The fighting in Madagascar was generally reassuring to Li Guang, but the speed of the Japanese advance shocked Li Guang.

From December 8, 41, the Japanese army attacked Pearl Harbor, to the end of January 42.

All the military operations of the Naval Resistance Force, except for the sneak attack on the Marshall Islands of the Japanese army, fought a small battle. This was followed by another offensive against Madagascar.

And in the space of more than a month, the progress made by the Japanese army is simply amazing.

The first result: the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, which took out the backbone of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

The second result: the Japanese army easily disarmed several British and American warships in China, and occupied all the European and American concessions in China.

The third result: the Japanese army captured Hong Kong.

The third result: landing in the Philippines

The fourth result was the occupation of Thailand.

The fifth result was the landing in Malaya.

The sixth result was the capture of a series of Pacific islands.

At the same time, the Japanese army also carried out a diversionary campaign in China - the Battle of Changsha. When you know all the military operations of the Japanese army, one word will come out of your heart - crazy.

In particular, the fifth military operation is most closely related to the Naval Resistance Force. As long as the Japanese army takes Malaya and Singapore, it will be able to control Malacca, and then the Indian Ocean will face the Japanese army's blade.

If you look at the course of the battle, you can see the sharpness of the Japanese army.

Britain, the United States, the Netherlands, and Australia were quickly defeated by the Japanese offensive. Proud Caucasian people were beaten in disarray. When they really faced the blade of the Japanese army, they realized how difficult China's War of Resistance against Japan was. Whether it is the United States, Britain, or the small Netherlands, these white people who think they are high above have never seen China's combat effectiveness in their eyes, and always think that the Chinese army is incompetent. When their troops were defeated again and again. Only then did I think that poor and backward China had been fighting the war alone for four years, dragging the main force of the Japanese army to the death, and the hardships can be imagined.

US President Franklin D. Roosevelt showed the most pragmatism, and after discovering the "usefulness" of the Chinese army, he immediately began to provide Chinese arms and supplies again.

A series of actions by the Japanese army, which had an ultimate strategic purpose - oil, the oil of the Dutch East Indies. That is, Indonesia in later generations.

After the Anglo-American-Dutch cut off Japan's oil supply, Japan's ability to fight the war was limited. Japan is not yet an industrial country, and the annual oil consumption is only about 4 million tons. Even if it is released, it will only be 6 million tons.

Since in the whole of East and South Asia, there are only two places where oil is produced. The first is Sakhalin Island, which was jointly occupied by Japan and the Soviet Union, where one million tons of oil were produced, and it was Japan that went to war against the Soviet Union and took Sakhalin Island. It's not enough at all. The second is the Dutch East Indies, which produce 5.8 million tons of oil annually. Just take it down here. Then it will be enough for the needs of Japan alone.

Take a look at the map of Southeast Asia and it's easy to spot. On the western side of the South China Sea are Vietnam, Thailand and Malaya. This long peninsula is the western doorpost of the Dutch East Indies, and the American colony of the Philippines is the eastern doorpost.

Having occupied these two vast territories, the door of the Dutch East Indies was opened to Japan. Whether it's Borneo or Sumatra (oil fields are in both. It will become the pocket of the Japanese army.

The closest relationship with the Naval Resistance Army was the Japanese offensive in Malaya. At 1:45 a.m. on December 8, 1941, the Japanese army was under the cover of its southern fleet. Commander Jizaburo Ozawa, more than 5,000 Japanese troops landed in Kota Bharu. At this time, 4,500 nautical miles north of Pearl Harbor, the raider group was preparing to take off. Two hours later, the Japanese landing partially repelled the defenders of Kota Bharu. Having taken control of the first beachhead of the new Japanese empire, the subsequent landing forces of Songkhla and Pattani also successfully held their positions.

And after landing troops from all over the country came ashore, they quickly seized the nearby airfield.

After dawn on the 8th, the Japanese air force carried out a number of air raids on airfields and Singapore air bases on the Malay Peninsula that had not yet been occupied by its ground forces, and the air force of the British Empire had been completely lost.

On the afternoon of December 8, Vice Admiral Phillips, commander of the Far East Fleet of the British Navy, led the Z fleet on an adventure without air cover. On December 10, the Z Fleet finally had no escape, and 85 planes of the Japanese 22nd Air Force cleanly sank the Prince of Wales and the Counterattack in two hours, and the main force of the Far East Navy ceased to exist. Vice Admiral Phillips finally showed the courage of an Admiral of the British Imperial Army, sending off the surviving sailors and sinking himself with the battleship.

For Li Guang, the battle of the Japanese army made him more vigilant. You must know that the full load displacement of the Counterattack is comparable to that of the Atlantic battleship of the Maritime Resistance Army, which is about 38,000 tons. Its anti-aircraft firepower is also strong enough, with 16 anti-aircraft artillery 40mm anti-aircraft guns and 16 20mm anti-aircraft guns. These 32 anti-aircraft guns were double, quadruple, and eight-mounted, and the total number of anti-aircraft guns reached 128. Although it lacked the three-inch anti-aircraft guns of the Naval Resistance Army, the number of anti-aircraft guns and ammunition delivery was about the same as that of the battleship Atlantic. It is also equivalent to the anti-aircraft fire of a Pickup-class destroyer.

And the British new battleship, the Prince of Wales, was even more powerful. WITH A FULL LOAD DISPLACEMENT OF MORE THAN 40,000 TONS, IT HAS TEN 356MM GUNS.

Anti-aircraft artillery was also more powerful, with 32 40mm anti-aircraft guns and 18 20mm anti-aircraft guns. Its anti-aircraft fire reached a staggering one hundred and eighty guns.

And even such a powerful air defense force was not able to withstand the blows of 85 Japanese fighters for more than two hours.

Knowing this result, Li Guang gasped. Zheng Xuechang was also surprised, and Huang Zhonghua's face was even more gloomy. After the battles in the Marshall Islands and Madagascar, several naval officers of the Naval Resistance Force were quite confident in the combat effectiveness of the fleet, but stimulated by this news, everyone once again raised their awareness of the power of the air force in naval warfare.

You must know that the anti-aircraft guns of the battleship Atlantic of the Naval Resistance Force were only ninety-eight, and the anti-aircraft guns on the Liberty Dragon were only one hundred and twenty. And the escort of the entire fleet now has only two pickup-class air defense destroyers with ninety-eight anti-aircraft guns each. Although the performance of the British 40mm anti-aircraft gun is far inferior to the American-made 70-fold long-barreled quadruple antiaircraft gun that the Naval Resistance Army is now equipped with, the officers of the Naval Resistance Army do not dare to give high expectations.

It can be said that if the current strength of the Naval Resistance Army encounters the 85 fighters of the Japanese army, I am afraid that there will be more than one bad luck. The officers of the Navy Resistance Army all felt as if they had been stripped of their clothes and stood in the cold wind. Now everyone is looking forward to perfecting a few legal air defense destroyers as soon as possible. By February, the air defense destroyers were equipped with eight twin three-inch guns. Anti-aircraft fire was seriously insufficient. IT IS A PITY THAT THE NAVAL RESISTANCE FORCES CAN ONLY WAIT, WAITING FOR PREMIER YUAN YE TO GET 40MM AND 20MM ANTI-AIRCRAFT ARTILLERY FROM THE UNITED STATES.

Li Guang was waiting for the news from Professor Yuan Ye from the United States. At the end of January, Professor Yuan Ye's telegram finally reached Li Guang's desk.

In his reply, Professor Yuan first explained the diplomatic achievements. Two weeks after the outbreak of the Pacific War, Premier Yuan met with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

It is not easy to do this, you must know that Haitang is not an official country so far. However, the meeting between Mr. Yuan Ye and Roosevelt was a formal diplomacy, which marked the real recognition of the Americans that the Haitang Kingdom would be an ally of the United States.

The sorrow of the weak country is vividly displayed, and the naval resistance army is obviously helping the US military, showing enough goodwill, and the two sides are on the same front. But it still needs to be recognized by the American boss. Otherwise, even if you claim to be an Allied army, you will not be able to get the status that the Allied forces deserve. Without the status of the Allied forces, it would not be possible to guarantee the rights and interests of the Haitang Kingdom after the victory in World War II.

Don't look at this as just a recognition, this recognition will determine whether the Haitang Kingdom can get a piece of the pie after the victory in World War II. There is no such recognition. It will even attract blows from European and American powers in the future. You must know that the Haitang Kingdom is to establish Madagascar. This is an act of snatching food from the French population.

In short, this formal meeting is of great significance, and Professor Yuan once again expressed that the United States is the only one who looks forward to the United States. There is no doubt that the gift-giving campaign of the Naval Resistance Army played a key role. Americans are realistic. They don't just look at what you say, they have to look at what you do.

Now the Naval Resistance Army has both said and done. Roosevelt's recognition of the Haitang Kingdom was also logical. U.S. Vice President Truman played a good role as a bridge in this regard.

At Li Guang's insistence, Professor Yuan Ye had already set the goal of public relations on Truman. You must know that Truman is still powerless at this time, and it is the best investment opportunity.

Last time, Professor Yuan gave Truman a little political achievement. Haitang and the United States have collaborated to develop higher-performance active sonar. This time, Professor Yuan sent a 10-centimeter magnetron to Truman, and Haitang will work with the United States to develop a higher-performance radar.

This magnetron is Junjiro Inu's biggest achievement in the entire four years. Junjiro, a small dog with pirate habits, got Japan's ten-centimeter magnetron and had a bad way. He himself did not dare to return to Japan, so he sent two of his men to Japan to steal technology. Pirates do bad things professionally. Espionage is a bit outrageous. Junjiro Inu got a sample of a ten-centimeter magnetron and also deceived a Japanese research institute.

But that researcher is now dead, this guy was too completely lured by Koizumi's opium, and if he wants to regain his health, it is absolutely impossible to do scientific and technological work. The Japanese researcher you can see now is a madman addicted to cigarettes and a drooling fool.

For Li Guang, Junjiro Koizumi's actions were not perfect, but they were also effective. At this moment, Junjiro Koizumi has already lived the life of a rich man in an Australian famous car and a mansion. Another pirate, Juan, who did not make as much money as Koizumi, now switched to "maritime trade" again. Juan, a descendant of Spanish descent, has now become a serious Spanish merchant, now bringing a merchant ship to trade goods from Spain to Don Port in the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean.

The ten-centimeter magnetron is of great significance to the United States. You must know that the current radar in the United States is still meter-wave, that is, a one-meter magnetron. For radar, the smaller the wavelength, the higher the accuracy. The gold content of this technology is much higher than that of active sonar.

Truman, under the deliberate compliment of Professor Yuan, once again won a political achievement. And the pharmaceutical sales cooperated by the Naval Resistance Army and Truman have also begun to enter the United States - the military - under the operation of Truman. Of course, Truman reciprocated the favor and strongly recommended the Haitang Kingdom in front of President Roosevelt.

In short, thanks to the efforts of many parties, Haitang was officially recognized by the United States and became a member of the allies.

As a result, Haitang received a second aid loan from the United States. The total amount of aid reached $10 million, double the amount of the first aid in August last year. Among them, there are 50 dreadnought dive bombers and 50 F4F wildcats that are in short supply in the Navy. A total of 100 40MM anti-aircraft guns and 20MM anti-aircraft guns, as well as a large number of anti-aircraft shells.

The Americans promised so many fighters and so many anti-aircraft guns, but what they could get in front of them was only 25 dreadnought bombers and 25 F4 Wildcat carrier-based fighters. And the anti-aircraft artillery can only be delivered to the Naval Resistance Army, a total of fifty.

The reason is very simple, the Americans have a lot of various materials, but they have just transferred to the wartime system, and the US military is also short of everything, and fighters and antiaircraft artillery are in short supply. Being able to allocate so many dozens of fighters to the Naval Resistance Army in advance is already very face-saving. You must know that in the British Empire, Churchill ran to Roosevelt and cried for a long time, although he mixed a lot of supplies, but he could not even get a single American fighter plane for two months.

Although these supplies are far from sufficient. But for the purchase of American weapons, the door of the Americans has already been opened. There are two types of aircraft, and the Americans do not limit the amount of purchases of the Naval Resistance Force, the P40 fighter and the water reconnaissance aircraft developed by the Curtiss company.

Note that it is a purchase, not an aid.

However, when it came to the specific purchase, the situation also changed again, and the order, Curtis Company accepted it very happily, but the delivery date was also after October 42 at the earliest. The only thing in stock is the water reconnaissance aircraft jointly developed by the Curtis Company and the Maritime Resistance Force, which is a copycat of the German water reconnaissance aircraft with quite superior performance. Compared with the original German goods, the performance has been improved in some aspects.

Now the Americans themselves have not started to assemble them, but Li Guang could not wait any longer, and immediately ordered the purchase of 30 planes.

You must know that the water reconnaissance planes used by the Maritime Resistance Force in the past were slow, had a short range, and carried a small amount of ammunition. Not to mention air combat, it is difficult to support ground operations. WHEN CARRYING OUT RECONNAISSANCE MISSIONS, IF A JAPANESE SUBMARINE IS ENCOUNTERED, AN AIRPLANE CANNOT DEAL WITH A JAPANESE SUBMARINE, AND THE BOMB LOAD OF ONLY A 60-POUND BOMB AND A 7.7MM MACHINE GUN ARE REALLY LACKING.

The new water reconnaissance plane produced by Curtis has a range of more than 1,200 kilometers, a maximum bomb load of 300 kilograms, and a maximum speed of nearly 300 kilometers. If it is not in the air, its ability to fight on the ground or at sea exceeds that of the P40 fighter. This water reconnaissance plane has a great momentum in the United States to replace its main water reconnaissance plane, the "Kingfisher," because it is called the "Gray Bird" water reconnaissance plane because of its gray livery.

If these 30 maritime reconnaissance planes can be equipped with the Maritime Resistance Force, then at least the survivability and attack power of the USS PJP seaplane carrier and the battleship Atlantic will be greatly improved.

Although this water reconnaissance plane was good, Li Guang could only buy thirty of them -- he had no money in his pocket. The Naval Resistance Army has a large amount of supplies in stock, and cash is extremely scarce. As for the assistance of the Americans, the first choice of the Maritime Resistance Force is weapons and ammunition, and there is no cash at all. (To be continued......)

PS: (Thanks, LDJ3023 tip)