The Japanese Navy did not invade the waters of Kuah Island on a large scale after the withdrawal of the US Navy, as the fighters on Kuah Island imagined.

There are two main reasons for this:

First, the Japanese army's intelligence on the US Navy was unknown, and after the Japanese army won a major victory in the "Iron Bottom Bay" naval battle, the Japanese army lost the news of the US aircraft carrier battle group, and the Japanese army always thought that the US aircraft carrier battle group was hiding somewhere in the waters near Kuah Island, and only waited for the Japanese warships to sail into the waters of Kuah Island to deal a fatal blow to the Japanese warships...... If this had been before the Battle of Midway, the Japanese would have gathered four aircraft carriers and a large number of warships to fight to the death with the US Navy.

However, because of the defeat at the Battle of Midway...... In that battle, the Japanese army sank four aircraft carriers when the Japanese army was fully superior, and only two months had passed in this battle, and the tragic loss of four aircraft carriers and a large number of excellent pilots was still fresh in my memory, which made the Japanese Navy dare not act rashly.

As a matter of fact, the Japanese Navy has not yet been willing to dispatch aircraft carriers to attack Kuah Island, and in addition to the shadow of the Battle of Midway, it hopes that the US Navy will take the initiative to attack Rabaul, so that the Japanese Navy can use aircraft carrier-based aircraft and Rabaul's shore-based fighters to cooperate with each other to defeat the US aircraft carrier with a strong advantage.

Another reason is that the United States has also deployed shore-based fighter jets in Australia, which can provide air cover for Kuah Island during the day.

Under these circumstances, the Japanese Navy believes that it is dangerous to deploy warships in the waters of Kuah Island during the day, and if it has to be dispatched during the day, it must be covered by aircraft carriers, and it is obviously not worth putting aircraft carriers in danger for the sake of the small airfield on Kuah Island, and it is not very necessary from the current point of view.

As a result, the Japanese Navy decided that the Japanese Navy warships and operations against Kuah Island would be carried out at night...... Just like the sneak attack fleet of Mikawa Junichi did. Departing in the evening, if the time is well grasped, it will be possible to drive out of the air control range of the Japanese shore-based fighters when it is dark, then reach Kuah Island, and then withdraw to the air control range of the shore-based fighters before dawn after completing the mission. In this way, the threat of US shore-based fighters and aircraft carriers can be well avoided.

It should be said that this tactic is still very correct to a certain extent, at least on the basis that the Japanese army does not want to use aircraft carriers...... But in fact, this is also the negligence of the Japanese Navy in intelligence work. If they knew that the US Navy, including the aircraft carrier battle group, had withdrawn to a port hundreds of nautical miles away to rest and recuperate, and if they knew that there were tens of thousands of Sino-US allied troops on Kuah Island that had been abandoned by the US Navy and that there was no way to retreat, then the Japanese army should have sent aircraft carriers to cover the warships and forcibly land on Kuah Island.

Then...... The Japanese army will have full air and sea supremacy near Kuah Island, and the Japanese army will continue to pour into Kuah Island one after another, and there is even a plain near the airport where the Sino-US coalition forces are stationed, which can easily be suppressed by Japanese fighters and naval artillery, so the result of this battle should be rewritten.

Luckily, none of this happened.

Due to the Japanese Navy's over-conservatism, its warships only dared to operate at night, and after completing their missions, they had to rush back to the air superiority of their shore-based fighters before dawn. As a result, the Japanese troops who landed on Kuah Island could only be transported in batches, and they also lacked supplies and heavy equipment...... This was due to the lack of a suitable landing site, and the Japanese were unable to unload large quantities of supplies and heavy equipment ashore in a short period of time, which in turn would prevent the warships from returning to safety before dawn.

Later, when the U.S. Navy learned about this mode of transportation for the Japanese Navy, it jokingly called it the "Tokyo Express". This means that the ships from the direction of Tokyo hurriedly drop people and a small amount of supplies and return as fast as possible.

The use of this inefficient way of transportation was also one of the reasons why the Japanese army finally collapsed and retreated on Kuah Island.

On the third day after the battle of "Iron Bottom Bay". Perhaps inspired by the victory in the Battle of Iron Bottom Bay, the Japanese high command ordered Hyakutake Haruyoshi to recapture Kuah Island. This task was quickly conveyed layer by layer. In the end, it fell into the hands of the 28th Infantry Wing, the commander of the 2nd Reinforced Brigade, Kiyoshi Ichiki.

As soon as Ichiki Kiyoshi Osaku heard this order, he couldn't help but jump with excitement, and he summoned a thousand elite soldiers under his command on the spot to give a lecture.

"Everyone!" Ichiki Kiyoshi said to his subordinates with confidence: "Perhaps, you have heard about the battle of our navy that defeated the US Navy in Iron Bottom Bay with only a few old ships a few days ago, so now...... We also have the opportunity to participate in this glorious battle and be immortalized in the annals of history, and we are about to be sent to the position of this naval battle. Landing on Guadalcal Island, drive out the Americans stationed on this island, and recapture the airfield that belongs to us! Let's work harder for this battle! ”

Kazuki's men cheered.

Because they were also like Kiyonao Ichiki, who took it for granted that the American fleet had been beaten away by the Japanese Navy. Then there should be very few Americans left on Kuah Island, and it is even possible that the island has been abandoned by the Americans, just waiting for them to take over.

Although almost all typical Japanese soldiers are war maniacs, it is also the wish of every Japanese soldier to participate in this glorious war and victory without sacrificing their lives.

It is reasonable for them to have this kind of thinking, because they have dealt with the Americans so many times, and the Japanese also know that the Americans value life, so the US Navy generally does not leave its troops on Kuah Island and leave alone.

But this time they were wrong, not only were there soldiers on Kuah Island, but there were many more of them than they thought.

After a short period of preparation, Ichiki Kiyonao took his men on the "Tokyo Express" to Kuah Island that night and landed at Cape Tasa****, about 30 kilometers west of Kuah Island, from the airport, and then rushed to Cape Lunga along the coast overnight...... This was clever because there were always flatter beaches near the coast, and it was much easier for troops to march here. On the other hand, it was impossible to get lost in the dark as long as they followed the coast, and they always reached the front of Cape Lunga, where the Americans were stationed.

On the way, Ichiki even took some time to do a combat training so that the soldiers could take the airport more quickly.

It's just that what Ichiki Kiyoshi doesn't know is that their army is completely in the mouth of a tiger. (To be continued.) )

PS: In the book review section, many readers said that the naval battle of "Iron Bottom Bay" in the first few chapters was for the Japanese Navy...... In fact, this is not open, the entire battle and even the casualty data are true, and it is known as the Battle of Savo Island in history.