The next day, May 8, the commanders on the front-line battlefield returned to the naval headquarters one after another. Tan Renhao did not pick up Lei Shaoqing and Hao Dongjue, but asked Chang Zhixin to pick them up. In the afternoon, he rushed to meet Liao Hanxiang and his party. Tan Renhao actually didn't go to greet Liao Hanxiang, but wanted to find an opportunity to talk to Huang Xiaotian, who came back with Liao Hanxiang, alone.

"Talk about Renhao, have you talked to her about Xiaoyu?" Liao Hanxiang didn't know that his son-in-law was not coming for him, and he was quite happy to see his son-in-law come to the airport to greet him.

"I haven't had time to talk to Yingyu about this yet, but the chief of staff has already made arrangements, and now there are many patients in the general hospital, and Yingyu won't be able to leave for a while. Also, I think it's better for you to talk to her. Tan Renhao said as he took Liao Hanxiang towards the car, "Yingyu is still in the hospital, why don't you go over and see her first?" ”

Liao Hanxiang frowned slightly, and when he turned around and saw Huang Xiaotian following behind, he immediately understood what his son-in-law meant. "It's okay, then let's go home in the evening, I'll go to the hospital first, and you can send General Huang to the hotel first."

Tan Renhao smiled and helped his father-in-law open the car door, and after Liao Hanxiang's car left the airport, he called Huang Xiaotian and walked towards the jeep parked behind.

"Talk about the general, I'll just go to the hotel by myself, you better go and accompany General Liao." Huang Xiaotian felt that his situation was a little embarrassing, and Tan Renhao did not go to accompany his father-in-law and came to see him off, which made him feel very embarrassed.

"It's okay, I have time to chat with Liao Hanxiang, let's go, I'll take you to the hotel." Tan Renhao invited Huang Xiaotian to get into the car, and then sat in the driver's seat, while Du Xing consciously called Huang Xiaotian's adjutant to the jeep behind. After the jeep drove out of the airport, Tan Renhao deliberately slowed down, "Xiaotian, it's been more than a month." Not bad on the Midway side, right? ”

"Hey, it's not good or bad. I was scared into a cold sweat, but fortunately, there was no danger. Huang Xiaotian said as he took out a cigarette. Now that Task Force 1 is back, there's good news, and I'm afraid Spruance will have to think about fighting two task forces at the same time. ”

Heard Huang Xiaotian say this. Tan Renhao didn't know how to speak. Huang Xiaotian did not hide his thoughts, in Huang Xiaotian's eyes, even if the First Task Force came back and did not replace the Fourth Task Force, he would definitely be sent to the Central Pacific Theater to fight side by side with the Fourth Task Force and deal with the Fifth Fleet commanded by Spruance. This idea is very straightforward, and Tan Renhao also thought about it at the beginning, but the problem at hand is that the First Task Force will definitely go to the Southwest Pacific Theater. Only the Fourth Task Force will remain in the Central Pacific Theater, and even the Theater Fleet, which was originally cooperating with the Fourth Task Force, will be transferred to the Southwest Pacific Theater. In other words, only one fleet of Task Force IV could cope with the threat of the Fifth Fleet. And Huang Xiaotian doesn't know about this arrangement for the time being, which is also the reason why Tan Renhao asked Huang Xiaotian to talk alone, but now Tan Renhao doesn't know how to speak.

Huang Xiaotian smoked a cigarette while looking towards the woods on the side of the road, he didn't continue, maybe he had noticed the change in Tan Renhao's expression, maybe he was thinking about something else. Tan Renhao has also been thinking about how to tell Huang Xiaotian about this matter, until he arrived outside the hotel. He hadn't even figured it out yet.

"Talking about the general, I won't trouble you too much......"

"Xiaotian, let's go for a walk in the garden!" Tan Renhao stopped Huang Xiaotian, "I've been sitting in the office for a long time these days. Just go out for a walk, otherwise you'll have to receive other generals when you go back. ”

"This ......" Huang Xiaotian hesitated for a moment, and when he saw that Tan Renhao had already walked towards the garden, he asked the adjutant to enter the hotel with his luggage first, and then followed Tan Renhao into the garden outside the hotel.

Tan Renhao found a bench in a secluded place in the garden and sat down, and he asked Huang Xiaotian to sit next to him.

"Talking about the general, is there anything wrong?"

"yes, there are some things I really don't know what to say." Tan Renhao leaned back in his chair. "Originally, the chief of staff should have talked to you about these matters. But the Chief of Staff thinks it's more appropriate for me to tell you. ”

Huang Xiaotian nodded, and then took out a cigarette, he had already heard the name from Tan Renhao's words.

"What do you know about Spruance as an opponent?" Tan Renhao decided to start from the side, so he didn't say it directly.

"Spruance?" Huang Xiaotian glanced at Tan Renhao, and then his gaze fell on the flower garden in front of him, "As far as I know, Spruance is the most powerful and most difficult opponent that the Imperial Navy has encountered in this war so far. With the exception of the last 'Battle of Neck' Island, which you commanded, Spruance has not been completely defeated by us once. Moreover, in the 'Battle of Necker Island', in addition to the use of shore-based aviation, Spruance was much worse than the First Task Force in other aspects, such as the size of the fleet, the quality of officers and men, and the performance of combat aircraft. Talking about the general, I am not saying that the First Task Force was invincible, I just think that Spruance's defeat in that naval battle was actually a defeat in strength, and if the pilots of the Fifth Fleet at that time were as good as the First Task Force, and the performance of the combat aircraft was comparable to ours, then the result would probably be different. ”

Tan Renhao laughed, Huang Xiaotian didn't speak so directly before, it seems that letting him go to the Central Pacific this time has a great impact on him.

Huang Xiaotian hesitated for a moment, and then said: "I have also carefully studied the battle between the First Task Force and the Fifth Fleet, and if it wasn't for the general's insistence on fighting, I'm afraid Spruance would not have been defeated, and Spruance was defeated at the last moment, and his own carelessness was also a key factor." It seems to me that if there was anyone in the Imperial Navy who could defeat Spruance, it would be the general. ”

"I can't wear that title." Tan Renhao also spoke, "And what you said is the truth, the final victory has a lot to do with my persistence and Spruance's carelessness, but our advantage in overall quality is still the key factor." Of course, there are many factors that determine victory or defeat on the battlefield, and often some inconspicuous small problems can determine the victory or defeat of a battle, so we cannot analyze a battle without a single factor. The outcome of the battle itself is determined by a combination of factors, and the quality of the commander is only one of them. ”

Huang Xiaotian nodded slightly, what he admired most was Tan Renhao. This is related to the fact that he came out of Task Force 1. and the cooperation with Tan Renhao on the battlefield, especially the cooperation between China and the ground in the "Coral Sea Sea Battle".

"If you were the one who commanded the Fourth Task Force to challenge the Fifth Fleet, would you be sure to defeat Spruance?"

"Me?" Huang Xiaotian glanced at Tan Renhao in surprise, not knowing why Tan Renhao asked this question.

"I'm just making an assumption that Task Force 4 will be swapped for Task Force 1. All else being equal, how sure are you that you can beat Spruance? ”

"This ......," Huang Xiaotian hesitated, "Maybe I won't be defeated by Spruance, but to defeat the Fifth Fleet, especially the Fifth Fleet under offensive conditions, there is almost no certainty." ”

"If the Fifth Fleet attacks and you defend in the waters near Midway, how sure are you that you won't be completely defeated by Spruance?"

Huang Xiaotian frowned slightly. "This is a big deal, if the size of the Fifth Fleet is not much different from the Fourth Task Force. And if I can rely on the support of ground-based aviation on the nearby islands, at least I will not be led by the nose by Spruance, let alone completely defeated by him. ”

Tan Renhao laughed, and now it's only time to get to the key question. "Okay, so if the strength of the Fifth Fleet is twice that of the Fourth Task Force, and you can rely on the support of shore-based aviation on the nearby islands, are you sure that the Fifth Fleet will be contained?"

Huang Xiaotian glanced at Tan Renhao in surprise, and now he understood what question Tan Renhao was asking around the bend. "Talking about generals, is it ......?"

"Answer my question first." Tan Renhao pressed his hand, "I just want to know." In the case that the strength is seriously inferior to Spruance, and the power you can use is quite limited, are you sure to deal with Spruance? ”

Huang Xiaotian gritted his teeth and pondered for a moment. "Unless Spruance makes a serious low-level mistake, I have no chance of defeating the Fifth Fleet, and if I do it, the result will be to bury the Fourth Task Force," he said. If the defense is the main thing, the 4th Task Force has enough sea area to operate, and the shore-based aviation is in place, it will not be a problem to entangle Spruance for a month or two. But if it drags on for a long time, Task Force 4 will definitely show its flaws. And if Spruance takes a chance, then we will die without a place to bury. ”

"That is, you drag it out for two months at most?"

Huang Xiaotian hesitated for a moment, then nodded vigorously.

"Originally, I had already applied for the First Task Force to go to the Central Pacific to transfer the Fourth Task Force, but judging from the current situation, the First Task Force will not arrive on the battlefield until mid-June at the earliest." Tan Renhao sighed, "In addition, the navy is now under great pressure, and the combat operation to land in Australia must start by mid-June at the latest, and it must be won as soon as possible." Even at maximum investment and in the best-case scenario, it would be pretty good to be able to get Sydney down by the end of July. Therefore, it is very likely that we will have only one task force in the Central Pacific, and this task force will have to contain the Fifth Fleet and hold off the Nimitz attack, at least until we capture Sydney. ”

Huang Xiaotian sighed. "That is, Task Force 4 must hold out until after July?"

Tan Renhao nodded. "If you find it difficult, I will continue to apply for Task Force 1 to be transferred to Task Force 4 in mid-June, and ...... then."

"General Tan, are we in big trouble now?" Huang Xiaotian interrupted Tan Renhao's words a little excitedly.

Tan Renhao hesitated. "I can give you an affirmative answer, but I can't tell you what the trouble is, after all, these things are strictly confidential."

Huang Xiaotian nodded. "Well, then, we'll have to concentrate almost all of our forces on Australia, and the only one that can stay in the Central Pacific is the Fourth Task Force. I can understand that. ”

"Xiaotian, ...... for this arrangement"

"General Tan, you don't need to explain, I know what to do." Huang Xiaotian smiled at Tan Renhao, "Don't worry, I won't drag the navy back, of course, I only have one request." ”

"What?" Tan Renhao looked at Huang Xiaotian gratefully.

"As long as the First Task Force can be drawn, it must rush to the Central Pacific as soon as possible. Perhaps, I will be able to drag it out for three months, but I can't guarantee the final outcome of Task Force 4, after all, we all know what kind of opponent Spruance is. I will try to keep the Fifth Fleet from making great strides during these three months, while trying to preserve the Fourth Task Force as much as possible. ”

"I can guarantee you this, as long as Sydney is captured, not only will the first task force be transferred to the Central Pacific, but the second task force or the fifth task force will also rush over, and then we will have an absolute advantage in strength!" Tan Renhao grabbed Huang Xiaotian's shoulder, "And in these few months, you can retreat appropriately, even if you lose the islands in the west of the Hawaiian Islands, there is nothing, except for dragging the Fifth Fleet, your first task is to protect the Fourth Task Force." ”

Huang Xiaotian nodded, and then laughed. "If you can delay time with concessions, then even if it drags on for three months, it won't be a big problem."

"I'll talk to Admiral Liao Hanxiang, and he'll try his best to cooperate with the combat operations of the Fourth Task Force." Tan Renhao patted Huang Xiaotian on the shoulder, and then stood up, "You go and clean up, I'll wait for you outside, and we will go to dinner together in the evening." ”

"Eat?" Huang Xiaotian also stood up.

"Lao Chang, as well as Shaoqing, and Dongjue are all waiting for us, and the restaurants in the city must be full today, if we move slowly, we won't be able to book a place." Tan Renhao laughed, "Hurry up, ten minutes, I'll wait for you outside." ”

Huang Xiaotian didn't say anything, and immediately trotted into the hotel, there was a dinner, of course he couldn't miss it, and it was a gathering of several people from the First Task Force.