During the flight, Tan Renhao seized the time to sleep for a few hours. The new transport planes purchased by the Navy are much more comfortable than those previously offered to senior generals, with a large amount of soundproofing equipment added to the planes, the roar of the engines is kept out, and the cabin is quieter. Tan Renhao, who was extremely tired, fell down and fell asleep, how could he care if he was quiet or not.

This time, he suddenly received an order from Gan Yongxing, chief of the general staff of the Navy, and Tan Renhao knew that nothing good would happen. The battle on the front line is not over, and Task Force 1 has only temporarily lost its combat capability. In addition, Tan Renhao is also the commander of the First Fleet, and he should stay at the front line, not return to the command. Maybe Gan Yongxing really has something important for Tan Renhao to go back and deal with, but this can only be regarded as a "short-term job", as long as the first task force recovers its combat effectiveness, Tan Renhao will have to return to the front line and continue to command the fleet to fight.

The plane flew at night and arrived in Zhoushan in the early morning. Before the plane stopped, Tan Renhao saw Gan Yongxing standing next to a car.

"The Chief of Staff has come to pick you up personally." Du Xing's words are not exalting Renhao.

"Hey, I knew there wouldn't be a quiet day when I came back this time." Tan Renhao sighed, "Xiao Du, you take your luggage back first, and don't forget the things that General Liao Hanxiang asked us to bring back." ”

"Then what should I say when I meet my sister-in-law?"

Tan Renhao hesitated. "Your sister-in-law is back?"

"It seems that when I was in Guam, I heard from General Liao Hanxiang's adjutant that my sister-in-law came back at the beginning of the month."

So fast? Tan Renhao didn't hear his father-in-law mention it, but Duchenne wouldn't lie. "Okay, after meeting your sister-in-law, I said that I would try to go back to dinner in the evening, but I can't guarantee it."

Duchenne nodded, he had already packed his luggage together. The plane also stopped slowly, and Tan Renhao stood behind the hatch to tidy up his clothes, and when the hatch was lowered. He immediately went down.

"Renhao, you came back on time, almost just time for breakfast." Gan Yongxing greeted him warmly.

"Trouble Chief of Staff." Tan Renhao also walked up and shook hands with Gan Yongxing.

"Let's go, let's get in the car and talk again, I've got people ready early." Gan Yongxing took the initiative to open the car door for Tan Renhao.

"Chief of Staff, please!"

Gan Yongxing was not polite, he got into the car first. After Tan Renhao got into the car, he immediately ordered the driver to go back to the naval headquarters. Tan Renhao turned his gaze out the car window. In recent years, the navy has built a large number of infrastructure facilities in various places, such as Guam, and now Port Vila, Colombo in the Indian Ocean, Cape Town in the South Atlantic, and maybe more in the future, but Zhoushan has not changed much. With the gradual expansion of the front to the periphery, the value of a large rear base like Zhoushan has decreased a lot.

"The headmaster is very satisfied with your combat operation this time." Gan Yongxing opened the topic. "When I got the message. I can't believe that you bunnies who are not afraid of death actually ran to attack Pearl Harbor! ”

"That's just the beginning." Tan Renhao turned his head. "And with the change of the battlefield environment, many things that were not possible before can now be done, and the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor is one of them."

"That's true, and you guys had a pretty good sneak attack." Gan Yongxing took out a cigarette, "It was you who attacked Pearl Harbor and eventually led to Spruance being dismissed. ”

Tan Renhao immediately looked at Gan Yongxing, and until now, he still didn't know why the U.S. military wanted to withdraw Spruance.

"It was precisely because Spruance was relieved of his duties that the U.S. fleet was exposed. You were given a precious opportunity, and you seized it accurately, and won the event. ”

"Nimitz's decision?" Tan Renhao asked with doubts.

"Probably not, Nimitz wasn't stupid enough to be that point, but it didn't matter. It should be clear to you that if Spruance had still been in command of the Fifth Fleet at the time, the outcome might have been different. ”

Tan Renhao had to admit that it was Spruance's departure that made the US Fifth Fleet make too many low-level mistakes. In the end, he seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack. If Spruance hadn't been driven away, even if the Fifth Fleet would still have been routed in the end, Tan Renhao would have paid a greater price for it.

"One thing must be certain, your victory this time is very important." Gan Yongxing patted Tan Renhao's shoulder, "We're almost there, I've prepared your favorite breakfast for you, let's talk while we eat." ”

The breakfast prepared by Gan Yongxing for Tan Renhao was not rich, a glass of milk and a few pastries. Tan Renhao's meal was not large, and on the battleship, he could only eat dairy products such as cheese that could be stored for a long time, and it was difficult to drink fresh milk, and there was no technology to store fresh milk for a long time at that time. For Tan Renhao, a glass of fresh milk is already a good breakfast.

"Eat slowly, no one will grab it from you, if it's not enough, just call it again." Gan Yongxing had already eaten breakfast.

"Chief of Staff, what are you starting to say?" Tan Renhao slowed down, he wasn't a starving ghost.

"Would you like another glass of milk?"

"No, I'm full." Tan Renhao wiped his mouth, "Actually, our victory this time is nothing, and many mistakes can actually be avoided." ”

"You mean Task Force 52?" Gan Yongxing handed a glass of water to Tan Renhao. "I can't blame you for this, I'm sure you're pretty much figured out by now, right?"

Tan Renhao rinsed his mouth with water, and then nodded. "When I returned, I was thinking about this problem, if I could arrange the second batch of reconnaissance planes to go north in time, I should have a chance to catch the 52nd task force, but ......"

"In that case, will you be able to arrange a second batch of reconnaissance aircraft?" Gan Yongxing asked rhetorically, "I have carefully read your combat report. At that time, Task Force 1 was the strike force of the second echelon, and it was also responsible for covering Task Force 2, in which case, anyone would choose to kill Mitchell first, and Task Force 1 no longer had enough reconnaissance aircraft to send out. By the way, Mitchell has already been killed in battle, and this is the information we have just received. ”

Tan Renhao was not surprised, at that time the "Qishazhi" was the first to be hit. Moreover, the location of the bomb dropped by Zhang Naiding is also relatively accurate. Only two destroyers of the entire 53rd Task Force escaped, and all the others were sent to sea. Even if Mitchell hadn't been killed on the Chishaji, he would have been killed on another ship.

"This victory is very significant." Gan Yongxing went to the desk and brought a document, "This is a commendation order drafted by the president, and there will be no problem on the prime minister's side." ”

"Need the Prime Minister's approval?" Tan Renhao was a little confused, the navy's awards were all decided by the principal.

"Most of them don't need to consult the prime minister, but there is a commendation that must be approved by the prime minister." Gan Yongxing motioned to Tan Renhao to open it and look at it himself. He continued, "Strategically speaking, your victory has laid the foundation for our final victory in the Pacific War. The US army had only one task force left, and there were very few experienced officers and men left, and the losses of the aviation were even heavier. Judging by the intelligence we have now, at most three months, maybe two months later, the United States will have a new batch of aircraft carriers in service. However, in the absence of sufficient personnel, the combat effectiveness of these ships is very questionable. Therefore. We have basically secured dominance in the Pacific. ”

Tan Renhao nodded slightly. He had thought about this a few days ago. The U.S. Navy, which had suffered heavy losses, could no longer stop the Tang Empire's naval offensive in the Pacific.

"From a campaign point of view, after the Fifth Fleet is defeated, it is no longer possible for the U.S. military to stop our attack on Kauai." Gan Yongxing extinguished the cigarette butt. I went and got another document, "This is the battle report that was sent yesterday, Huang Xiaotian and Han Shaofeng are organizing an attack on Xindi, sea supremacy and air supremacy are no longer a problem, the biggest problem is war materials." I believe that Liao Hanxiang has already talked to you, and the supplies we lost on Midway Island have not yet been replenished. Of course, this is not a big problem, and it will be difficult for the US military to hold on to Kauai after losing its sea supremacy. The only difference is that our capture of Kauai will be slightly delayed. ”

"We will be able to lay down Kauai in June."

"Yes, at the end of June, or the beginning of July, we should be able to lay down Kauai Island." Gan Yongxing laughed, "As long as we take Kauai, capturing Oahu will be like digging for something, and when the time comes, we won't even need to send a fleet to take Oahu." And as long as Oahu is captured. We don't even need to continue attacking other islands, the U.S. forces will retreat on their own initiative, and the next ......"

"Attacking the continental United States?" Tan Renhao immediately said, "I don't think this idea is realistic, the mainland of the United States is not the Hawaiian Islands, and if you attack the mainland of the United States directly, ......"

"I didn't say that, and we all know how difficult it is to attack the U.S. directly." Gan Yongxing stopped talking about Renhao's words, "Of course, there is still no conclusion on how to fight, which is why I called you back." ”

Tan Renhao touched his forehead, no, trouble is coming.

"Don't worry, you just need to help me."

"Chief of Staff, when didn't I assist you?" Tan Renhao sighed, "In other words, I don't want to take a vacation?" ”

"Of course, if a soldier wants to take a vacation, it will only be after the war is over." Gan Yongxing immediately laughed, "Well, I'm not a person who doesn't recognize the taste." Xiaoyu came back some time ago, and her studies in Germany were early and late, so you still spent more time at home in the past two days. In addition, your brother-in-law is back. ”

"My brother-in-law?" Tan Renhao didn't react.

"Liao Hongpeng, the two of them came back together, and now they live in your house."

Tan Renhao nodded, and then remembered that Liao Hongpeng also went to Germany, and after staying in Germany for more than a year, it was almost time to come back.

"He's done a great job on the German side, and he's going to be a general when he comes back." Gan Yongxing is obviously very clear about Liao Hongpeng's affairs, "He has been asking to return to the front-line troops, and now the principal has not made a decision, mainly considering General Liao Hanxiang's attitude, you also know that what General Liao Hanxiang cares about most is his son who is not very obedient." ”

"I understand, I'll talk to him."

Gan Yongxing nodded, this is exactly what he was going to say. "Alright, you can go home first in the morning. Still, there is one thing you should know in advance. ”

"What's the matter?" Tan Renhao originally wanted to say goodbye, but it seems that he has to stay for a while.

"See the last page?" Gan Yongxing pointed at the document in Tan Renhao's hand.

Tan Renhao hurriedly turned to the last page, he only turned it roughly at first, and felt that it was not interesting, so he didn't look down. When he saw the contents of the document, his eyes widened in surprise, and he looked at Gan Yongxing, thinking that he was dazzled.

"This is the award that has to be approved by the Prime Minister, a special award to the First Fleet." Gan Yongxing walked over, "This is the highest collective honor of the Imperial Navy, I believe you should know it very well, right?" ”

Tan Renhao nodded. "Chief of Staff, I think it's too heavy."

"No, this honor should have belonged to you a long time ago, to be precise, to the First Task Force. But for some special reasons, in the past few years, we have not awarded this medal, and you should do why. Gan Yongxing grabbed Tan Renhao's shoulder, "This time the principal took the initiative to put it forward, after several years of hard fighting, the navy not only defeated every enemy on the battlefield, but also swept away the previous shame, and once again became a navy worthy of the pride of all imperial soldiers and civilians." This is not only an honor for the First Fleet and the First Task Force, but also an honor for the Navy! ”

Tan Renhao also stood up, he knew very well the meaning of the medal.

"The Chancellor is doing his best to win over the Prime Minister, and your victory this time is our reason, and the Prime Minister will not refuse the Chancellor's proposal." Gan Yongxing looked at Tan Renhao, he looked a little excited, "You have to prepare as soon as possible, if there is no problem, let the 'Longganhu' aircraft carrier come back in two days, and when the principal finishes handling the affairs at hand, he will personally award you with honors." ”

"Thank you, Chief of Staff!" Tan Renhao did not refuse, he knew that this honor did not only belong to the First Task Force, nor did it belong to the First Fleet, but to the entire navy.

Gan Yongxing nodded slightly. "Okay, it's okay now, you should go back and reunite with your family, otherwise someone will say that I am a cold-blooded chief of staff behind my back!"

Tan Renhao left Gan Yongxing's office with excitement, he never thought of receiving such a high honor, and this was the Medal of Honor, which symbolized the glorious history of the Imperial Navy for hundreds of years!