Iron Cross

"Tanks are too heavy, and there is no time; anti-aircraft guns must be equipped in large quantities, and there must be enough aircraft, especially fighter jets. If the naval aviation is not enough, we can transfer them from the army aviation; comprehensively strengthen the coastal defense firepower..." In a few words, the others were stunned to see Admiral King complete all the duties of the Joint Chiefs of Staff alone, and he did it without Marshall and others present - this is not in line with the system at all! Seeing that everyone was still confused, Roosevelt got angry on the spot: "Why don't you do it quickly? Wait until the Japanese come and kick our asses?"

At this point, he was not angry at all for Admiral King's "overstepping his authority" just now, but was glad that Admiral King's brain was still working well. Although his temper was a bit bad, he was strong in quick reaction and comprehensive grasp of information. He was not as narrow-minded as other generals - the army only understood the army, and the navy only understood the navy. Roosevelt thought that choosing him as the head of the navy was the right choice.

At this time, Marshall and others who received the news also rushed over. They were also shocked to hear that Panama might be threatened. They immediately proposed to hold an emergency meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After hearing that Admiral King had come up with a plan, Marshall did not hesitate to implement it on the spot. The adjutants and staff were like crazy looking for people to execute the instructions. Hori Teikichi was the first person to push the decision-making efficiency of a democratic country to this level.

Just as the United States was taking full action to defend Panama, Marshal received a telegram: "General Hori Teikichi ordered that the artillery formation and the aircraft carrier formation cross the Puerto Rico and Dominican Straits at the fastest speed tonight and sprint to Panama with all their strength. He wants to destroy the Panama Canal! The transport formation is escorted by other warships."

"Panama Canal?" Marshal was stunned for a moment, then laughed happily, "So this is General Hori Teikichi's real goal, I understand."

The fleet is currently about 1,000 nautical miles away from Panama. It normally takes 3 days to arrive. Since Hori Teikichi said to sprint with all his strength, it means that he must be prepared to compress it to 2 days-Marshall immediately asked the fleet to speed up to 24 knots. He thought very clearly that once Panama was destroyed, the efficiency of the US Navy's troop deployment would be greatly reduced, and more transport ships and warships must be built to maintain the same force density.

After considering the whole thing together, all the details can be answered: Why did the three fleets openly issue the "Notice" in a provocative tone - that was to attract the attention of the United States; why did they bring all the main forces of the fleet and deliberately fabricate the Italian fleet that was not on the same journey - that was to suppress the British and American fleets from making any moves; why did they bring a Marine Brigade instead of going to the Suez Canal like the other three - that was to land and completely destroy the Panama Canal.

"Brilliant!" He secretly admired in his heart. No wonder the head of state asked him to obey the command resolutely. It seems that there are indeed many things worth learning.

In addition to the United States, Japan itself felt that it had been poked in a hornet's nest - the day after the "Notice" spread throughout the North American continent, the news was also known in Japan, and the senior military officers of the Military General Staff panicked. Previously, the Combined Fleet had been reporting that it was resting in Italy and receiving relevant supplies. They thought that Hori Teikichi would lead the fleet back to Japan soon, but they did not expect that the fleet had set off in advance. He left ahead of time, but he didn't go east at all. Instead, he turned around and attacked the east coast of the United States. This bold strategy shocked the Showa staff.

At the joint meeting of the headquarters, Prince Fushimi Hiroyoshi, the chief of the military general staff, who felt his authority was challenged, said unsatisfactorily: "Who gave him such great power to send troops without authorization? He didn't return to the country to deliver support and supplies, but was instigated by the Germans to attack the east coast of the United States. It's really unreasonable."

Yamamoto Isoroku glanced at him and said slowly: "Your Highness, what you said is not quite right. Isn't the United States our mortal enemy? We just captured the Aleutian Islands and thousands of officers and soldiers died. Why can't we go to the east coast to retaliate?"

Ishihara Kan Er half-jokingly echoed, "The navy is fierce, General Hori Teikichi is domineering, and the army is inferior. Remember to call us to land together next time..."

"You..." Fushimi Hiroyoshi was angry, "Ishihara-kun, stop talking nonsense. The main fleet of the entire empire is in his hands. Why can't you be more cautious?"

"Your Highness, what you said makes sense. Just send a telegram and let the combined fleet hide in Europe, so as not to be sunk by the Americans when they come back - there are always risks in war, why can't you be more cautious?"

"Shan "My Lord, what do you mean?" Fushimi Hiroyoshi said in a dissatisfied tone, "Or, do you think I am not qualified to be the Minister of the General Staff? How about you take it?"

"Your Highness, this won't work." Yamamoto said slowly, "I can't control him as the Minister of the General Staff. In terms of military rank, he is a general, and so am I; in terms of seniority, he is the 32nd class and so am I, but when I graduated, I was only the 7th, and he was the second... This, I have to listen to him as the Minister, right?"

"You!"

The army didn't hear what was going on. What is the problem? Only Inoue Narumi almost couldn't help laughing: Prince Fushimi Hiroyoshi joined the Marine Corps as the 16th term, and his seniority was much older than Hori Teikichi or Yamamoto Isoroku. The problem was that this guy dropped out of school after just a few months and went to Germany to study naval warfare. Although he completed his studies conscientiously in Germany, for the Japanese Navy that learned from the British, studying naval warfare in Germany was still a little worse. Now Yamamoto Isoroku keeps saying 32nd term and second place, what does Prince Fushimi Hiroyoshi, a dropout of the Naval Academy, think?

Of course, these are all superficial. The deeper problem is that Prince Fushimi Miyahiro Kyoto is the general backer of the Fleet Faction and has always been at odds with the Treaty Faction. A large number of Treaty Faction generals, including Horikichi, were forced to leave the Navy under his pressure. Retired, Yamamoto Isoroku is the only remaining exception, so Prince Fushimi Miyahiro Kyoto is very sensitive to Horikichi's attitude towards him, and intuitively believes that Horikichi is challenging the authority of the Military Command by not reporting military operations to the country. There had been suspicion between the two sides from the first day that Horikichi took office as the commander-in-chief of the combined fleet. However, Horikichi also brought the main force of the navy with him, and he would not come back even if the whole world was shaken. This made Prince Fushimi Miyahiro Kyo even more suspicious.

"Okay, okay, stop arguing." King Higashino Higashinohihiko, the chief of staff of the royal family, said to smooth things over. "The battle hasn't even started yet. If you start arguing first, what's the point of spreading the word? Now everyone wants to Unity has always been something that will not be tolerated by foreign kings. What's more, before Horikichi took the fleet out, he agreed to grant full power and not to control it remotely, so we don't need to worry about him..."

"The problem is that he doesn't reply when I send him a telegram."

"That's more normal. It means that radio silence is strictly followed. When I attacked Pearl Harbor the year before last, I didn't reply to anyone who sent a telegram..."

Seeing that Yamamoto Isoroku was targeting him everywhere today, Prince Fushimi Miyahiro wanted to get angry but couldn't, and finally left angrily. Koga Mineichi, the deputy director of the Military Order Department, stayed behind in embarrassment.

He asked Yamamoto Isoroku: "Sir, why didn't you just say it nicely? Attacking the east coast is a big deal. I know that Horikichi had communicated with you a long time ago. His Highness actually knows a little bit about this matter, but "We expressed concern and did not intend to target the United Fleet."

"Here's a question. If he asks for permission, it's okay if the country agrees. If the country doesn't agree, will he go or not?"

"This..." Kogamine was speechless.

"If you go, it will be a blatant disobedience to the order. If word spreads, it will cause chaos; if you don't go, it will probably destroy the friendly relations with Germany. What do you want the combined fleet to do in the future?" Yamamoto Isoroku explained, "The attack The east coast of the United States is very attractive and meaningful. Germany has captured Gibraltar. The next step is to deter the North American continent. If we don't use armed deterrence while the main naval forces of the three axis are in the Atlantic, can we wait until later? Japan has not been treated badly. In addition to all the aid it promised, it also granted an additional 1 billion marks in purchasing authority. Although this money will have to be paid back in the future, where can we find arms of high quality and sufficient quantity without having to pay up front? With equipment? When someone asks for German support, you just say it, but when someone asks you to cooperate with them to conquer the east coast, you resist. Is this like forming an alliance? "

Koga Hoichi was finally convinced. Being disturbed by this incident, everyone had no intention of holding another meeting and could only disperse in twos and threes. When Ishihara left, he asked one last question: "Yamamoto-kun, can the Indian strategy on August 1 be launched on time?"

"It should be okay."

"Don't leave it until the last few days. We are still waiting for the new planes and tanks to be shipped back so we can get familiar with them first."

"Of course!" Yamamoto smiled, "The navy is still waiting to pay for it with India's gold. By the way, how is your troop withdrawal going? Are the troops sufficient?"

"It's going well, barely. I've taken care of the disobedient red deer. If you don't open your eyes, I will arrange to go to the Southern Army - there are so many islands in the South Seas to defend. By the way, I have an annoying thing to ask you for advice."

"It's new. There is still something that can trouble you?"

"That's it. Not long ago, we sold a batch of old tanks to the Chinese Communist Army, and they liked it very much. In the past few days, they have made whimsical offers to buy airplanes, and also mentioned that they don't want biplanes. General Okamura did not dare to do it on his own. The report reached Tokyo. Everyone After a lot of discussion, there was no final conclusion.”

"Does this stump you?" Yamamoto Isoroku smiled meaningfully, and tapped his chin towards the back of Prince Higashikaru Palace Minuhiko, hinting that Ishihara Wan'er had someone to protect him and didn't need to be afraid, "If you have money, If you don’t make money, you’d be stupid. Use your courage and move forward bravely! If the Army can’t provide aircraft, the Navy can provide them. I also have a batch of Type 96 warships. How about selling them to you at a cheaper price?”

"I understand." Ishihara Wanji waved his hand and left. He didn't want the Navy's old aircraft. The Army itself had a lot of outdated aircraft in its hands.