In the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, Gardner Island is just a rather inconspicuous island. The island is so small that it is almost impossible to build a runway that can accommodate heavy bombers taking off and landing. At the beginning, in order to deploy the "Wolf Dove" heavy bombers on the island, the engineers of the Marine Corps even used improvised equipment to extend the runway more than 100 meters into the sea, so that the bombers could barely take off with bombs hung.

More than 10,000 Marines are now stationed on the island, and in order to garrison them, a large number of underground fortifications have been built on the island, and the waterproofing paint used in these fortifications alone is transported by two transport ships. Because the area of the island is extremely limited, the Marine Corps also built some semi-buried hangars to accommodate more fighters, but this still did not have much effect, and it was difficult for the fighters on the island to hide when attacked by American bombers.

Comparatively speaking, Gardner Island has little strategic value. Originally, Liao Hanxiang also wanted to use the island as a springboard to attack Necke Island, Nihua Island, and Khao Yai Island in the east. Later, however, Liao Hanxiang had to admit that if he wanted to make Gardner Island strategically valuable, then he would have to at least send thousands of engineers to expand the land area on the island for a year, and for this reason, he would have to invest at least 100 transport ships to transport engineering materials to Gardner Island, especially cement, steel and other construction materials. And this price is indeed too great, and it takes a lot of time, it is better to directly attack Necker Island and Nihua Island, and then attack Kauai Island. Liao Hanxiang also gave up the plan to expand Gardner Island because of this, and he did not have that much ability.

Gardner Island was more of a chicken rib to the warring parties, and Nimitz didn't even think about wasting a single Marine on Gardner Island until the Fifth Fleet was routed. Liao Hanxiang also wanted to transfer troops on Gardner Island several times to strengthen the defense of Midway, but it was only because Han Shaofeng felt that there were enough troops on Midway Island, so he did not do so. Now, the island, which was originally not very conspicuous, has become the focus of contention between the two sides. After making it clear that the U.S. military would attack Gardner Island, Liao Hanxiang also began to prepare to defend against the U.S. attack.

The main force defending the US forces is still the fleet, which can easily destroy the airfield on Gardner Island. The air defense of Kolaisan Island has been strengthened, and the "Golden Eagle" fighters deployed on Midway Island can fly over Laisan Island to counter the long-range bombers of the US military, and it is difficult for US fighters to fly over Laisan Island to escort the bombers. Previously, the U.S. military bombed the airfield on Lysan Island after paying a heavy price, and unless Nimitz was willing to lose hundreds of heavy bombers, it would be difficult for the U.S. military to destroy the airfield on the island of Lysan Island. Even if Nimitz had this courage, Liao Hanxiang would not let him achieve this goal. When adjusting the deployment of front-line troops. Liao Hanxiang focused on strengthening the number of fighter jets on Midway and Lysan Islands, which would discourage any American bomber group.

At that time, Liao Hanxiang deployed two squadrons of "Golden Eagle" fighters on Laisang Island, which was twice the number of the previous ones, and there was also a squadron of "water birds". In addition, the Midway Ground Fighter Force was increased to three squadrons, as well as two squadrons of bombers. That is, Liao Hanxiang concentrated five squadrons of fighters on these two islands. If the U.S. military wants to bomb the island of Lysan. Then you have to ask these five squadrons whether the 180 "Golden Eagle" fighters will agree, and at least Nimitz will have to calculate the price of bombing Lysan Island.

In addition to increasing the number of fighters. Liao Hanxiang also increased the anti-aircraft artillery unit on Lai Sang Island to three battalions, compared to one battalion previously. In other words, almost all the places where anti-aircraft guns can be deployed on Lysan Island have been used, and the three anti-aircraft artillery battalions are equipped with nearly 100 anti-aircraft guns of various calibers, and any US bomber group must first consider the threat of these anti-aircraft guns before deciding whether to drop bombs on Lysan Island.

The purpose of strengthening the air defense of Leysan Island was to allow the warships of the Fourth Task Force to be covered by fighters and supported by bombers. If the airfield on Lysan Island is destroyed, then the escort warships of Task Force 4 will not be able to approach Gardner Island and will not be able to prevent the US fleet from shelling Gardner Island. This makes it easy for U.S. Marines to land on Gardner Island. As long as Task Force 4's ships are still operating in the waters around Gardner Island, then the Fifth Fleet will have to kill them before landing the Marines on Gardner Island. Therefore, the fleet is still the main force in the defense of Gardner Island, and if the US troops are allowed to land on Gardner Island, I am afraid that the officers and men of the Imperial Marines on the island will not be able to support it for long.

This series of deployments proved that Liao Hanxiang was not prepared to abandon Gardner Island, but would defend Gardner Island to the death, otherwise he would not let the escort warships of Task Force 4 depart. Perhaps, in the eyes of many. There is not much point in holding Gardner Island at this time, after all, it is impossible for the US military to completely turn the tide of the war in the Central Pacific after taking Gardner Island, and as long as Midway Island is still in the hands of the Imperial Navy, then the US counterattack is of little significance. But for Liao Hanxiang, what he should consider at this time is not the overall battle situation, but some issues that have nothing to do with the comparison of strength between the two sides and the battlefield situation.

The U.S. military attack on Gardner Island was somewhat of a last resort, and if there was any other option, neither Spruance nor Nimitz would make a fuss on Gardner Island. Liao Hanxiang was well aware of this, and in his opinion, the attack on Gardner Island gave Nimitz one more reason to continue fighting, and at the same time, it also gave the U.S. military a glimmer of hope. Therefore, he must not allow Nimitz to achieve this goal.

"Even if it's a high school house on a reef, it can't fall into the hands of the U.S. military now!" Liao Hanxiang's attitude is very resolute. "Nimitz must have been under a lot of pressure, the President of the United States, the Army, and MacArthur will all blame Nimitz for the failure of the Fifth Fleet, and even on Nimitz for the failure of the United States in the Pacific Theater, so now Nimitz can't stop, he can only continue to fight. If we had held off the U.S. forces on Gardner Island, Nimitz would probably have been dismissed for it. Whoever is the commander of the theater should be good news for us, and we are one step closer to victory by getting rid of a difficult opponent! ”

Huang Xiaotian nodded slightly, if Nimitz's counterattack ultimately failed, I am afraid he would really be dismissed. And more than two years. For almost three years, Nimitz was the number one adversary of the Imperial Navy. The Empire's intelligence services had tried to kill Nimitz more than once, even with the most disgraceful means, as long as they could take out Nimitz, the Imperial Navy would have one less formidable opponent. If the President of the United States really let Nimitz leave Pearl Harbor, it would be tantamount to self-destruction of the Great Wall and helping the Tang Empire win the war.

"In addition, the morale of the US military has also fallen to the bottom. I just got the message yesterday. The President of the United States organized a group of servicemen to prepare for a nationwide lecture tour in order to raise the morale of the military and the people, boost the morale of the people, and stabilize the people's morale. Perhaps this kind of propaganda can achieve certain results, but for those US troops fighting on the front line, no matter what kind of propaganda they do, it is a fact that the US military is losing and retreating on the front line. Therefore, we cannot allow the US military to achieve victory now, even if it is a small victory! Liao Hanxiang sneered. Nimitz decided to attack Gardner Island. It's because our defense on Gardner Island is not strong, and the difficulty of attacking is very low, if he is allowed to defeat Gardner Island. It may not be able to change the tide of the war, but it can cheer up the US officers and men, and this will not be of any help to our future combat operations, and will even cause great harm. Therefore, we must not allow the U.S. military to take Gardner Island, and it is better for the U.S. Marines to stay on Necke Island and the landing ships, so that they will never be able to set foot on the beaches of Gardner Island! ”

"This is very difficult to do, if Nimitz is determined to attack Gardner Island, then the Fifth Fleet will participate in combat operations, and we have many fewer warships than the Fifth Fleet. They were also able to get cover from aviation on Necke Island, and in a fight, our advantage was not very much. ”

"Then it depends on Yan Yulong's ability."

Huang Xiaotian smiled and shook his head. "At least Yan Yulong is more suitable than me to command the fleet artillery battle, he is an orthodox graduate, and I don't even know how to arrange the artillery formation."

"By the way, Yan Yulong is really Yan Dingyu's other son?" Liao Hanxiang asked an unrelated question.

Huang Xiaotian hesitated. "Is this important?"

"I'm just curious, I heard others say that he is Yan Dingyu's other son, and he is the only junior of the Yan family to join the navy. I'm afraid Yan Dingyu is very dissatisfied with this grandson. ”

"Lao Liao, if I were Yan Dingyu, then I would be proud of Yan Yulong."

Liao Hanxiang laughed, he thought that Huang Xiaotian's tone of voice in an old man's tone was very funny. "Maybe, being able to become a rear admiral, I'm afraid this will give Yan Dingyu more capital to brag about in front of Marshal Nie Renfeng. However, what do you think of Yan Yulong's abilities? ”

"Very good." Huang Xiaotian's evaluation did not carry much personal feelings. "He was much better than me when it came to sailing, and I basically didn't care about the sailing of the fleet. In addition, he is also proficient in aviation warfare, and he is still trying to improve. I think he's a lot like General Tan Renhao. ”

"Like talking about Renhao?" Liao Hanxiang remembered his son-in-law, who was still fighting in the Southwest Pacific.

"Yes, the same background, but with a stronger background. And he is also very self-judgmental. "It's the first time Huang Xiaotian has compared Tan Renhao." And Yan Yulong is also a staff officer, although he has only cooperated with him for a few months, Yan Yulong has served in the Fourth Task Force before, and his performance has always been very good, and this time he can be promoted to the chief of staff of the fleet, which can be regarded as the right person. ”

"Well, when this combat operation is over, maybe we can recommend him as the new fleet commander."

"Preparing to form a new task force?" Huang Xiaotian glanced at Liao Hanxiang in surprise.

"I didn't say that, but by the end of the year, there will be a new aircraft carrier in service, and if the current four aircraft carrier task forces do not have major losses, a new task force will definitely be formed. Perhaps a higher level of fleet command command will also be organized. ”

Huang Xiaotian heard the sound of the overtone, if the task force continued to increase, it would definitely cause disorder in command. At present, the Imperial Navy has set up a theater fleet command in the southwest Pacific theater, which is responsible for coordinating the combat operations of various fleets in the theater, but there is no relevant organization in the Pacific theater. So, will a new theater fleet command be established in the future, or will a higher-level fleet command be established, such as the fleet headquarters responsible for the unified command of the task forces? This must be being discussed, and Liao Hanxiang, as the commander of the theater, knows more than Huang Xiaotian. Now that Liao Hanxiang mentioned this matter, he naturally asked Huang Xiaotian to pay attention to it, if the fleet headquarters is established and the status of the fleet is restored, then Huang Xiaotian should work hard to obtain a higher position, instead of staying in the position of commander of the task force all the time.

"Well, it's too early to talk about this, at least until the end of the year, we won't have a new task force, and it will depend on how many aircraft carriers we will lose in the next few months." Liao Hanxiang ended the topic and also ended the exchange. "You should learn more about the situation on other battlefields during this time, and contact Yan Yulong more. I'll keep you informed as soon as there is more news. ”

"Then I'll take my leave!" Huang Xiaotian immediately got up, "By the way, the matter of Major Wen Haomao mentioned last time, has there been a result now?" ”

"Wen Hao's spear? That submarine major, you say? There has been a reply, he has been promoted by leap rank, and now he is a colonel, and now he is preparing to lead the submarine to set off on patrol again. Are you looking for him? ”

"No, no, he's got the credit he deserves."

Liao Hanxiang smiled and nodded. "Actually, I shouldn't interfere in these things, but the submarine force has to sell my face, of course, I will tell Wen Haomao that this is your help."

Huang Xiaotian smiled and shook his head, he felt that he had just done what he should have done, and he couldn't help anything, and Wen Haomao didn't owe him anything.

For the next few days, Huang Xiaotian had been watching the battle in the east, and what he wanted to know most was whether Yan Yulong was qualified to become the new commander of the task force.