It can be said that in the battle between Spruance and Tan Renhao, the two sides often fought not with troops, nor with the quality of the fleet, even if in the end the result of the battle was often affected by the strength and quality of the fleet, but it was only a few hours, an extremely short result. Before the decisive battle of the fleet began, the two fought the most with wisdom, understanding of the battle, and judging each other's actions. It can be said that the battle between the two reflects the fighting spirit and courage, and this is also the highest form of duel between the generals of the two armies.

Accurately judging the intent and purpose of the enemy's actions, and anticipating the enemy's next move, is the key to victory. Spruance's judgment is indeed correct to a large extent, but at the same time, Tan Renhao is also doing his own analysis and judgment. As Spruance feared, the bombing of Oahu was only a step to force the Fifth Fleet to come out for a decisive battle, or to force Spruance into a trap, and the real victory was not the destruction of Pearl Harbor, but the annihilation of the Fifth Fleet.

The Fifth Fleet has always been the most tenacious, the most active on the battlefield, and the most difficult force to deal with. After the annihilation of the U.S. Third Fleet, the Fifth Fleet became the backbone of the U.S. Navy, a not so strong backbone. The Fifth Fleet is also a big problem for the Tang Empire's navy, and to a large extent, it is precisely because of the existence of Spruance that the Fifth Fleet can fight against the entire Tang Empire's navy. The annihilation of the Fifth Fleet has always been the goal of all fleet commanders of the Tang Imperial Navy, and it is also the goal of Tan Renhao. It can be said that when choosing the target and determining the campaign plan 1, Tan Renhao was more or less influenced by his personal feelings.

As early as when the bombing of Oahu was decided, Tan Renhao clearly put forward the purpose of the campaign, and his views were resolutely supported by Huang Xiaotian and Hao Dongjue. Hao Dongjue is now the commander of the Second Task Force, as the second task force of the Imperial Navy, the predecessor of the Second Task Force is actually the First Task Force, but the status of the Second Task Force in the Navy is precarious. To a large extent, it is because the Second Task Force and the Fifth Fleet have been consumed with Spruance and suffered several defeats that the Second Task Force has what it is today. Similarly, Huang Xiaotian had missed several extremely important opportunities in the previous confrontation with the Fifth Fleet, which made him regret it, and now that he finally had the opportunity to fight the Fifth Fleet head-on, he naturally would not give up this opportunity.

After the bombing of Oahu three times. Tan Renhao ordered the fleet to withdraw from the operational zone. On the way back, the US long-range reconnaissance planes caught up with them, and the three US reconnaissance planes that approached the First Task Force were all quickly shot down. Tan Renhao also immediately strengthened the air defense of the fleet, and immediately notified the other two task forces, so that Huang Xiaotian and Hao Dongjue were also ready to deal with the bombing. As a result, the American bombers did not arrive, and the American bomber group did not appear until the evening of the same day, when the fleet was already far away from Oahu. This made Tan Renhao feel a little strange, the US military still has a large number of long-range bombers on other islands. Why didn't Nimitz fight back? Strange is strange. The most important thing is that the fleet finally safely left the dangerous sea area and entered the next stage of combat operations.

That same evening. Hao Dongjue and Huang Xiaotian both rushed to the "Longganhu" aircraft carrier. Tan Renhao went to lie down for two hours after dinner, and now there is no time for him to rest, and determining the next combat operation is the most important thing.

"Now, Task Force 7 and Task Force 8 are guarding the waters near Kauai." Zhu Rongzhe acted as a battlefield commentator, "Yesterday, the US military discovered these two fleets, and the reconnaissance planes flew very close, so they must have judged the numbers of these two fleets. If our camouflage had worked, Spruance wouldn't have gone south easily. Instead, it will continue to return eastward, into our ambush circle in this area. ”

The three fleet commanders were silent, and they were all thinking about related issues when Zhu Rongzhe explained the situation on the battlefield.

"When the time comes, we will intercept the way of the U.S. Fifth Fleet to the east. And contacted Yan Yulong and Zheng Guanhua in time, so that the Seventh Task Force and the Eighth Task Force outflanked from the southwest direction of the US Fifth Fleet, formed an encirclement trend, and finally annihilated the Fifth Fleet! ”

"It's naïve." As soon as Zhu Rongzhe's words fell, Hao Dongjue raised his head. "Spruance will not be easily fooled, and even if we are well camouflaged, there is one thing we still cannot disguise, and that is the high level of combat efficiency displayed by our bombers over Oahu. No commander will make a judgment based on the superficial situation, changing the name of the battleship is a simple camouflage, and the size of the establishment of several of our task forces is basically the same, even the number and type of escort warships are basically the same. Spruance will not ignore this important point, and he will not believe the reports of the shore-based reconnaissance planes, but will make judgments based on the actual situation on the battlefield. ”

"You're saying that Spruance will think we're just bluffing in Kauai, and that the real killer is in the east?" Huang Xiaotian frowned slightly.

"Yes, if I were Spruance, I would do it, and I would not easily trust the information provided by other troops, but decide the actions of the fleet mainly based on my own inference!"

"Dong Jue's words are not wrong, I also think this arrangement is a bit of a snake." Tan Renhao did not oppose his brother-in-law this time. "When we arranged the operations of Task Force 7 and Task Force 8, we did not consider the bombing of Oahu, let alone the way the war would turn out. Comparatively speaking, if Task Force 7 and Task Force 8 were concealed at this time, it would have a greater impact on Spruance, which would make him undecided. On the contrary, the movement of Task Force 7 and Task Force 8 near Kauai only made Spruance realize that there were traps ahead, which made him more cautious! ”

Huang Xiaotian nodded slightly, he was also considering this possibility.

"Xiaotian, you have fought against Spruance, you should know Spruance's tactical principles better."

"Indeed, the deployment of Task Force 7 and Task Force 8 is a bit of a distraction, and it will cause Spruance to be suspicious." Huang Xiaotian sighed, "If Spruance is not fooled, then he has two completely different choices, one is to go south and sneak attack the seventh task force and the eighth task force, defeat these two fleets before we arrive, and even drive out the old third task force by the way." Other than that. It's about quickly getting around the battlefield, avoiding the most dangerous ambush zones, and even slowing down to deal with us. As long as it drags on, the chances of the Fifth Fleet avoiding us will increase rapidly, and we can only continue to search for two days at most, and if we can't find the Fifth Fleet within two days, then we will have to consider retreating. ”

"Spruance is going to sneak attack Yan Yulong, and the possibility of them should not be very high." When Hao Dongjue and Huang Xiaotian lit cigarettes, Tan Renhao picked up the teacup. "First of all. Spruance wasn't sure if Yan Yulong was a decoy or not, so he didn't dare to take the risk easily. Secondly, the Seventh Task Force and the Eighth Task Force were not vulnerable, and if the Fifth Fleet's sneak attack was unsuccessful and instead became entangled, it would be difficult for Spruance to get out. Thirdly, Yan Yulong and they could completely retreat and join up with the Third Task Force to gain time, which Spruance was not sure of. Therefore, he could not determine the time to defeat Yan Yulong. Unable to grasp the progress of the entire operation, naturally did not dare to take risks. Of course, there were many more factors that influenced Spruance's decision. But I think that, on the whole, the possibility of Spruance going south to risk sneaking up on Yan Yulong and them is quite small. ”

"And what about the latter possibility?" Hao Dongjue frowned slightly, this kind of analysis of the battle situation involving subtle parts has never been Hao Dongjue's strength.

"If Spruance chooses to avoid war, then he will have to consider the cruising capabilities of the fleet, the condition of the various ships, and the final destination." Huang Xiaotian made an analysis on behalf of Tan Renhao. "Judging from the information we have obtained so far, there are no losses in the warships of the Fifth Fleet, and their condition should be maintained in good condition, but the losses in its aviation are relatively large. If Spruance decides to avoid the fight, then that doesn't matter. What really matters is the final destination of the fleet, and the fuel that the fleet now has left. If the Fifth Fleet had refueled for the last time before passing through our submarine cordon and entering the battlefield, and had been on the most fuel-efficient cruising speeds during the voyage, the Fifth Fleet's main warships would have enough fuel to sail more than 4,000 nautical miles, enough to return to San Francisco Harbor. The real trouble is the destroyers in the fleet, which have always had the shortest cruising capability, and their remaining fuel can only last for a maximum of 1,000 nautical miles. Maybe. Spruance could choose to refuel within the fleet, but this was not a long-term solution, and in dangerous seas, such refueling was quite risky. Therefore, Spruance will certainly take this issue into account first before designing the route, as well as determining the destination of the fleet. ”

"Then we can start here."

Tan Renhao pressed his hand and stopped Hao Dongjue, who was a little excited. "That's the key point for us to deal with Spruance. With the exception of Pearl Harbor, the number of ports 3,000 nautical miles from the Fifth Fleet, controlled by the U.S. military, with sufficient heavy oil reserves, is quite limited, and only the Port of San Francisco can accommodate the Fifth Fleet as a new home port for the Fifth Fleet. In addition, there are the Aleutian Islands, as well as several small ports in Alaska, and Christmas Island to the south. Among them, Christmas Island can be ruled out in the first place, and Spruance cannot go south. ”

"The Alaskan side can basically rule it out, unless Spruance considered entering the Handai Sea when the fleet departed, otherwise, the battleship did not have enough warm clothing, and the officers and men could not bear the severe cold over there."

"Then that's just San Francisco." Hao Dongjue said the final answer.

"Or Pearl Harbor." Huang Xiaotian added Hao Dongjue's words.

"If Spruance were to return to Pearl Harbor, he would have to go around in a big circle, through several areas where our submarines were active, and the fleet at Pearl Harbor was quite vulnerable, Spruance wouldn't make that mistake, would he?"

"He won't, but he'll choose to refuel near Hawaii Island so that the Fifth Fleet can go anywhere." This time, it was Tan Renhao who answered Hao Dongjue's question, "Therefore, Spruance has two choices, one is to return to Hawaii Island, and the other is to return to San Francisco. These two routes are almost polar, and there is not much overlap in the area. Nor can we make a one-to-one gamble. Of course, it was more advantageous for us that Spruance would have to bypass the sea if he had judged a dangerous area, and he could only do so from the north. In this way, he will have to go through a short route! ”

After seeing Tan Renhao mark this route on the chart, Huang Xiaotian and Hao Dongjue both frowned.

"This will be our new ambush zone. Of course, all the tactical arrangements were based on Spruance's awareness of the danger and his intention to avoid navigation to the north. ”

What if this judgment is wrong? Then we will be separated from Yan Yulong and them for hundreds of nautical miles, and the two fleets will not be able to support each other, and at that time, Spruance will have enough time to kill Yan Yulong and Zheng Guanhua! Hao Dongjue immediately raised a new question, "Moreover, if we are engaged in a battle with the Fifth Fleet here, we will not be able to use the strength of the Seventh Task Force and the Eighth Task Force!" ”

"This is not a problem, with the strength of our three task forces, as long as there are no extreme situations, the annihilation of the Fifth Fleet should not be a big problem." Huang Xiaotian did not explicitly support Tan Renhao's new proposal, "The main question is whether Spruance will take the northern route directly." ”

"It depends on what we know about Spruance." Tan Renhao looked at the two fleet commanders, "This is a three-choice question, we can only choose the one with the highest probability, of course, your opinion is also very important." ”

Huang Xiaotian immediately said: "Actually, we have no other choice. ”

"I think so too, a three-in-one chance is not too small for us!" Hao Dongjue also expressed his attitude.

"Okay, then all we have to do now is change course and get ready for battle as soon as possible. As long as Spruance comes to the door, we must not let him escape again! ”

The three of them discussed this, and the specific tasks were quickly assigned. In fact, when Tan Renhao made this decision, he himself was not very sure!