In order to achieve the goal of deceiving the U.S. military and allowing the U.S. military to concentrate its forces in Brisbane, the relevant tactical deception operations were soon launched, and the first action was the strategic strike force deployed in the southwest Pacific theater.

The straight-line distance from New Caledonia to Brisbane is about 1,400 kilometers, which is exactly within the maximum strike radius of the "Wolf Dove" heavy bomber. At that time, there were still several small islands and reefs between New Caledonia and Australia, but the area of these islands and reefs was too small to establish an airfield, so combat planes could only be deployed in New Caledonia, while tactical planes could not fly to Brisbane to carry out bombing missions.

In order to provide escort force for these heavy bombers, the theater fleet commanded by Li Wenlong maneuvered to the northern waters of the Tasman Sea and conducted mobile patrols about 350 nautical miles from the port of Brisbane. At this time, the two small aircraft carriers are all carrying "Golden Eagle" fighters, and every morning and afternoon, the fighters on the two aircraft carriers will take turns to sortie once (in fact, half of the fighters from each aircraft carrier) to provide escort cover for the bomber group, while the other group of fighters will carry out the task of fleet air defense to avoid a surprise attack by US bombers. In addition, the sea area patrolled by the theater fleet at that time was about 500 nautical miles away from New Caledonia, so it was possible to obtain additional fighter jets in time, and at the same time, it was possible to arrange for the seaplanes in the fleet and submarines operating nearby to rescue the pilots who had made a forced landing in the open sea. This has also enhanced the combat capability of the theater fleet in disguise.

In the absence of a way to escort the bombers with shore-based fighters, the only way to escort the bomber group is to dispatch carrier-based fighters. And the role of two small aircraft carriers in the theater fleet is very obvious. This is one of the most important uses of small aircraft carriers. In most cases, small carriers are not suitable for intense, high-intensity fleet battles, but their sustained combat capability, speed, and number of combat aircraft on board are better than more small escort carriers, and they can take on heavier support tasks. It was also from this time that the small aircraft carriers of the Imperial Navy gradually withdrew from the front-line battlefield and gradually moved to the sea area where the threat was not very high. And to provide escort fighters for bomber groups. This can be regarded as a campaign support mission.

The survivability of a bomber under the cover of fighters is very high, which has been fully confirmed in previous battles. The Imperial Navy also did an extensive survey. It even references the bombing operations on that side of the European theater. In the end, it was concluded that if the number of escort fighters could reach more than 20% of the number of bombers, then the loss rate of bombers would be significantly reduced. That is, 45 "Golden Eagles" can provide cover for about 220 heavy bombers. And the loss rate of bombers covered by escort fighters is only about one-third of the loss rate of bombers without cover. And this yield ratio is quite high. Therefore, in actual combat, the Imperial Navy will provide escort fighters for bombers into the combat code, as long as there are sufficient basic conditions, it must provide enough escort fighters for the bomber group!

The bombing campaign began on April 1. This is past the time originally expected to start landing in Australia at the end of March. At that time, the Navy Command had already revised the schedule of the campaign for landing in Australia, and the main reason was not that Yan Guozhong's preparations were inadequate, but that the US Navy had already recovered its strength at that time, and new challenges had emerged, so the combat operation of landing in Australia was appropriately delayed. Wait until the situation becomes clearer before determining a specific timeline.

For the first three days of the bombing, the rate of loss of bombers was always on the high side. In the first two rounds of bombardment, 450 sorties were carried out with the loss of 21 bombers (only shot down, not including those scrapped upon return), on the second day 438 sorties were carried out with the loss of 22 aircraft, and on the third day 442 sorties were carried out with the loss of 19 aircraft. Relatively speaking, this loss ratio is quite high, especially in the Southwest Pacific theater, where the combat loss rate of more than 4% is already terrifying. The main reason for the heavy losses of the bombers was not that the escort fighters were not in place, but that the main target of the bombing in the first three days was the airfield, and the US air defense fighters were all deployed on the front line at that time, and their air defense combat capability was relatively strong.

From the fourth day, the rate of loss of bombers gradually decreased. On the fourth day of bombardment, only 16 of the 452 sorties were lost, on the fifth day only 15 of the 448 sorties were lost, on the sixth day of the 435 sorties were lost, only 11 were lost, and by the seventh day only 6 of the 463 sorties were lost. With the gradual destruction of the US air defense system, especially the forced transfer of US air defense fighters to rear positions, the choice of bombing routes is greater, and the US air defense fighters have suffered a large number of losses, all these have reduced the loss rate of bombers in disguise. And the bombing campaign is getting smoother and smoother.

In addition to the bombing, other preparations were also underway. As planned, a large number of troops began to assemble in New Caledonia, and the intensity of radio activity here increased significantly. Convoys carrying war materiel arrived in Noumea, where they were stockpiled in the port of Noumea. In addition, the combat units originally deployed in the rear are also rushing to Noumea.

The reconnaissance operation against Brisbane began on 3 April, with more than a dozen long-range reconnaissance planes arriving over Brisbane almost every day, in addition to a large number of long-range maritime patrol planes operating in the waters off Brisbane. By 8 April, the reconnaissance operation was at its peak, with at least 50 sorties over Brisbane and nearby areas on that day.

Task Force 2 returned to the battlefield on 10 April and entered the Tasman Sea on 11 April, when Hao Dongjue sent bombers to bomb U.S. coastal defense positions near Brisbane. Originally, this task was reserved for Li Wenlong's theater fleet, but at that time, the theater fleet could only barely provide escort fighters for the bomber group, and there was no extra strength to carry out the bombing mission, so after the second task force returned to the battlefield, Lei Shaoqing assigned this task to Hao Dongjue, but Hao Dongjue did not know that the bombing of Brisbane was just to achieve the purpose of deception. At this time, Lei Shaoqing also knew that the Fourth Task Force would be sent to the Central Pacific.

On 12 April, a reconnaissance plane crashed near Brisbane, and the plane made a forced landing in the sea near the coastline, and before the US military until now, the two pilots were picked up by a submarine that had been lurking there for a long time, and the US military found the body of an Imperial Navy "officer" on the plane, and there was also a map of the US military defense in Brisbane. As well as a list of hits that have not yet been completed. Of course, these are all deliberately arranged, as for how it is arranged, Lei Shaoqing is not clear, the specific work is in charge of HNA, and there is no fleet business.

During this period, Lei Shaoqing tried many times to inquire about the naval command's arrangement of authority for the commander of the theater fleet, and he even found Yan Guozhong. I wanted to get some exact news from Yan Guozhong. But Yan Guozhong didn't know about this matter, and he also contacted Gan Yongxing many times, but Gan Yongxing did not give Yan Guozhong a clear answer. It is clear that this matter is not decided by Gan Yongxing, but by Nie Renfeng himself.

Lei Shaoqing was anxious. Yan Guozhong was also anxious. If the command and management within the theater are not handled well, the problems that will be exposed will certainly be very serious. And in the end, the reply Yan Guozhong got from Gan Yongxing was. Before the official start of the combat operation against Australia, there will certainly be a specific arrangement. Yan Guozhong and Lei Shaoqing also received definite news at this time that the Fifth Task Force would participate in the combat operation of attacking the Australian mainland, and would take turns with the Second Task Force to support the Marine Corps and ground forces. In other words, Lei Shaoqing's position will only be determined when the Fifth Task Force arrives in the war zone.

"Actually, I'm more concerned about this issue than you are." Yan Guozhong had no choice, he could only try to appease Lei Shaoqing. "In my opinion, since the commander of the theater fleet has been established, then this position should be given specific powers, if the relationship between the upper and lower levels is not clear, then how can the troops fight? In the past few days, I have called Gan Yongxing almost every day to inquire about the relevant arrangements, which has made the chief of staff very impatient. But then again, if Gan Yongxing was in charge of this matter, he would have given me an answer a long time ago. So I think that this should be handled by the marshal himself, and now Gan Yongxing has not received a clear answer from the marshal, so he cannot give us a clear answer. ”

Lei Shaoqing touched his forehead, he also knew that Yan Guozhong did his best.

"You don't have to worry, since the Fifth Task Force will be determined to participate in the combat operation of attacking the Australian mainland, then the marshal will specifically clarify the terms of reference of the commander of the theater fleet before the battle begins, and when the time comes, even if the marshal does not make arrangements, I will take the initiative to talk to him." Yan Guozhong reassured Lei Shaoqing, "This matter seems to be not big or small on the surface, but as a theater commander, my duty is to ensure the success of the campaign." If I can't sort out the relationship between my superiors and subordinates, I won't be able to command this battle! ”

"Old Yan, there's no need for you to be unhappy with the above about this."

"I'm such a person, and since I'm going to be the commander of the theater, then I have to be given enough power. It's the same for you. According to me, the terms of reference of the commander of the theater fleet should be determined by the commander of the theater of operations, and not by the command of the Navy! ”

Lei Shaoqing laughed, Yan Guozhong's temper is indeed easy to offend people, but his words are not wrong.

"I'll get this done as soon as possible, and I'll do my best to get it for you." Yan Guozhong pressed his hand and didn't let Lei Shaoqing speak, he said again, "It's clear, now the marshal is not clear about the authority of the commander of the theater fleet, first, he wants to give the commander of the task force more power, and second, it depends on your performance." So, it's not enough for us to fight, your own performance is very important. You should be very clear about this, I believe that the marshal is not the kind of nepotistic person, what he values is the talent of the generals, other problems, don't think too much, work hard to complete the current task, and the results are out, naturally someone will be convinced, isn't it? ”

"I know this, and I will work hard."

"Xiao Lei, to be honest, I value you very much, and I want me to be too straight, although you are still a little worse than Ren Hao, but since you came to the Southwest Pacific Theater, my pressure has been reduced a lot, and you have arranged the combat operations of the fleet very well, these are direct proof of your ability, and it also proves that Gan Yongxing is not wrong, but you also have to understand that power and responsibility are directly linked, the greater the power, the greater the responsibility!"

Lei Shaoqing nodded slightly, this is the truth of the army, and it is the basic principle in the army.

The army is a collective of "one-word system", the commander has more power than anyone else, the command only serves the commander, and all staff officers, including the chief of staff, are assistants to the commander, and only have the right to make suggestions, but not the right to decide. But at the same time, the commander also bears all the responsibility, and if he wins, the commander receives the most honors and rewards, and if he fails, the commander has to bear all the responsibility. Therefore, in the military, power and responsibility are directly linked, hence the word "power and responsibility".

At the same time, power and ability are also linked. If there is great power, but there is not enough ability, then it will lead to defeat, and this determines the structure of the army, the more capable people will stand in higher positions, especially in wartime, when everything is in the service of victory, those who climb up by nepotism in peacetime will definitely be eliminated, and Fan Peikun is such a typical example.

Lei Shaoqing can have today's status, and his understanding of "power and responsibility" and ability is very deep. He also admitted that in many ways, he was not as good as Tan Renhao, but at the same time, he also knew that he was better than most of the generals of his generation, otherwise he would not have achieved his current status. This is not to say that Lei Shaoqing is arrogant, this is his personal feeling after experiencing many setbacks. He can admit that he is inferior to others in many aspects, for example, he is not as good as Hao Dongjue and Huang Xiaotian in aviation, and he is not as good as Chang Jianxin in terms of gunnery. But he doesn't think that he is much worse than Jiang Zhongmin, which is also his biggest heart problem now.