After Tan Renhao returned to Zhoushan, the first piece of news he received was that on 2 October, the night after he left the fleet, in the waters southeast of Gardner Island, a fierce but small naval battle took place between the artillery warships of the First Task Force under the command of Wei Dongbei and the escort warships of the US transport fleet.

Nimitz did not let the remnants of the Fifth Fleet escort the convoy, and the ships went to Kauai to bring the wounded ashore, and after making minor repairs to the battleships and replenishing some fuel, they returned directly to Pearl Harbor. At the same time, Nimitz did not cancel his plans to send reinforcements and supplies to Gardner Island, but he was more careful.

The U.S. convoy arrived at Necke Island in the evening of the same day, and by this time the airfield on Necke Island had been repaired, and Nimitz urgently reinforced more than 100 combat planes here. Therefore, the transport fleet was relatively safe on Necke Island, at least the shelling formation in the northeast of Wei did not dare to rush to Necke Island. Nimitz first arranged for the escorting destroyer formation to go to Gardner Island to find out the truth, but the next night it was attacked by an artillery formation commanded by Wei Dongbei.

At this time, most of the cruisers of the 1st Task Force (there were four "Tsurotto"-class cruisers that were really not in good condition, and returned to Apra Harbor with the aircraft carrier formation) had already been incorporated into the shelling formation, that is, Wei Dongbei had 12 cruisers and 12 destroyers in his hands. And the US fleet he had to deal with was only 10 destroyers. The outcome of the battle can be imagined.

The naval battle lasted only a few hours, and after the destruction of four destroyers, the American fleet retreated. Nimitz had to abandon the operation to reinforce Gardner Island, and let the convoy unload troops and supplies on Necker Island. Strengthen the defense of Necke Island. They then returned to Pearl Harbor and prepared to continue to reinforce Necke Island, so that the Don Empire Marines could not continue to capture Necke Island after the capture of Gardner Island. And in battle. Northeast Wei also lost a cruiser, and the heavy cruiser "Winter Solstice" was hit by a torpedo fired by an American destroyer. It sank on the way back to Midway.

"This morning, the U.S. military has surrendered." Gan Yongxing brought the teacup over, "Han Shaofeng, they are repairing the airport on the island. Judging by the situation on the battlefield, Nimitz has abandoned Gardner Island and is making every effort to consolidate Necke Island. Nihua Island, and further east, the defense of Kauai Island.

And from the ground intelligence we have now, Nimitz will send an additional batch of heavy bombers to Kauai in the next few days, preparing to bomb Gardner Island, so that we will not be able to use the airfield on Gardner Island. ”

Tan Renhao took the teacup. "So Nimitz knows what we're going to do?"

"Whether he knows it or not, now we don't have the ability to continue attacking Necke Island." Gan Yongxing sat on the sofa opposite Tan Renhao, "I have asked Hao Dongjue to return to the artillery formation, and he will command the operation." Wei Dongbei was his staff officer. And they will return to Midway first, and the battleships that need to be repaired will return to the port of Apra. Now Task Force 1 has lost its air strike capability, while Task Force 2 is still training. We are not in a position to continue the offensive until the airfield on the island of Gardner is repaired. ”

Tan Renhao nodded slightly, he also thought of letting the artillery formation withdraw from the battlefield, the heavy bombers of the US army. And the shore-based fighters on Necke Island are no small threat.

"This combat operation was very successful, and the principal was supposed to reward you personally, but now that the principal has gone to the capital, you also know that at this time of year, we have to find a way to get a little more budget for next year." Gan Yongxing shrugged his shoulders, "The prime minister also sent a telegram, affirming the actions of the First Task Force, and commenting that this is a major victory for us to turn the tide of the war in the Pacific, and asking us to give the First Task Force a collective commendation. Well, I've already arranged it, and the commendation order will be issued soon. However, what I don't understand is that we didn't plan to attack Gardner Island in the first place, how did you come up with the idea? ”

Tan Renhao laughed awkwardly, and then said honestly: "Chief of Staff, in fact, I didn't think of so much at first, after all, in our overall plan, we will first take Wake Island, and then decide whether to attack the Hawaiian Islands according to the actual situation. At that time, I just thought that the Fifth Fleet had to be lured out by a practical operation, and if we only bombed and did not land, Spruance would never come out to fight the First Task Force, and would take us by surprise when we were a tired division. Therefore, we can only force Spruance to kill by launching a landing operation on Gardner Island, and give us a chance to deal with the Fifth Fleet! ”

Gan Yongxing took out a cigarette, and he waited for Tan Renhao to continue.

"With all the twists and turns in this campaign, it can be said that we were almost defeated. Judging by the entire course of the campaign, the final victory was almost accidental, and it was Spruance who made several serious mistakes that gave us the opportunity to annihilate the Fifth Fleet. In the same way, we made several mistakes in the early stages, all of which were serious, as a result of which the landing fleet was hit and the attack on Gardner Island was delayed. In addition, it also caused the "Gaoyou Lake" aircraft carrier to be injured in the first battle, and now this aircraft carrier needs at least four months to repair, right? ”

Gan Yongxing nodded slightly, the "Gaoyou Lake" aircraft carrier is on the way back to the empire, when it arrived at Apra Port, the engineer did a simple inspection, confirmed that the damage to the aircraft carrier was extremely serious, especially the two submarine-launched heavy torpedoes that were received later, so that the underwater part of the aircraft carrier was seriously traumatized, and it is a miracle to be able to return to Apra Port, and this aircraft carrier has to be repaired in the shipyard for at least four months, if you count the time to return, it may not be able to return to service after four and a half months.

"It's fair to say that I'm not making mistakes on both sides, and at the same time, we're taking advantage of the mistakes that our opponents are making." Tan Renhao sighed, "In the end, in addition to luck and seizing the opportunity in time, the outstanding performance of the officers and men of the fleet, especially the aviation force, and the hard work of the Sprance were able to defeat Spruance. But even so, the fleet still suffered huge losses, and the first task force did not want to fully recover its combat effectiveness in the past two months. Of course, to be able to take out a tough opponent. These losses are worth it! ”

"Yes, Spruance is the best opponent we've ever faced.

While you were fighting on the front lines, the principal and I were also observing. And it was unanimously agreed that it was because of Spruance. We were only hugely pinned down in the Central Pacific, and it can be said that Spruance alone slowed down our offensive and even affected the fighting in the Southwest Pacific, without his words. The U.S. military will definitely not hold out for so long! ”

Tan Renhao frowned slightly, and he eagerly waited for the chief of staff to say what he said.

"If he is killed this time, I am afraid that we will be able to defeat the United States half a year ahead of schedule. It's a pity......" Gan Yongxing sighed, "we have received definite information, Spruance has returned to Pearl Harbor, and he was on a light cruiser at the time of the second bombardment of the Fifth Fleet. He suffered only minor injuries and was not finished. ”

Tan Renhao was secretly startled, and his expression quickly returned to calm. Whether or not you can blow up the commander of the opposing fleet is completely a matter of luck. And also with good luck.

"We've done for sure, though, that Halsey is finished."

Tan Renhao was shocked again. Previously, he had only heard that Halsey was finished, and to confirm whether Halsey was finished, he needed more information from the intelligence agencies.

"This has been confirmed by many sources, and the President of the United States even attended Halsey's funeral." Gan Yongxing patted the armrest of the sofa. "Also, the Fifth Fleet has lost all its aircraft carriers, and now in the Pacific Ocean, the US military has no aircraft carriers. This is the best news, no matter how good Spruance is, without an aircraft carrier, he is nothing. So, at least for a few months, we don't need to worry about the Spruance threat, and this is the best chance for us to continue to expand our gains and seize a comprehensive strategic advantage! ”

"If we seize this opportunity to quickly consolidate Gardner Island and expand the capacity of the island's airfield, we should be able to gradually invade the Hawaiian Islands, at least when we can concentrate on attacking Australia, arrange some heavy bombers to destroy the US airfields on the Hawaiian Islands." Tan Renhao shrugged his shoulders, "In this way, the fleet can be more convenient to fight in the future, and after we clean up Australia, we can immediately launch a combat operation to attack the Hawaiian Islands, saving a lot of time." ”

"Don't worry, I have already arranged these things." Gan Yongxing laughed, "When you proposed attacking Gardner Island, the headmaster had already recognized the importance of this island. Judging from the information provided by Han Shaofeng, although the area of Gardner Island is not very large, the terrain is relatively flat, and there is enough space to expand the capacity of the airport. Liao Hanxiang has also sent engineering troops over to build Gardner Island as an advance base for attacking the Hawaiian Islands, and by then, we may have more than 200 bombers on the island, as well as a large number of ground troops. Combined with the base on Midway, it was enough to support the attack on the Hawaiian Islands. ”

"It would be more beneficial for us to take Lysan during this period."

"These are all planned by Liao Hanxiang." Gan Yongxing threw away his cigarette butt, "Whether or not to attack Laisang Island depends on how much combat strength the Marine Corps still has, and how long the US troops on Laisang Island can hold out." Han Shaofeng will submit the relevant report within ten days. At that time, if it is feasible, Liao Hanxiang will arrange relevant offensive operations, this, you don't need to worry about this, maybe, you can also let the second task force go up to train at that time. ”

"Has the commander of Task Force 2 been decided?" Tan Renhao immediately changed the subject.

"For the time being, Zheng Guanhua is still in charge, we have considered letting Lei Shaoqing go back, but ......"

"Lei Shaoqing, can he stand up?" Tan Renhao was shocked again.

"Yes, a few days ago, he had already stood up, the doctor said it was a miracle, and now he is still continuing his restorative treatment, but ......" Gan Yongxing sighed, "His condition is definitely not suitable to continue to command the fleet, so we are considering arranging an experienced general to command the second task force." ”

Tan Renhao also sighed secretly, there was no hope at all, although he knew before that Lei Shaoqing would not return to the fleet, but now when he clearly knew this, it was a little difficult to accept.

"The principal and I both think that Hao Dongjue is the best candidate." Gan Yongxing's eyes fell on Tan Renhao, "Before, you also received relevant news, now we have to consider arranging a suitable chief of staff for Hao Dongjue, and Zheng Guanhua is definitely not suitable, both of them are from the aviation army, and it is very troublesome to partner together." Do you think there's a good fit? ”

"Pick from Task Force One?"

Gan Yongxing nodded.

Tan Renhao pondered for a while, and said: "Wei Dongbei, Li Wenlong and several other brigadier generals are all good candidates, they are all proficient in navigation, and they have been trained many times on the battlefield, and more importantly, they are very familiar with Hao Dongjue, and they have always been in a relationship between superiors and subordinates, and it should be the best arrangement for them to assist Hao Dongjue." ”

"Okay, then when Hao Dongjue comes back, I'll talk to him again and let him choose a chief of staff by himself." Gan Yongxing stood up as he spoke, "These days, you can rest first, tomorrow I will have someone send you some important materials, you don't have to come to the headquarters." ”

"Why?" Tan Renhao stood up and looked at the chief of staff with a little puzzlement.

"Your daughter-in-law is expected to give birth at the end of this month, don't you stay with her?" Gan Yongxing laughed, "The principal will be back in the second half of the year."

Didn't you ask the principal to help you choose a name for your child? Be sure to ask when the time comes. During this time, you should familiarize yourself with the situation first, don't come to the headquarters if you don't have to, it's okay, I won't come to you, of course, if there is something, I will definitely come to you! ”

Tan Renhao scratched his scalp, he hadn't gone home yet, so he rushed over directly after getting off the plane.

"Okay, you go back quickly, otherwise others will say that I, the chief of staff, is too impersonal!"

"Okay, then I'll take my leave!"

Gan Yongxing sent Tan Renhao to the door, and then went to ask the adjutant to send the prepared materials to Tan Renhao's adjutant. In fact, there are many things that need to be dealt with immediately at this time, and Tan Renhao will definitely be able to help a lot.