After listening, Liao Hanxiang didn't show any excitement or any impulsive look, but his lips trembled slightly a few times, and then he quickly regained his calm, and even his face didn't change much. Tan Renhao quickly observed his father-in-law, but he didn't say any more. The room was quiet, Liao Hanxiang was smoking continuously, and Tan Renhao lowered his head and looked at the patterns on the carpet in a daze.

At this time, Tan Renhao's mind was full of question marks, and he didn't know who to ask. Thinking of what happened next, Tan Renhao was even more upset. He could guess what Liao Hanxiang's reaction would be, and even what kind of decision his father-in-law would make. It was the last decision he wanted to see, but he knew that as long as his father-in-law made a decision, no one could change it. This is the same as Tan Renhao, perhaps, Tan Renhao's character has been influenced by Liao Hanxiang in many ways, it should be said that he is the same as Liao Hanxiang.

"When does the marshal want us to submit our battle plan?" Liao Hanxiang spoke, and there were several more cigarette butts in the ashtray in front of him.

"I don't know, it's definitely before the end of the month."

"Well, then, I'll have to get ready to go back to Guam." Liao Hanxiang stood up.

"Dad......" Tan Renhao raised his head, "You're going to leave now?" ”

"No, tomorrow, maybe tomorrow night, I'll have to contact the plane, and I haven't even packed my luggage yet."

"But ......"

"Are you okay tomorrow?"

Tan Renhao nodded, and he also stood up.

"Then take me to the airport tomorrow." Liao Hanxiang smiled slightly, "It's not early, you go and rest, I'll go and pack my luggage later." ”

Tan Renhao didn't go to sleep, he sat in the study all night, thinking about some strange things in his head, he didn't know what he was thinking at all. He didn't even know why he was thinking about so many things, he was just thinking about it, he was just trying to get himself out of the immediate troubles, or to short-circuit his brain so that he couldn't think about anything. It wasn't until the sky outside the window lit up that Tan Renhao found himself sitting in the study for a night. He left the house like a walking corpse, without saying hello to his father, who was exercising in the yard. He didn't even know how he got to the naval headquarters, maybe Duchenne drove him there. When he sat down in his office and looked at the documents in front of him, Tan Renhao realized that he had returned to the Navy office, and his energy was concentrated.

"Brother Tan, do you want me to get you an early part?"

"No need. Make me a cup of coffee, don't sugar. ”

Duchenne hesitated, he didn't ask more, he knew he shouldn't ask more.

All morning, Tan Renhao didn't know what he was doing. He wanted to concentrate on what he was doing, but he couldn't see it. He forced himself to calm down, to calm down and think. When it was almost noon, Tan Renhao made a decision, he couldn't hide behind! Just as Duchenne was helping him buy a boxed lunch, he went to Gan Yongxing's office.

"What did you say?"

"Chief of Staff, I want to go back to the fleet."

"Why?" Gan Yongxing glanced at Tan Renhao in surprise.

"Now that Task Force 1 is on Guam, and in combat operations, there is definitely a need for a commander to coordinate the combat operations of the various fleets, and I feel that I am the most suitable for this task."

"You?" Gan Yongxing smiled. "Sit down, sit down."

Tan Renhao sat down a little numbly.

"Liao Hanxiang only came to me in the morning, and he has already put Huang Xiaotian in charge of the coordination and command of the various fleets, and the first task force will not participate in combat operations."

Tan Renhao immediately looked at Gan Yongxing in surprise. "Why?"

"I don't know about this, it was Liao Hanxiang who made the decision, and I'm afraid he will be at the airport now." Gan Yongxing glanced at his watch. "The plane that took him back to Guam took off at one o'clock, and there was still half an hour to go."

"Then I'll take my leave!"

Seeing Tan Renhao rushing out of the office, Gan Yongxing sighed and shook his head, he knew what Tan Renhao was going to do, but he also knew that Liao Hanxiang would not let Tan Renhao mess around.

"Hurry up, drive as soon as possible!" Tan Renhao kept urging Du Xing, "Didn't you get a few tickets?" Now there are no police to stop you, you can drive as fast as you can! ”

Duchenne did not reply. He had already driven the jeep as fast as he could.

When Tan Renhao arrived at the airport, the four-engine transport plane carrying Liao Hanxiang had already started. Final preparations are being made before take-off. Tan Renhao asked Duchenne to drive the car directly to the front of the plane, and before the jeep stopped, he jumped out of the car and rushed to the side of the plane.

"Open the door, open the door!"

The door of the plane was slowly lowered, Tan Renhao took two steps back, and when he was about to rush up, he saw Liao Hanxiang appear at the door of the cabin, looking at him with a serious face.

"Dad, I'm late, I have something to tell you."

Liao Hanxiang glanced at Tan Renhao, asked the adjutant to stay in the plane, and then he walked down.

"Dad, why did Task Force 1 be excluded from combat operations?"

"Have you looked for Gan Yongxing?" Liao Hanxiang said as he walked towards the lawn next to the runway, in fact, the roar of the aircraft engine was enough to drown his words.

"Yes, I went to Gan Yongxing, and he said that you didn't count the first task force in the combat operation, and let Huang Xiaotian be in charge of the command of the fleet, why?"

"You know why." Liao Hanxiang continued to walk on the lawn, "You know I'm going to do this, don't you?" ”

Tan Renhao followed his father-in-law, and he did know that Liao Hanxiang would do this.

"In the morning, I talked with Chief of Staff Gan Yongxing for more than two hours." Liao Hanxiang stopped after making sure that there were no other idle people around, and at this time he was already more than three hundred meters away from the plane, "Originally, I wanted you to send me, but then Gan Yongxing and I both felt that you had better not participate in this operation." ”

"No, I can't sit idly by. Whether it's for you, or for Huang Xiaotian, Hao Dongjue, or Han Shaofeng, it's not fair! ”

"Fair? Renhao, how many years have you been in the Navy? ”

Tan Renhao was stunned for a moment, not knowing why Liao Hanxiang asked this question.

"It's almost seven years, right?" Liao Hanxiang took out a cigarette, "There is no fairness in the army, otherwise, why do those officers salute first when they see us?" Don't tell me about fairness, there is no fairness in this world. ”

"But I can't just watch you take responsibility, let alone let Huang Xiaotian replace me, I should have taken responsibility."

"If you want to take responsibility, it's not your turn, let alone Huang Xiaotian's turn!"

"But ......"

"Renhao. Whether it's you or Huang Xiaotian, in fact, I brought it out, and I have always felt that I should be responsible for you young generals. Liao Hanxiang turned his back to the plane. Over the years, each of you has achieved feats on the battlefield that are difficult for others to match, but that doesn't change your inherent shortcomings, you're too young to adapt to the cold at heights. ”

Tan Renhao lowered his head.

"When I first met you, I knew that you would be the pride of the Fifth Fleet, but I didn't expect that so soon, in just seven years, you would have what you are now. This is the result of your personal efforts. At the same time, it is also the result of the help of many people. Don't ignore the important fact that you don't have the qualifications to take responsibility right now, and you don't have the ability to do so. ”

"But I won't be afraid, and I won't back down."

"I know, on the battlefield. This is the key to your victory, and you have always been like this, but this current battlefield can not be won by relying on aircraft carriers and bombers, this is a battlefield without gunpowder, do you know how to fight this battle? ”

Tan Renhao was stunned for a moment, then shook his head.

"That's right. By the time you know how to fight enemies who can't fly bombers or drop bombs. You're qualified to talk to me about responsibility. ”

"Dad......"

"Renhao, it's not time for you to come out yet." Liao Hanxiang grabbed his son-in-law's shoulder, "I said that after 20 years, I will not stop you again, but now, you have to understand that you are still too immature, you need more time, more exercise, and more experience." ”

Tan Renhao was silent, he knew the meaning of Liao Hanxiang's words, but he didn't know how to say his thoughts and feelings.

"Twenty-two years ago, I was as young as you, but I was just as naïve, and when I now realize the mistakes I made, there is no chance to make amends and save them, and I don't want you to go down this path, because you can learn from me, and you can learn from the lessons I have learned how to do better." Liao Hanxiang patted his son-in-law on the shoulder, and then walked slowly, "Soldiers are just the beginning, now you only need to defeat those enemies with weapons, but in this world, the most terrifying thing is not those enemies with weapons who can fight with you, but those enemies who have no weapons, but can still kill you." Therefore, this will not be your last battlefield, and I also believe that one day, you will take off your military uniform, and then you will know how to fight on this battlefield, and when you understand this, perhaps, we will no longer need to protect you and support you! ”

"But is there no other way?" Tan Renhao raised his head and kept up with his father-in-law's pace, "Let's discuss with the principal again, maybe there is another way." ”

"This is not the marshal's decision, and if there was any other way, the marshal would not have made the decision he has made." Liao Hanxiang looked at the small mountain peaks in the distance. "I talked to the Chief of Staff at length, and we all thought that it should be the Prime Minister's decision, or rather a decision that the Prime Minister had to make. Perhaps, we can complain, but we should believe that no matter what kind of sacrifice it is, sooner or later it will be able to make up for it, and we will get the final victory, and all the sacrifices are working for the final victory. ”

"Then we should sacrifice less."

"That's the best way to reduce sacrifices." Liao Hanxiang turned around, "Ren Hao, you haven't changed the habits you developed in the army yet, and you still focus on the present. If you take a long-term view, you won't think so. ”

"But I don't want to be ruthless."

Liao Hanxiang laughed. "Yes, you should be full of enthusiasm, but this is only the feeling that you should have when facing your relatives, your comrades, and your partners. If you can't see the long-term benefits and don't focus on the big picture when deciding what to do, then you will always be just a soldier, an ordinary fleet commander, and you won't achieve anything higher. ”

"I don't care about what I achieve, I just don't want to see people make unnecessary sacrifices."

"Any sacrifice has value, the difference is that some sacrifices can be valued immediately, while others will not be worth until a long, long time later." Liao Hanxiang pointed in front of Tan Renhao's eyes, and then pointed into the distance, "Take a long-term view, when you see farther, you will be able to see more thoroughly." ”

It's not that Tan Renhao doesn't see far enough, and it's not that he doesn't understand the meaning of his father-in-law's words, he just doesn't want to accept what is about to happen, and he doesn't want to admit that those things will bring greater value.

"Renhao, you should know the attitude of the chief of staff towards you, maybe at some point, you misunderstood the marshal's approach, or you disagreed with the marshal's approach, but you have to understand one thing, if you want to change all this, if you want to let things happen that you don't want to see, then you have to go to the next level, you have to lay a deeper foundation, and achieve greater achievements. If you can't even do that, then you're just going to have to keep complaining, not listening to other people's complaints, you know? ”

Tan Renhao nodded reluctantly, but he still had a deep sense of resistance.

"Don't worry, things aren't as bad as you think, maybe it won't be long before we can meet again, and when the time comes, we and son-in-law will have a good drink." Liao Hanxiang patted his son-in-law on the shoulder again, "If you have any ideas at that time, you can tell me, and we will discuss it." ”

"Dad......"

"It's time for the plane to take off, or I won't be able to get to Guam at night. Okay, do you need me to help you bring words to Hao Dongjue and Huang Xiaotian? ”

"It's nothing, just let Zheng Guanhua be optimistic about the fleet!"

Liao Hanxiang nodded. "Then I'll do it first, by the way, if you have time to write to Xiaoyu, don't bury yourself in the work pile, your relatives are what you can never live without, and you can't do without it!"

Tan Renhao remembered his father-in-law's instructions, and at this time he realized that he had indeed not written to his wife for a long time.