CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 41 THE CEILING OF TALENT

Besides "Imperial Fleet Headquarters" and "Joint Fleet Headquarters", there was a large-sized panoramic sand table at the Judgement Center.

In fact, this was the main venue for the war-game simulation.

The commands issued from both "headquarters" were collated here, displayed on the sand table by the staff of the judging group. The judges, based on the situations reflected, would make decision, and after reaching a consensus, the results would be fed back to both groups of simulators by the staff.

A battle, which normally lasted several hours or even days, could be completed within a few minutes on the sand table.

Although Zhu Shijian was the head of the judging group and had the final decision-making power, he did not directly participate in the adjudication process. As long as there were no serious disputes, it was unnecessary for him to make the final decision. In this simulation, Zhu Shijian was more of an observer, especially since he wasn’t very familiar with aerial tactics.

Indeed, right after the start, the simulation demonstrated the huge differences between aerial tactics and traditional tactics.

After several hours, both sides were still cautiously probing each other.

Had it been actual combat, more than ten days would have already passed.

Perhaps because neither side was too familiar with aerial combat, they had been very cautious from the beginning, almost to the point of indecisiveness.

The key was that both captains had a deep understanding of naval tactics.

Reconnaissance, attack, and identification, the tactical dogmas divided into three stages, had been verified countless times in actual combat and had deeply penetrated the souls of naval officers.

Of course, aerial combat also had its differences.

After several rounds of probing, Bai Zhizhan and Liu Xiangzhen prioritized "reconnaissance," fully utilizing the high efficiency of air power in executing reconnaissance missions.

Another key point was that both placed great emphasis on concealment.

For this reason, after completing their probing, both withdrew the light cruisers usually used for reconnaissance missions and also reduced the operating range of their own fleets.

Initially, Zhu Shijian didn’t quite understand.

In traditional naval warfare, the light cruiser, fast, long-ranged, and with decent firepower, served as the main reconnaissance force and would surely be fully utilized by the fleet commander. To make a somewhat inappropriate analogy, if the main battle fleet were the hunter, then the light cruiser would be the hunting dog.

However, in naval warfare centered on the Air Force, the first to be replaced by aircrafts were the light cruisers.

Moreover, when light cruisers carried out reconnaissance missions, they were generally only a hundred or so kilometers away from their own fleet, a distance that definitely wasn’t far for aircraft.

This also reflected the different understandings of future naval warfare between Bai Zhizhan and Liu Xiangzhen.

In Bai Zhizhan’s Imperial Fleet, there were only four light cruisers, all grouped together, mostly operating alongside the mother ship.

From this deployment, it was apparent that Bai Zhizhan mainly used these cruisers to handle small vessels and to provide close cover for the mother ship at night.

As per the setting, the aircrafts carried by the mother ships could not take off or land at night, thus the mother ships were unable to combat during nighttime.

In Liu Xiangzhen’s Joint Fleet, there were twelve light cruisers in two sub-fleets, with eight of them forming a Special Mixed Group.

Clearly, even when arranging his fleet, Liu Xiangzhen still treated light cruisers as reconnaissance forces.

This difference was also reflected on other warships.

Bai Zhizhan selected four mother ships, reaching the preset limit, and for this reason forfeited four main battle ships, bringing only four battlecruisers. Moreover, in his Special Mixed Fleet, all four battlecruisers were enhanced for anti-air defense, specifically to provide air cover for the mother ships.

Indeed, this was a very cunning choice.

The mother ship’s most prominent performance indicator was its speed, which reached 60 km/h, so only the battlecruisers could keep up with the mother ship and provide it with protection during battle. The battleships, even fast battleships like the "Queen Yisha" class, couldn’t keep pace with the mother ship.

However, there were significant problems as well.

Four mother ships and four battlecruisers took up eighty percent of the tonnage, and besides the four light cruisers, there was only enough left to bring a few supply ships.

Bai Zhizhan also chose supply ships, three oil tankers, and one bulk cargo ship, along with four large destroyers.

This configuration rendered Bai Zhizhan’s special mixed fleet virtually incapable of engaging in gun battles with the enemy fleet, nor did it have night-fighting capabilities. Besides possessing strong long-range strike abilities, its most prominent feature was its sustained operational capacity, which allowed it to operate for two months without relying on ports.

In comparison, Liu Xiangzhen’s special mixed fleet was more traditional.

Two mother ships, four battleships, four battlecruisers, twelve light cruisers, six large destroyers, and two oil tankers.

Clearly, this configuration was more suitable for fleet decisive battles.

If encountered head-on, Bai Zhizhan’s special mixed fleet commanded would just be pressed to the ground by the opponent, utterly lacking the strength even to struggle or resist.

Actually, the allocation of air forces also reflected the combat intentions of the two commanders.

Bai Zhizhan’s four mother ships had a total of three hundred forty-four aircraft, of which only seventy-two were fighters; the rest were attack aircraft and bombers. On Liu Xiangzhen’s side, it was the exact opposite, hosting one hundred seventy-six aircraft with ninety-six fighters, and the rest were three torpedo attack aircraft better suited for reconnaissance missions; he didn’t carry any bombers primarily used for dropping bombs.

It was very clear that Bai Zhizhan staked everything on the air force, while Liu Xiangzhen only used the air force as a means to support and assist with fleet decisive battles.

Which tactic was better?

It was hard to say.

But one thing was certain, Bai Zhizhan’s purpose was clearer, and once he determined his policies and course, he steadfastly followed through. Liu Xiangzhen, on the other hand, was indecisive, or rather, apprehensive, exposing a scatterbrained issue when deploying his troops.

The key was actually the additional oil tanker that Bai Zhizhan brought!

With one more oil tanker, Bai Zhizhan’s special mixed fleet could operate at sea for an additional half a month while Liu Xiangzhen’s special mixed fleet had to return home during this period.

What couldn’t be done with that extra half a month?

After an earlier standoff, Bai Zhizhan’s special mixed fleet began to move behind the enemy lines, clearly intending to ambush Liu Xiangzhen on his route back.

Was this his intuition, or did he receive guidance from a wise man?

To clarify this, Zhu Shijian had specifically sought out Zhao Yu.

However, Zhao Yu made it very clear that he was just a technician, not familiar with naval tactics, and he also did not have the ability to provide Bai Zhizhan with guidance.

Could it be that this was really Bai Zhizhan’s intuition?

If so, that was incredibly valuable!

For a commander, whether it’s the skills required to command battles or the experience accumulated through combat, both are acquirable or attained through other means. The only thing that cannot be learned or developed through training is innate intuition.

To put it another way, this is a talent.

Having or not having it, what kind of talent one possesses, not only characterizes a commander but also sets the ceiling of personal capabilities, determining the highest achievement a commander can reach!

If Bai Zhizhan indeed possessed such sharp and accurate intuition, his future was bound to be limitless!