In addition to the "Imperial Fleet Command" and the "Combined Fleet Command", in the referee center, there is also a large-sized panoramic sand table.

In fact, this is the home of wargames.

The combat orders issued by the two "commands" are summarized here, displayed on the sand table by the staff of the referee group, and the referee makes a decision according to the situation reflected, and after reaching a consistent result, the staff will give feedback to the two groups of deduction personnel on the result of the ruling.

Battles that would have lasted hours, or even days, can be completed in just a few minutes on the sandbox.

Although Zhu Shijian is the leader of the referee team and has the final decision, he did not directly participate in the adjudication work. As long as there is no serious dispute, he does not need to make the final decision. In this exercise, Zhu Shijian was more like a bystander, after all, he didn't know much about aviation tactics.

In fact, after the beginning of this exercise, it was demonstrated that there was a huge difference between aviation tactics and traditional tactics.

After a few hours, the two sides were still testing each other.

If in real combat, this has already passed more than ten days.

Perhaps neither of them knew much about aviation operations, so both sides behaved very cautiously from the beginning, almost to the point of indecisiveness.

The point is that both captains have thoroughly eaten the tactical ideas of naval warfare.

The three-stage tactical dogma of reconnaissance, attack, and screening has been verified countless times in actual combat and has long been deeply rooted in the soul of naval officers.

Of course, there are also differences in aviation operations.

After several rounds of testing, Bai Zhizhan and Liu Xiangzhen both put "reconnaissance" in the first place, and gave full play to the ultra-high efficiency of the aviation force in carrying out reconnaissance tasks.

Crucially, both of them attach great importance to concealment.

To this end, after completing the tentative journey, the two men withdrew all the light cruisers that were usually used for reconnaissance missions, and narrowed the scope of their fleet's activities.

At first, Zhu Shijian didn't understand it very well.

In traditional naval warfare, light cruisers, which are fast, have a long range, and are not weak in firepower, are the main reconnaissance force and will certainly be fully utilized by fleet commanders. To use an inappropriate analogy, if the main fleet is considered a hunter, then a light cruiser is a hunting dog.

However, in naval warfare with aviation as the core, light cruisers were the first to be replaced by aircraft.

In addition, when a light cruiser is on a reconnaissance mission, it is generally more than 100 kilometers away from the fleet, and this distance is certainly not far for aircraft.

This also reflects the difference between Bai Zhizhan and Liu Xiangzhen's perception of future naval warfare.

In the Imperial fleet of the White Stop, there were only four light cruisers, and they were all grouped together, and most of the time followed the activities of the mothership.

In terms of configuration, the White Stop War mainly used these cruisers to deal with small ships, providing close cover for the mothership at night.

According to the design, the aircraft carried by the mothership cannot take off and land at night, so the mothership cannot fight at night.

In Liu Xiangzhen's combined fleet, there were twelve light cruisers in two sub-fleets, and eight of them were organized into a special group.

It can be seen that when arranging the fleet, Liu Xiangzhen still regarded the light cruiser as a reconnaissance force.

This difference is also reflected in other warships.

Bai Zhizhan selected four motherships, reached the prescribed upper limit, and abandoned four capital ships for this purpose, and only brought four battle cruisers, and in his task force, all four battle cruisers were strengthened by air defense, specifically to provide air defense cover for the mother ships.

Actually, it's a very clever choice.

Among the performance indicators of the mothership, the most prominent is the speed, which reaches thirty-three knots, so only the battle cruiser can keep up with the mothership and provide cover for the mothership in battle. Battleships, not even fast battleships of the "Queen Isa" class, could not keep up with motherships.

It's just that the problem is also very prominent.

Four motherships and four battle cruisers occupy eighty percent of the tonnage, and after getting rid of four light cruisers, there is only enough to bring a few supply ships.

The White Stop also chose supply ships, three oil tankers and one bulk carrier, as well as four large destroyers.

In addition to having a strong long-range strike capability, the most prominent thing is the ability to sustain combat, which can operate for two months without relying on the port.

In contrast, Liu Xiangzhen's task force is more traditional.

Two motherships, four battleships, four battle cruisers, twelve light cruisers, six large destroyers, and two oil tankers.

Obviously, this configuration is more suitable for a fleet decisive battle.

If they encounter it head-on, the task force commanded by Bai Zhizhan will only be pressed to the ground by the opponent and rubbed against it, and they will not even have the strength to struggle and resist.

In fact, the disposition of the air force also reflects the operational intentions of the two commanders.

The four motherships of the White Stop War carried a total of 344 aircraft, only 72 fighters, and the rest were all attack aircraft and bombers. On Liu Xiangzhen's side, on the contrary, there were a total of 176 aircraft, of which 96 were fighters, and the rest were three torpedo attack planes that were more suitable for reconnaissance missions, and none of the bombers, which were mainly used to drop bombs.

It is very obvious that Bai Zhizhan bet on the aviation force in front of the treasure, and Liu Xiangzhen only regarded the aviation as a means to support and assist the fleet in the decisive battle.

Which tactic is better?

It's hard to say.

Only one thing can be certain, the purpose of the White Cease-War is clearer, and after the policy and line have been determined, it will unswervingly continue. Liu Xiangzhen was hesitant, or he suffered from gains and losses, and as a result, the problem of disregard at both ends was exposed when arranging the troops.

The point is, in fact, the oil tanker that Bai Zhizhan brought with him!

With one more oil tanker, Bai Zhizhan's task force can be active at sea for half a month longer, and Liu Xiangzhen's task force will have to return at this time.

With these more than half a month, what can't be done?

After the confrontation in the early stage, the task force commanded by Bai Zhizhan began to move behind enemy lines, making it clear that he wanted to wait for Liu Xiangzhen on his way back.

Was it his intuition, or was he being instructed by someone superior?

In order to understand this, Zhu Shijian also found Zhao Yu.

It's just that Zhao Yu made it very clear that he is only engaged in technology, not the tactics of the navy, and he does not have the ability to give Bai Zhizhan guidance.

Could it be that this is really the instinct of the war in vain!?

If so, it would be very precious!

For a commander, whether it is the skills required to command a battle or the experience accumulated through combat, they are actually acquired attainments, which can be learned or acquired in other ways. The only thing that can't be gained by learning and exercising is innate intuition.

In other words, it's talent.

Whether there is or not, what kind of talent you have, is not only the characteristic of a commander, but also the ceiling of personal talent, which determines the highest achievement that a commander can achieve!

If Bai Zhizhan really has such a keen and accurate intuition, the future must be limitless!