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Chapter 1318 Eastern Expedition 4
After waiting for two days at the Wake Island anchorage, the typhoon passed. When the fleet set sail again, its condition was much better than before the typhoon. Although it had not yet reached a straight and horizontal level, the queue could be counted more or less.

This huge improvement was definitely not caused by the typhoon, but by the swaying corpse on the dock of Wake Island. Many times, people can't learn it, but they don't want to learn it. However, Settle cured this problem in an instant, and even if he learned it with a pinched nose, it was much better than before.

But before Settle could accept the compliments from the captains of the battleship formation, the second tropical storm suddenly arrived.

Settle was really helpless now. It had been just over half a month since he left Pearl Harbor, and it would take another half a month to reach the anchorage in the Galapagos Islands. The fleet was in the middle of nowhere, with nowhere to hide.

At this point, we can only sigh that we have bad luck. We urgently dispatch additional personnel to the cargo ship, arrange the coordinates of the backup assembly point, and then scatter like birds and beasts at the command.

Now everyone can only fend for themselves now that their parents have remarried and their father is dead. Everyone should show their abilities and run as fast as they can to escape to the northwest!

If the fleet is forced together again, not only will it fail to provide protection, but it will also be easy for them to collide with each other in a storm, increasing the probability of accidents.

As for rescue, that's even more so. In calm weather, you can still rescue, but in high sea conditions, not to mention rescue, you can't even get close. Whoever goes to rescue will be killed with his ship, no exceptions!
At this point, the difference between the navy and the merchant ships can be seen, not in terms of equipment, but in terms of technology. Although they are all veterans who have been sailing on the sea for many years, the content of naval training is mostly to deal with extreme situations, and maintaining formation in high sea conditions is one of the subjects.

Merchant ships seek a stable economy. When encountering bad weather, they would rather stay for a few more days than take risks. Except for a few experienced old sailors, most of them have never experienced such a situation.

After receiving the evacuation order, they immediately scattered, wishing they could conjure up a mast and a few sails out of thin air, and ran away like crazy!

It may be because the previous typhoon took away too much energy, or it may be that good times have come after bad times. The intensity of this typhoon is smaller, and it was discovered early. As long as the correct course can be maintained and the ship does not have major problems, there is a high probability that it can escape.

In fact, less than a day after Settle arrived at the assembly point, ships began to arrive one after another. After waiting for another two days, most of the ships arrived safely, except for a North Korean cargo ship that never appeared, and no one knew where it went.

"No need to wait, set sail immediately! Go down and explain the losses of the army to Governor Du, and then inform him of the new timetable after the adjustment of the route."

Settle did not intend to wait any longer. Although the lives of more than 200 army officers and soldiers were at stake, the fleet carried more land forces, and the risk would increase with every extra day spent on the sea.

At this time, as the fleet commander and deputy commander of the Pearl Harbor theater, he had to make a decisive choice. If he wanted to preserve his reputation, he would have to stay a few more days and send more warships to search for the missing cargo ship. Even if he didn't find it in the end, he would have done his best and would not be blamed or resented by the army.

If the war is to go smoothly, it is best to reach the anchorage quickly and reduce the time sailing on the sea to avoid encountering extreme weather and further increasing losses.

In addition, most of the two and a half army soldiers on the fleet had never received long-distance sailing training. They were suddenly pulled onto ships and transported from various places to Pearl Harbor base after a month of bumpy ride. Before they could fully adapt to the situation, they were put on the ship again and continued to sail across the ocean for more than 7,000 kilometers. Even people with good physical fitness would not be able to bear it.

When the number of non-combat casualties reaches a certain level, the army will lose its combat effectiveness. At that time, even if all the army is sent to the designated sea area without leaving anyone behind, it will be in vain. However, although it is one's own power to command the fleet's voyage and there is no need to ask anyone for instructions, one cannot completely ignore the opinions of others, such as the army governor Du Wenhuan.

As two deputy commanders-in-chief of the theater of operations of equal level, one is responsible for commanding the navy and the other is responsible for commanding the army. Judging from the appointment documents issued by the General Staff, the division of responsibilities is very clear.

All matters related to sailing and fighting were under his command, and Du Wenhuan had the final say after leaving the ship and reaching land. If there were still unclear responsibilities and no one wanted to give in, then he would go to the Chief of the General Staff for a ruling, because he was the commander-in-chief of the Pearl Harbor theater.

However, as someone who had participated in many landing battles, Setel did not think that it was right to arrange the authority of front-line commanders in this way, especially the setting of equal levels was simply too stupid.

Every officer who can reach this position is a person who is unwilling to be inferior to others. He must have a set of operational ideas and experience and lessons in his mind. No matter whose ideas are implemented, it is likely to succeed, but combining two or more ideas together does not necessarily mean 1+1=2.

The clear level setting of authority is to force the two sets of ideas to mix together. If there is a referee watching all the time, it is not too bad. At worst, they quarrel every day and finally ask the chief of staff to make a decision.

However, the astronaut was only in the title of the commander-in-chief of the Pearl Harbor Theater, but he actually went to the Southwest Military Command and did not follow the fleet on the Eastern Expedition. If the two deputy commanders had irreconcilable differences of opinion, there would be no one who could make the decision.

The emperor must have known about this, but no one knows why he did not stop it or assign a new commander-in-chief to fill the vacancy. Settle has his own judgment on such an unreasonable arrangement. He believes that this was done intentionally by the emperor to test his and Du Wenhuan's command and coordination abilities.

It is more likely that he wanted to test himself. As a veteran of the army, Du Wenhuan had followed the emperor in his campaigns for so many years and must have experienced many tests. There was no need to do this again.

Therefore, during this expedition, Settle set a rule for himself. Regardless of whether it was his job or not, he would listen to Du Wenhuan's opinions whenever he had the chance. If the opinions were not too contradictory, he would give in as much as possible even if they did not fit his style.

As long as you humble yourself first, given Du Wenhuan's qualifications and age, he is unlikely to steal the credit from younger people, and it will be easier to get along with him this way.

"Commander-in-Chief Sai, I am also involved in the trouble the fleet encountered. Your orders are decisive and effective. I have seen them all and will definitely report them truthfully. Don't worry!"

Soon Wu Bing came out of the cabin, but he was not alone. In front of him walked a little old man in an army uniform, with octagonal gold stars shining on his red epaulettes.

Without waiting for Settle to react, he saluted with one hand on his chest, walked quickly to the stern deck, and slapped the battle damage list on the steering platform. His signature and seal were already there when he looked up: Du Wenhuan!

(End of this chapter)