In the clear and solemn office room of the commander-in-chief of the navy, the mellow smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted out.

Fang Yan drank all the coffee handed by the guards, only to feel that his dry throat had finally been moisturized and relieved. Just now he had made too many remarks on the issue of the transfer of carrier-based aviation units to the Western Front, and he had gone so far as to say that he had a dry mouth; But after calming down, Fang Yan found that he hadn't mentioned anything he wanted to ask at all. Now that the war on the Western Front is about to start, and even the carrier-based aircraft units are about to be captured by the OK (Supreme Command), the operation of the Navy, one of the two pillars of the German Wehrmacht, cannot be absent.

At this time, several large warships of the German Navy had not yet been repaired, but the cruisers and destroyers were all alive and well. The submarine force is hunting in the depths of the ocean all the time, and the ace captain who has sunk a total of more than 30,000 tons is now in full bloom. Coupled with the intact light carrier USS Blucher, this force is enough to stir up the storm in the North Atlantic, echoing and supporting the fighting on the Western Front from the flanks.

You must know that the German Navy in this world is no longer a cowardice of the historical plane: Fang Yan's early naval power strategic doctrine and the recent brilliant victory in the Norwegian Campaign have given the whole army great combat courage and confidence. Fang Yan believed that even if there was only 1 armored destroyer left in the ocean-going fleet, Raeder would take a firm step towards the deep blue!

Hearing Fang Yan's inquiry about the fleet's battle plan, Raeder's pupils shrank imperceptibly. Finally, the young man in front of him still talked about it.

At present, the Navy naturally has a fleet expedition plan, but this operation has nothing to do with Fang Yan. In order to dilute and eliminate Fang Yan's huge influence among the grassroots officers and soldiers, Raeder had already decided to let Fang Yan leave the front-line fleet, even if it was not easy to suppress on the surface, it would make him unable to make great contributions in naval battles and make his reputation resounding throughout the army. Otherwise, Raeder is tantamount to putting a dangerous mine next to him that will explode at some point: once Fang Yan's mind changes, the political color of the navy is very likely to change drastically, and it is difficult for Raeder to have the ability to control the situation!

While his mind was calm, Raeder couldn't help but feel a little self-deprecating helplessness. If it had been a few months ago, he would have refused to respond to Fang Yan's inquiries at this moment, and in turn severely reprimanded the other party for violating the confidentiality regulations. However, now that Fang Yan is already a full-fledged general, he has really stepped into the upper echelons of the navy, and with the Supreme Command having already issued an attack date, it has become a completely reasonable move for Fang Yan to pay attention to the battle plan of his own fleet. And this gold-rich rank of major general was awarded to him by himself for the sake of the other party's promotion and secret surrender, and now when Rider ascends, he has a feeling of lifting a stone and hitting his own feet.

However, since Raeder recalled Fang Yan back to the country in advance, he also anticipated and responded to the emergence of the current situation. He smiled mildly and calmly stated to Fang Yan: "Our battle in the ocean has not stopped for a day. Since early February, a force consisting of pocket battle cruisers, K-class heavy cruisers, and armored destroyers has broken into the North Atlantic, and with the cooperation of submarine forces and intelligence officers, it has destroyed six convoys in succession, and taught the British merchant ships that had been flagged by neutral countries a harsh lesson. However, without the assistance of regular carrier-based aircraft, the surface fleet encountered obvious bottlenecks in both search and counter-search, and despite its brilliant achievements, it was still a long way from the goal of completely suffocating Britain. ”

"Therefore, our army is ready to put the overhauled Blucher into battle first. She will form a task force with more than a dozen main warships that have been repaired and refurbished to the Europa Basin, near the Bay of Biscay, so that they can not only strike British merchant ships heading north from Gibraltar, but also wreak havoc on normal shipping in northern French ports. According to the information obtained by the intelligence departments, due to the lack of its own arms production, France has been purchasing a large number of aircraft, artillery, and other materials from the United States since November last year. Raeder said unhurriedly.

"Your Excellency, I wonder if I will have the honor of commanding this fleet to go to sea? In the months following the end of the Norwegian campaign, I dreamed of rough waves and salty sea breezes every night, and I felt a strong feeling of fighting for Germany. There is 1 light aircraft carrier in this fleet, and I believe that I can play her best role. Fang Yan solemnly opened his mouth to ask for battle, a pair of blue eyes as bright as stars stared directly at the pupils of the elder in front of him.

Raeder's gaze became solemn, and he said, "I am very pleased with your love and loyalty to your country, and your fearless courage in battle. This time, however, I can only regret to inform you that the commander of this fleet has been decided. Three days ago, General Gunther-Ruetjens had boarded his new flagship in the port of Kiel, and would be out to sea in a few days' time, and it was impossible for me to order him to disembark now. ”

"Jonas, you are the most proficient and talented general in the Navy, but your time on other warships has been too short. From the Emden to the Deutschland, you have only spent eight years on a cruiser-class warship, and have never held the position of captain of a first-class ship; And which of the other generals didn't hone for more than 20 years before they fully mastered all their professional skills? Therefore, I can rest assured that you are in command of a pure aircraft carrier force, but I cannot rest assured that you are in command of a conventional fleet, and you can only use time to catch up slowly with the experience of Marchar and Lütjans. Raeder said earnestly.

Seeing the gloomy loss in Fang Yan's eyes, Raeder said softly: "Actually, in addition to this reason, I didn't let you be the fleet commander this time because I wanted to protect your safety. In the Norwegian naval battle three months ago, weren't you nearly killed by the British bombs on the Hipper, which lacked the protection of the conning tower? The Blucher also has no heavy armor to protect the commander, and I don't want any more accidents for you. Otherwise, it would have suffered heavy losses not only for the war navy, but also for Germany. ”

Fang Yan seemed to wake up suddenly from his impulsive and extreme emotions. He looked at Raeder with shame and gratitude, and finally lowered his head deeply, unable to say anything. A look of relief and gentleness flashed in Raider's eyes, and he reached out and patted Fang Yan's shoulder, and in a trance, the intimate and harmonious relationship between the two seemed to have returned to ten years ago.

"Your Excellency Marshal, what can I do for the upcoming war on the Western Front?" After a while, Fang Yan finally spoke again, and the pride and arrogance just now faded in his voice, and he became a little more sincere and sincere. Raeder smiled, "There's a mission for you right now. Judging from the present situation, the Navy can no longer shirk the transfer of carrier-based aviation to the Western Front, so I intend that you will take command of this force and participate in operations on the Western Front. ”

"I went to command carrier-based aircraft units to participate in land battles? But for this task, General Milch should be more suitable? Fang Yan's face was full of consternation, and he asked a little sluggishly. Raeder shook his head slowly and said, "Although Milch is an orthodox aviation general, he does not directly control the carrier-based aircraft of the aircraft carrier. Coupled with the fact that he had always had a difficult relationship with the upper echelons of the Navy, I feared that he would not use this precious force carefully enough to inflict significant attrition on the Western Front. This is a situation I absolutely do not want to face. ”

"You're different, Jonas. You have accompanied this force step by step from scratch to growth, and you know how important they are to the Navy. If you're in command of this force, you'll be able to avoid desperate battles with powerful enemies at the command level and preserve their strength. Raeder spoke calmly, not in the slightest ashamed of his cowardly thoughts. After all, the navy has such a little family background, and if it really fights, of course, it must let the powerful army aviation charge ahead, otherwise if the troops are exhausted, what will the navy use to dominate the deep blue?

Raeder paused and said again: "Although at the professional level, you are certainly not as familiar with air-ground cooperative operations as the generals of the Army Aviation, but looking at the entire Navy Headquarters, no one knows those aviation aircraft better than you. You don't have to worry about staying in the High Command for too long, at most by the end of June, when all of our main aircraft carriers will be repaired and maintained, and then I will personally go to the Führer to ask for the air force. ”

"In addition, as you just said, the entry of carrier-based aircraft into the ground to participate in the war this time is also an opportunity to be tempered in ground combat in advance. You, the commander of the aircraft carrier, must not only pursue victory in fleet engagements, but also need to achieve mastery in shore suppression, and you will also need to participate in future battles to land in the UK! Raeder spoke to Fang Yan in an encouraging tone, his expression full of optimism and expectation for the young man in front of him.

Fang Yan pondered for a moment, then nodded solemnly: "Since you trust me so much, I will definitely live up to your trust." The war on the Western Front is imminent, and I will report to the Supreme Command tomorrow, and as for the movement of troops and preliminary preparations, please take more pain. Raeder said solemnly: "I will prepare personnel and supplies and be on standby at any time." ”

The sun is setting and the sunset is full of sky. Fang Yan, who walked out of the Navy Headquarters building, started his car and merged into the city's commuting torrent, and ten minutes later, Fang Yan parked the car in the courtyard outside his villa. To his surprise, there was already a pure and light piano sound coming from the room in the main hall, which belonged to Sylvia. Fang Yan could no longer control the joy that had been suppressed in his heart for a long time, and burst out laughing. The voice was clear and clear, like a traveler who had been trekking all night in the darkness, finally seeing the red that illuminated the sky and the earth in the eastern sky.