When Tan Renhao dragged his tired body back to his office, it was already noon. The staff officers all went to the cafeteria to eat, but Hao Dongjue was in the office.

"Has Marshal Renhao already made a decision?"

Hao Dongjue stayed after receiving the news.

Tan Renhao sat down and discussed with the principal and chief of staff about the redeployment of the fleet, he felt exhausted, he hadn't closed his eyes for almost 34 hours, and now he just wanted to take a good breath.

"My sister-in-law called and asked if you would go back to dinner."

Hao Dongjue handed over a cigarette, "The tone is a little excited, didn't you go back to sleep last night?" ”

Tan Renhao nodded, he had been staying here last night and had forgotten to call home back.

"Then let's call back."

Hao Dongjue patted Tan Renhao's shoulder: "Sister-in-law is already very open-minded, don't go too far." ”

"Okay, I'll make a phone call and go back to dinner in the evening."

Tan Renhao stood up: "Help me get a boxed lunch, and later, let's talk about the new fleet deployment plan." ”

"The lunch box has already helped you out."

Hao Dongjue sat down with a smile: "But, I'm still very envious of you, I have a gentle wife and hot meals after you go back, and I'm alone." ”

"Come to my house for dinner that night, and be a little more lively with one more person."

Tan Renhao smiled at Hao Dongjue, and then picked up the phone.

Hao Dongjue did not refuse, he lived alone in the officer's dormitory, although he had already met a group of fox friends and dog friends, but he often felt bored at night. Whenever he thought that Tan Renhao had already started a family, he felt a little lost. People are more popular than people, if Hao Dongjue is the kind of person who can't see it, I'm afraid he would have been stunned a long time ago.

After Tan Renhao called his wife and promised that he would go back to eat on time and would not work overtime, Hao Dongjue's adjutant also bought a boxed lunch, and Hao Dongjue did not eat lunch. The two of them did not waste time. We talked while eating.

"We are now more than 80 percent sure that a certain task force of the United States has appeared near the Caroline Islands, and has even crossed the submarine blockade line we have deployed and entered the waters between the Mariana Islands, the Philippine Islands, and the Caroline Islands. Looking for Task Force 1. ”

Hao Dongjue brought a small map and marked the sea area with a pencil. This is very close to the sea area where the First Task Force commanded by Tan Renhao and the Japanese First Air Fleet under the command of Yamaguchi Bunta.

"This is the sea."

Tan Renhao picked up the pencil and swallowed the food in his mouth at the same time: "This happens to be the vacuum of our patrol force. The U.S. task force must have gone south into the South Pacific and then sailed west to waters near Australia, perhaps refueling on the way. Then in the Coral Sea, the eastern part of the Solomon Islands moved north into the southern waters of the Caroline. Here one of our submarines appeared this fleet. But it was not determined whether there was an aircraft carrier or not! Judging by this route of the American fleet. It was just a bypass of our three submarine blockades near Midway, Guam, and the Solomon Islands, as well as the search area by patrol aircraft. ”

"The U.S. fleet circled tens of thousands of nautical miles. I'm afraid it's not to see the excitement, right? ”

Hao Dongjue leaned back in his chair and pushed the lunch box inside, and took out a cigarette casually.

Tan Renhao also finished eating, he took the cigarette and continued: "If Admiral Jin knows about the personnel changes in our navy, then he must know that the first task force is actually the weakest fleet we have now, on the contrary, the second task force is the elite of the imperial navy. If you don't consider factors such as location, if you were Admiral Kim, which fleet would you choose to fight first? ”

"Of course, the first task force has to pick soft pinching when eating persimmons!"

"That's why the U.S. task force went around so far."

Tan Renhao also leaned back in his chair. "They must have known that the First Task Force had been patrolling the waters east of the Philippines, so they came in such a big circle, otherwise they could have found the Second Task Force first. If you cooperate with Guam's bombers, it will actually be easier to deal with the second task force. ”

"We also have bombers on Iwo Jima, unless the commander of the U.S. fleet is confident that they can stop the bombing of the 'Wolf Dove' group, otherwise they had better not enter the 15oo km range of Iwo Jima!"

Tan Renhao smiled and shook his head. "The trouble now is that we don't know the exact location of the U.S. fleet or the configuration of its forces. I don't even know if this is Task Force 16 or Task Force 17, I don't know who its commander is! ”

"But this is also an opportunity, otherwise the marshal would not have easily adjusted the deployment of the second task force."

"Yes, that's our chance, too."

Tan Renhao stood up, and he usually went for a walk in the garden after dinner, which helped his digestion. "Let Task Force 2 move to the southwest, so that Task Force 1 can be supported in time. When the time comes, Task Force 1 will not be left alone, and the very existence of Task Force 2 is a threat. ”

"But ......"

Hao Dongjue hesitated for a moment and said, "Wouldn't Admiral Kim of the United States realize this?" ”

Tan Renhao suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at Hao Dongjue.

"If Admiral King realizes this, then the Second Fleet's actions will definitely be dangerous."

Although Hao Dongjue didn't have much confidence in what he said, Tan Renhao had already realized that he had made a mistake, and even Nie Renfeng and Gan Yongxing did not show this mistake. He glanced at Hao Dongjue and motioned for Hao Dongjue to completely say what he thought.

"Our whole plan is actually based on offense."

After receiving encouragement, Hao Dongjue's self-confidence also strengthened a lot: "The overall strategy of the Pacific theater where we planned is to turn to an offensive after withstanding the first round of surprise attacks by the US Navy, and the first thing to do is to take the Mariana Islands, level the front, and remove the threat of the US military to our home defense circle." Therefore, we placed the 2nd and 3rd task forces in the waters near the Mariana Islands, and deployed a large number of bombers, fighters, and four 6th Sentai Divisions in Iwo Jima, Ogasawara Islands, and other places. None of this can be hidden from the US intelligence system. Even if the United States does not know our true intentions, as long as it clearly sees the deployment of our troops, it will be able to grasp our next battle plan. The Mariana Islands are as important to both of us. If the U.S. Navy had sensed that we were going to attack the Mariana Islands, would they sit idly by? ”

Tan Renhao shook his head slightly: The Mariana Islands are actually directly related to the strategic balance of the entire western Pacific Ocean, and if the United States can hold the Mariana Islands, it can threaten the defense circle of the empire's homeland, and at that time, the US fleet can freely enter and exit the eastern waters of the Ryukyu Islands, and the US Navy will also have the initiative on the battlefield. This is also the fundamental reason why the Imperial Navy has given priority to the task of capturing the Mariana Islands in planning the next phase of combat missions.

"So. The U.S. Navy's initial campaign schedule will certainly revolve around the Mariana Islands. ”

Hao Dongjue flipped through the map: "From the most conservative and safest point of view, the US Navy's mission should be to take out the second task force, so that the third task force can retreat without a fight." Combined with the hundreds of bombers and fighters deployed by the United States on the Mariana Islands, and the investment of three or four aircraft carriers, it may not be easy to take out the Second Task Force, but it will not be too difficult to force the Second Task Force to retreat. When the time comes, two reinforced American aircraft carriers will arrive. The scales will tip in favor of the U.S. Navy. Therefore. This tactical arrangement is certainly the most prudent. ”

Tan Renhao nodded slightly, if it was planned by him, he would also choose this tactic.

"On the face of it. It is not actually cost-effective to send a task force with at least three aircraft carriers to take a detour of thousands of miles to deal with Task Force 1, but in essence, the US Navy may not have even considered taking out Task Force 1 in the event of a war. ”

Hao Dongjue turned the map to Tan Renhao: "Make a hypothesis: If the U.S. Navy expects that when the First Task Force is threatened, we will let the Second Task Force go south because we want to hold the southern flank of the Empire." Then it became a new option to fight the first task force first. The Second Task Force had been within the cover of shore-based aviation on Iwo Jima before, and if it had moved south at this time, it would have received much less support from ground-based aviation, and it would have been within the range of the US bombers. What is even more terrifying is that if the US Navy has been in control of the movements of the second task force, for example, if a certain US submarine is operating nearby, then the second task force will be sent to death. ”

"This is unlikely, Lei Shaoqing and Chang Jianxin are both stable generals, and they will not easily let American submarines keep up."

Tan Renhao immediately vetoed this. He knows Lei Shaoqing and Chang Jianxin too well.

"I also believe that Lao Lei and Lao Chang, even if the second task force has not been exposed, then the US fleet still has two choices."

Hao Dongjue also revised his statement: "This is the choice of focus. Previously, our current U.S. fleet may have only one aircraft carrier or even a carrier, and its mission was to get our attention and let Task Force 2 go south, while another American task force was lying in ambush in the waters near the Mariana Islands, waiting for Task Force 2 to go south. As long as the US submarines or long-range reconnaissance planes present the Second Task Force, the US Fleet will go up and cooperate with the shore-based bombers to destroy the Second Task Force first. ”

Tan Renhao nodded slightly, this kind of affirmation definitely exists.

"The second option is to focus on Task Force 1 first. The U.S. task force near the Caroline Islands had at least three aircraft carriers in it. If an assault is launched, there is more than 70% certainty that the First Task Force will be paralyzed. Another U.S. task force is in the waters off the Mariana Islands. This task force has at least one aircraft carrier, and its task is to hold back the second task force if necessary, and even at its own expense, so that the second task force cannot go south to support the first task force. Wait until the American fleet in the south has completed its mission, and then quickly move north to cooperate with the second task force. At that time, the Second Task Force would have only two options: either fight with the American fleet and break the net, or retreat in its entirety. ”

Hao Dongjue glanced up at Tan Renhao, and then wiped the sweat from his forehead: "In either case, our losses will be huge, and the United States has achieved its goal, we are powerless to threaten the Mariana Islands at least until the first half of next year, and the US Navy can use the initiative advantage in this half year to put us in a desperate situation." And I think the latter is much more likely, because it will cost us much more, and the losses of the American fleet will be smaller. ”

Tan Renhao also dripped sweat, and now it is winter, and the indoor temperature is only about ten degrees.

"Renhao, I don't know if these speculations are meaningful, I just think there is danger."

Hao Dongjue smiled reluctantly, he still lacked enough confidence.

"I'll go to the principal immediately, you immediately organize the staff to get a relevant plan, you only have two hours."

Tan Renhao looked at his watch, it was already half past one, and the staff officers who went to eat were coming back in 6. "No matter what the result is, there will be an answer in these two days, I hope your judgment is completely wrong, we can't afford any losses now!"

Hao Dongjue nodded, walked to the office outside with Tan Renhao, when Tan Renhao went to find Nie Renfeng, he gathered several staff officers, and after explaining his thoughts, he immediately began to formulate a rough response plan, and the time was already too tense to be nervous.

Tan Renhao spent half an hour explaining Hao Dongjue's judgment to Nie Renfeng, and Gan Yongxing also rushed over later. Nie Renfeng and Gan Yongxing both quickly realized the correctness of this judgment. Before Hao Dongjue came up with a specific response plan at 3:20 a.m., Gan Yongxing had already sent a telegram to the First Task Force and the Second Task Force.

Tan Renhao waited until half past six in the evening, and the two task forces did not reply to the news, which was the best news.

"Renhao, go back to dinner, I'll be on duty at night!"

Gan Yongxing walked over: "Mrs. Tan has called three times, and she didn't go back to sleep last night?" ”

Tan Renhao laughed awkwardly, and the chief of staff was worried about such family matters.

"Okay, go back and get some rest."

Gan Yongxing patted Tan Renhao's shoulder: "There is news, I will send someone to call you." ”

"Then I'll go first."

Tan Renhao was also so tired that he couldn't hold on.