After sleeping for five nights at the naval headquarters, Tan Renhao had the opportunity to go home and sleep, Duchenne had already sent the news back early, and when Tan Renhao returned home, his wife prepared a sumptuous dinner for him, and Liao Hanxiang also rushed back on the same day.

"Well, this tastes good, Yingyu, your craftsmanship has made great progress!"

Tan Renhao has eaten the canteen meals for a few days, and he is naturally very satisfied with the meals at home.

"Yes, Xiaoyu has finally learned some skills to be a good wife!"

Liao Hanxiang also laughed, "Well, this daughter doesn't feel sorry for her father anymore." ”

"Dad, what are you talking about? Give you a chicken leg and gag your mouth! ”

Liao Yingyu immediately clamped a chicken leg and put it in his father's rice bowl.

"This is only one dad, and what about another?"

Tan Renhao also coaxed.

Liao Yingyu glanced at Tan Jingkang, her face turned red, and she quickly clamped the other chicken leg. "Chickens have two legs, of course."

"Xiaoyu, eat it yourself, Dad......"

Tan Jing laughed happily.

"Dad, don't push it off, this is Yingyu's intention."

Tan Renhao immediately helped his wife speak, "Actually, we are rarely at home, and thanks to the care of our parents, we should honor our parents!" ”

The whole family laughed, it was not easy for Tan Renhao to go home for a meal, and after Liao Yingyu became a medical officer, he was also very busy in the hospital, and Liao Hanxiang was even more diverse, so he couldn't tell when he would be able to come back. This family usually only talks about Jingkang and his wife.

After the meal, while the others were cleaning up the dishes and chopsticks, Tan Renhao and Liao Hanxiang went to discuss something important between the two of them, so they didn't bother them.

"What do you want to drink? I don't have any good tea here, it's all the tea that is rationed in the army. ”

"Whatever, Renhao, you don't seem to smoke much?"

Liao Hanxiang sat down unceremoniously, and there was no need for him to pretend to be polite at his daughter's and son-in-law's house.

"Since I woke up from my last injury, I haven't had much of a craving. However, drinking tea every day has become a habit. ”

Tan Renhao smiled and brought over two cups of tea, "Dad, when you come back this time, won't you come to take up the new theater commander?" ”

"It's just one thing, and one more thing."

Liao Hanxiang took out the cigarette back again, "Have you received the battle report from Guam?" ”

Tan Renhao shook his head, and then sat on the sand opposite Liao Hanxiang.

"Admiral Yan Guozhong came to the news this afternoon that the last stubborn resistance of the US troops has surrendered. The capture of Guam was officially launched, which also meant the official end of the Mariana Islands campaign. ”

"This is good news, at least, the main force of Team 6 can be drawn out, or it can be rested nearby!"

"Yes, the marshal's order is to let the 6th team rest on the spot, and the additional soldiers and equipment will be delivered in the near future."

Liao Hanxiang picked up the teacup, "And the headquarters of the Pacific Theater will also be located in Guam." Henceforth. I'm going to go over there and take charge of the theater command. ”

Tan Renhao nodded slightly, it seems that Liao Hanxiang has come to say goodbye.

Guam is a large island at the southernmost tip of the Mariana Islands. It is also one of the most important islands in the Mariana Islands. After the United States took control of the Mariana Islands, Guam was the seat of the U.S. Western Pacific Theater Command, and Apra Harbor and Andersen Airfields were built here, and two other airfields (one of which was a field airfield) were built to strengthen the garrison on the islands before entering the war. Originally, the 6th Sentai did not prepare to attack Guam after capturing Tinian Island, but was preparing to force the American troops on Guam to retreat or surrender through siege. Later, however, with the retreat of the U.S. military from the Caroline Islands, the 6th Sentai launched a combat operation to attack Guam. This was also the largest and most difficult operation in the entire Mariana Islands campaign. Team 6 planned to complete the mission of capturing Guam in mid-June, and it was not until early July, that is, that is, that the island was finally captured. The more than 50,000 U.S. troops defending Guam were annihilated. Nearly 30,000 U.S. officers and soldiers were taken prisoner, and it was also the largest surrender of U.S. troops in the Battle of the Mariana Islands.

"When are you going to come out?"

Tan Renhao felt that Liao Hanxiang's decision to set up his headquarters in Guam was a bit inappropriate, after all, Guam was the front line, and relatively speaking, Naha was much safer.

"Just for a few days."

Liao Hanxiang smiled reluctantly, "The losses of the 6th team are also very large, Yan Guozhong has not handed in the specific casualty report yet, but judging from the duration of this battle, the losses of the 6th team are more than 10,000 people." But. This is finally the final battle. Now the other islands in the Mariana Islands are under our control, except for the island of Pagan, which we bypassed, and the American troops on the island of Pagan will not last long, and sooner or later they will have to surrender. ”

"It took more than two months for the 6th team to attack Guam, and this is also after the pre-planned loss, and there will definitely be no less."

Tan Renhao touched his forehead, "Now that the navy is formulating the next battle plan, how do you think we should choose?" ”

"You should be in charge of this, right?"

Liao Hanxiang smiled at his son-in-law, "Are you asking for my opinion?" ”

Tan Renhao smiled reluctantly and nodded, he was not just asking for Liao Hanxiang's opinion, but thinking about his father-in-law.

"Let's put it this way, if I look at it personally, I think I should go all out to the east and try to get to the Hawaiian Islands as soon as possible, but I also know that this idea is very unrealistic, isn't it?"

Liao Hanxiang was very open-minded, "Even if the best result is that we will not be able to capture the Hawaiian Islands until the end of 25, and then the strength of the US Navy will not be under us, and now we have no ability to move east." Perhaps, the Nimitz are counting on our march into the Hawaiian Islands so that they can get at least a year's respite. Judging from the overall situation of the battlefield, the deployment of the US military in the southwest Pacific is very weak, and it is more realistic for us to take advantage of the present opportunity to sweep the islands in the southwest Pacific, and this is also an effective way to seize the initiative on the battlefield. At that time, even if the Pacific Fleet of the US Navy recovers, it will have to fight a decisive battle with us on the battlefield we choose, and the initiative will still be in our hands! ”

"If the southwest Pacific is swept away, then the eastward movement will definitely be postponed until 26 years."

"It doesn't matter!"

Liao Hanxiang looked directly into his son-in-law's eyes, "Australia is extremely important to the United States, and if the United States wants to stabilize the war situation in the Pacific, it must do something in Australia." Make a difference in the Southwest Pacific. If Australia falls and the islands in the southwest Pacific fall, then we will take a big step forward to the United States, which will no longer be able to threaten the South Seas and pose a threat to the core defense circle of the empire. At that time, no matter which direction the US military counterattacks from, it will have to face at least two layers of defense lines, which is beyond the capabilities of the US military. Therefore. They will inevitably defend Australia and the Southwest Pacific. And fighting here has much more to do us. First, the battlefield is closer to the Empire's homeland, and second, we can tap into the Empire's network of bases in the South Seas and the islands of the Western Pacific. The United States, on the other hand, is very passive. If it really starts, this is where the national strength of the United States is consumed. ”

Tan Renhao frowned slightly, and looked at Liao Hanxiang in a little surprise. Obviously, Liao Hanxiang meant to drag the United States down in Australia, but a protracted war would not do much good to the empire.

"If the main force of the United States is pinned down on the Australian Big 6, then Russia will be defeated in 25, and Germany, the Persian Empire. There are also counterattacks by our expeditionary forces in the European theater and in North Africa. Which side will the United States save then? ”

Liao Hanxiang sneered, "If you save Europe, then their investment in the Australian battlefield will be in vain." And if it continues to hold out in Australia, it will lose the big 6 in Europe, and even lose the United Kingdom, and then the United States will fight alone. ”

"You mean that it will be the European side that will decide the outcome of the war in the Southwest Pacific?"

Tan Renhao understood now.

"Completely correct, now it is a whole operation, and the United States, as the core country of the Western Alliance, must shoulder the main combat mission in two directions, and it cannot afford to lose on any battlefield. Otherwise, why does the United States now continue to supply war materials to Russia at the risk of losing forty percent of its transport ships? ”

Liao Hanxiang leaned on the sand, "Relatively speaking, we can afford to drag the ground, as long as Russia is defeated, then the situation on the European battlefield will basically be decided, and our counterattack with the Persian Empire on the North African battlefield will soon begin." As long as the United States is forced to increase its troops in Europe and North Africa, then the war situation on this side of the Pacific will completely turn in our favor, and the United States has no choice, or rather. Both options mean failure for them! ”

Tan Renhao nodded slightly, and then pondered. Liao Hanxiang's analysis is reasonable, the Tang Empire is facing the embarrassing situation of fighting on two fronts, and similarly, the United States is also facing the embarrassing situation of fighting on two fronts. If the Australian battlefield can be used to contain the United States, then this will be of great help to the European battlefield. Similarly, in the future, using the European battlefield to contain the United States can also help the Australian battlefield. If the prime minister also realizes this, then there will be no dispute between going south and going east, and going south will become an inevitable choice.

"Although going south will not do me the new theater commander any benefit, but if I want to land on the mainland of the United States in the future, the Hawaiian Islands will be indispensable, right?"

"Dad, if you go south, then you still have a mission."

Tan Renhao immediately stated the results of the discussion with Gan Yongxing, "If Wake Island and Midway Island can be used to contain the US military and distract the US military, then it will be more convenient to go south." ”

Liao Hanxiang hesitated for a moment, and then laughed: "Your move refers to fighting east and west!" ”

"It should mean the east fighting the south!"

Both laughed, and the simplest and most used campaign arrangement was to cover up the real attempt to achieve the goal of the campaign through their activities in the central Pacific region.

"The day after tomorrow, I will go to the capital with the principal, and this time the next stage of combat operations will be decided by Lord Xiang himself."

Tan Renhao sighed secretly, "Maybe I can't come to see you off, if there is new news, I'll contact you again." ”

"Well, I'm going to Guam in a few days."

Liao Hanxiang also sighed, "Perhaps, we will rarely meet in the next few months." ”

Tan Renhao smiled and said nothing, if it is really determined that the focus is on going south, then it is very likely that the First Task Force will be assigned to the Southwest Pacific Theater, and will not belong to the Pacific Theater under the jurisdiction of Liao Hanxiang. Of course, Tan Renhao believes that it will not be long before he will have the opportunity to fight within the jurisdiction of the Pacific Theater.

The next day, the Imperial propaganda apparatus published the news of the capture of Guam and the successful victory in the Battle of the Mariana Islands, which was discussed in the newspapers, on the radio, and on the streets. The Battle of the Mariana Islands was the first large-scale battle between the Tang Empire and the United States, which was fought from the beginning of the year to July, and in the seven months of fighting, the warring sides invested thousands of ships, tens of thousands of combat aircraft, and millions of combat troops, and repeatedly fought over this archipelago that was more than 800 kilometers long from north to south and more than 100 kilometers wide from east to west. As a result, the Don Empire won the final victory, capturing the geographically important archipelago and advancing the empire's native defensive ring more than two thousand kilometers to the east.

This was only the first large-scale battle between the Tang Empire and the United States, and the brutality of the battle already illustrated the fact that the United States was not an easy opponent for Japan. At the same time, the campaign silenced those who were delusional about a quick victory over the United States.

The Battle of the Mariana Islands kicked off the bloody war between the Tang Empire and the United States in the Pacific Theater, and from here, around the islands in the Pacific Ocean and the control of Australia, the Tang Empire and the United States will do everything to invest the maximum military force they can bear, and start one brutal battle after another. Together, these battles were the entire Pacific War. Of course, no one will know at this time who will ultimately win the battle, and for two opponents of equal strength who have already moved, no one can predict the outcome of the next battle.

Tan Renhao did not cheer victory like the people of the Tang Empire. The victory in the Battle of the Mariana Islands was based on heavy sacrifices and huge losses, it was a victory in exchange for blood, sacrifice, destruction, etc., and at the same time, it was also the first step towards the final victory of the Tang Empire!