At the junction of the sea and the sky in the west, a cloud with the fiery red sun was slowly submerging below the sea level, and the navigation lights on the Kaga were lit up one after another, and Yamabe saw that Tsukahara was really angry, and asked cautiously: "Your Excellency, do you want to report to Commander Yamamoto immediately?"

Tsukahara let out a long sigh and said, "Your Excellency the Commander originally went out with the confidence of victory, and we have an overwhelming advantage in the sea alone, and we still have air combat power, but-Yamabe-kun, you have worked hard, go back to eat and rest, and I will report this to the commander." ”

When Tsukahara met Yamamoto, he was dining with Koizumi. Tsukahara was afraid that it would affect the appetite of the two, so he wanted to talk about it later, but because a staff officer happened to send a report from Ishii Tomikawa, he felt that he was suspected of deception if he didn't take the opportunity to say it, so he had to say it in an extremely calm tone.

As soon as he received the report that Ishii had captured Changjiang City, the next moment he heard that the Hongcun Wing was defeated by more than 20 people, Xu is mood changed too quickly, the chopsticks in Yamamoto's hand fell on the table, his mouth was open, and he had an expression of listening to the heavens. Koizumi knew more about the Osaka Division than they did, so although he felt a little incredible, he accepted it much faster than them. He gently pushed Yamamoto and reminded in a low voice: "Your Excellency! ”

"Smack!" Yamamoto suddenly stood up and slapped the table hard, shaking the dishes, and the next moment, he roared unwillingly: "Sakagaki misunderstands me, Sakagaki misunderstands me!" Then he spat out a mouthful of hot blood with a "poof". The hot blood sprayed on the table, a shocking bright red, Tsukahara and Koizumi were frightened, and the two of them hurriedly stepped forward to help him, and said in unison: "Your Excellency, please take care!" The adjutant next to him, Yamamoto, turned pale with fright, then ran to the door and shouted out to the military doctor.

Breaking free from the support of the two, Yamamoto turned and walked to the porthole. The Kaga was surrounded by warships on the left and right, and at this time they were all holding their lights, and some soldiers were busy cleaning the warships or carrying supplies. The pain in his heart was terrible, and his brain was dizzy, but Yamamoto held on to the bulkhead to stabilize his body. Pushing away Koizumi's hand again, he said, "When did the imperial army become so vulnerable? Is this really the army of the Empire? ”

He seemed to be talking to himself, and he seemed to be asking a few people around him. Tsukahara and Koizumi glanced at each other, and the latter gritted his teeth and said, "Your Excellency, you don't have to worry so much, the Osaka Division is the only one in the whole world." The fact that the Osaka Division will be called 'the world's first abandoned division' is not a rumor that has risen out of thin air. ”

"'The world's first wrecked division'?" It was the first time Tsukahara had heard such a statement, and he muttered it softly, and suddenly realized that the title was too apt. He said to Yamamoto: "Your Excellency, although I feel very disgusting, this 'title' is really tailor-made for the Osaka Division. Your Excellency, if the Hainan raid returns in vain, the sin is not in our navy. Well, that's both a bad thing and a good thing, and when we go back, it looks like we're going to have to put in the effort to build our own Marine Corps. I think it's more appropriate to leave this matter to Koizumi-kun. ”

Yamamoto sighed and said, "I'm not busy thinking about the future, what should I do now?" There are only three wings left in our Marine Corps, and with them alone, I am afraid that it will be difficult to penetrate into the depths of Hainan. I originally thought that we could take Hainan in half a month, but now it seems that even if the strength of the student army in Hainan is limited, it will take us a month to do it. And what about the supplies? The infantry is short of strength, so we have to rely on your aviation, but at the current rate of consumption, the fuel they carry is only enough to last about ten days......"

Yamamoto was the commander-in-chief of the Hainan Campaign, and he had far more issues to consider than Tsukahara, who was only responsible for a certain part of the combat mission. In the end, if the Hainan Raiders want to reap the fruits, it is necessary to maintain the presence of sufficient ground forces. According to the pre-war assumption, the infantry of the two divisions was sufficient, but now because of the situation of the Osaka division, he did not think that the current strength of the Marine Corps alone would be able to achieve the pre-war assumption.

"Your Excellency, the Hainan strategy must not be given up halfway, if it can't be won this time, the people of China will be vigilant, and it will be even more difficult to fight in the future. I think we can ask Taiwan's detachment to send a batch of supplies over for emergency purposes first, and at the same time dispatch supply ships from Nagasaki to deliver supplies," Koizumi said anxiously when he saw that Yamamoto actually showed his intention to retreat.

Yamamoto glanced at him, then looked at Tsukahara-kun and asked, "Tsukahara-kun, what is your opinion?" ”

Tsukahara stood up respectfully, bowed his head and said: "I feel that if we can't solve the problem of the Osaka Division, there is no point in going on. Koizumi-kun, your point of view is not wrong, but you forgot that we have a small budget. If the Hainan War I costs too much, it will affect the ongoing aircraft carrier rebuilding work – is it worth it? Like Koizumi, Tsukahara is also an avid aircraft carrier triumphant, and the struggle on Yamamoto's face noticeably became more intense after he said this.

Koizumi said: "Your Excellency Tsukahara believes that there is no need to continue this battle from the perspective of cost, and I don't think this view is valid. He looked at Yamamoto and said, "Your Excellency, as I told you, Hainan not only has Shilu Iron Mine, a high-quality iron ore source, but also has rich oil and gas resources. In addition, in time, it could be turned into a rubber production base for the Empire. As long as I can win Hainan, I think no matter how big the effort is, it will be worth it. ”

Yamamoto clasped his hands and paced back and forth in front of Tsukahara and Koizumi, and after a few minutes, he stood still and looked at the two of them and said: "Although the empire's strategy for China is currently encountering obstacles, I have always thought that if the empire wants to dominate Asia and even the world, the biggest enemy is not China but the United States. Aside from the rich mineral resources, Hainan's strategic location is also extremely important. Only by occupying Hainan can we launch an offensive in Southeast Asia by sea without any worries. At this point he paused, then said forcefully: "I decide, go ahead!" Tsukahara! ”

"Your Excellency!"

"Come with me to the 'Toyama Maru' later, and I'll have a good talk with Lieutenant General Sawada."

"Hay!"

"Koizumi!"

"In!"

"It's up to you to mobilize supplies. If there is anything you don't understand about the data, you can ask Sanada Daisa. Sanada! ”

Sanada was the adjutant who had been standing with his hands bowed to the side, and he immediately responded, "Your Excellency, please rest assured, I will definitely cooperate with Koizumi-kun fully." ”

"Tsukahara, let's go!"

"Hay!"