Early the next morning, Tan Renhao went to the theater headquarters alone, and Yan Guozhong also rushed back the night before, and it seemed that he had not rested all night, and when Tan Renhao arrived, he was having breakfast.

"General Yan, I'm really sorry to disturb you at this time."

"It's okay, it's okay, sit down, have you had breakfast?" Yan Guozhong immediately stood up, and then called the adjutant by the door in, "Go and help General Tan get an early." By the way, what do you want to eat? ”

"Whatever." Tan Renhao is not easy to refuse Yan Guozhong's hospitality.

The adjutant didn't ask much, and immediately went out to get breakfast for Tan Renhao.

"Renhao, now you can become a legend." Yan Guozhong took out a cigarette while holding it in his hand, "In the past few days, not only the chief of the general staff and the marshal have called, but even the prime minister has personally called to ask about the fleet and the situation of several of you. In a few days, the Imperial Propaganda Department will send a group of reporters to report on this battle! ”

"Press Corps!?" Tan Renhao immediately looked at Yan Guozhong in surprise, what are those people with cameras doing on the front line?

"Yes, there are about 50 reporters organized by dozens of major news agencies, newspapers, radio stations, etc. This was specially approved by the Prime Minister, and in addition to reporting on the heroic fighting of the Imperial Navy, it was also necessary to report on the situation of the two captured American battleships. Yan Guozhong smiled and shook his head, "This matter also gives me a headache, you said that these reporters have nothing to do if they eat too much, what are they doing when they go to the front line?" They reported on the situation in the country and the living conditions of the common people in the rear, and after the officers and men learned about the situation in their hometowns. The enthusiasm for combat will also increase a lot, and now that they have gone to the front line, I really don't know if those reporters are not afraid of death. Still thinking that he will not be killed by a stray bullet. ”

Tan Renhao reacted at this time, and it turned out that the focus of this "interview" should be on the two US battleships. That's good, too. At least the vast majority of Navy officers and sailors don't like those reporters very much.

"I have arranged a special person to be responsible for this matter, and the press corps will come over in two days, so don't worry, I won't come to trouble you." When Yan Guozhong saw Tan Renhao's expression, he immediately laughed. "The marshal has sent a telegram asking you to return to the naval command as soon as possible. The affairs of the fleet will be handed over to Hao Dongjue for the time being, and the first task force will also rush back to Naha Port as soon as possible. Someone will take care of other things. ”

"Let's go back to Naha?" Tan Renhao was shocked again, he had always thought that the First Task Force would be immediately assigned to Guam, not to the Naha base.

"Yes, the fleet will depart by tomorrow morning at the latest. I've got people ready for supplies. ”

"Why do you want us to go back to Naha?" Tan Renhao couldn't help but ask directly, "If the Fourth Task Force is left in the Southwest Pacific Theater, then we should go to Apra Port."

Instead of going to the port of Naha. ”

"This ......," Yan Guozhong hesitated for a moment and said, "The Fifth Task Force has already left Songjiang. Traveling to the Lion City and arriving in Cape Town by the end of next month, so ......"

"The British Navy went south?"

Yan Guozhong nodded slightly. "It's not very clear exactly what happened, just know.

More than ten days ago, the expeditionary fleet of the British Navy left Peutsmouth and should now be sailing south. Originally, the chief of the General Staff wanted to deploy the Fifth Task Force to Liao Hanxiang's side, but the marshal finally revised this arrangement and strengthened the last two small aircraft carriers to the Fifth Task Force, so that Jiang Zhongmin could rush to Cape Town as soon as possible and cooperate with Admiral Weng Yiming to meet the British Expeditionary Fleet. ”

Tan Renhao sighed secretly, but the British Navy still sent an expeditionary fleet according to the plan. This invisibly dispersed the forces of the Imperial Navy. If Task Force 5 had remained in the Pacific Theater, the Imperial Navy's superiority in the Pacific Theater would have been expanded to the point that the U.S. Navy would not be able to defeat. At that time, the Fifth Task Force will be able to block the US attack in the Central Pacific, and with the support of the First Task Force and the Fourth Task Force, Yan Guozhong will be able to quickly complete the offensive operations in the southwest Pacific, and before the Army commits troops to the Pacific Theater, the Navy may even launch an attack on the Hawaiian Islands in advance. In this way, the situation on the ground in the Pacific theater was decided. Now that Task Force 5 has been sent to the South Atlantic, the Imperial Navy has to adopt a two-front approach, strengthening the offensive forces in the Southwest Pacific Theater and perhaps launching an offensive in the Central Pacific Theater.

And this time the chief of the general staff let the first task force return to Naha The reason is very simple, if the Imperial Navy decides to attack in the direction of the Central Pacific, then the first task force must be the main force, and before that, Liao Hanxiang needs time to organize forces and adjust the defensive line. Task Force 1 could also use this opportunity to take a breather and prepare for the attack. Of course, this can also restore the combat effectiveness of Task Force 1 to its peak state.

"And what about the Pacific Southwest?" Tan Renhao pondered for a while, and then asked. If both the Rector and the Chief of the General Staff decide to launch a counterattack in the Central Pacific, there is no doubt that offensive operations in the Southwest Pacific will be affected.

"In the two days before you came back, I went to Port Moresby to have a look."

At this time, the adjutant sent Tan Renhao in early.

"Let's eat first, let's talk while we eat."

Tan Renhao is not welcome, he is indeed F4U broken. Yan Guozhong also began to eliminate his own share of the morning, and at the same time told his actions in the past two days, as well as the general plan for the next stage of the operation.

When the U.S. Navy strengthened the strength of the Southwest Pacific Theater, the U.S. ground forces in Port Moresby launched a frantic attack on the Tang Imperial Marines entrenched in the periphery, and in more than a month, the two sides launched dozens of fierce battles, and the battles were extremely fierce, and the Imperial Marines were forced into a desperate situation several times, especially after the Fourth Task Force left the western part of the Coral Sea, and the American fleet bombed Tagura, the battle in Port Moresby was extremely unfavorable to the Imperial Marines. But the U.S. military was not able to drive the Imperial Marines out of the sea at this time.

At the end of the "Battle of the Coral Sea," the large-scale offensive of the US forces also stopped, and quickly switched from offensive to defensive. Start building a line of defense. The situation was already very clear, the Tang Imperial Navy controlled the Coral Sea, and it was already very difficult for MacArthur to send reinforcements to Port Moresby. The U.S. forces were no longer able to defeat the Tang Imperial Marines. It was at this time that Yan Guozhong went to Port Moresby, in addition to encouraging the soldiers. In addition to boosting the morale of the troops, he issued a new order to the front-line troops, and as soon as reinforcements and supplies arrived, the Marines launched a general offensive to complete the capture of Port Moresby by mid-September.

In order to be able to achieve this. Yan Guozhong had already prepared four divisions of the Marine Corps and prepared a large fleet, and immediately after the Fourth Task Force had completed its rest, he set off with the Fourth Task Force and headed for Port Moresby. At that time, Task Force 4 will be responsible for providing air and artillery support to the Marines, while the Marines will launch an all-out offensive to complete the operation to capture Port Moresby.

"And what about the New Hebrides?" Tan Renhao finished eating breakfast and went to make himself tea. He knew that Yan Guozhong usually didn't drink tea after meals, so he didn't prepare it for Yan Guozhong.

"The offensive to the New Hebrides will begin in late September." Yan Guozhong took out a cigarette. His habit is to smoke one after a meal. "The concrete plan is still being revised and refined, and in fact, what we lack now is not the Marine Corps, nor the landing fleet. Not to mention the transport fleet, the naval aviation side has long been prepared, and the strategic strike force can even immediately deploy hundreds of heavy bombers to Kuah Island and Makila Island, but the problem is that we lack a fleet. Task Force 4 had to remain on the side of Port Moresby, and the capture of Port Moresby was more important than the attack on the New Hebrides. If Task Force 1 stays, or even Task Force 3 can continue to fight, then we can launch an attack on the New Hebrides now! ”

Tan Renhao smiled and shook his head, it was obvious that Yan Guozhong was also very dissatisfied with the arrangement of the First Task Force to be transferred from the Southwest Pacific Theater.

"There should be plenty of time, at least, at the beginning of next year, the problem of conquering the New Hebrides will not be huge." Tan Renhao didn't know what to say, "Moreover, the U.S. military is now adjusting the defensive line, I'm afraid that it won't be long before the Port Moresby side will be defeated, and when the Fourth Task Force moves to the New Hebrides, the attack time should be earlier." ”

"Hopefully, if we really want to make sure that the offensive on the Australian continent is going to go smoothly, we will not only take the New Hebrides, but also New Caledonia." Yan Guozhong sighed, "It's only half a year before the planned attack on Australia, and within this half year, whether we can defeat New Caledonia depends on whether we can block the next round of counterattacks by the US army at the beginning of next year. ”

Tan Renhao didn't answer, and the meaning of Yan Guozhong's words was very clear. The U.S. Navy will acquire a new batch of warships by the beginning of next year at the latest, and judging from the ground intelligence obtained, the U.S. Navy expanded the scale of training for recruits as early as the beginning of 25 years, and extended the training period for recruits from four months to six months. This is the only way for the US Navy to improve the quality of its troops.

This also means that the US Navy is very likely to launch another strategic counterattack in the first quarter of next year. Regardless of which direction the U.S. military chooses to counterattack, the result will affect the Empire's attack on Australia. In other words, whether the Imperial Navy can continue to maintain strategic superiority at the beginning of next year will directly determine whether it can land on the Australian mainland.

"You can only do your best." Yan Guozhong didn't complain any more, "If the attack on Port Moresby and the attack on the New Hebrides can be successfully completed, then we still have time to attack New Caledonia." As long as the encirclement of the Australian mainland is completed, it will not be too difficult to land in Australia. ”

"Huang Xiaotian is an excellent commander, he will not let you down."

"I know this, if I used to think that his ability was lacking, then after this battle, I think Huang Xiaotian is already a very good fleet commander." Yan Guozhong laughed, "Moreover, he has been fighting in the southwest Pacific Ocean before, and he knows the situation here very well, and this time the Fourth Task Force will cooperate with us in attacking, it shouldn't be a big problem." ”

"I have asked Chang Jianxin to keep all the ships that can continue to fight in the third task force, plus the original artillery bombardment formation of the fourth task force, except for the fact that it is a little worse in terms of aircraft carrier strength, the strength of the fourth task force is not below that of the first task force.

Tan Renhao also laughed, "So, we don't have to worry about the battle in the southwest Pacific." If we can win again in the Central Pacific, crush the Fifth Fleet. And we have one more aircraft carrier that is about to enter service, and it will definitely be replenished to the second task force immediately. When the time comes, it is very likely that Task Force 2 will stay in the Central Pacific, and Task Force 1 will move to the Southwest Pacific, and maybe, before you attack the New Hebrides, I will be able to lead Task Force 1 to rush over. ”

"I hope so." Yan Guozhong stood up, "You can leave tomorrow morning, I will help you arrange the plane, arrange the affairs of the fleet today, and talk to Huang Xiaotian when you have time." ”

Tan Renhao smiled and nodded, then stood up. "I'll talk to Huang Xiaotian about it.

General Yan, then I'll leave first. ”

After returning to the fleet, Tan Renhao first found Hao Dongjue, who was arranging the daily rest of the fleet, and first deployed the task of the fleet.

"You're going back to Zhoushan?"

"Yes, so the fleet will be in your command. Leave Lae early tomorrow morning, and the resupply work must be completed in time. Tan Renhao glanced at the officers and soldiers who were resting on the dock, "In addition, send the news to the officers and soldiers, let the officers and soldiers return to the battleship at night, and when they arrive in Naha, let's rest again." ”

Hao Dongjue sighed. "Let's deal with Spruance this time?"

"I don't know, General Yan Guozhong is only responsible for delivering the word, I haven't contacted the headquarters yet, maybe there are other arrangements." Tan Renhao also sighed, "Where is Huang Xiaotian now?" ”

"Definitely on his flagship, Task Force 4 lost two small aircraft carriers, and more than a hundred fighters, and he must be busy writing a battle damage report."

Tan Renhao glanced in the direction where the Fourth Task Force was anchored, he hadn't finished the battle damage report of the First Task Force.