"I didn't expect that two of the three battleships we sank during this battle were sunk by destroyers. It seems that the shortcomings of the frigate have reached a point that must be compensated." An officer said.

"It's still not strong enough." Shigetaro Yoshimatsu said with a breath. Although Japan fought hard and had a main fleet that could make the US Navy look sideways, in fact, the gap between the two sides is still huge. The Japanese Navy can achieve tactical victory after repeated victory, but even if it is a victory, the cost is surprisingly high. At least now Shigetaro Yoshimatsu really doesn't want to continue fighting anymore.

"Let each ship report the situation." Shigetaro Yoshimatsu said. "Put the distance a little, we must be careful of the other party's destroyer." Shigetaro Yoshimatsu's order undoubtedly had a tendency to retreat. However, at this moment, no one opposed it, and even Betty was a little confused. Judging from the results of this battle, the Japanese fleet was definitely a big profit, but the price paid was too high! The main fleet was covered with scars, and the destroyer troops had been destroyed. Cruisers? Sorry, none of them participated in the war!

The order was executed very quickly. The Japanese fleet retreated under the cover of the remaining destroyers. The situation of the main American fleet was worse than that of the Japanese fleet. So when he saw the Japanese fleet withdraw, the Americans also tacitly chose to keep a distance. After a fight, both sides temporarily stopped the battle like two tired giants. They chose to take a break. Both sides had the intention to retreat in their hearts, but no one dared to really turn back and run away. The Japanese were worried about the American destroyers, and the Americans could not escape the Japanese fleet! Unless the Japanese fleet retreated on their own initiative, it was really difficult for the Americans to escape!

"High-wave power and servo are damaged, the maximum speed is reduced to less than 20 knots, and the reaction is slow. There is not much ammunition left for Fuso, Ise and Nagamon, especially the flagship. We have exhausted the last armor-piercing bomb. The situation of the Muro and the other two Fuso-class battleships is also not optimistic. The same is true for the two dreadnoughts." A few minutes later, an officer reported to Shigetaro Yoshimatsu. This is the art of reporting, and it is necessary to understand the mood of the commander. In the command tower, more than 80% of people have realized that Shigetaro Yoshimatsu wanted to evacuate, and now it is just a reason.

Therefore, the officers' reports on the Nagamon, Takabo, Fuso and Ise are quite objective, while the reports on the other three battleships can be completely carried out in the Spring and Autumn style. In fact, the other three battleships have been fighting with a single American warship, and all the ammunition remains. Although they are also scarred, the US fleet on the opposite side is even worse. For example, the vanguard warships such as Tennessee survived until now because of the Americans' strong damage to the pipes and the captain's decisive and skillful ammunition depot water injection operation! Take the worst of them, Idaho, as an example, fish can be raised in the rear half of the hull of this warship!

"How many destroyers are there?" asked Shigetaro Yoshimatsu.

"There is no more than 10 ships at most. In addition, there are 6 warships that have been separated due to war injuries before, which means that we have lost about half of the destroyers in this battle." Shimamura Suo was bleeding in his heart when he said this!

"No matter what the outcome of this battle, we can now confirm one thing, that is, the backbone of the Japanese Combined Fleet destroyer unit was really broken. This is not only because of our huge losses, but also the officers and soldiers trained by the Imperial Navy over the past decade. From the war to the present, from the New Ireland Island to the Sulawesi Sea, the number of personnel losses of the destroyer unit has always been high. Experienced officers and soldiers are devoured by giant beasts called war like wheat cutting. They are the souls of the Imperial Navy destroyer unit. Even if we can replenish the destroyer unit, our personnel losses make the newly established destroyer unit like a soulless puppet." After the battle, Shimamura Suo wrote in his diary.

"So good, are we going to fight now?" Shigetaro Yoshimatsu said in his heart. He did not make a decision immediately, but tried to calm himself down and make the best choice.

However, on the other side? What is the US fleet doing? They are also collecting the remaining warships and reporting on the situation of each ship. Up to now, 4 of the 11 battleships of the US Navy have sunk, and 2 of the five armored cruisers before the war have sunk, of which 1 of them have been severely damaged and it is estimated that it will be difficult to go back. The remaining warships are also in bad condition, but compared with the Japanese Navy, the biggest advantage of the Americans is that there are at least 25 destroyers left on the battlefield!

"The ammunition depots of Mecklenburg and Arizona have been sold out, and Maryland is in a better condition. The Idaho is in a very bad condition, the ship is almost inoperable, and the internal damage of the hull is serious. The Tennessee and Pennsylvania are not good either. But they can still act on their own." Majiffen reported to Sims.

"I don't know what the situation is like for the Japanese." Sims said with some concern as he looked at the Japanese fleet, who was stooping in the distance and wanted to fight, but he was willing but not capable.

"I don't know, anyway, we can only wait for the Japanese to make a choice and then deal with it. But at this time I feel that we should remove the wounded on the Idaho battleship, and this battleship will probably be difficult to go back." Majifen said.

"His commander, the battleship Muo sent a signal." Just as Shigetaro Yoshimatsu hesitated, an officer said.

"What did Takeshita say?" asked Shigetaro Yoshimatsu.

"Captain Takeshita Yu said that his Muro could continue to fight, and the Yama Castle and Hinata were also in good condition. With three battleships as the core, the joint fleet could still fight to the death. He said that even if most of the remaining American warships would slip away this time, at least they could still leave one." The officer said.

"Do you leave one?" Shigetaro Yoshimatsu looked at the US fleet in the distance. He also found that a warship seemed to have left the battleship of the US fleet. There should be something wrong with the power system or control system of the warship.

"Is a limited attack? Just like the counterattack we had in the Battle of New Ireland?" Shigetaro Yoshimatsu said, touching his chin. Shigetaro Yoshimatsu naturally did not want to continue fighting to the death. God knows how long the US fleet can last, but if he can achieve another result by launching a limited attack, it is also a good choice.
Chapter completed!