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Dozens of cabinet and military officials, including the chief of the General Staff, the prime minister, the foreign minister, the director of the Strategic Intelligence Bureau, and the commander of the army, navy, and air force, entered the conference room, sat or stood and whispered. The battle for the Southeastern Peninsula, the Mediterranean, the Sino-British alliance, the establishment of the Allied Powers, the 500,000-strong annihilation of Tashkent, the Battle of Petropavlovsk, Roosevelt's submission of Lend-Lease to Congress, and the arrival of Chinese fireships and air forces in Britain have all made this summer a colorful event.

In the confidential conference room, Jiang Baili opened the first officer's combat map on the wall early, and the map marked the situation of the enemy and us in several colors. At nine o'clock in the morning, Yang Qiu punctually convened a routine wartime cabinet meeting, which was held once a week, so that the president and the cabinet could keep abreast of the latest military movements. Army Commander Qin Zhangshu took the lead in introducing the most important Central Asian warfare, standing in front of the map and pointing at the map with a short stick: "The Battle of Tashkent, the first stage of the 1940 spring and summer offensive planned by the Talas, has now been completed. In addition to leaving a small number of troops to be put into the post-war clearance, the South Kazakh Army, the Uzbek Army, the Polish Army, and the Korean Army participating in the offensive will all move in four directions: Arkarek, Cherinograd (now Astana), Karakalpakstan, and Turkmenistan's Iranian border. In this battle, our army suffered relatively large casualties, which shows that when attacking a special terrain with perfect defense, we need to rethink both equipment and offensive methods, so I have ordered to sum up lessons and prepare for future battles in the Caucasus. Judging by the current situation, there are no regular Soviet troops in the eastern base of the Aral Sea, and only a small number of partisan activities are active.

Look at Petropavlovsk again. After Zhukov was removed, Stalin had already appointed Timoshenko as commander-in-chief of the East. As soon as he came up, he offered to launch a counteroffensive to rescue the main forces in the triangle that were surrounded by us. And began to gather forces towards Barnaul and Omsk, trying to pounce from the north. However, this plan was opposed by Lukin and Rokossovsky, who proposed to abandon the Karabor ridge and transfer Chuikov's troops to Aktobinsk (present-day Aktobe) to increase the depth of the defense on the front of Arkarek. At present, the opinions of the two sides are very different, but the chief of the General Staff, Budyonny, is inclined to Timoshenko, so troops are being drawn from Europe to strengthen Omsk.

In order to prevent the Soviet troops from moving south, we have established a relatively solid defensive line along the Semiy to Pavlovsk, and have also bombed the Trans-Siberian Railway and Omsk dozens of times. Effectively disrupted the lines of communication of the Soviet troops. However, the terrain in Central Siberia is complicated, and it is difficult to say that it can be effectively destroyed by the air force alone, so Xu Shuzheng believes that Timoshenko will definitely launch a counteroffensive by the end of this month at the latest. And this time is precisely the time when we are preparing to launch a general offensive on Petropavlovsk, so Liu Mingzhao suggested. Continuing to take a defensive position in the Krasnoyarsk and Semiy directions, the Zhuofan cluster attacked Kustanay and pinned down the main forces of the Ural with Timoshenko. At the same time, the Uzbek Army Group took over the Karakalpak defense area, freed up the South Kazakh Army and the Polish Corps to advance from Pavlodar to Karachinsk, east of Omsk, and cut off the Trans-Siberian Railway from the roots, so that not only Longyun would have much less pressure on Petropavlovsk. It is also possible to leave behind the Siberian fortress cities of Barnaul, Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk in one fell swoop and implement a strategic encirclement of them.

According to a comparative analysis by the Meteorological Bureau, Siberia is likely to usher in a rare harsh winter this winter, so once the railway is cut off. The air force could then focus on bombing targets such as oil depots, power plants, warehouses, grain depots, and farms, forcing the Soviets to surrender or retreat. ”

"With such a big attack, can the logistics keep up?" Pei Zuyi was a little worried.

"Can't keep up." Qin Zhangshu told the truth: "At present, the railway is only built to Karaganda, and the next task is mainly to repair the two railways to Petropavlovsk and Shymkent to Iran. Judging by the current progress. Both railways can be laid for five to six kilometers per day, and it is expected to be connected to Iran's Northern Railway by March next year. So our goal this year is to liberate Petropavlovsk. Cutting off the Trans-Siberian Railway, and not going deeper. And it depends on the progress of the Iranian side, Bai Chongxi's Persian Army and Sun Chuanfang's Turkmen Army The next main task is to flank Iran, and it should be no problem to take it before the end of the year. I calculated that after taking Petropavlovsk at the end of August, 20 divisions would be withdrawn from Central Asia. With the addition of new recruits, I was able to assemble 40 divisions on the northeast to the Korean front in early October, and Kim Koo of North Korea had about 20 divisions in his hands. Two reserve armies could also be transferred to the southwest. ”

Qin Zhangshu's eyes kept on Yang Qiu's face when he spoke, and the meaning was obvious, the army would be ready to attack North Korea by October at the latest. As long as the Japanese and Korean troops claimed to be one million are pulled out, the door to Japan and the West can be opened. Of course, Yang Qiu knew the military's thoughts, and looked at Chen Shaokuan: "Houfu, are the two Dunkirks back?" ”

"Yesterday afternoon, when it passed through the Strait of Malacca, the Japanese King Kong was still hiding in the distance to monitor, and saw that I sent an aircraft carrier to protect it and did not dare to attack." Chen Shaokuan smiled with wrinkles on his face. Seventeen French ships with a total tonnage of nearly 150,000 tons. If you build it yourself, it will take three years to start work immediately, so you won't be happy. Fortunately, he was not carried away by the joy, and knew that Yang Qiu must have asked about the preparations of the navy, so he stood up and introduced to everyone: "Counting the French ships that have taken over, our navy already has more than 500 ships (including landing, torpedoes, etc.) ships. In terms of aircraft carriers, it already has eight fleet aircraft carriers, the Beihai and Balkhash (Beihai class), the Sichuan, Guizhou, Xikang, Tibet (Sichuan-class), Liaoning and Andong (Liaoning-class), as well as four modified general-class escort aircraft carriers. There are also Guangdong and Guangxi aircraft carriers (Liaoning class) and five other general-class deliveries by April next year. The last six Liaoning-class ships planned by the Navy in 1938 could not be delivered successively until the second half of 1942.

As for the battleships, both Qinzhou and Zhanjiang had already vacated their slipways, and the Dunkirk and Strasbourg would be put on the slipways as soon as they arrived. We have checked, the damage of the two battleships is not large, and the main guns and power of this class of battleships are comparable to the improved Anhai, as long as the radar and anti-aircraft guns are installed, it will definitely be completed within half a year. The remaining Ahn Hai and Jin Hai have been repurposed and will be used as sabotage flagships. Ninghai and Dinghai also have the ability to fight with the King Kong class after modification. Among the four Beijing-class ships, the first three have completed mid-term refit and upgrade, and the last one can be delivered in November. The first two ships of the Shandong class will be commissioned in February and March next year, respectively, and the last two will not be until 1942.

Thirteen heavy cruisers, Taiwan Island, Hainan Island, Sakhalin, Chongming Island (Taiwan Island), Wuhan, Changsha, Zhengzhou, Nanchang (Wuhan), Xi'an (Xi'an), Algeria, Foch, Diplaix, Tourville. Before the end of the year, one of the first six Xi'an-class ships to be started in 1936 could be delivered, the remaining three ships were delivered next year, and the second batch of six ships could not be delivered until the end of 1942.

Twenty-five light cruisers (one loss in the accident was of the Tumen class). Sixteen Brahmaputra-class light cruisers, built after the 1938 naval program, will begin to be delivered one after another next year. There are also 82 destroyers, 45 frigates (the Republic of China Navy handed over low-end tasks to frigates with civilian hull standards to save money, so there are fewer destroyers), 112 submarines, 5 large comprehensive supply ships, and 69 landing ships According to the previous naval war experience of various countries, we intend to form a special aircraft carrier battle group on the basis of the three major fleets, and each battle group is composed of two to three aircraft carriers, two to three heavy cruisers, four to six light cruisers, and a certain number of destroyers. They will become the core force of the fleet. At the same time, battleship strike groups and heavy patrol battle groups were formed for the tasks of decisive battles at sea and strikes at the enemy's sea communication arteries. On the whole, with the exception of a small number of ships that are being refitted, our navy has maintained a relatively high level of combat readiness. ”

"The 19th and 20th Strategic Bombing Wings are being formed, and as of the end of last month, we have 4,700 Jian-5 Snakes, 1,300 Jian-6 Double-headed Jiao, 2,200 Jian-7 Thunderbolts, 330 Jian-8 Tianquan, and 3,500 H-5 and 2,700 H-7. The latest H-8 bomber has already begun test flights and is expected to be delivered in 42 years. There are also 13,000 transport planes of various types and 2,070 other aircraft. ”

In the words of the three commanders, a new strategic direction and a competition for sea power in the southwest Pacific emerged before the cabinet. After Yang Qiu recorded the combat situation, needs and shortcomings of the three armies, he turned his head and asked Yue Peng and Wang Zhengting: "Zi'an." What do you think? ”

The two of them are Yang Qiu's right-hand men, and when they heard the question, they knew that he had the intention to solve the problem early. Therefore, Wang Zhengting took the lead in saying: "I have sent a note to the Japanese ambassador proposing that the Sakhalin oil agreement will not be renewed after it expires at the end of August. Judging by the feedback. Japan was very dissatisfied, and Hideki Tojo also used this matter to suppress Mitsumasa Yonechi. It is estimated that in a few days, there will be major changes in the political circle. Once Hideki Tojo and the Army Continental faction come to power, it will not be a question of whether we will fight or not. ”

Yue Peng nodded: "After the Cairo Declaration, Japan actually has no way out, so there is a great possibility of sneaking up on us!" Strategically, it's also a good fit at the moment. On the European side, Britain must have struggled to block Italy and Germany alone, so Roosevelt was in a hurry to submit the Lend-Lease bill to Congress. But if he really wants to do it, at least until the end of the year. In addition, it had to be invested in Europe first, so before the end of 1941, the Pacific was still singing with us. It is also impossible for our side to withdraw too many troops from Central Asia and the Persian Gulf for the time being, and we may also have to take into account India and North Africa in the Red Sea, so this is a big strategic window. In addition, we seem to be in alliance with Britain, but since Malacca is not in hand, it is difficult to ensure contact, and the overall strength is not as good as that of the Soviet, German, Italian, and Japanese countries, so it is very likely that the Soviets and Japan will force Nehru to make a move in the near future to contain us and create opportunities for a sneak attack by Japan. ”

"According to our monitoring, by the end of last month, Japan had delivered more than 1,000 artillery pieces and ammunition to Nehru and the Soviet army, and also sold captured British and American tanks to Nehru. The Japanese navy's telegram also showed that Yama-66 had ordered several exercises in the Philippine Sea and had withdrawn six aircraft carriers. In addition, the Japanese army also began to increase the number of bombers in Manila, and at least 260 Type 97 bombers were transferred here from all over the South Seas, and several supply ships were also sent to transport supplies to them, most likely in order to sneak attack Zhanjiang and Taiwan. Yan Baohang, who was sitting in the corner, took out the information.

"Isn't Mountain Fifty-Six a navy?" Bei Zuyi was surprised: "Minai Mitsumasa and the Navy faction, didn't you say that you don't want to fight?" ”

Jiang Baili said: "The Japanese nation is very paranoid in its bones, and once it is provoked, it will often choose the simplest and most brutal way to solve the problem!" The Cairo Declaration signed by the President and the 17 French capital ships not only pushed the Japanese Army into a corner, but also threatened oil security, and even the most confident navy was surpassed by us in tonnage and quality. In addition, Hideki Tojo and the mainland faction have been haunted by the last two defeats, so they will definitely force Mitsumasa Yonechi to step down. If these naval factions no longer want to fight, they must also consider the danger of losing their naval strength. What's more, the Japanese Navy still has to face the United States, so he must first solve a direction! ”

"What if we do it first?" Yang Qiu interrupted everyone.

Yue Peng and Jiang Baili were slightly stunned, and asked, "Do you mean to declare war before Japan?" ”

"I'm not Roosevelt!" Yang Qiu said: "The problem of Japan is that the front is long and the troops are scattered, and the resources and manufacturing belong to the two places, all of which depend on sea transportation!" So I'm thinking about whether I can strike first, annihilate as many Japanese ships as possible, and then find a way to attack Guam! You see, on Japan's north-south transportation route, Guam is the weakest link in it! The garrison was just over 10,000 troops, there was a lack of fortresses, there was only one artillery brigade and more than thirty zeros. As long as they can control Guam, the resources of the South Seas will not reach the soil, and their navy will become weaker and weaker.

You must seize the time to solve Annam, and get hands on the airfields and military facilities in Cam Ranh Bay and Saigon as soon as possible, so that the air force can be stationed. Use the Third Fleet and Air Force to flank the Andaman and Singapore, blockade the Strait of Malacca, and free up the Second Fleet to find a way to take Guam as quickly as possible. ”

Chen Shaokuan frowned and said: "If you want to attack Guam, the fleet must go through the Bass Strait and the Ryukyus, both of which are important defensive places for the Japanese navy, and it may be difficult for the Grand Fleet to pass quietly." ”

"That's your business." Yang Qiu glanced at everyone and laughed evilly