The president of the United States is not a military strategist, but he is not an idiot. A man who has been elected governor of New York five times in a row, who has been able to serve as an assistant secretary of the Navy in his 20s, and who has been able to win a general election in a wheelchair is definitely an admirable person who is also extremely tenacious, resolute, full of conviction and has strong ideals. Such a president cannot be fooled, and even if MacArthur's cowhide is blown into the sky, it is only a trick to deceive himself, and it is impossible to exert enough influence from a shrewd politician.

MacArthur's ridiculous battle plan had already been shot when it reached the White House, but there was no suitable "replacement" at the time, and the plan was not immediately thrown into the trash. When Nimitz arrived in Washington with Spruance's battle plan, MacArthur's battle plan was pronounced a death sentence, and MacArthur's military and political career was almost over.

Nimitz spent only a few days in Washington, D.C., and after detailed discussions with Admiral King, he went to the White House to talk with the president for more than two hours, and the next day, Nimitz left Washington and returned to Pearl Harbor on January 15.

"At least we already have a piece of good news." When he returned to Pearl Harbor, Nimitz was in a pretty good mood. "MacArthur's theater commander has been removed by Admiral Marshall, and his battle plan has been rejected, and he must have returned to his small farm in Arkansas."

MacArthur was a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, and his mother's family had a sizable farm dedicated to cotton. Hearing Nimitz's teasing, Spruance didn't laugh at all, he didn't think there was anything funny, because it wasn't worth rejoicing, MacArthur should have gone back to his farm a long time ago, and it was a little too late to make this decision now?

"What is the situation of the fleet now?" Nimitz was in no hurry to say what he was doing in Washington.

"Training is being intensified. In addition, I have just completed the new formation of the fleet, and the specific preparation plan will probably be completed in a few days. ”

"Is there any news from anything else?"

Spruance knew that Nimitz was asking for news from the Don Imperial Navy. "Nothing big happened, the fleet of the Tang Imperial Navy was still in the rear, and there was no intention of making an immediate sortie. Those bombers of the Tang Empire would still come over to harass us from time to time, and other than that, there was no major movement in its front-line troops. The only thing worth our attention is that a new fighter of the Navy of the Don Empire has already begun test flights. ”

"What about ours?" Nimitz didn't look back at Spruance in the back seat.

"The first 'super pirates' arrived the day before yesterday. I have already sent someone to inspect and prepare to provide training to the troops for these two days. However, the other batches will not arrive until next month, and the training will take some time. If the Tang Imperial Navy launches an attack before the end of March, I'm afraid we won't be able to completely change its outfit. ”

"Then we'll have to hurry, do you have more in-depth information?"

Spruance shook his head and said, "There is no more information for the time being, at least the intelligence department has not given us more information." ”

"It seems that our opponent is also preparing a decisive attack." Nimitz fell silent, the last thing he wanted to see.

Soon. The jeep was parked just outside the theater command. It is an underground command center located under a 15-meter-thick reinforced concrete ceiling. Ever since the Tang Empire heavy bombers that took off from Nihua Island, and even some fighters with a long enough range, appeared in the sky near Oahu from time to time, Nimitz's theater command has been transferred here. Originally, it was a large intelligence center. Now the intelligence agents have been moved to another underground military base 2 kilometers away.

"Sit down, what do you want to drink?"

"No, just tea." Spruance hung his hat on the coat rack by the door, and the office was cramped and felt like a cage.

"There's something going on over there in Washington." Nimitz walked over with a cup of tea and a cup of coffee. "The President has intently approved our battle plan, but we need to continue to revise it and make a decision after we have sufficient information, and we have not officially approved our battle plan at this time."

"Definitely, we don't have much confidence in ourselves."

"Also. The President also made clear the next phase of our combat operations. Nimitz placed the teacup on the coffee table in front of Spruance, and walked over to the small map hanging on the wall. Australia is basically finished, and all plans to counterattack Australia have been rejected. Now, the president has ordered the newly appointed Eisenhower to try to evacuate the American officers on the Australian battlefield, as well as the political minds of the important officers of the Australian army, to New Zealand. ”

"Eisenhower?" Spruance found the name unfamiliar.

"It was recommended by General Marshall." Nimitz turned, "Before the war broke out, Eisenhower was only a major officer in the Army General Staff, a few days ago. He was also General Marshall's principal assistant, Major General. I heard that the president will make a special exception for him and promote him to lieutenant general, and it is even possible that he will be a four-star general. ”

"Hopefully he'll be a panacea."

"Don't get your hopes up, although Marshall values this rising general, but now even God can't save Australia." Nimitz walked over, "I've looked at the two plans submitted by Eisenhower. One plan was to evacuate important personnel from Australia, and the only way was to fly it, maybe he thought of submarines, but there was little hope. Moreover, he can only take advantage of the fact that the Tang Imperial Navy has not deployed many warships in the Tasman Sea to create this miracle, as long as he waits until the enemy advances to Melbourne, then even if he is God, he will not be able to complete this task! ”

"What's the other plan?" Spruance furrowed his eyebrows slightly.

"Hold New Zealand." Nimitz forced a smile and turned to the map, "The President has identified a new strategic line of defense, and this is the last strategic line of defense outside of our homeland. From the Aleutian Islands to the Hawaiian Islands, to the Laine Islands, the Cook Islands, Samoa, Fiji, and finally to New Zealand. And this is one of them. The Hawaiian Islands and New Zealand are of the highest importance, and if the Tang Imperial Navy captures the Hawaiian Islands, then our home west coast will be directly exposed to the Tang Imperial Navy. Similarly, if the Tang Imperial Navy captured New Zealand, then the entire South Pacific could not be defended. ”

"Maybe Fiji and Samoa are more important than New Zealand!" Spruance has his own point of view.

"Wherever it is most important, this will be our last strategic line of defense, and if this line of defense collapses, the flames of war will soon reach the American continent. Even our homegrown. Nimitz looked at the map and pondered.

"So, how did Eisenhower plan to hold New Zealand?" Spruance then asked. After the fall of Australia, New Zealand was undoubtedly just two isolated islands overseas, even if there were a large number of US troops deployed in New Zealand, without the cover of the fleet, these two isolated islands could not be defended.

"Does he have any other options?" Nimitz came to his senses, "Now the president has put him in charge of the southern line of defense from Samoa to New Zealand, and our task is to hold the northern line of defense from the Lien Islands to the Aleutian Islands. ”

"Actually, it's the Hawaiian Islands."

Nimitz walked over to the couch. "The next offensive plan of the Tang Imperial Navy will definitely be to take down the Hawaiian Islands and break through directly from the middle. They will soon be able to take Australia. And after laying Australia. New Zealand has little value, and even if they were to continue their offensive on the southern front, they would choose Fiji and Samoa. Instead of going to New Zealand, as long as we cut off the sea route with New Zealand, then the US military in New Zealand will be in a dilemma. The problem is that if we can't hold the Hawaiian Islands, even if Eisenhower returns to Australia, it won't help. ”

"What specific requirements does he have?"

"There's nothing too much to ask for for the time being, at least in this respect, he's more likable than MacArthur." Nimitz laughed, "Eisenhower only asked for a few convoys of transports, as well as enough war materiel. And that's the last thing we need right now. Everything else is a matter for the Army General Staff, and General Marshall will make arrangements and adjustments, which have little to do with us. ”

"And our mission is to hold Pearl Harbor?"

"Yes, that's our task, and it's the most important task right now." Nimitz sighed, "I've asked for reinforcements as much as I can, but we all know that the density of troops on the islands under our control has reached its peak. The capacity of the airport is also largely saturated. It is the ground forces that will keep us at Pearl Harbor, and not the bombers deployed at the airfields, but the fleet, and the bombers on the aircraft carriers. ”

Spruance nodded slightly, this truth does not need to be said by anyone, he knows very well that the fleet is finished, everything is finished, and if the fleet wins, then there is still a glimmer of hope, or let this dying patient linger for a while, rather than immediately go to the priest to do the final mass.

"Redmond, do we still have a chance?" Nimitz didn't use the word "hope", perhaps he felt there was hope, and the permissibility was that he didn't want to say it so directly.

Spruance looked up, hesitated, not knowing what to answer, and finally, he said, "There's a chance, but it's not big." ”

"Well, we need miracles."

"Maybe it's not that we need miracles." Spruance touched the corner of his forehead, "What will happen if we fail?" ”

Nimitz's gaze immediately changed, and he didn't know why Spruance was asking this question.

"I mean, if we can't hold Hawaii......"

"If the last line of defense collapses, then we have no other choice."

"Negotiations?" Spruance immediately asked.

"Redmond, that's not something we should be thinking about." Nimitz looked Spruance in the eye, "Well, I can tell you that if we lose Hawaii, then I will hope to negotiate and end this war, even if it is no longer decent, I hope that the war will end at this time." But we are only soldiers, and when the war will start and when it will end, this is not something we should decide, nor can we decide. We can only obey orders, we can only continue to fight, do we have any other choice? ”

Spruance forced a smile, indeed, did these soldiers who shed blood and died on the battlefield have any other choice? Their fate is not in their own hands, and indeed not in the hands of the enemy, but in the hands of those politicians in Washington.

"Redmond, if you're feeling pressured, you can apply for a transfer, I'll consider it."

Spruance was hesitating when Nimitz spoke again.

"However, I want you to think it through first. As you feared, the end result may still be our failure, but who knows what the real outcome will be until then? It is not up to us to decide when the war will end, but one day it will end, and our young people, those who are still wearing military uniforms and armed weapons, will return to their loved ones and live a peaceful life without the smoke of gunpowder. However, how many people will be able to go back, how many children will be able to see their parents, how many husbands will be able to see their wives, and how many fathers will be able to see their children, this is what we should consider, and this is why we have not given up and are still fighting. ”

Nimitz had been observing Spruance's expression, and he noticed that as he said this, Spruance's expression changed dramatically, and by the time he finished speaking, Spruance seemed to have completely changed into a different person.

"I'll send over the new plan for the fleet the day after tomorrow." Spruance paused slightly, "In addition, the battle plan needs to be revised, and I need more information, especially the intelligence of the Tang Empire's fleet, so that we can be more sure." ”

"I'll arrange for Mitchell to cooperate with you, and besides, you can consider leaving a place for him."

Spruance nodded, got up and took his leave. Nimitz's words touched him deeply, he really couldn't decide when the war would end, but he knew that now that he stayed, there was hope that more young people would return to their homeland, maybe this is not the hope of the United States, but for thousands of American soldiers, this is the hope of survival.