The Rise of the Empire

We are not afraid to take risks, the key is whether it is worth it. We use warships and transport ships with a total tonnage of nearly 300,000 tons to cross thousands of kilometers to intercept a transport fleet. Even if we succeed, at most we will sink a transport ship of 100,000 to 200,000 tons and the materials on it. . Then what? Do we continue to stay in the Eastern Pacific and wait to intercept new fleets? Or are you waiting for the Americans to come to your door? In the end, we will have a decisive battle with the US fleet in the sea far away from the base, where the enemy and we are outnumbered? "

"The Americans' attack on Taragan Island was also a blitzkrieg. They entered the battlefield quickly. They only had less than 8 hours to attack the island, and then they evacuated. Even so, they were all lost under the encirclement of our sea and air forces. With more than half of the main warships, I think that if we stay in the waters controlled by the US Navy for a long time, our losses will definitely be greater than those of the Americans in the end! The Americans can rely on their strong industry to make a comeback, but what can we do? The most important thing is that our supply problem cannot be solved." Motaro Yoshimatsu was very opposed to this plan.

"The risk of entering the Eastern Pacific is too great. We can try to intercept the American transport fleet departing from Hawaii to New Guinea. The scale of these fleets is also not small. As long as the intelligence is accurate, the benefits will be very large." Shimamura Hayao said. At this time, it was obvious that he was starting to back off. After all, let alone the Japanese navy, no navy in the world has ever done such a long-distance expedition.

"In fact, it is equally unsafe to intercept the U.S. transport fleet from Hawaii to New Guinea. You can look at the chart. The U.S. Navy has a stable and coherent front on this route. The Marshall Islands is almost between Hawaii and New Guinea. The area in the middle of the island was once an important offensive springboard for the U.S. Navy, not to mention the nearby Gilbert Islands and the Bismarck Islands newly occupied by the Americans. The aviation power on these islands greatly enhanced the U.S. Navy's reconnaissance capabilities, and the main fleet of the US Navy may be stationed at a certain point on this island chain. If we sail in this area for a short time, we may not be discovered, but if we stay here for a long time, the Americans will definitely Opportunities will be found.”

"Although we are very close to us when we perform the mission of breaking ties in this area, I have to say that death is also very close here!" Betty said.

“And if we cross the line extending from north to south between the Marshall Islands and the Gilbert Islands, then the Americans have only one foothold in the waters east of this line and south of Hawaii, and this foothold is Christmas Island. The Americans have made this place an important transit point. Some fleets will pass here for supplies or navigation along the way, so our goal is very clear. As long as we keep an eye on this place, we will definitely catch big fish." Si Si on the side Teddy said.

There are two routes for Americans' Pacific transportation. One route starts from the mainland and sails to Hawaii. It is replenished here and then turns southwest, finally reaching New Guinea and the Bismarck Islands. The other route took a direct diagonal route, passing from the mainland to Christmas Island and finally arriving at the front line.

In order to control this direct route, the Americans have begun to attack the islands along the way.

Some of them were once the sphere of influence of the British. Although the Americans would not attack large territories like Canada and Australia, they would still occupy a few small islands. Unfortunately, Christmas Island was favored by the Americans. It has become an intermediate stop for many fleets to replenish water sources along the way.

As for why the fleet replenished fresh water. Members normally drink a small amount of water, but there is a very large demand for fresh water used in boilers. Moreover, Americans equip standard merchant ships with the cheapest steam engines, so the demand for water sources is even greater. As for why not install large-scale seawater desalination facilities? Come on, the power system is a simplified version, and the Americans still install large-scale desalination facilities on such cheap transport ships? Are you thinking too much?

In fact, Betty's persuasion of the Japanese fleet to enter this area to carry out the task of breaking diplomatic relations was somewhat private, because the Cook Islands, Samoa Islands and other islands in this area are British territory, and the Americans have begun to expand in this area. Their own influence, and even their direct actions to seize islands, made the British very uneasy. They were worried that after the Americans seized these islands, they would completely cut off the connection between Australia and the mainland from the east, and who could guarantee that the Americans would become addicted? Americans won't reach out to larger islands such as New Zealand?

Therefore, after research by senior British officials, they believed that in order to ensure the security of the British Empire's colonies in Australia and Southeast Asia, Britain should continue to support Japan, and even join forces with Germany and France to force the United States to stop the Pacific War when necessary. In order to achieve this goal, how to prevent the Americans from making another mistake on the battlefield is the top priority. So, a few weeks ago, the British Royal Navy elites in London planned a huge action plan. Later, Thomas informed Betty of the news through his own channels, allowing Betty to promote the implementation of the plan behind the scenes!

"Everyone, I know that carrying out such a huge expedition does involve huge risks. However, today, I dare to propose this plan, so naturally I have considered many problems to be faced, including the supply and intelligence issues that you are worried about. We can all help figure it out!”

"First of all, there is the issue of intelligence. At present, although the British Empire has declined, we still control most of the islands in the southeastern Pacific. The route passed by the American fleet happens to pass through the waters north of the Northern Cook Islands. The forces we have deployed on the islands It is absolutely possible to provide detailed intelligence, and after obtaining the intelligence, it should be very easy for your country’s navy to capture a fleet that may only be traveling at a speed of 8 to 10 knots, right?”

"Another issue is supply. We have also thought about this issue. We use these islands as a network and cooperate with the British Empire's huge ocean-going transport fleet to provide your country with a large amount of fuel and other military supplies. And because of the previous U.S. fleet After being severely damaged, the frequency of operations of our ocean-going warships has also been greatly reduced. The Americans' patrol intensity in this sea area is actually very low, so the British Royal Navy is sure to provide effective supplies for your army." Betty expressed her thoughts Tell the truth.

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