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The war came to the doorstep.

At the same time as the Battle of Guam began, the Japanese counterattack continued. After Guangzhou, Hong Kong and other places were patronized by Philippine Japanese bombers. Two Japanese Type 96 army attack planes came to Shanghai for the first time under the cover of night. Although the radar caught the bombers, one of them dropped the bomb before it was shot down. The bomb landed on the Wusongkou pier and caused no casualties. The terrible air raid sirens at night made the people of the southeast coast feel for the first time that war was not far away. Later, Dalian, Yantai, Taiwan and other places were also attacked sporadically by Japanese planes, and most of them were shot down, but a small number of them dropped bombs and fled. At sea, ships have been sunk by Japanese submarines for two days in a row, and the coast guard receives hundreds of reports of suspected submarines every day. All sorts of air defense and combat readiness exercises were carried out on the southeastern coast, and the guards of some important factories were replaced by National Guard soldiers. One and a half million anti-aircraft coastal patrol teams of retired soldiers, workers, fishermen and volunteers were quickly called up to patrol the coastline day and night, setting up small boats to operate instruments and searching for any unidentified targets that tried to approach the border.

The Central Asia-Pacific region is far away, and for ordinary people, the only thing that feels is the slogans on the streets, the food and the slight decline in the quality of life. But after the appearance of enemies on the southeast coast, the war began to change the character of the country and the people. Subway signs are plastered with air-raid shelter signs, a curfew at 6 p.m. every night, anti-aircraft posts on the top of high-rise buildings, air-proof balloons over the city, anti-aircraft guns in parks, fire trucks at intersections, a clear picture of war unfolds in front of people. However, no one complained, especially after the General Information Administration deliberately posted the photos of the tragic losses of warships after the Battle of the Ryukyus on the Soya Strait, which immediately aroused the indignation of the entire public. Most people choose to face the future with optimism and unity. The workers and masters rotated 24 hours a day, the theater insisted on performances, and the shops opened their doors. Even the comic book shop on the street has launched a villain book called "Three Dozen Fusang", which makes children read it with relish.

No one is afraid, because everyone knows that there are millions of soldiers waiting for their children in front of them.

Fortunately, because of the early strikes on the Japanese naval and air forces in Ryukyu and Korea, hundreds of Japanese planes were destroyed on the ground, so that the Japanese counterattack was never on a large scale, and sporadic bombing and submarine ambushes could not change the overall situation. On the contrary, the Republic of China Air Force never gave up bombing Kyushu Island, Ryukyu Island, and South Korea. The raid on 23 August was followed by several large-scale night operations. The largest was on 26 August, when more than 300 bombers took off from Qingdao, Shanghai, Lianyungang, and other places, dropping 1,000 tons of ammunition and 30 tons of propaganda posters on Xiong, destroying Xiong's naval factory and warehouse. The power plant and factory area caused a total of more than 10,000 casualties. The former Air Force was also preparing to bomb Tokyo and the Seto Inland Sea, but because the Petropavlovsk campaign had entered a critical stage, a large number of H-7 long-range bombers had been transferred to Central Asia to carry out bombing missions against the Urals and Siberia, so the southeastern mission could only be temporarily undertaken by the H-5, which had a shorter range. However, the Air Force did not give up the idea of directly attacking the core of Japan, and began to stock up on ammunition and fuel and stockpile new aircraft. Actively prepare for a full-scale bombardment. Although the Navy's main targets in the near future were Guam and the Marianas, it also used a series of submarine and air sorties to sink 16 Japanese merchant ships, three warships, and four submarines in just four days after the start of the war. A total of 70,000 tons.

On the morning of 25 August, Yang Qiu signed a presidential decree announcing that all radio broadcasts except state radio stations would be stopped from now on, and that any private individuals and enterprises would be prohibited from using radio. In case of being used by the Japanese army for air navigation. The National Defense Forces, the National Guard, the police, civil affairs and other departments were authorized to take joint action to imprison all Japanese nationals and Japanese enterprises in the border and controlled areas indefinitely. About 50,000 Japanese and 150,000 people of Japanese descent were forcibly sent to quarantine centers, more than 500 businessmen involved in smuggling with Japan after the total embargo against Japan in 1938 were arrested, and more than 2,000 were arrested on charges of espionage. This movement also extended to Chinese-controlled areas such as Vietnam and Borneo, and Yue Peng even personally wrote to Ho Chi Minh and others, who were preparing for the founding of the country, asking them to cooperate with the arrest of the Japanese as soon as possible. In the end, the National Assembly passed the "Unrestricted War Against Japan" proposal put forward by the Ministry of National Defense, that is, before Japan's complete and unconditional surrender, the Chinese armed forces can launch attacks on all military and civilian targets in Japan and even those helping Japan at any time and place.

If the counterattack of the Japanese army on the southeast coast was just a disease of scabies and a decision-making method for the government to use the war to promote tension, change the national character, and unite and unite, then the north was a real fight. After the fall of Sakhalin, more than 30,000 Japanese and Soviet partisans launched an offensive from the Sea of Okhotsk to Miaojie and the Outer Heilongjiang River Valley. Under the personal command of Wang Geng, 30,000 Wehrmacht troops and 40,000 officers and men of the National Guard defeated the Japanese and Soviet troops several times in a row to hold the crossing. The most critical was North Korea, and after the humiliating and sudden air raids, the Japanese and Korean forces under the command of Seishiro Itagaki seemed to be about to spill all their evil spirits, and the troops fought extremely frantically. It took only three days to fully break through the actual dividing line between the north and the south, occupy Kaesong and Goseong, and surrender after being surrounded by more than 40,000 Korean troops. In the face of the rapid defeat of the North Korean Defense Forces, the two infantry divisions of the National Defense Forces stationed along the demarcation line in accordance with the China-North Korea defense agreement had to retreat to the line of Sariwon, south of Pyongyang, and rebuild their positions.

Pyongyang is in chaos and full of refugees fleeing. Trains to China were packed, ferries were hard to come by, and plane tickets were sold to a whopping price of 1,000 won (the value of the North Korean currency was exchanged for the renminbi to one to one). On one side were the refugee teams from the south to the north, while on the other side were a steady stream of military columns coming from Anton. In just a few days, the General Staff Headquarters in Beijing provided 500,000 tons of gasoline and all the equipment and ammunition of the two infantry divisions to the North Korean Government and National Defense Forces free of charge. There are also 50 Snake B fighter/attack aircraft, 30 H-5 bombers, and 10 H-10 "bomb trucks" that made their debut in the Battle of the Kurgasen Tank.

Even so, North Koreans remain uneasy. Because up to now, only one second-line infantry division and the National Guard air defense brigade have been stationed in Pyongyang, and none of the heavy armored units that have swept through the Soviet Union have been seen. "What are you panicking about? Look at you, that's a bit like my old Zhang family! Outside Zhang's mansion on the bank of the Datong River, the subordinates and bodyguards hurriedly moved things to the car. Funai. Zhang Zongchang was wearing a home's robe, holding a small cloth bag in his hand, and angrily scolded the dozens of women and Zhang's children who were crying around him.

Speaking of Jang Jong-chang and the Jang family, it is definitely the biggest signboard except for the central government of North Korea. After Yang Qiu arranged for Zhang Zongchang to come to North Korea for development, he relied on a strong backstage and a mixed world to become the largest industrial and commercial family in North Korea, and also meddled in the national defense industry such as telephone and telegraph. In particular, his "Jang's Bank" was opened in Northeast Korea, South Korea, and Japan, and even took a stake in the Central Bank of North Korea. Got the right to issue currency. So in the whole of North Korea, there is no one who does not know him Zhang Zongchang. However, he is still the same as before, he is too keen on women and money, and there are more than a dozen rooms for North Korean and Japanese wives alone, and two rooms for Russian wives. Therefore, disgust and hostility privately call him "North Korean bully", "northern tumor", and "Huahua Tai Sui".

But it is this "Hua Hua Tai Sui" that even the leaders of the North Korean government often visit. There is no way, the people behind Lao Zhang are too strong, and others also have a good relationship with the people. When the Snake fighter was first put into service, the North Korean government was very enthusiastic, but the people were unwilling to sell it, and finally Kim Koo had to come to Zhang's house for help. Zhang Zongchang lived up to expectations. The quota of 50 planes was obtained, and although the price was stripped of several layers, North Korea was able to build a modern air force. With the beginning of this matter, Jin Jiu also bought several old-fashioned cruisers eliminated by the Republic of China through him. Get the Navy and Air Force all together. Even the Japanese were reluctant to touch him, because the Zhang family was the largest non-governmental trade transit merchant between China and Japan.

Before Japan moved south, non-governmental trade between China and Japan was still very frequent, with an annual trade volume of about one billion yuan. This is because with the economic development of the Republic of China. Even if the domestic manufacturing industry expands rapidly, some products will have to be imported. But most European and American products are expensive. On the contrary, Japanese goods are cheap and of good quality. Similarly, the Republic of China itself is also facing export needs, especially palm oil and cocoa from New Guinea (before the First World War, Guinea was Germany's main source of palm oil and cocoa, and after the occupation of Guinea by the European War, hundreds of thousands of immigrants continued to vigorously promote the cultivation of palm oil, cocoa and rubber, becoming Japan's main export materials after raw silk and dyes), which has always been China's largest import from Japan, so it has never banned non-governmental trade between the two countries. It's just because of Yang Qiu's personal preferences, and the local government doesn't dare to be reckless, so the domestic trade with Japan is relatively strict. So the businessmen thought of transiting from North Korea, and the Zhang family, the head snake, naturally became the largest agent. Before the war, a quarter of the trade between the two countries was controlled by the Zhang consortium. Because of this, Zhangjia Bank was able to open until Japan. But because of this, many people are not used to it, especially those who are blocked from making money, saying that Zhang Zongchang has committed treason to the enemy and is a comprador in Japan, because the trade profits are enough to send several heavy cruisers to Japan every year. Even after the Japanese army advanced southward, the British authorities asked the Chinese side to arrest him, but because he was operating a legal business and did not involve any sensitive materials, but also obtained a large amount of palm oil from Japan (palm oil was a strategic material at that time), so the matter was finally closed.

Today, Lao Zhang is a little anxious, seeing that decades of hard work are about to be wiped out, and no one can sit still. However, the Japanese offensive became more and more fierce, and it was only a few dozen kilometers away from Pyongyang, so he had no choice but to pack up his weakness and prepare to cross the river for temporary refuge. But how can such a big family business be taken away, so the more I talk, the more anxious I become, and in the end, I pointed to a few children and scolded them one by one. "Boss Zhang, why is there such a big fight? Isn't it just a few shops? Just as he was angry with his children and wife, a voice suddenly rang at the door. Turning his head to look, he immediately ran a few steps happily. "Isn't this Brother Boling? Rare guest, rare guest! You're a rarity! Waste, what are you still standing for? This is your Uncle Xue, don't you say hello? Go, tell me not to clean up, and give Lao Tzu a whole table of banquets first. Zhang Zongchang scolded and asked his children to come forward to say hello, and hurriedly instructed his subordinates to prepare a banquet, how could he still look anxious just now.

"Haha, Boss Zhang, what are you doing here? Could it be that he is also preparing to learn to run away? ”

"Brother Boling, you're slapping me in the face. What Boss Zhang, if you are not afraid that my old Zhang is now full of copper smell, you can call me Zhang Long Legs. Zhang Zongchang pulled the person to come, and his expression was rare and intimate. Because this one here today is really a rare guest, he is Lieutenant General Xue Yue, dean of the Armored College of Baoding Army University.

After becoming famous in the European War, Xue Yue became more active in studying armored tactics. The earliest armored forces in China were all created by him and Yang Qiu. Later, he also transferred to the company as an instructor at the Armored Academy. It can be said that almost half of the officers of the domestic armored forces came from his subordinates. Even Zhuo Fan, who has recently become famous in the world as the "armored butcher", Li Jin, "Persian Tiger", Zhao Dengyujun, "Big Knife", and Du Yuming, who are desperate for Saburo, have all been guided by him. If Zhang Zongchang is Yang Qiu's agent in North Korea, then Xue Yue is the acting propagation mentor of all his modern armor ideas.

In the past ten years, Xue Yue has been concentrating on armor research and has rarely appeared, so Zhang Zongchang said that he is a big rarity. Relying on a mess of the world. In a few words, Zhang Zongchang and Xue Yue were called brothers, and after sitting down, he asked in surprise: "Brother Boling, why did you come here?" Just a small day, please don't move your god, right? ”

"Shenyang has come up with something new, come and have a look. When I arrived, I heard that something happened to you. It's okay to be idle, so let's make an outpost. Xue Yue snorted and didn't say what the new thing was. Zhang Zongchang is also a human spirit, knowing that this is a military secret, he immediately bypassed and asked: "Brother Boling, didn't you say that you will only attack the sun when you are young?" Why did it advance so that I wasn't prepared at all. ”

"Brother Xiaokun is well-informed." Xue Yue knew that he had a close relationship with the higher-ups. It is said that every year on the first day of the new year, he will personally come to the door to pay New Year's greetings to Yang Qiu, Wang Zhengting and others. It's normal to know some secrets. Therefore, the plan of the high-level change of Japan to attack the southeast was stated. "No wonder! I said, the president has always been cautious in doing things, how could he suddenly be ahead of schedule. It turned out that it was going to take advantage of the sneak attack in the future. Extinguish their prestige first, the president is so calculating! Zhang Zongchang slapped his thigh, and he didn't forget to pat Yang Qiu's ass across thousands of mountains and rivers.

Xue Yue saw him holding a cloth bag in his hand, and there was a sound of metal colliding from time to time. Smiled slightly: "These are the three bullets left by the president, right?" "yes." The news that Yang Qiu gave Zhang Zongchang three bullets has spread all over the world, so he doesn't hide it. poured out the yellow, orange, and orange bullet in the palm of his hand, and said with emotion: "Back then, my Lao Zhang did something wrong and almost died in his soul, but fortunately, the president opened the net." So the happiest thing in my life is having these three bullets. Hey, it's a pity that the current situation is turbulent, and I don't know when I will meet the president. ”

"How did Brother Xiaokun become sentimental? Don't worry, Xue's trip is to see the situation in North Korea, and secondly, he is also entrusted by the president to take you back to Beijing for temporary refuge. ”

"The president asked my brother to pick me up?" Zhang Zongchang suddenly got up, and when he saw Xue Yue nodding, he suddenly looked excited: "I know, I know!" The president is a person who misses the old, how can he forget me. Look at it, Lao Tzu said, Japanese people are afraid of a ball! The president is not available, or he can still let them run rampant. After speaking, he didn't forget to reprimand a few words to the panicked family just now. When everyone heard that Xue Yue was coming to pick up the Zhang family on Yang Qiu's order, they were all moved one by two.

"Damn, a bunch of nodding worms, it's still something wrong with my three sons." Zhang Zongchang couldn't get used to the uncompetitive appearance of his children, and thought of his third son who was far away in the northwest. Xue Yue smiled and shook his head, in fact, the children of the Zhang family are still very troublesome. The third Zhang Chun is now a major in the Air Force, the eldest is the president of Shenyang University, the second takes care of the Zhang family's business in an orderly manner, and everyone else also joins the army, doing business, unlike some children of the family who are idle.

Soon, the servant set up the banquet. Zhang Zongchang also asked several sons to accompany him personally, but after eating and drinking, he saw that Xue Yue didn't seem to be able to finish his words, so he quickly waved everyone away and took him to the secret room of the study: "Brother Boling, is there anything else?" ”

Xue Yue nodded: "I really can't hide anything from Brother Xiaokun." Xue is here to have a mission, one is to take you back, and the other is to see the terrain of North Korea and the Japanese armored forces. As you know, North Korea has a lot of mountains, which is different from Persia and Central Asia, and the style of play must be changed. In addition, I heard that Japan has also made several new tanks and anti-tank guns, and the North Korean army has also obtained a few samples of wreckage, and I am going to go back to study it. ”

"It's easy, I'll call them later and bring the seized samples." Without waiting for Xue Yue to finish speaking, Zhang Zongchang patted his chest. With his position in North Korea, this kind of thing is really not a big deal. In fact, Xue Yue can get it without relying on him, but he still thanked him for a few words before continuing: "Third, the navy has been a little tight recently, so we are going to fight a small counterattack on the North Korean side first to attract Japan's attention." In addition, the president asked Brother Xiaokun to do me a favor and take me to meet these people. With that, he took out a list and handed it over.

"A small counterattack? How. Not ready to save North Korea? Zhang Zongchang was surprised at first, and then took the list and looked at it carefully. The list is full of important members of the North Korean military and political circles, and they all have one thing in common, that is, they don't deal with Jin Jiu very much. Who is Zhang Zongchang? Human spirits! As soon as I looked at the list, I vaguely understood. Xue Yue looked at him and continued: "Don't hide it, brother, the president is not very satisfied with the top level of the DPRK. Don't take Jin Jiu for the time being, just talk about what he has done over the years, you should be clear. ”

Zhang Zongchang nodded. Don't he know about North Korea? Although Kim Koo was supported by Yang Qiu and the Republic of China to come to power and establish North Korea, they also formed an alliance and signed a defense agreement. However, after the world economic crisis, Beijing's attention gradually turned to the West and its own hardware construction, and reduced its aid to North Korea, which caused a lot of complaints from Kim Jiu. Another conflict is the Republican-developed Huishan copper mine and the Maoshan iron mine, in which North Korea has been hoping to reclaim half of its stake. However, considering that the two strategic mines can provide 20 million tons of iron ore and 500,000 tons of copper ore per year, they are only willing to give 20% of the shares according to the agreement at that time, and they must also buy back all the ore. Jin Jiu agreed happily on the surface, but was very dissatisfied in private, so he later increased the quota for exporting iron ore to Japan (not mined in Maoshan), and also said that he wanted to increase exports and improve people's living conditions. These things made Yang Qiu very dissatisfied. But because the top priority was to build the country, and he didn't want to give the outside world the impression that the Republic of China was bullying and oppressing allies, after all, he had already begun to consider the formation of the Asian League, so he did not object. I didn't expect to see that Beijing did not object. Jin Jiu became more and more bold, and actually increased the proportion of iron ore exports to Japan from 300,000 tons per Chinese New Year's Eve to 2 million tons, accounting for 20% of Japan's annual iron ore imports.

You know, before the war, Japan needed to consume 10 million tons of iron ore every year. A third of it is imported from the United States, with the remainder coming from Malaya, Okhotsk and North Korea. (After 918, the output of Japanese steel was 5.5 million tons.) About 12 million tons of ore were consumed, but only 1.5 million tons of ore were obtained from China in the same year. In 1930, Japan imported only 600,000 tons of ore from China, so it is debatable to say that Japan's steel in World War II completely depended on China) So Jinjiu's approach is undoubtedly to enhance Japan's iron and steel capacity. In addition, under the pretext of supporting the South Korean Resistance Army, he secretly smuggled graphite, magnesite, and other important resources to South Korea, and all of these things fell into the hands of Japan. In 1935, for example, North Korea produced a total of 15 million tons of coal, 25 million tons of iron ore, 600,000 tons of copper ore, 15 million tons of magnesite, 50 tons of graphite, 30 tons of gold, 20 tons of silver, and 20,000 tons of zinc. This kind of smuggling activity did not end until the Japanese army moved south and the embargo imposed by various countries around the world on Japan. The most annoying thing is that Jin Jiu was reluctant to accept Yang Qiu's proposal to amend the constitution. Since the founding of the People's Republic of Korea in 1920, he has occupied the presidency for a long time, and has been re-elected for five consecutive terms (North Korea became independent on May 1, 1920, so it is five terms. The constitution imitates the Republic of China, every five years), and I want to continue to do it depending on the trend. You must know that the Republic of China can only be re-elected for three consecutive terms, this is still a ghost that Yang Qiu did to catch up with the world war, and recently he has been considering amending the constitution to change to a maximum of two consecutive terms. But he didn't think that there was someone at his door who was better than him, and he was directly the president for 20 years.

These things are not easy to do in peacetime, and even if you get evidence of smuggling, at most it is a game for the police to catch thieves. After all, the Republic of China recognized North Korea as an independent country, as well as Japan, its opponent who occupied South Korea, and the United States, its future adversary. No matter which country it is, a political earthquake will become a battlefield for great powers, and Yang Qiu doesn't want to give others a chance, so Zhang Zongchang reported many times, but he was pressed and endured. But now there are not so many concerns, so he deliberately used the lack of troops as an excuse not to save North Korea immediately, on the one hand, he considered taking advantage of the special terrain of North Korea to consume the vitality of the day here, and at the same time, he also wanted Jin Jiu to bear the black cauldron of defeat and remove him and his small group.

Zhang Zongchang didn't care whether Jin Jiu was alive or dead, as long as Yang Qiu said it, even if he sent someone to assassinate him, it would be no problem. But his own business was his heart disease, and after reading it, he asked: "Brother Boling, don't worry, I'll call them later, and I'll give you a chance to meet these people by the way." But then again, is the president really not going to save North Korea? "Xue Yue is a world-renowned instructor of armored forces, and he has never heard of him participating in political activities, so he uses the opportunity to check out the Japanese tanks to contact the people on the list. Undoubtedly the best cover.

"Brother Xiaokun, don't worry, the president said, sooner or later he will let you go to Japan to be a receptionist." Xue Yue laughed: "However, if the Ryukyus are not destroyed, the Korean side will not make a big move, because we want to use this place to drag the main force of the Japanese army and consume Japan's national strength." ”

Brother Boling laughed, but Lao Zhang is also an idler, if he really has the opportunity to receive the big man on the same day, he must dig three feet into the ground. Let it not make waves for a hundred years. After Zhang Zongchang understood, he also laughed. He still has an idle post as a clerk in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and he can be regarded as a government official. It's just that the two of them don't know now that Xue Yue actually said a word, and later Zhang Zongchang was really sent to Japan. played a handful of scraping things.

By the afternoon, Zhang Zongchang finally knew what Xue Yue's small counterattack was.

Three 1938-style hammer heavy train guns wrapped in camouflage cloth and camouflage nets arrived in Pyongyang. At the same time, a naval test ship set off from Huludao, and the sailors of the coast guard covered the deck with canvas, the only 480 mm experimental ship gun in the country.

In late August 1940, the English Channel and the Yellow Sea of China were undoubtedly the two most striking areas. However, people of insight know that with the acceleration of the alliance talks between the Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, and Japan, it can really change the strength of the Allies. Still on the North American continent. The United States of America, which has the world's strongest manufacturing capacity, has a population of 130 million, and is alone outside the maelstrom, without even any border problems.

The Americans at this time were enjoying orders from all over the world after the outbreak of the war. The manufacturing industry is thriving again after a decade. Machines are running at full speed, skyscrapers are breaking ground, and shipyards are full of boats. This is a time when you can sweep the floor in the warehouse and sell it for a sky-high price! Opera houses, bars, and cinemas are constantly flowing. The stock exchange was full of cries of growth. The glamorous life reminds Americans of 26 years ago. The same world-class battles, the same snowflake orders.

And, of course, the last damn decision to go to war.

At Hudson Manor, just outside Washington, a medical advisor examines Roosevelt. Next to him, Hopkins sat on the side, and as soon as he took out his cigarette, he was stopped by the doctor, so he had to smile and put it away, took out a piece from his bag and handed it to Roosevelt: "This is the report of Hoover and Donovan." Senator Charles Limberway has been very active lately, contacting isolated people in large numbers to try to prevent us from exporting goods and goods to China and Britain, and advocating not to enter the war and not to be an enemy of Germany. He also pointed the finger at the Jews, believing that all this was done by the Jews. Behind is the British loss report, the situation is very bad, His Excellency Churchill is facing an extremely serious situation, if it were not for the planes and aviation volunteers provided by Yang Qiu, I don't know if they would have been able to hold out. In addition, Italy has launched a full-scale offensive into North Africa and the Middle East, with troops in Syria, Libya, Ethiopia and Egypt, and there are signs that Germany seems to be considering a move into North Africa as well. The British government is responding aggressively, and has also sent a request for help from China, hoping to draw troops from the Persian theater to help defend it. Finally, there is news from the Soviet Union, where British intelligence has confirmed that three Soviet infantry divisions have entered the Kurdish regions of Armenia and northern Iraq, and Whitehall has issued a warning to Turkey to raise its alert and to warn the Iraqis not to make contact with the Soviets. The squadron has also encircled Petropavlovsk and cut off the Trans-Siberian Railway, and they are currently launching heavy air strikes on the Siberian region east of Omsk, mainly destroying grain warehouses, farmland, power plants and fuel, and I think that His Excellency Yang Qiu is trying to destroy these infrastructure facilities and wintering necessities, so that these areas will collapse automatically in the harsh winter. This is a telegram from Major Stilwell, who has confirmed that up to now, the Chinese Navy and Air Force have destroyed more than 800 Japanese planes and sunk six battleships, two aircraft carriers, four cruisers, eleven destroyers, and three submarines. ”

"So much?" When Roosevelt, who had not reacted all along, heard this, his eyes stared at the piece in his hand, and he suddenly became a little irritated. China and Japan are at war, and today's enemies and future opponents are biting each other, which is a good thing for the United States no matter how you look at it. When he was in the opposition, he promoted the independence of the Philippines and deliberately ignored Guam to induce militarism to indulge in arrogance, but now it seems that they have all been very successful. The problem is that he always thought that Yang Qiu, because of the pressure from Central Asia, would take into account the southwest and the Persian Gulf, and would take a concession attitude along the southeast coast. All the first to do it is definitely the day. But I didn't expect Yang Qiu to rush to do it a few days ago! And achieved such a great result, directly slapping the Japanese navy from the clouds.

So this report made him doubt for the first time whether his decision was right or wrong.

According to his idea, the Japanese preemptive attack would definitely cause losses to the Chinese navy, and then the two sides would strangle each other in Taiwan, the Ryukyus and the South China Sea. At this time, he could return MacArthur to the Southwest Pacific in the name of the U.S.-Philippines Protection Agreement. But now things are getting out of hand, and China's aviation technology and power have far exceeded his imagination. And the pace of aircraft carriers replacing battleships is also much, much faster than the US Navy previously predicted. Suffice it to say, he expected most, but he didn't expect technology and warfare to change so quickly.

"Your Excellency Yang Qiu needs to break through the island chain blockade of the Japanese Navy first. We still have time. Hopkins saw his concern, comforted him, and continued: "The most important thing for you right now is to win the election!" This is the latest poll report, and by the numbers, people are not willing to break with tradition, so your re-election is being strongly challenged! The Republican Party has also pointed all the finger at you on the issue of military expansion and support for China and Britain. Think you're trying to bring the United States to war again. ”

Roosevelt's mood worsened when he learned that his election was not going well. Just as I was about to ask for a specific solution, I saw a car drive in quickly. In the blink of an eye, the sedan arrived at the door of the villa, and Eisenhower and Secretary of State Huddle rushed out of the car. Seeing him, the latter hurriedly rushed over, walked to his ear and said a few words. Just a few words. But Roosevelt's face changed greatly, and Hopkins hurriedly asked Eisenhower what had happened.

Eisenhower grimaced: "Kimmel just called me. Yesterday afternoon, the Chinese marines have landed on Guam! ”

"What? This, how did they get through? Could it be that the entire Japanese Navy is on holiday? "Hopkins is such a calm man. Hearing the news, their eyes widened in shock. Eisenhower was even more bitter at the corner of his mouth: "I don't know yet, but Kimmel said that he has a submarine operating in the Philippine Sea, and he once saw a large number of Chinese seaplanes flying towards Taiwan." ”

Roosevelt was still angry just now, and he did not expect China's superior strength in aviation and warfare. Unexpectedly, it was a good thing that the plane broke again, and he suddenly patted the armrest of the wheelchair angrily: "David." Tell me, what to do now? Although Guam is not a U.S. territory, Roosevelt had no intention of giving it up, and he wanted to take it back when he returned to the Philippines. Eisenhower couldn't think of a way for a while, so he had to say, "Mr. President, let Kimmel send more troops to Wake Island and the Marshall Islands." ”

"That's all?"

"Yes, unless." Eisenhower paused, looked at Hopkins, and spread his hands: "You can get congressional authorization." ”

"Damn it!" Roosevelt, who seemed to be elegant and kind in front of outsiders, was really anxious and couldn't help scolding. But he quickly realized that his emotions were a little out of control, and he quickly took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down before asking, "David, if Congress authorizes it, how long do you need to prepare?" Eisenhower thought for a moment and replied, "It will take at least ten weeks for the fleet to be ready to go to the Southwest Pacific." Twenty weeks for the Marine Corps and at least twenty-four for the Army. ”

"Isn't there anything you can do?"

"You can demand restitution from Beijing, or protest to the League of Nations." After Secretary of State Huddle finished speaking, even he shook his head: "Of course, I don't think there is any hope of success, this is even smaller than the chance of us occupying Saipan before the Chinese." ”

Roosevelt pinched his eyebrows with some hatred, he still had hope, as long as he could be re-elected, he could find an excuse to join the war and return to the Philippines. But now, even if you return to the Philippines, the shipping lanes will be blocked by Guam. China and the United States are currently cooperating, but what about the future? Who likes to have a knife next to their neck that sticks in their throat at any moment? Just when everyone couldn't do anything, Hopkins suddenly leaned down and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Franklin, this may be a good opportunity." ”

"Good chance?" Roosevelt was stunned.

Seeing this, Eisenhower and Huddle knew that the two had something to say, and immediately avoided a few steps. "Harry, what do you want to say?" Roosevelt was in a bad mood and didn't have time to go around in circles. Hopkins was also direct: "We lost Guam and we can't afford to lose the Philippines again." So I propose to restart the protection agreement with the Philippines as soon as possible. ”

"Harry, are you crazy? Now that this agreement is being fulfilled, the people will think that I want to go to war. Roosevelt shook his head.

Hopkins had a serious face: "This is the only way!" It's also a way to get you re-elected! Franklin, do you remember the USS Maine? Americans don't like war, but if someone imposes it on us, then no one will be cowardly. Roosevelt's heart shook twice. The Maine incident was a top secret of the United States, and it was self-directed and acted to blame the Spanish government for the expulsion of Spain in order to seize Cuba. His uncle, Roosevelt Sr., also became president of the United States by virtue of this war. But this kind of little trick is nothing to play once, and I am afraid that some people will suspect it the second time. But Hopkins insisted that it could, and the corners of his mouth were frighteningly cold: "Franklin, we don't need to arrange this." Perhaps you should have Madame represent you and the women of our United States to visit the British children during the war and bring them some food and toys. And it can also help you get re-elected, just like Yang Qiu did. ”

Roosevelt's pupils suddenly shrank into cold stars, his cheeks flushed suddenly, and he was very angry: "I don't need to be like him!" You don't need to rely on that to get re-elected! ”

"I'm sorry, it was my mistake." Hopkins was not angry, but continued to press step by step: "But Franklin, we and you make a decision as soon as possible!" The cooperation between the Soviet Union and Germany was already very serious, and once the Soviet, German, Italian, and Japanese countries completed the alliance talks, His Excellency Churchill probably would not be able to hold out until the end of the year. In the Pacific Ocean, the loss of Guam's Japan, Turkey and the South can no longer communicate effectively, and the raw material fleet is facing a full-scale attack from Beijing! So they can no longer contain Beijing. The worst thing is that the power in Yang Qiu's hands has exceeded our expectations, and we don't even know what he will do next. But I can know that we and the whole world have been fooled! If the guess is not wrong, I am afraid that he will not rush to launch an offensive in North Korea next, but use the land for the sea, and use the space and time on land to create opportunities for the Navy in the southwest Pacific! Perhaps in a few weeks, his army would reach Micronesia, and in half a year it would be the Ogasawara Islands, the Ryukyus, then Guinea, Rabaul, and Solomon. ”