Due to the military blockade, the news of the bombing of Sasebo and Nagasaki naval ports was not reported in the press. However, new naval bosses such as Koizumi Minichiro were notified of the war situation by the Navy Ministry.
One second, Koizumi was in a happy mood because he received Yamamoto's commendation telegram. Then he received this bad news telegram. His face suddenly turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and his mood became extremely bad. "Ouyang Yun Ah, Ouyang Yun, you really don't make people worry. Are you reminding me to deal with your fateful enemy as soon as possible?" He murmured to himself coldly, thought deeply, and called his adjutant Jiuye in. He came and said to him: "Order, the Hosho aircraft carrier fleet immediately launches an attack on Manila; order, Sawadabe immediately launch an attack on Kapatagan, and let Kisarazu Air Force provide tactical support."
At almost the same time, the Combined Fleet Command also received a battle report telegram from the mainland. At that time, Yamamoto was convening Nagumo Chuichi and others to discuss the issue of forming various tactical aircraft carrier fleets with the existing seven aircraft carriers of the Combined Fleet as the main force. He Let his subordinates read the telegram in public, and then said calmly: "The Xuebing Army suddenly launched such a large-scale air attack at this time, obviously realizing that our army will focus on dealing with them next, okay, let us use Let’s take concrete actions to respond to their provocation.”
Three hours later, Washington, the United States, also received relevant intelligence. At that time, Roosevelt was talking with Admiral Ernest Joseph King, commander of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, who had rushed back, about reorganizing the Pacific Fleet and how to deal with the crisis in the Philippines. Secretary of War Stimson informed Roosevelt of the news by phone. Roosevelt's first reaction after receiving the call was a stern look on his face, and he couldn't help but exclaimed: "Ouyang Yun is so courageous. He is really a young man who is not afraid of tigers. .”
Roosevelt hung up the phone, and General Kim asked: "The Xuebing Army launched an air raid on the Japanese mainland."
"Yes, the Sasebo military port and the Nagasaki military port were both bombed. We don't know the specific situation yet, but it is said that the Japanese emperor was shocked."
"The Xuebing Army Air Force actually has such strength." Admiral Jin was surprised.
Roosevelt had not yet gotten over this incident. He said: "Don't underestimate our Chinese friends. As you know, L-19 is the design of the Xuebing Army. According to the intelligence we have, the Xuebing Army is There are still improvements on this basis, and the number of equipment they have for these long-range bombers should be about the same as ours."
"Oh, sir, Xuebingjun chose a very good time."
"Yes, just when we decide to withdraw our troops, are they showing their strength to us?"
"Not only that, the Xuebing Army is willing to send troops to the Philippines. In fact, it has its own considerations. After the Japanese army captures the Philippines, they will definitely use Manila as a frontline offensive platform to attack Taiwan. From a strategic sense, the Philippines is actually a protective barrier for Taiwan. If I am Ouyang Yun, and I will not hesitate to fight the Japanese army in the Philippines."
"I also know this. I have dealt with Ouyang Yun. Although he is young, he knows everything and has a very strategic vision."
"Sir, I can now confirm that the Xuebing Army will never withdraw its troops from the Philippines easily. They suddenly bombed the Japanese mainland. Their main purpose should be to prevent the returning combined fleet from supporting the Philippine front line."
"What do you think we should do in this situation? If the Xuebing Army is allowed to resist the Japanese army alone in the Philippines, once Japan is defeated, they may take our place in the Philippines."
Admiral Jin's eyes flashed coldly and he said: "You are overthinking. Do you think that the Xuebing Army alone can fight against Japan?"
"Then just follow Marshall's plan. The troops stationed in the Philippines will first withdraw to Australia, and then have official contact with the Chongqing government to make preparations."
"I think it's feasible, but at the same time, we must make every effort to reorganize the Pacific Fleet in order to return to Asia as soon as possible."
Admiral King was born in 1878 and was already 62 years old. Before he returned to the post of Commander of the Atlantic Fleet, he had actually retired from active service and was assigned to a military advisory group specially designed to house Navy veterans who had no place to shelter. , and during this period, Admiral Jin, who had been paying close attention to the development of the current situation, made a shocking statement and said such crazy words as "When something bad happens, they will come to find the turtle son",
He was really right. When Germany defeated neighboring countries in a devastating manner and began to aggressively plan to launch attacks on Britain and France, Roosevelt appointed him as the commander of the Atlantic Fleet, giving the old man a chance to conquer the battlefield again. ,
With the success of the Japanese Combined Fleet's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor and the complete destruction of the Pacific Fleet, the old man and his Atlantic Fleet became more and more important. Out of strategic considerations, Roosevelt intended to promote him to the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Navy and wanted him to Presided over the reorganization of the Pacific Fleet,
The president's move played into the hands of Admiral Kim. As we all know, Germany, one of the defeated countries in World War I, was restricted by the Washington Naval Agreement. Its navy developed slowly and was much weaker than its army. Therefore, the U.S. Atlantic Fleet should ally its allies. After Britain's request to patrol the North Atlantic, the deterrent effect was far greater than the actual effect. This naturally could not satisfy Admiral King's desire for war. Therefore, he proposed a bold Pacific Fleet reorganization plan, suggesting that the Atlantic Fleet be integrated into one unit. It is divided into two, and the aircraft carriers and escort ships are transferred to form a new Pacific Fleet with aircraft carriers as the main force; and the concept of "Pacific First" is proposed, believing that the two main enemies of the United States, the German Navy and the Japanese Navy, are very different in strength, so The main force should be placed in the Pacific to contain the Japanese combined fleet,
Because of his relationship with Britain, Roosevelt originally valued the Atlantic Ocean more than the Pacific Ocean. However, as the Pacific Fleet was wiped out by the Japanese combined fleet and the situation in the Philippines deteriorated sharply, the vital interests of the United States were greatly harmed, but he could no longer fully fulfill it. After Churchill's promise to "assist you with all your war needs", he began to seriously consider the Pacific war situation. In the Pacific Fleet reorganization plan proposed by Admiral King, there was also a clause regarding cooperation with the British Far East Fleet, the Australian Navy and the Australian Navy. Roosevelt said to him: "Just follow your plan. Regarding the establishment of a joint command, I will let Hull discuss it with representatives of the countries concerned."
Admiral Jin nodded and said: "The focus is on the military navy. Three aircraft carriers can be regarded as a decisive force. Hey, I didn't expect that a mere Chinese warlord armed force would actually develop such a large-scale navy. Mr. , please make sure to facilitate this matter.”
Roosevelt nodded solemnly and said: "Don't worry, Ouyang Yun definitely doesn't want to see the Japanese navy become the only one. Although the navy has a large scale, it lacks combat and management experience. The establishment of a joint command is beneficial to both sides." If something is beneficial, I think he will agree to it."
As a true hawk among the senior generals of the U.S. Navy, before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Admiral King would never have been interested in the cadet navy, which only owned three aircraft carriers and two battleships. The navy and air force Unlike the army, it takes time to develop and grow. Therefore, in his opinion, even if the student army chose the right path and developed the aircraft carrier as a capital ship from the beginning, it has not experienced actual combat and has no The experience that can be used for reference, no matter how large the scale is, is just an empty shelf. It comes from this idea. In his view, absorbing the student army into the joint command is actually a gift, and it is a free way to help the student army train. Naval command talents are highly coveted for Ouyang Yun and other senior military officers.
What is the real situation?
When Ouyang Yun received the telegram from Gu Lianyun from the United States asking for opinions, he ordered Xin Bao to draft a reply message as he said without thinking: "You can agree to join the joint command, but the distribution of command power must be Proportional to the military strength." This is equivalent to directly rejecting the possibility of the Americans directly commanding the Pacific Fleet of the Military Academy.
(Old Poison: The structure is too big and difficult to control. Please forgive me, brothers)