Winning over and controlling Siam is of immeasurable value to China's Nanyang strategy. As long as it can station troops in Siam, it can threaten the Strait of Malacca at any time. The British are most concerned about entering this chokepoint.
This time China dispatched the newly launched aircraft carrier Zhenyuan, which entered the Gulf of Siam in a mighty manner under the protection of numerous frigates. China did so in the name of a friendly visit, but at this sensitive time everyone knew it was absolutely
It won't be a simple visit, the target of the attack is very clear, and that is the British fleet.
Moreover, after the Chinese navy arrived in Siam, China and Siam issued a joint communiqué, announcing that Sattahip military port would be leased to China and would become a maritime base for the Chinese task force. It was also announced that the two navies would jointly carry out joint search and rescue operations.
, escort and other maritime exercises.
This news is a bombshell. Everyone knows that the Siam Navy is actually a Chinese warship. From the flagship Siam to other auxiliary ships, they are all imported from China, and the main technical personnel on the warships are
It is also Chinese. This is a navy with Chinese origin. It can cooperate perfectly with the Chinese navy without any obstacles.
At this time, the British also saw through China's sinister intentions of this arms sale, and relied on a warship to kidnap Siam onto a Chinese tank. At the same time, the entire Siam fleet would automatically become part of the Chinese navy once a war broke out.
, China now has two aircraft carriers, one large and one small, in the Gulf of Siam. It has an absolute advantage over the United Kingdom. At this time, it is useless for the United Kingdom to rely on force to deter Japan. On the contrary, the United Kingdom has entered
What you need to worry about is your own safety at sea.
If China desperately launches an attack on Singapore at this time, every British politician has no idea whether the UK can resist it. What's even worse is that China has bypassed Geneva's disarmament through this kind of arms sales.
According to the agreement, the aircraft carrier that China originally promised to dismantle was not dismantled at all, but was put under Siam's name. In fact, this warship is still controlled by China.
After going around for a while, Britain finally realized that the original arms control agreement had no effect on China at all. On the contrary, it promoted the development of the Chinese navy. Seeing through this method made Britain furious, but it did not mean that Britain could also learn from it.
, because there is currently no suitable country that can become the target of British sales. More importantly, the British aircraft carriers are not enough. All British politicians have an idea, that is, they must vigorously build aircraft carriers.
The empire must not fall behind.
However, the situation in front of them has been disturbed by China. The British will definitely not have the courage to send troops to assist the Netherlands unless they no longer want their homeland. At this time, the Japanese joint fleet is rapidly approaching Borneo, and the two Japanese light aircraft carriers have a total of
Carrying more than fifty carrier-based aircraft, it was enough to pose a fatal threat to the Dutch defenders in Borneo.
When the Dutch saw that Britain had started but ended, they felt angry and resentful. The British Empire had indeed declined and was useless at all. It had no deterrent effect on either China or Japan. The Netherlands would use its own
The fleet was mobilized from Java Island and headed for Machen.
Of course, the Netherlands also knows that with its few broken ships, it cannot stop any powerful country, but for the sake of the final dignity of the sea coachmen, the Netherlands has to fight. At the same time, the Netherlands has also strengthened its defense of Borneo.
Like facing a formidable enemy.
The Japanese Combined Fleet has entered the Nansha waters of China. It only needs to go a few hundred nautical miles further to Borneo. At this time, the situation on the sea is also very lively. The British aircraft carrier HMS Arena left under the escort of several battleships.
Singapore base, sailing eastward, trying to block Japan's combined fleet, but Britain's posture is more to protect its own safety, rather than to help the Netherlands enter.
Because two aircraft carrier formations appeared in the northwest, it was the aircraft carrier battle group composed of China's Zhenyuan and Siam. The navies of China, Japan, and Britain appeared in the waters near Zengmu Shoal at the same time, and the entire sea surface was also blocked.
A strange atmosphere enveloped the place.
The three most powerful navies in the Far East encountered each other at this time. They had already entered each other's attack radius, but no country dared to take action first, because everyone knew that as long as they opened fire, there would only be one waiting for everyone.
In this war, neither Britain, nor China, nor Japan are ready for a full-scale war. At present, everyone is simply showing off their strength.
On the surface, it is a confrontation between the navies of the three countries. In fact, the foreign ministries of the three countries are already busy at this time. All kinds of telegrams are constantly coming, and the diplomatic personnel of the three countries are all taking action. No one wants to fight, but no one can guess the opponent's intentions.
Plan, but also fear that some miscalculation will occur and drag all three countries into the quagmire of war.
China was the first to express its stance this time. China emphasized that its actions in Nanyang were completely normal military exercises and did not have any intention to target a third party. There is no need to over-interpret it. In addition, China also called for the tragedy in Borneo to be handed over to the parties involved.
Let the Netherlands and Japan negotiate and adopt a peaceful way to resolve the crisis.
The meaning of this statement is very clear, that is, Britain should not interfere, and China should not interfere. Let the Netherlands and Japan fight. Whoever has the bigger fist will be justified.
This attitude is undoubtedly tilted towards Japan. Currently, Japan's navy has two aircraft carriers, and the Netherlands has nothing. If Britain lets go, it will be equivalent to sending the Netherlands to a point of no return.
After Japan received China's support, the whole country seemed extremely excited. Then Japan once again issued a strongly worded statement, demanding that the Netherlands must accept Japan's ultimatum, otherwise Japan will use its own force to protect it.
The Netherlands will bear all the consequences caused by its own expatriates.
The one suffering the most right now is the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom has huge interests in the Dutch East Indies and is absolutely unwilling to let others interfere. Moreover, the two countries are de facto allies. As a boss, if you abandon your allies casually,
It will definitely bring disastrous consequences. I am afraid that other countries will quickly abandon Britain, and Britain's hegemony will be even more precarious.
But not abandoning it means confronting China and Japan. Does the British Empire have the capital? The answer is obviously no. The military confrontation at sea has already illustrated this. Japan has two light aircraft carriers, and the United Kingdom has only one. Its strength
The gap is huge, and the aircraft carriers of Britain and Japan combined may not be able to withstand China's large aircraft carrier Zhenyuan.
This huge gap in strength made the British, who were accustomed to pressing in with force, very uncomfortable, but they had no choice but to do so. The Japanese navy continued to move south. The British Far East Fleet could not stop it, so it had to follow closely, and the Chinese Zhenyuan was right there.
Yuanfang followed unhurriedly, looking like he was watching a monkey show!
The fleets of the three countries gradually entered the Java Sea. Japan was getting closer and closer to its destination of Mayday in Borneo. The pressure on Britain's shoulders was also increasing. It became a matter of course not to give up the Netherlands.
The focus of the debate in the British Empire was radio waves across the ocean. London, England, had already received the news. Parliament and the government were quarreling like a pot of porridge at this time.
The hard-liners advocate taking decisive measures against China and Japan. Even if the British Empire is weak, the Royal Navy can still defeat the yellow-skinned monkey. However, the relatively calm group firmly believes that there cannot be a war. The balance of power in the Far East is very different. If a war starts, the British will not be able to wait for the war.
By sending troops from the mainland, all the Far East colonies would be lost. The British Empire, which was in deep economic crisis, could not support a cross-oceanic battle.
The British government also knew very well at this time that their power could no longer be compared with that of China and Japan, especially since the other side still occupied the home field. Britain had no chance of winning at all. Moreover, the problem of India had not been solved at this time. Money
Chandra's power has expanded to the entire northeastern India. The two sides have been fighting for several years. The British have no way to completely eliminate Chandra. If they start a war with China again at this time.
It is definitely not as simple as a crisis at sea. China's powerful army will definitely enter India. By that time, the entire British colonial order will collapse. Losing so much for the Netherlands is definitely not what the smart British are willing to do, but
Big countries care about face the most, and dignity is more important than anything else.
If we back down at this time, it will affect how the world views Britain. There is no doubt that the British Empire will become the laughing stock of the world. The British Empire will no longer have any authority in the international community.
Just when Britain was at a loss, a new proposal came from China through the British ambassador. China provided a guarantee for Japan. This time Japan's actions were limited to Borneo and would not threaten other areas; Britain's interests in Borneo
will be protected; China will abandon support for Chandra.
These three points proposed by China can only be regarded as a step forward for the United Kingdom. If Japan occupies Borneo, the follow-up actions will definitely be beyond the control of the United Kingdom, and China will never give up its support for Chandra easily, but
This is already a way to save face for the UK. If the UK still doesn't agree, there will definitely be an even worse situation waiting for them.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Navy, Chen Shaokuan, was standing on the bow of the Zhenyuan at this time. He was witnessing the maritime contest between the three countries with his own eyes. A very strange feeling was constantly surging in his heart. In the past, China and Japan were enemies of life and death. Now,
However, the two countries joined forces to deal with Britain. There are no permanent friends or permanent enemies between countries, only eternal interests.
If you want to exert influence in the world, you don't rely on glib words, but on real force. Now that China has two aircraft carriers here, it is more effective than any harsh words. This is maritime hegemony. Having
With an aircraft carrier, you have everything!
At this moment, the British Far East Fleet suddenly slowed down, then turned around, left the Java Sea, and retreated to Singapore. After receiving this news, Chen Shaokuan knew very well that Britain had chosen to retreat, and the Chinese Navy did not need to fight for Japan.
After sailing for a period of time, the Zhenyuan and Siam retreated to the South China Sea and cruised around.
The Japanese combined fleet finally arrived at the sea outside Machen, and formed a strong pressure on the Dutch. If they were able to get rid of the British interference, Japan won more than half. In response to this action, Japan also surged.
With a new thought, many Japanese scholars emphasized that China and Japan are brotherly countries. In the past history, China was the brother and Japan was the younger brother. Japan should learn from China without reservation. Meiji
After the reform, Japan's national strength increased, and Japan became the brother and China was the younger brother. Now China and Japan have the same status... Regarding this theory, Qiao Yu only gave two words to evaluate it, and that is fart!