London, United Kingdom.

From time to time, piercing air raid sirens echoed over London, and air raids by the Germans took place almost every day. A hearing on the war in Southeast Asia is taking place at the seat of the British War Cabinet under the British Foreign Office, and the Chief of the British General Staff, General Allenhead, will give a comprehensive report on the war in Southeast Asia to the members of the War Cabinet.

“…… Distinguished gentlemen, the current situation in Southeast Asia is extremely serious. After the Chinese launched a military attack on northern Vietnam and northern Laos under the pretext of the Lao Cai incident, on the advice of Admiral Wilhelm, we and the French finally decided to abandon Vietnam in exchange for the final confrontation between China and Yueben.

However, the actual situation is completely contrary to our plan, and the Chinese not only stubbornly defend the Donghai - he bends the line and will not go south, but even openly declares that they have no intention of joining the disputes between the southern part of Southeast Asia and the two sides of the Strait of Malacca.

According to the analysis of the General Staff, in this combat operation codenamed 'Qin Shihuang' by the Chinese, they actually found the best forward base for China in Southeast Asia. We found that the Squadron, which controlled northern Burma, northern Laos, and northern Vietnam, was ready to launch a large-scale military offensive against any part of the south, having obtained a huge bridgehead of war and a treasure trove of resources in Southeast Asia.

They chose a perfect opportunity to send troops to join the race for Southeast Asia.

Because of China's special geographical location, the logistical problems that restrict them from launching larger-scale military operations in the future are far less severe than those of the people themselves. According to the latest information, the Chinese are already using money and food to hire Laotians and farmers in northern Vietnam to build roads from China to these areas.

On the part of the Soviet Army, there are currently about 1.5 million troops fighting fiercely with the Soviet Red Army in the Far East, and the Soviets are forced to increase their troops because of the continuous transfer of troops from the Far Eastern Railway. However, after receiving aid from the Germans and trade permits from the Chinese, Yu himself was already very strong. While carrying the burden of operations in the Far East, the total number of troops under the command of Matsui Ishigen, commander-in-chief of the Southeast Asian Dispatch Army, has reached more than 700,000, and the total number of troops around Vietnam is about 500,000, and it is still increasing.

This group of Chinese troops is well-equipped and has advanced weapons, whether it is individual rifles, infantry guns that are extremely easy to use, or even airplanes and light mountain armored vehicles, all of which pose a great threat to our front-line troops.

However, our army, the French army, and the Indian army are still mainly equipped with light weapons, and because the terrain is not suitable for the deployment of traditional artillery and heavy artillery, they are faced with problems such as insufficient firepower and not suitable for operations in Southeast Asia.

In terms of troop composition, our army is about 250,000 people, with 80,000 French troops and 450,000 Indian troops after replenishment. In terms of numbers, we had a considerable advantage, but the French [***] team was no longer able to be replenished, and the fighting power of the Indian army made our front-line commanders extremely angry.

According to the results of our final deduction, if we do not take active measures, we will not be able to reach the existing 500,000 troops at all.

Of course, there is also good news that, according to a series of diplomatic efforts, we have received a promise from the Chinese political axe that the Chinese military will not participate in attacking us on friendly terms. And ......"

General Allenside paused slightly, and said thoughtfully, "Moreover, the Chinese promised that as long as we wanted, they could relax the export conditions, and the China-Burma Railway would bring us all war materials, from grain to weapons and equipment."

Ladies and gentlemen, I must say that our army in Southeast Asia must immediately replace its equipment, and only by sending more advanced equipment will the soldiers be able to withstand the ferocious man. Otherwise, they will be killed in the jungles of Southeast Asia by their own frantic charge. You must know that he has purchased a large number of advanced weapons and equipment from China, such as the 'Chinese-style semi-automatic rifle', the 'Mengtian' infantry gun, the 'Fire Dragon Flamethrower', the 'Ma Chao' light jungle armored vehicle, and even jungle camouflage and more efficient mine detectors, which were almost specially developed for jungle warfare in Southeast Asia.

We urgently need more advanced weapons and equipment, and of course, this is also the topic of discussion at this cabinet meeting, whether to purchase a large number of weapons and equipment from China again. ”

Obviously, the last thing General Allenheed mentioned in this report was what needed to be discussed and decided at this wartime cabinet seminar.

"General Allenside, I don't think it's a good idea to buy war materials from the Chinese. I admit that they have achieved quite a bit in industry and technology, and perhaps have some advanced weaponry. However, I think that the Empire is fully capable of developing these equipment on its own, and the yellow race can develop it, and the great British Empire can do the same. Secretary of War MacDonald said rather dissatisfied. I think it would be a mistake to blindly attribute the defeat of the war to the inferiority of weapons and equipment. The British Empire has experienced countless wars, and our weapons, which have always been able to defeat our opponents before. We have also won almost all of our victories in Southeast Asia. ”

Listening to the words of the Minister of War, Alan Side had a feeling that his anger had nowhere to vent, held back his emotions and said. "Mr. Minister, there are jungles, completely different from your farms in the suburbs, they are not ordinary mountains, nor grasslands, deserts, there are dense water networks, and there are jungles everywhere. The indigenous armies of Southeast Asia that we defeated did not even have a single rifle, but today we are facing an elite army.

Numerous battles since the Burma War have proven that it is imperative to replace the equipment of frontline troops.

We are completely unable to produce some excellent weapons that are needed by the Far Eastern Forces, or at least, we will not be able to develop them and produce them in a timely manner. The soldiers did not have time to wait for the rear to develop and produce the advanced weapons they needed, and then transport them to India in half a month and send them to the front line by rough roads. ”

Alan Side was also helpless, although the staff found in the battle with the Burmese People's Army that after receiving weapons supported by the Chinese, the Burmese firepower could even suppress the same number of British troops.

However, when Alan Side tried to propose to the wartime cabinet and the Prime Minister countless times to replace the weapons and equipment of the Far East team, it was unsuccessful. The Prime Minister's main focus was on the defense of the British Island, and every time he signed a large amount of money, he allocated it to aircraft, tanks, warships, and other weapons.

The War Department and the Logistics Department have been doing their best to transport as many weapons as possible to Southeast Asia, or to start production in factories in India, but this speed cannot even catch up with the consumption brought about by the expansion of the Indian army, so the British political axe has no choice but to buy more than 300,000 old Chinese rifles and 10 million rounds of ammunition from China nearby. Compared with the Enfield-style rifles in their hands, the Huaxia style can be described as advanced.

The British were even more surprised to find that some of the ammunition boxes marked with the words 1922 were actually well preserved, and they had been stored for more than ten years without any bad damage at all. This proves that the Chinese's industrial manufacturing capacity and combat storage technology are shocking.

This time, what Allenside is trying to fight for is to buy more weapons from China.

"Well, General Allenside, as you said, the children at the front need these weapons and equipment. But I still think that we can buy all the war materials we need from the Americans, and that they will give it to us in the form of loans, rather than having to exchange it for gold or oil, as the greedy Chinese do. ”

Secretary of War MacDonald tried to find more convincing examples of his rhetoric, the greed of the Chinese, compared to the Americans' extremely generous war loans, which he believed were enough to make the British political axe never buy even a Chinese rifle or a Chinese bullet.

"General Allenside, do you have anything you would like to explain?" Another minister asked, who also thought MacDonald had some truth in saying that since war materials could be obtained in the form of war loans, there was no need to buy them from China, "I also think that we are not allies with China, at least not allies, even potential allies." Perhaps we should not give them the great wealth of war. ”

Alan Side: "Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. Ministers, in this list of equipment listed by General William on the front, we cannot produce it, and the Americans cannot produce it immediately, as far away as the United States, they also lack experience in jungle warfare, on the contrary, the Chinese deeply understand this kind of war, and their equipment is more suitable for us. For example, rifles. We compare the Lee-Enfield rifles equipped with our army with the semi-automatic Garand rifles of the Americans and the semi-automatic rifles of the Chinese by the Chinese.

If a veteran, our soldier relied on a Lee-Enfield-style rifle capable of achieving a high rate of fire of 15 rounds a minute, which was not much worse than a semi-automatic rifle. Relatively speaking, the Chinese-style semi-automatic rifle of the Chinese is more advanced than the American's Garand-style rifle, more stable and reliable, and suitable for fighting in jungles and water network areas.

However, in addition to our most elite troops, our recruits, as well as the French army, especially those soldiers of the colonial army represented by the Indian army, did not have the high quality of the elite British soldiers, were not well trained, and the rate of fire of the old rifles was already surprisingly low, and what I was best at was a rapid charge. Often, when we rushed to the position, our soldiers did not have time to shoot.

So, I think that in terms of individual rifles, the best way is to import a large number of semi-automatic rifles from China, and then increase the amount of equipment of our Studen submachine guns and Bren machine guns to increase the intensity of fire at close range. ”

Although they are reluctant to import a large number of weapons and equipment from China, since they have already imported a large number of rifles, bullets and shells from China, this time a large order is not so absolutely impossible. During the visit, the ministers also listened in detail to the analysis of the various advanced weapons that China can provide.

Finally, everyone looked to the Prime Minister, Mr. Winston Churchill.

Churchill had been listening quietly to the discussion just now, and he was not unaware of the serious problems facing the British, French, and Indian armies in Southeast Asia, but knew better than most of the ministers and other cabinet members present, and Allenside had repeatedly suggested to him the dangers of continuing this situation.

"Gentlemen, Southeast Asia is extremely important to us, and of course, it is also clear that if Southeast Asia has to be lost, then India will also be our last position, an indispensable position. General Allenside is right when he says that if we fail, then perhaps India will be the next Southeast Asia. We must not lose this war, and the worst outcome will be to enable the Far Eastern Army and the subsequent new units to have a strong strength to defend India.

So, my decision was to sign up to this plan to purchase equipment from China. In addition, I will specifically approve an increase in the purchase of special weapons such as aircraft, artillery, and semi-automatic rifles. ”

Churchill stood up, walked to the big map, and tapped his finger on the map of China, "The biggest advantage of buying from China is that it only takes a few days for these equipment to be sent to the most urgently needed troops." If purchased from the United States through a war loan, it will take at least 2-3 months to reach the soldiers.

However, I have also decided that during my visit to the United States next week, I will meet with President Roosevelt and ask for more military assistance from the United States, and it is foreseeable that more and more advanced weapons and equipment will continue to be shipped to India and Southeast Asia.

General Allenside, gentlemen, the issue of the inferiority of weapons and equipment will certainly be resolved soon. What we need to do is to speed up the progress of development and production, at least give priority to holding off Yue himself, holding Southeast Asia, or, at least, holding India. We can use gold, we can open reserve oil depots full of oil in the ports of the colonies, let the Chinese ships carry enough oil, and what we need is advanced weaponry, which must be able to compete with the jungle warfare weapons and equipment of the Yue.

Otherwise, we will face one of the biggest defeats outside of our homeland.

Don't be in a hurry to deny this possibility, two years ago, you would not have imagined that today's Vietnam would be completely occupied by China and Yueben, and you would not even have imagined that Singapore would be bombed by Yuben carrier-based aircraft.

Therefore, preparing for the worst, the best and most adequate preparation, is the most correct choice. ”

"Bang Bang Bang ......"

As soon as Churchill's words fell, the members of the wartime cabinet took the lead in applauding, and I have to say that Churchill's decision was the best decision. It not only solved the imminent problem, but also tried to win greater military aid from the United States, and clearly distinguished the pros and cons and the urgency of the matter.

The meeting finally made a decision, a huge military procurement plan was finally approved, according to the wartime ministerial cabinet discussion, this huge order, through gold and oil double payment, the rest of the matter, is to negotiate with the Chinese, how to get the most favorable price, this huge batch of weapons and equipment.

After the meeting, Churchill left General Allenside.

"Mr. Prime Minister, is there something wrong with that list?"

"No, no." Churchill smiled and said, "General Allenside, I am very interested in the report you gave me last time, and I hope that after the end of my visit to the United States, I will be able to see a more detailed plan of action when I return home." However, it will be of the highest level of secrecy, and it will not be possible for any file to record it, otherwise you and I will be sinners of England. ”

"Yes." Alan Side couldn't help but be overjoyed when he heard this, he originally thought that the prime minister would categorically reject the plan, but he did not expect Churchill to praise the plan.

Seeing Allenside's expression, Churchill nodded and said, "You are quite right in the plan, in the face of the question of getting the Americans into the war, nothing else is a problem." ”

Alan Side nodded affirmatively, he knew how to do it, and he would use his biggest idea to enrich the plan.

Han Jing and Zhang Shusheng had just finished attending an annual meeting of the Supreme Science and Technology Committee of the Republic when he heard a very inspiring report from Defense Minister Cai Yi.

"Chairman, the British sent a huge military procurement group to China, and this is the list of weapons and equipment they want." When he first got the documents handed over by the British ambassador to China, Cai Ye still didn't dare to imagine it, after all, this preliminary list is complete in categories and extremely large in quantity, calculated according to a certain category of weapons and equipment, it is enough for at least 200,000 British troops to use, and the number of planes intended to be purchased alone has reached more than 500. ”

Zhang Shusheng just glanced at it, and couldn't help laughing, "Sell, of course you have to sell, why don't you sell it?" We don't sell, what do the British use to beat themselves? Let's first convene a meeting with the relevant departments to discuss the list. ”

"Yes, Chairman."

After Cai Ye left, Zhang Shusheng couldn't help laughing softly again, he really came to the pillow when he was sleepy, if this deal was done, it would be a big profit.

War, if it is classified as two purposes, is only for two things, the first is to occupy the territory of another country, to obtain the resources and population of other countries. The second is to trade with warring countries and earn war money from other countries.

In the war in Southeast Asia, Zhang Shusheng never thought of intervening in advance, no matter which side Ying said, it was far from the time when both sides were defeated. It's just that the British side suffered an early defeat, and if the Americans don't intervene, the Anglo-French-Indian forces will most likely be driven back to India by themselves.

If they wished, they might even cross the Burma-India border and launch an attack on India.

You must know that my ambitions are no less than those of the Germans, and in history, they dared to go to war against Southeast Asia, the United States, and China, and dared to use force against almost the whole of Asia.

And the British, in order to prevent the consequences of such a catastrophe, decided to replace the weapons and equipment of the front-line army in large quantities, and they were right.

Zhang Shusheng is in a very good situation, although China will not provide even a penny of war loans like Britain, let alone free military aid, but at this time, the United States will indeed provide Britain with a huge scale of military aid.

If China can successfully eat this order, it is only because China's existing large-scale inventory of weapons and equipment is more advanced, more practical, more targeted, and more quickly put into actual combat than the Americans.

So, this business may be part of the last huge military deal that China made with the British.

Zhang Shusheng knew very well that once the Americans were involved in the war, then the Americans would change their stance on trade and fully support the British, at that time, even if the weapons and equipment were not advanced enough to be particularly suitable for fighting in Southeast Asia, they would also be sent to the British, French and Indians in a steady stream.

The Americans are not bad for money, and they are not bad for production capacity.

Looking at this list, Zhang Shusheng said to himself: "It is really best to not only sell the inventory, but also earn back gold and oil, and also contain my own actions in Southeast Asia." ”

(To be continued)