After receiving the battle report from Genda, the Mobile Fleet Command was completely out of order.

The 50 or so carrier-based planes of the first group attacked a fleet oil tanker, but did not find the fleet aircraft carrier discovered by the reconnaissance planes.

At that time, a staff officer proposed to immediately adjust the attack operation and let the second group under the command of Yan Ben Shaozuo return.

The reason is the same: there were eight Zeros in the second attack group, and before the return of the first attack group, there were only eight Zeros on air defense missions.

In addition, shortly after the departure of the second attack group, the Zero had all attached auxiliary fuel tanks and could hover near the fleet until one o'clock in the afternoon after returning. Since the first attack group had already returned before that, it was possible to carry out air defense missions with the escort fighters of the first wave of attack aircraft at that time.

To put it simply, as long as the second group of attack aircraft returns in time, there will be enough air defense fighters available.

Unfortunately, the proposal was vetoed by Kitamura.

The reason given by Kitamura was that the Third Air Task Force avoided the Ashishima Strait to the northeast after being exposed, thus avoiding the first attack group led by Genda, so as long as the search range was extended to the northeast, the Third Air Task Force could be found and killed.

In addition, the mobile fleet has been sailing eastward, so when the second attack group departs, it is closer to the sea area where the third air task force is located, and the combat radius is shortened by more than 100 kilometers, and the return range will also be shortened, and there is no problem of insufficient range.

Kitamura suggested adjusting course and heading northeast to allow the second strike group to have more fuel to search for the Third Air Task Force.

Lan Yun did not take Kitamura's suggestion, nor did he order the second attack group to return.

At such a critical juncture, Lan Yun didn't do anything!

The quarrel did not end there.

According to the previous arrangement, all air defense fighters, in fact, only eight Zeros, had to return before 10 o'clock and refuel before taking off.

Because the "Feilong" was the main force of the second wave of attacks, the "Jiahe" was responsible for recovering the air defense fighters.

It's just that now, it can't be done at all!

It had nothing to do with Kitamura, but the ground crew on the "Jiahe" was too tired, and one of the service personnel in charge of refueling the fighter plane made a low-level mistake and forgot to turn off the booster pump, which caused the valve of the pipeline to be damaged and the aviation gasoline leaked onto the flight deck.

Now, the entire flight deck is emptied.

On the side of the "Feilong", the ground crew was preparing for the first group of attack aircraft returning home, and was temporarily unable to receive air defense fighters. Because of the need to recover all 97 attacks, the "Feilong" also had to empty the flight deck to make room at the front of the deck.

It is precisely for this reason that a staff officer proposed that the air defense fighters should first land on the "Feilong," and that the "Jiahe" would recover some torpedo planes later.

It's a pity that it was still vetoed by Kitamura.

If this was arranged, the torpedo planes that landed on the "Jiahe" would not have been able to take off again, and they would not have been able to participate in the third wave of the attack.

Do not forget that there is a hole in the foredeck of the "Jiahe", and the planks that block the hole are not strong and cannot withstand the bulky 97 ship attack.

Before, Gentian took the "Feilong" by speedboat.

According to Kitamura's intentions, wait until the first wave of attack aircraft returns before letting the air defense fighters land and refuel.

The reason is also very simple: the Genda group will return to the skies over the mobile fleet before eleven o'clock, and the fuel of the air defense fighters will last until after eleven o'clock.

In addition, by that time, "Jiahe" will also be able to recover fighters.

Not afraid of being hit during this period?

A staff officer raised this issue, but Kitamura refuted it.

In Kitamura's words: Where did the blow come from?

Third Air Task Force?

That's obviously not possible.

If the Third Air Task Force was within range of being able to strike the mobile fleet, then before nine o'clock, it was discovered by the Genda group.

There is ample reason to believe that the 3rd Air Task Force is 500 kilometers away.

This speculation is not entirely true, nor is it entirely wrong, the mobile fleet is indeed not within the strike range of the Third Air Task Force.

In yesterday's confrontation with the task force?

Obviously, if the task force had been close enough to be ready for battle overnight and to attack as soon as it received the report from the reconnaissance planes, the attack planes it sent would have been able to kill them by half past nine at the latest. It is precisely because of this that there are always four Zeros patrolling the west.

The fact that the enemy's attack aircraft did not appear is enough to prove that the task force did not follow yesterday.

Maybe it didn't turn in time.

It cannot be said that Kitamura was wrong, after all, all the intelligence and discoveries indicated that the reconnaissance plane that discovered the mobile fleet after half past seven was probably from the Third Air Task Force. As for yesterday's task force, if it sailed south at night, even if it turned around in the second half of the night, it would certainly not be able to catch up with the mobile fleet during the day today, which would be tantamount to missing the opportunity to catch up with the mobile fleet in the Yanhai Sea.

So, do you need to worry about getting hit?

In Kitamura's words, if there is a real blow, then even if the air defense fighters are immediately returned for refueling, the eight Zeros will not help.

Who is responsible if you miss the opportunity to attack in the afternoon for fear of being hit!?

As a result, new problems arise.

Some staff officers advocated focusing on the west, because after all, the Third Air Task Force was indeed not in the north, so it was the west that should be guarded against it.

Without any suspense, this proposal was once again vetoed by Kitamura.

According to Kitamura's arrangement, after half past nine, the four fighters that had been patrolling the west side of the fleet were all transferred to the north to replace the other four fighters.

The four Zeros that had patrolled the north before went north to meet the Genda group and then accompanied them back to the fleet.

It's not that Genda is given any special treatment, but the mobile fleet has always maintained radio silence, and the returning fleet may not be able to find the aircraft carrier in time.

Because there is not much fuel left, there is no room for delay.

All in all, Kitamura has been sticking to his own opinions, vetoing all the suggestions made by the staff officers, and it seems that only by sticking to his own opinions can he prove his ability.

Perhaps, Kitamura's abnormal behavior has a lot to do with Tian Shi's previous hustle and bustle.

It's just that Kitamura is not stubborn.

After receiving Genda's battle report, before half past nine, Kitamura issued an order for the accompanying battleships and heavy cruisers to send seaplanes to search westward.

Kitamura arranged this not to worry about being attacked from the west, but to prepare for the battle in the afternoon.

After successfully recovering two waves of attack aircraft, the combat effectiveness of the mobile fleet will be restored, and offensive operations will have to be reorganized.

Well, naturally, it is necessary to find the target of the strike.

If the Third Air Task Force slips away, if it can catch the task force that follows behind, it will be better than nothing.

On the contrary, as long as it can be proved that there is no threat to the west, all forces can be concentrated on searching for and attacking the Third Air Task Force.

During this period, Lan Yun did not intervene.

Although Lan Yun's demeanor was always calm for more than an hour, his heart had already turned upside down.

When the Gentian Fleet sent back the battle report, Lan Yun knew that even if the devastating blow had not yet come, it would be difficult for the mobile fleet to escape.

What awaits him must be a catastrophe!