On 28 January, Tan Renhao received new information, and at the same time received new information, the most crucial piece of information, that is, the specific size of the Anglo-French joint expeditionary fleet. And at the same time, the news delivered was bad news, Port Moroni had fallen!

"Now the troops are retreating, and the remnants of the fleet are returning to Colombo at full speed." Chang Jianxin has also been paying attention to the relevant news, "As far as we know now, the two small aircraft carriers have not been withdrawn, and they have sunk halfway. The Thousand Islands Lake has been badly damaged and will definitely have to return to the Empire for overhauls. All six battleships of the South Atlantic Fleet were sunk, and not a single one escaped. In addition, several cruisers and destroyers were sunk, and more than half of the returning battleships needed major repairs, and not many were able to continue the battle. ”AP.1

"Contact the Colombo side, all the warships that are not injured, and can be repaired on the spot and restore their combat effectiveness, will be left behind, and I will separately inform the rendezvous time and the rendezvous area." Tan Renhao now sent another telegram to Chang Jianxin, "The strength of the Anglo-French joint expeditionary fleet is even greater than we imagined, and now we must do everything we can to strengthen the strength of the fleet." You should contact the port command to see if there are any large warships that can accompany the fleet, and if so, bring them all. After identifying the ships that can be temporarily replenished, we will assign the tasks of these ships in detail. ”

Chang Zhixin nodded, and then opened the telegram, and then he also showed a look of surprise.

The information sent this time was confirmed by many sources, first of all, the Reich's intelligence agencies obtained relevant information from the British side, and the German government also received a relevant information from the French government. Coupled with the previous battle reports of Weng Yiming and Jiang Zhongmin, as well as the battle reports of Port Moroni this time, the final cross-comparison was made. The specific strength of the Anglo-French expeditionary fleet was basically confirmed.

This large expeditionary fleet was divided into two formations, each consisting mainly of warships of the British and French navies.

The British Expeditionary Fleet contained four battleships of the "King George V" class. With the exception of the "Prince of Wales", which was still under repair, all four other ships were sent over. There were also two "Lion" class battleships, one "Prestige" class battlecruiser, for a total of seven capital ships. In addition, there were fourteen cruisers. As well as more than two dozen destroyers.

The main forces of the French expeditionary fleet were two "Dunkirk" class battlecruisers and two "Richelieu" class battleships, and it can be said that almost all the main forces of the French Navy went south. In addition, there were twelve cruisers and more than a dozen destroyers in the fleet, which was not much smaller than the British expeditionary fleet.

There were a total of eleven capital ships in the Anglo-French joint expeditionary fleet, and eight of them were battleships, and all of them were fast battleships with a speed of about 30 knots, and their combat effectiveness must have surpassed that of the third task force. But what made Tan Renhao feel a headache was that this intelligence only mentioned that there were three aircraft carriers in the British expeditionary fleet. But there is no mention of the specific model, and there is not even mention of where the three aircraft carriers are!

Tan Renhao did not make the same mistake as Jiang Zhongmin, and the sea conditions in the southern Indian Ocean and the South Atlantic Ocean are extremely harsh. Not to mention aircraft carriers, even battleships were a little difficult to navigate, so it is quite possible that the aircraft carriers of the British Navy remained in the port of Cape Town. He did not follow the fleet north, and even if he did, he did not participate in the capture of Moronigang. And in this naval battle, the first thing to deal with was the eleven capital ships, not the three aircraft carriers of the British Navy. However, the problem was that it was impossible to defeat such a large number of battleships and battlecruisers by relying only on the Third Task Force, and even if the third batch of four "New Provincial Capital" class battleships that had already been built at that time were included, there was no advantage.

The problem arises, if the first task force is unable to play its role, then this battle is very likely to fail, even if the performance of the five "new provincial capital" class battleships exceeds all the British and French battleships and battle cruisers, but the opponent has an absolute numerical superiority, enough to swallow up the third task force, but if the first task force can play its combat effectiveness, then it can only choose another battlefield, or wait until two months, when the weather conditions in the South Atlantic and the South Indian Ocean improve, and then go south. And both options are undesirable.

If he rushes south, then Tan Renhao will definitely follow in Jiang Zhongmin's footsteps, as long as the aircraft carrier of the first task force cannot be used, going south will be to send him to death. At that time, even if Chang Jianxin fights for his old life, the third task force will not be able to defeat the opponent with one block and two. And at this time, whether it is the loss of the first task force or the third task force, it will be the most painful blow to the imperial navy, and it will inevitably affect the balance of the entire maritime battlefield!

But if you wait for an opportunity in the northern Indian Ocean, it won't necessarily do you any good to drag on for two months. The Anglo-French forces will certainly continue north after capturing Moroni, and the next target will probably be to choose the island of Diego Garcia, which has only 200 Imperial Marines and should have received orders to retreat. If you retreat, it will be Colombo, and the Anglo-French joint expeditionary fleet does not need to attack Colombo at all, and can use Diego Garcia Island and Moroni as a base to attack the Tang Empire, the Persian Empire and Germany's merchant fleet on the Persian Sea (Arabian Sea), and finally completely cut off this maritime lifeline connecting the three countries. And in two months, there will be enough for the British and French navies to do a lot of things, including the establishment of more bases in the front, and perhaps even the British and French submarine forces will be transferred. At that time, the situation will be more complicated, and it will be more difficult to defeat the joint Anglo-French expeditionary fleet.

What to do? Tan Renhao felt very tricky, the situation here is completely different from that in the Pacific.

The main problem is that there are too few bases that can support the activities of the fleet. There are not many ports on the Northern Indian Ocean route, but the problem is that most of them are small and commercial ports that lack the infrastructure to support the activities of the fleet. In the entire northern Indian Ocean region, the Imperial Navy had only three military ports, Colombo, Goa, and Karachi, and only the port of Colombo had the infrastructure to support large warships, and the other two ports could not support battleships and aircraft carriers.

This directly limits the ability of the fleet to operate, which is simply not a problem in the Pacific theater. The importance of infrastructure is evident at this time. In other words, Tan Renhao's choice is very small, and he doesn't have much room to play. This is also an indirect testament to the importance of Cape Town. If Cape Town had remained in the hands of the Imperial Navy, then these problems would not have existed at all.

"When will our fleet arrive?" Tan Renhao didn't think about these troubled periods.

Without a fleet, he can't do anything.

"It will be about the fifth of next month at the earliest." Chang Jianxin walked over, "I have contacted the port command, they can only provide a few destroyers at most, and the rest are small ships.

Unable to accompany the fleet in operations in the open sea. ”

Tan Renhao nodded slightly. "This time the trouble is great, the strength of the Anglo-French joint expeditionary fleet exceeds our previous estimates, and with the fall of Moroni, the Anglo-French joint expeditionary fleet has opened the door to the northern Indian Ocean, and we have little choice."

"They've definitely received the relevant information, too." Chang Jianxin sighed, "Maybe we can take advantage of the enemy commander's feelings of underestimating the enemy after the victory......"

"We will not consider this issue for the time being, after all, our strength is not stronger than that of our opponents, and the British should not make such a mistake." Tan Renhao walked to the sand table, "Judging from the current situation, the British and French joint expeditionary force will definitely continue to go north." And we simply can't hold Diego Garcia Island. They can then go directly to the Persian Sea and even to the Red Sea. If the combined Anglo-French expeditionary fleet hits the Red Sea. With their fleet in the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal would certainly not be defended, or at least, our sea lines of communication with Germany would be completely destroyed. If they are active in the Persian Sea.

Then let's not think about getting the oil of the Persian Empire. Whatever happens, it will be an unbearable blow for us! ”

"Then we can only take the initiative to fight!"

Tan Renhao let out a sigh. "But if we take the initiative to face the battle, judging from the current weather, I'm afraid only the third task force can play a role."

Chang Jianxin was also silent, he also knew that if the first task force could only watch the excitement, then the third task force would not be able to defeat the Anglo-French joint expeditionary fleet.

"The only way is to divide the enemy." Tan Renhao sat down, "The Anglo-French joint expeditionary fleet looks powerful on the surface, but in fact it is the naval fleet of two countries, and if it is separated, the third task force will not suffer a loss against any fleet." ”

"But the problem is, they're not idiots either!"

"yes, so we just have to wait for the opportunity." Tan Renhao asked Chang Jianxin to sit down, "Judging from this expedition, the purpose of the British should be to contain us, this is the highest interest of Britain, and it must be the common interest of Britain and the United States, as long as the first task force and the third task force are contained in the Indian Ocean, then the US Navy will have a chance to turn the tide of the war in the Pacific Ocean." But the question is, do the French think so? ”

"One more point, France has already been defeated, and now it is only a matter of determining the time of surrender, if ......"

"This is a political matter, we cannot interfere, and in the worst case, France may establish a government in exile, and the French expeditionary fleet will follow the orders of the government-in-exile, in which case the French expeditionary fleet will continue to fight." Tan Renhao shook his head, "Of course, there is also the possibility of another situation, but we can't get too hopeful. ”

Chang Jianxin also sighed. "Then we will try to defeat the French first, and then settle accounts with the British."

"I also think so, the fundamental interests of France are in the Mediterranean, so the purpose of the French navy participating in the expedition must be to assist the offensive in the direction of the Mediterranean through the expedition. Even if the French government no longer has such a plan, the commander of the French fleet will certainly think so. Then they would certainly offer to enter the Red Sea and assist the ground forces and the fleet on the other side of the Mediterranean to capture the Suez Canal. Tan Renhao paused slightly, "Perhaps, the British Expeditionary Fleet also has this plan, but now they will not venture into the Red Sea." If we can seize this opportunity, we can break the combined Anglo-French expeditionary fleet. ”

"Then we must first confirm the correctness of this speculation."

"I will contact Chief of Staff Gan Yongxing directly, hoping that the Navy can obtain relevant information as soon as possible." Tan Renhao stood up as he spoke, "Until we get new information, we won't make specific battle arrangements for the time being, and the fleet will have to wait a few days to come over." By the way, when will Weng Yiming and Jiang Zhongmin come over? ”

"General Weng Yiming will arrive tomorrow and will return to the headquarters. Jiang Zhongmin is now on the Colombo side, in charge of putting the defeated fleet in order. Chang Jiexin also stood up, "I have contacted him, and he will be waiting for us in Colombo." ”

"Have you sorted out the specific battle reports of the South Atlantic Fleet and the Fifth Task Force?" Tan Renhao frowned slightly, he also knew that the responsibility for the defeat of the Fifth Task Force was not Jiang Zhongmin's responsibility, but he wanted to know what happened at that time.

"The Navy Command has not given us relevant information, and when we arrive in Colombo, we can go directly to Jiang Zhongmin."

"Okay, then let's talk to Jiang Zhongmin then." Tan Renhao nodded, "Determine the situation of the fleet as soon as possible, I will go to the port command later, and ask them to prepare for the supply of the fleet in advance, and after the fleet arrives, we will go to Colombo immediately." ”

"Then let's contact the Colombo side, so that they can also prepare for the fleet, and gather information on the Anglo-French joint expeditionary fleet as soon as possible."

After sending off Chang Jianxin, Tan Renhao walked to the sand table. It was a sand table in the Indian Ocean, with the main military positions controlled by the Empire and the Allies, several of which had been planted with rice flags.

For hundreds of years, the Indian Ocean was the inland sea of the Imperial Navy, and in order to ensure its hegemony in the Indian Ocean, the Empire even did not hesitate to send troops to intervene in the internal affairs of the South Asian subcontinent, and reached an agreement with the Persian Empire to share the South Asian subcontinent. And for hundreds of years, with the exception of a few brief wars, the Indian Ocean has been very calm. Now, there is no longer peace here, since the first global war, when the combined Western fleet entered the Indian Ocean, the combined Anglo-French fleet has once again broken into the Indian Ocean, threatening the backyard of the empire.