Volume 2: War breaks out Chapter 23: Taking on the Responsibility (Part 1)
Sajiting's gaze lingered on the two men for a moment, then he said, "Now, I lack a qualified chief of staff. Admiral Guo Xianzhong went home to recuperate this morning. According to the rules, Pei Yuming should take over as the chief of the Navy General Staff, but he is now..."
General Pei Yuming had just arrived at the base headquarters (the temporary headquarters of the First Fleet) when the Japanese bombers dropped bombs. The base headquarters was the target of a batch of attacks by Japanese bombers, and a bomb fell less than twenty meters away from him.
Finally, it was through half of the general's epaulettes that it was determined that General Bei Yuming had died.
Sajiting's expression dimmed for a moment, and then he continued, "Lieutenant General Jiang Bangguo is too old to be the chief of staff. Therefore, you are the most qualified to take this position now."
Liao Hanxiang was slightly startled and suddenly didn't know how to answer.
"If you were to serve as the Chief of the Navy General Staff, then the Fifth Fleet would be commanded by Major General Wu Xianyu, and Brigadier General Ji Xiaobin would serve as the Fleet Chief of Staff and Operations Staff."
Sajiting's eyes fell on Tan Renhao, "I believe General Liao Hanxiang will definitely recommend Major Tan Renhao, right?"
Tan Renhao was also slightly surprised. This personnel change was quite significant.
If Sajiting's plan is followed, Liao Hanxiang, Wu Xianyu, and Ji Xiaobin will all be promoted to the next level, and he will become a naval colonel at the age of 22! This has broken the record for the lowest age for an officer to become a naval colonel in the Empire Navy. General Yuan Haoyi became a naval colonel at the age of 23.
"Marshal, I would rather stay in the Fifth Fleet. After all, the Fifth Fleet is like my child. I nurtured it and watched it grow and develop."
Liao Hanxiang paused for a moment, then changed the subject and said, "However, as long as I can defeat the enemy and serve the empire and the navy, I would be willing to be an ordinary sailor."
Sajiting smiled slightly, then looked at Tan Renhao.
"Marshal, I'm actually too young and not suitable for this..."
"Major, you have to have confidence in yourself."
Sajitin took out a folder and said, "This is your resume. I always keep it with me.
Many young generals have emerged in the history of the Imperial Navy. I believe that you will soon be recorded in the history of the Imperial Navy.
Now, we need someone to stand up and fight for the Empire. As a soldier of the Imperial Navy, will you back down? "
Tan Renhao immediately shook his head.
"Marshal, the Imperial Navy will never retreat."
"Very good. Then, I will now officially promote you to the rank of Navy Captain, and you will also serve as the Fifth Fleet's Operations Staff Officer and concurrently as the Chief of Aviation Operations Staff."
Sajiting didn't even give Tan Renhao a chance to choose. He went to get a set of shoulder straps and said, "Now is a special period, so I can't hold any ceremony for you."
Tan Renhao stood up immediately, and Sajiting personally pinned the colonel's epaulettes on Tan Renhao's shoulders. This was an exception, because it should have been General Liao Hanxiang, or General Wu Xianyu, who had just "served as" the commander of the Fifth Fleet, who gave Tan Renhao the title.
"Colonel, work hard. The hope of the Empire and the Imperial Navy rests on young people like you. I believe that it won't be long before you make us all feel that this colonel's shoulder strap is worth it."
Sajiting pinned the epaulettes on Tan Renhao , patted him on the shoulder, and then turned to Liao Hanxiang and said, "Chief of Staff Liao, your official appointment will be tomorrow, and I will personally preside over it.
Of course, the appointment letter has been approved.
Now that the Empire has entered a state of war, Prime Minister Xue Xiyue has given our navy a great deal of autonomy in personnel matters, and we will conduct personnel appointments and dismissals entirely in accordance with the wartime system."
Liao Hanxiang nodded. He knew the rules.
In peacetime, the Chief of the Naval Staff, as the second-in-command of the Navy, will be nominated by the Navy Commander and then approved by the Prime Minister before being appointed. In wartime, the Navy Commander can directly appoint the Chief of the Naval Staff, eliminating the approval procedure by the Cabinet.
"Colonel, let me congratulate you first!"
Liao Hanxiang looked at Tan Renhao with a smile. Now he also felt that the letter he wrote to General Nie Renfeng back then was a great bargain.
"Thank you, General, thank you, Marshal!"
Tan Renhao seemed very happy on the surface, but he felt a lot of pressure in his heart. Getting a promotion also meant that he had greater responsibilities and heavier burdens.
Liao Hanxiang's gaze turned to Sajiting.
"Marshal, what should we do now?"
"It's simple. We want to tell the world that the Imperial Navy is not finished yet, and that it has enough power to defeat any powerful enemy."
Sajiting handed another document to Liao Hanxiang. "This is an order personally issued by Prime Minister Xue Xiyue, requiring the imperial army, including the army, to find a way to deal a heavy blow to Japan in the near future to show the empire's determination to fight to the end. The army has proposed a plan to carry out a large-scale strategic bombing of Tokyo, Japan, and several other cities. Prime Minister Xue Xiyue approved it this morning and authorized Marshal Yan Dingyu to make the full decision, with Lieutenant General Wei Boyu in charge."
Liao Hanxiang's face immediately darkened.
He was extremely disgusted with Wei Boyu, and it could even be said that he and Wei Boyu were incompatible. The reason why Liao Hanxiang "left" the navy was because Wei Boyu secretly made some arrangements, causing Liao Hanxiang to miss the position of commander of the Army Aviation Corps.
"Therefore, we must also come up with a plan as soon as possible!"
Sajiting's expression became very serious. "It was the navy that suffered the most damage this time, not the army. Marshal Yan Dingyu obviously wants us to lose face. Since we were the ones who got beaten, why should we ask others to help us avenge? In any case, the Imperial Navy must perform better and more outstanding, so we must use our own swords to deal with the enemy."
Liao Hanxiang nodded .
" So , do we have any plans?"
"Chief of Staff, this is something you need to consider."
Sajiting laughed. "Now, the Fifth Fleet is the only sharp weapon in our hands, so our hope lies in the Fifth Fleet. You have to come up with a feasible counterattack plan within three days, no, two days, and use the Fifth Fleet as a sharp weapon to cut some meat off the Japanese. Let the Japanese know how powerful we are, and let Prime Minister Xue Xiyue know that the navy is still standing. As long as our navy does not fall, then the army will not be able to intervene in overseas operations!"
Looking at the slightly excited marshal, Tan Renhao secretly sighed in his heart. At this time, the empire's army and navy were still fighting among themselves, and there was no telling when it would end.
