Staff Officer Bai from the Operations Section hurriedly walked into the office and placed a telegram on Gao Hongming's desk.
"Oh, Lao Chi, are you willing to pay me back?"
Gao Hongming took the telegram, glanced at it, and said "huh".
"Commander Fletcher of Task Force Seventeen was dismissed? Rear Admiral Spruance was replaced?"
Seeing Gao Hongming's frown, Staff Officer Bai quietly walked out of the office and closed the door without asking any more questions.
After a long time, Gao Hongming raised his head and said helplessly: "How could I forget this? Fletcher is a famous aircraft carrier killer."
Before the time travel, although Gao Hongming majored in history and had some research on the history of World War II, he was not a god, so it was naturally impossible for him to remember everything clearly, so it was inevitable to make some oversights.
It turned out that he didn't remember Fletcher's dismissal from his post at all. It wasn't until Chi Yaohui sent the telegram that he remembered that this guy was a famous aircraft carrier nemesis of the U.S. Navy, and he was also the nemesis of his own aircraft carrier. This was very helpless.
Don't think that Americans are not superstitious. In fact, soldiers from all countries in the world believe in luck.
For example, the Soviet-German battlefield during World War II was the most brutal in history. According to statistics, on the Soviet-German battlefield, after a soldier was sent from the rear to the front line, the average survival time was only two minutes.
Yes, you read that right, two minutes.
Those who can survive the Soviet-German battlefield are those who are extremely lucky.
There was a German tank driver named Karius. The tank he was driving was blown up by a Soviet shot during a battle. Everyone in the tank died, but he survived.
After narrowly escaping from death, he was sent back to the battlefield. This time, the tank he was driving was destroyed by the Soviets. He and the surrounding German soldiers retreated while fighting.
During the retreat, he was shot six more times. Karius, who was destined to die, was rescued by his comrades and miraculously survived after being rescued in the hospital.
The seriously wounded man was sent back to his country, and then joined the Western Front. Later in the war, he was captured by the Americans. After Germany surrendered, he was released by the Americans. After returning to his hometown, he married a beautiful woman.
My wife finally lived until 2015 before passing away.
In the words of later generations, this man can be called a son of luck.
There are those who are lucky and those who are unlucky. This Fletcher is probably the son of bad luck. However, few of the aircraft carriers he has commanded have survived the sinking. This did not frighten the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Navy to rush him
He was transferred back to his country and never commanded a fleet again throughout his life.
"Forget it, I don't want to think about this anymore."
Gao Hongming shook his head, putting this unfortunate guy behind him, and considered the future fate of the dispatched team.
Judging from Chi Yaohui's telegram, the dispatch team was placed at the outermost edge by the Americans on the first day it arrived on Guadalcanal. From this point of view, the Americans had already exposed their intentions.
They simply treated the dispatch corps as cannon fodder, and they didn't even bother to do superficial things. This was what made Gao Hongming most uncomfortable.
Gao Hongming even had the thought of sending the dispatch team back to China, but he suppressed the thought as soon as it arose in his heart.
Now he does not have the strength to fall out with the Americans, not to mention that the two parties have signed an agreement. If he breaks the contract, the price will be too high, and he cannot afford the consequences.
"I have a headache!"
Gao Hongming couldn't help but punched the desk in annoyance, making a dull sound.
Just at this moment, the ajar door of the office was pushed open, and Mr. Liu and the political commissar walked into his office hand in hand. They happened to see Gao Hongming's actions.
The two looked at each other, and Master Liu asked with a smile: "Brother Gao, have you encountered any trouble?"
"Something did happen."
Gao Hongming gave a bitter smile, thought for a moment, and then told the two of them what happened on Guadalcanal. After speaking, he said with some distress:
"Although I had considered before that the Americans would use the dispatch team as cannon fodder, I didn't expect that they would be so unabashed, and I almost didn't even openly say that I would block their guns.
Now I’m worried that Chi Yaohui won’t be able to withstand the pressure of the Americans by himself.”
"That's true."
Master Liu's face also became serious.
"Although Chief of Staff Chi is a smart and capable person and is definitely a good hand in staff work, his shortcomings are also obvious. He lacks the courage to take charge of his own affairs. Once the Americans forcefully put pressure on him, it will be difficult for him to withstand it.
In fact, we told you before, but..."
Master Liu sighed and stopped talking.
Gao Hongming shook his head, "Commander Liu, you still don't understand what Okinawa and the right to garrison troops mean to me and to China. Let me tell you from the bottom of my heart, as long as the Americans can fulfill their commitments in the agreement, even if they wipe out all the Liantai militia
It’s worth it too!”
Hearing Gao Hongming's words, Mr. Liu frowned deeply and asked in confusion: "Brother Gao, is it worth it for you to do this?
For the sake of those hundreds of square kilometers of land and Japan’s garrison rights, you can so easily put down all your wealth? Aren’t you afraid that you’ll end up like a loser in the end?”
"worth!"
Gao Hongming said firmly: "Even if there is only a chance, I will give it a try. I will secure the two hundred square kilometers of Okinawa and the garrison base in Japan."
Master Liu and Political Commissar Heping looked at each other. At this time, they really couldn't understand that Gao Hongming easily spent all his wealth for such a small amount of territory.
What is he worried about? Or is he worried about the future...
Although Commander Liu and Political Commissar Liu are rare elites in contemporary times, due to historical limitations, they still cannot understand what it means to occupy two hundred square kilometers in Okinawa.
Let’s put it this way, the total area of Okinawa is 1,208 square kilometers.
Two hundred square kilometers is equivalent to one-sixth of its area, and there is no problem in accommodating a population of 80 to 1 million.
Of course, you can make a half-fold here.
The population of Okinawa in later generations was only about 1.22 million. If the territory under its control had a population of 500,000, plus an army of 30,000 to 50,000, it would be a force that no one could ignore.
Thinking of this, Gao Hongming finally made up his mind, raised his head and said to the two of them: "Commander Liu, Political Commissar Ping, after the Taiyuan battle is over, I plan to take the time to go to Guadalcanal myself."
"What, you want to go to Guadalcanal in person? How can this be possible?"
Master Liu and the other two were shocked by Gao Hongming's words. If Gao Hongming went to Guadalcanal, once something happened, the entire Liantai militia would fall apart.