At 10:34, the bridge of the navigation ship sent a message that Iwo Jima was already to the northeast of the fleet.

Tan Renhao and Lei Shaoqing immediately walked to the porthole on the right side and looked in the northeast direction. The night was dark, and only a gray shadow flickered on the sea level in the distance.

"That's supposed to be Oribayama!" Lei Shaoqing lowered his voice, as if he was afraid of being heard by the enemy in the distance.

Tan Renhao glanced at Lei Shaoqing and said with a smile: "Yes, it should be Folding Bowl Mountain." The last time I heard Chief of Staff Gan Yongxing at the principal's place, the Japanese army had almost hollowed out this building, and there were countless underground fortifications, bunkers, warehouses, and criss-crossing underground passages. I really can't figure it out, aren't Japanese people afraid of heat? They can live underground like rats, aren't they afraid of suffocation? ”

"We have to admire the tenacity of little Japan, and it's a miracle that tens of millions of people can survive on those few islands."

Both laughed, and the sound of the waves from the battleship as it cut through the sea was louder than the mechanical vibrations from the engine room.

At this time, the 1st Task Force was divided into three columns. On the left is a destroyer formation, and more than a dozen destroyers are sailing next to the aircraft carrier like nimble sheepdogs, and the officers and men on each destroyer are vigilantly watching the sea on the left, which is the direction in which the Japanese submarine is most likely to appear. In addition, the sonars on each of the destroyers listened intently to the sounds coming from the sea, only because the fleet itself was so noisy that it was impossible for them to hear the sound from the submarines at all. It's just for show.

In the middle is a formation of aircraft carriers and large cruisers. There were two large cruisers in the front and rear of each of the four carriers, and the lookouts on these battleships were all observing Iwo Jima in the northeast direction, and the guns on the four large cruisers were aimed in the direction of the islands. The distance of 15 nautical miles is exactly within the range of its main guns. Although, no one wants to shell Iwo Jima at this time, but as long as there is an accident, then these large cruisers will be the first to fire their guns to cover the retreat of the aircraft carrier.

On the right is a formation of heavy cruisers. Nine heavy cruisers blocked the ground carriers behind them. Like the large cruisers, the guns on the heavy cruisers were pointed at Iwo Jima. The lookout at the top of the mast looked nervously in the direction of the island. Can be a dark night. They couldn't see the islands in the distance, let alone determine whether there were planes moving in the skies nearby. Unless, the Japanese night patrol planes got too close and the lookouts on the cruiser could hear the roar of the planes, it would have been impossible for them to see the planes in the dark night sky with their eyes alone.

Tan Renhao turned his back and lit a cigarette. All the lights in the fleet went out. In the dark of the night. The slightest light of fire can travel far away, so the fleet implements strict lighting control. Tan Renhao is the commander of the fleet, so naturally he also has to abide by this discipline, he can only smoke with his back to the direction of Iwo Jima, and block the fire with his body.

Lei Shaoqing also lit a cigarette, and the two laughed.

In fact, the weather at this time was very favorable for the fleet "stowaway". Dark clouds obscured the moon and stars, and visibility over the sea was less than five nautical miles. If Oriba Mountain was just a battleship, then it would be impossible for Tan Renhao and them to see that gray shadow at all. From another angle, the Japanese lookout on Oriba Mountain would certainly not be able to see the fleet sailing at full speed. If the night sky was clear and there was a silver moon, then Tan Renhao would not dare to take such a risk if he was killed, unless he wanted to know how powerful the Japanese shore defense guns on Iwo Jima were!

"Looks. Little Japan wouldn't have thought that we would take this course, would it? Lei Shaoqing squatted down, so that he could smoke with peace of mind.

Tan Renhao also squatted down. "That's what I thought about. If you think about it, we took out the Combined Fleet only a few days ago, and we lost so many heavy warships. If, among other things, the Japanese government, in order to cover up the defeat, would certainly exaggerate the results of the war, and perhaps they would use our large cruisers as battleships and heavy cruisers as battlecruisers, and then advertise a great victory. Such propaganda is necessary. But at the same time, it can paralyze the army. If it doesn't work out well. It will also make the army slack and underestimate the enemy! ”

Lei Shaoqing nodded. "Actually. We've been doing that all the time. ”

"But we didn't deliberately subvert the facts in our propaganda. It is necessary to deliberately exaggerate the results of the war, but it must not affect the state of the army and the mentality of the soldiers, right? Tan Renhao stepped on the cigarette butt, "The Japanese will definitely think that we have now returned to Naha, or Zhoushan, or are on the way back." They wouldn't have imagined that we didn't return at all, but that we would kill again after completing our supplies at sea. The Japanese troops on those islands would not have imagined that we would come back again in a few days and take them by surprise. In such weather, the Japanese army would also hide in their own quilts, and who would notice that there was a fleet moving at high speed on the dark sea? ”

"Looks like you're about to become the commander of the Japanese army." Lei Shaoqing also threw away his cigarette butts.

Tan Renhao pulled Lei Shaoqing up, and then leaned against the handrail on the inside of the porthole. "I'm not worried about those Japanese troops on the islands, but about Japanese submarines. Last time I went back to Zhoushan, you must have read the relevant battle reports. Japanese submarines have been attacking our convoys all the time, causing very huge losses, and their threat has already surpassed the Japanese fleet with the Japanese aviation. The submarines of the Germans were doing the same thing in the Atlantic, and ours were performing the same tasks in the northeastern seas of Japan. Do you know Liao Hongpeng? ”

"Your brother-in-law?"

Tan Renhao smiled and shook his head. He was a submarine officer, and after the outbreak of the war, he carried out three patrol missions, sank eighteen merchant ships carrying strategic supplies to Japan, and is now one of the ace captains of the submarine force of the Imperial Navy. One submarine has taken out so many merchant ships in just over a year, I'm afraid. We have always ignored the threat of submarines. ”

Lei Shaoqing was startled at first, and then laughed. "It seems that we really ignore submarines, but we don't know much about submarines."

"That's why I'm worried about Japanese submarines."

Both looked out of the portholes, if a Japanese submarine was moving around at this time. Then they must be in trouble.

A submarine surfaced 85 nautical miles northwest of North Iwo Jima. This is the "I-17" submarine belonging to the command of Rear Admiral Rateng, Japan's No. 1 Submarine Squadron. The captain of the boat is Kozo Nishino Navy. When the watertight doors of the submarine opened, the crew came to the deck, greedily breathing in the fresh air outside.

At the outbreak of the war, Kozo Nishino commanded the "I-17" to participate in the naval battle to encircle and annihilate the Second Fleet. At that time, he commanded the submarine to fire a total of 8 torpedoes, severely damaged one battleship, and sank one cruiser. This result was not small, among the six submarines that participated in the encirclement and annihilation of the Second Fleet. The results of the "I-17" came in second place.

Since then, Nishino Kozo has been active in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, specifically picking out those lone warships or merchant ships. Half a year ago, the Tang Empire began to equip the merchant fleet with escort warships, and after a large number of anti-submarine patrol planes appeared over the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, it became more and more difficult to break diplomatic relations.

After his second patrol, Kozo Nishino returned to the base of the 1st Submarine Squadron. As he prepares to set off on his third patrol mission. The Imperial Palace in Tokyo was bombed by bombers of the Don Empire. As a result, the third patrol mission was canceled, and the first submarine squadron had a new mission, that is, to establish a submarine cordon in the waters south of the mainland to prevent the Tang Imperial fleet from attacking the Japanese mainland again.

It was at this time that Kozo Nishino began to patrol the south. The patrol area of the "I-17" submarine is an elliptical area with a length of 50 nautical miles and a width of 15 nautical miles, which happens to be the easternmost point of the submarine cordon. On its western flank, five other submarines are performing the same task. According to the order issued above, he will patrol here for two and a half months, and then return to the submarine base, rest for half a month, and then go on a new mission. In order to ensure the safety of the submarine, during the day, the submarine will only occasionally float up to recharge and ventilate. Only in the second half of the night will the submarine sail on the surface of the sea. The I-17 was self-sustaining for three months, and it was very close to the Japanese mainland. It only takes a few days to go back and forth.

Right now. Kozo Nishino and dozens of his men have been patrolling this area for nearly two months. A few days earlier, the Combined Fleet (including the First Air Fleet) had fought a decisive battle with the Tang Imperial Naval Fleet in the south. He wanted to join in the fun, but there was no relevant order, so he could only do it in a hurry. As a result, a submarine that took the opportunity to go south made a sneak attack on the fleet of the Tang Empire and sank a "capital ship". Although the submarine never surfaced again, Kozo Nishino was still very envious of this peer who was more courageous than him. It is a great honor for any submarine captain to sink a capital ship, even at the worst cost.

The submarine was heading southeast at a speed of 16 knots. It was already half past one in the morning, and it would be dawn in another five hours. And submarines also need time to recharge their batteries. The officers and men on the ground of the submarine took turns to go to the deck to breathe fresh air, smoke, or do something. In the submarine, I'm afraid that no one will be able to smoke except the captain, and no one can stand it for most of the day.

The First Task Force led by Tan Renhao also passed 15 nautical miles west of North Iwo Jima at this time. The fleet still maintained a speed of 31 knots. According to the sailing plan, after passing through North Iwo Jima, the fleet will sail northwest at full speed to the predetermined sea area. And this sea area is exactly behind the Japanese submarine cordon. But the problem is that now Task Force 1 is heading for the route of the "I-17"!

No one in the fleet knew that a Japanese submarine was approaching the sea ahead, and I am afraid that Kozo Nishino did not know that he was about to crash into a huge fleet.

Tan Renhao's consciousness was out of order at this critical moment, but his men did not completely forget the danger. The new Chang Zhixin, who was in charge of formulating the navigation route, was already aware of the danger. After passing through North Iwo Jima, the fleet will turn around and will pass next to the Japanese submarine cordon, which will most likely encounter the Japanese submarine.

As soon as the fleet began to turn, the flagship "Changjiang" aircraft carrier sent out a light signal to speed up the destroyer formation on the left to the front of the fleet, and to expand the range of the anti-submarine network as much as possible to prevent the Japanese submarine from suddenly attacking. Even if it was discovered, the Japanese submarine could not be allowed to fire a torpedo, otherwise, the main battleship sailing in dense formation would be unlucky.

More than a dozen destroyers accelerated to the front. Tan Renhao noticed this change, and he did not interfere with Chang Jianxin's command, after all, Chang Jianxin was specifically responsible for the fleet's navigation work, and his experience was far above others.

At 1:45 a.m., the fleet began to regroup, and the four aircraft carriers returned to their battle groups, and the escort warships followed. At this time, the fleet was already twenty-three nautical miles from North Iwo Jima, and at this rate of advance, the fleet would leave the waters near North Iwo Jima at about half past two and enter the predetermined area of departure for bombers at about half past four, while preparing for battle. Whether the fleet can send bombers before dawn depends on whether they will be discovered by Japanese submarines in more than two hours.

At 2:40 a.m., the red light suddenly flickered.

"What's going on?" Tan Renhao was startled and immediately jumped up from his chair.

"Sir, it was the submarine alert, and the destroyer returned the light signal and found a Japanese submarine, which is now carrying out anti-submarine operations!"

Tan Renhao was startled, sat down, and was still discovered.

"Did the Japanese submarine send a telegram?" Lei Shaoqing hurriedly asked.

"No, a quick dive, now there are three destroyers working against this submarine."

Tan Renhao was startled again, and then laughed. "Don't let the submarine run away, you can't drop depth charges before half past five, maybe there are Japanese submarines in the vicinity, and we can't expose it yet." In addition, change the course of the fleet and avoid Japanese submarines. As long as that submarine can't surface, it can't send a telegram! ”

The officers on the destroyers in the anti-submarine formation also knew the importance of secrecy, so after strafing the Japanese submarine into the sea with small-caliber machine gun fire for a while, they kept tracking the submarine with sonar without rushing to drop depth charges.

The fleet turned again, and Tan Renhao glanced at the navigation clock, and in two and a half hours, the bomber group should take off.