On the morning of December 29, east of the Watchman Strait.

When the "Imperial Capital" approached, the battleship that was leading the way in front and had an unusually majestic and tall bridge was the first to raise the colorful flag in salute.

It was the flagship of the home fleet "Longxing".

That's right, "Longxing" is paying the highest respect to the "Imperial Capital" that has returned triumphantly, as well as all the warships of the Third Air Task Force!

Outside the commander's bridge, more than 100 officers and men from the headquarters of the home fleet headed by Gui Boyong lined up neatly.

When the two ships staggered by, Gui Boyong took the lead in saluting.

This is a tradition that was started by Chen Bingxun and continues to this day.

When the fleet returned in triumph, everyone from the emperor down had to pay tribute to the soldiers who fought bravely on the battlefield to defend the empire.

On the "Imperial Capital," the officers and men of the task force headquarters headed by Bai Zhizhan were also lined up.

After the two fleets staggered, the four battleships, led by the "Longxing", turned around and caught up with the aircraft carriers in front from the right side.

This surprised Bai Zhizhan.

Don't go, in the Liangxia Empire, the left has been respected since ancient times.

It's one thing to salute, it's just that after going through the ceremonial procedure, the flagship of the fleet must be honored, even if the Third Air Task Force is not part of the home fleet.

The fleet was about to enter the straits, and it was impossible to turn again for the sake of courtesy.

The strait was so wide that there was no room for a few huge ships to go back and forth.

Before dawn, the two "Xuhai" class ships sent by Gui Boyong had already joined the Third Air Task Force in the Guia Ocean.

At that time, Li Jie and Jin Hong sent a message, proposing to go to the "Imperial Capital" to meet Bai and stop the war.

It's a pity that it was Li Mingbo who was on duty, and Bai Zhizhan went to sleep.

Because he knew that Bai Zhizhan was in a bad mood, and he had been fighting for several days in a row, he had never rested well, and he was about to lie down, so Li Mingbo politely rejected the request of the two, and asked them to lead the way in front according to the rules, and not to come over to disturb Bai Zhizhan's clear dream.

The two are also self-aware, especially Li Jie.

After the battle, that is, after being scolded by Gui Boyong, Li Jie understood that they were indeed impulsive.

In terms of overall strategy, the pursuit of the White Stop War was to inflict heavy damage on the permanent fleet and let Takano return to Sagi Mainland with the fleet that had lost its combat effectiveness.

probably guessed that Bai Zhizhan was angry, so Li Jie and Jin Hong didn't send any more messages, and kept leading the way in front.

It was not until the beginning, after converging with the home fleet, that the two "Asahimi" class ships accelerated to the front and went to the west side of the strait in advance to wait.

Nothing to say all the way.

Towards noon, the fleet passed through the strait and entered the Asahi Sea.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, after moving away from the strait, four tankers accompanying the activities of the home fleet rushed over and began to replenish fuel for the Third Air Task Force.

Return?

It's going to be a few days.

The naval command sent an operational order, and the ground forces went directly to the port of Naqiu, with the home fleet providing cover and the 3rd Air Task Force responsible for air defense.

Even if all goes well, the landing operation will not begin until tomorrow.

Because the port was within the strike range of the shore-based air force of the Sagami Navy, it had to consider the possibility of being attacked, so it was necessary to replenish fuel before returning.

In fact, there is not much aviation gasoline left on the two aircraft carriers.

According to the design, the aviation gasoline of the "Imperial Capital" class is only enough for the carrier-based aviation to carry out five consecutive days of sorties at the highest intensity, that is, 220 sorties per day, and then it will have to be replenished. In the previous few days of fighting, the intensity of sorties of the 3rd Carrier-based Aviation Wing exceeded the design limit of the "Imperial Capital" class. Even if there is some aviation gasoline left, it will not be able to complete the task of covering the home fleet and the landing force.

The home fleet was followed by ordinary oil tankers, which did not have the supply equipment of the fleet oil tankers, so they needed to stop, that is, to carry out the supply by help.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Bai Zhizhan and Li Yunxiang went to the battleship "Longxing".

When the two arrived, it was already evening, and Gui Boyong greeted them on the deck and took them to the officers' canteen, which had been cleaned up.

Although the "Longxing" was built in the last war, the interior space is far more spacious than that of subsequent warships.

Just the officer's dining room, there are hundreds of square meters, and the furnishings are extremely luxurious, such as the sandalwood used for all the furniture, which is still handmade by carpenters.

It was not yet six o'clock, and it was not time for dinner, but the dinner was ready.

Probably to take care of Li Yunxiang, he also specially prepared a bottle of Erguotou.

Bai Zhizhan and Li Yunxiang were honored guests, Gui Boyong was the east, and there were four captains and several senior staff officers of the home fleet who accompanied the wine.

It's all acquaintances, so there's no need to make more introductions.

"Although it is still a little early to celebrate the victory, and when the battle is over, the table will definitely be set up again after I go back, but here, on behalf of all the officers and men of the home fleet, as well as the commander-in-chief and chief of the general staff who are closely following the development of the war in the rear and caring for the comfort of the soldiers, I would like to pay the highest tribute to General Bai Zhizhan and General Li Yunxiang, to all the officers and men of the Third Air Task Force and the First Carrier-based Aviation Wing, and to all the soldiers and civilians who participated in the battle and supported the battle in the rear!"

After speaking, Gui Boyong raised his glass first.

"Thank you General Gui for your hospitality, it is our duty to serve the empire on the battlefield!"

Bai Zhizhan stood up, and then raised his glass as well.

"Serve the country with loyalty and serve the battlefield!"

Subsequently, Li Yunxiang and others got up and toasted.

The cup was not filled with wine, but with water.

The fleet was still in combat condition, including the commander, and all officers and men were not allowed to drink alcohol.

A few bottles of wine are placed to set the mood.

That's right, this is the Navy.

Even if you don't drink it, just to look good on your face, you have to make a full set.

Waste?

Inexistent!

What is this little drink?

Can you withstand a 400-mm shell?

After Gui Boyong took his head, the officers of the home fleet asked Bai Zhizhan and Li Yunxiang to toast in turn, while Bai Zhizhan and Li Yunxiang only asked Gui Boyong to pay tribute in return.

There was no problem, because the other officers were all lower in rank than Bai Zhizhan and Li Yunxiang.

It's not that you look down on your low-ranking colleagues, it's the rule of the army.

In the army, equality is never talked about, but about rank, and the army itself is a hierarchical society evaluated by military ranks and positions.

In the Navy, the idea of hierarchy is even stronger.

This is tradition and a unique feature of the Navy.

Before the advent of radio, on warships far from home, everything was decided by the captain, and the strict hierarchy was used to maintain order.

If you don't follow the rules, you will definitely have to mess up.

Besides, drink plain water, not wine.

Respectfully, interesting?

After exchanging polite words, the captain of the "Longxing" called the head chef and asked everyone to order.

The dishes are plentiful, with fresh fruits and vegetables, and a roast suckling pig.

Bai Zhizhan didn't pay much attention to eating, and Li Yunxiang asked for a pork leg.

When the head chef brought people to serve the food, the other officers who accompanied the wine left one after another.

On naval battleships, especially battleships, the last thing that is lacking is a variety of delicacies, and few naval officers take eating seriously.

In fact, these officers who came to accompany him were very knowledgeable.

Gui Boyong asked them to come over, just to contact Bai Zhizhan and Li Yunxiang, and in the future, they can be regarded as brothers in life and death who have been on the battlefield together.

Dine?

You can't eat it when you go back to your own battleship?