On 24 February, on the same day that Lei Shaoqing's Theater Fleet Headquarters was officially transferred to the former headquarters in Halsey, Huang Xiaotian arrived at Port Vila by plane before the fleet arrived, and Hao Dongjue, after learning in advance that Huang Xiaotian was about to rise, also threw the matter of the Second Task Force to Northeast Wei and rushed back from the front line. In the afternoon of the same day, Lei Shaoqing greeted the arrival of the two generals, and in the evening, he asked the adjutant to get a table of wine and food, and entertained the two in his new headquarters.

"The clean-up in the city is not over yet, and the gendarmerie is still searching for enemy spies who may be lurking, so I can only pick up the wind for you here."

"Old Lei, when did you become so polite?" Hao Dongjue said as he poured wine into the three glasses, "Seeing you come back, no matter where it is, it's not the same, and we're not here to eat your meal." ”

"Dong Jue's words are not wrong, and it should be us who will pick up the wind for you." Huang Xiaotian was a little more polite than Hao Dongjue, "We are already very happy that you can come back, if it weren't for the fact that the fleet couldn't leave, I should have rushed over a few days ago." ”１６Ｋ…

"Then I'm going to thank you, and when Renhao and Lao Chang come back, we'll have a good drink." Lei Shaoqing also laughed, "You're hungry all the way, let's fill our stomachs first, and then talk about other things later." ”

The three of them were not verbose, Huang Xiaotian and Hao Dongjue were indeed hungry, they were bumpy on the plane for several hours, and finally waited until it was time for dinner, looking at the dishes on the table, it was strange not to be hungry. The three of them didn't have anything polite to talk about, they were all old friends, and after more than ten minutes, more than half of the dishes on the table were missing, and the three of them were almost eating. When the adjutant came to clean up the table, Lei Shaoqing took Hao Dongjue and Huang Xiaotian to his office, which was also the place where he received guests.

"Not bad. It's still a leather sofa, and the furniture is made of mahogany. Hao Dongjue touched the soft sofa back with a little envy. Lao Lei, your kid is very lucky, just before General Yan Guozhong arrives. brought so many good furniture to his office, I don't know what he will think when Yan Guozhong rushes over. ”

"This is all left by the US military, and General Yan Guozhong's office has been prepared a long time ago, which is much more luxurious than my side, or will I take you over to have a look?"

"There's no need for that." Hao Dongjue immediately laughed, "Anyway, this is much better than the conditions on our battleship." Xiaotian, don't you say? ”

"Unless when the navy has money and builds a few flagships specifically for the fleet, otherwise, we can only envy!" Huang Xiaotian also laughed, compared to the conditions on the shore, even the aircraft carrier with the most abundant space can only be described as "simple".

"I'm afraid we'll have to wait until the war is over." Lei Shaoqing brought three cups of tea, "I have just read the relevant intelligence, and the United States still has a strong war strength." Moreover, the U.S. Pacific Fleet will get new warships next month, and even if the Navy has money now, it will first be used to build aircraft carriers and other warships, and it is impossible to build a separate flagship for you, the fleet commanders. What do you guys think about the next stage of combat operations? ”

After entering the formal topic, the expressions of the three of them became serious, and even Hao Dongjue, who had not been serious before, became serious. Lei Shaoqing noticed the changes in Hao Dongjue, when Hao Dongjue was the chief of staff of the First Task Force, there was Tan Renhao on it, he didn't have to bear too much responsibility, even if it was a hippie smile, no one blamed him. Now, Hao Dongjue has become the commander of the Second Task Force, and Tan Renhao is far away in the Indian Ocean, so naturally no one covers him anymore, and his personality has obviously changed a lot.

"General Ray ......"

"Xiaotian, it's good if you call me Lao Lei, although I used to be your superior, but now you are also the commander of the fleet, everyone can just order it."

"Yes, you just call him Lao Lei, don't be so formal, it sounds awkward!" Hao Dongjue laughed first as he spoke.

"Old Lei ......" Huang Xiaotian also laughed, "In my opinion, the situation on this side of the southwest Pacific is actually nothing to worry about. When I arrived in Kaohsiung, I also received a battle report from Yan Guozhong, saying that New Caledonia was only in small trouble, and now General Guozhong has arranged for more marines to go over, and the Fourth Task Force will arrive in the next few days. According to General Yan Guozhong's intentions, the Second Task Force will not withdraw to rest. In other words, we will have two main task forces, plus General Li Wenlong's theater fleet operating in the southwest Pacific, and it will not be difficult for the Marines to attack New Caledonia and capture Noumea. The trouble is that the US Navy's Pacific Fleet is about to restore its combat effectiveness, and when the time comes, the US military will definitely launch a counterattack, and how to block the US counterattack and ensure that the combat operation of landing on the Australian mainland can proceed smoothly is the most crucial thing. ”

Lei Shaoqing nodded slightly, which was what he was most worried about.

"If the U.S. Navy is back in combat by the end of March, then we will definitely have to adjust accordingly and try to take New Caledonia by the beginning of March. At that time, the two task forces will have enough time to get a short rest. Hao Dongjue looked at the two of them, "Moreover, our new aircraft carrier has also completed sea trials and is making final adjustments before entering service, and the supporting warships and aviation units are in place, and they are now undergoing adaptive training." At that time, the two task forces will each be supplemented with an aircraft carrier battle group, and their combat effectiveness will reach the maximum state, and even if the US military has six new aircraft carriers in service, we will still have enough strength advantages! ”

"The question is, in which direction will the U.S. military choose to launch a counterattack? Also, our priority is to successfully land on the Australian mainland, what will be the impact of the US military's counterattack? Huang Xiaotian frowned slightly, "Even if the US military's counterattack is difficult to turn the tide of the war, it will definitely play a role in our combat operations to attack the Australian mainland, and even form a military advantage for us on the local battlefield, so that there will be a lot of problems in our next combat operations." ”

"I've thought about it too." Lei Shaoqing spoke at this time, "Judging from the overall situation in the Pacific theater and the situation in the Southwest Pacific Theater, it is unlikely that the US military will choose to launch a strategic counterattack in the southwest Pacific, and the focus of their strategic counterattack should be from the Pacific Ocean, especially our islands in the east of the Hawaiian Islands!" ”

Huang Xiaotian and Hao Dongjue both looked at Lei Shaoqing. Their understanding of the battle situation is not as rich as Lei Shaoqing's, so they want to know Lei Shaoqing's exact thoughts.

"First of all, from the perspective of the personnel structure of the US military. If the U.S. military chooses to launch a strategic counterattack in the Southwest Pacific. Then Nimitz would certainly have arranged for a fleet commander who would not be influenced by MacArthur to come and serve as commander of the Third Fleet. The best candidate was Spruance, who is still the commander of the Fifth Fleet. It should be Turner next, and judging by the information we get. Turner remains Chief of Staff of the Fifth Fleet. In terms of seniority, ability, etc., Mitchell cannot completely replace Halsey, and he will definitely be influenced by MacArthur. From Nimitz's point of view, if the main fleet is incorporated into the Third Fleet, then MacArthur is actually commanding the Third Fleet to fight, and we all know the contradictions between Nimitz and MacArthur, and it is impossible for Nimitz to hand over the old base of the US Navy to an admiral to command. Lei Shaoqing said as he went to the desk and brought a few documents. This is the latest intelligence I have received from the US Navy's Pacific Fleet. Judging from the changes in its personnel, it is unlikely that Nimitz will choose the direction of the navy's counterattack in the southwest Pacific. ”

Hao Dongjue and Huang Xiaotian each took a document, and then looked at it carefully.

"Judging from the current situation in the Southwest Pacific Theater, there are no decisive conditions for the US military's counterattack." When the two of them looked at the information, Lei Shaoqing continued. "Now the US military is about to be driven out of New Caledonia by us. The south-east of Australia is already within our reach. What's more, the gate to the Coral Sea has been blocked by us, and it is difficult for the main fleet of the US Navy to enter the Coral Sea. And in the Tasman Sea in southeastern Australia. Climatic conditions aside, there are very few support points for the activities of the US fleet, and the port of Brisbane is within the strike range of our long-range bombers and is also within the monitoring range of our long-range reconnaissance planes. All the circumstances are more favorable for us, at least relatively stable. If the U.S. military chooses to launch a counterattack in the direction of the Tasman Sea, the first thing they will fight is New Caledonia. Or if they launch a counterattack from the direction of Fiji, they will first attack New Caledonia. Or from the Fiji Islands, attacking the New Hebrides. Whichever offensive route is chosen, its fleet will have to take into account the threat of thousands of our shore-based aircraft. And when the time comes, our fleet can completely hide in the Coral Sea and take advantage of the opportunity of the US military to attack our island airfields. In other words, the U.S. military will first have to consider attacking the islands, and the ground troops we will deploy here will exceed 500,000, or even close to 1 million, and the U.S. military will not be able to quickly capture any of the islands now, so even if its fleet blows up the airfields on some of the islands, it will not be possible to completely reverse the defeat in the southwest Pacific! ”

"If that's the case, then the only direction the U.S. Navy can choose to counterattack is the Central Pacific." Huang Xiaotian raised his head, and he exchanged the inserted information with Hao Dongjue.

"I don't know much about the specifics of the Central Pacific, but judging from the current situation, Nimitz will definitely prioritize launching a counterattack in the Central Pacific. If nothing else, we have captured Gardner Island and Lysan Island, and Liao Hanxiang is planning an attack on Necker Island and Nihua Island. With Liao Hanxiang advancing the front step by step towards the eastern part of the Hawaiian Islands, coupled with the fierce bombing of the eastern islands of Hawaii by our heavy bombers, Nimitz had to first consider removing the threat to the Hawaiian Islands, and the most effective way was to take down the islands that we had captured, or even hit Midway Island in one go, contact Wake Island, and level the defense line in the Pacific Ocean. After this step is completed, Nimitz will consider counterattack operations in the southwest Pacific. ”

Huang Xiaotian nodded slightly, Lei Shaoqing's analysis was very reasonable.

"Then, we must definitely arrange a task force to go to the Central Pacific, and with only four small aircraft carriers in the Pacific Theater, it is impossible to stop Nimitz's counterattack." Hao Dongjue also spoke, "If Spruance is to command the U.S. Navy's counterattack, then the marshal will probably have to find a way to get Ren Hao back." ”

"It's unlikely, and the situation on the other side of the Indian Ocean is also very troublesome. The commander of the Anglo-French joint expeditionary fleet was Admiral Cunningham, and I don't know much about this man, but judging by the information provided by the intelligence services, Cunningham's abilities can be compared to Spruance, and he is recognized by the British Navy as the most outstanding fleet commander after Nelson. Until the combat operation to defeat the Anglo-French joint expeditionary fleet is completed, it is unlikely that the headmaster will let Ren Hao return to the Pacific theater. ”

"But ......"

Lei Shaoqing pressed his hand slightly. "I'm just guessing, pure speculation, in addition to the carrier battle groups that are replenished to the second task force and the fourth task force, we have four other carrier battle groups. The Headmaster would definitely consider one carrier battle group for Task Force 1, and then there would be three more. In other words, this is enough to establish a new task force, or to supplement the fifth task force, so that the fifth task force can quickly restore its combat effectiveness. ”

At this time, Hao Dongjue and Huang Xiaotian were silent, Lei Shaoqing's meaning was very clear, the Fifth Task Force would replace the First Task Force.

"Well, you don't need to worry." Lei Shaoqing laughed, "Even if the Fifth Task Force is fully replenished, its combat effectiveness is still the worst, and when the time comes, Jiang Zhongmin is very likely to come to the Southwest Pacific Theater, and will not let him go to the Central Pacific Theater to block the gun's eye." ”

Lei Shaoqing didn't say it's okay, but when he said this, Hao Dongjue and Huang Xiaotian's faces became even more gloomy. This clearly shows that the Second Task Force or the Fourth Task Force will go to the Central Pacific Ocean to plug the bullet holes, and everyone knows that this is a thankless task, and no one who goes will make great achievements in battle, and may even suffer defeat. In other words, this is to give the fat to Jiang Zhongmin, whether it is Hao Dongjue or Huang Xiaotian, they will definitely be very uncomfortable. Having said that, Lei Shaoqing is also very uncomfortable, why should he let Jiang Zhongmin come back and pick up the bargain?

……