On 10 December, Li Guang arrived at Port Moresby, on the island of New Guinea.

Beginning in the second half of '42, MacArthur had his headquarters stationed here in order to show his will to fight.

Today, however, it is not a frontline. On the battlefield in New Guinea, although the Japanese army has not been completely wiped out, the combat effectiveness of the devils, who are difficult to replenish with food, is no longer a cause for concern. The U.S. army didn't need to attack at all, it only needed to fight steadily, and a solid defense could easily consume the Japanese army.

This was where MacArthur's pride lay in, and at this stage, the ratio of Japanese and American casualties had soared to more than 30 to 1.

To put it bluntly, the little devil was not killed in battle, but starved to death. The Japanese army has always advocated attack, but in the face of the static defense, which Europe and the United States are best at, it is purely holding eggs against stones. If you don't attack, you can survive for a few days, and taking the initiative to attack is to deliver food to the US troops who have excess artillery.

For more than a year, at least half or more of the million-dollar U.S. troops fought the Japanese in the New Guinea theater. Although the Japanese army has been crippled, the rookie soldiers of the US army have also experienced the baptism of war and have begun to adapt to the battlefield psychologically.

MacArthur's approach actually has a lot of similarities with the Haitang Army. In the early days of the founding of the army, Li Guang tried his best to find the most rubbish opponents, and the reason for this was actually to let the soldiers adapt to the battlefield. No amount of adequate training is enough to ensure the combat effectiveness of the troops. Only by truly experiencing the flames of war can we bring our combat effectiveness into play.

Li Guang did not meet MacArthur, and was greeted by Vice Admiral Kincaid, commander of the Seventh Fleet. As the supreme commander of the U.S. Army in the Pacific theater, Lao Mai has a lot to do. He has to worry about more than just fighting, he has to prepare supplies, organize troops, and fight politicians to get more support. More importantly, he had to convince President Roosevelt and Marshall, the big man in the U.S. Army.

Under the leadership of Kincaid. Li Guang saw at least fifty generals in one day, which dazzled Li Guang, except for a limited number of names that could be named, the others could only be regarded as face-to-face.

Fighting a war is not a game, and if you are not familiar with your subordinates and colleagues, you can cause big losses if you make a small leak. At this time, the staff officers stationed in the early stage of the Haitang Army showed their role. One report after another fell to Li Guang's desk.

Through these materials, Li Guang has a further understanding of Kincaid.

Although Kincaid is a subordinate of MacArthur, he also has the power of his own. The officers and men of the US military at all levels of the Seventh Fleet are still quite supportive of Kincaid.

In order to restore the glory and power of his group in the U.S. Navy, Kincaid endured a lot of cynicism, and life was not easy, and he desperately needed to make war achievements.

The U.S. Navy has always looked at the Army as a dirt bun, but Kincaid has defected to MacArthur, an army admiral. As a result, it has become an outlier in the US Navy, and the pressure on it can be imagined.

Kincaid and MacArthur formed an alliance. Li Guang, on the other hand, fought with MacArthur for both the present and the future.

Therefore, Kincaid and Li Guang can also be regarded as allies.

But allies also have conflicting interests. Li Guang was MacArthur's intended supreme commander of the Navy. Although Kincaid promised to obey the command, he inevitably felt resentment in his heart. He Kincaid is a lieutenant general, and Li Guang is also a lieutenant general. Kincaid is a lieutenant general in the United States, while Li Guang is only a lieutenant general in a small country.

It is estimated that one more reason for Kinkaid to be ridiculed will soon be added - being commanded by a small general.

But so what.

Kincaid showed sincerity enough. The information submitted about the fleet was very complete, and the military and technical secrets were almost unreserved.

He is a former commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Kimmel, since Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese. That is, Kincaid's brother-in-law (Kimmel is sixty years old. The wife is in her thirties, and the old cow eats tender grass) was removed from her post and went downhill.

There are many examples: in the Battle of the Coral Sea, Fletcher was brought to the west coast of the United States to watch the gates. The reason for being idle is also because it belongs to the same Kimmel line.

To say, Fletcher had a lot of problems in the fight. But those problems are actually not serious, such as the problem of refueling that is always ridiculed. In other words, it should be that Fletcher was worried that when the battle was long and there was a lack of fuel, he would not be able to take advantage of the victory and expand the victory.

When it comes to U.S. Navy commanders, Fletcher is more experienced than the famous Halsey and Spruance commanding aircraft carrier operations. Even if the ability is not as good as these two, is it not as good as the commander of the task force at a slightly lower level?

In fact, there is only one reason, the boss has fallen, he is on the wrong side, and he is excluded.

From the information, Li Guang can see that Kincaid is not incompetent, and it is not easy for the 40-year-old Kincaid to stabilize the morale of a miscellaneous army.

His ascent all the way, although there is a backstage, but the ability can definitely not be ignored. There are many factors that can still rise all the way after Admiral Kimmel lost ground.

For example, Kincaid can be promoted to lieutenant general, relying on his military exploits.

Of course, his combat exploits are obviously supported by a lot of forces behind him. He had a good job in four or three years, and at the same time that the Haitang Army helped the American army recover Wake Island, Kincaid led the army to recover the Aleutian Islands occupied by the Japanese army. This credit is very significant, you must know that it was the first time that the U.S. military regained the mainland occupied by the Japanese army.

The Japanese army only occupied that place, and there were not many troops at all. This kind of battle, in exchange for Halsey or Spruance, is also a vain battle.

To get such an errand, the power behind Kincaid consumes huge political resources.

Kincaid is a man who understands that he will never climb to the top simply by consuming his remaining political resources. Kincaid is shouldering the heavy responsibility of his family's rise, and the pressure is not light.

Restoring the glory and power of Kincaid's system is the most important thing, and in troubled times, with the American system, only military exploits are resounding.

Kincaid, who is well-thought-out, thinks thoroughly on this issue and is very supportive of Li Guang.

Of course, Kincaid also knows that his Seventh Fleet is a little worse.

Against a weak country, the Seventh Fleet alone is a force that destroys the country. But against the powerful countries, it is not enough to see.

Six battleships, all old models, five of which were salvaged from the seabed at Pearl Harbor.

It's just an old item. The key is that the staff is all newbies. The veterans were all transferred to the U.S. Navy's Third Fleet, also known as Nimitz.

For example, if Nimitz and MacArthur had both sent six battleships to conduct a confrontation exercise, the final result would be estimated to be six to one, and the ideal point would be six to two. If it's not ideal, six to zero is not uncommon. In short, Kincaid is completely destroyed.

It seems that the battleship can make do with it, if you take the aircraft carrier. Kincaid didn't even qualify for the exercise. Eighteen escort aircraft carriers, how to confront regular aircraft carriers?

People don't even need bombers, and the F6F and f4u can easily take out his escort carriers with only two hundred and fifty kilograms of bombs. And his F4F fighter. It can only carry 60 pounds of bombs, even if it can blow up the regular aircraft carrier of the US military, that is, it will scratch some skin.

As for the quality of the pilots, it is simply incomparable. Nimitz's Third Fleet had a thousand hours of flying experience, and three to five hundred hours of flying experience were readily available to such pilots. And on his escort carriers. 500 hours of flying experience is already rare.

Furthermore. The combat effectiveness of a fleet should be brought into play. A comprehensive package is also required. Poor Kincaid's seemingly massive fleet consisted of only two submarines, and moreover, an Australian submarine.

In short, the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet is a fleet that will be raised by a mother.

There was an obvious reason why Kincaid was willing to let Li Guang be the commander of the navy: if the Seventh Fleet and the Haitang Army Fleet confronted each other, he would not be able to win.

The military worships strength.

If you look at the existing strength of the Seventh Fleet, you can see how MacArthur and Kincaid went to great lengths to increase their strength. It's time to fight for the merits of the war.

The Seventh Fleet is under the jurisdiction of:

Seven battleships. (Isn't it six?) ）

USS Mississippi. USS Maryland, USS West Virginia; 2nd Battleship Group: USS Tennessee, USS California, USS Pennsylvania; Battleship Richelieu (belonging to France)

4 heavy cruisers: Louisville, Portland, Minneapolis, Australia (belonging to the Australian Navy);

4 light cruisers: Denver. Columbia, Phoenix, Boise.

28 destroyers (including old frigates). (Six of these destroyers are Dutch, Australian, British.) ）

Escort aircraft carriers, eighteen ships.

Submarines: two.

Thirty-nine torpedo boats.

Haitang Army: One battleship, the aircraft carrier Li Guang promised to send three troops, and there is only one battleship in the Indian Ocean at the moment. Nine destroyers, two supply cruisers. Eighteen submarines.

It should be said that MacArthur was able to integrate such a force, and it really required a high level.

For such a force, Li Guang also needs to spend countless energy to use. Sun Tzu's Art of War: Knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent will win all battles. The first thing he has to do is confidant.

In view of the past history of Haitang, Li Guang was very interested in the Richelieu, the only battleship in which the French army participated in the war.

This French battleship is a class stronger than the Atlantic battleship, which was also obtained from France by the Naval Resistance Army. Otherwise, how can it be called the pride of France?

But pride is pride. Since the defeat of France in the 40s, it has become a joke all over the world. This battleship, which managed to escape from the tiger's mouth, was also ill-fated, lacking ammunition and soldiers, and finally refused to submit to the Allies early because of face, and was beaten by the British in Dakar.

Then, he fled for his life again, but there was nowhere to run and had to flee to the United States. No, just after completing the modernization and modification, it was pulled by MacArthur.

After several contacts, Li Guang felt that the captain of the battleship Richelieu, the French Colonel Mazen, was the officer who did not have the French temperament that Li Guang had ever seen. The so-called French temperament, in Li Guang's consciousness, is not knowing the so-called face.

As long as this Colonel Mazen is willing to cooperate, Li Guang is also magnanimous, and he will not meaninglessly consume the French battleship Richelieu. On the contrary, Li Guang attached great importance to this French colonel. After all, in terms of combat effectiveness, the French battleship should not be weak, with a speed of up to thirty knots, and its combat effectiveness is second to none among the battleships of the entire fleet.

However, combat effectiveness is not just about looking at battleship data.

What is surprising is that after four years of war, this French battleship is still a rookie.

This thing was a bit unexpected.

In the 40s, when the Germans swept through France, the ship was not yet in service. Of course, the French Navy did not have a formal arrangement of officers, so Major Mazen, who was still in a small role, became the captain. Under normal circumstances, the rank of captain of the capital ship of the navies of various countries is the mainstream, and it is not an exaggeration to say that the rear admiral is not exaggerated.

Half of the crew on the battleship were recent French naval academy graduates, and half were technicians in the design or construction of French ships.

To say, such a configuration, after several years of war, should be included in the elite ranks. But in fact, the battleship Richelieu was short of ammunition for a long time and almost did not conduct live-fire training. In the battle of Dakar with the British, as soon as the cannon was fired, one of the main guns was self-destructed, and the casualties were bad. (The reason is unknown, is it filled with too much gunpowder?) ）

Since then, the French officers and men have developed a phobia of firing artillery, for fear that a certain cannon will explode itself again.

When the battleship arrived in the United States, it was repaired for more than a year and had just been installed. No, he was immediately pulled into a strong man, and his combat effectiveness is really hard to say.

Under the losing streak, morale is naturally low. This is not even as good as the US Seventh Fleet, which has won successive victories in the past year or so.

What made Li Guang happy was that this Colonel Mazen still had a little temper, or that all the French crew members had a little temper--- not to the Haitang Kingdom, but to the British.

Just look at what happened to this ill-fated and powerful battleship after it was born, and you can see how much this group of French hated the British. It is normal to be chased and beaten by the British several times, so it is normal to have a little temper, so he would rather fight with the US army in the Pacific than return to the Atlantic to fight with the British army.

There are contradictions between all countries and branches of the world. France is no exception, and the gap between the Navy and the Army is even greater.

From the perspective of the French Army, the Haitang Army is the sworn enemy of France. And the French Navy did not have the slightest such mood. It's really weird. Moreover, the battleship Atlantic of the Haitang Army, all French people knew that it was originally French, but no one had any objections to it. Perhaps, in their opinion, the battleship Atlantique has repeatedly performed feats in the hands of the Haitang Army, and it is also the pride of France?

The strangeness of the French, Li Guang's ability to understand is limited.

As long as he didn't have a temper with the Haitang Army, Li Guang liked it very much, and even arranged for people to inspect Colonel Mazan.

Haitang has always been most worried about facing France when its strength has not yet climbed enough to defend itself in the future. If a pro-Tang faction can be cultivated in the French army, the benefits will naturally be great.

Although Mazen was only a colonel, he mastered the only cutting-edge battleship in France, which is the most powerful combat power of the French Navy at the moment. If done right, he has every potential to become a force in the French Navy.

Li Guang was a little interested in cultivating a pro-Tang French admiral.

Before MacArthur returned to the headquarters, Li Guang inspected the fleet non-stop, and after several hard work, he finally had a general understanding of the combat effectiveness of the fleet. (To be continued......)