"This is really a strange war, who is China's enemy and who is China's friend?"

"China? Your Excellency, you might as well ask, who are Chiang's enemies and friends, who are Mao's enemies and friends, and maybe one more, who are Wang's enemies and friends? Hull spread his hands, "The Chinese themselves are confused, how can we see clearly?" ”

"Combined with the fact that Japan has obtained a large amount of army equipment from Germany and information about the contraction from China, we speculate that the Combined Fleet will immediately use troops against India when it returns to the mainland, and it should be between September and October, and we will not have much time left. www.biquge.info"Admiral King didn't want to discuss China's foolish account anymore, and instead said," a submarine sent from South Africa observed one of the convoys and tried to attack, but the Japanese were well defended, and not only did they fail to do so, but they were sunk by planes. ”

"Can you stop or hurt them?" Marshall asked.

"The probability is very small, unless the main forces of the Japanese fleet do not go with the transport fleet." Admiral Kim explained, "I am against the Pacific Fleet now fighting the Combined Fleet, if we win, we will maintain the balance, and what if we lose?" The Far East is all finished. ”

Everyone sighed that once the Combined Fleet returned to the Far East, the pressure on the Pacific Fleet was too great.

"Does the British Empire have the determination and courage to defend India?" Stimson asked.

"There is determination, there is courage, but there is no strength." Marshall scoffed, "We succeeded in moving one army to South Africa, but the British failed to add a single soldier to India, where there were only the remnants of the defeated army and the indigenous army that had retreated from the Middle East, and by the way, there were some British troops in Burma." ”

Roosevelt asked, "They wouldn't dream that these armies would be able to defeat the Japanese, would they?" ”

"You're right! First, they did not believe that the Japanese would come to attack; Second, they believed that the Japanese army was not to be worried, and they had fought with Japan several times in the direction of Burma, believing that the enemy was nothing more than that. ”

"Bastard!" Roosevelt scolded angrily, "What do you mean by that? Who was so defeated in Southeast Asia and Singapore that they were forced to surrender to the Japanese? Who is surrounded in Burma, tearfully begging the Chinese to send troops to support them? Who fled into India in one fell swoop? Is that what that's still the case? ”

Everyone shook their heads, and now they began to sympathize with China: from Chiang's side, if it was an ally like Britain, they would not bother to defend India with arms.

Stingson was a little surprised: "Can't they draw troops?" The British Isles still have at least 3 million troops, many of whom have fought and have combat experience! Germany is now on the Eastern Front, and the Britons are unwilling to counterattack the European continent, so why is there no enthusiasm to defend India? This is the most dazzling jewel in the crown of the British Empire! ”

"But they don't have a boat." Marshall shrugged, "All reinforcements have to go around the Cape of Good Hope to get to India, and they've been hoping that we'll send troops to support India......"

Admiral Jin and Stimson actually said in unison: "This must be crazy!" ”

"No, they must be allowed to send their soldiers over, even if it is on our ships." Roosevelt thought for a moment and said, "Let the British give us officers and soldiers with combat experience, and I will arm them and send them to India and South Africa to fight, and the British Empire cannot do nothing and just hide quietly and watch the excitement -- this is a world war!" ”

"That's good, I think it's total." Admiral King immediately said, "We have recently transported a number of skilled workers who have left England on return freighters, totaling nearly 10,000 households, and with increased efforts we will be able to complete all the tasks by the autumn of this year, and it is more convenient to transport unarmed soldiers than civilians - they are easy to command!" ”

Marshall nodded: "Totally, the defense of India and South Africa has gone beyond the mission of the United States, we can no longer use huge casualties to let the people poke us in the backbone, the British must pay the sacrifice, this is the price they want to maintain their status as a great power." ”

Stingson then asked: "I wonder why you are so unanimously sure that Japan will attack India?" Shouldn't it be an attack on Australia? ”

"An attack on Australia is also possible." Admiral Kim said with a smile, "Australia has relatively abundant troops, the Marine Corps has been increasing its troops, and the army has also sent two divisions to the past last time, and now the strength of the front-line troops in Australia and New Zealand is not weak, and the Australian and New Zealand troops are also very strong - this can be seen from the battles in North Africa and Kenya." I'd rather that the Japanese would attack Australia, and then they would be all over the place. The Japanese would not have come if they had the slightest sense, and of course it was not ruled out that they would attack those islands, for General MacArthur had strengthened his defenses, and General Nimitz's fleet had made preparations for this. The only thing that worries me is that the fleet is a bit weak. ”

"Since it is clear that Japan will not participate in the attack on South Africa, I think we can transfer an Independence-class light aircraft carrier to the Pacific Fleet, and send an additional batch of destroyers and light cruisers to the Far East via Cape Horn, and by the way, go to Argentina to dock once."

"Argentina?" Admiral Kim is inexplicable, what does the president ask to go to Argentina for?

"They had a recent coup d'état there, and the rulers who came to power shouted populist slogans and supposedly had eyeballed with the Germans and sent a fleet to deter them and make them sober up who was the boss," Hull explained. ”

"It's enough to send a small fleet, anyway, you have to pass through Argentina from Cape Horn, don't delay." Admiral Kim was very optimistic about this and said yes.

But soon Admiral Kim was not optimistic—the adjutant handed him the latest telegram, and his face changed dramatically when he read it.

"What's going on?"

"3 hours ago, the German aircraft carrier formation suddenly appeared and attacked the flotilla on the Anglo-Canadian route, 2 escort carriers, 4 destroyers, 3 auxiliary cruisers were sunk, 21 liberty ships were sunk or captured, and only 2 ships escaped...... "Admiral King's face was solemn, "According to intelligence, the enemy may have at least 2 aircraft carriers and 4 capital ships, I guess those two aircraft carriers are Zeppelin and Aquila." ”

"Damn!"

"Oh my God!" Everyone gasped.

"No information from the crow?" Roosevelt frowned, "We didn't receive any warning in the Italian direction either?" ”

Donovan shook his head: "The German fleet should have left the Strait of Gibraltar and headed northwest, probably resupplying on the way to Portugal or Spain." ”

The atmosphere of the meeting suddenly became tense: was the main force of the German navy moving north in order to break diplomatic relations or to make a large-scale landing in Britain?

"Is the current strength of the Navy enough to defeat them?"

"If it was only the main force of the German Navy, there was a great chance of defeating them." Admiral Kim said, "In the last battle, we did not lose any battleship troops, and we could dispatch 6 ships; In terms of aircraft carriers, it now has a total of two fleet aircraft carriers: USS Bunker Hill (Essex-class) and USS Unicorn (British), and two light aircraft carriers (both Independence-class): USS Cowbans (English) and USS Monterey. What we lack is combat experience. ”

Roosevelt nodded, this strength has surpassed the main force of the German Navy, and the most important thing is that the Combined Fleet is not there, and this battle will be fought.

"Can we add more warships in the future?"

"The Capote (Independence) has just entered service, and I am going to arrange for a transfer to the Far East to join the Pacific Fleet, and next week the Langley (Independence) will be in service and is scheduled to be supplied to the Royal Navy; By October, the Wasp (Essex class) and the Bataan (Independence class) will be ready for service; In November, the San Jacinto (Independence) was ready for service; Next spring, there will also be the Bennington (Essex-class) and the USS Missouri (Iowa-class) in service...... "Admiral King now has a clear grasp of the progress of the warship, and when there is nothing to do, he will call the major shipyards to urge the system, sometimes three times a week, and the people below are about to collapse by him."

"The British are also stepping up the construction of ships, they have stopped a large number of warships, concentrated on the construction of capital ships, it is expected that next spring, the two fleet aircraft carriers of the resentment class can be commissioned, the Lion-class battleships will be commissioned in the summer, and the fleet aircraft carrier Lumang will be in service in the autumn, but there will be no more."

"Let's go to the Far East." Roosevelt said, "Can the Navy fight the Germans?" I don't think it's easy for them to disrupt our shipping lines. If they can be eliminated, it will help to improve our current passive situation in the Atlantic direction. ”

"It's okay to fight a war, but in order to protect South Africa's transportation lines, most of the main forces of the navy were concentrated near South America, and there were only newly commissioned troops on the mainland." Admiral Jin smiled bitterly, "Transfer back, replenish and then attack, at least half a month has passed." ”

"The navy should speed up its return to the North Atlantic, and the South African route should not be stopped, and another army should be transferred there, so as to seize the favorable opportunity when the current axis forces are relatively empty." Roosevelt made a decision on the spot, "I have a hunch that South Africa will become an important base for our counteroffensive. ”

"What about transporting British troops to India?"

"Communicate with Prime Minister Churchill first, such as announcing it in a different way, armed to defend Canada? It's not like a word to send our soldiers to defend Canada, right? ”

Everyone was amused by the president's humorous words, and the solemn atmosphere was finally eased a little -- the United States still has enough money to wait for the completion of the twenty or thirty Essexes.

"As for the Chinese ......," Roosevelt said to Hull in a stern tone, "intensify the beating of Chiang, telling him that if he is unwilling to help our allies protect India, we will regretfully leave all kinds of supplies to those who are willing to protect India." He must be soberly aware that once Japan takes control of India, China will lose all channels to receive foreign aid. Even if we are willing to support him in fighting the Communist Party, he should not expect a single shot from the United States. ”

Hull hurriedly asked: "Do you support him in fighting the Communist Party?" ”

Roosevelt nodded subconsciously, but what was even more surprising was what he said next...... (To be continued.) )