When Lin Zun planted the Chinese national flag and the five-star military flag on Huangyan Island again, it not only made the Japanese shrink their hearts by leaning on the Philippine fleet, but also pricked the nerves of the Americans again.

Although Scarborough Shoal is not yet taken seriously and is not even garrisoned by Japanese troops, the 130-kilometer-deep lagoon surrounded by Scarborough Shoal reefs is enough for people to reverie with infinite imagination.

Even if it can't be used as a long-term base, it can still be used as a temporary mooring place for the fleet. And this place is too close to the Philippines, only 130 nautical miles from Subic Bay.

The Americans, who have long been stationed in Subico Bay, know best how threatening this 130-nautical-mile is.

"The Chinese can rush into Manila with just one charge!" Dewey, the new Republican candidate, first fired at Roosevelt's Democratic administration, "We can't let the cheese on our plate be stolen!" ”

Of course, he was also a strong man, and he could find fault with Roosevelt, but he would never shout that he would compromise with the Japanese.

The mainstream ideology of the United States will not yield to Japan, let alone be afraid of China's forcible occupation. Even if the top level of the United States is aware of the threat posed by China in Asia, for Dewey, who wants to compete with Roosevelt for the presidency in 44, being tough on Japan and China will conform to the American people who like heroes.

He didn't have a backache when he stood and spoke, so he naturally came casually and stabbed Roosevelt directly, but Roosevelt couldn't help it, just relying on the Americans to rush to the Philippines now, it was really difficult for a strong man.

A chain of islands held back the courage of the Americans to rush forward.

Moreover, the base in Hawaii is not perfect, and there is a lack of support from the Australian mainland, and the Americans who are also nervous about the logistics line do not dare to jump islands on a large span.

It's okay to bypass a few islands and reefs, but the islands of the Marshall, Caroline, and Marianas, where the Japanese navy is concentrated, can't get around. Capturing a few key areas is enough to consume a lot of energy and time on the part of the Americans.

For a while, Washington was also very difficult.

"There are only a few Japanese troops stationed on the islands in the South China Sea, and it is normal for them to be captured by the Chinese!" Vice President Wallace, an agricultural expert, apparently knows a little less about the military, comforted himself.

"The Huaxia people not only want to occupy the island, but also need to defeat the many Japanese warships near the islands and reefs in the South China Sea!" Leahy shrugged his shoulders and replied. "This at least shows that the strength of the Huaxia Navy in the South China Sea is getting stronger. Of course, it may also be that the Japanese are focusing on our side and their strength in the South China Sea is weakening! Either way, it's bad news! ”

"We're not doing enough. We can also continue to increase our presence in Asia. Resolve the crisis in the Philippines as soon as possible! Roosevelt said flatly.

While Europe is now at a critical juncture, the Philippines in Asia cannot afford to lose. The increasingly strong United States can already cope with large-scale operations on two oceans.

And in 44 years, Roosevelt's health has been a little bad, and he is facing his fourth general election, and the strong Roosevelt is eager to hear good news during his tenure.

The American-British coalition forces in Europe still did not make much progress, and the Western Front was full of daily artillery roars, opening the way with metal and flame. But it still could not break through the German defenses.

The tank armor under Patton's command once rushed to less than 30 kilometers from Rome, but was still beaten back by the Germans.

The same is true on the island of Great Britain, where another winter was spent on the Sheffield-Birmingham-Bristol line.

As the winter passed, millions of casualties were poured in on both sides. But it remains the same.

Even the Allies in North Africa, with 100,000 casualties, are still hitting a wall in Libya and the Nile.

However, the Russians took advantage of the lack of German logistics and materials to launch a full-scale offensive on the Eastern Front in January 44, and after filling in two million cannon fodder with a large hand, they pushed the battle line in the center outside Moscow.

Although more than 1,000 Russian soldiers who landed in Moscow were eventually smashed to pieces by German machine guns, the symbolism of the incident boosted the morale of the Russians again. With a frenzied vigor comparable to that of the Japanese, they once again launched a counterattack on all fronts.

But this is the honor of the Russians, not the Americans, and besides, as the weather warms. After the resumption of more logistical line supplies, the German tanks were ready to start working again.

Although the vehicle was getting more and more tired under the weight of the American war, he felt that he had no time to see the opportunity for this vehicle to capsize or fall apart.

The American has done his best in Europe, it's just that his body can't wait for the harvest season.

However, Japan, where the defeat has already appeared, is a good breakthrough. It is only because the strategic deployment of the United States in Europe and then Asia has been delayed.

"We have not done enough, the soldiers of the United States of America, who are brave and not afraid of sacrifice, are invincible! No matter who the enemy is. Eventually, we'll all take them down! Roosevelt puffed out his chest and scanned the crowd with blazing eyes.

……

Roosevelt's words have been understood by everyone.

On the one hand, the Americans sent a special envoy to China again, strongly emphasizing the question of the ownership of the Philippines, and on the other hand, they increased the intensity of reinforcements, and the number of American troops in the Pacific quickly exceeded 600,000.

And a sentence that is not afraid of sacrifice also means that the commanders on the front line can be more bold to invest troops and cannon fodder, and can carry out a strong attack on the Japanese.

After erecting inscriptions on some islands and reefs in the South China Sea, the Chinese Navy did not defend itself except for continuing to station troops on Taiping Island, but continued to carry out guerrilla attacks in the South China Sea against the Japanese warships that rushed to hear the news, bullying and bullying those small warships and avoiding the large warships of the Japanese. It did not continue to move closer to the Philippines, nor did it reach the point where some Americans had hoped to attract the attention of the Japanese and relieve the pressure on many island chains.

For the Philippines, the Japanese are also ambivalent.

The decline of the Japanese has been revealed, and there are also voices in the country calling for peace talks with the Americans.

But they are still unwilling to admit defeat, and they will not win enough benefits by directly compromising with the United States. It is the calculation of the Japanese top leadership to force the Americans to the negotiating table with island chain defense, and after obtaining enough benefits, they will sit back and watch the wrestling between China and the United States.

If the Philippines is given directly to the United States, even if the Americans sit back and watch Japan being bullied by China, they will not necessarily fall out with China. And if the Philippines is occupied by the Chinese army, there may be no room for maneuver between the United States and China.

Therefore, even if the Japanese reached the point where there was no way to retreat, if they wanted to throw out of the Philippines, they would still give it to China in order to preserve the security of their homeland.

As a result, in addition to intercepting Huaxia's ships in the South China Sea, the Japanese were also gradually weakening the Philippine defense on the Huaxia side, hoping to lure Huaxia to take the bait, and transferred the army to the island chain in the east, making it more difficult for the Americans to fight.

However, the Americans are strong after all, and they are being forced to rush.

The Americans were on the offensive in waves, and under the pressure of the large army that no longer cared about the casualty rate, the defense of the Japanese island chain was broken one by one.

At the end of March, U.S. forces conquered the Great Peninsula Reef in the Marshall Islands. The Miley, Woje, and Jaluit Atolls, which had not been conquered, were surrounded by the Americans, who feared that casualties would continue to rise, after the Japanese lost their air and sea power, and did not impede the passage of cargo ships.

At the same time, the Gilbert Islands and Tuvalu Islands were also completely captured by the US military.

Only at the time of the capture of Tarawa, the casualties were slightly greater. After annihilating more than 6,000 Japanese troops on the island, the number of American casualties was about the same.

However, the number of Japanese annihilation was mainly the number of dead bodies, and less than a third of the casualties of the American army were killed.

Throughout the Marshall Islands campaign, including the Gilbert Islands and Tuvalu, the U.S. troops, who annihilated and captured nearly 40,000 Japanese troops, suffered 23,000 casualties. Relying on the perfect medical conditions of the US military, there were more injuries and fewer deaths, which finally relieved those US commanders who were more severe with their soldiers.

But the war continued, and as soon as April began, the Americans, who had just recaptured Wake Island, immediately organized an offensive against the Carolingian and Mariana Islands, vowing to tear through the last line of island chain defenses that had reached the Philippines.

At this time, MacArthur and the U.S. Army had crossed the westernmost land of Irian Island, landed on Halmahera Island in the Maluku Islands, and stood at the highest point looking at the Philippines in the northwest and Sulawesi Island in the west, where the Chinese flag was flying.