In the first 10 days of the exercise, except for the First Fleet's artillery display at the opening ceremony, the rest of the exercises were mainly related to non-combat tests and joint training with warships of other countries' navies, which had far more diplomatic significance than military significance. Moreover, during these ten days, a total of five banquets were held, which were hosted by the king of Ninghai, the first cabinet leader, the commander of the navy, Prince Eugen, and the crown prince of Persia.

Tan Renhao They are not qualified to attend these high-level banquets, they don't even have the opportunity to go ashore, most of the hotels and dormitories on the shore are provided to high-ranking officers and envoys from other countries, and these low-ranking officers, as well as non-commissioned officers and sailors, can only live on battleships. Except that the battleships came to anchor at night, did not have to withstand the wind and waves at sea, and enjoyed a relatively sumptuous dinner provided by the canteen of the Navy headquarters every night, it was not much different from wartime life.

Ten days later, the warships from other countries and the observers left one after another, and the highlight of the military exercise really began at this time. General Liao Hanxiang also came to the flagship on the morning of the eleventh day, and immediately convened a meeting of the General Staff.

"The fleet will leave port early tomorrow morning." Chief of Staff Wu Xianyu gave a briefing on the mission, "Our confrontation exercise with the First Fleet will begin the day after tomorrow, and according to the plan, the First Fleet will be covered by shore-based aviation this time, and our task is to 'annihilate' the First Fleet." Colonel Ji Xiaobin. ”

Ji Xiaobin stood up, and then Wu Xianyu's words said: "We will have one day to complete the offensive plan. Marshal Saditin will observe the entire exercise aboard the Dignity, the flagship of the First Fleet. This is the best chance to prove the strength of the Fifth Fleet, and if we can successfully complete the exercise and achieve victory, then Marshal Saditin will approve the future development plan of the fleet submitted by Commander Liao. ”

"In other words, this exercise will directly determine the fate of the Fifth Fleet." General Liao Hanxiang walked over, "Different results of the exercise will bring different fates to the Fifth Fleet. I don't have any special requirements for you, I just hope that you will stick to your post and do what a soldier of the Imperial Navy should do! ”

"Yes!" Dozens of staff officers cheered up. The Fifth Fleet has been working hard for more than a year, and now it's time to show the outside world its true strength.

Tan Renhao was still assigned to Colonel Ji Xiaobin's subordinates, and as he himself expected, Colonel Ji Xiaobin assigned him an aviation combat mission. The specific attack plan was planned by a three-person team led by Tan Renhao. The position of the three of them is very important, and the entire exercise will be centered on the attack of the Fifth Fleet, and they are the personnel who plan the attack.

The fleet left the port of Zhoushan in the morning, and Tan Renhao and they also transferred to the emperor "Taizu". The fleet's aviation combat command is located on this warship, and in addition to being able to command the aviation units more directly, there is not enough space on the "Yancheng" to accommodate the aviation combat command. Accompanied by more than a dozen escort warships, three aircraft carriers sailed to the predetermined sea area.

Nominally, the Fifth Fleet was one of the five major fleets of the Reich (the Central Fleet, under the direct command of the Reich Navy Command), but in reality, the Fifth Fleet was the smallest of the five fleets and even smaller than the other two local fleets. Even if you count all ships with a displacement of more than 500 tons, as well as logistics support vessels, the Fifth Fleet has less than 50 ships in total. The First Fleet of the five major fleets has more than 300 ships, the Second Fleet has more than 250 ships, and even the Fourth Fleet has more than 150 ships. The Fifth Fleet is the worst in terms of size alone.

It can be said that the discrimination of the Fifth Fleet is quite common, but the Fifth Fleet has a great leader, and at the same time, General Liao Hanxiang is also the soul of the Fifth Fleet. Since coming to the Imperial Navy more than ten years ago and starting to form naval aviation, Admiral Liao Hanxiang has been running around for the affairs of the Fifth Fleet. After the establishment of the Fifth Fleet, he gave up the command of the Navy and applied for the post of commander of the Fifth Fleet. Under extremely harsh conditions, Admiral Liao Hanxiang not only brought out the Fifth Fleet, but also gradually won the recognition of the officers and men of the Fifth Fleet, and he also used his strong personality charm to attract many young officers to join the Fifth Fleet.

In just a few months, Tan Renhao not only became familiar with this great general, but also deeply experienced the enthusiasm released by Liao Hanxiang, his firm belief in ideals, and his love and concern for his subordinate officers and soldiers. With such a leader, the Fifth Fleet is by no means a thing in the pool. Tan Renhao knew better that this spring military exercise would be a turning point in the fate of the Fifth Fleet, and although it had been proved several times earlier that the naval aviation and the strike fleet with aircraft carriers as the core were in a naval battle, the current exercise was decisive. To convince those who still believe that the battleship, the "sea giant", is still the future sea hegemon, the "aircraft carrier era" has arrived, then it must be proved with some more direct evidence. The best way is for the Fifth Fleet to completely defeat the self-proclaimed No. 1 First Fleet in the world.

While Tan Renhao and other staff officers were actively planning offensive operations, the ordnance officers and men on the aircraft carrier, as well as the aviation ground crew, were also busy.

Because it was a drill, it was natural that real ammunition could not be used, so all simulated ammunition was used. These simulated bombs have the same appearance and basic performance as simulated torpedoes and real ammunition, except that the warhead is not filled with ZHA medicine, but with paint. As soon as the bomb hits the battleship, the paint inside will splatter off, leaving a very visible mark. It's the same with torpedoes, as long as the battleships are concentrated, then the surrounding sea water will be dyed.

Although the Fifth Air Wing and the Fifth Fleet are two separate units, the Fifth Air Wing is under the command of the Fifth Fleet in actual operations and exercises, so these personnel are now also part of the Fifth Fleet.