December 21, 1933, 8:55 am.

The Canglong fleet aircraft carrier is about 200 nautical miles north of Oahu.

Standing in the fleet command center on the second floor of the Ship Island, after seeing a seaplane returning from reconnaissance landing smoothly on the sea, Yamamoto Iroku retracted his gaze and turned toward Chief of Staff Oshi: "Have you discovered the US aircraft carrier yet?"

"No." Oshiki Takijiro shook his head: "The seaplane sent by the light cruiser has searched a large area of ​​sea in the north, and no shadow of the US aircraft carrier is found. Will it be..."

"No! I'm sure they're there!"

Yamamoto Iroji said firmly: "Their F9C Sparrow Hawk aircraft have appeared near us twice. The range of such aircraft is absolutely impossible to exceed 500 kilometers. We are already 200 nautical miles away from Oahu. If they did not take off from an aircraft carrier, where did they take off?"

"That's right, our Yi 18 also quietly followed those small planes for nearly 200 kilometers north. Although they did not find their aircraft carriers, they are sure that these planes did not fly from Pearl Harbor, because the F9C Sparrow Hawk could not fly that far... But if the US aircraft carrier was near us and found us again, why didn't they attack? Are they deliberately luring us to the north?"

"Use an aircraft carrier as bait?" Yamamoto Iroji was stunned for a moment, walked to the chart table, looked for a while and asked, "Is there any news about the submarine deployed south of Oahu? Where did the American battleships leaving Pearl Harbor go?"

"I don't know, the submarines didn't keep up. I just knew they were sailing west."

"Yingxi? Are you trying to intercept us? Did Nanyun's battle report arrive?"

"Comrade Commander, the Second Team reported... they were air strikes by more than 200 American aircraft! The aircraft carrier Fire Dragon... was seriously damaged, and Commander Nagamo has ordered the abandonment of the ship!"

"What?! How did Natsumoto give up the aircraft carrier? He must be crazy!" Hearing that the aircraft carrier was abandoned, Yamamoto's muscles suddenly twitched, and subconsciously wanted to curse. Before he could speak, Oshiki Takijiro and Kuroshima Turtle jumped up at the same time. Oshi even grabbed the telegram from the communications officer, and after looking at it, his face was gloomy and almost dripping from water.

"Oshiki, what's going on?" Yamamoto asked in a deep voice.

Takijiro Oshiki said with a dead face: "The Commander, the Fire Dragon aircraft carrier was crashed by a B10 bomber! I didn't expect that the United States also has such an unparalleled brave man!"

"So that's it!" Yamamoto Iroji had recovered his calm. "Apart from the Fire Dragon, are the other five aircraft carriers of the Second Team still intact? Also, what was the air strike on Pearl Harbor?"

"Report." The communications consultant brought another telegram that had just been translated and shouted: "The Second Team's Battle Report!"

Everyone's ears were erect, and an aircraft carrier had already been lost. If the Americans played the trick of a plane hitting an aircraft carrier one after another, they would really pay a lot of money this time!

"The air strikes on Pearl Harbor were a success!" The communications consultant said that Yamamoto and others breathed a sigh of relief. "The air strikes severely damaged 8 American battleships, sunk 3 light cruisers, and 2 destroyers. It also destroyed Honolulu Airport and Pearl City Airport. It shot down and destroyed more than 200 enemy aircraft, and in addition, it destroyed a super-large oil depot in Pearl Harbor, igniting at least millions of tons of fuel. Now the entire Pearl Harbor U.S. base has become a sea of ​​fire! We have lost 45 Il 18 fighters, 59 Il 1 dive bombers/torpedo bombers, and 4 Il 18 and 7 Il 1 were damaged when landing."

"Onboard! Onboard... a big victory, 105 planes paralyzed the US Pacific Fleet..."

"What a miracle. There is no more maritime force in the Pacific that can confront Japan!"

Amid the cheers, Yamamoto Iroku's muscles loosened and his thoughtful expression changed. He said to himself in a slight and inexplicably: "It's a pity that it only hurts the battleship, and it can be repaired in at most 6 or 7 months... But we lost a mothership and 115 fighter jets. The pilots on it are elites! It's really... and the American aircraft carrier is still there!"

Kuroshima Turtle was closest to Yamamoto, and he heard his words without missing a word, and a confident smile appeared on his face: "Commander... The Hawaiian battle is not over yet, and we will soon discover the American aircraft carrier!"

Yamamoto was stunned, and then the Black Island analyzed it out loud: "The eight American battleships have now left Pearl Harbor. If there is nothing wrong with the submarine observation, they should be sailing west, and the purpose must be to block our way back. However, the Americans would not let their eight battleships be dispatched without air cover. Otherwise, not only will they not be able to stop us, but they will pay the battleships in, so there will definitely be US aircraft carriers accompanying them, maybe one, most likely two."

"Two ships? That north..."

"It's the third! It may be the Ranger aircraft carrier originally assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, or it may be an aircraft carrier temporarily transformed by merchant ships. The Americans placed this aircraft carrier in the Pacific waters north of the Hawaiian Islands to lure us to divide our troops and create a good opportunity to annihilate the enemy for their aircraft carriers and battleships!"

The Kuroshima Turtle analyzed it very well. Yamamoto listened seriously, his face was gloomy, but his eyes were shining. It seemed that he had seen some opportunity, but he felt that the risk was too high and he was not sure.

"... Commander, why not make a plan? The first team searches the US aircraft carrier northward, and the second team continues to launch a second wave of attacks to lure the US aircraft carriers and battleships to get closer. After the second wave of attacks, the second team will immediately go north. The first team will go south at the same time. The two sides will join forces in one place to fight against 3 US aircraft carriers and 8 US battleships!"

"Okay!" Yamamoto Izuru focused his attention, "Let's fight another battle! Generate power to Nanyun, and ask him to give up the second wave of offensive and go north to meet with the first team! Let's... go chase the US aircraft carrier in the north together!"

Kuroshima was stunned for a moment, and was about to express a different opinion. Yamamoto waved his hand and said, "Kuroshima does not have to worry that the US Pacific Fleet will avoid war. What they are showing now is the courage of no less than the best Japanese samurai. Such enemies will not escape with their tails. Moreover, the oil depot of Pearl Harbor has been destroyed. Once they escape, they will have to stay on the east coast of the United States in the next few months and watch us dominate the Pacific!"

"Tell the Second Fleet, the Third Fleet, and start the second phase of the Z plan!"

...

U.S. Pacific Fleet Interim Command.

"According to the current situation we have, the Japanese fleet attacking Pearl Harbor had dozens of ships, including 10 large aircraft carriers, without battleships or battlecruisers. There were 4 heavy cruisers, 10 light cruisers and at least 20 destroyers, and the combined transport ships and tankers did not exceed 6. According to Lieutenant General Schott, a b10 bomber of the Army Aviation crashed a Canglong-class aircraft carrier, and four other Japanese aircraft carriers were damaged to varying degrees. One heavy cruiser was severely damaged and one destroyer sank, including the losses on Oahu. Our side lost more than 300 aircraft in total. About 120 enemy aircraft were shot down..."

"300 aircraft plus 8 main battleships were severely damaged, and they also used 4 million tons of fuel and half a Pearl Harbor to get 1 aircraft carrier, 1 heavy patrol, 1 destroyer and 120 enemy aircraft...there were heavy losses!"

After hearing the report from Major General Short, the commander-in-chief of the Hawaiian Army, Yanel couldn't help but gasp and his head began to hurt severely again.

His head was hit by a falling electric fan just now when the Pacific Fleet Command was hit by a Japanese plane. According to the military doctor, he might have a concussion and asked him to rest for a few days... But is it time to rest now? The 8 battleships of the Pacific Fleet were blown upside down, and an oil depot with 4 million tons of fuel exploded. Now half of the Pearl Harbor base is almost engulfed! If you don't find a way to get the venue back, your Pacific Fleet Commander-in-Chief will be over. You can stay at home for a long time!

Compared with personal honor and disgrace, the United States' unfavorable start in this world war made him extremely anxious. Since the world war, the strength of the military forces of various countries participating in the war seems to be very clear. The strongest one must be the Soviet Union, almost a one-on-one challenge to the entire capitalist world! Although he suffered some losses in the battle with Germany and China, it was because the Soviet army was too dispersed. If China and Germany wanted to fight the Soviet Union alone, they would probably have been flattened now! The military forces of China and Germany ranked second. The former eliminated hundreds of thousands of Red Army in the two Battles of Central Asia and the latter.

The results of Lan and the Balkans were also quite good. Britain's military strength was even weaker. It was defeated by the Soviet Red Army in the Middle East and India. However, it performed well in the Okinawa Naval Battle in July last year. It was not too ugly when it was attacked by the Japanese Joint Fleet...at least it was much better than the current US Pacific Fleet! Japan was almost the weakest participant. First, it was defeated by the Chinese vassal state North Korea, and then by the Chinese and British navies in the Okinawa Navy. The joint fleet hid in the old nest for half a year and did not dare to come out to see people!

But no one expected that these Japanese people had just recovered from their injuries and once they came out, they beat the US Navy, which is known as the world's largest maritime power, to the forefront. Even Pearl Harbor, the Pacific Fleet's nest, was almost burned to pieces! How could the United States of America have the face to be on the world stage in the future?

"Admiral, we still have the power to counterattack. Lieutenant General Brock just called, and the First Battleship Detachment and the First Aircraft Carrier Team have successfully joined forces. Do you want to order Lieutenant General Brock to launch a counterattack?" Kimmel next to him whispered. The first unlucky guy in the Pearl Harbor incident in history has made good luck in this time and space. Lieutenant General Harold Stark, the chief of staff of the Pacific Fleet, was seriously injured in the plane crashing building just now, and is still lying in the hospital unconscious. So he, the colonel chief of staff of the battleship unit, temporarily served as the chief of staff of his Pacific Fleet! If he performs well, he can remove the "temporary" and his rank will immediately become a major general, so he really wants to fight this battle.

"How is the loss of Pearl Harbor?" Yanel did not respond to Kimmel positively, but asked about the situation at Pearl Harbor.

"The fire has been basically controlled, but the oil depot and the oil dock have been completely destroyed. 4 million tons of fuel cannot be saved. The No. 1 and No. 2 ammunition depots were also exploded and affected the naval factory. However, several dry docks were intact." Major General Short, who was responsible for commanding all the ground troops, reported with a sad face. Obviously, his career has ended here, and maybe he will be demoted and forced to retire after being forced to do so. It is really unlucky!

"Admiral, Pearl Harbor will be abandoned for at least 10 months, and the Pacific Fleet's home port may be moved back to San Diego," Kimmel reminded.

Yanel understood what Jinmel meant that the oil depot of Pearl Harbor was destroyed. All fuel reserves were lost, so it could not serve as the home port of the Pacific Fleet. Once this large fleet started, it would be an oil tiger, and it consumed tens of thousands of tons of fuel every day. There was no large oil depot filled with millions of tons of fuel. Who dared to put the home port of the fleet at Pearl Harbor? If the Japanese came to siege and blockade, the entire fleet would otherwise become scrap iron lumps.

"How long will our fuel last?" Yanel asked.

"It won't last long. After the battle, the fleet must be transferred, otherwise the fleet's fuel supply will be at risk of interruption. So..."

Kimmel said a few words. Yanel reached out to stop him, and then showed a solemn expression. The commander of the Pacific Fleet was determined, and he wanted to take advantage of his still sitting in this seat to fight another battle for the United States!

...

"Lieutenant General, two Japanese aircraft carrier formations have been round about 180 nautical miles north of Oahu!"

Nimitz hurriedly walked into the bridge of the USS Pennsylvania battleship and handed over the telegram he had just received to Lieutenant General Brock, the newly formed commander of the 1st Special Mixed Fleet. Nimitz was the commander-in-chief of the US Pacific Fleet during World War II. His official position is the captain of the USS Augusta heavy cruiser. However, since Kimmel, the chief of staff of the battleship force, stayed in Pearl Harbor to act as Chief of Staff of the Pacific Fleet, he was called on Pennsylvania to temporarily serve as Lieutenant General Brock's Chief of Staff.

"I also received a telegram from the Fleet Command, which ordered us to go north to find the main force of the Japanese fleet to fight." Nimitz took out another telegram and handed it to Brock.

"Decisive battle? Isn't this the reason why we left Pearl Harbor?" Brock took the telegram and looked carefully, then turned around and asked Nimitz: "Col. Do you have any plans?"

Nimitz walked to the edge of the chart table, picked up a baton and pointed the location of the Japanese fleet: "Lieutenant General, if we have any advantages, it is to know the general position of the Japanese fleet... and they seemed to be confused by two air aircraft carriers. They thought that the Sparrow Eagle fighter that harassed them was sent from the aircraft carrier, so they kept searching northward. This gave us a chance to attack. I suggest forming a formation with three aircraft carriers as the core, attacking alone, and launching an air strike before dark."

After hearing Nimitz's plan, Brock was a little stunned and immediately asked: "Where are those eight battleships? Did you attack overnight to find the Japanese fleet to fight to the decisive battle?"

"The battleship retreats southward and leaves the battlefield." Nimitz shook his head and said.

"Why?" Brock's eyes widened.

"Because it is useless, Lieutenant General, I don't think we have the opportunity to use battleships to attack Japanese aircraft carriers. The North Pacific is too vast, and the speed of Japanese aircraft carriers is not slow. One night is not enough for the battleship troops to find each other. If we wait until dawn, our eight battleships will be very dangerous."

"But can our Lexington, Saratoga and the British bravery defeat their at least nine aircraft carriers?"

Nimitz shook his head: "I'm afraid not, Lieutenant General, the two air battles this morning have already shown the problem. Our f2a cannot beat their I18, especially their pilots are better than ours!"

"That was helped by the Russians, all veterans who came from the battlefield of world wars. Of course, our people are not as good as that!" Lieutenant General Brock waved his hand, "I have rejected this plan. You won't have only one plan, right? Colonel."

"I have another alternative." Nimitz paused, looked at Brock with a bright look, and said in a deep voice: "Lieutenant General, this alternative is likely to ruin your future..."

Brock glanced at Nimitz with a faint look. "Chester, do you think I joined the US Navy to be an official?"

"Of course not, Lieutenant General."

"Then let's talk about your alternative."

"Okay." Nimitz glanced at Haitu and took a deep breath and said, "The alternative is to be passively beaten! The first special mixed fleet headed north and approached the main force of the Japanese fleet from the south, but did not send carrier-based aircraft air strikes. Instead, let the enemy's planes bomb..."

"Chester, you mean..."

"Swap warships for aircraft!" Nimitz said gritting his teeth: "Lieutenant General, I think the combat effectiveness of the Japanese Navy is not based on their 9 to 10 aircraft carriers, nor on the Il-18 and Il-1 aircraft provided by the Soviet Union, but on the nearly 900 outstanding Soviet pilots! In the battle this morning, at least 100 Soviet pilots were killed or captured! If we can fight another 200 in the battle this afternoon and tomorrow, it will be completely worth it even if we lose one or two battleships!"

Lieutenant General Brock was stunned when he heard this, and looked at Nimitz firmly and said, "100 pilots exchanged for one battleship? Do you think such a transaction will not lose money?"

"No loss! Lieutenant General, because we have 30 battleships (more than in history), Japan does not have 3,000 excellent pilots!" (To be continued...)
Chapter completed!