Xinhua Palace, the joint base camp of East Asia.

On the morning of January 4, Beijing time, Admiral Yan Fu, Minister of the Navy and Chief of Staff of the Navy at the base camp, reported to the Joint Conference of the Supreme Commanders of the Base Camp on the results and losses of the Battle of Lingayan.

During the operations around Lingayen Bay from 1 to 2 January, the participating units of the South China Sea Fleet confirmed the sinking of 4 enemy warships (including 2 Dreadnoughts), 1 battle cruiser, 4 armored cruisers, 7 light cruisers, and 14 destroyers and torpedo boats. Heavy damage to 2 enemy battleships, 4-6 armored cruisers and light cruisers, 6-7 destroyers and torpedo boats. 957 officers and men were captured and captured.

Our losses on that day were: a total of 8 light cruisers, 9 destroyers, 1 submarine and 35 torpedo boats sunk or seriously damaged, and 36 aircraft of various types (including 33 heavy bombers) were damaged, lost or scrapped after landing. 796 people were killed and missing, and 582 were wounded in battle.

In addition, the results confirmed by the submarine forces set up in ambush outside the port of Singapore as of 3 January were: sinking 2 large enemy protective cruisers and 1 armored cruiser. Damaged 2 enemy ships (including 1 Dreadnought).

After hearing the report, Admiral Heihachiro Togo, representative of the Japanese Navy stationed at the joint base camp, was dissatisfied: "The main forces in the South China Sea failed to seize the favorable opportunity to quickly and decisively annihilate the remnants of the enemy's combined fleet, and Commander Ma could not escape the blame. ”

Yan Fu defended: "The weather conditions and the battlefield situation are unfavorable, and I think it is understandable to temporarily disengage in order to avoid falling into a melee and causing heavy losses." The protection of the old warships of the South China Sea Fleet is relatively weak, and a melee with the enemy's new warships will inevitably be greatly disadvantaged; even if the enemy ships can be completely annihilated in the melee, the price to be paid will be very heavy, and the victory of killing 1,000 enemies and inflicting 800 losses on oneself is not in line with our army's guidelines for war. ”

"I think that even if the sacrifice of the entire fleet of the South China Sea side is exchanged for the total destruction of the enemy's combined fleet, it can be called a great victory. How can a soldier be afraid of battle! Isn't it the core belief of the navy that the enemy will be attacked? ”

"That's just the reckless belief of the British, our East Asian Navy should have the belief of my East Asians, thousands of years of immersion in wisdom and obscurity, the truth of fiction and reality, and the forbearance of the mind, how can it be covered up with the words 'the enemy will be attacked'?"

Senior Admiral Lin Taizeng, Minister of the Navy of the National Defense Headquarters, who attended the meeting as an observer, raised his hand and said: "Okay, well, Commander Ma must indeed have his difficulties, but it is a pity that he failed to completely annihilate the enemy's combined fleet. As a result of this war, the enemy fleet in the South China Sea was no longer able to pose a substantial threat to us within a month or two, and the Second Mobile Force of the East China Sea arrived at the Kaohsiung base two days later. So, I wonder what the army's plans are for the next operation in the South China Sea? ”

General Wang Zhi, Minister of the Army and Chief of Army Staff of the Base Camp (and Minister of Army of the National Defense Headquarters), nodded: "We intend to speed up the progress of the Philippine operation, in addition to resuming the beachhead supply in Lingayan Bay and Subic Bay as soon as possible, we plan to use the 54th Army to land in Ramon Bay, southeast of Luzon, in order to achieve the effect of a three-sided attack." The 115th Division, which was the reserve of the Seventh Army, landed in Davao Bay, Mindanao, in order to quickly take control of the islands south of Luzon. For this reason, it is hoped that the Navy will provide full support for the above-mentioned landing operations. ”

In addition, the 57th Army, which has completed the Hong Kong Raid operation, is scheduled to be stationed in Siam from the sea to support the Siamese Army in the war. This also requires a naval escort to defend it. ”

"So, Siam is going to war?" General Togo asked casually.

"Yes, in order to regain the land that Britain and France have ceded one after another for a hundred years, Siam will first declare war on France after our army has been stationed, and assist our army in attacking French Indochina. After that, when our army launches the war in Malaya and Burma, it will also actively send troops to assist. ”

At that time, the Siamese Army's field strength after mobilization was planned to be: 5 light infantry divisions and 2 independent infantry regiments, 1 independent artillery brigade, 3 armored car companies, and 4 flying squadrons, totaling about 100,000 people. It is equipped with about 300 artillery pieces and mortars, 800 machine guns, 30 armored vehicles, 28 aircraft, and 1 airship.

The Siam Navy is armed with 2 2,000-ton coastal defense ships, 4 destroyers, 2 small submarines and 8 torpedo boats.

The Siamese Army's immediate operational plan was to march to Laos and Cambodia with the 1st and 2nd armies, including the 2nd Division and the 101st Independent Regiment, and the 2nd Army including the 4th and 5th Divisions, as soon as the Chinese 57th Army entered Siam and held the Siam-Burma border.

As for the long-term operational plan, after the end of the war against France, one or two divisions and one or two independent regiments will be dispatched to support the coalition forces in the Malayan operation, and the rest of the field forces will be concentrated in the Burma direction.

"When, then, can the war against Malaya and Borneo begin?" Senior General Hooke, acting chairman of the base camp commander's meeting and Minister of National Defense, couldn't wait to ask.

Wang Zhidao: "After the navy is ready, it can begin, and the first and second South China Sea groups are now ready to go." ”

Yan Fu continued: "The navy can be prepared within a week." ”

Immediately afterwards, Baron Hara Kei, the representative of the Japanese Government to the Supreme Commander's Council, raised his hand and asked for a speech.

"The Empire of Japan wants to draw its naval forces from the East Asian Combined Fleet as soon as possible to support its land forces in Kamchatka, the Aleutian Islands, and Alaska."

Yan Fu spread his hands and said: "Baron Yuan, now is not the time to say such things, you must first concentrate on completely defeating the enemy of the South Seas before you can make other plans." Moreover, without the cooperation of the main forces of the Combined Fleet, the strength of the Japanese Navy alone would not be enough to launch the Aleutian and Alaskan operations. ”

Dongxiang said: "So I said, if Commander Ma can step up his efforts and annihilate the enemy's combined fleet in one fell swoop, our fleet of the Great Japanese Empire can withdraw to the north and seize the spoils we deserve." ”

Hu Ke, Wang Zhi and the others looked at each other a few times, and their eyes revealed the same thoughts.

Impatient! Absurd! Look for death!

Hara explained: "In order to protect the security of His Majesty the Emperor and the Japanese mainland, it is necessary to seize the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Aleutian Islands, and the Alaska Peninsula as soon as possible, so that the Allied forces cannot use the bases in these areas to launch attacks on the Japanese mainland. At present, almost all of the warships of the Japanese Navy that are still capable of fighting have been transferred to the Combined Fleet, the Japanese mainland is exposed and defenseless, Tokyo may be shelled by enemy attack ships at any time, and the merchant ships sailing off the coast of Japan have no protection. ”