When Liao Hongpeng escaped, it was exactly half past eleven in the evening of imperial time.

"Headmaster, haven't gone back yet?"

Gan Yongxing saw that Nie Renfeng's office was still lit, so he rushed over.

"No, there are still a few things that have not been taken care of."... bsp; Nie Renfeng took off his old glasses, "You're also working overtime today?" ”

"Yes, but it's much better than a few days ago, with General Liao Hanxiang coordinating in front, there is much less work on my side."

Gan Yongxing sat down and took out a cigarette.

"Is there any news from the front?"

Nie Renfeng is nominally the commander of the navy, but he will not directly command the navy in combat. In fact, the commander of the Imperial Navy rarely intervenes in a commanding command at the campaign level, otherwise what would the chief of staff do?

"There is no good news, two submarines have appeared in the American fleet, but both have lost contact with the base."

Gan Yongxing hesitated, "The captain of one of the submarines is Liao Hongpeng. ”

Nie Renfeng furrowed his eyebrows and put down the documents in his hand.

"Major Liao Hongpeng is the son and only son of General Liao Hanxiang."

"I know, I met him a few years ago, when he was a cadet at the Submarine Academy."

Nie Renfeng stood up, his expression had sunk, "Does Liao Hanxiang know?" ”

"No, I haven't given him the news yet."

Gan Yongxing also stood up.

"How many officers and soldiers have we sacrificed for this war, and how many families have lost their loved ones?"

Nie Renfeng sighed, "Do you need me to tell Liao Hanxiang?" ”

"Headmaster, I think General Liao will understand......"

Gan Yongxing smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Liao Hongpeng is our best submarine clearing, he has carried out twelve combat patrol missions, sunk more than 6o enemy ships and ships, and his record ranks fifth among all captains in terms of total tonnage. Originally, I wanted to transfer him back as an instructor, but he refused, and remained in the front-line troops. And was the first captain to command a new type of submarine. This was the second combat mission he commanded the new submarine, which was supposed to ......"

"Yes, such a good officer should stay."

Nie Renfeng gritted his teeth, "Don't tell Liao Hanxiang for the time being, I'll go to him after this combat mission is over." ”

Gan Yongxing nodded slightly, he didn't want to tell Liao Hanxiang the bad news, after all, it was for anyone. Losing a son in old age is the biggest misfortune, no matter how strong Liao Hanxiang is, he can't bear such a painful blow.

"Anything else?"

"No, it's okay, actually, ......"

"Sit down, let's talk!"

Nie Renfeng nodded at Gan Yongxing and sat down first, "What do you think they have a chance of winning this time with Renhao and Lei Shaoqing?" ”

"It's hard to estimate, mainly because we don't even know who the other party's commander is."

Gan Yongxing sat down and lit a cigarette. "I've read the combat mission submitted by Tan Renhao. Very adventurous and assertive. ”

Nie Renfeng smiled reluctantly, he had also read the battle plan submitted by Tan Renhao. Use Task Force 1 as bait. The second task force fought the main force, this method was indeed very risky, but Nie Renfeng did not interfere with Tan Renhao's plan. In fact, letting Gan Yongxing give power to Tan Renhao and Lei Shaoqing is Nie Renfengdi's decision, not Gan Yongxing's decision.

"Headmaster, are you really sure about them?"

Gan Yongxing also trusted Tan Renhao, but the problem was that the battle plan this time was very different from the previous one, and the naval command could not do anything. This made Gan Yongxing feel like he was out of control.

"So you say, we have a better way now?"

Nie Renfeng laughed, "Yongxing, I've watched you come up step by step over the years, and you also worked from the position of fleet commander, right?" ”

Gan Yongxing nodded, it took him more than ten years to climb to Tan Renhao's current position, and he sometimes had to envy Tan Renhao's good luck.

"Then you should know that if we tie the hands and feet of the fleet commanders, they will definitely not be able to perform well."

Nie Renfeng is like a teacher preaching. "The last time the second task force was defeated. Half of the reason is on us. Lei Shaoqing is a good seedling, maybe his performance is not as eye-catching and dazzling as Tan Renhao, but he also has the potential of an excellent fleet commander, and what he lacks is confidence and experience. The defeat last time was, to a large extent, that we limited the hands and feet of the Second Task Force, otherwise Lei Shaoqing would have probably killed the 16th Task Force instead of being seriously injured by the enemy. ”

"Headmaster, I know this, but ......"

"Do you know why I came out to carry this black cauldron? In addition to our own reasons, there is also the fact that the Imperial Navy can no longer afford to lose its talents, and let the incompetent take control of our fleet. ”

Nie Renfeng let out a long sigh, "Have you read Tan Renhao's plan, do you understand where the center of his plan is?" ”

Gan Yongxing frowned slightly and said, "Principal, do you mean that Tan Renhao intends to give credit to Lei Shaoqing?" ”

"That's exactly the case, otherwise, with Tan Renhao's character, he would let himself be a bait?"

Nie Renfeng smiled and nodded, "Tan Renhao has commanded several beautiful naval battles, and among these naval battles, it can be said that the most successful is the battle of annihilating the 17th Task Force, from his pre-battle judgment to the retreat after completing the task, it can be said that there are almost no loopholes. Even if I don't know much about aviation warfare, I know that no matter who I go to, I can't do it better than him. ”

Gan Yongxing also laughed, the battle between the 1st Task Force and the 17th Task Force was simply a classic example of aircraft carrier surprise attack warfare, and more than a dozen staunch aircraft carrier staff officers of the Navy Staff Department also made several deductions, and they all thought that it was a miracle to succeed, because in all the deductions, no one had ever succeeded!

"Again, the battle of Task Force 2 was almost as accurate as the battle to the south, and Halsey's command and judgment were very accurate. If the fighters of the 16th Task Force were as good as our fighters, and the officers and men were as good as our officers and men, then our Second Task Force would definitely be finished. ”

Nie Renfeng did not hesitate to give praise to the enemy. "Do you know why Task Force 1 and Task Force 16 were successful? The commanders of these two task forces have one thing in common, do you see it? ”

Gan Yongxing didn't answer, even if he knew, he wouldn't answer at this time, because the principal was obviously asking himself.

"Tan Renhao and Halsey have one thing in common, that is, they never take the orders from above as orders and go to the battlefield. The two of them only believe in one thing, and that is their own judgment! ”

Nie Renfeng crossed his hands, "Especially when there is a serious shortage of intelligence, they trust their own judgment more than the judgment made by the rear command organization." Moreover, both of them are extremely firm and do not easily revise their judgments. Now, let's look at it differently. If we had restricted the movement of the First Task Force at that time and did not allow Tan Renhao to lead the fleet south, what would have been the situation now? ”

"Six to five, the advantage is not in our hands."

"Yes, this is actually a problem in the high-level command of the Imperial Navy."

Nie Renfeng stood up, "The front-line commander is too constrained, always timid, and does not dare, or cannot rely on his own judgment to make decisions. And in fact, the front-line commander is more aware of the situation on the battlefield. Can we feel it in the rear? Of course not. To a large extent, our command is actually not in line with the environment of the battlefield, and it will have the opposite effect, right? ”

"Headmaster. I understand. ”

"I'm not trying to decentralize your power."

Nie Renfeng glanced at Gan Yongxing, "The position of Chief of the General Staff of the Navy is irreplaceable, but should we focus on the big picture, not on the small battles?" A person's energy is limited, and as the highest operational command organ of the Navy, the Navy's staff and ground capabilities are also limited. If we concentrate all our forces on the campaign, how can we take care of the changes in the entire battlefield? ”

"Headmaster, is that the purpose of the reform you're proposing?"

"It's just a little bit of reform."

Nie Renfeng sighed, "This reform starts with personnel. And then completely change our command system. The focus of the Navy's General Staff will be on campaign planning and the adjustment of the entire battle situation, and will be engaged in strategic deployment and mobilization in the general direction to provide support for various theaters and battlefields. Specific operational command authority will be given to the front-line commander, who will be solely responsible. Now, what Liao Hanxiang is doing is to prove that this new command system is more flexible. It is more able to wield the combat power of the Imperial Navy. Yongxing, as the chief of the general staff of the Navy, you should know where you can make the greatest contribution, instead of limiting your vision to a small battlefield, right? ”

Gan Yongxing nodded, in fact, the principal was not telling him in the name of his superiors, but teaching him in the way of a teacher. To be a good chief of the General Staff of the Navy, this is not an easy job. Gan Yongxing is in the prime of life (this is an important reason why Nie Renfeng promoted him) and is full of energy, but this does not mean that he is omnipotent. When he concentrates all his energies on such trivial matters as campaign command, it is difficult for him to make a better judgment on the grand strategic direction.

"This time, no matter what, we won more and lost less."

Nie Renfeng shifted the topic back, "From the overall situation, the First Task Force is the real hard bone. So far, the US commander must have known Tan Renhao and the First Task Force very well. Tan Renhao took the initiative to go to the front, not only to lure the main US fleet into battle, but more importantly, the first task force was more tenacious, as long as the US forward fleet could not eat him, then he could bite the enemy in turn, and it would be a fatal bite. This is Tan Renhao's idea, as long as the First Task Force can take out the forward fleet of the US army, then the main fleet of the United States has no choice. ”

That's the key to the performance of Task Force 1! ”

"There is actually nothing to worry about here on the side of the First Task Force, Tan Renhao knows what he is doing, and he also knows how much risk he is taking, in fact, what should really be worried about is the performance of the Second Task Force, especially Lei Shaoqing and Chang Jianxin."

Nie Renfeng sat down, "Do you still remember the state of Renhao after Major General Ji Xiaobin's sacrifice?" ”

Gan Yongxing nodded, he will not forget this, it can be said that it was the lowest ebb of Tan Renhao.

"Tan Renhao is very strong, so he cheered up quickly, but Lei Shaoqing is completely different from him."

Nie Renfeng's expression became serious, "Tan Renhao is the kind of person who rarely shows his heart, it can be said that he is completely two people on the battlefield and outside the battlefield. Lei Shaoqing is different, he usually gives people a very positive feeling, but he is very cautious on the battlefield. Such a person may come across as cheerful, but many times, he lacks self-confidence, especially the self-confidence to get up after failure. The last fiasco of the Second Task Force must have cast a shadow on his heart. Chang Jianxin is better than Lei Shaoqing, especially Chang Jianxin's deep inferiority complex, which will make it difficult for him to fully display his ability. If neither of us has come out of the shadows last time, then we should really be worried about the matter of Task Force 2! ”

"Shall we remind me, then?"

"There's no need for that, and it's counterproductive. If Lei Shaoqing and Chang Jianxin don't recognize their own shortcomings, it's useless for us to remind them. ”

Nie Renfeng glanced at his watch, "Don't be suspicious of employing people, don't use suspicious people." Since I gave them the command, I should trust them! ”

Gan Yongxing sighed secretly, the principal was gambling, and he handed over his gambling funds to someone else, so that others were making a big gamble for him.

"Alright, it's not too early, I should go back to sleep after I finish processing this paper."

"Headmaster, then I'll take my leave."

"Sit down, wait and go back with me, you don't have anything else to do, right?"

Nie Renfeng put on his old glasses, and then glanced at Gan Yongxing.

Gan Yongxing sat down again, anyway, he can't sleep when he goes back now, so let's wait a while.

"Actually, what we lack now is not warships, but talent."

Nie Renfeng quickly finished dealing with the official documents in his hand, "Cultivating talents is far more important than building warships. By the way, how much has Jiang Zhongmin's injury healed? Also, is there any news about Fan Peikun? ”

"Jiang Zhongmin will probably recover next month, there is no news about Fan Peikun's matter, you asked us not to interfere in this matter, so I didn't send someone to investigate."

Nie Renfeng nodded, and left the office with Gan Yongxing. Both of them lived in the general's villa area, which was very close to each other, so they often went all the way home.