Chapter 203: The United States Needs Allies

Midway, a key point in the North Pacific, knew that Yamamoto Isoroku, who was well aware of America's industrial power, did not indulge in the great victories and gains that swept across the South Seas. With the entry of the United States into the war, Japan's situation is even worse in Yamamoto's eyes, and there is a China with a navy behind it, even if Sino-Japanese relations are okay now, who knows when China, which has always had good relations with the United States, will turn its face? Therefore, it is necessary to defeat the U.S. Pacific Fleet and inflict heavy losses on it before the Sino-American alliance is formed, and then go south to Wake Island to form a defensive belt with the islands in the Pacific Ocean. At that time, even if China turns its face, Japan will not have to fight on two lines, the Chinese Navy has eight aircraft carriers, and the country with the most aircraft carriers in the world today, Yamamoto 56 is deeply afraid of it. At the same time, I also felt that time was pressing, so I had to force the US Pacific Fleet to fight.

In order to achieve the campaign goal of inflicting heavy damage on the US Pacific Fleet, the Japanese Combined Fleet dispatched 45 aircraft carriers, 7 battleships (including Yamato, Nagato, and Mutsu), and 12 heavy cruisers.

The US Navy really can't afford not to fail to see such a huge fleet heading towards Midway, not to mention that the Chinese Government, which has always had good relations with the United States, informed the Chinese embassy in China of this information, which is said to have been discovered by a submarine. The U.S. Navy dispatched a huge Task Force 7, a total of 48 warships, including two aircraft carriers and six battleships, to meet the battle.

At 8 a.m. on December 10, reconnaissance planes from both sides discovered each other's fleets almost simultaneously, and a naval and air battle began.

The confident U.S. Navy's Task Force 7. In this forty-hour sea and air battle, all that was left was a pair of bottoms, and the F4F Wildcat carrier-based aircraft looked so clumsy in front of the Japanese Zero fighters. In the course of the battleship bombardment. The Yamato, the spiritual pillar of the Japanese Navy, hit the battleship Pennsylvania and inflicted heavy damage on it in just three salvos.

In the fierce fighting during the day, the US Navy's Task Force 7 sank one aircraft carrier, three battleships, three heavy cruisers, and five light cruisers. Five destroyers. After carrying until dark, the commander of the fleet, Halsey, ordered the remnants to retreat, and the Japanese Navy relied on the speed advantage of the battleships. The wounded battleships of Arizona entangled the "Nagato" and "Mutsu", and the destroyers cast smoke and threw torpedoes. The Japanese naval commander Nagumo was afraid that the battleship would be hit by a torpedo at night, and did not dare to chase too close. Halsey took the opportunity to flee to Wake Island. And not the Hawaii that Nagumo imagined.

19 ships sank. The remnants who fled to Wake Island were all scarred and unable to fight without major repairs. Lost 220 aircraft, 10823 personnel. If the United States can quickly replenish the lost warships and aircraft, then the lost 312 excellent pilots cannot be replenished quickly.

When the news broke, the whole country cheered, and more than 200,000 citizens of Tokyo took to the streets to parade and display lanterns to celebrate the victory.

The United States is the opposite. The whole country sank in the silence of defeat. The Wall Street Post said in a commentary: Our Navy has been defeated, and there is no longer a single US capital ship and aircraft carrier in the Pacific that can fight. The reasons for the failure are now beyond accountability. Isn't it time for the President and his staff to review our foreign policy? Especially diplomacy with China!

This is meant to squeeze the U.S. government, and it also implies that the government's foreign policy has led to China's dissatisfaction with the United States, so China has been reluctant to form an alliance with the United States since the United States entered the war. Otherwise, wouldn't it be easy for the Chinese and American navies to unite and clean up the Japanese navy?

Let's look back at the losses of the Japanese Navy, the aircraft carrier Zuizuru was sunk, four destroyers were sunk, 77 aircraft were lost, the battleship Kongo was seriously damaged, and the battleship Mutsu ate a salvo from the Arizona and was seriously damaged. The remaining eleven battleships were slightly damaged, and the combat effectiveness could be repaired in a week as fast as possible, and completely repaired in half a month at most if they were slow. The miserable Mutsu was estimated to need to be repaired for two months, and the King Kong, which had eaten a torpedo, did not resist on the way back, and finally chose to give up.

Washington, White House. Roosevelt had locked himself in his office for more than two hours, and the US dignitaries who had come to the conference room one after another would glance at the closed door of the president's office at the end of the corridor before they walked into the conference room.

Babbling, the heavy door was pushed open, revealing Roosevelt's haggard face, and the agent waiting at the door immediately stepped forward and pushed him towards the conference room. Everyone in the conference room stood up, and Roosevelt coughed: "Task Force 7 has suffered a crushing defeat at Midway, and there is no longer a single capital warship and aircraft carrier in the entire Pacific Ocean that can fight. The United States of America is in great difficulty, and now more than ever, we need China as an ally! Well, no matter what method is used, it is necessary to impress that damned dictator in the Far East and make him agree to an alliance between China and the United States! No matter how harsh his conditions are, as long as they do not hurt the core interests of the United States, he can be agreed! ”

"Franklin, the most crucial person now is Mr. Fisher, and he is the only one who has made a breakthrough on the issue of China." Hopkins spoke, in a tactful tone. Roosevelt nodded and said, "I know, you are responsible for this matter, if necessary, you go to Beijing." Mr. Fisher is only an advisor after all! Remember to inform Mr. Churchill of the attitude of the United States Government, I think he has something in his hands that will be of interest to that dictator, unless he does not want to keep India. ”

"I see, I'll do it." Hopkins immediately walked out of the door, everyone else stood still, and Roosevelt clapped his hands and said, "Okay, now let's look at other issues, and the first problem at the moment is to hold Australia." ”

The rear hospitals in Harbin were filled with soldiers who were sure that they could no longer go to the battlefield, and the wounded soldiers who lacked arms and legs were naturally not high. After these soldiers were discharged from the hospital, they each received Wu Baiyuan, and then sent back to the local area for resettlement. Today's president attaches great importance to military personnel and has been improving the social status of military personnel, and whether or not local governments can properly resettle disabled military personnel is also a sign of political achievements.

When Fang Jianxiong and Alice, who had a six-month belly, appeared in the hospital, the whole hospital was a sensation. Over the years, the president, who is skilled in showing off his skills, and his wife with a straight stomach appeared to visit everyone, and even if there was any resentment in the hearts of the wounded soldiers, they were all gone, and some of them were moved to cry bitterly.

The president posed and murdered a photo of a reporter before giving a speech on the spot. Praise these soldiers as the backbone of the country, without their dedication, the country will be in trouble.

After three days in Harbin and about to leave for Kulen, the U.S. ambassador Hurley and the U.S. government's foreign affairs adviser Fisher arrived in a hurry from Beijing.

Prior to this, Fang Jianxiong had already known about the defeat of the US Navy at Midway, and said to Yang Yongtai, who accompanied the inspection by his side, with great regret: "The Japanese Navy is too wasteful, it actually let go of an American aircraft carrier, and the US Navy is also a waste, and it only sank one Japanese aircraft carrier, and the battleship Kongo is an old guy, so why should it sink Japan's Nagato or Mutsu, it's best to sink the Yamato." ”

Fang Dashuai's gloating tone, Yang Yongtai has long been used to it. He is now the Minister of Home Affairs, the second in the Cabinet and the next Prime Minister in the Cabinet. "President, this Japanese Navy is quite powerful." Yang Yongtai also had a look of regret.

Fang Jianxiong said with a smile: "In terms of naval strength, the United States is still stronger. However, in this war, the United States could not help but be a little overbearing, and even dared to take the initiative to meet the enemy after only dispatching two aircraft carriers. Of course, this has something to do with the fact that the United States is preparing to land in Africa, and the Atlantic also needs sufficient sea power, and the Germans are not vegetarians. If I had Roosevelt, I would not have taken the initiative to start a war with Japan at this time, but would have relied on Hawaii and Australia for defense. With the production capacity of the United States, it will be possible to produce much more warships than the Japanese Navy in a year and a half at most. Now with such a fight, the entire Pacific Navy has no power to fight back. In the next stage, Japan has two goals, one is to take Wake Island and seek Australia or Hawaii. The second is to send troops to India to completely expel the British power in Asia. No matter which strategy the Japanese army chooses, for our army, the advantage is that it is strategically in an extremely active position, and the disadvantage is that for a long time, we will have to face the powerful Japanese navy alone. ”

Hurley and Fisher didn't expect Fang Jianxiong to stand at the door to greet them, and they had a stern face, and when they shook hands, Fang Jianxiong said in a heavy tone: "Mr. Ambassador, I'm sorry. ”

Hurley struggled to move his Adam's apple a few times, not knowing what to say. Fortunately, Fisher said in time: "Your Excellency, we have come with the friendship of the United States. ”

Fang Jianxiong didn't answer this immediately, but made a gesture of invitation: "Let's go in and talk." ”

After entering a separate room, Fang Jianxiong sent everyone else out, and only when there were only three people on the scene did he say, "Okay, now we can talk about the alliance between China and the United States." ”

Hurley was overjoyed in his heart, and then felt a little cold behind his back, the last time Fang Jianxiong opened his mouth, this time he didn't know what price he would offer.

"Mr. President, the free world needs China's strength to fight against fascism. Our government hopes to play a little role in the Sino-Soviet war, to achieve a quick truce between China and the Soviet Union, and to unite forces that can be united to fight against fascism. Hurley's opening remarks were still the same, Fang Jianxiong listened expressionlessly, and waited for him to finish before speaking.

"The Germans and the Soviets have come to an agreement and are secretly making a large-scale deal. The Soviet Union gave the Black Sea Fleet concession to Germany in exchange for Germany's new fighter technology and a large number of technical equipment. I really didn't say, Mr. Ambassador, do you understand what I mean? Fang Jianxiong sneered again and again, and Hurley was stunned on the spot. (To be continued......)