As the strength of both sides was restored, new battles began to surface. Both the Tang and the United States are trying to restore their navies to peak condition, and the focus of the new campaign will remain on sea supremacy.

By 12 March, the two Independence-class aircraft carriers had passed through the Panama Canal, which meant that in late March, they would arrive at Pearl Harbor and would then be engaged in offensive campaigns. By this time, the lead ships deployed by the US Navy in the Pacific Ocean will reach the level of two fleet carriers, three light aircraft carriers, as well as six battleships, more than two dozen cruisers, dozens of destroyers. In contrast, the capital ships of the Tang Empire concentrated in the Pacific Ocean had four fleet aircraft carriers, four battleships, nearly forty cruisers, and dozens of destroyers.

The overall strength of the two sides will be leveled again, and at least until the Tang Empire's six "Lake" class aircraft carriers, converted light aircraft carriers, and the second batch of four "New Provincial Capital" class battleships are put into service in June, the Tang Empire's navy does not have much advantage in the Pacific Ocean. By June, the U.S. Navy will have up to four more Essex-class aircraft carriers, four Independence-class light aircraft carriers, and four Iowa-class battleships. If neither side loses significant losses by June, or if the losses are equal, it will still effectively result in both sides defending more than they can do and the lack of offense will continue.

This kind of situation of being able to defend but not attacking is actually not beneficial to both sides, and in the mutual attack battles that come and go, both sides will lose a lot of troops, which will also cause great pressure on the country.

Among other things, the "Second Battle of Wake Island" alone forced both sides to raise their production plans for 25 years. The strength of the country is limited, and the industrial production capacity is also limited, and it cannot be maintained in a state of high output and low accumulation for a long time. Therefore, both sides want to break this strategic balance, seek strategic superiority, and strive to inflict heavy losses on their opponents in one or several battles. Gain superiority in forces so that you can concentrate on a large-scale strategic offensive.

In the case that the industrial strength of both sides has exploded, and the gap is not obvious, if we want to change the strategic balance, we can only win as many victories as possible on the battlefield, and it is a complete victory, not the kind of victory in which 1,000 enemies are killed and 800 are damaged. The war is fought to this extent. The two sides are mainly fighting for industrial strength, and the most important thing is the ability of front-line commanders. The factories are all in the rear, as long as there is no problem with the industrial chain, there will be no big fluctuations. The performance of the front-line commander has become the key of the key. Let's put it this way, if in a certain battle, one side can annihilate the main fleet of the other side, and it does not suffer much loss, then the balance on the battlefield will be completely broken, and at least within half a year to a year, the victorious side will have the initiative on the battlefield. Launch a large-scale strategic offensive. The losing side will struggle to even defend, and as a result, the losing side will lose all the way. And the victorious side is likely to sing a song of triumph all the way and win the final victory!

For front-line commanders like Tan Renhao, the most important thing is to win, and to do so with minimal casualties and losses. The day after receiving the news that two US light aircraft carriers had entered the Pacific theater, a new order from the command of the Navy was delivered:

Task Force 1 immediately rushed to the Southwest Pacific Theater to support the offensive operations of the 6th Sentai and keep an eye on the movements of the American forces. Tan Renhao also received a letter of appointment at the same time, and he will be the commander-in-chief of the 134th Fleet. In other words, both the Third Task Force and the Fourth Task Force will be under Tan Renhao's command. Because this is only a temporary establishment, there is no chief of the General Staff.

"Lao Lei and they have also received an order, they will leave Apra Harbor in a few days, they will be sent to the waters of the Marshall Islands, if the US military still chooses to attack in the direction of the Central Pacific, they will first entangle the US military and wait for reinforcements." Hao Dongjue shrugged his shoulders, "This time they only have one aircraft carrier, it seems that life will not be easy." ”

"Don't worry. It is impossible for the U.S. military to enter the Central Pacific. Tan Renhao had already figured it out, "The target of the US military must be the Solomon Islands, otherwise we would not have been assigned to the Southwest Pacific Theater." In addition, the second task force is arranged in the Marshall Islands, which also proves that the US military will enter the southwest Pacific, and when the time comes, if we can't beat it, then the second task force will rush to help, and one more aircraft carrier will give us more strength! ”

Hao Dongjue nodded. "Then, let's rush over first, maybe Lao Lei will be a firefighter at that time."

"Contact General Yan Guozhong first, there is no port in the southwest Pacific that can be used for aircraft carriers to be stationed, we must choose an anchorage and arrange logistics and supply work before we can leave." Tan Renhao patted his partner's shoulder, "Dongjue, fighting a war does not only rely on charging, the so-called soldiers and horses have not moved, and the grain and grass go first." I am afraid that the fleet will not be able to return to Hong Kong for several months when it goes to sea to fight, so we should make good arrangements for the supply work, and in addition, let the officers and men do a good job of ideological work, especially those who have been newly transferred, so that they can understand that if we want to win the victory, then we have to pay something, and it is still a great effort. ”

"Then I'll send a telegram to General Yan Guozhong now."

"You go back to the fleet first, and I'll do the liaison work with the Southwest Pacific Theater." Tan Renhao shook his head, Hao Dongjue was still very immature. "I'll rush back to the fleet in the afternoon and go out after dark. You have a meeting with the main officers and the captains, tell them about the situation, and arrange the work, do you know how to do it? ”

Hao Dongjue scratched his scalp, and then ran out with a smile. Looking at his partner's back, Tan Renhao always had a feeling of unease. He also hopes that Hao Dongjue will be able to become the commander of the fleet one day, but judging from the current situation, Hao Dongjue still has to be supervised, otherwise I don't know what he will do.

Yan Guozhong had already received the news that the First Task Force was going south, and after Tan Renhao sent him a telegram (at that time, the submarine cable had not yet been laid to Lae, so he could only rely on telegraphs to communicate).

The empire is preparing to lay the cable to Guam, and it will be able to talk directly to Guam by the end of the year), and immediately called back, saying that the preparations for welcoming the first task force were ready, and asked Tan Renhao to go to Lae first after arriving in the war zone to discuss the arrangements for combat operations. After taking care of these things, Tan Renhao returned to the fleet, and the boilers of more than a dozen battleships had already been ignited, and white smoke came out of the chimneys. Gan Yongxing is also a bit conscientious. When the escort warships of the "Daihai" aircraft carrier of the First Task Force were withdrawn, they did not forget to leave a few warships in the original separate artillery bombardment formation to Tan Renhao, otherwise the First Task Force would really become the First Aircraft Carrier Battle Group.

The fleet left the port of Naha at night and was taken out of the harbor by a small destroyer of the port fleet (with a displacement of no more than 1,000 tons, mainly performing anti-submarine missions in the near sea, as well as patrol missions), and only after passing through the Kerama waterway did it say goodbye to the fleet. Returned to the port.

Looking at the Qingliangjian waterway that was gradually moving away, Tan Renhao suddenly remembered General Ji Xiaobin. At the beginning, in order to prevent the Japanese fleet from attacking 6 battles, General Ji Xiaobin fearlessly led the cruiser formation to confront the Japanese battleships, and finally died on the battlefield, and he was the eighth general lost by the Imperial Navy since the outbreak of the war, and the first general and the first fleet commander lost by the Imperial Navy after the sneak attack of Japan at the beginning of the war (those who committed suicide because of defeat and fear of crime are not counted).

Tan Renhao seemed to see Ji Xiaobin when he first reported to the Fifth Fleet.

recalled the days when I worked with Ji Xiaobin. Ji Xiaobin is a good general. He was a teacher and friend with Tan Renhao, and he gave Tan Renhao great help. It can be said that after Ji Xiaobin was martyred. Tan Renhao was devastated and discouraged for a long time, and at that time, he had great doubts about the war.

Thinking of the current situation, Tan Renhao suddenly laughed, and then wiped away the tears that were about to overflow his eyes. If General Ji Xiaobin had a spirit in the sky, he would have laughed, and he would definitely laugh very happily. After Ji Xiaobin's death, Tan Renhao did not live up to his high expectations, nor did he live up to his duties as a soldier of the Imperial Navy. The war continues. The empire is still advancing towards victory, and more and more soldiers like Ji Xiaobin are advancing one after another, for a common goal, for the goal of the navy, for the goal of the empire, and for the great goal of national rejuvenation. Sacrifice is not terrible, soldiers have to face sacrifice, and when they put on their uniforms, they are all ready to sacrifice. It is precisely because the empire has so many soldiers like Ji Xiaobin. Therefore, in the history of hundreds of years, the empire has been prosperous for a long time, and the empire has the opportunity to once again become the hegemon of the world, and once again make the empire the most powerful country, and let the nation become the most powerful nation. This is not a dream of one person, but the common hope of a nation of more than 400 million people, for which some people work hard in the fields, some work overtime in factories, some rescue disabled officers and soldiers in hospitals, some convey hope and faith to students in schools, and some sweat and blood on the battlefield. No matter what they are doing, they are all fighting for the same goal, for the goal of the whole country and nation!

"What are you thinking?" Hao Dongjue walked over, and at the same time noticed Tan Renhao's eyes that were shining with tears.

"It's nothing, I think of General Ji Xiaobin." Tan Renhao smiled reluctantly, "It's been two years, I didn't expect two years to pass so quickly, as if we went to the general's funeral yesterday." ”

"I'm the same, every time I go back to Naha, I think of General Ji Xiaobin." Hao Dongjue was also assigned to Ji Xiaobin first. "Last month, I also sent someone to General Ji Xiaobin's house, and I heard that his son has grown so tall, he is almost a young man, maybe in a few years, he will also wear a navy uniform."

Seeing Hao Dongjue gesture at his chest, Tan Renhao laughed. "General Ji Xiaobin's son is not yet ten years old, right?"

"Almost ten years old, after six years he can apply for military school, and after nine years he can serve. That's not too long, is it? ”

Tan Renhao smiled and shook his head. "Do you think this war will last another nine years?"

"That's not accurate, how many years did we fight with Britain and France, and Japan?" Hao Dongjue leaned against the fence, "But the sooner it ends, the better, no one wants to drag out the war for ten or eight years." ”

"Hey!" Tan Renhao sighed, "Maybe, but I believe that this war won't last that long." ”

"Why?" Hao Dongjue took out a cigarette, looking a little speechless.

"The last war lasted six years, both sides almost collapsed, and this war is even larger, even if we have made preparations for 2o years before that, but the problem is that according to the losses and casualties of the current war, let alone nine years, within seven years, I am afraid that all our resources will be squeezed out, and the United States will not be much better."

"What if you can't tell the winner by then?" Hao Dongjue turned his back to the wind and lit a cigarette.

"Is it possible to negotiate again, and then come to another truce for 2o years, and when you have enough strength, you will come to the next big war, and then you will have all the accumulation of 2o years, and then a truce of 2o years, and then you will fight again......

If this goes on and on, when will it come to an end? ”

"That shouldn't be the case, at least, we don't want to see that." Tan Renhao held the steel pipe on the fence and moved his hands and feet a few times, "There will be an end to the war, the key depends on our swing on the battlefield, the sooner we defeat the opponent, the sooner the war will end." It's the same for the generals of the American army, the sooner they win on the battlefield, the sooner the war will end. Anyway, there should be a result, and it's not a way to keep fighting like this. ”

Both laughed, they are just military men, and these issues do not belong to military people, especially them, the front commanders, should take into account. The military is only responsible for directing the battle on the battlefield, participating in the battle, and it is the politicians who really need to think about these issues, those who arrange the war for the servicemen. If you had to choose, a soldier would never want to fight, because it was the soldier who died on the battlefield. War is actually a war of politicians, and the military is just a weapon in the hands of politicians.

The fleet continued to advance, the degree had increased to 18 knots, and the Kerama Islands had disappeared into the gray night sky. There was a faint smell of sea in the air, Tan Renhao took a deep breath and turned his head to look at the sea to the south, he didn't know what kind of battle would await him over there.