The Beijing Railway Station is full of passengers and bustling. Although the cold wind was raging, it could not stop the rolling heat of reunion. A train panted and slowly stopped on the platform, He Meng, commander of the Eastern Front, and Fan Tao, commander of the Navy, both stepped out of the carriage, and Deng Xiuhua, Deng Shuang, and Xia Zi stepped forward on the platform. After the husband and wife finished greeting each other, He Meng turned to Xia Zi and said, "Sister Xia Zi, I'm really sorry." Dai Hui failed to return. Fan Tao also said: "Sister Xiazi, brother-in-law disappointed you!" ”

Xia Zi glanced at the two brothers-in-law and said, "Without Daddy's order, does he dare to come back." Alright, you two don't have to be sorry, I know what's going on. You two should make love with your sister, today you two are the protagonists, and the family is waiting for you to get in the car quickly! "The sister-in-law ordered, how dare the two of you slack off. About half an hour later, two cars stopped in front of the presidential residence. In front of the door, Deng Qiang and several other disciples in Beijing greeted him, and the scene was very lively.

In the living room, Fan Tao and He Meng greeted Deng Zixuan and Wan'er. Deng Zixuan said: "Maybe it's out of selfishness to let the two of you come back for a reunion year." Next, your headquarters will be moved to the Hawaiian Islands, and I am afraid that you will not be able to return before the end of the war. Xiuhua, Shuang'er has followed you in the past few years to fight in the south and the north, and your has been erratic, this time Wan'er is in charge of taking them to her side, and when you come back from the expedition, you will return to Zhao. Okay, the staff is here, let's get ready for the table! ”

Outside, there are fireworks, firecrackers, and songs on the radio, and the atmosphere of the New Year is unusually strong. One table for men, one table for women, and one table for children, the family population swelled. Deng Zixuan raised his glass and said, "Maybe I'm older and like to be lively, maybe the family affection is stronger." He Meng and Fan Tao are going to lead a million-strong army on an expedition this time, so I have to personally practice it for them, maybe I can feel at ease after they drink the expedition wine. "President. Rest assured, we will live up to your expectations! He Meng and Fan Tao both stood up and promised!

"Sit down, sit down, it's not formal!" Deng Zixuan waved his hand and continued: "Today is the second Spring Festival of the twentieth century, and 2 is an even number to represent auspiciousness. The Chinese nation, which has suffered so much, has finally ushered in a great rejuvenation, and the Chinese nation has once again risen among the nations of the world, and we are only one step away from the peak. Come! Let's welcome that glorious moment in advance! "After eating. Wan'er took her daughter, children, and Deng Qiang and other disciples to set off firecrackers outside. Fan Tao and He Meng entered the study, and a cup of tea was placed in front of them.

He Meng asked, "President, do you have anything else to explain?" "Yes! I feel like you're a little uneasy. Deng Zixuan said: "Hit the US Pacific Fleet hard." The capture of the Hawaiian Islands was achieved overnight using carrier-based aircraft, and to put it bluntly, this was expected in the context of constant drills. But we went so well, unbelievably well. What does it mean to go well? It is to underestimate the enemy. I would like to ask you guys if you have this kind of thinking? He Meng and Fan Tao nodded honestly.

"Expedition to America. You may encounter unimaginable difficulties, but the Americans will fight with their enemies and fight against the water, and they will burst out with great fighting power, so do not underestimate their determination to resist. It is no longer a secret that our carrier-based aircraft are still at a low level, and as long as the Americans deploy anti-aircraft artillery fire, the combat efficiency of carrier-based aircraft will drop significantly. Other than that. The United States has strong manufacturing and scientific capabilities, and they will soon develop anti-aircraft machine guns specifically against carrier-based aircraft. ”

"There are a lot of civil aviation enthusiasts in the United States. In a state of war, it is very likely that the United States will fulfill its dream of flying into the sky, and it is also very likely that it will form a combat capability, and these unfavorable factors should be taken into account. Through the operation in the Hawaiian Islands, we can preliminarily judge that even if the Americans have fighter planes, they have not yet formed combat capability, and even if they have combat capability, if they want to form an aircraft carrier fleet, it will take at least a few years, and we do not have to worry about this, but the enemy has deployed anti-aircraft firepower, and it is impossible for us to have a hearty and one-sided battle like the Hawaiian naval battle. ”

He Meng and Fan Tao had solemn expressions, and Deng Zixuan continued: "Although the United States is a country of immigrants, it seems to be a plate of scattered sand on the surface, but they are very pragmatic and flexible. As a simple example, if an officer gives an order in the U.S. military, the soldier can refuse to carry it out if he thinks it is wrong, so Americans are not superstitious about authority, as long as the right thing is recognized by the majority, no matter who makes the suggestion, it will be adopted, maybe this is democracy. However, there are also drawbacks, such as delaying fighter planes or mistaking things. ”

"If there are land combat planes in the United States, it will be very unfavorable to our landing operations, especially the threat to the landing fleet, and you must also fully understand this. Perhaps our carrier-based aircraft should be used as fighters, and we have ordered the relevant departments to refit two freighters, so that the fighters can be directly assembled on the warships, at least to meet the consumption of landing operations. Before you arrived in the capital, two freighters had already departed for Hawaii. He Meng and Fan Tao looked at each other with joy when they heard this.

Deng Zixuan continued: "In the expedition to the United States, the first difficulty is landing, and the second is whether it can be held after landing, which is the most critical. If New York is captured, the landing force will hold out for at least five months, and you have to think that these five months are continuous operations. The end of May is the storm season, and we can't predict when the storm will appear, so we have to cut off the supply of transport fleets from June to October. There can be no chance of a fluke, and if a large fleet of transport ships encounters a storm, it is the deadliest ???????。 ”

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Deng Zixuan organized a small group meeting at the president's official residence, where Zhang Zhidong, Li Hongzhang and other senior members of the state government, Chen Jintang, Pei Gejin, Leng Yifei, Bai Sheng and other important members of the military circle met to pay New Year's greetings. Early in the morning of the third day of the new year, He Meng and Fan Tao hurriedly boarded the train to the east. The two rushed to a certain military port in Tanggu at about noon and boarded the battleship Zhonghua. Escorted by two frigates and accompanied by a transport ship, the battleship Zhonghua cut through the waves and headed straight for the Hawaiian Islands, where they had to be bumpy at sea for at least half a month.

After finishing their meal on the battleship, the two went to the deck. It's still cold in February in Bohai Bay, and the winding coastline in the distance still has large smoths of ice, forming a white curve. "It's so timely to come back and listen to the president's teachings this time, and there are many things that we didn't expect." He Meng retracted his gaze and opened the conversation. Fan Tao agreed: "The president is right, we do have the idea of underestimating the enemy, and the generals below may be better than this kind of thinking, and I am a little afraid to think about it." The burden of the expedition to America falls on our shoulders, and there must be no mistakes, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable. ”

He Meng said: "Indeed, we didn't think it through. The Hawaiian Islands are a long way to go, and we can use this time to carefully study the possible headwinds based on the President's recommendations, and try to come up with multiple plans so as not to be caught off guard. Details determine success or failure, and there can be no fluke. "So what are we waiting for, let's start now!" The brothers immediately returned to the war room and began to dive into the study. He Meng's overall view is impeccable, and Fan Tao is familiar with naval operations and charts, and the two seem to be perfectly matched.

He Meng recalled Deng Zixuan's words and said: "Brother Fan, if we feint to attack Panama, the United States and Britain will not have suspicions, but it cannot be ruled out that the United States' defense on the west coast will be lax. Most of the main warships of the US Pacific Fleet have withdrawn to the US mainland, so it is natural to strengthen the defense of the coastal waters. Fan Tao's head was still lying on the chart, and he said without thinking: "According to the analysis of the enemy ship's radio station we captured in Hawaii, their radio transmission skills and distance are on a par with ours, and the effective defense range is within 500 kilometers. If you concentrate on the amount of prevention, you can reach 1000 kilometers of early warning. ”

Fan Tao continued: "On an expedition to the United States, once the enemy discovers all our warships, they will desperately intercept them. The enemy's warships have deployed a large number of anti-aircraft weapons, and the combat effectiveness of our carrier-based aircraft will be greatly reduced. This will inevitably affect the speed at which we can get closer to the US mainland, and once we delay time, it will inevitably affect the landing operation? "Your question is very important, although the US Pacific Fleet has suffered heavy losses, its strength is still alive, and if the enemy fleet desperately tries to block it, it will definitely affect our speed of approaching the US mainland, and then affect the landing operation."

The two discussed the issue that night, but nothing went wrong. The first problem put the brothers in a predicament, and the next day, the two of them thought of a lot of plans and carefully analyzed various possible outcomes, but they still could not solve this problem. At dusk, He Meng was meditating alone on the deck, he looked at the vast ocean and said to himself: "Ocean warfare is completely different from land warfare, if you can divide the troops??????。 "Division? Thinking of this, He Meng's eyes suddenly lit up, and he hurriedly walked towards the cabin.

He Meng entered the war room, saw that Fan Tao was still buried in the chart, and said, "Brother Fan, I have a bold idea. You see, the focus of the defense of the US fleet is from Hawaii to the US mainland, and we can divide our troops into two routes, my thinking is this??????。 After listening to He Meng's thoughts, Fan Tao's eyes also lit up and said: "The expedition to the United States itself is a military adventure, and the enemy will definitely not think that we will secretly cross Chen Cang on the plank road, and I am in favor of dividing the troops!" Then the two of them carefully deliberated, and finally finalized the plan for dividing the troops.

The two men quickly sent a report to the headquarters, giving a detailed report to the headquarters on the difficulties that the expedition might encounter and the plan for dividing the troops. After analysis and discussion, the headquarters finally agreed to their plan. Then the two began to study the landing operation and the unfavorable situation that might arise after the landing, and a complete expeditionary plan was formed. The cover fleet needed a commander, and Fan Tao sent a telegram ordering Deng Shichang, who was at the Keelung base in Taiwan, to rush to the Hawaiian Islands. In order to strengthen the strength of the covering fleet, Wen Biao was ordered to lead two cruisers and 12 battleships to Hawaii to join the main fleet.

Half a month later the battleship arrived in Hawaii, it was already late February, and the fleet, including the landing force, was ready. On the same day, Deng Shichang and Wen Biao also arrived, and a military conference was held. (To be continued......)

PS: The tangles before the big war, for the commander is normal.