The Rise of the Empire

Whether it is the so-called Plan A or Plan B, even if they are completed, it is only half the success of the operation. The most critical thing is the subsequent fleet battle. Only after a large-scale fleet battle severely damaged the U.S. Navy, Japan Only then can we fundamentally get some breathing time. After all, the losses caused by the diplomatic-breaking operations are not a big deal for the United States, and even if maritime transportation is interrupted for a period of time due to maritime security issues, the Americans can still let go first. Let's put it aside, after all, the Japanese fleet cannot always float on the sea...

"I think the fleet engagement location should be in the South Pacific, such as in the waters near Fiji or the Cook Islands, rather than further north," Beatty said.

"I can understand what you mean. You are saying that the northern waters are under the control of the Americans. They have reconnaissance and intelligence advantages, and it is closer to Pearl Harbor. The US fleet will be in good condition after sailing, right? But if we If we enter the South Pacific, what advantages can we gain?" Shimamura Hayao asked.

"Haha. You still want to pull us in." Betty said in her heart. Although the British Empire has declined, most of the islands in the southeastern Pacific are still under the control of the British, and the British had already been in a certain area before. Some facilities were set up on some islands, such as telegraph stations and so on. Some islands with larger areas and better environments also have other facilities, such as small piers and so on. It is possible to park a submarine or seaplane here. And if the British deploy some reconnaissance ships or seaplanes here, it will naturally be useful to enhance the Japanese navy's battlefield awareness. The Japanese need this kind of help, but they don't know the British attitude on this matter.

"Since we suggest that your country locates the preset battlefield in the Southeast Pacific, then we will naturally fulfill our obligations as an ally. We will arrange some reconnaissance forces on these islands, but the relevant equipment and personnel need to be provided by the Japanese army, because Your Excellency should be very clear that the naval and aviation power of the British Empire are strictly restricted, and at least now we do not have the ability to deploy a powerful campaign-level reconnaissance force in the Pacific direction," Betty said.

"No problem, we will arrange relevant matters as soon as possible. We can provide a batch of aircraft with your country's painting on them. We can also arrange some crew members to facilitate the communication between your country and us. As for the submarines, we It can also be provided, but your country will need to worry more about camouflaging the reconnaissance ship, because our current maritime transportation capacity is somewhat tight. Although the German submarine force has withdrawn from the battlefield, the losses they caused to us before were huge. Big one," Shimamura Hayao said.

It can only be said that the Americans' pig operation really helped the Japanese a lot. In fact, in terms of tonnage alone, the total tonnage of the ships sunk by Su Xiong and Redel's smart fleet was far less than that of the German submarine force in the Pacific. The attack on the Japanese transport fleet in the region was just the day before the German government issued a withdrawal note to the US government. The German submarine force had sunk a total of 400,000 tons of Japanese transport ships in the Pacific! The performance of the German submarine force even exceeded that of the much larger U.S. submarine force. When the German submarine force was on its way home, Major General Hull, who was in charge of the U.S. submarine force, wrote a letter asking the U.S. government to find ways to retain the German submarine force.

The result was naturally unsuccessful.

But no matter what, the German submarine force has opened a deep hole in Japan's maritime transportation line. What is the concept of 400,000 tons? Since the war began, all the newly built and purchased merchant ships by the Japanese have just made up for this gap, and the supplies carried by these merchant ships have made the Japanese feel even more painful. And if you count the number of ships, the data will be even more terrifying. A total of more than 200 ships of various types have been sunk. In other words, the average tonnage of each Japanese ship is less than 2,000 tons! So many German submarine officers and soldiers complained that with the same torpedo, if they attack British merchant ships, they can add at least 5,000 tons of tonnage to their record, but if they attack the Japanese, they may only have 1,500 tons! This input and output are completely out of proportion!

"Okay, we will arrange some camouflaged reconnaissance ships, but the number will not be large. And one thing that needs to be explained is that if these ships are lost during the battle, then we hope that your country can compensate us for the losses." Betty said .

"No problem, this is a completely reasonable request." Shimamura Hayao said.

"In addition, I want to ask you something." At this time, Betty said to Shimamura Hayao with a smile. "If our intelligence is correct, then your country should also have ordered a battleship in France, right? This battleship should be based on the hull of the Normandy-class battleship completed by the French and then converted into an aircraft carrier, right?"

"This..." Hayao Shimamura was stunned after hearing this, because he didn't expect Betty to know about this! Seriously, no one would hang from a tree if they had a choice! The same is true for the Japanese. In terms of aviation technology and navy, the Japanese chose to rely on Britain. In terms of army weapons, including heavy artillery and armored units, the Japanese chose France. After all, the French deservedly deserved the claim that they were the second largest army in the world during the war.

However, as the war continued and the British supply problems were tight due to various reasons, the Japanese had to choose other suppliers, such as the Calacciono-class battleships and Pisa-class armor that Japan ordered from the Italians. Cruisers and various destroyers, etc. Ordering warships from Italy does not offend the British. After all, there is no big hatred between the two countries. But ordering from the French is different. All British people will never forget that at the last moment of the war, the French used the blood of British people to exchange forgiveness for the Germans! Therefore, the Japanese did not disclose relevant information to the British on this issue.

"How should I answer this question?" Shimamura Hayao scratched his head. I felt a little embarrassed. : "We did order a warship from France. There is nothing we can do about it. After all, your country's production capacity is limited, and what we are facing now is a war related to the survival of the empire. In other words, we can only win but cannot I hope you and your government can bear with me."

"The British Empire government understands your actions, but I hope that there are some issues between the two countries that can be more open and honest." Betty did not accidentally dwell on this issue.

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