark night when the fifty-seven-year-old Admiral Yin Po L'un, commander of the chinese "Zhongsha" Task-Force, grabbed for the mug of tea and drank with relish a few sips. Yin's Task Force, whose units surrounded the flagship in a widely spaced protective rhombus, headed south-west against the wind, which itself rolled the big flagship. The ships have immediately left the military port of Kaoshsiung after beeing supplied and refueled and were surely be watched by a Philippine submarine.
The task force currently consisted of fourteen ships of the SOUTH FLEET, whose mostly manned with young, inexperienced crews. Yin's task force's outer defensive ring was made up of Huangfen-Class and Ningpo-Class speedboats. At the head of the rhombus was an old minesweeper of the Shuihong-Class. While his flagship, the heavy cruiser HICMS Guiyang was surrounded by 4 destroyers. For a simple patrol, the task force was actually too heavily armed but that was not really the task of the fleet. In the past, Indochina patrolled the waters here and there and laid out a few navigation buoys at dangerous places. But now China secures these rich fishing grounds here. For this reason, the fleet was here and to consolidate China's claim about the Zhongsha.
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Position, Navigator?« called Admiral Yin.
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Aye, aye, Admiral!« replied the navigator, leaning over the map table »
Our position is five nautical miles northeast of the Zhongsha Islands and round about 450 nautical miles northwest of the Huangyan Dao Station«, he used the Chinese name of Scarborough Reef to please the admiral. The station there has always been a thorn in Yin's eyes, as the Huangyan Dao undoubtedly were Chinese territory in his opinion.
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Water Depth?«
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Twenty yards under the keel, Mr. Admiral,« Captain Lubu reported. »
There is no danger of touching the ground on the current course.«
Yin nodded wordlessly. Then he stood up and went to the navigator who was still benting over the map. Yin asked him »
We are still here or ?« and pointed on a flagsympbol on the map.
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Yes Sir.« was the immediately reply from the navigator.
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When should our protégés arrive here?« Captain Lubu asked.
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Within the next few days. Until then, we will anchor here with our flagship«, Admiral Yin pointed to a marked spot on the map. »
Give orders to our guards to search the area for troublemakers.« the admiral concluded. It will not be an easy task, Yin thought. There will certainly be protests against our project, but my job is to secure the construction here and that is exactly what I will do.