At noon on December 25, local time, in the waters near Langlapu Atoll at the northern tip of the Marshall Islands, a huge fleet had just completed its formation and was heading for the Hawaiian Islands in the northeast with a dizzying 12-column column.

7 dock landing ships with square sterns, 17 tank landing ships with mussel bows, 30 troop carriers, 36 oil tankers, coal carriers, reefers, dry cargo ships, munitions ships, hospital ships, repair ships, harbor work ships, aircraft carriers and submarine carriers, and an escort fleet of up to 42 combat ships consisting of 2 battleships, 6 armored cruisers, 8 light cruisers, 2 water engine carriers and 24 destroyers - the total fleet is one hundred and thirty-two ships. It carried nearly 60,000 Marines and their equipment: 2,000 motor vehicles, hundreds of artillery pieces, and semi-annual provisions.

Due to the drag of the low-speed landing ships in the formation, the overall speed of the fleet was less than 10 knots, and it was scheduled to arrive on Oahu in eight days.

During this period, after completing the sweep of the waters around Oahu, the main force and the mobile force will turn back and join the landing force to coordinate the last step of this operation - landing on the Hawaiian Islands centered on Oahu.

Admiral Shen Xingyi, commander of the East China Sea Front, who was sitting on the landing force's flagship "Longwei," was standing on the upper terrace of the bridge with Admiral Liu Guanxiong, commander of the escort fleet.

Shen Xingyi couldn't help but sigh: "Ziying, the general trend of the world, Haohao soup, those who go along with it prosper, and those who go against it die, now it seems that those who follow this general trend are none other than my Heavenly Empire." ”

Liu Guanxiong smiled slightly: "Brother Sense, I can't help but be too optimistic. ”

It turned out that the two belonged to the same township, both from Fuzhou, Fujian, and they seemed more cordial when they spoke.

Although Shen Xingyi is a general, he is only forty-five years old, and Liu Guanxiong, who is one level lower in rank, is eight years older than him, but this Shen Xingyi is one of the famous "Six Little Tiger Generals" (that is, the first batch of new descendants) before the first emperor ascended the throne.

In contrast to the Army and Marine Corps, which have been in the limelight in repeated political incidents, the navy's "fleet faction" has always been isolated from political disputes and has long maintained an equal distance from all sides, so it has never really entered the center of domination. It was not until around the time of the founding of the Liu Dynasty that the Liu Yun group strengthened its co-optation and infiltration of the "fleet faction", coupled with the great prestige established in the two foreign wars, that the navy finally came out of the blue, and changed from an auxiliary role of the army to a powerful force that stood alone.

It was precisely by riding this trend that Liu Guanxiong realized his expectation of being promoted to general before the age of 50.

As an outstanding graduate of the fourth phase of the Fuzhou Shipbuilding Academy and the third phase of naval students in the former Qing Dynasty, Liu Guanxiong's talent is beyond doubt. In August 1888, shortly after returning to China with the cruiser "Jingyuan" of the Beiyang Naval Division, at the age of 27, he participated in the battle to quell the indigenous rebellion in Taiwan. After more than ten days of fighting, the rebellion was finally quelled - it can be said that Liu Guanxiong's experience of naval landing operations was actually much earlier than Shen Xingyi, who was only a student of the Naval Master Academy at that time.

Because of this, the two do not lack a common language, and they can be described as a perfect match when paired together.

was said by Liu Guanxiong to be "too optimistic", Shen Xingyi didn't mind, he had his reasons for optimism, and the confidence that he was "not blindly optimistic".

"Ziying, have you seen the secret exercises of our Marine Corps, I dare to say, the Americans would never have imagined our brand-new landing tactics - what do you think? Bulldozing Hawaii in three days won't be a problem, right? ”

Liu Guanxiong nodded with his hands behind his back: "Yes, judging from the exercise, it is indeed an amazing serial combat method, and it should be effective if it is used in actual combat - but this is not what I am worried about." ”

"Worried that you can attack but maybe you can't defend it?" Shen Xing has a heart for himself.

"Judging from the results of the first two waves of attacks by the mobile forces, I believe that the remnants of the US fleet will inevitably withdraw to the west coast in batches to preserve their strength for a future counteroffensive. The industrial strength of the United States is obviously stronger than that of the Empire, and within a year or two it will be able to replenish the lost warships, and at the same time, it will also accept the lessons of this surprise attack, strengthen the air defense of the fleet, and vigorously develop carrier-based aviation...... The real decisive moment for the outcome of the war will be a year or two later, when the empire will likely be dragged down by a long war of attrition on land and sea if it is not yet able to achieve a decisive victory on the mainland. ”

"So...... Are we going to fight to send a large army to the continental United States and take out their nests? ”

"I'll think about it after filling in the Pacific Ocean by 90 percent."

The two of them smiled wickedly.

Shen Xingyi took a step forward and patted the railing on the side of the terrace: "Look, with me, if the Americans want to recapture Hawaii, they must first prepare more than ten times as many lives - see who can consume whom!" ”

At this moment, Admiral Evanley in Pearl Harbor did not want to be consumed any longer, and after the third group of enemy planes flew away, he hurriedly rushed to the Governor's Palace by boat and car, where he met with the Governor and the commander of the garrison.

"Hey, Lobley, you can't just leave us behind!" Governor Maury begged.

Ivan Li turned his gaze to the side: "Unfortunately, I have just received an order that the fleet should immediately go back to defend the west coast. ”

"And who's going to defend Hawaii?"

"Army, General Sculley's Army will be responsible for the defense of Hawaii, General, I think you've received orders."

Lieutenant General Scowley, the commander of Hawaii's defense—a little old man with a goatee—nodded helplessly: "Yes, I received orders, but are you going to leave soon?" Evacuate them all? Nothing left? ”

"We will not and will not have time to take the contents of the warehouse on the shore, you can take them as you wish, but be careful not to leave them to the enemy. Before we go, we will destroy the docks and block the waterway with sunken ships, and your family can come with us......"

"Is the U.S. abandoning Hawaii like this?" Governor Maury let out an unpleasant wail.

"We'll be back." Ivan Lee.

"When?"

"When we can come back."

Nonsense!