Upon returning to the fleet, Tan Renhao was greeted like a hero. The officers and men of the fleet know the value of the commander, and they know even more that the commander has brought them not only victory, but also a safe return every time. Perhaps, for these officers and men of the fleet, it is far better to be able to return to the port and return home safely than to a brilliant victory.

"Renhao, everyone is waiting for you to come back!" Lei Shaoqing is still the chief of staff of the fleet, and when Tan Renhao was away, he was the boss of the first task force.

"yes, we're all going to miss you!" Hao Dongjue immediately pounced.

Tan Renhao kicked away his colleague who was a little too much.

"Renhao, Dongjue also has a feeling!" Chang Jianxin walked over with a smile, "Everyone thinks about it, and we're still guessing when you will be able to come back." ”

Tan Renhao smiled and pulled Hao Dongjue over and hugged him, and then greeted the other staff officers.

"I'll stay on a battleship at night." Tan Renhao called Lei Shaoqing outside the bridge, "How is the situation of the fleet now?" ”

"It's too good to be true." Lei Shaoqing leaned on the handrail of the gangway, "I will go to inspect the 'Xuanzong' aircraft carrier tomorrow, and the repair work ended the day before yesterday." If everything is in order, the fleet will be able to leave the port the day after tomorrow. If we set off first, then the fleet will be able to depart tomorrow and go to Naha to wait for the 'Genjong' formation. ”

Because several warships had to be repaired, or they had reached the maintenance period, the fleet was transferred to Zhoushan Port when Tan Renhao went home to visit his family. This also happened to allow the officers and men of the fleet to relax, and some of the officers and men even rotated back to their homes. This is Lei Shaoqing's arrangement. Three days before Tan Renhao returned to Zhoushan, all the officers and men of the fleet had returned, a number of wounded had also returned to the fleet, and the recruits who had replenished the sacrificed officers and men had also come aboard the ship more than 10 days ago to familiarize themselves with the situation.

There have also been some changes in the situation in the fleet, among which Tan Renhao first discovered that the flagship of the fleet was replaced by the "Yangtze River" aircraft carrier, which was all arranged by Lei Shaoqing.

"Originally. You should have been consulted on all of this, but the principal approved it first. So ......"

"It doesn't matter, you are the chief of staff of the fleet, and the decisions you make on these small matters are my decisions." Tan Renhao put down his chopsticks, because he was with Lei Shaoqing, so those officers in the officer's cafeteria avoided it with interest. "Looks like we're getting in the way of the others here, so let's go somewhere else."

Lei Shaoqing laughed. In fact, they are not very strict with their staff officers, and they do not restrict the private lives of those young officers, and there is not much difference in age. What made Lei Shaoqing a little puzzled was that Hao Dongjue could mix with those young officers, but he didn't have the ability to talk to Renhao.

The two of them came to the bottom of the aircraft carrier island. The flight deck is being cleaned up, and even if the flight deck is spotless, it will be cleaned once a day, which is a must for those who are in charge of it. Except, of course, in wartime situations.

"I am ready to make some adjustments to the composition of the fleet, mainly to accommodate the newly added warships." The two walked towards the bow of the aircraft carrier, and Lei Shaoqing took out a cigarette as he spoke. "If the 'Xuanzong' returns on time, then we will have four aircraft carriers, if we follow the previous method. If the four aircraft carriers are under unified command, and the radio silence is to be maintained, then the ground command link in the operation will be too troublesome. ”

Tan Renhao nodded slightly, he was thinking about this issue after hearing that the "Yellow River" aircraft carrier had joined the First Task Force. In fact, the Tang Imperial Navy had serious problems in commanding aircraft carrier operations, and there was simply no effective, reliable, and systematic command system, and most of the command methods were fleet training. Exercise. There is also the battle summed up, and among them. Tan Renhao plays an important role.

According to Tan Renhao's previous command method, each aircraft carrier did not have the right to act alone, especially before the Battle of Ryukyu Island, all aircraft carriers in the fleet were under unified command and unified action. Tan Renhao's purpose in doing this was only one, to strengthen the strike force of the fleet, so that he could concentrate the aircraft-carrying forces of all aircraft carriers to launch an attack and give the enemy a fatal blow in the first wave of attacks. This style of command has its advantages, but it also has its drawbacks. The most obvious drawback is the lack of flexibility of the carriers. In support of the landing operation on Ryukyu Island, all aircraft carriers were almost caught off guard when they were attacked by Japanese artillery formations at night because they had to obey the command of the fleet commander. Later, Tan Renhao adjusted this command style and delegated some powers to the commander of the aircraft carrier, that is, the second-level commander of the aircraft carrier strike group, so that each aircraft carrier formation could flexibly adjust its position in wartime to adapt to unexpected situations.

"I'm thinking about that too." Tan Renhao nodded, and then sighed, "In the past, when I commanded the three aircraft carriers to fight, the problem was not very big, and the cooperation between the aircraft carriers was also very tacit. Now, with one more aircraft carrier, the problem of command is becoming more and more obvious. What are your thoughts? ”

"I think that by organizing four aircraft carriers into two sub-fleets, not only can we form a sustained strike force, but also that there are not too few bombers in each wave." Lei Shaoqing glanced at Tan Renhao, "Moreover, the problems existing in command will also be solved, and we can arrange strike operations more flexibly, so as not to cause both formations to fall into chaos." ”

Tan Renhao frowned slightly: "This requires the addition of a first-level command organization to extend the chain of command." ”

"Yes, but the problem should not be very big, after all, there are not many excellent commanders in the fleet, and they have all experienced the test of actual combat, and they all know how to fight, and what to do when they are already fighting. In this way, more talents can be tapped and prepared for the expansion of the Imperial Navy. ”

Tan Renhao laughed. "Then I'll talk to the headmaster tomorrow about this, this needs to be approved by the headmaster, and we don't have the right to change the command system of the fleet."

"Do you want me to come with me tomorrow?"

"No, I don't. I'll just go by myself, you have to get the 'Xuanzong' matter done as soon as possible, this can't be delayed any longer." ”

Lei Shaoqing smiled and nodded, it seems that Tan Renhao is also anxious to go to sea. Tan Renhao let out a sigh and looked towards the beautiful night sky, he didn't know what was waiting for him in the eastern ocean.

Nie Renfeng approved Tan Renhao's plan. However, only Tan Renhao was allowed to temporarily set up a first-level intermediate command structure, and the matter of formally establishing an aircraft carrier formation could not be determined for a while. Other words. Nie Renfeng acquiesced in Tan Renhao's approach, and also used the performance of the First Task Force in actual combat to determine whether the addition of this level of command structure could really enhance the fleet's combat capability, or whether it would hinder the fleet's performance.

Tan Renhao immediately reorganized the fleet, and he organized four aircraft carriers into two aircraft carrier strike groups. Among them, "Taizu" and "Xuanzong" were numbered as the first aircraft carrier strike group, and were given a code name: 1.1.1 formation. The first "1" represents the first task force, the second "1" represents the carrier strike group, and the third "1" indicates the first carrier strike group. Therefore. The "Yangtze River" and the "Yellow River" formed the 1.1.2 formation. The "2" in it represents the second carrier strike group.

This approach was later adopted by the Imperial Navy in wartime, and its meaning was expanded. For example, when the 1st Carrier Strike Formation is part of the 1st Task Force, it is numbered 1.1.1. When it was transferred to Task Force 2, it was 2.1.1. The battleship formation was codenamed "2", the cruiser formation was "3", the destroyer formation was "4", and the supply transport ship formation was "5". The landing fleet is "6". In this way, a fleet will have separate formations of various warships, and the administrative management will be refined, and each formation can also be conveniently dispatched to be assigned to the same fleet during combat to strengthen the combat effectiveness of the fleet. Moreover, with the different affiliations of each formation. It can also be transferred to various battlefields to enhance the utilization rate of the fleet, which also increases the flexibility of the Imperial Navy fleet, and can concentrate superior forces in local battlefields to achieve victory in the battle.

Tan Renhao did not expect that the establishment system he adopted at that time would have such a great impact, what he thought of was only to make the First Task Force more flexible and more able to give full play to the combat effectiveness of the aircraft carrier formation. Of course, his purpose was achieved, and it was the success of Task Force 1. Therefore, the Imperial Navy later popularized this method in other fleets.

The "Xuanzong" also successfully completed the overhaul. And during the overhaul period, various shortcomings in the battleship were improved again. It's just that the aircraft carrier is flawed in its design. In particular, the small displacement limits the room for improvement. For example, the biggest defect of the "Emperor" class aircraft carrier at that time was that the horizontal protection capability was too poor, and ordinary bombs could easily penetrate the flight deck and enter the hull to explode. The only solution is to strengthen the armor of the flight deck and set the flight deck directly as an armored deck. However, the displacement of the aircraft carrier is too small, and if the flight deck is changed to an armored deck, the center of the aircraft carrier will be increased and the seaworthiness of the aircraft carrier will be reduced, and this improvement will not be worth the loss, and it can even be said that it is very dangerous.

The other warships newly incorporated into the fleet also arrived within two days, and the replenishment work was successfully completed at this time. Tan Renhao patiently waited for the "Xuanzong" to return, and then led the fleet to leave Zhoushan Port and go straight to Naha.

Before leaving, he received the last and most important piece of information. The Japanese Combined Fleet had left Gulf of Tonkin three days earlier, and the submarine of the Japanese Combined Fleet had finally been discovered, and the telegram stated that the Japanese Combined Fleet was heading all the way south, and the Imperial Naval Intelligence had judged that the Japanese Combined Fleet was either going to Truk or preparing to launch a new campaign in the South Seas. Because the Japanese Combined Fleet maintained radio silence after leaving the Gulf of Tonkin, and the Imperial submarines patrolling the western Pacific did not dare to get too close to the sea area patrolled by Japanese anti-submarine aircraft, there was no news from the Japanese Combined Fleet.

"Judging by the current situation, the Japanese Combined Fleet has only one aircraft carrier at most!" Hao Dongjue crossed Erlang's legs, "This is the information we got later." The aircraft carrier "Xianghe" suffered heavy damage and probably had to lie in the dock for two months, or even four months. The damage to the 'Zuihe' was not very serious, and by the time it left Truk, it had almost regained its combat effectiveness. If the Japanese Combined Fleet were just a regular fleet aircraft carrier, then we would have nothing to worry about. ”

Tan Renhao sneered. "Whether it's an aircraft carrier or half an aircraft carrier, if we take it lightly, it's giving the Japanese a chance, and I don't want to give the Japanese a chance."

Hao Dongjue stuck out his tongue, knowing that he had said the wrong thing.

"If the Japanese fleet keeps going south, they will go back to Truk, but what are they going to Truk now?" Chang Zhixin immediately diverted the topic. "Do they think Truk is safer? Or do they want to make another mistake and give us a chance to sneak up on the Japanese mainland? ”

"This is unlikely, since we bombed the Japanese Imperial Palace last time, Japan has deployed a large number of reconnaissance planes to the south of its mainland, and we have no chance to bomb the Japanese Imperial Palace, not even a chance to get close to the Japanese mainland, unless we want to be attacked by hundreds of bombers." Lei Shaoqing smiled bitterly, "Therefore, when the Japanese Combined Fleet goes south this time, it either knows that we are about to go to war, or it is to go to the Nanyang region." ”

"I don't think it's very possible to go to the South Seas. After the Ryukyu Islands fell into our hands, the war situation in the South Seas region did not actually benefit Japan much. Now that the anti-Japanese movement in the Nanyang region has also reached the highest level, and Japan does not completely rely on the resources of the Nanyang region to continue fighting, the Yankees have provided enough war aid to Japan. Hao Dongjue lit a cigarette, "Perhaps, they took the initiative to come out and die!" ”

"No matter if they're here to die, or what they're here to do, even if Yamamoto Sixty-five goes out for a ride on the 'Yamato', we can't let him swim back again!" Tan Renhao slapped the table, "After arriving in Naha, complete the fleet replenishment as soon as possible." Lao Chang still arranges navigation and sea supplies, Dongjue is in charge of the aviation unit, and Shaoqing is in charge of intelligence and the daily arrangements of the fleet. As soon as there is news of the Japanese Combined Fleet, we will immediately set off and make the Japanese completely desperate! ”

Several people laughed. If the Japanese Combined Fleet had been killed this time, the Japanese would have despaired. As long as the Imperial Navy has mastered the supremacy of the sea, then the result of Japan will be finished, completely finished!