The style of war has changed a lot, but the essence of war has not changed much, and some basic tactics and strategic theories have not changed much, just as the "Art of War" can still be regarded as a classic thousands of years later, some important theories have actually not changed much. One of these is to fight for the initiative and fight on the battlefield of one's own choice, not on the battlefield chosen by the enemy.

This was the case this time, the Tang Empire was well prepared in the southwest Pacific, committing hundreds of thousands of troops, thousands of aircraft, and several fleets. If it were to fight with the American army here, the Tang Empire would have a great advantage. On the contrary, in the Central Pacific, the Tang Empire invested less than 100,000 troops (including all non-combatants), more than 1,000 combat aircraft, and only one fleet operating here. In the event of a decisive battle with the US forces in the Central Pacific, the Tang Empire would not have much advantage.

This problem is the same for the US military. The Central Pacific region is related to the security of the Hawaiian Islands, and the Hawaiian Islands are the mainland of the United States and are the barrier of the West Coast of the United States, so there is no reason for the US military to relax the defense of the Hawaiian Islands. Relatively speaking, the U.S. military has invested a lot in the southwest Pacific, which is enough to delay the pace of the Tang Empire's offensive, so it is the best policy to take this opportunity to counterattack in the direction of the Central Pacific, attack the western Pacific region, and threaten the Tang Empire itself.

The problem is also here, the Tang Empire wants to try to fight a decisive battle with the US forces in the southwest Pacific, while the United States wants to fight a decisive battle with the Tang Empire from the Central Pacific to the Western Pacific. Where to fight, it depends on the deployment, planning, and previous preparations of both sides.

Tan Renhao is also very clear about this, attacking Kuah Island can force the US military to enter the southwest Pacific, but the problem is that when the 6th Squadron is ready to attack Kuah Island, the US military may have already attacked in other directions. It is very difficult to find a battlefield to replace Kuah Island, and Tan Renhao has not considered it for the time being. If you can't drag the U.S. military to the southwest Pacific to fight a decisive battle. Then make a backup plan.

This is what Tan Renhao is most concerned about now, since he can't fight a decisive battle with the enemy on the battlefield he chooses, then he should fight the enemy on a battlefield that is beneficial to him. Before the official convening of the generals' conference, Tan Renhao locked himself in his office and kept thinking about this issue.

The direction of the US counterattack is definitely in the western Pacific, with a focus on attacking the Mariana Islands. At that time, the U.S. military could also counterattack the Japanese mainland through the North Pacific, but it was very difficult. One is the harsh climate in the North Pacific. Not very suitable for large-scale naval battles, especially the use of aircraft carriers. Second, the Tang Empire deployed a large number of shore-based aviation troops on Kuye Island, and if necessary, it was also able to send troops to occupy the Kuril Islands, build field airfields here, and use shore-based aviation to deal with the US fleet. Third, if the US military landed on the Japanese mainland, it would first have to face not the army of the Tang Empire, but tens of millions of Japanese refugees, and dealing with these refugees may be even more troublesome than dealing with the army, which will put a heavy burden on the US military.

The direction of the U.S. military's counterattack is definitely in the western Pacific. Either capture Wake Island first. Then attack the Mariana Islands, either skip Wake Island and exit Midway. Directly attack the Mariana Islands, follow the way the Tang Empire captured the Mariana Islands, choose a foothold in the north of the islands, and then gradually sweep the entire Mariana Islands.

Tan Renhao stood in front of the map for several hours, and finally determined that if the US military wanted to counterattack, then it would definitely land on 6 Wake Island first.

Now that Japan's government-in-exile has arrived in the United States, and there is a new government in Japan itself, the United States will not immediately intervene in the war on Japanese soil. If the northern islands of the Mariana Islands were to be captured, it would be very difficult for the U.S. military to sweep south. It will take no less time than the Tang Empire occupied the Mariana Islands. If it goes north, it can sweep Iwo Jima and Ogasawara Islands, but this is an advance on the Japanese mainland, and the United States certainly does not want to solve the problem of food and clothing for those tens of millions of refugees now, so there is no need to capture Iwo Jima and Ogasawara Islands when the Mariana Islands have not yet been occupied.

The only option for the U.S. military was to land on a major island in the southern part of the Mariana Islands6 and take advantage of the fact that the Tang Empire could not reinforce the Mariana Islands from the southwest Pacific or the mainland in the short term, occupy the island, and establish a strong foothold. Lay the groundwork for the subsequent sweep of the entire archipelago. If the US military were to land on the southern part of the Mariana Islands, the sea supply line would be thousands of kilometers long, and it would inevitably pass through the waters of Wake Island, and the shore-based bombers deployed by the Tang Army on Wake Island, as well as those small ships, would pose a huge threat to the US military's logistical supply lines. The only option for the U.S. military is to capture Wake Island first, use Wake Island as a springboard, and then march into the Mariana Islands!

After understanding this line of thought, Tan Renhao thought of two sets of tactics. The first is to use Wake Island as a support point to concentrate the fleet in this sea area to fight a decisive battle with the main fleet of the US Navy and regain sea supremacy. If this tactic does not work, then it is necessary to hold on to Wake Island and buy enough time to allow the 6th Squadron in the Southwest Pacific to have enough time to enter Kuah Island, and then the US military will still get a decisive battle in the Southwest Pacific.

If there is to be a decisive battle with the US forces in the waters near Wake Island, then it is necessary to concentrate only three main fleets, and it is better to transfer all four fleets to this sea area, in order to gain superiority in forces, so that there is a certainty of victory. But the problem is that this will lead to an empty force in the southwest Pacific, and if the US military launches a counterattack in the southwest Pacific, the problem will be very serious. Therefore, it is impossible to concentrate all four fleets in the waters of Wake Island, and at most two fleets can be sent, and two fleets must be left in the southwest Pacific. The best deployment plan is to leave the Third Task Force and the Fourth Task Force in the Southwest Pacific Theater, the Second Task Force in the waters of the Mariana Islands, and the First Task Force as a mobile force in the waters between the Caroline Islands and the Solomon Islands. By the time the Fourth Task Force and the Third Task Force arrived to reinforce them, the battle would be over, and regardless of the outcome of the naval battle, the two fleets would have little effect in reaching the waters off Wake Island.

"The best thing to do is to hold on to Wake Island, and at most we can only mobilize the Second Task Force to hold Wake Island and delay time. Forced the U.S. military to reinforce the Southwest Pacific theater. But the question is, can the 6th Sentai hold on to Wake Island for more than a month, and will the 2nd Task Force be able to withstand the attack of the superior forces of the United States?

"It's very difficult to hold on to Wake Island." Liao Hanxiang made an assessment of Tan Renhaodi's thoughts, "First, the key to defending Wake Island is sea control, and without sea control, we can't hold Wake Island at all. Even if the second task force is mobilized, Lei Shaoqing will be able to block opponents with comparable strength at most, and the US military will concentrate four aircraft carrier battle groups. There is little hope of victory for Task Force 2, and there is even a possibility of annihilation, which is even less beneficial to us. ”

Tan Renhao nodded slightly, Lei Shaoqing's performance in the previous stage of the battle was not bad, but the problem was that he was dealing with an opponent with fewer troops than him. If the U.S. military attacks Wake Island this time, then it will use four aircraft carrier battle groups, and with Lei Shaoqing's ability, even if it is defense, it may not be able to drag on for long. This is the end of Task Force 2. Wake Island will also be finished, and if the second task force is lost, the Tang Imperial Navy will not have any advantage in the short term. It will even fall behind in the first half of next year.

"How long can we hold Wake Island without using Task Force 2?"

"Ten days, fifteen days at most." Liao Hanxiang's answer was very fast, "After three days of firepower preparation, after the US army landed on the 6th, we will hold on for about ten days at most." This time, the U.S. military will definitely use its elite 6 combat teams deployed in the Hawaiian Islands to be able to hold it for fifteen days, which is simply a miracle! ”

"I'm afraid it's not enough." Tan Renhao sighed, "I talked to General Yan Guozhong.

It will take at least January to make a strong attack on Kuah Island, and if Wake Island can hold on for a month, then we have great hopes. “

"The problem is, even if we can hold out on Wake Island for a month, when the 6th Sentai attacks Kuah Island, we will have to leave Task Force 2 behind to help us drive back the American troops who landed on 6th Wake Island. In this way, there will be only a maximum of four aircraft carriers in the Southwest Pacific theater by then. And there are two aircraft carriers that are not in good shape. Liao Hanxiang shrugged his shoulders, "Judging from the points you considered, this battle will not be of much benefit to us, and it is very likely that we will have a decisive battle with the US army in a passive situation." Instead of fighting the U.S. military with four aircraft carriers in the southwest Pacific, it is better to put two task forces in the direction of Wake Island and fight the U.S. military. ”

Tan Renhao pondered this question, if the first task force and the second task force were invested, it would be on par with the US military, and both sides had invested the most elite troops, and the outcome of the fight would depend on the performance of the commanders of both sides.

"You have cooperated with Lei Shaoqing several times, and you know each other very well. I heard that Huang Xiaotian is a good commander, but the problem is that he was your subordinate before, and you don't know him very well, if you cooperate, there must be some unexpected trouble, so I think it's better to fight the U.S. army here. ”

Tan Renhao nodded slightly and said, "Look, this time it's the principal who makes the decision directly, no matter what, we have to fight the Yankees." ”

Liao Hanxiang was about to stand up when there was a knock on the door, and then Jiang Zhongmin walked in.

"General Liao, are you there too?" Jiang Zhongmin first glanced at the two of them in surprise, and then said, "It just so happens that I have thought of a way that can replace our attack in the direction of Kuah Island." ”

"An alternative?" Tan Renhao also glanced at Jiang Zhongmin in surprise.

"Yes, I have been thinking about it for most of the day, if I don't attack Kuah Island, and at the same time I want to force the US military to shift its focus to the southwest Pacific, then there is another option." Jiang Zhongmin spread the chart he brought on the coffee table, and then nodded in the southeast of New Guinea Island, "Port Moresby, we have not attacked Port Moresby before, which has actually allowed the US military to feel our bottom line, knowing that we are not yet able to enter the Australian Big 6, so we will first concentrate our forces to sweep the Solomon Islands, prepare for the future attack on the Australian Big 6, and clear the flank direction of the ground threat." If we attack Port Moresby, it will make the American military think that we are planning to land 6 Australian 6, and then they will have to send their main fleet to the southwest Pacific. ”

Tan Renhao frowned slightly, and then looked at Liao Hanxiang.

"It is very difficult to attack Port Moresby, and we still do not have the ability to climb to the 6th Australian 6th, and the United States should also know our strength, they will not be easily fooled."

"The problem is here, if there is any way to convince the US military that we have the strength to attack the Australian Big 6, then they have to believe it." Jiang Zhongmin sat down as he spoke, "We can make some adjustments in the deployment of rear forces, put on a posture of attacking the Australian Big 6, and we can use the intelligence department to release some fake news, as long as the US military judges that we will land the 6th Australian Big 6 in the near future, then they will definitely rush to the aid of the Southwest Pacific Theater!" ”

"The problem is that it probably won't take much less time to attack Port Moresby than it will take to attack Kuah." Tan Renhao asked a tactical question.

"It depends on how much weight Yan Guozhong has in his hand. The attack on Port Moresby is a little less difficult than the attack on Kuah Island, and if General Yan Guozhong has enough reserves, maybe we can really do something about it. ”

Tan Renhao and Liao Hanxiang both pondered, neither of them had thought of making a fuss here before, but the problem was equally obvious, it was very difficult to attack Port Moresby. Due to the poor transportation conditions on the island of New Guinea, the attack on Port Moresby was still a battle of Deng6, and it was impossible to expect to advance to Port Moresby by crossing the Owenstein Mountains, which still required the mobilization of transport fleets, boarding the 6th fleet, supporting fleets, and the preparation of large quantities of war materials. Obviously, this is a regular Deng 6 battle, and it is very difficult.

"Then let's go and ask General Yan Guozhong." Tan Renhao stood up, if he could really get some articles out of Port Moresby, he would really be able to solve the problem of the Southwest Pacific Theater.