"Now it is almost certain that the Japanese are ready to use aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft against us, and the place of attack is most likely Pearl Harbor!" The corners of Yanel's mouth were crooked, revealing a sneering expression: "I want 17 capital ships to stay in the harbor as bait, and 2 aircraft carriers to ambush the waters south of Pearl Harbor, waiting for an opportunity to ambush the Japanese fleet...... However, the number of aircraft carriers is still a little less. As he spoke, he furrowed his brow and glanced at British Admiral Barkes.

"I have received orders from the Admiralty to send a task force, including the USS Brave, to the waters of the Hawaiian Islands to assist in the war." Admiral Barkes glanced at Yanel, who was frowning, and suddenly said, "General Yanel, there is actually another way to deal with the Japanese, we can choose to avoid the war." ”

"You mean you want the Pacific Fleet to escape from Pearl Harbor in disgrace?" Yanel glared at Barkes coldly, and let out a cold snort from his nostrils: "This is not the tradition of the US Pacific Fleet!" Although we only have 3 aircraft carriers, the advantage in this battle is still on our side, because the Pearl Harbor base itself is an unsinkable super aircraft carrier, and we also have two flying aircraft carriers! ”

……

December 10th.

Nanjing, Tangshan Residence.

In a continuous cold rain, Nanjing's wet and cold winter began again, and the two main battlefields of the Sino-Soviet battlefield, the northwest and north, also entered a period of "quasi-truce" because of the cold winter. But in the warmer climates of the Middle East and the battlefields of India, blood is still flowing. After the successful conquest of Turkey, the Soviet Middle East Front began to launch the "Jordan-Palestine Campaign". Hundreds of thousands of troops under Ubolevich's command, supported by 1,200 tanks and 800 aircraft, stormed the Transjordan defensive line that the British had been operating for more than a year. After paying nearly 80,000 casualties, the John Bulls once again tasted the bitter fruit of defeat. Now the name of the British Middle East Theater has become the North African Theater, and the Suez Canal has become the last line of defense to defend North Africa.

However, the news from India caused Trotsky to be furious in the Kremlin, and although Blyukher's army captured the Indian National Army (Congress Party, Autonomous Party) controlled Bihar and marched under the city of Calcutta, it was smashed in front of the strong positions of the National Army! And Calcutta's impregnable city defense was actually built by the Nationalist Army with the help of Soviet advisers. What was even more troublesome for Trotsky was that the fighting spirit of the low-caste working people of India, who had turned over and became the masters, had fallen to the point of reaction! If there was no muzzle pressure from the Soviet political workers. They will surely drop their weapons and take off their uniforms and flee the battlefield before the first shell of the enemy falls. As for getting these people to charge, it's not much easier than climbing to the sky. And as soon as the enemy's machine guns were fired, these Indian GCIST fighters would not go any further.

Moreover, the supply of food on the side of the international proletariat began to become a serious problem again, because a large number of laborers joined the Red Army. This year, grain plantings in the USSR and Poland have been declining for the second year in a row. In Romania, a large amount of farmland was abandoned due to the Jīliè war, and the Punjab region, India's granary, which had been pinned on high hopes, also experienced a sharp decline in grain production due to the large loss of Ding Zhuang and the implementation of the "surplus grain collection system". It seemed that a great famine that would engulf the entire revolutionary camp was bound to come in 1934. For this reason, Trotsky had to order the repatriation of grain from Turkey, Persia, Iraq, and India back to the Soviet Union in order to secure basic supplies, which of course would inevitably lead to even more severe starvation in the areas from which the grain was transferred.

As for the Soviet-German frontal battlefield, there was still a stalemate, the Soviet Union was quietly preparing to abandon Poland, and Germany did not seem to be in a hurry to attack.

But this qiē. In the face of a situation in which such a behemoth as the United States is getting closer and closer to the battlefield, it has become insignificant.

Seeing that the situation that I had been trying to avoid was about to arise. Chang Ruiqing's love is also a little low, and his interest in government affairs has also declined. Today is an unprecedented leave, did not go to the prime minister's mansion to deal with government affairs and military affairs, but accompanied his wife and children in the Tangshan mansion, until Chen Shaokuan, Zhang Guotao and Huang Baopei came together, then sighed softly, smiled apologetically at his wife Wang Ruonan, and then walked into the study accompanied by Gao Xiaowen.

"What happened to the Philippines and Malaya and the Dutch East Indies?" There were almost no greetings, and Chang Ruiqing went straight to the point.

"The expatriates have almost been evacuated, and most of the people who have not left are Japanese people with Chinese passports, most of them are Japanese intelligence service undercover agents, but there are also some of our people."

Huang Baopei's answer made Chang Ruiqing nod, the Philippines, Malaya and the Dutch East Indies have always been the focus of Japanese intelligence activities in the past, and there are many Japanese expatriates, but before the outbreak of the war last year, most Japanese in Nanyang received Chinese passports from the Chinese consulate there (they are eligible to receive Chinese passports under the Japan-China Treaty), so after the outbreak of the war, they continued to operate in the Nanyang region as Chinese.

Now these people continue to stay in the Philippines, Malaya, and the Dutch East Indies, and they are supposed to be prepared to lead the way for the invading Japanese army. However, the National Intelligence Service also took the opportunity to arrange for a group of Japanese agents loyal to China to stay there, and it was estimated that there was a good chance of getting close to the future officials of the Japanese occupation authorities.

"Is the British Far East Fleet still in Singapore?"

"Still in Singapore, including the battlecruiser HMS Hood, the battleship Nelson, the battleship Rodney and the aircraft carrier USS Glory, did not leave." Zhang Guotao said: "The main warships of the British and Australian fleets are also in Port Jackson, but the aircraft carrier Brave and a few destroyers and a light cruiser are missing. ”

"Looks like I'm going to Hawaii." Chang Ruiqing raised his eyebrows and asked, "The main force of the Japanese Combined Fleet hasn't been discovered yet, right?" ”

Zhang Guotao shook his head: "It seems to have evaporated from this world, and they have disappeared since the 20th of last month, and even Tianyan doesn't know where they went, only a code name 'Z Island'." ”

"Hmm. It should be Pearl Harbor, and the US Pacific Fleet is still there, right? ”

"Most of the ships are still there, but the USS Saratoga and USS Lexington have not come back since they left last week," Zhang said. It is said that he returned to San Diego on a mission to transport planes. In addition, we have received information that the United States has been increasing its defense forces at Pearl Harbor for more than two months, including garrisons and aircraft. At present, there may be more than 50,000 garrisons and 500 combat aircraft of various types on Oahu, including at least 200 F2A Buffalo fighters and P26 toy gun fighters, as well as more than 800 anti-aircraft guns of various types, and the number of large-caliber coastal defense guns is also more than 300, and even more than 300 M2 medium tanks and the same number of M1 infantry fighting vehicles...... The armor is enough for an armored division! ”

"This Yanel is good. The lion fights the rabbit, all with all his might! ”

Chang Ruiqing's brows furrowed even tighter. Yanel retired long before the start of World War II. So I don't seem to have this person in my impression. But looking at his current deployment, he knows that it is not easy to deal with the character, Yamamoto fifty-six against him, it seems that he is a chess opponent! Although the Japanese had an advantage over aircraft carriers. But there are too many differences in national strength. The Il-18 and Il-1 provided by the Soviets to the critical moment also certainly dropped the chain.

Although the Americans do not have any outstanding fighters, it does not mean that their aviation technology is not good, that is, the United States has too little military budget to afford expensive advanced fighters, so their airlines use the most advanced technology in civilian aircraft (throughout the 20 years in history, the world's civil aircraft technology is ahead of military aircraft). As soon as they entered the war, military spending began to skyrocket, not to mention the Soviet Union. Even catching up with Britain and Germany is only a matter of time. Even if there is still a bit of a gap in technology, you can crush your opponent to death with the quantity!

Than oil, than steel, than electrolytic aluminum, than the words of pilots. Even China, the Soviet Union, Britain, Germany, France, Japan, and Canada are not opponents of others, and now little Japan actually wants to take advantage of a little assistance from China to fight the Yankees, which can only be said to be commendable......

If it is only a land battle, it may be possible to take advantage of well-trained infantry who are not afraid of death or hardship, just as the Chinese volunteers did on the Korean battlefield in history. But to fight naval battles, air battles...... In countries like China and Japan, the number of people who can fly planes into the sky is probably not one-tenth of that of the United States! If you want to fight with the Americans in a sea and air battle, let alone the door, you don't even have a window.

The only hope for the Japanese was probably to take Hawaii, a key point in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, at the beginning of the war. But...... This Yanel guy actually deployed an armored division on Oahu! I really don't give my opponent a chance at all. Moreover, his two aircraft carriers and one of the British aircraft carriers were already ambushed somewhere in the Hawaiian Islands, and so many land-based aircraft were deployed on Oahu, and now Yamamoto is facing a situation that is really a bit like the Battle of Midway in history, and even if he wins, it will be a crushing victory!

It seems that even if the Japanese have the luck against the sky, they won't be able to last long, and it would be nice to be able to buy two years for themselves.

Although Chang Ruiqing is reluctant to fight the behemoth of the American era of industrialization, it does not mean that he should not make such preparations. Harmony and respect among major powers have always been built on the basis of strength, and without a strong navy, it is impossible for China to maintain a peaceful backyard.

So looking at Chen Shaokuan, who shook his head and was silent, Chang Ruiqing's face became more and more solemn, and he turned to Zhang Guotao: "Have you got the drawings?" ”

"It's already in hand, and the full set of design drawings for the Soryu-class aircraft carrier has been obtained, which was exchanged with a full set of drawings and samples of the original German Fokker D.21 and HS123 dive bombers and all models of the BMW132 engine."

"All they have is these? Why not the BF109 and Stuka? Without waiting for Chang Ruiqing to speak, Chen Shaokuan asked.

Chang Ruiqing smiled and replied: "Little Japan is not stupid, knowing that the right is the best, and not blindly pursuing advanced performance...... The BF109 and Stuka are equipped with 1,000 horsepower, and the direct guidance of the engineers sent by the BMW company has not completely passed, how can it be built with the foundation of Japan's aviation industry? And both the BF109 and the Stuka are new models. There is still a lot to be improved, and there are no ready-made carrier-based versions. On the contrary, Fokker D.21 and HS123 have been out for some years, and they are very perfect in all aspects. There are also ready-made carrier-based versions available. The BMW132 star engine is also a mature product, the manufacturing difficulty is not high, and the leather is durable, even if it is damaged a few cylinders, it will not affect the flight, and it is very suitable for carrier-based aircraft mainly fighting at medium and low altitudes. ”

However, the Fokker D.21 and HS123 are outdated after all, and the 9-cylinder BMW132 does not have much room for improvement, at most more than 900 horsepower. Both the United States and Germany have now introduced 14- and 18-cylinder star engines. Even our 14-cylinder radial engine is already in test drive, and it is estimated that the maximum output on takeoff can exceed 1,500 hp. At most, two years later, the Fokker D.21 and HS123 series fighters will completely retire from the battlefield. Chen Shaokuan frowned.

"The Japanese are not thinking about what will happen in 2 years at all." Zhang Guotao explained: "According to reliable intelligence. They are now preparing a way out. ”

"A way out?" Chen Shaokuan shook his head and didn't understand what it meant.

Zhang Guotao didn't explain, just smiled. Chang Ruiqing nodded and sighed: "The Japanese probably won't survive for a few years." Houfu. It's time for us to prepare for both. It's time to speed up the development of the Navy and, in particular, the construction of aircraft carriers! As he spoke, he pointed at Zhang Guotao: "The blueprints of the Canglong class that Kaiyin exchanged from the Japanese this time will be sent to the Admiralty, and you will organize experts to study them...... My building yì is a direct imitation. Although the Soryu class of Little Japan cannot be compared with our Zhongshan class, it is very excellent in terms of practicality and construction cost control. ”

"The ministry understood." Chen Shaokuan, the technical number of the Canglong class, has long known that the standard displacement is only 15,900 tons, which is 11,100 tons less than the Zhongshan class, but it can carry up to 72 carrier-based aircraft, which is only 18 fewer than the Zhongshan class. Moreover, the speed is also comparable to that of the Zhongshan class (slower than the historical Canglong class), but the anti-aircraft firepower and armor are much weaker. But aircraft carriers are fighting on carrier-based aircraft after all. Enough carrier-based aircraft is king! From this point of view, the Canglong class is definitely a very cost-effective aircraft carrier, at least more suitable for a country like China whose industrial strength is not very strong than the 20,000-ton aircraft carrier designed by Jiangnan Shipbuilding Group.

Chen Shaokuan looked at Chang Ruiqing and asked, "Prime Minister, how many Canglong-class can the navy build?" Now the Yankees are ready to build 15 Essex-class ships in one go! ”

Looking at Chen Shaokuan's expectant expression, Chang Ruiqing nodded, the Canglong level of the copycat Japanese was originally ready to fight for quantity. Of course, if you want to explode 10 8 aircraft carriers in one go, plus 5 Zhongshan-class (including those under construction) aircraft carriers, you should be able to compete with the United States, right? Just as Chang Ruiqing was about to answer Chen Shaokuan's question, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, and He Jinhan walked in with the latest information: "Prime Minister, Commander Feng of the Nanyang Fleet sent a telegram from Zhanjiang, three hours ago, the British Far East Fleet in Singapore has been, and its current whereabouts are unknown. ”

"In addition, the submarine that is monitoring the Kanmon Strait reported that two hours ago, the Japanese battlecruiser Akagi, Kaga, and Tosa took a light aircraft carrier, and several light cruisers and destroyers through the Guò Strait and headed southwest!"

"Also, Japan's four Gangut-class battleships, four old armored ships of unknown type, and several heavy cruisers entered the Pacific Ocean through the Guò Hogo Waterway this morning, and they were accompanied by a huge fleet of dozens of light cruisers, destroyers, and transports!"

"The show is finally on!"

"The British Far East Fleet has actually been dispatched, so it shouldn't be a retreat to Ceylon, right?"

"It shouldn't have entered the South China Sea, otherwise our submarine there wouldn't have gone unreported." Chen Shaokuan frowned and said: "But Cunningham is not an ordinary person, he will not retreat to Ceylon, I guess he took the fleet to the waters of the Dutch East Indies." ”

"The Japanese fleet going south from the Bungo Waterway must have wanted to attack the Philippines, right? Prime Minister, how do you think you can fish in troubled waters? Huang Baopei immediately reminded.

"Of course, you have to fish, but whoever you want to do will have to wait for the results of Pearl Harbor!" Chang Ruiqing smiled coldly, and just turned to Zhang Guotao, who had already nodded: "Prime Minister rest assured, Leshinskaya and the White Deputy Chief of Staff of the Navy's South Ocean Fleet have arrived on Oahu, and they will watch the battle on the spot, and as for the Japanese, we also have first-hand information." ”

Listening to the conversation between Chang Ruiqing and Zhang Guotao, Chen Shaokuan couldn't help but gasp, the ink of the "Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty" had not yet dried, and the prime minister of Chang Da was already thinking about the betrayal of the alliance. If the Japanese fleet suffers a big loss at Pearl Harbor, the squadron will probably be preparing to land on the Japanese mainland, right? But what if the Japanese win? What does Huang Baopei mean by fishing in troubled waters? You can't tear your face and start a war with Britain, right?

Just thinking of this, Chang Ruiqing's voice suddenly sounded in Chen Shaokuan's ears: "Junshan, go and call Colonel Chen Xinrui over." ”