When the fleet was heading north, it received a telegram from Lei Shaoqing, and the second task force was maneuvering in the waters southwest of Bikini Atoll. Bikini Atoll is the northernmost atoll in the Marshall Islands, located about 5oo to 55 nautical miles from Wake Island, where Task Force 2 patrols are located.

"From this distance, Task Force 2 is relatively safe." Hao Dongjue watched Tan Renhao draw those lines on the chart, and he was also stepping up his grasp of the abilities necessary to be a fleet commander. "Judging by Lao Lei's analysis, the U.S. fleet is most likely to operate in the waters northeast of Wake Island, followed by the northwest seas. If Task Force 2 does not go north, then the American fleet has no chance of taking out Task Force 2. Unless Spruance is confident enough that he can lead the fleet through the dense reconnaissance network we have set up on this side, he will not go south easily. ”

"Spruance wasn't the kind of person who liked to take risks, and he wouldn't joke about his fleet." Tan Renhao glanced at his partner, "The telegram came out of Bikini Atoll, and we have more than a dozen seaplanes arranged here, plus dozens of reconnaissance planes from the Second Task Force, it is difficult for the US fleet to get close." We don't have to worry about the safety of Task Force 2 now, Shao Qing and Lao Chang know very well what they are doing. When will we be able to join Task Force 2? ”

"The day after tomorrow", Hao Dongjue glanced at the navigation clock, "about 38 hours later." ”

Tan Renhao nodded slightly, today is the 24th, and the day after tomorrow is the 26th, if the US military starts shelling Wake Island today, then they have one to two days of artillery preparation time, and then let the 6th team go ashore. Spruance should have considered the threat of Task Force 1, so would he choose to let the 6th team go ashore early, or continue to wait until he seized sea supremacy before sending the 6th team ashore?

Just as Tan Renhao was still thinking about Spruance's possible tactical arrangements, another telegram arrived. The telegram was from Wake Island, signed by Major General Han Shaofeng, commander of the defenders of Wake Island. There was only one message in the telegram, Wake Island was suddenly attacked by the US military and is now being shelled by the US military.

The content of the telegram is a bit vague, it seems that even Han Shaofeng's headquarters was shelled, and he came out after drafting the telegram. U.S. bombers bombed the Wake Island airfield at around seven o'clock, the airfield was badly damaged, and the U.S. military also used bombs similar to those of the Tang Empire. It is used to destroy the runway of the airport and slow down the degree of the engineering personnel to repair the airport. Before eight o'clock, the American fleet began shelling the airfield, and it never stopped, judging by the power of the falling shells, there were American battleships among the shells. In addition, long-range patrol planes that took off from Wake Island repeatedly appeared in the US task force about 2oo nautical miles northeast of Wake Island, and it was determined that there were aircraft carriers inside, but these long-range patrol planes soon lost contact with the base, and they could only roughly determine the location of the US task force. And it is impossible to know whether the American task force has been transferred.

After reading the telegram. Tan Renhao and Hao Dongjue's faces sank. The U.S. bombing of Wake Island is very similar to their previous bombing of Majuro Atoll and Tarawa Island, with night entries. Avoid the enemy's reconnaissance planes, and then start bombing around dawn, first destroy the airfield on the island, let the artillery fleet approach the island, and use artillery to solve the military targets on the island one by one, which will not only save trouble, but also the aircraft carrier fleet can be immediately transferred to avoid retaliatory strikes by the other side.

"It seems that Spruance has arranged the battle very tightly." Hao Dongjue glanced at the clock, "It's only about ten o'clock now." Han Shaofeng's headquarters must have been shelled, and the Americans took both battleships on it, and it seems that they will not be preparing for artillery fire for long. ”

Tan Renhao nodded slightly, he ignored Hao Dongjue, but according to the clues provided in the telegram, marked the sea area where the US task force appeared.

"If Spruance had known that we were going all north, he would have put Team 6 on the 6 right away, most likely tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow morning. Hao Dongjue continued to make his analysis, "The U.S. 6 troops assembled at Midway Island yesterday, and with the necessary preparation time in the relevant places, it will be difficult for them to arrive at Wake Island tomorrow, so it is possible that the 6 days will be the morning after tomorrow." ”

"Dongjue, haven't you noticed a little?"

"What?" Hao Dongjue stopped, then looked at his partner.

"In the reconnaissance report of the submarine that we received earlier, there was no mention of the US 6 Fleet, they just speculated that the 6 Fleet should be behind the transport fleet, right?"

Hao Dongjue recalled for a moment and said: "That's true, the submarine only judged that the US 6th Fleet was behind the transport fleet, which was just a judgment, and at most it heard more noise under the sea, but it couldn't accurately judge whether it was the 6th Fleet." ”

"What if the 6th Fleet didn't go to Midway, but went straight from Pearl Harbor?"

Hao Dongjue's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you saying that the U.S. 6 Fleet went directly to Wake Island without passing through Midway for transit, and now what is on Midway Island is only a transport fleet that provides supplies for the 6 troops on Mount after they go ashore?"

"It's entirely possible."

Tan Renhao's speculation was quickly confirmed, and an hour after Han Shaofeng's telegram, a Xindi telegram came from the theater command, and a submarine operating outside Pearl Harbor appeared to board the 6th Fleet, but the time when the US 6th Fleet left Pearl Harbor was on the night of the 23rd, and this telegram came out 12 hours late, and Liao Hanxiang directly forwarded the telegram.

At this time, both of them were speechless, but this was unavoidable, the submarine must have been besieged by destroyers, maybe there were other submarines that were sunk after the current US 6th Fleet, it was very precious to be able to send out the telegram, and the intelligence came out a few hours at night, which was a normal thing.

"There is no doubt that the U.S. military will land on 6 Wake Island by tomorrow morning at the latest." Tan Renhao picked up the teacup, "Spruance's entire offensive plan is extremely tightly arranged, from deployment to implementation, there is no long gap, and the movement and coordination of various troops are very accurate. Now the question is, where exactly is Spruance hiding? ”

"Before, our reconnaissance plane appeared in his fleet, but it was ......"

"But now it's mostly gone." Tan Renhao glanced at the navigation clock, "Wake Island was bombed at seven o'clock. The U.S. fleet was about 2oo nautical miles away from Wake Island at that time, which was considered the time needed for the halfway point, and the bomber group could return to the fleet at half past eight at most. Spruance, on the other hand, could have set the return route before the group of planes left it, which means that the U.S. task force could move immediately after releasing the bomber group, and then move to other waters to avoid being attacked. By the way, when did the reconnaissance plane of the current American fleet send out the telegram? ”

"Two reconnaissance aircraft appeared on the American fleet. One sent a telegram at 6:45 a.m., and the other at 6:55 a.m. Hao Dongjue read the telegram, and then marked the location of the current American fleet twice on the chart, "The telegram was very brief, and then it lost contact with the Wake Island base. Judging from the information provided by Han Shaofeng, he should have sent the first batch of air defense fighters at 6:30, that is, before dawn, and arranged for the second batch of air defense fighters to take off before 6:50, and there were at least three fighter squadrons on Wake Island. The U.S. bombers arrived at seven o'clock, and there was only a gap between half an hour and ten minutes......"

"If all three squadrons of fighters take off. And the bombers on the island are also preparing for takeoff. Then Spruance would have to concentrate all the bombers to destroy the airfield on Wake Island in one fell swoop. Tan Renhao preemptively said the results of the analysis, "Spruance was very decisive in sending all the bombers to destroy the airfield on Wake Island, which can only explain one point. He was sure that there was no movement of our fleet around, that is, he knew that Task Force 2 was at least 3oo nautical miles away from them, and that we were still on our way, otherwise, with Spruance's character, he would not have made a desperate attempt to bomb Wake Island first. ”

Hao Dongjue nodded, if Spruance suspected that Task Force 2 was on standby in a sea area near him, then he would not bomb Wake Island first, but would choose to kill Task Force 2.

"There is no need to discuss whether the whereabouts of Task Force 2 have been revealed. Spruance, having dispatched all the bombers, had to evade it immediately. Tan Renhao connected the two points on the chart representing the American fleet, "Within ten minutes, no fleet can move 8o nautical miles, and planes can't do it." This can only show that the US military has organized the four aircraft carriers into two task forces, and is there any mention of the number of aircraft carriers in the telegram? ”

"Both are two, and the pilot visually proves it."

"Two ......" Tan Renhao thought for a while, and then laughed. Well, the two task forces of the US military each have two aircraft carriers. This is because the four aircraft carriers in service with the US military this time are of the same rank, and there is no difference in appearance, and it is impossible for the pilots of the reconnaissance planes to see the aircraft carriers' port numbers clearly from such a distance, and they can only be determined to be two large fleet aircraft carriers. Based on this information, Han Shaofeng determined that it was a task force, so there was nothing surprising. ”

"You're saying that the two task forces of the United States are scattered, but the distance is about 8o nautical miles?" Hao Dongjue also happened to think of this.

"Is there anything else possible?"

Hao Dongjue shook his head, the sea area of the two current US fleets was at least 8o nautical miles apart, and it was impossible for any warship, or even an airplane, to move 8o nautical miles away in ten minutes. This could only be two task forces, but Han Shaofeng ignored this, maybe it happened to be attacked, so he didn't have time to make a careful judgment, so he thought that it was an American fleet.

"Now the question is, where the hell did the American fleet go!"

"The reconnaissance aircraft did not mention the voyage, course of the American fleet."

"Well, we'll have to wait." Tan Renhao sat down, he had little choice but to wait for more information.

The battle report from Wake Island was also sent in June. U.S. bombers bombed Wake Island for the second time at around 10 o'clock, and the focus was still on the airfield on Wake Island, in addition to artillery positions, barracks, ammunition depots, fuel depots, and so on. The shelling of the American fleet never stopped, starting at 8 a.m. and unscheduled for 10 to 15 minutes every hour, and then proceeding to another round of shelling when the island's engineers began to repair the damaged fortifications.

The telegram flew to the First Task Force like a snowflake, and Han Shaofeng didn't seem to be worried that the radio battery would run out, almost every hour, or even every half an hour, a telegram would come to introduce the battle situation on Wake Island, which made the communications officers of the fleet laugh and call Rear Admiral Han Shaofeng a front-line battle commentator, of course, this is just a joke. Tan Renhao and Hao Dongjue were also paying attention to every telegram.

On the aircraft carrier "Hulun Lake", the flagship of the Second Task Force, Lei Shaoqing and Chang Jianxin were also paying attention to every telegram. By noon, the heavy bombers stationed on the Kwajalein Atoll made their first sortie and attacked the US artillery formation without the cover of escort fighters; the strange thing is that these heavy bombers did not meet the US escort fighters, but the bombing effect was not very good, and they dropped dozens of tons of bombs, and as a result, they only damaged at most two enemy ships, and they were all cruisers, and they did not blow up the US battleships.

At about two o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, a telegram almost changed Lei Shaoqing's plan, and the 6th team of the US Army boarded 6 on Wake Island!

"We must not act rashly now, and General Han Shaofeng has not asked us for support." Chang Jianxin is resolutely opposed to the fleet acting alone, "The US 6 Sentai only has a maximum of four and a half hours to board the 6 Sentai period, and after dark, the 6 Sentai will launch a counterattack and fight at night, and the U.S. military does not have much advantage!" ”

Lei Shaoqing hesitated. "You're saying we're going to stay here instead of taking out the U.S. 6th Fleet?"

"We must stay here and wait for Task Force 1 to arrive." Chang Jianxin hesitated for a moment and said, "It's only four and a half hours, and after dark, we can't go to war." In addition, I think we should ask Renhao's opinion first. ”

Lei Shaoqing nodded slightly. "Alright, send a plane out immediately and ask when Task Force 1 will arrive."

Seeing that Lei Shaoqing was still steady, Chang Jianxin breathed a sigh of relief, what he was most worried about was that Lei Shaoqing was impulsive and made a wrong decision.