After the main staff officers rushed to the conference room, Huang Xiaotian asked his adjutant to close the door. He hadn't rested for a day and a half, and he looked a little tired. Huang Xiaotian also noticed at the same time that most of the staff officers looked a little nervous, which could only be blamed on Liao Hanxiang's telegram. After the Fourth Task Force arrived in the Pacific Theater, Liao Hanxiang agreed with Huang Xiaotian that Huang Xiaotian was solely responsible for the operation of the fleet, and Liao Hanxiang was only responsible for assisting the fleet in combat, so the right to act in the fleet was held by Huang Xiaotian, and Liao Hanxiang promised not to interfere in the operation of the fleet, and he did so.

"The first is the possibility of a U.S. attack on the Marshall Islands." Huang Xiaotian sat down, and on his right hand was Yan Yulong. "We will only be able to make a new judgment after we have made it clear whether the U.S. military wants to attack the Marshall Islands. It is not an easy task to determine whether the US military will attack the Marshall Islands, otherwise, General Liao Hanxiang would not have handed over this problem to us to deal with. ”

The staff officers all laughed, Huang Xiaotian is not a person who is good at humor, but at some times, Huang Xiaotian can resonate with many staff officers, which is probably related to his experience as a fleet staff officer for a long time.

"The Chief of Staff and I have carefully considered this issue, and although we have come to the conclusion that it is unlikely that the US military will attack the Marshall Islands, we cannot completely rule out this possibility. Now, we need more opinions and suggestions. Huang Xiaotian looked at the more than ten staff officers, "As the saying goes. Three stinkers, one Zhuge Liang. And you're also a veteran fleet staff officer, so you certainly have different views on whether the U.S. military will attack the Marshall Islands. Whatever the point of view is, we can say it, we discuss it together, and the more we debate, the clearer the problem becomes, so we need different opinions. ”

After speaking, Huang Xiaotian kicked Yan Yulong below. Let Yan Yulong start first, how to say, Yan Yulong is also the "chief of staff" of the fleet.

Yan Yulong was startled for a moment, then coughed dryly twice, and then said: "As always, everyone spoke enthusiastically, don't have any scruples, otherwise." The Commander will not have summoned you for this meeting. ”

The staff officers laughed again. Although Yan Yulong can only be regarded as a "new tender" chief of staff, the staff officers are very familiar with Yan Yulong, and they know that this chief of staff, who is not much older than them, is familiarizing himself with his new position. And the performance was not bad, at least it was affirmed by the commander.

"I'll start by telling you what I think." Yan Yulong stood up. Walking to the map hanging on the wall opposite, "Judging from the current battlefield situation, the Marshall Islands ......"

Huang Xiaotian made a deaf look, but in fact, he was thinking about other issues. He had already discussed it with Yan Yulong alone, and had come to a relatively unanimous opinion, and it was only because he could not be completely sure of the possible actions of the Fifth Fleet that this staff meeting was convened.

This is also the difference between Huang Xiaotian and several fleet commanders with full personality in commanding the fleet. For example, when Tan Renhao was commanding the fleet to fight. It is rare to take the initiative to seek the advice of the staff officer, in his hands. The staff officer of the fleet command was only nervous about conveying orders to him. Hao Dongjue, who was in the Second Task Force, was similar, but he was more easy-going and loved by the staff officers than Tan Renhao, but he rarely discussed the issue of fleet operations with the staff officers. The previous Lei Shaoqing was similar. It can be said that Huang Xiaotian attaches more importance to the opinions of staff officers than these fleet commanders, and even most of the time, he still takes his own ideas as the core and will not be swayed by other people's opinions, but on some major issues, Huang Xiaotian will appropriately adopt the opinions of the staff officers, and rely on the opinions provided by the staff officers to make adjustments to the plan, rather than relying only on his own judgment and decision-making to decide the fleet's actions.

It is precisely because of a commander like Huang Xiaotian that the staff officers of the Fourth Task Force are also the most active and thoughtful. After Yan Yulong unfolded the topic, the staff officers began to speak enthusiastically. The staff officers who have worked under Huang Xiaotian for more than two years know one thing very well, the commander will not reproach those who speak, no matter how absurd and feasible the opinions put forward, as long as they have the courage to speak, the commander will support them, and as for whether they will adopt them, that is another question. If you keep silent and don't say what you think in your heart, you will be reproached by the commander, and even more serious consequences will be heard. For example, two of the five new staff officers who were transferred to the Fourth Task Force at the end of '25 were "introverted" because they were too "introverted" and were "invited" out of the Fourth Task Force after the turn of the year.

The discussion lasted for more than an hour, and Huang Xiaotian only occasionally spoke to emphasize the main points of the discussion, or to correct the mistakes or omissions in the staff officers' opinions. In the end, the unanimous conclusion was that the possibility of the US military attacking the Marshall Islands was not very large, but it could not be completely ruled out, and to determine whether the US military would attack the Marshall Islands, more intelligence was needed, and it was necessary to know the next move of the US military.

"That's all for now." Huang Xiaotian raised the next question, "Whether the U.S. military attacks the Marshall Islands or not, we have to leave this area." The new question is, should we go north, or should we choose another course? ”

Huang Xiaotian walked towards the map, and the eyes of the staff officers were focused on him.

"If it goes north, the fleet will operate in the waters west of Wake Island, supported by long-range water patrol aircraft deployed on the islands east of the Caroline, but it is still impossible to completely avoid the danger, and the Fifth Fleet is likely to appear to the east or north of us. If it sails west, the fleet will penetrate deep into the Caroline Islands and stay away from the battlefield, leaving the U.S. forces to attack the Marshall Islands or reinforce Wake Island. Huang Xiaotian pointed to the location on the map with a long wooden stick, which made his meaning more vivid. So, do we have any other choice? Our ultimate goal is to delay the U.S. military's counterattack. And let the Fifth Fleet stay in the Central Pacific, instead of going south to threaten the landing operations on the Australian side. Now, the Marine Corps has landed on the Australian mainland, and the initial operation is relatively smooth. If the Fifth Fleet moves south at this time, it will be a great threat to our attack on Australia. Therefore, our first priority is to 'keep' the Fifth Fleet! Then, whether we sail north or west, it will be difficult for us to achieve this goal. ”

That was the main point of discussion. After Huang Xiaotian finished speaking, he returned to his position and gave the right to speak to the staff officer. Yan Yulong did not speak before other staff officers this time, the enthusiasm of the staff officers had been mobilized, and it was time to need the opinions of others.

"General, we can consider taking the initiative."

"But this is completely contrary to our previous campaign intentions."

"If this is a trap for the Fifth Fleet, then we are undoubtedly going to die if we take the initiative."

"We have to consider the intentions of the US military, maybe the attack on the Marshall Islands is fake, and the annihilation of the Fourth Task Force is real!"

……

An opinion has just been made. It immediately attracted the opposition of many people. Huang Xiaotian still did not stop the staff from debating. He needs someone to debate, because at this time, Huang Xiaotian can look at the problem from the perspective of a bystander. And when he thinks alone, he can't be completely objective. This is also one of the benefits of having staff officers debate. Staff officers became the protagonists and were divided into two factions, one in favor of the initiative and the other against, as if they were the commanders of the Fourth Task Force and the Fifth Fleet. Perhaps, they are still a long way from becoming fleet commanders, but this kind of debate is beneficial, at least it will help Huang Xiaotian see the battle situation clearly.

"Absolutely not, we can't risk Task Force 4. It's a gamble with the fleet! ”

"Which of our actions is not gambling? The battlefield is the casino, if you are afraid of losing. So what else are we fighting? ”

"You can't gamble with the enemy even though you know you're going to lose!"

"Wouldn't it be safer for us to go straight back to Apra Harbor, or even Naha Harbor, then, according to what you say?"

……

The atmosphere was tense, and the representatives of the staff officers of the two factions were already arguing.

"General Huang, look......" Yan Yulong was also a little anxious, the conference room turned into a street, and the staff officers were like shrews scolding the street.

Huang Xiaotian smiled at Yan Yulong, he still didn't stop the staff officer's "debate," this is no longer a "debate", but in many cases, quarrels are also beneficial, at least for Huang Xiaotian, he has seen the benefits.

When the staff officers were "debating", Huang Xiaotian had already taken into account two main aspects. This is also the inevitable direction of the next move of Task Force 4, and only one of the two can be chosen. One is to take the initiative, and the other is to take the initiative to retreat. Judging from the opinions put forward by the staff officers, the biggest risk of taking the initiative is to be plotted by the Fifth Fleet, and if the US military's attack on the Marshall Islands is fake, then attacking the Fourth Task Force is its real intention. If the Fourth Task Force withdraws from the battlefield now, then the Fifth Fleet will have more options, in addition to continuing to assist the US forces in counterattacking, and even moving to the southwest Pacific.

This was also the main point of contention among the staff officers, and if the Fifth Fleet was released, even if the Fourth Task Force was unscathed, it would be a failure. But if you want to entangle the Fifth Fleet, you have to let Spruance see the hope of annihilating the Fourth Task Force, but as long as the Fourth Task Force is defeated, then the Fifth Fleet can still go south, which is still a failure. Therefore, the only way to do this was to give Spruance the hope of annihilating the Fourth Task Force and to keep the Fifth Fleet in the Central Pacific, while at the same time avoiding a surprise attack by the Fifth Fleet. This is easy to say, and it is not difficult to analyze this point, the difficult thing is how to achieve this goal.

The quarrel between the staff officers continued, and it seemed that it was about to change from civil fighting to martial fighting. Huang Xiaotian coughed twice at this time, and the staff officers who were still blushing at the beginning immediately looked at the commander, and then the conference room quickly fell silent, and even the rapid breathing of those staff officers could be heard.

"Everyone, it seems that we still have to strengthen the civilized and polite construction of the fleet." Huang Xiaotian said a witty word first and relaxed the atmosphere. "There is some truth in your opinions, whether it is to take the initiative or avoid the fight, this is not the best choice for us."

The staff officers who were the most active all laughed, and the two staff officers who were almost moving at the beginning even sat side by side, shoulder to shoulder, and it seemed that the two of them were just about things and not about people.

"But here's the question, how can we keep the Fifth Fleet in the Central Pacific without taking risks?" Huang Xiaotian stood up as he spoke, "There aren't many options, but the most important thing is that taking the initiative to retreat will definitely not work." Then we have to think of other ways to avoid the fleet taking too much risk. ”

Yan Yulong frowned slightly, hearing this, he already roughly understood what Huang Xiaotian meant.

"Everyone, you all go back to your posts first, rotate according to the normal order, and if you should rest, go to rest early." Huang Xiaotian did not directly state his intentions, and he was not obliged to tell the staff officer of the decision. "In half an hour, I'll give a new order, and we'll adjourn now."

The staff officers left the conference room one after another, and they all knew the characteristics of the commander, and after the commander had made a decision, he would not discuss it with the staff officer again.

Huang Xiaotian sat down next to Yan Yulong, then picked up the cigarette, and during the discussion, he smoked half a pack of cigarettes.

"General Huang, have you made a decision?"

Huang Xiaotian lit a cigarette, and then slowly spit out the tobacco. "It's time to make a decision, and my main concern is the Fifth Fleet going south. The day before yesterday, the operation to land in Australia had already begun, and I heard that Gu Xunlei's army troops were doing quite well, and the US military would also make an appropriate response, perhaps MacArthur had already warned Nimitz that if the Fifth Fleet went south at this time, it would be the worst outcome, and we had to consider taking some risky actions. ”

Yan Yulong looked a little worried, he knew Huang Xiaotian's thoughts very well, and he had already heard the sound of the strings from Huang Xiaotian's words, if he needed to take risks this time, then Huang Xiaotian was using the Fourth Task Force as a shield!