July 2, 1932.

In the South China Sea, near the Bass Strait, a large fleet is slowly sailing eastward.

One Hood-class battlecruiser, two Nelson-class battleships, three Iron Duke-class battleships, one Brave-class aircraft carrier, five Kent-class heavy cruisers, four Caridon-class light cruisers, three Grain Goddess-class light cruisers, one Rapid-class destroyer, fourteen Admiralty-Class W-class destroyers, a 20,000-ton fast tanker and a 15,000-ton fast supply ship.

There were 36 ships of various types, sending out a spectacular formation on the blue surface of the South China Sea, breaking the waves, to the surprise of the sailors on the passing merchant ships, where did this large fleet flying the rice flag want to go? Could it be because of the Japan-Korea War, which was being fought fiercely during this time? Could it be that the British Empire is ready to use a major war to revive its former glory? It is estimated that as soon as such a powerful fleet appears near the Japanese archipelago, those Japanese monkeys who do not know the height of the sky and the thickness of the sky and mix with the GC doctrine of the Soviet Union should regret what they have done!

But inside the bridge of the flagship battlecruiser "Hood", Roger . Admiral Barkers didn't think his fleet was so powerful, and he didn't think the Japanese monkeys would be intimidated by the six capital ships here.

Because he knew that the Japanese had three powerful ships that were enough to overwhelm the "Hood" and "Nelson" classes!

Seriously, he didn't want to carry out this mission at all, if not a real war, just a bluff mission. He also did not want to execute. If it weren't for the Admiralty's strict order that the Far East Fleet must go north to cheer the Chinese, he would rather stay in the hot Singapore beaches and bask in the sun. Nor will he leave the protection of the Singapore Fortress with this large fleet of foreign powers and middle cadres to show off his might.

It's not that this Admiral Barkes threw aside the British Navy Jīngshén, who was bound to destroy the enemy, because this "bluffing" task was too difficult to grasp, and the object of scare was still GC-ist Japan! People are holding their breath to liberate all mankind, and they still deliver the goods to the door with the fleet, which is really stupid! What if those GC-ist naval soldiers don't eat this and really rush over to find themselves in the "Akagi", "Kaga", and "Tosa" to fight hard?

So even with an order from the Admiralty, he was reluctant to drive the Far Eastern Fleet to Japan's doorstep. Only dare to cautiously drive the warship into the wide Pacific Ocean. At the same time, seaplanes were sent to search around, and once they found a trace of the Japanese fleet, they avoided it from afar. lest you collide head-on with them.

Although there was such a seemingly perfect arrangement, he still didn't dare to take it lightly, the naval battle was really inexplicable, and the element of luck was too great. And the fortunes of the British Empire were clearly on a downward spiral. Who knows what bad luck will happen?

"Where is the main fleet of the Chinese at the moment?" Barkers asked, turning around. Speaking of this Chinese fleet, Bakes is also angry, not because of how dissatisfied he is with the Chinese, but because the British Admiralty's order is too bastard, and the Admiralty does not allow his Far Eastern Fleet and the Chinese main fleet to merge. You must know that once the two sides converge, they have a huge lineup of four aircraft carriers and twelve battleships and battle cruisers. The Japanese don't dare to come to trouble even if they eat the ambition leopard guts! However, the Admiralty disagreed, saying that it was to avoid getting involved in the "Sino-Japanese War" that had not yet happened.

What a bastard order! I'm afraid of getting involved, so I can stay in Singapore safely.

"Half an hour ago by telegram, they had reached the Pacific Ocean about 130 nautical miles southeast of Taiwan, just east of us."

Admiral Bakes' gaze swept over the chart. The Pacific Ocean southeast of Taiwan is close to Okinawa, an outpost of Japan and the South Sea. The swaggering appearance of the Chinese fleet there must not have been able to hide from the eyes of the Japanese reconnaissance planes in Okinawa, and Okinawa was also within the combat radius of the carrier-based aircraft of the Chinese fleet. However, Chinese does not seem to have bombed Okinawa, and it seems that they have not yet started a war with Japan Chinese......

"Your Excellency, destroyer Swift reports that they have spotted an unidentified submarine, just in front of the left of my formation."

"Submarines? Whose? Admiral Barkers sweated in his head. An unidentified submarine...... It's really a stabbing hand. It is definitely not possible to fight, this is close to Taiwan and the Philippines, which is the range of activities of the Chinese Navy and the US fleet in the Philippines, if the Chinese Navy submarine is accidentally damaged, it is better to say, after all, its own fleet is here to help the Chinese cheerleaders and scare Japan. But if the American submarine is blown up and sunk, the admiral himself will be killed! But don't fight...... This submarine was sent by the Japanese to sneak attack, what should I do? When he was in a dilemma, the voice of the staff officer's report sounded again.

"Admiral, the destroyer USS Swift reported that the discovered submarine took the initiative to surface, and it was the American 'Gar' class."

"It's fine." Admiral Barkes let out a long sigh, but fortunately the captain of the destroyer Swift was a cautious fellow, and if he threw depth charges indiscriminately, he would not be able to eat and walk away. Thinking of this, he immediately ordered loudly: "Order all ships, without an order not to launch any attack, unless the other party fires first...... Britain is still at peace now! ”

……

At the same time, 150 nautical miles southeast of Okinawa, the battlecruiser "Akagi".

Yamamoto Fifty-six looked up at several carrier-based fighters of the I-15 modification circling in the air; an hour ago he had landed on the aircraft carrier "Soryu" in this kind of carrier-based fighter; because he found that the Chinese naval fleet had appeared in the waters near Okinawa, he did not dare to take a destroyer to join the main forces of the combined fleet, for fear of being sunk by the Chinese carrier-based aircraft, so he could only personally pilot the plane in the vast sea to find the trace of the combined fleet, and finally found it for himself. However, when landing, there was an accident, the plane crashed into the blocking net and flipped over, and almost injured himself, the cockpit of this kind of aircraft is not very good, and flying them on the deck of an aircraft carrier is really a technical job. And the speed is slow. The range is small, the firepower is weak, and it cannot carry bombs. The engine life is also particularly short. There are really a lot of shortcomings, how could the Japanese Navy use such aircraft to compete for supremacy at sea? It's frustrating to think about, but hopefully the P.7 offered by the Poles will work better.

"Chief of Staff Yamamoto, Commander, please hurry to the bridge, we have found the general wèizhì of the British fleet." The voice of Captain Aviation Staff Officer Onishi Takijiro suddenly sounded in Yamamoto's ears, interrupting his thoughts.

Yamamoto turned his head and nodded to his right-hand man. Then, as he walked to the bridge, he asked Onishi: "What is the British fleet in?" Can an air strike be launched? ”

Although the performance of Japanese carrier-based aircraft was very unreliable, the Combined Fleet still brought four Soryu-class aircraft carriers and 280 Iraq-15 and Type 92 carrier-based light bombers (jointly developed by Japan and the Soviet Union).

"Can't reach them." Onishi Takijiro shook his head: "According to the deciphered US Navy telegram, the British naval formation has not yet passed through the Bass Strait, and it is more than 400 nautical miles away from us." ”

"Do you know what they're capable of?"

"Know, there are 6 capital ships, 1 aircraft carrier, 5 heavy cruisers, 7 light cruisers, 15 destroyers. The Americans' report is detailed enough, right? This time, the information provided to us by the Soviets is finally www.biquge.info useful. ”

When the two of them spoke, they had already walked into the bridge of the "Akagi". Commander of the Combined Fleet, Eisuke Yamamoto, and Kantaro Suzuki, commander of the Japanese Red Navy, were whispering in front of the chart table. Hearing the reports of Yamamoto Isoroku and Onishi Takijiro, he beckoned the two of them to come forward.

"This is the Chinese fleet, almost 200 nautical miles away from us, sailing south. The British fleet was about 100 nautical miles to the west of them and was sailing east. Eisuke Yamamoto pointed to the two ship-type markings representing the Chinese and British fleets on the chart, and asked Yamamoto Fifty-six: "Yamamoto-kun, who do you think we should fight first?" ”

"One to the south? One to the east? Yamamoto Fifty-six looked at the two signs on the chart and said in surprise: "Aren't they going to meet the teacher?" Also, what are the Chinese doing all the way south? ”

"Who knows?" Kantaro Suzuki sneered. Shaking his head, he said, "It's really inexplicable. I thought that the Chinese fleet would appear in the East China Sea or the Yellow Sea, but who knew that it would run to the Pacific Ocean. They didn't want to go around in circles to attack the Japanese mainland, did they? ”

"That's right. Is war declared now? Yamamoto Fifty-six suddenly thought of something and asked.

"No one has declared war." Kantaro Suzuki said with a bitter smile: "The Chinese do not recognize that there is a Soviet Japan in the world, and they still hold the "Japan-China Treaty" de jure theory, how can they declare war?" We also do not recognize North Korea as an independent country, and of course it is impossible to declare war on them, and there is no war between us and the British, and the British have also said that they want to mediate the war between Japan and Korea. ”

"What does that say?" Yamamoto fifty-six asked.

"I didn't say anything, I guess I'm still asking Moscow." Eisuke Yamamoto replied.

"In other words, it's up to us to fight or not?" Yamamoto fifty-six smacked his lips and said with a smile: "I really didn't expect that the fuse of the world war was in the hands of a few of us!" As he spoke, he took out a bag of documents from the briefcase he brought with him, held it in both hands and handed it to Eisuke Yamamoto. Your Excellency Commander, this is an order jointly signed by Chairman Takeda of the Revolutionary Military Council and His Excellency Muto, People's Commissar of Labor and National Defense, authorizing our Red Navy Combined Fleet to strike at the Sino-British Combined Fleet!

Your Excellency, Commander, the main force of the Combined Fleet will go south to intercept the main fleet of the Chinese Navy, and strive to intercept them in the waters south of the Ryukyu Islands for a night battle tonight!

At the same time, submarine forces will set up an ambush in the waters south of Okinawa to ambush the British Far East Fleet! Yamamoto 56 slapped the chart table hard: "Let's make full use of the suddenness of the undeclared war and strive to defeat the navies of China and Britain in one fell swoop!" ”

……

On the outskirts of Moscow, a weapons test site of the Soviet Red Army.

With a muffled boom, the muzzle of a Chinese-made 45mm gun flashed with a flash of fire, and a tungsten alloy armor-piercing projectile flew at a very fast speed towards a T28 tank parked 1,000 meters away. Just listening to the "bang", the shell smashed a white crater in the armor steel plate on the front of the T28, but it did not penetrate! Two Soviet Red Army soldiers jumped out of the bunker next to the tank and took a closer look at the front of the T28. He waved vigorously a small green chess piece in his hand.

"No breakdown! Great, no breakdown! Tukhachevsky, who was in the stands in the distance, put down his binoculars and reported to Trotsky beside him with a smile: "Comrade Chairman. The T28, equipped with 30mm bulletproof steel plates, withstood the blows of the Chinese's 45mm guns! ”

"Excellent! It seems that we still gained something in the Korean campaign. Trotsky looked back at Tukhachevsky, who was dancing with joy. How long will it take to complete all 3,500 of our T28s? It won't delay the process of the world revolution, right? ”

"No, please rest assured, Comrade Chairman, the comrades of the Armored Forces Command of the Red Army assured me that by the end of September, the modification of 3500 T28s will be completed. In addition, we will be able to produce an additional 800 T28 tanks with frontal armor up to 60mm thick. ”

Hearing that 4,300 T28s would be available by the end of September, an expression of joy finally appeared on Trotsky's face. nodded with satisfaction and said: "Very good, with 4300 T28s, we have more confidence." However, the development of new tanks still needs to be stepped up. The T28 revealed many flaws in this Korean campaign, and it seems that it is not a very good tank, and we must develop a replacement for the T28. And then there's the airplane...... This aspect must also be stepped upon, the intelligence said. Both China and Germany are stepping up the development of new fighters and bombers. The Soviet state cannot afford to lose to them in this regard! ”

Speaking of airplanes, Tukhachevsky changed his face, full of helplessness: "We have concentrated the aircraft engineers of the Soviet Union, Poland, and Japan to develop new aircraft, but our aviation industry still lags behind Germany and China. Western countries have imposed a blockade on us in terms of the technology of basic raw materials, so our engine technology is far inferior to that of China and Germany......"

"Okay, okay, I know that our aviation industry is inferior to our opponents, but without good aircraft, the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army will definitely be able to win the battle!" Hear the bad news. Trotsky also showed a little frustration. "Let's talk about the good news, I seem to have seen a Red Army staff officer give you something just now?"

Reminded by Trotsky. Tukhachevsky immediately took out a telegram from the pocket of his military uniform and handed it over with both hands. "It was a telegram from Comrade Blyukhel that the Japanese had discovered the Chinese fleet in the waters near Okinawa, with six battle cruisers and three aircraft carriers, which should be the so-called main fleet. In addition, the US Navy telegram intercepted by Tongguo learned that the British Far East Fleet also appeared in the Bass Strait. It is estimated that a full-scale war between China and Britain and Japan will soon begin! ”

"Really? That's good news! A smile of excitement flashed across Trotsky's face, but it was quickly replaced by a look of apprehension. Can the Japanese Navy win this battle? If there is a land war with the Korean Peninsula...... But it's a bit of a problem. By the way, what wèizhì is the Japanese fleet in? ”

Tukhachevsky shook his head: "I don't know, the Japanese fleet began to practice radio silence after leaving the port of Kure, and even the Japanese Red Navy command did not know their specific wèizhì. ”

Trotsky's face had become solemn. "This naval battle is very crucial!" He thought for a moment and said: "If Japan is victorious, the flame of revolution in the entire South Seas will be ignited, and China will be caught in the strategic encirclement of us and Japan." In the event of another defeat in Japan, the shape of the world revolution will become severe. Comrade Tukhachevsky, the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army must be ready to start war in advance! ”

At this moment, NKVD Commissar Yue Fei suddenly approached Trotsky and Tukhachevsky. "Lev. Comrade Davidovich, I have just received the news that Britain is preparing to withdraw from India, the Middle East, Burma and parts of Malaya! ”

"What?" Trotsky was stunned. "Britain is going to give up India? How is this possible? ”

Britain withdrew from the South Seas, which was beyond the reach of the whip, and even India, the crown jewel of the British Empire, was also abandoned! This was a far unexpected surprise from the revolutionary prophets.

"No, we can't let the British run away so easily!" Trotsky gritted his teeth, turned to Tukhachevsky and said: "The time for the start of the war must be advanced!" GCD must be the liberator of India and the Middle East! ”

"But...... Comrade Trotsky, we are not ready! The modification of the T28 tank has not yet been completed, and the transfer of the Red Army to Persia is only half complete, and now only 1 million troops are in place. The Khan's Persian army had only mobilized less than 300,000 men, and the supplies were not complete, and the submarine forces of the Red Navy were not in place......"

"Needless to say!" With a wave of his hand, Trotsky interrupted: "1,300,000 troops are enough to liberate India and the Middle East, and the Red Army must enter India and Iraq before the end of July!" Comrade Tukhachevsky, you can't think only about military issues and ignore political ones! If Britain were to withdraw from India, India would become one or two independent states! When the time comes, when we go to liberation, we will be regarded as aggressors by certain Indian nationalists, and you know that those countries that have just gotten rid of colonial and semi-colonial status have very strong nationalist feelings? The setbacks we have encountered in China illustrate this, so ...... We must not allow India to become a second China! Otherwise, our world revolution is likely to fail! ”