To the east of the North Sadou Islands, the flagship of the 2nd Battle Patrol Detachment "Jingang".

"Report!"

The communications staff officer shouted, put down the message, and then turned and walked away.

A young man of about thirty-five years old picked up the message and immediately frowned.

This person is Gao Ye, the combat staff officer of the Second Battle Patrol Detachment. A capable and ambitious young officer who had a reputation for his good gamblers and daring gamblers and surprisingly good luck in the Narrow Navy. At the end of last year, just before the defeat and surrender of the There Empire, he became a household name when he cut off two fingers on his left and right sides and made a bet against Admiral Betty, who had only just served as the Guia Fleet at the time.

A year before that, the Narrow-Yi Imperial Kingdom had declared war on the Liang Xia Empire, which also had a lot to do with him.

The operational plan for a surprise attack on the Sadou Islands in the north and south and then a blockade and control of the Watchman Strait with mines was drawn up by the staff group led by him.

At the beginning, his gamble with Betty was already clear.

Because the Liangxia Empire's home fleet broke out of the Watcher Strait and invaded the Guia Ocean, Takano won the gamble, and Betty would appoint a narrow naval officer to serve as the chief of staff of the Combined Fleet, thus ending the situation that the Combined Fleet never had a chief of staff.

It's just that Gao Ye is still the staff officer of the Second Battle Patrol Detachment.

Even if he was promoted after the end of this naval battle, and even promoted to Osa, Takano was not qualified to serve as the chief of staff of the Combined Fleet.

The most that can be given to him is a staff officer seat at the headquarters of the Combined Fleet.

Of course, when betting against Betty, Takano didn't think about becoming the chief of staff of the Combined Fleet, and he still had a little self-knowledge.

Everyone else regards Takano as a gambler, but he feels that all the people who dance here are gamblers, and the Ocean Battlefield itself is a big casino!

Gao Ye dared to gamble everything, not only because he was bold enough, but also because he had a long-term vision.

With the situation at that time, after the defeat of the There Empire, no matter how much the Liangxia Empire could fight, it would hold out for a year at most, and then the issue of "decent defeat" had to be considered. What's more, after the Nuland Federation sent troops to the war, the Confederate bloc surpassed the Entente bloc in all aspects. Otherwise, the Narrow-Wing Imperial Kingdom would not have launched a sneak attack before the Newland Federation entered the war, taking the Overwatch Strait in one fell swoop, leaving the invincible home fleet a trapped beast in a cage.

When commanding the fleet to fight, Takano was cautious, to the extent that he was meticulous.

This was the second telegram received in half an hour.

The previous telegram came from a submarine from the Kingdom of Bran.

Although the Bran Royal Navy codebook was not obtained, through the efforts of intelligence officers, the Imperial Kingdom was able to crack some of the low-secrecy communication codes before entering the war, and was able to partially decipher such communication messages, including those used by submarines.

That's it this time.

The submarine's message mentions several sets of numbers, which, according to Takano's analysis, are the coordinates of the submarine, as well as the course and speed of the enemy fleet.

It is not difficult to understand the meaning of this message if we understand the meaning of these figures.

When the general Yamashita walked over, Takano was still bowing his head and pondering.

Although Yamashita is the commander of the Second Battle Patrol Detachment and the commander-in-chief of the permanent fleet of the Sagi Imperial Kingdom, he is not the kind of general who can command the fleet to conquer the four seas, and is invincible and invincible. In terms of ability, Yamashita is more like a commander of the emperor and the use of people.

Gao Ye was a general who was discovered and promoted by him, although he is still only a staff officer.

Yamashita believes that all Takaya needs is time. Maybe when the next war breaks out, Takano will become the invincible god of war in the Sagai Imperial Kingdom!

After a while, Takano let out a long sigh.

"What do you think of Betty's orders?" Yamashita only asked at this time.

"The fast combat detachment is now lacking in skills, and it is even possible to be attacked from both sides. Several reinforcements of the main detachment could not arrive until around dark, and Major General Gaunt of the 1st Battle Patrol Detachment had been killed and martyred. Takano smiled coldly and said, "If there is another crushing defeat and no one comes forward, Betty will have to bear the responsibility for the defeat herself." No, he still has to give up the throne of commander of the combined fleet. ”

"You mean, Betty wants us to endorse him?"

"In the fire, to be exact."

"The 21st detachment had six battle patrols, none of which were hors combat. Now that you pounce on it, the risk is too great, and you may follow in the footsteps of the First Battle Patrol Detachment. ”

"If you don't even have the courage to bet, where can you say win or lose?"

Yamashita didn't say anything, and when it came to gambling, he really didn't have much courage.

"Regardless of the outcome of this battle, the war, which has lasted more than four years, is coming to an end. If there is no way to completely defeat the Liang Xia Empire on the battlefield, you will have to gain bargaining chips for post-war negotiations and ensure that you are in a favorable position in the negotiations, rather than at the mercy of others. ”

As soon as Takano said this, Yamashita immediately showed a shocked look.

He was just a small staff officer, and he not only thought long-term, but also stood on the high plane of the commander and focused on the gains and losses of the entire war.

Also, Takano is talking about "others", not "the Liangxia Empire".

In other words, in Gao Ye's view, when it comes to dividing the fruits of victory, the most important ones to watch out for and the biggest threat are the current allies!

"That being said, but now go on an adventure......"

"There's no need to take any chances."

Yamashita was stunned again, feeling that Takaya's words were inconsistent.

"Betty wants to use us, why can't we use him?" Takano took out the previous message and handed it to Yamashita together. There was a slight difference between the two telegrams, Betty's telegram did not mention the course of the 21st Squadron, but only a rapid southward movement. The Rapid Detachment must be on the east side of the Channel, and Betty asked us to go south, in the hope that we would drive the 21st Squadron over and send it to our deaths. ”

Yamaguchi nodded, the reason is simple.

"In my judgment, it's actually redundant."

"You mean ......"

"This is the last chance of the Liangxia Empire, and for the navy that once defeated the fleets of the great powers in the Battle of Nanjiangkou, there is absolutely no such thing as 'surrender'. Even if he knew that he was going to die, the 21st Squadron would kill back to challenge the fast battle formation, and even bite the fast battle team to get a chance to fight a decisive battle. After all, the combined fleet is a scattered mess, and it is really desperate, and it is impossible to say who will kill the deer. ”

"In this way, the fast combat detachment may not be able to withstand it."

"In this battle, you have to die if you can withstand it or not. Withstand, victory will be within reach. If you can't stand it, you may lose all your efforts! ”

Yamashita furrowed his brow, then sighed.

"The 21st Squadron can reach it in four hours at the earliest, and it will take seven hours for us to sail at full speed, and I hope the fast combat detachment can hold out for three hours."

In fact, Takano and Yamashita didn't know that after the telegram ordered the Second Battle Patrol Detachment to rush south, Betty sent a telegram to Admiral Nuland of the "Pennsylvania", telling the three main detachments not to care about fuel and rush to the Watcher Strait at full speed to support the Rapid Combat Detachment.

At least two of the main detachments could reach speeds of twenty knots, and at this speed they could arrive an hour earlier, at seven o'clock in the afternoon, that is, about seven and a half hours later. The third main detachment would take half an hour more and be able to kill at about half past seven.

The remaining question is, will Betty's fast-combat detachment be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive?