When the urgent news came, Tan Renhao was still sleeping, he was called by a staff officer, and then rushed to the command cabin, Hao Dongjue was already processing the news he received.

"I just received information that the submarine No. 1O9 has a U.S. fleet in the waters northwest of Midway."

"When did it appear?"

Tan Renhao immediately took the message.

"Yesterday, but the news only came out today, the base has lost contact with the submarine, and,"

Hao Dongjue hesitated for a moment, "You know the captain of the submarine." ”

"I know?"

Tan Renhao frowned, he didn't know a few submarine captains.

"It's your brother-in-law Liao Hongpeng."

Tan Renhao was taken aback. "What did you say?"

"The captain of the submarine No. 1O9 is Major Liao Hongpeng, who encountered this American fleet yesterday and only sent a telegram today. Judging by the content of the message, the US fleet should have stayed in the waters near Midway, and I am afraid that it has not left until now! ”

Tan Renhao sat down, he and Liao Hongpeng have only met so many times, he knows very well that although Liao Hongpeng is the commander of the submarine force, his temper is very similar to his Lao Tzu, they are the kind of people who do what they say and dare to do anything. He dragged on for a day to get the telegram out, which already proved to be a crisis. And the submarine could only continue to dive for a day or two, and now he was in a hurry to send out the telegram, apparently at the last moment.

"The U.S. fleet stayed there for a day, presumably to resupply, and the waters northwest of Midway were an ideal anchorage. Judging by this incomplete message, there are at least three aircraft carriers in it......"

"I know,"

Tan Renhao stood up, "Is there any other news?" ”

"This is a telegram from the return of submarine project 152."

Hao Dongjue sent another telegram to Tan Renhao, "They have another U.S. fleet about 15o nautical miles southwest of Midway, and it is confirmed that there are aircraft carriers and capital ships in it, the number is unknown." Subsequently, the submarine also lost contact with the base. ”

Tan Renhao bit it, the officers and men on these submarines are completely using their own sacrifices to ensure the victory of the fleet. As a matter of fact. Not all submarines that lost contact were sunk. At the time of the "First Battle of the Marianas", three submarines miraculously sailed back after losing contact with the base. One of the submarines returned to the base more than a month later, when the submarine was no longer able to dive, and the officers and men sacrificed more than a dozen people and almost sank. Of course, this kind of thing rarely happens, and more than eighty percent of submarines that suddenly lose contact with the base do not come back!

"Two fleets?"

"Yes. Two fleets, one in the south and one in the north. ”

Hao Dongjue marked the location of the two fleets on the chart. "Judging by the current situation, this fleet to the south is sailing westward at about 12 knots, about the same as the cruising of American battleships. The one to the north was in the process of resupplying, but it was almost finished. If this fleet is based on aircraft carriers, its cruising degree is about 18 knots, and it can quickly catch up with the fleet in front. ”

Tan Renhao looked at the chart for a while, and then sighed. Although the information available now is still very limited. But it is enough to explain the intentions of the US military. It's similar to Hao Dongjue's original guess. The United States is ready to use battleship formations as bait, and there is probably one aircraft carrier among them, perhaps the current "Enterprise". And the fleet, now gathered northwest of Midway, has three aircraft carriers. The USS Saratoga and Yorktown, which had arrived from the West Coast of the United States, certainly did not enter Pearl Harbor. The question is how did the "Hornet" slip out? Maybe. The submarines that were lying in ambush outside Pearl Harbor did not have the "Hornet" at all.

"Ren Hao, what tactics do you think the U.S. military is using now?"

Tan Renhao didn't rush to speak, he was still thinking. The U.S. fleet made it clear that it was operating in two parts, and the purpose was clear. The main force of the American fleet is in the north, but the question is, is the submarine telegraph reliable? What if there are three aircraft carriers in the southern fleet, and no aircraft carriers in the northern ground fleet, or only one aircraft carrier?

Hao Dongjue leaned on the chart table. "What, what are you worried about?"

"Nothing."

Tan Renhao smiled reluctantly, then stood up straight, "I'm thinking, how to fight this battle." ”

"Does that need to be said? The soldiers will block, and the water will flood. ”

Hao Dongjue took out a cigarette, "What, do you have any other ideas?" ”

"Is there any intelligence on the commander of the American fleet?"

Tan Renhao took the cigarette and didn't rush to light it.

"Not yet, maybe Nimitz really started the newcomer this time. So we don't have any news about the American task force right now. ”

Tan Renhao nodded slightly, and lay on the chart table again. "Let the reconnaissance planes of the Navy and Luo Yunchong search the eastern sea as much as possible, and follow the US fleet's advance at 22 knots and 12 knots, and carry out a dragnet repeated search in the sea areas that may appear in the next few days, and we must find this fleet!"

After speaking, Tan Renhao smashed his fist on the chart. Hao Dongjue glanced at it, and Tan Renhao was referring to the American fleet to the south.

"And what about this fleet to the north?"

Hao Dongjue frowned and glanced at his partner.

"Defeat their fleet in the south, and you can force the fleet in the north to fight!"

Tan Renhao pointed on the chart, "It is very likely that these two fleets will act separately, so find this fleet in the south as soon as possible, we will take the initiative to attack, and after defeating it, we will immediately turn around and flee, and prepare for defense." If this fleet in the north attacks, then their position will be exposed soon, and at that time, it will depend on Shaoqing's actions! ”

"Shouldn't we move a little east, then?"

Hao Dongjue marked a range on the chart, "Now Lao Lei and they are stuck in the archipelago, and the active sea area is not large. If, according to your analysis, the main US fleet is very likely to be in the northeast direction, if the second task force cannot come out, they are very likely to be outside the strike range of carrier-based aircraft, and it will be difficult to do it then! ”

Tan Renhao nodded slightly, he was not in a hurry to make a decision.

Hao Dongjue's analysis is not wrong. If the main U.S. aircraft carrier fleet is in the northeast, then the second task force will be difficult to attack from its current position and must move forward. The aircraft carrier battle is only a matter of a few hours, and if the second task force cannot move forward in time, it will be difficult to attack in time. But the problem is two-sided. The basis for the second task force to move forward is that the main US aircraft carrier fleet is in the northeast direction, so that the second task force can attack first, but the problem is. It's just a guess, a guess without any evidence. If the main aircraft carrier fleet of the United States is not in the northeast direction, then the second task force will most likely be hit first after it moves forward, and this result will definitely be painful!

"Our position shifted 15o nautical miles to the east."

Tan Renhao made a decision, he marked the new patrol area on the chart, "try to arrange reconnaissance planes to search the sea area within the 18o degree fan to the east of us." The reconnaissance radius is set at 25o nautical miles, which should be the ultimate combat radius of American carrier-based bombers. Also, will the weather change these days? ”

"After four days, the weather will gradually improve, and the fifth may be a sunny day, especially in the eastern sea, the sky should be clear."

"It seems that the commander of the US military is also very aware of the changes in the weather!"

"The U.S. military has a weather station on Wake Island, and they should be more aware of how the weather changes."

Tan Renhao laughed, the factor of weather often leads to some unexpected results. Judging by the actions of the American fleet. They also take into account the weather. Maybe. This naval battle will change dramatically due to weather factors.

"Do you want Task Force 2 to ......?"

"Don't worry, we still have two days."

Tan Renhao walked back and forth in the command cabin a few times, "Dongjue." Do you think the main aircraft carrier fleet of the US military will appear in the northeast? ”

"It's the most likely."

Hao Dongjue thought for a while, and then drew two arcs on the chart with the help of the scale. "The sea area in the middle is a blind spot for long-range reconnaissance aircraft to patrol the ground, and behind these two arcs, there is at least 5oo nautical miles of the sea area that our reconnaissance planes can rarely reach, and the search range is less than 50%. The U.S. fleet has half a chance to pass through this sea without being seen by us. The weather will get worse for the next three days, and the north of the sea knows that it won't clear until about the sixth day. It is entirely possible that the U.S. fleet will use the weather as a cover to quickly move north and enter this sea area. Then lurk and stand by. As long as we are defeated, they will kill us. At that time, if the second task force remained in the central waters of the archipelago, it would not be able to help at all! ”

"It's all just speculation!"

"But what can we do now but guess?"

Hao Dongjue glanced at Tan Renhao, "We don't have more information, we don't have more news, we can't do anything except guess!" ”

Tan Renhao gritted his teeth. This is the last thing he wants to see. The location of Task Force 1 was exposed, at least the fleet's frequent radio activity had long been discovered by the U.S. military. In the past, he hid in the shadows, ready to give his opponent a fatal blow, but now he is the opposite, staying in the light, waiting for the opponent's fatal blow. It's like a prisoner who has been sentenced to death but doesn't know when he was executed.

"Task Force 2 must be followed behind our butts, at least at northeast level!"

"Well, immediately telegraph to Task Force 2 and let them maneuver to our northwest seas, keeping the distance between the two fleets at ......"

Tan Renhao hesitated slightly, "About one hundred and twenty nautical miles, you can't get any closer, and enter a state of radio silence, don't report it easily, we will inform them in time!" ”

Hao Dongjue let out a sigh and immediately called the communications staff officer and sent the telegram.

Tan Renhao was still very uneasy, and what made him most uneasy was the performance of the Second Task Force, as well as the commander of the US military who he didn't know. Thinking about it, Tan Renhao suddenly laughed. He felt that he was a little unfounded, now that the army was overwhelmed, it was useless to worry, it was better to cheer up and fight the enemy to the end!

"What, figured it out?"

After Hao Dongjue gave the order to the staff officer, he looked at Tan Renhao smirking there, and asked.

"No, I'm going to sleep."

Tan Renhao said as he walked towards the door of the command cabin, "Call me again when there is news, in addition, contact Hainan Airlines and Luo Yunchong, finding the American fleet is the first key point, understand?" ”

Hao Dongjue nodded, he didn't understand, didn't Tan Renhao just wake up, why did he go to sleep again?

At this time, Liao Hongpeng's life in front of him was not so easy. After venturing to the surface (only sticking the antenna out of the sea) to telegraph out, his location was soon revealed.

"Depth charges, port side!"

As soon as the listener's words were shouted, the submarine shook violently, and muffled explosions rang out one after another. The red lights in the submarine flickered, and then a stream of water erupted from the upper pipe. The first mate immediately rushed over and tightened the high-pressure pipe that had been loosened.

"Report the damage!"

"No damage, everything is normal!"

"Depth charges, again, starboard!"

"Ten more meters!"

Liao Hongpeng clenched the handrail next to him, he glanced at the depth gauge, it was already 155 meters, and the maximum diving depth was exceeded, but the destroyers above his head just refused to let them go.

The depth charge exploded violently on the starboard side of the submarine, and although it did not hit the submarine directly, the shock wave of the explosion was even more violent in the sea, and the submarine was like a log suspended in the sea, shaken from side to side by the impact.

"Captain, the front cabin is flooded, we can't hold on anymore!"

"Close the watertight doors, close all the watertight doors!"

The first mate shouted ahead and rushed in the direction of the bow.

The front compartment is a torpedo compartment, and the "C" type submarine has a total of eight sub-compartments, if only one compartment is flooded, the submarine will not sink, but if two compartments are flooded, then the submarine will be doomed.

"It's okay, even if the watertight door is closed!"

The first mate ran back panting, soaking wet.

Liao Hongpeng nodded, and the officer in the command cabin was closing the watertight door.

"Captain, the destroyer seems to be adding!"

"Plus?"

Liao Hongpeng immediately picked up the spare headphones. Indeed, the two destroyers overhead were leaving. He glanced at the listener in surprise, then gave the first mate the headphones. "What is the enemy doing?"

The first mate was also puzzled, the submarine was only one step away from being finished, but now the enemy suddenly stopped attacking, what was this doing?

"Restore the balance of the bow, let's go up and have a look!"

This time, no one objected to Liao Hongpeng's adventurous decision, the oxygen on the submarine ran out two hours ago, if it weren't for the emergency oxygen candle, they would have been finished a long time ago, and now they must go up for ventilation!