Volume 2: War breaks out Chapter 24: Taking on the Important Responsibility (Part 2)
After leaving Marshal Sagittin's office, the two returned directly to the fleet.
Before being officially appointed as the Chief of the Navy General Staff, Liao Hanxiang had to remain in the Fifth Fleet.
Of course, the news spread quickly, and it was definitely great news for the officers and soldiers of the Fifth Fleet.
According to the tradition of the Imperial Navy, the Chief of the Naval Staff will most likely be the next Commander of the Navy. Sagittin was promoted from Chief of the Naval Staff to Commander of the Navy.
Only the fleet commanders of major fleets can serve as the Chief of Naval Staff, which is one of the main reasons why fleet commanders are very popular.
The qualifications of the commanders of each major fleet to serve as the Chief of Naval Staff will be assessed based on the combat performance of each fleet.
Guo Xianzhong was the commander of the First Fleet before the last war.
Of course, if the commander of a fleet becomes the Chief of Naval Staff, it basically means that this fleet is the most powerful fleet of the Imperial Navy.
"What should I do now?"
Although Tan Renhao had worked with Ji Xiaobin for more than two years (one and a half years studying abroad), he was still not very familiar with the position of combat staff.
"Take some time to communicate with Ji Xiaobin and let him tell you some important things. However, this is not your main job for the next two days."
Liao Hanxiang obviously still regards the Fifth Fleet as his "home".
"You know what Marshal Sagittin needs, and you are also familiar with what we can do. So, let's combine the two and see what we can do to satisfy the Marshal. Do you understand?"
Tan Renhao frowned slightly. This was a test paper without any questions.
"Go to the Naval Staff Headquarters tomorrow. There is a data room there, and you can quickly get the latest news ."
Liao Hanxiang spoke quickly, as if he was racing against time. "Of course, you can bring your two assistants with you. If you think it is necessary, I can be the first to offer them a chance for promotion."
Tan Renhao nodded, it was necessary to promote Hao Dongjue and Chang Jianxin.
If you want to have direct access to some important documents, you have to be at least a major. Lieutenants do not have the authority to directly access the navy's confidential documents and must be authorized.
Of course, Tan Renhao has not forgotten another person.
"Commander Liao, can I have someone?"
"You want someone?"
Liao Hanxiang glanced at Tan Renhao next to him.
"Captain Lei Shaoqing of the Southwest Fleet is my schoolmate. He was one of the top ten students in our class and studied with us at the Chengdu Flight Command Academy. He also knows a lot about aviation operations."
Liao Hanxiang frowned slightly .
"If he is still alive, I will transfer him here. Of course, he has to be willing."
Tan Renhao smiled and nodded. He had promised Lei Shaoqing that as long as he became a combat staff officer, he would find a way to transfer him to the Fifth Fleet.
In the fleet, only combat staff officers are qualified to make requests for people, while ordinary staff officers do not have this qualification.
Soon, the two returned to the fleet, and then Liao Hanxiang summoned the fleet's main staff officers and the captains of each ship and announced that he was appointed as the Navy Chief of Staff, Wu Xianyu would take over as the commander of the Fifth Fleet, Ji Xiaobin would serve as the fleet chief of staff, and Tan Renhao would be the new fleet operations staff officer and concurrently serve as the aviation operations chief of staff.
If it were any other day, there would definitely be some celebration, but this time Liao Hanxiang did not hold any celebration activities.
After announcing the news, he called Wu Xianyu and Liao Hanxiang, and took Tan Renhao back to his command cabin.
"That is roughly what Marshal Sagittin meant."
Liao Hanxiang first explained the task assigned by Marshal Sajidin, "We are very tight on time. Tomorrow I will go to the Navy General Staff to take up my post. Chief of Staff Wu, no, it should be Commander Wu. I will leave the fleet affairs to you. Is that ok?"
"Old Liao, you are laughing at me."
Wu Xianyu smiled awkwardly, "Don't worry, I will get the fleet into combat mode as quickly as possible. Although the morale of the officers and soldiers has been affected a little, I believe that it won't be long before they will all take active action."
Liao Hanxiang nodded and turned his gaze to Ji Xiaobin.
"Xiao Bin, you need to tell Colonel Tan Renhao some things that the operations staff should pay attention to. Also, the repair work on the Taizu must be accelerated. What is the shipyard's reply?"
"It will take at least five days. Most of the workers haven't come back yet, and the facilities at Zhoushan Shipyard are not perfect, so the progress cannot be fast."
"Then it will be five days, but you have to keep a close eye on it and try to shorten the time as much as possible ."
Liao Hanxiang let out a long sigh. This was the last order he issued to the Fifth Fleet. "Now, the enemy has put a knife to our necks. It is not up to us to decide whether to fight or not, but we can decide how to fight and how to teach the Japanese a lesson. Ladies and gentlemen, the only thing the Imperial Navy can mobilize now is our Fifth Fleet. I hope the Fifth Fleet will bring hope to the Imperial Navy and create miracles for the Empire."
Tan Renhao deeply agrees with this statement.
Judging from the current war situation, Japan has basically gained control of the sea in the Western Pacific. From the Java Sea to the Solomon Sea, and then to the eastern waters of the Ryukyu Islands, they have all fallen into the control of the Japanese Navy. Some islands and ports that are still controlled by the Empire are already surrounded by enemies. When the Imperial Navy cannot guarantee the safety of the sea routes and cannot gain control of the sea, these isolated islands and bases will definitely fall in a short time.
What is more serious is that the empire's access to the sea has been almost completely blocked by the Japanese Navy. If the Fifth Fleet wants to support the backbone of the Imperial Navy, it needs to create a miracle, a big miracle.
Outside, Hao Dongjue and Chang Jianxin were waiting for Tan Renhao.
Seeing Tan Renhao coming out, the two immediately came forward. Hao Dongjue asked a little excitedly: "Renhao, are the things the commander announced at the beginning true?"
"Of course it's true. Do you think General Liao Hanxiang is joking?"
Tan Renhao laughed and said, "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten you. When General Liao Hanxiang goes to the Navy General Staff, you will be major officers."
"us!"
Now, the two men were even less unconvinced, but they quickly reacted, then they hugged each other and laughed. Becoming a naval lieutenant has less than a one percent chance among naval lieutenants.
