The telegram was sent by the US Department of War, and the content was that the military port on Oahu, Hawaii, had been attacked by the Chinese Navy's aircraft carrier fleet, that the Pacific Fleet had been completely lost, that the United States had lost its naval supremacy in the Pacific, and that from now on, the supply and support of the US military in the Philippines would be cut off. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

In addition, Secretary of War Harry H. Woodlin asked MacArthur to lead the U.S. Army and Philippine Army in the Philippines to delay the Chinese attack as much as possible, delay the time for the Chinese* army to sweep the islands in the Pacific, and buy more time for the United States. Finally, MacArthur was told that President Roosevelt had issued his promotion order to promote him to lieutenant general in the U.S. Army. The temporary rank is still a four-star general.

"Hell! How so? The Pacific Fleet is so powerful, how could it be defeated so easily? Lieutenant General MacArthur muttered. Although the U.S. military presence in the Philippine Islands is not weak, MacArthur knew that it would be nearly impossible to rely on these forces to withstand the attack of the Chinese* army.

"Your Excellency, what happened?" President Quezon asked anxiously. Seeing MacArthur's face change after reading the telegram, his heart couldn't help but lift.

"Your Excellency, I have bad news for you. Just yesterday, the Chinese launched a sneak attack on the US Navy's naval base on Oahu. We were caught off guard by the Chinese using such despicable tactics. The Pacific Fleet suffered heavy losses and temporarily lost its naval supremacy in the Pacific. Therefore, in the coming period, I am afraid that we will be cut off from our homeland, and we will no longer be able to replenish it. However, this is not a big problem, we have expected this before, so we have stored a large amount of war materials in the Philippines, enough for us to consume for a long time. Lieutenant General MacArthur said with a smile.

"Is that all?" Regarding Lieutenant General MacArthur's statement, President Quezon apparently did not believe it.

"Of course, that's all. By the way, I've been promoted to lieutenant general. Obviously, the U.S. government still attaches great importance to the Philippines. Your Excellency, please rest assured that I will definitely lead my army to resist the attack of the Chinese. MacArthur said with a firm expression.

President Quezon left Lieutenant General MacArthur's command with a heart full of concern, and it was clear that he thought the situation was becoming more and more unfavorable for them. The US Navy actually suffered a big loss, losing the entire Pacific Ocean supremacy. In this case, the Philippines will undoubtedly be even more dangerous. If not, the Chinese* army will soon launch an attack on the Philippines.

As soon as President Quezon left, MacArthur began to curse his mother. The clouds that had been pretended in front of President Quezon just now had all disappeared cleanly, replaced by angry roars.

"What the hell are those idiots in the Navy doing? The mighty Pacific Fleet can be almost completely destroyed by the Chinese's sneak attack, so if this continues, then do we still have any hope of defeating the Chinese? Those guys from the War Department are also a bunch of bastards, and they actually want us to drag the Chinese in the Philippines, how is that possible? Isn't this about fighting to the point where we are a soldier? MacArthur scolded.

After venting, MacArthur vented his anger and returned to his senses. As the president of the West Point Military Academy, he knew that the reason why the U.S. government asked him to lead the army to delay as much time as possible was entirely to exchange space for time, so that the powerful war machine of the United States could operate and burst out strong enough to be able to confront the powerful Chinese Empire.

This is understandable when it comes to national interests. It's just that MacArthur is a little unhappy in his heart. This means that he and the more than 200,000 U.S. troops he led have become outcasts. If you don't do it well, it will be damaged in the Philippines. Of course, the 700,000 members of the Philippine Army did not take it to heart. The indigenous monkeys of the Philippines are just dead, and if they die, they will die, and no matter how much they die, they will not feel distressed, and it will be a big deal to re-recruit them.

"Order the troops, enter the first level of combat readiness. The Chinese could attack the Philippines at any time. Army aviation took off planes and searched the waters west of the Philippines to prevent a sneak attack by the Chinese. In addition, send a telegram to the Navy, so that they are ready, but not like the Pacific Fleet, they will be served by the Chinese. Lieutenant General MacArthur ordered.

The US Navy has a small fleet in the Philippines, consisting of several cruisers and destroyers, stationed in Subic Bay. As early as 1901, the Americans established a naval base in Subic Bay. It's just that the naval base in Subic Bay is much smaller than those large naval bases.

While MacArthur was ordering the U.S. military to enter the highest state of combat readiness, in the South China Sea, two carrier strike groups of the Imperial Navy and ten battleships of the 5th and 6th battleship detachments of the South Ocean Fleet. Together with the large number of cruisers and destroyers, the size of the entire fleet is already very large. At least for the U.S. Navy's small fleet stationed in the Philippines, it seems like Mount Tai is on top of it.

On the aircraft carrier 'Changbaishan', Admiral Chen Shiying and Vice Admiral Yang Jingting had already reached a consensus on the tactics to be adopted against the Philippines. After arriving in the coastal waters of the Philippines, they will first send carrier-based aircraft to attack the US Navy's Subic Bay base and several airfields of the US Army Air Force in the Philippines, especially Clark Airport and Abari Airport. The US Army Air Corps deployed hundreds of P-35 fighters at both airfields.

In addition, the Imperial Air Force's heavy bombers deployed at the military airfield on Qiong Island would also participate in the bombing of the Philippines. A wing of H9 heavy bombers has been transferred here, ready to participate in the bombing.

After that, carrier-based aircraft and battleships of the Imperial Navy were to cover the landing of marines at Dagupan in Lingayen Bay. The choice to land here was made on the basis of the intelligence provided by the Military Intelligence Directorate. The focus of the U.S. military's defense was northern Luzon and Manila Bay, respectively. After the landing in Lingayen Bay, it was possible to attack the junction of the two US defense zones. After the 16th Army of the Imperial Army landed, it could first encircle and annihilate the American troops deployed in northern Luzon in one fell swoop, and then attack Manila in the south. After all, it's only a hundred kilometers from Dagupan to Manila. For the Imperial Army, it will not take much time at all.

Of course, the U.S. Army and the Philippine Army combined, with nearly one million troops, have a very obvious superiority in strength. Once the Imperial Army's 16th Army landed, the Imperial Army would immediately dispatch the troops of the vassal states to participate in the war and cooperate with the Imperial Army in this war. Among them, the Kingdom of Annam will send 9 infantry divisions, and the Kingdom of Khmer will send 1 infantry division. The Kingdom of Fuso will send ten infantry divisions. In this case, it is equivalent to having 20 infantry divisions, 370,000 men, plus one army group and two marine divisions of the Imperial Army, which is enough to destroy the US Army and the Philippine Army.

In this war, the empire is not fighting alone. The vassal states of the empire also received orders to prepare for war. Within a year's time, they would double their standing army and be at the disposal of the Imperial General Staff. If the need arises, they will go to the battlefield and fight with the Imperial Army.

Although, the armies of these vassal states of the empire may not be very strong in combat. However, there should still be no problem in dealing with the garbage-like indigenous Filipino army. The armies of the more powerful vassal states, such as the army of the Fuso Kingdom, will definitely not be far behind even if they are against the US Army.

With the addition of the armies of these vassal states, the empire can undoubtedly save a lot of troops that can be used on other battlefields, ensuring that the empire can fight on several fronts at the same time and guarantee victory.

On the morning of September 4, 4637 A.D., the Nanyang Fleet of the Imperial Navy had arrived less than 100 kilometers off the coast of the Philippines. The aircraft carriers "Changbaishan" and "Culai Mountain" began to release fighters. On the two aircraft carriers, 24 fighters, 24 dive bombers and 24 torpedo attack aircraft will be released, respectively.

Among them, the torpedo attack aircraft released on the aircraft carrier "Changbaishan" were heavy torpedoes carried and used to attack the US fleet in Subic Bay. The torpedo attack planes released from the aircraft carrier "Culai Mountain" carried aerial bombs and carried out horizontal bombing to deal with the Abari airfield.

At 10:40 a.m., the take-off carrier-based aircraft completed the air formation and began to fly towards the Philippines. At the same time, 72 H9 bombers of three groups of the Imperial Air Force were also taking off one after another at the Qiongdao military airfield, and they would take off to bomb the US military airfield in the Philippines. However, because the fighters have a limited range, it is not possible to provide them with escort. The escort carriers of the Imperial Navy's 1st Carrier Strike Group and 2nd Carrier Strike Group will take off 72 fighter jets to provide them with escort to ensure that they will not be intercepted by American fighters during the bombing.

Of course, the performance of the American fighter is very poor, but it is still a great threat to the clumsy heavy bomber. Without fighter escort, heavy bombers carrying out bombing missions will be very dangerous. What's more, every heavy bomber is precious, and the loss of one is enough to make the generals of the Air Force feel distressed for a long time. After all, at the time of the outbreak of the war, the Imperial Air Force had only 500 heavy bombers in total. (To be continued.) )