Iron Cross

"How dare you make so many demands with only 30,000 people? Admiral Jin muttered, "Aren't these Communists crazy? They think we are begging them to send troops. "

"I'm not surprised at all by the ZQ authorities' reply." Hull sighed. "Observers told us that the Chiang regime is ready for a new round of civil war. Public opinion has already launched an offensive. Now it lacks a reasonable "

"But this scruple will soon disappear." Marshall commented, "Mountbatten's deputy chief of staff, General Wedemeyer, sent me a telegram. Based on the temporary interruption of the Allied supply lines in the direction of India, in order to strengthen India's front-line defense, he requested that Stop providing relevant supplies to China.”

Wedemeyer is of standard German descent, and his grandparents are all German. He immigrated to the United States more than 100 years ago. Two years ago, he was investigated for being suspected of being pro-German. However, his father-in-law, Stanley Embick, was Marshall's deputy (Army Deputy). Chief of Staff), the matter was dropped, and he was sent to India by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was the deputy commander of the 15th Infantry Regiment of the US Army in China (Stilwell was just the battalion commander), and he was considered one of the few "China experts" in the US military.

"Sour Joe (Stilwell) will kill him!" Stimson said a wisecrack.

"No, Stilwell agreed. He said that there is no need to send peanuts any more supplies and arms for the time being. If they are given to him, it will be a civil war. It is better to stay in India and fight the RBs."

"This..." Hull was at a loss for words, "What do you think of ****'s opinions? Some are political, some are economic, and a few are military."

Arnold said: "I have not come into contact with the **** army, but I think that they are at best guerrillas with a militia-like nature. We do not need to pay too much attention to them. Some of the provisions are simply difficult to impose."

"We can talk about Hong Kong, but Winston will not agree to Indian independence. He is now in such a disadvantageous situation. If he agrees to Indian independence again, they will overthrow him tomorrow and tell the people who go to Yan'an and *** *Talk slowly, be polite, and provide them with supplies and arms to the best of our ability."

"Why do you attach so much importance to ****?" Li Hai was very puzzled, "I even think that your expectations for them exceed your expectations for ZQ."

"The forces are still very weak, but their leaders are very visionary. Don't think that these conditions are exorbitant prices. I think many of them are reasonable." Roosevelt explained one by one, "For example, independent command, which is obviously an acceptance of the above conditions. The lessons learned from the Chinese Expeditionary Force; such as the independence of India, can stimulate the consciousness of the Indian nation to defend the country; such as the coalition government and the democratization process, which shows that they have systematic thinking about the future and destiny of China... The reason why Putting so many conditions shows that they sincerely want to participate in joint operations. This attitude is much more positive than the Chiang regime and much more open-minded than Stalin. If we do not want to lose China in the future, we must deal with them patiently and seriously. "

Admiral Jin was confused by his words: "Do you agree now or not?"

"We can agree to part of it, but we hope that the Communist Party will send troops and ask them to send more than 50,000 troops."

The discussion surrounding **** passed quickly. In everyone's opinion, this was not the main thing. The key was what to do about the situation of the British Empire. Although Director Donovan subverted many small countries in South America, he boldly stated that he could send out special forces when he was in London. But when I calmed down and thought about it, I immediately realized that this was no small matter. It was about subverting one of the great powers, and it was a naked armed coup. Although the US military has two divisions in the UK, the British Army has at least 3 million troops. If Churchill fails to control the situation and allows them to counterattack, he is afraid that not even the scum will be left. And once it fails, it will nakedly push Britain into the arms of Germany. What should I do if my personal gain or loss is small but it affects the overall strategic pattern of the United States? What should I do if I implicate the president?

"The core of the problem lies in two aspects..." Secretary Hull has experienced too many things, and his speech can always hit the nail on the head. "First, do we need a democracy that is not conducive to us, or a dictatorship that is conducive to us? Second, do we need Can you accept relatively stable losses, or can you accept relatively large challenges - it may be a strategic opportunity, or it may be a strategic mistake. "

"Is there no way to reverse the situation on the basis of peace?" Smith-Tingson lamented. "If we succeed, at most we can maintain our current status quo in the UK, but if we fail, it will cause a huge impact, and the risks and benefits are really not worth it." Neither the government nor the Joint Chiefs of Staff have the ability to make decisions regarding proportions. They must be authorized or approved by Congress, but once it is put up for discussion, it will immediately become a major issue. "

"I think there is one way to solve the problem." Marshall thought for a long time and slowly put forward his opinion. "What the British lost was confidence and supplies. We give them confidence and keep the supply of supplies flowing."

"Is there such a way?"

"Yes." Marshall nodded, "My logic is to speed up the implementation of Plan C and attack the Azores. As long as the Azores are captured, the material supply channels to the UK will be opened. The British will have enough supplies. Is there any reason not to continue fighting? If you continue to surrender, you are an out-and-out traitor!"

"I object!" Admiral Jin was a little angry. "As agreed last time, Plan C is not yet mature. There are not enough aircraft, aircraft carriers, and land forces. The probability of failure is very high if we go to fight now. Damn it! I would rather go to Britain We won’t fight against the Azores even if we want to stage a coup.”

"Coup!" The two words struck everyone's minds, causing their minds to clear up, and they selectively ignored Admiral Jin's foul language.

"Can we attack the Azores?" Roosevelt turned his head to Le Hai.

"From a military perspective, the probability of failure is very high, but from a political perspective, the consequences of a failure in the Azores Battle are far smaller than the consequences of a coup." Li Hai said it very cryptically, but everyone understood: From a military perspective , the Battle of the Azores should not be fought, at least not now. From a political point of view, the Battle of the Azores must be fought, and it must be fought quickly, otherwise Britain will not be able to hold on.

Admiral Jin was dumbfounded and pointed at his colleagues in the Joint Chiefs of Staff with a trembling hand: "You...you...don't all agree?"

"Army, don't worry. I will coordinate 2-3 divisions from the UK. The Army can still afford the loss of 3-4 divisions." Marshall said.

"The Army Airlines is also willing to take risks. If the Royal Air Force pilots arrive, we are prepared to sacrifice 1,000 aircraft." Arnold said expressionlessly, "Anyway, air strikes on the Azores every day are losses. The long-term pain is not as good as the short-term pain!"

Admiral Jin cried sadly: "The Navy, the Navy is not good. There are only 4 aircraft carriers in the Atlantic Fleet and more than 20 escort aircraft carriers..."

"How many will there be by October?"

"Six regular aircraft carriers and more than 30 escort aircraft carriers."

Shi Tingsheng nodded and added a final blow: "I think the force is basically enough, because the main force of the German and Italian fleets have all rushed into the Indian Ocean. No matter whether they go to fight South Africa or India, they will not be able to come back within three months. This is very A rare strategic gap! ”

"Is it feasible to launch a campaign in October?" Roosevelt finally asked General King for his opinion.

"I..." Admiral Jin was really speechless.

"Please give the Navy another thought." Roosevelt was slightly dissatisfied, but did not force General King. Instead, he told Donovan, "Select reliable Rangers as soon as possible. If Plan C cannot be implemented, you will be responsible for its implementation."

"President, I..."

"Strictly keep this secret. Don't tell Congress. I will bear all the consequences. If I fail, I will step down." Roosevelt paused. "Everything is for the United States. There are no personal honors and interests that cannot be sacrificed. This requirement goes down to the most ordinary soldiers, Everyone is treated equally up to the Commander-in-Chief of the three armed forces!”

When the meeting ended, Admiral Jin's face turned red and white, as embarrassed as he felt.

Just as HSD was worried about the next evolution of the situation, there were fierce debates behind the smoke in the cave dwellings in Yan'an.

"Runzhi, do many comrades disapprove of sending troops to India?"

"Tell me and listen."

"First, if Chiang Kai-shek doesn't send troops and lets us go, does this count as weakening the defense strength of the border area? Second, you not only agree to send troops, but also recruit old revolutionaries who are politically strong, have high military qualities, and have experience in the Red Army. Everyone is very happy There are opinions that these 30,000 troops are not easy to adjust. They are all the backbone of the troops and no one is willing to let them go. Thirdly, India is a place where the people are unfamiliar and the language is not familiar. It is impossible to carry out mass work and establish reliable bases. It is completely Is it purely a military line..."

"I have considered these concerns of comrades, but the reason why I made this decision was careful consideration and not a sudden decision."

"First of all, the ZQ side's fake anti-Japanese and real civil war has become more and more exposed. Due to the Soviet comrades' carelessness on certain issues, they have taken advantage of it. Now agreeing to send troops to attack will help improve the image of our party. , especially when ZQ does not send troops but we agree to send troops, it is a good opportunity to score points; secondly, to carry out armed struggle in India, seven parts are military and three parts politics, we must deal with Britain and the United States, and we must fight jointly with the armies of capitalist countries. How can we not send comrades with a firm stance and a strong work style? Instead, we must try our best to select comrades with high cultural quality and who can speak English. In India, we have to come into contact with the world's most advanced tanks, artillery, aircraft, and automobiles. What can we do without cultural quality? ?

Now we are sending out 30,000 cadres, and what we will gain in the future will be 30,000 elites who have mastered the most modern military theories and practices. The American boss will pay and train us. This business is extremely cost-effective, so don’t be reluctant..."

This playful HN remark made many people laugh.

"Finally and most importantly, India is currently a British colony. This situation will definitely change in the future. As long as we can take root, win the trust of the people, and help them resist RB aggression, there will be fruitful days in the future. This kind of heart The base area is always stronger than the base area on the map. History tells us countless times that the victory of a war is always determined by the support of the people!"