After four months of combat operations, the 1st Task Force returned to the port of Jeju on 23 July, and Jiang Zhongmin and Fan Peikun returned to Zhoushan on 25 July. The task of the first task force was to cooperate with the 6th Army in the Nanyang region, and although Jiang Zhongmin, a steady commander, did not have much outstanding performance, he did not let the fleet take risks. In the past four months, Jiang Zhongmin's ability has been affirmed, but at the same time, Fan Peikun, who is the chief of staff of the fleet, has been criticized.

"I heard that Jiang Zhongmin and Fan Peikun came back this time to accept promotions."

Tan Renhao nodded slightly, and didn't look at Hao Dongjue next to him. When he was still looking at the materials in his hand and had nothing to do, Tan Renhao liked to go to the grassy hillside facing the harbor to read the materials, and when he was bored, he could also look at the warships in the port.

"Did you listen to me?"

Hao Dongjue pushed Ren Hao, "This time it seems to be a collective personnel transfer, I heard that the marshal has agreed to promote the commander of the fleet and the chief of staff to one level at the same time." ”

"Tell me about you!"

Tan Renhao couldn't take it either, he put down the information in his hand, "I already know, General Liao Hanxiang wants you to be the acting commander of the Second Army, you can be promoted to brigadier general immediately, and you can become a major general before the end of the year, why do you want to run back?" ”

Hao Dongjue was stunned for a moment, and his expression darkened.

Tan Renhao took out a cigarette and lit one for Hao Dongjue first. "Tell me whatever, is there anything you can't tell me?"

"Renhao, it's not that you don't know."

Hao Dongjue shook his head, and then took a sharp puff: "To be honest, I also want to go back to the fleet." And I know that you kid will definitely have a chance to go back and be the commander of the fleet, and when the time comes, I will give you the chief of staff, isn't it the same that you can become a general? ”

"That's a brigadier general, not a major general."

Tan Renhao frowned slightly.

"I don't see it that way. Commodore in the fleet is much more popular than a rear admiral in the Strategic Strike Force. ”

Hao Dongjue flicked off the cigarette ash on the cigarette butt, "And I'm not stupid." How long can Japan hold out? Three months and half a year? Maybe tomorrow the surrender will be announced. What to do with the Strategic Strike Force after Japan's surrender? Disbanded and incorporated into the HNA or annexed by the 6th Army? In my opinion, it is most likely to be annexed by the 6th Army, even if it is not annexed by the 6th Army. The bomber will also be transferred to the 6th Army, and then it will become an empty shelf, and I will become the commander of the light pole, so what's the point? ”

"You're not stupid!"

Tan Renhao immediately laughed: "But I'm not very sure if I can return to the fleet." Now that both task forces have commanders, and they are doing well, there is no reason for the headmaster to change people. Unless, of course, you want to go to Task Force 3, I don't think it's very hopeful. The new aircraft carrier will not be commissioned until the middle of next year. Will the Fourth Task Force be formed at that time? Or they could be assigned to other theaters of operations. These all depend on the exhibition of the battle situation, and I don't have any certainty at all! ”

"You mean if the United States goes to war. Do we have a chance? ”

Hao Dongjue immediately sat up: "Then when will the United States enter the war?" ”

Tan Renhao smiled bitterly and shook his head, Hao Dongjue is a war maniac, if the United States must enter the war to let him return to the fleet, and he has the ability to provoke a war, he will not hesitate to kill the president of the United States.

"Leak some news, I know you've seen Chief of Staff Gan, and you must know something."

Hao Dongjue is the kind of person who will never give up until he reaches his goal.

Tan Renhao shook his head, not he could say anything.

"Don't pretend you don't know, do you think I can't see anything?"

"And what do you see?"

Tan Renhao laughed.

"Let's put it this way. If you don't go back to Qingdao to preside over the work of the theater staff, and stay at the Navy Command for more than a month, will you just stay here and bask in the sun every day? ”

Hao Dongjue immediately laughed after noticing the change in Tan Renhao's expression: "Just revealing a little bit of news also makes me a little hopeful, if I can't return to the fleet, then I might as well go to General Liao Hanxiang as soon as possible!" ”

Tan Renhao was a little helpless.

"Just a little bit of news. Just like that, do you want to see your brother leave in despair? ”

"Okay, okay, but you can't tell anyone!"

Tan Renhao stood up as he spoke: "I'll reveal a little to you, the United States will definitely enter the war, but the time is unknown, the place is unknown!" ”

Hao Dongjue was stunned for a moment, and by the time he reacted, Tan Renhao had already walked away. He immediately chased after him. "So we have hope of returning to the fleet?"

Tan Renhao nodded and did not answer.

Hao Dongjue's eyes rolled twice, and then he laughed, quickened his pace, and kept up with Tan Renhao.

"Have you figured it out?"

Tan Renhao walked towards the jeep parked next to the path on the top of the hillside, "Are you going to report to Liao Hanxiang or stay?" ”

"Of course you stayed, don't you want a good chief of staff?"

Hao Dongjue is indeed very smart.

"Don't be stinky, you don't think I can't find a chief of staff?"

"Is there anyone else better than me? Anyway, you're not going to find a stranger to be your chief of staff, are you? We have been partners for many years, although it is a little worse than Lao Lei, but ......"

Tan Renhao didn't listen to Hao Dongjue's nonsense at all, but he knew very well that after Lei Shaoqing and Chang Jianxin formed a new combination, Hao Dongjue was his only partner.

On the last day of July, Imperial Navy Marshal Nie Renfeng announced a new personnel plan, with the rear admiral serving as commander of the task force and the corresponding brigadier general as chief of staff. On the same day, Lei Shaoqing often recommended the new Jiang Zhongmin, and the three of them were personally put on by Nie Renfeng with a new military rank, and the third task force was still fighting on Bazhang Island, so the new military ranks of Yan Shiqi and his chief of staff were sent to the front line. Of the three task forces, only Van Peikun, chief of staff of the 1st task force, was not promoted.

Celebration is naturally indispensable, and this is also the first time in more than a month that Tan Renhao and Lei Shaoqing have met since the last time they met on Iwo Jima. After the second task force returned to Naha, Lei Shaoqing and Chang Jianxin have been busy arranging the maintenance of the battleship. Although most of the ships in Task Force 2 were newly built, many of the minor problems of the new ships had to be returned to the shipyard and dockyard for repairs after the battle. In addition, the change of equipment of the aviation unit was also arranged, which made Lei Shaoqing and them spend a lot of time and energy. By the time they returned to Zhoushan after these things, it was already July 25, and they came to Zhoushan on the same day as Jiang Zhongmin, and they all came back for promotion.

"It seems. It won't be long before you're all going to get past me! ”

Tan Renhao was very happy for Lei Shaoqing and Chang Jianxin, but the kind of words also revealed his loss.

"Ren Hao, in fact, we are a big cut short of you!"

Lei Shaoqing patted Tan Renhao's shoulder, he knew very well how Tan Renhao felt now, "You have always been ahead of us." We're chasing you. ”

"yes, all these years. If it weren't for you, we'd probably not even have a chance to be promoted to school officer! ”

Chang Jianxin was honest: "And we are all grateful to you. I believe that the current difficulties are temporary. Dong Jue, you are the same, if you have the opportunity, you will definitely get promoted. ”

Hao Dongjue smiled reluctantly. Now he is still a colonel. And all the people sitting with him were generals.

Tan Renhao let out a sigh and grabbed Hao Dongjue's shoulder. "Only the two of us are brothers and sisters who can't see them. I'm getting red-eyed! ”

"You're a general, too. I'm 108,000 miles away from the general! ”

Hao Dongjue looked a little sour.

Tan Renhao immediately laughed. "Alright. I promise you that if I have a chance to return to the fleet, I will ask you to come over and be the chief of staff. And how about recommending you to be promoted to brigadier general? ”

"Really?"

Hao Dongjue immediately became sunny: "Old Lei, you are witnesses. When the time comes, if he dares to repent, we will settle accounts with him together! ”

The other three all laughed, and the atmosphere relaxed.

"Do you know anything about Task Force One?"

When the wine and food were almost the same, Lei Shaoqing put down his chopsticks and took out a cigarette.

"What's the matter?"

Tan Renhao took the cigarette and lit it.

"You don't know?"

Lei Shaoqing frowned, and then glanced at Chang Zhixin.

"I've heard from others, too. A colleague from my time in the First Fleet is now a destroyer captain in Task Force 1. I met him yesterday. We talked a little bit. ”

Chang Jianxin looked very cautious, "I heard that the principal is extremely dissatisfied with the chief of staff of the first task force. When fighting in the South Seas. Two large cruisers of the 1st Task Force suffered heavy damage, and one heavy cruiser sank, killing several hundred officers and men. In the report submitted by Jiang Zhongmin, the responsibility was shifted to an ordinary captain and staff officer, when in fact it was caused by Fan Peikun's miscommand. The principal did not continue to investigate the matter, and the captain and staff officer who carried the black pot heard that he had been transferred to the reserve headquarters to manage the recruits' files. This time, Van Pei Kun was not promoted for this reason. ”

Tan Renhao hesitated slightly, obviously Fan Peikun, the guy who won the Golden Sea Lion Medal by cheating, has already revealed his bottom.

"Originally, the principal wanted to remove Van Peikun. As a result, Jiang Zhongmin fully vouched for it, and the pressure was exerted from above, so it didn't work out this time. ”

Lei Shaoqing sighed, "I also heard that Fan Peikun is a carp jumping over the dragon gate and catching the niece of the prime minister, so it's no wonder that he will rise to the top." ”

"Hey, I think the marshal is quite embarrassed!"

Hao Dongjue shook his head: "Now it's neither left nor right." But why should we worry? Even if Fan Peikun and Jiang Zhongmin are withdrawn, there will be no wavering, and the good thing will not be our turn. ”

Tan Renhao slowly exhaled the tobacco, he didn't feel angry, just worried. The First Task Force is one of the two aircraft carrier task forces of the Imperial Navy, and if the First Task Force makes any mistakes, then the Imperial Navy will lose half of its aircraft carrier combat strength, and when the time comes, the Imperial Navy will be in great trouble if it goes to war with the United States.

"yes, that's not something we can care about!"

Chang Jianxin leaned back in his chair, "At least Jiang Zhongmin is not a hypocrisy, his steady performance has allowed the First Task Force to avoid greater losses, which is worthy of recognition." ”

Lei Shaoqing smiled bitterly, then shook his head and extinguished the cigarette butt in the ashtray.

"The combat operations of the First Task Force in the Nanyang region don't say much, I think the principal is more about training Jiang Zhongmin and letting the recruits of the First Task Force gain actual combat experience."

Tan Renhao said the crux of the problem: "Jiang Zhongmin and Fan Peikun are both out-and-out conservatives, although they have also spent a lot of time to understand aviation tactics, but now the Japanese Navy is finished, and there is no opportunity for them to train." Don't overestimate the strength of these two, and of course we don't have to worry about anything. The headmaster has already counted and given them a second chance, and if they can't take advantage of it, it's not the headmaster's problem. ”

"Forget it, don't talk about these boring things."

Hao Dongjue didn't come from the Naval Academy, so he didn't know much about these people. "Old Lei, when are you leaving Zhoushan?"

"At the end of August."

Lei Shaoqing lit a cigarette again: "The maintenance work of the fleet will continue until the beginning of October, and pilots will also need time to familiarize themselves with the new fighters. Chief of Staff Gan approached us and talked about it, and the next mission was scheduled for mid-October. I usually go back in a few days. This time, a number of officers and men have been promoted, and I will stay behind to deal with personnel issues. ”

"Then let's get together for a few days."

Hao Dongjue looked at the other people, "It's not the same as before, there are a lot fewer opportunities to meet, maybe we don't know where we are when we come back next time!" ”

Tan Renhao smiled and shook his head. "Okay, tomorrow night, I'll treat you, and everyone will take turns to sit in the village and see off Lao Chang!"

"There's no need for that, we didn't just met!"

Chang Jiexin laughed a little embarrassedly.

"Don't talk about this, Dongjue wants to slap you, the commodore and the chief of staff of the fleet!"

Lei Shaoqing smiled and patted Chang Jianxin's shoulder, and then said to Tan Ren Hao: "Ren Hao, let's have a good talk tomorrow." ”

Tan Renhao nodded slightly, and he really wanted to exchange new information with Lei Shaoqing. Being out of the fleet for several months made Tan Renhao feel that the fleet was very unfamiliar.

In the evening four people returned to the naval command before nine o'clock. Lei Shaoqing and Chang recommended the new general's residence had not yet been arranged, so they all lived in Tan Renhao's "home" instead of arranging a hotel room for them. Naturally, the four of them had to blow their spirits and didn't go to sleep until dawn.