The rough Atlantic Ocean suddenly calmed down, and a formation of several merchant ships from the United States was heading for England, when suddenly an explosion sounded, and a torpedo from the bottom of the sea sank the merchant ship.

After a while, several periscopes rose one after another on the surface of the nearby sea, and the German submarine, having confirmed the target, continued to sink and disappeared into the vast sea.

Every month, every minute a merchant ship bound for England is sunk, and London is plunged into a state of starvation......

"The situation in the Far East is worrying, China and Japan are arming millions of troops, which seriously threatens the security of the Philippines, and MacArthur has asked for more troops to be sent in the country."

At the White House, Roosevelt and Situ Nan met again.

When it came to the situation in the western Pacific, the president's face was worried, and he looked at Situ Nan with a meaningful look in his eyes, and asked, "How will the situation in the western Pacific develop?" ”

It is an open secret that Situ Nan and the William consortium are influential in China and South China, and the president wants to hear Situ Nan's opinion. Europe's power is in serious decline in the Far East, and the United States has to worry in the face of an increasingly aggressive China and Japan.

Regarding this issue, in fact, Situ Nan is not too sure in his heart, the history of Asia has been changed by him, and if China is not defeated, everyone does not know whether Japan will go south.

The Pearl Harbor attack does not seem likely to break out.

Perhaps, without waiting for the Japanese to make a move, the Chinese Combined Fleet might have made a preemptive attack on Tokyo and defeated the Japanese Navy in one fell swoop?

Situ Nan shook his head and smiled faintly: "Who knows? Everywhere reach a mess, who is an enemy and who is a friend. I can't tell.

Regardless of whether war breaks out between China and Japan. It's all good for the United States. Overseas trade from the Western Pacific spurred the U.S. economy to recover, and the U.S. industrial production index was almost back to 1929 levels.

Voters support the president, don't they? ”

Roosevelt was delighted to hear this, and a smug expression appeared on his face, just as Situ Nan said, although Britain in Europe seemed to be in danger, and Asia was not at peace, where was it headed. He couldn't tell, but the war gave the United States a godsend, the United States emerged from the Great Depression, and he himself successfully ran for the third president of the United States.

As for the Philippines, Situ Nan did not say, and Roosevelt did not continue to ask, as far as the little US troops in the Philippines, whether it was China or Japan, were wiped out with a slight movement.

The center of gravity of U.S. defense is Hawaii. Hawaii is "108,000 miles" away from the western Pacific Ocean and is in a state of natural safety. Americans can sit back and relax and focus their attention at home and on Europe.

"We can't let the Nazis run amok and we need to give Britain more support, but there are people in the country who are too sensitive and naturally oppose the government's necessary focus on Europe, so I want ......"

Roosevelt paused and looked at Situ Nan, the meaning was very clear, hoping that the William Consortium would do the work of the Republican conservatives, and not let those old men in Congress always compete with the White House.

Roosevelt craved more power, preferably to leave Congress aside.

On the one hand, Roosevelt's New Deal restricted the expansion of consortia and harmed the interests of large conglomerates, and on the other hand, it restored the economic order in the United States, from which the conglomerates benefited, and the relationship between the two sides was one of competition and cooperation.

Now that the United States has recovered, Roosevelt was ambitious to expand abroad, pull the United States into the war, and verify the path of expansion of the United States' destiny.

Situ Nan and the William Consortium naturally wanted to push behind the scenes, so he thought about it for a while, he nodded, and said that the William Consortium would cooperate with the White House's ambition to interfere in Europe, provide more support to the UK, purchase British assets, provide material support to the UK, and provide sufficient transportation capacity to the UK to ensure that the British would not be strangled and starved to death by the Germans.

To deal with the German unrestricted submarines, the Freedom Wheel program was put on the agenda.

While the Liberty Wheel program has not yet been implemented, the Williams Consortium's shipyards on the east and west coasts have validated the plan.

After leaving Washington, Stuart came to New York, where he met with the partners of the William Consortium and other consortium leaders to discuss international affairs.

New York is truly blessed, Europe and Asia rarely exceed 20 floors, and New York is full of high-rise buildings, and the Great Depression of the thirties has made New York more high-rise.

Famous buildings such as the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center in Manhattan are high above the sky, symbolizing the recovery and expansion of the strength of DuPont and Rockefeller conglomerates.

Not long ago, the Western Petroleum Company successfully won a contract for the Navy's 50,000-ton oil reserve to send Texas oil to the Pearl Harbor base, but the Mobil Company did not show weakness, and they also successfully signed a contract with a Japanese company for scrap iron and crude oil.

When passing by Rockefeller Center, looking at a row of buildings, Robles, who was in the same car, smiled and said to Situ Nan: "When Rockefeller Center was built, Rockefeller Jr. made a successful transaction and branded Rockefeller's reputation in the center of the world, but where is William Center or William Building?" ”

William's family has always been mysterious, and Situ Nan himself is even more mysterious in the mystery, except for a very few people who know him, most people don't know that there is such a person as him, Situ Nan doesn't mind, in the face of Robles's ridicule, Situ Nan suddenly replied: "My name may not be known, but my exploits change the world." ”

Robles was stunned for a moment, but he didn't expect Situ Nan to be so angry, and soon sneered again, and the topic shifted to business.

"Although the president has repeatedly stressed that he will not participate in the war in Europe, he may not think so, and sooner or later he will be dragged into the water by the British."

Stuart said to Robles.

"Sooner or later, how long?" Robles asked.

"A year and a half, the Nazis unified Europe, this is a disaster for the United States, isn't it?" Situ Nan asked rhetorically.

"That's just as well." Robles nodded, don't look at the Americans' support for Germany after World War II, Germany's industrial equipment is updated, and the funds come from the United States, but the United States will not allow Germany to dominate Europe, this is the consensus of all walks of life.

What Roosevelt and Churchill were doing, Stuart Nan generally knew, and Roosevelt and Churchill did not know what they would do. Situ Nan also knows it. For Europe. Situ Nan tried not to interfere. As a result, the history of Europe has largely remained unchanged and has developed according to its original trajectory.

Britain was doomed to decline, and it was time for William's consortium to dismember the vast colonial empire, so they began to completely ignore the feelings of the British, and decisively marched into the British colonies of Canada and Australia, with funds from the United States further controlling Canada and Australia.

……

In May 1941, the Wilhelm Manor rose bloomed. It became a sea of flowers.

Henry Kaiser, from San Francisco, walked into William's estate and was secretly amazed that Stuart's nephew, Tom, was hospitably welcoming the builder.

"Mr. Kaiser, are you interested in consolidating the shipbuilding industry on the West Coast? Tell us about your plans. Tom asked directly.

The building materials merchant in front of him seemed to smell the profits, and was ready to invest in steel, machinery and other industries on the West Coast, which was not his turn to do so, because the San Francisco Shipyard and the San Diego Shipyard, as well as the largest steel company on the West Coast, California Iron and Steel Company, were all factories owned by the Bethlehem Company. The other steel mills, machine shops, and small shipyards on the West Coast combined were inferior to Bethlehem.

But Henry Kaiser is not targeting giants like California Steel or the San Francisco Shipyard. Rather, it was the careful factories, and in response to Tom's inquiry, he explained: "The big shipyards have to secure naval orders first, they have limited slipways, high requirements for warships, and it takes a long time, but there are many small and medium-sized merchant ships from Europe, and if you integrate the scattered factories, you can take these orders."

Shipbuilding doesn't necessarily require a large, professional dockyard, does it? ”

After saying that, he looked at Tom with some anticipation, in order to realize his plan, he not only needed a loan from the bank, but also needed the support of a large company, on the West Coast, although he did not know the owner of William Manor, but Henry Kaiser peddled his plan everywhere, and found William Manor and met Tom after several twists and turns.

"As far as I know, you don't have any experience in shipbuilding, you've been working in the construction industry in the past......"

Tom hesitated, looking suspiciously at the whimsical businessman in front of him.

Henry Kaiser did not refuse, and in the face of Tom's doubts, he showed enough confidence: "IMHO, in my opinion, there is no difference between building and building a ship, when we build a building, we use the designed modules to build it piece by piece, and building a ship is no exception, but the reinforced concrete becomes a steel plate." ”

"It's a disaster, and I don't think such an inferior product can ......," Tom shook his head.

"Listen to me, sir, will the British care?

In the face of German submarines, perhaps we do not have to be harsh on the quality of the ships, we can use them for more than ten or twenty years, and pay more attention to the number of ships.

From New York to London, captains don't care how sturdy and beautiful the ship is, how fast they run, they just need to get safely into the British port and it will be enough to recoup the cost.

Germany carried out unlimited submarine warfare against Britain, and the Royal Navy was overstretched and could not protect the merchant ships in the Atlantic at all.

It's all about quantity! ”

Henry Kaiser was serious.

Although shipbuilding is not as simple as he says it is like architecture, the idea of "paying more attention to quantity" caught Tom's attention.

Tom knew more about the needs of the British than Henry Kaiser, the British urgently needed 500,000 tons of capacity, but the American shipyards were building warships and could not spare resources to build merchant ships, and the British begged their fathers and cried everywhere.

The Bethlehem Company hoarded a number of old ships and sold them to the British, who were grateful.

"Tell me about your plans! Mr. Kaiser! Tom asked, intrigued.

"My plan has three main points, which are flat-bottom shipbuilding, modular design, and a lot ......of welding processes," Henry Kaiser was secretly excited when he saw Tom's interest, and it was almost done.

Tom thought about it after listening to it, and felt that this plan was worth trying, the hull design did not need Henry Kaiser, Bethlehem had a large number of ship engineers, and various parts of the ship did not need Henry Kaiser, Cummins Power Company, Bethlehem Company, Chrysler Motor Company could manufacture a variety of ship parts.

In other words, Tom mobilized far more resources than Henry Kaiser, a construction merchant.

But considering Henry Kaiser's organizational skills, Tom's mind spun around and he remembered Situ Nan's teaching, "Let the good people do the work for themselves." Or even become your own partner. This is a must-have for a businessman to move to the next level. "I didn't plan to kick Henry Kaiser away. Then do it yourself.

More importantly, he could build more merchant ships for Britain so that he could do a little bit of his duty to his country, so Tom made up his mind.

When it came to business with the British, Stuart gave Tom the power to make his own decisions.

Tom continued to inquire about Henry Kaiser's plans, and was finally persuaded by Henry Kaiser.

"I think we're going to be partners, Henry." Tom called out each other's names enthusiastically. The two quickly clasped hands together.

"Yes, we are partners." Henry Kaiser breathed a sigh of relief, he was afraid that Tom would kick him out of his way.

"You know what? Henry, the British need 500,000 tons of capacity, if this order ......" Before Tom finished speaking, Henry Kaiser was impatient and said: "It's all ours!" ”

The two sides soon reached a relevant cooperation agreement to establish a joint venture Kaiser Industrial Company, and major companies such as Bethlehem, Cummins Power, Cummins Electric, and Chrysler Automotive have expressed strong interest.

"Well done. In shipbuilding, a Henry who can work on an assembly line can be of great help. ”

Situ Nan returned to California and listened to Tom's transfer to Kaiser Industries. Compliments to Tom for his performance, coming back this time. Even if Henry Kaiser didn't show up, Situ Nan would have sacrificed the "Freedom Wheel" plan.

"Cummins and Bethlehem are all interested in participating, but Wells Fargo has concerns." Tom reminded Szeto Nandao.

"Don't worry! I'll convince the bank. "Situ Nandao.

Since someone has come forward, Situ Nan is happy to let go and let them show their strengths.

Take Cummins Power as an example, it is not difficult to manufacture reciprocating steam engines, and Chrysler Automobile Company and Bethlehem Company also have the ability to produce marine steam engines and ship shafts.

It is estimated that by the end of World War II, the steel output of Bethlehem Company will exceed 50 million, while the steel production of the United States will be close to 100 million tons per year.

This is why Situ Nan dares to say that he will change the world.

In terms of shipbuilding capabilities, the United States is stronger than Europe and Asia combined.

"It's really a great breakthrough in history." Tom was a little smug and excitedly went to inform Henry Kaiser.

He didn't know that the first assembly line shipbuilding may not be a US patent, as early as a few years ago, in Nanhua and China, the US-China shipyard under the US-China consortium made a similar attempt, but the scale was too small and not public.

……

After landing in Britain was hopeless and the Luftwaffe was defeated over Britain, Hitler switched to the Barbarossa plan, and the Germans on the Western Front secretly sneaked back to Eastern Europe by train.

In June 1914, the Soviet-German war broke out, and 3.5 million Germans rushed to Eastern Europe to attack the Soviet Union in three directions, and their opponents were nearly 2.6 million Soviet troops.

The Soviets were caught off guard, followed in the footsteps of the French, and were defeated by German blitzkrieg tactics.

In the Kremlin, Stalin's face was pale, and his pipe-smoking hand trembled slightly, showing his inner anxiety and fear.

Originally, his plan was to wait for Hitler and the British and French forces to kill each other and be exhausted, and then the Soviet army would go down again, blow up Hitler's chrysanthemums, and bulldoze Europe.

Before the German attack, both the military reconnaissance report and the reminder of the German "female cadre" Zorge clearly pointed out that Germany was going to attack the Soviet Union, but he did not believe it, and as a result, he was deceived, and seeing that the Germans were about to fight under the city of Moscow, Stalin felt endless regret every time he thought of this.

For now, I can only do it.

He tapped his pipe, gave the order, the Georgian accent was low, slow and firm, and after speaking, he turned his gaze to Zhukov's face, although this Zhukov was a little unruly, but he had the ability to fight the war and was reused by Stalin.

The Soviet-German war has already begun, so will the Sino-Soviet war be far away?

Molotov, who was in charge of foreign affairs, secretly feared that Wuhan had incited hatred against the Soviet Union and wanted to regain the lost territory, which the Soviet Union had argued for and resolutely refused.

Molotov approached Stalin and reflected his concerns.

"Our situation is very difficult, we must stabilize the Chinese and not let them join the war." Stalin ordered.

Steady? What to stabilize?

Molotov smiled bitterly in his heart, and suddenly thought of inciting the opposition party in China, despite the fact that those Soviet-raised Yellow Russia had made trouble in the last Sino-Soviet Middle Road War, and as a result, their reputation in China was rotten, and if they jumped out to "defend the Soviet Union", they would probably be beaten to death by Chinese street aunts.

Hypothetical thought of a snake...... It's not easy!

Molotov sighed, thinking about it, it seems that there is only a delaying strategy, negotiate first, and then drag it out.

For the Soviet Union, it was more urgent to form an alliance with Britain against Germany.

Damn the Red Devil, you've finally tasted defeat, right?

When the Soviets and Germany went to war, there was no happier than Churchill, because the Germans would not land in Britain again, and Britain could be regarded as preserved.

The next thing is to slowly consume with the Germans, provided that the Soviet Union is not killed by Germany all at once.

Britain and the Soviet Union quickly formed an alliance, and the British gritted their teeth and allocated part of the supplies ordered by the United States to supply the Soviet Union.

Britain actively drew the United States into the battlefield, Churchill urgently contacted Roosevelt, and the two sides signed the "Atlantic Charter" in Newfoundland and issued a joint declaration to jointly deal with fascism.

The United States is only one step away from the battlefield, and it is extremely difficult to take this step.

Who are the fascists?

China and Japan did not react much, privately arguing that the Atlantic Charter was not suitable for the Pacific and that a decaying colonial empire like Britain should not be protected and continued to exploit the peoples of Asia.

In the face of the Soviet delay, Soong Meiling's attitude became more and more pronounced and tough, and Wuhan no longer had the patience to argue with the Russians whose hands were stained with the blood of the Chinese nation.

In terms of public opinion, the old accounts of the Russians have been turned over, "the Hailan Pao tragedy", "the shame of the "Aihui Treaty", "how many nationalities did the Russians kill all the way from Europe to Asia?" "The decline began with Nebuchu", "The Russians owe us a million and a half million square kilometers of territory!" ”

This kind of inflammatory topic frequently appears in newspapers and broadcasts in Wuhan, Shanghai and other places, which is shocking!

(To be continued.) )