Republic of China game

Page 554

In order to determine the direction of the Chinese attack, the top staff of the British Empire's General Staff and the Admiralty have had a lot of headaches during this time!Even the Imperial General Staff paid more attention to this than the French campaign that had already started.

The German attack was launched on April 4 against Belgium and Holland!

Hearing this news, the General Staff of the British Empire almost had champagne to celebrate.Because the offensive line of the Germans is exactly as expected by the staff elites of Britain and France!Basically a replica of the 1914 "Schlieffen Plan".Of course, the momentum of the attack was much greater. The 200 million did not know that it was 300 million Germans who were armed to the teeth, driving thousands of tanks, and thousands of planes aggressively entered the two neutral countries of Belgium and the Netherlands.But so what?Now 220 million British and French allied forces are also stationed in Belgium according to the plan. They will start at the Liege defense line built by the Thomas River and confront the German army.

Of course, it’s okay even if the Liege defense line cannot be defended. The British and French allied forces can also establish a second and third defense line elsewhere. Just like in 1914, there is always somewhere to stop the Germans!Moreover, the British and French allied forces also have an armored group consisting of 14 armored divisions and 16 motorized infantry divisions!With them there, they should be able to withstand the 18 armored divisions of the Germans and Chinese!

Even if the Germans break out some unexpected combat power and defeat the armored forces of the British and French allied forces, it doesn't matter, because by then, there will still be 300 million French troops and hundreds of thousands of British expeditionary forces that can be put into battle.I believe that the German army, which has fought all the way through continuous hard battles, must have become a tired army, unable to defeat the surging French army at all, and the European war will also come to a stalemate, just like the First World War.After delaying for a year and a half, maybe the war will end because of some secret weapon?

But the situation on the eastern battlefield is not easy to say.The Chinese and Japanese have swept across Southeast Asia. Except for French Indochina, which is still insisting, the rest have fallen.In particular, the fall of the Singapore fortress has cut the defense system of the British Empire in the East into two pieces.The Chinese who occupy Singapore can choose to go west or south at any time, and will soon burn the flames of war to India or Western Australia.The British had to disperse their already stretched forces to these two battlefields that were very important to the British Empire.

However, compared with the Dominion of Australia, which is loyal to the British Empire, India, which is getting further and further away on the road to independence, seems to be less important.If India can be turned into a quagmire, and at least part of the main force of the Chinese army can't get out of it, so as to reduce the pressure on Australia, of course it would be an ideal choice!

"Sacrifice India to hold China back and buy time for the consolidation of Australia." After the Great War in the North Sea, this combat idea gradually became the guiding ideology of the Imperial General Staff's response to the Eastern War.

It is based on this idea that the rapid advancement of Indian autonomy, the composition of the Australia-New Zealand Theater and the Australian Grand Fleet, and the arrival of this small fleet of Admiral James Murthaville to Mumbai.

This team consists of the aircraft carrier Bravery, the battleship King, the heavy cruiser York, the heavy cruiser Exeter, the light cruiser Sheffield, the light cruiser Glasgow, and 11 old-fashioned S-class destroyers, and 10 H-class ships. The Eastern Fleet composed of submarines.Of course, it is not an opponent of the powerful Chinese navy, but with such a large fleet, the main force of the Chinese navy might not dare to leave the Indian Ocean, right?

Of course, the premise is that the British and Indian troops led by General John Greer Deal can delay the war on the South Asian subcontinent!As long as the war in India can be dragged on, the Chinese must ensure the safety of the shipping lines in the Bay of Bengal.Under the threat of the Eastern Fleet, the Chinese can only ensure the smooth passage of the sea route by stranded the main force in the Indian Ocean.

Thinking of this, Merthaville straightened up and said to Rear Admiral Louis Mountbatten, Chief of Staff of the Eastern Fleet, who was already standing beside him: "Louis, inform the fleet that we will all set off in three hours! Let's go for a circle in the Indian Ocean and see Is there any chance to harass the Chinese people?"

"Also, inform the Command of the Indian Military Region and tell them that the navy has discovered that there are two large Chinese fleets..." Merthaville glanced at the chart, and finally Merthaville stretched out his finger on the chart I tapped lightly on Ceylon Island and the west coast of India, and thought about it: "The two Chinese fleets should be going to capture Ceylon Island and somewhere on the west coast of India. Tell the army that way."

"Notify the Indian Theater Command and ask our shore-based aircraft stationed in the Maldives and Ceylon to maintain the highest alert and search within 300 nautical miles east of Ceylon. If you find a Chinese fleet, please launch an attack immediately."

"Notify the Indian Theater Command to request the Ceylon garrison fleet to lay mines immediately at the entrances of Colombo and Galle; to request the West Indian garrison fleet to lay mines at Chittagong, Calcutta, Visakhapatnam, Madras and other west India's main port mines."

"Order all our submarines in the Indian Ocean to continue to closely monitor the Ten Degree Strait and the Sunda Strait."

"Admiral, should we notify Admiral Cunningham?" Major General Mountbatten reminded: "According to intelligence, the Chinese Navy has at least six aircraft carriers, and now only four have appeared, and maybe two more will be in the West. Activities in waters near Australia."

"So what?" Merthaville sighed softly, "The Ark Royal and the Indomitable are still being repaired in the dock in Port Jackson! With the remaining three motherships, Admiral Cunningham has no It is possible to eliminate two Chinese aircraft carriers, and... our opponent may not really only have six aircraft carriers."

"Report!" At this moment, the communication staff's report suddenly interrupted the conversation between the two generals. "The H31 submarine reported that an hour ago, they found a huge fleet passing through the Sunda Strait! This fleet has at least five large aircraft carriers! The Taiwan aircraft carrier with a displacement of 27000 tons was also found. The fleet is in After passing through the Sunda Strait, it turned to the east, and the estimated target was the west coast of Australia."

"What!?" Merthaville and Mountbatten gasped at the same time.Five more large aircraft carriers were discovered!Adding the four large aircraft carriers discovered before, the Chinese Navy now has at least nine large aircraft carriers.The United Kingdom has only six aircraft carriers in the Indian Ocean and Australia, and two of them are under repair, and it will take at least a month before they can go to the battlefield.

"Five large aircraft carriers, including Taiwan ... should have 420 carrier-based aircraft, Admiral Cunningham only has 180 carrier-based aircraft, and the Chinese Fw-190C has stronger combat effectiveness. The Australian large fleet is absolutely They are not their opponents, and must be transferred from Port Darwin." Mountbatten broke his fingers a little in his heart, and he knew that Cunningham would lose.

"Let's report our discovery to the Australian Grand Fleet. Cunningham knows what to do." Merthaville shook his head lightly, his face gradually becoming ugly.

At this time, Mountbatten gritted his teeth and suggested loudly: "Admiral, we may consider temporarily merging the Australian Grand Fleet and the Eastern Fleet and centralizing them for use in the Indian Ocean. In this way, we can use four aircraft carriers and 230 carrier-based aircraft. To deal with the four Chinese motherships, there are up to 320 carrier-based aircraft. Although they are still more in number, we still have hundreds of shore-based aircraft available in the Indian theater..."

Chapter 0846 Sunset of the Old Empire ([-]) Welcomes Liberation

The twilight is deep, the last night before the big turmoil, everyone in the subcontinent of South Asia is quiet.

The majestic and majestic style reveals the legacy of the Mughal Dynasty and the British style. In front of the Victoria Palace (Governor's Palace of India), the guards are wearing short-sleeved British summer military uniforms and carrying Lee Enfield rifles on their shoulders. At the sentry post, vigilant eyes stared at the empty and quiet square in front of the Victoria Palace, as if the crowd of protesters who had gathered there during the day had not dispersed.

Although the Indian Autonomous Government has been established, this government controlled by the Indian National Congress Party obviously cannot satisfy the pursuit of all Indian political elites, including the powerful All India Muslim League and the Communist Party of India.Just today during the day, these two opposition political parties unexpectedly united and organized a demonstration of unprecedented scale!The Victoria Palace Square has almost turned into a sea of ​​red and green. The angry Muslim masses and the Hindu people at the bottom inspired by the Communist Party shouted slogans against the Indian Autonomous Government (the slogan of the Muslim League) and British colonial rule (the slogan of the Communist Party). for a whole day.The Governor of India, Marquis Victor Hope, even mobilized the British and Indian troops stationed in New Delhi, preparing to suppress it!If the "Mahatma" Gandhi hadn't declared a hunger strike at the most critical moment of the situation, today's Victoria Palace Square would surely be full of blood.

And just as this quiet night was about to pass, a car hurriedly stopped at the gate of the Victoria Palace with screeching brakes.

The car door opened, and a skinny middle-aged man with a well-made suit on his upper body, a skirt on his lower body, and a small black hat got out of the car.Then, under the guard of two entourages, he strode towards the palace.

"Isn't that Mr. Jinnah!" The guards recognized at a glance that the person who came was the leader of the Indian Muslim League, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, one of the organizers of the protest during the day!Now, in the dead of night, he actually came to the Governor's Mansion of India... Could it be that he was going to betray the revolution and accepted the recruitment?

Just as the guards were about to step forward to stop him, a secretary of the Governor's Mansion ran out of the palace at a trot, and after seeing Jinnah, he hurried up to meet him.

Jinnah and the Secretary of the Government House seemed to be old acquaintances. After the two embraced each other cordially, Jinnah asked in a low voice, "Mr. Horton, what happened?"

"Mr. Jinnah! It's not good, it's not good! At around 6 o'clock this afternoon, a Chinese fleet consisting of 250 to 300 ships passed through the Ten Degrees Strait!"

"What!? So many!" Jinnah gasped, grabbed Horton's arm, and asked loudly, "Do you know where these Chinese are going? Are they going to attack India?"

Holden nodded lightly, and stretched out his hand to make a gesture of respect. "Your Excellency, Mr. Gandhi, Mr. Nehru, and General Dill, commander of the Indian theater, have arrived and are meeting in the meeting room of the Governor's Palace to discuss countermeasures. We are waiting for you."

"Discuss countermeasures!?" Jinnah was taken aback when he heard the words, looked at Holden suspiciously and said, "When will these Brits discuss real major issues with us Indians? Even Nehru's so-called self-government can only I can take care of trivial matters, even things like India declaring war on China, Germany, and Japan were made by Governor Hopper alone, without even notifying Nehru... That guy still knew from the newspaper that his country was already in crisis. It's a state of war!"

"Let's go, Mr. Jinnah, the situation is extremely urgent. If we don't unite, the whole of India will become a colony of the Chinese!" Holden, who is tall and like a bear, doesn't care about his gentlemanly demeanor. Jinnah, who was still hesitating, hurried to the Victoria Palace.The two dragged one another like this, trotting all the way, passing through countless palaces, corridors, and courtyards, and finally came to the gate of a gorgeous hall guarded by gun guards.

"Mr. Governor, Mr. Jinnah has arrived." Horton shouted loudly.

"Please, quickly invite Mr. Jinnah to come in!" Governor Marquis Hope's slightly anxious voice came from the hall.

Actually used please!A very strange feeling rose from the bottom of Jinnah's heart.This arrogant British aristocrat would never say "please" to an Indian, let alone use two "please" in a row and add "sir" after his surname.Looking at the posture, most of the British will not be able to keep India unless they get help from the Indians.Of course, the price is not two "please" and one "sir", but true independence and freedom!

It seems that this time, all the blood will not be shed in vain, whether Muslim or Hindu!

Thinking of this, Jinnah took firm steps and walked into this gorgeous conference hall.This conference hall has been arranged like a war room, with a huge map of India hanging on the wall, and a large electric sand table in the middle of the room.Several British army staff officers in military uniforms were standing beside the sand table, holding batons in their hands as if they were explaining something.Mahatma Gandhi, Chairman of the Indian Self-Government Nehru, Chairman of the National Congress Party Bose, Indian Governor Hope, and Commander of the Indian Theater Command General Dill surrounded the sand table, all of them looked dignified.

"Okay, Mr. Jinnah has arrived, and our meeting can begin." The sweaty, pale Governor of India, Marquis Hope, squeezed out an ugly smile, and beckoned at Jinnah.

"Come and listen, Ali (Jinnah), I'm afraid it is really time to unite, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and British."

The one who spoke this time was a shriveled Indian old man who was shorter than Jinnah, wearing a "sheet" and wearing slippers. He was Mahatma Gandhi, the spiritual leader of the Indian independence movement.Gandhi spoke in a very soft voice, without much energy (wow, during the hunger strike, of course he did not have the energy to speak loudly), but to Jinnah, it sounded like several thunderclaps ringing in his ears!Because from these words, Jinnah heard that this Mahatma has decided to completely tie India to the British chariot!

"I have received a letter from the King of England, promising that India will gain independence and freedom after this war." Gandhi spoke calmly, but his expression was full of helplessness.He went on to say: "The Chinese will not bring us liberation. I can be sure of this. For our future country, the British Empire must now stand together and call on all Indians, regardless of religion, caste, Rich and poor, unite and take up arms to fight the invading enemy to the end!"

Looking at the spiritual leader respected by almost all Indians, Jinnah was silent for a long time before asking: "What can Muslims gain?"

Painful expressions flashed across Gandhi's face, "Ali! We are all Indians, we are the same ethnic group, there should be no distinction between Muslims, Hindus or Sikhs..."

"Mr. Gandhi, I am the chairman of the Muslim League, and my supporters want a country that belongs to them, an Islamic country." Jinnah walked to the map table, stretched out his withered fingers, and pointed to northwest India and East Bengal in the northeast said: "We Muslims don't have high demands. As long as the Muslim-majority states can form an independent state, they will fight for freedom. Otherwise, even if I make a call, not many people will." Responsive." Speaking of this, he frowned, and said: "Now the Muslim coalition forces supported by the Chinese and composed of Central Asian Muslims have arrived in Afghanistan... They are planning to use the help of Indian Muslims to establish an independent country as a call , launched a 'jihad', and now in northwest Pakistan, many tribal leaders have been bewitched by them. If we can't come up with the same thing, I am afraid that the entire northwest of India will fall in a very short time!"

"No! The defenses in the northwestern region of India are impenetrable and will never be captured by a mob!" Admiral Dill, commander of the Indian Theater Command, interrupted Jinnah, "And as long as we have enough troops, we can guarantee that the entire India will not be attacked." Invaded by the Chinese! This will be the heartbreak of Chinese imperialism!"

The admiral seemed to be a little impatient with the beating around the bush, and directly raised the topic of tonight's meeting.Tonight, following the Chinese army's invasion of the country, there is only one purpose for calling several leading figures of the Indian independence movement to the Victoria Palace, and that is to recruit soldiers!The elites of the Imperial General Staff have already planned the fate of these lowly Indians, they are the cannon fodder of the British Empire!According to preliminary calculations, this race with a population of 3 million can theoretically provide up to 5 million cannon fodder!Of course, in practice the scale of conscription could not have reached such a staggering scale.However, 4000 million cannon fodder is possible no matter how you look at it.Although the combat effectiveness of the army composed of Indians is very worrying, if the number can reach 1000 million, maybe the Chinese can be completely trapped in India, right?

"Mr. General, if we want to repel the Chinese, how many troops do we need?" Nehru glanced at Jinnah and asked first.Of course he knew the real intention of the British to summon him and Jinnah to this conference hall at the same time.This is an "auction", and the bid is the territorial integrity of the future Indian Republic... and the bid is life!Hindus, or Muslims!

"Now we have 120 million British and Indian troops, divided into 30 armies and 90 infantry divisions. Although the number is large, our enemy China has an army of 600 million!" Admiral Dill sighed worriedly. He glanced at Nehru and Jinnah, and continued: "And according to the analysis of the Imperial General Staff, the combat effectiveness of the Chinese army is at least three to five times that of the British and Indian troops of the same number! Therefore, the 120 million British and Indian troops Army, it is really difficult to keep the whole of India from being invaded. We estimate that the Chinese may end up putting 100 to 150 million troops in India. If we want to ensure the security of India, we need to recruit another 6 million young people in at least 400 months A strong man! As for weapons and ammunition... I will try my best to get it from London, and of course all the factories in India that can be used to produce arms must also work overtime."

"Okay, 400 million is 400 million! Give us three months, and the self-government will hand over 3 million people to you." Nehru agreed to Dill's request without even thinking about it.After saying this, he glanced at Jinnah quietly with the corner of his eyes, seeing the gloomy expression on the other side's face, he couldn't help feeling complacent.There are more Hindus than Muslims!And at the moment, the Indian autonomous government is also in the hands of the Congress Party, and 400 million people are simply a piece of cake...

"Great!" Governor Hope breathed a sigh of relief, slapped his hands lightly, and said with a smile, "In six months at most, we will have 520 million troops! The Chinese will suffer a lot by then." He said to Jinnah again: "Mr. Jinnah, before you came, I discussed with Mr. Gandhi and Mr. Nehru the possibility of reorganizing the Indian autonomous government. We think that the Muslim League can also join the autonomous government. , the self-government can set aside a post for you as a deputy prime minister, and in addition, several ministerial posts for the Muslim League."

"This..." Jinnah was taken aback when he heard this. Forming a coalition government with the National Congress Party was the goal of the Muslim League for some time in the past.After all, Hindus still make up the majority in India, and the Muslim League will never come to power by voting.But that was before the arrival of the Chinese army!

"Why, Ali, don't you want to fight with the Hindu brothers?" Gandhi walked to Jinnah's side, held his right hand, and said earnestly: "A truly independent and free India can only be established by Hindus, Muslims or Muslims." The Sikhs fought together, if you leave now, the separated India can only be broken by the Chinese one by one, and finally become a Chinese colony forever!"

"But..." Jinnah didn't know how to answer the Mahatma in the hearts of Indians, because many high-level officials in his Muslim League now advocate the establishment of an independent Muslim country. Who cooperates!

……

Just when the reactionary factions in India are haggling to resist the approaching People's Army.A powerful Chinese naval fleet is sailing mightily on the surface of the vast and boundless Bay of Bengal.