Volume 23 Springboard for Advance Section 33 Decisive Battle for the Enemy

Because Han Shaofeng did not agree to completely revise the landing operation plan, Tan Renhao and Huang Xiaotian both believed that it was necessary to draw up two sets of naval battle plans so that they could deal with other situations that might arise. In the end, the two also divided labor, Tan Renhao was in charge of the master plan, that is, the plan to go out to the Atlantic Ocean to find the decisive battle of the US Atlantic Fleet, while Huang Xiaotian was in charge of the backup plan, that is, the battle plan needed in the case that the main plan could not be implemented and could only be used in the Caribbean to fight the US Atlantic decisive battle.

Relatively speaking, Tan Renhao is not willing to take on this main responsibility, but he can't give in with Huang Xiaotian, after all, this time the Navy Command transferred the First Fleet over, that is, the First Fleet will be the main force, and Huang Xiaotian also acquiesced in the relationship between the two fleets, if Tan Renhao does not come out to take the main responsibility, then let Huang Xiaotian take the role? The big question is, how to arrange the positions of the First Fleet and the Third Fleet in the master plan.

After returning to the aircraft carrier "Longganhu", Tan Renhao thought about it for half the night and fell asleep when it was almost dawn. As a result, he only slept for three hours when he was woken up by a loud noise coming from outside. After Duchenne sent it early, Tan Renhao knew that there was something wrong with the boiler on the battleship, and the boiler soldiers spent a night overhauling it, and the test was carried out after repairing it in the morning, because the test data had to be recorded, and several test instruments needed to be placed, so the soundproof door of the boiler room was not closed, so it would produce such a huge noise.

"The chief of staff has already gone to greet them, and the rest of the test work will be carried out in the afternoon. If you haven't woken up yet, then rest a little longer, and the chief of staff will leave to arrange the fraternity, and he will probably not be back until the afternoon. ”

"Who's on duty in the command cabin now?" Tan Renhao still has sleepiness, seeing that the battle is about to begin, but there is not much clue about the battle plan.

"It's a nautical staff. There will be no other actions in the fleet for these two days, and nothing will happen. ”

"Then you wait in the command cabin. Let the navigation staff send someone to invite Hao Dongjue and Chang Jianxin. Tan Renhao put down half of the bun in his hand. "When they arrive, you take them straight to the conference room, and I'll go later. ”

"You're not resting?" Du Xing looked at Tan Renhao in a little surprise, he knew that Tan Renhao only slept in the middle of the night.

"I can't sleep, I haven't taken care of a lot of things!"

"Then I'll wait and boil some soup and add a few dishes at noon. ”

"You can arrange this, and call me again at lunchtime. Tan Renhao did not object. Originally, the basic duty of the adjutant was to take care of the life of the supervisor.

After Du Xing went out, Tan Renhao went to take a shower, and then changed into a clean set of clothes. After arriving at Limón Bay yesterday, he had not had time to shower and change his clothes before he went to a few meetings. Half an hour later, Tan Renhao came to the conference room, probably because the navigation staff knew from Duchenne that the commander was going to have a meeting with the other two commanders of the task force, so he had already sent the relevant materials to the conference room. This also made Tan Renhao not have to go to the data room again. At around ten o'clock, Hao Dongjue and Chang Jianxin arrived at the "Longganhu" aircraft carrier together, and Du Xing, who had already been guarding outside, took the two of them directly to the conference room. Although Du Xing didn't tell them why they were invited, Chang Jianxin and Hao Dongjue had already guessed that Tan Renhao must have discussed the combat operation with them.

"Negotiated the results with Han Shaofeng last night?"

"You can say that. Tan Renhao roughly talked about what they talked about with Han Shaofeng, and then said. "I even think that if the Marine Corps needs to prepare two sets of battle plans, then we must also prepare two sets of battle plans. Yesterday on the way back, I negotiated with Huang Xiaotian, we were in charge of the master plan, and Huang Xiaotian was in charge of the backup plan. ”

"What is a master plan?" Hao Dongjue followed Chang Jianxin and asked.

That is, to go out of the Atlantic Ocean and take the initiative to find the decisive battle site plan of the US Atlantic Fleet. Tan Renhao leaned back in his chair, before Chang Jianxin and Hao Dongjue came, he had already drunk a cup of coffee, and the tea had also been changed to a pot. But he still felt a little tired.

That is to say. We will first consider taking the initiative to look for opportunities for a decisive battle, and moreover, a decisive battle with the US forces when the conditions on the battlefield are relatively favorable to us? Chang Jiexin frowned slightly. Without waiting for Tan Renhao to speak, he continued, "In this way, the biggest question may not be whether Spruance will face the battle, but the arrangement of our two fleets, right?" ”

"That's what I'm going to discuss with you. Tan Renhao took a sip of tea and propped his elbows on the table. "As I always said at the beginning, if we have a plan in place, and there is no problem with the deployment, and the relevant arrangements are the same as planned, it will not be difficult to draw out the Spruance land, at least, Spruance is also thinking about how to take out one of our main fleets. But the question is, who will act as the bait, and sleep will stay behind to be responsible for the main attack? ”

"It's mainly a decoy, whether it's the First Fleet or the Third Fleet, as long as we seize the opportunity, we have full confidence in annihilating the US Atlantic Fleet in one fell swoop!" Hao Dongjue touched his forehead, "In this case, it depends on who is more attractive, and who is the opponent that Spruance wants to solve first." ”

"I don't think it's going to be us. Chang Jianxin added Hao Dongjue's words. "I've been thinking about this for the past few days, relatively speaking, Spruance knows us better, and if he has a grasp of the actual size of the First Fleet now, he will also know that the strength of our two fleets is equal, whether it is an artillery battle or an aviation battle, the forces that both sides can invest are equal, and the victory or defeat will be determined by the quality of officers and men, as well as the ability of commanders. In terms of commander's abilities, even if you are not sure enough to defeat Spruance, again, Spruance is not sure enough to defeat you. Looking at the quality of officers and men, I am afraid that the Atlantic Fleet will be trained for a few more months without any actual combat experience. Nor can it be compared with our local officers and soldiers. In this case, Spruance is likely to want to go off the rails and deal with the Third Fleet with a single combat capability first! ”

"What's the wrong door? Could it be that Spruance was still ready to use his battleships against the aircraft carriers of the Third Fleet? If Huang Xiaotian really fought him in a decisive battle under unfavorable circumstances, then Huang Xiaotian would be an absolute fool, and he would not be qualified to serve as the commander of the Third Fleet! After Hao Dongjue heard Chang Jianxin's meaning, he immediately shouted unconvinced, "When the time comes." Even if it can't be defeated, can't the Third Fleet outrun those battleships with a speed of less than 30 knots? As long as the situation changes. Let Huang Xiaotian send a bomber, and Spruance didn't even have a chance to escape. ”

"You can't look at things that way. Tan Renhao did not stand on Hao Dongjue's side this time, "There is some truth in what Lao Chang said, the first thing to consider in defeating the enemy is to defeat the enemy's shortcomings. Compared with us, the Atlantic Fleet is not superior in any respect, but compared to the Third Fleet. There are also some advantages. While these advantages are not present in many cases, in the hands of a good commander, even the most obvious advantages can turn into victory. Spruance must have grasped the actual situation of our two main fleets, at least the attachment of the fleet, and considering the complicated situation in the Caribbean, it is not impossible for Spruance to use battleships to fight the main force. ”

"If we take the initiative to look for a decisive opportunity and Spruance plays the offensive defense. Then he can pick the time of the decisive battle, and when the time comes, he will be more likely to let the battleship hit the main force! Chang Jianxin looked at Hao Dongjue, he didn't mean to provoke, he was just telling Hao Dongjue, don't use a way to retreat. At least now many examples of battles have proved that battleships have not been eliminated, and in some specific cases, battleships cannot be replaced by any other battleship.

"Then we should try to avoid that. Hao Dongjue took a step forward, but his tone still indicated that he did not admit defeat.

"These tactical issues are not what we need to discuss right now, and after the campaign plan is finalized, we have time to work out the tactical issues. Tan Renhao brought the topic back. "If Spruance has the Third Fleet as the first target, then I'm afraid we won't have any more options if we want Spruance to fight us. ”

"What is Huang Xiaotian's attitude?" Chang Jianxin had already heard the meaning of Tan Renhao's words.

"I haven't told him yet, but judging by his attitude when we met yesterday. Huang Xiaotian voluntarily relinquished command. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been put in charge of the master plan, while he himself would have been in charge of the backup plan. ”

That is to say. Huang Xiaotian has already acquiesced in the relationship between our two fleets? Chang Jianxin lit a cigarette, "So, who is going to tell him, and, how to say?" ”

Tan Renhao looked at Hao Dongjue. Although Huang Xiaotian is now an admiral and Hao Dongjue is only a first-class lieutenant general, Huang Xiaotian used to be Hao Dongjue's subordinate, and he was the best "student" taught by Hao Dongjue. The relationship between the two has always been very close, and if one of the three commanders of the First Fleet is selected, then Hao Dongjue is the most suitable person to talk to Huang Xiaotian.

"Don't look at me, I'm like you, I haven't seen Huang Xiaotian for a long time, I don't know what to say when we met yesterday, it's so troublesome, don't look for me. As soon as he met Tan Renhao's gaze, Hao Dongjue immediately retreated.

"So, who are we looking for?" Tan Renhao shook his head with a smile, and then looked at Chang Jianxin, "Old Chang, now the chief of staff of the Fourth Task Force is transferred from you, right?" ”

"You said Fenglingdu?"

"Yes, it's the chief of staff who was talking about artillery battles in Sekido at the time. Tan Renhao immediately remembered this person.

"I was sent from our third task force, and I heard that he cooperated well with Huang Xiaotian, and Huang Xiaotian also relied on him. Chang Jianxin hesitated, "You mean, let me talk to Feng Lingdu first, and then Feng Lingdu will talk to Huang Xiaotian?" ”

Tan Renhao didn't speak, to be honest, he was really embarrassed to go directly to Huang Xiaotian.

"Renhao, I think this is a bit of a stretch. If we want to determine the battle plan, then we are looking for the commander of the Third Fleet, not the commander of the Fourth Task Force. Feng Lingdu is only the chief of staff of the task force, even if his status in the Third Fleet is not very low, but what role can he play? What's more, he couldn't make up his mind about such a major matter at all. ”

"I also think so, if we beat around the bush, it will make Huang Xiaotian feel outside, and it will be even more difficult to get along with at that time. Hao Dongjue immediately echoed Chang Jianxin.

"Then, we still have to talk to Huang Xiaotian directly. Tan Renhao looked at the two of them again, "Since we don't want to play this black face, then let's find an opportunity to call Huang Xiaotian over, and let's talk to him together, how about it?" ”

"This ......" Hao Dongjue hesitantly avoided the topic.

"It's okay, anyway, we haven't eaten with Huang Xiaotian for a long time, and Lao Lei will come over soon, when Lao Lei arrives, we will call Huang Xiaotian by the way in the name of catching the wind, and it will be simpler to have Lao Lei's help when the time comes. ”

"It's impossible to invite only Huang Xiaotian, right?" Hao Dongjue raised his head, "If it is to treat Lao Lei in the name of catching the wind, then you have to invite Zheng Guanhua, how to say, Zheng Guanhua has also partnered with Lao Lei, and he is also Lao Lei's subordinate." If you invite Zheng Guanhua, it is impossible not to invite Yan Yulong, when Lao Lei was in the Pacific Theater, he also had a good cooperation with Yan Yulong. If you want to please, we have to ask together. ”

"It's okay, bring in a few people who are in charge of the Third Fleet, and we'll make things clear. Tan Renhao finally made a decision, "We won't make any decision for the time being, and after discussing it with Huang Xiaotian and them, we will make a final decision together, what do you think?" ”

Neither Chang Jianxin nor Hao Dongjue objected to this proposal, no matter how to say it, the Third Fleet is also the main fleet, and its performance on the battlefield is not below that of the First Fleet. If Tan Renhao and the others have preconceived ideas, it will make the relationship between the two fleets rigid, which will definitely have a bad impact on future joint operations, and if everyone discusses and solves the problem together, then it will not only be enough to respect others, but also easier to gain support.

Lei Shaoqing arrived in Panama on 30 May, spent several days giving instructions to his work, and then left the Gibraltar fortress on a special plane of senior generals sent by the Navy Command, landed several times to replenish fuel, and arrived at the airport south of Limón on the morning of 30 May. Tan Renhao and others went to the airport to greet Lei Shaoqing, and set up a reception wine for Lei Shaoqing that night, naturally, Huang Xiaotian and others also arrived on time.