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In the face of the massive and menacing Allied forces, the Japanese army was indeed beaten more and more tightly.
In the middle of the month, the struggling Japanese army received the first aid from China, including more than 100 No. [-] tanks and thousands of iron fists, and immediately suppressed the situation that was almost overturned by the Allied forces. The two sides fought in Canberra Start a fierce tug of war.
On December 12th, Christmas Day, the second batch of U.S. troops and U.S. aid were sent to Australia by the U.S. Pacific Fleet. However, the U.S. fleet was discovered by the Japanese fleet while passing through the waters north of New Zealand. Festival Naval Battle".
In fact, neither the U.S. military nor the Japanese army wanted to fight anymore. The U.S. military wanted to wait until its strength recovered to be stronger before attacking the Japanese army. Criticized the Japanese Navy, claiming that "the reason why the Imperial Army failed to win the final victory in the Australian campaign and was even counterattacked by the Allied forces was because the Navy did not perform well and failed to truly cut off the US-Australia maritime transport line, allowing the Allied forces to gain Respite and supplement", all the responsibility was pushed to the head of the Japanese navy, which made the Japanese navy very angry.
In this situation where the US and Japanese navies were involuntary, the "Christmas naval battle" broke out between the two sides.
The protagonist of this naval battle is still the aircraft carrier. The Japanese army participated in the battle with 6 aircraft carriers, Yamato (Italian), Akagi, Zhonghua, Xiangfeng, Zuifeng, and Feiying. The US military participated in the battle with 5 aircraft carriers. Don, Hornet, Wasp, Ranger, Yorktown.
The strength of the two sides is not much different, and the result is that both sides suffer. The Japanese aircraft carrier Xiangfeng was sunk by the U.S. military, Akagi, Zuiho, and Flying Eagle were seriously injured, and the U.S. military was sunk. Seriously injured.
Due to their scruples, both sides withdrew from the battle area after a fierce battle and ended in a tie, and then both declared themselves the winners.
The Australian war situation has not been fundamentally changed because of the results of the naval battle.
In the snowflakes and the bloody storm covering most of the earth, 1943 came.
Chapter 675 Rumors
I don’t know when it started, a subtle rumor quietly spread in the official circles of Wuhan and among the streets and towns in various places. It is a rumor that makes people talk about it. As we all know, gossip is a great hobby and a specialty of the Chinese people. Moreover, this rumor is essentially related to the prosperity, wealth, career and career of countless people, and even the national destiny of the country. , It has to make people from all walks of life, from high-ranking officials and dignitaries down to ordinary people, pay close attention to this.
As the saying goes, three people became tigers and Zeng Shen killed people. Rumors naturally become rumors as they circulate. Because the nature of the rumor is subtle, sensitive, and involves too many aspects, various statements are true and false, false and true, and they are mixed together. It has become more and more confusing, with divergent opinions, and in the process of spreading the rumors, various people either unintentionally or intentionally added various subjective conjectures, or labeled them as "insider information leaked from the officialdom" or added The gimmick of "a certain high-level person accidentally leaked his mouth" is either catching wind and shadows for a moment's quick talk, or playing tricks and sensationalizing for the sake of fishing in troubled waters and seeking personal gain, and then continues to ferment and deteriorate as it spreads like wildfire, eventually deriving dozens of large and small There are hundreds of rumored versions, each of which sounds better and more eloquent than the other, and each of them sounds different and unique than the other.
Senior officials carefully analyzed it at private gatherings and exchanged relevant information they obtained through special channels. Storytellers spit and danced under the flyover to make it into popular jokes, and the common people enjoyed it after dinner. Celebrities are discussing it passionately in restaurants and teahouses. Its popularity is no less than the heavy gossip news of those big stars in later generations, and its popularity is persistent. Hottest topic in years.
This rumor is: Will the old man succeed the eldest son or the second son?
How can all walks of life not pay close attention to such a delicate, sensitive and important issue?Political circles, military circles, business circles... Too many people are paying close attention to this issue, and the higher the position, the more concerned they will be. The grassroots people just use it as a talking point, but the high-level people are different. Many people's wealth and lives are even higher. They are all tied up with it, and we have to make it a top priority. First, we try our best to collect all kinds of information through various channels, and then conduct repeated discussions, research, and analysis.
When Jiang Jingguo and Jiang Weiguo didn't know or knew and pretended not to know, many people have compared them repeatedly, and the conclusions drawn are most likely four words of helplessness: each has its own strengths and weaknesses.
Specifically, it is manifested in the following major aspects:
Personal power and strength: Jiang Weiguo has an overwhelming advantage, and Jiang Jingguo is completely inferior to Jiang Weiguo;
Personal fame, prestige, and prestige: Jiang Weiguo has great advantages, especially in the army and among the people, because his achievements and achievements are obvious to all and extremely huge, so the army worships him, and the grassroots love him. However, because of his Many of the methods he used were highly controversial, which led to his bad reputation in the circles of literati, celebrities and sages, as well as in the circle of literary and artistic thought. It can be said that he has a mixed reputation, but Jiang Jingguo is not. They are all "moderate", so that although the praise from all walks of life for him is not as great as that of Jiang Weiguo, or even far behind, there is almost no criticism of him;
The degree of favor in Jiang Song: Jiang Weiguo still has a relatively large advantage. Although Chiang Kai-shek and Song Meiling also love Jiang Jingguo, they obviously prefer Jiang Weiguo. They are experiencing more and more obvious quarrels, the most obvious being the direct conflict with the children of the Confucian family, which has caused Soong Meiling's love for him to always have a faint "shadow of uneasiness". Subtle thoughts will more or less affect Chiang Kai-shek;
In terms of private life and personal image: Jiang Jingguo is much better than Jiang Weiguo. After all, Jiang Weiguo has done too many "shady things" and Jiang Jingguo has clean hands. As for women, Jiang Weiguo is even more unrestrained. , Strict self-discipline, if Jiang Jingguo is a gentle, educated and reasonable "gentleman", then Jiang Weiguo is a cynical and uninhibited "prodigal son". One is serious in words and deeds, and the other is frivolous in behavior.
In terms of political talent: Chiang Ching-kuo has a great advantage, because Chiang Kai-shek has trained his two sons on "one civil, one military" and "one government and one army" since they were young. But he is very hardworking, studying hard, and working hard. Whether he is the county magistrate in southern Gansu or he is in an important position in the central government at this time, he is conscientious, self-denying and devoted to public affairs, showing strong political ability and plasticity. As for Jiang Weiguo , he has a serious lack of interest in politics. Unless it is related to the military, he has never intervened. There is no trace of a "politician" in Jiang Weiguo, but Chiang Ching-kuo is obviously a thriving political country, showing the potential to become a leader of a country;
Popularity and recognition among high-level officials: Jiang Jingguo surpassed Jiang Weiguo, because Jiang Weiguo was committed to thoroughly cleaning up the national humiliation and rejuvenating China, while at the same time obsessed with thoroughly "cleaning, purging, and transforming" the country, so as to "let the The Chinese nation has been reborn from the inside to the outside.” There are too many people who have seniority, meritorious service, and status but have misdeeds, scandals, or because they are not able to keep up with the times, they are frivolous, dogs occupy the manger, or because they are greedy for pleasure. The rich and powerful people who don’t want to make progress but make up for it, and have a vegetarian meal because of Jiang Weiguo’s drastic and thunderous methods, their family fortunes and family fortunes have declined. Save food and clothing, and no one cares about it", how can we not resent, fear, or dread Jiang Weiguo?Compared with Jiang Weiguo's "denial of six relatives", Jiang Jingguo's "generosity and kindness" is naturally more welcomed by the powerful;
The order of seniority: Undoubtedly, Jiang Weiguo is the "youngest son" and Jiang Jingguo is the "eldest son". This is Jiang Jingguo's natural advantage and also Jiang Weiguo's natural disadvantage. From the perspective of traditional Chinese philosophy, "abolishing the elders and establishing the younger" has always been "the emperor's home" "The way to bring disaster;
Lineage: There is no doubt that Chiang Ching-kuo is a "real son", but Jiang Weiguo's lineage is always controversial, and Jiang Jingguo is a "pure Chinese", while Jiang Weiguo "no matter who his father is, his mother is definitely It’s a Japanese woman, he’s a Chinese-Japanese mixed race, not a pure Chinese”;
In the above eight major aspects, Jiang Weiguo has three advantages, and Jiang Jingguo has five advantages. It seems that Jiang Jingguo finally won the "five to three" advantage, but strength is the fundamental. It is recognized that Jiang Weiguo's strength far exceeds Jiang Jingguo. Moreover, Jiang Weiguo's strength is so strong that "even if he doesn't listen to the old man, the old man may have nothing to do with him", so no matter how the outside world analyzes, speculates, or debates, it is difficult to speculate on the "secret".
Someone suggested that "the old man may let his two sons share power, one in power and the other in the army", but this idea was quickly overturned. As we all know, the value and importance of military power greatly exceeds that of political power. Military power is the foundation of political power. The regime is based on military power. If in the future "it is really Jiang Jingguo who governs the government and Jiang Jingguo manages the army, then Jiang Jingguo will become a plaything in the palm of his younger brother from the moment he came to power." "Since Jiang Weiguo controls the army, he will launch A military coup (rebellion) is a breeze, his brother is just his puppet, his brother has to obey him, once his brother is 'disobedient', he can abolish his brother at any time", Chiang Kai-shek and Wang Jingwei is a ready-made example. One is in charge of the army and the other is in charge of the government. It seems that there is a clear division of labor. In fact, Wang Jingwei, who has no army, has to take orders from Chiang Kai-shek, who controls the army.
On the other hand, even if Jiang Weiguo "always has no two hearts", will Jiang Jingguo feel at ease?Is Chiang Ching-kuo really willing to "be fearful in the shadow of his younger brother's mighty power as a nominal national leader who may be deposed at any time"?The most typical example is Li Shimin and his elder brother Li Jiancheng. During the struggle against the Sui Dynasty, the two brothers have always cooperated tacitly with each other. However, after the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, Li Jiancheng became the prince, but Li Shimin had military power. He was afraid, so he squeezed out and suppressed Li Shimin, and Li Shimin killed his whole family (including Li Jiancheng and Li Jiancheng's five sons, all of whom were exterminated by Li Shimin); Will be wary of yourself, doubt yourself, suspect yourself, and then act preemptively"?The most typical example is Cao Pi and Cao Zhang. Under the cultivation of their father Cao Cao, these two brothers also "one civil and one military" and "one government and one army". ", which made Cao Pi deeply suspicious of Cao Zhang. Although Cao Zhang did not rebel, he "died suddenly" not long after he went to Beijing to meet his brother.
As long as there is suspicion between people, the cracks in trust will grow bigger and bigger, out of control, and irreparable like a broken mirror.
What's more, people change.
Jiang Weiguo is like this now, no one guarantees that he will be like this ten years later, Jiang Jingguo is like this now, and no one guarantees that he will be like this ten years later, because power is a drug, not only addictive, but also Change people's minds.
People who are alienated by power can be found all over the world.
In order to fight for power and profit, it is completely normal in power struggles to "disregard corpses and attack each other with armor on".
"If the Second Young Master takes over, what will the Eldest Young Master do? Although the Eldest Young Master is far inferior to the Second Young Master in terms of literary and military skills, he is also diligent in government and loves the people, self-denying and devoted to public service!"
"You guys are thinking too simply. According to the power of the Second Young Master today, it will be difficult for the Chairman to prevent him from succeeding! If the Chairman does not give the 'Dragon Chair' to the Second Young Master, will the Second Young Master not snatch it himself? Thousands of elite soldiers are in the hands of the second son! The chairman is now in a dilemma, in a dilemma, in a dilemma!"
"I heard that the chairman is going to let the second son take over, but many people oppose it, and the second son doesn't seem to be interested either!"
"What do you know? How could the Second Young Master not be concerned about the position of chairman? It's just that he has to behave in a flattering manner. The chairman can't give it to him. He wants it right away? When Wang Mang usurped the man, he hypocritically refused three times! "
"Nonsense! The second son is not that kind of person! The second son has always worked hard for the country and the people, everyone knows that!"
"Look at you, it's just that you don't read enough! Li Shimin knows it? The emperor of the ages, Tian Khan, as an emperor, he is very good, but as a human being, he is not good. His brother's children called him an uncle, but this uncle killed all his nephews, forced his father to pass the throne to him, and even occupied his brother's wife and his own sister-in-law, which was so vicious.
On the one hand, the chairman hopes for the stability of the country, but on the other hand, he doesn't want his family to be fratricide and ruined. It's hard! "
"Let's be honest, I also like the second son, but I still think the eldest son is more suitable.
why?The chairman is 56 this year. When he abdicates, the war will definitely be over. At that time, what our country needs is development and construction, and we need a literati leader rather than a military commander.
The second son is good at military affairs, and the eldest son is good at government affairs. Tell me, from a long-term perspective, is it better for the eldest son or the second son to succeed?That's right, the second son is very good at fighting, and he is victorious in every battle, but running a country and fighting wars are two different things!The tactics on the battlefield cannot be used to govern the country!"
"Having said that, have you ever thought about it, what will the second son do when the eldest son takes over? Retire? Or become the minister of the military and political department or the commander-in-chief of the army? According to the current connections and influence of the second son in the army, the army is full of His people, if he is unhappy one day, he will respond to everyone! The eldest son will be relieved?"
In a certain teahouse in the city of Wuhan, a group of street tea drinkers were concentrating on discussing this issue. Unexpectedly, a teacup flew over from not far away and hit the middle of the tea table firmly, not only smashing several teacups , and splashed snowflake-like pieces of teacups, tea, and tea leaves all over the heads and faces of the surrounding tea drinkers.
"Who threw the teacup?" The tea drinkers were shocked and angry.
"A group of short-sighted fools!" On the tea table next to him, a man in his thirties who looked like a scholar was standing upright, his eyes wide open. Obviously, he was the one who threw the teacup, and it was on purpose. His expression was all over his face. Just like what he said, it was full of "sorrow for its misfortune and anger for its indisputable" that made him sad. Beside him, the tea guests who looked like literati and scholars at the same table shook their heads and sighed, their faces full of compassion Anxiety sighs.
"Why are you throwing your teacup over here?" All the tea drinkers in the market were angry.
The literati throwing the teacup turned his head to look at the like-minded literati tea drinkers sitting at the same table beside him: "Everyone, did you hear it just now? It's sad! It's been so many years since the Manchu and Qing Dynasties have perished, and the feudal monarchy has been overthrown for so long. It has been many years, but the minds of the majority of us are still feudal imperialism! What a pity! When will the Chinese nation be able to truly reborn, and understand the true meaning of modern civilization of "republic", "democracy" and "freedom" like Westerners? The Revolution of [-] has been successful for so many years, but our general public has been standing still ideologically, and even retreated! At that time, first Yuan Shikai proclaimed himself emperor, and then Zhang Xun was restored. Now, it is the turn of the Jiang family and his son Hereditary! When will our country and our people truly progress! And when will we truly break out of the vicious circle of history!"
"Insensitive!" Another literati tea drinker picked up his teacup, exuding an otherworldly temperament, shaking his head, "No way! The Jiang family has been carrying out education to fool the people, and deliberately instilling slavery ideas in the common people, causing the common people He has been insensitive all the time, and his mind is still in the state of "Ming Jun" and "Integrity Official".
Listen to their discussions. Some people want Jiang Jingguo to be a so-called Mingjun, and some people want Jiang Weiguo to be a so-called upright official. For more than 2000 years, the thinking of the family is still changing. "
"No wonder Mr. Lu Xun abandoned medicine and devoted himself to literature. It is true that the Chinese people's mental illness is much more serious than their physical illness! The body is strong and the mind is ignorant. They are still the sick men of East Asia! Clear away the mental illness of the Chinese people. There is a long way to go!" Another literati tea drinker said with a worried expression and a leisurely tone, his face was full of concern for the country and the people.
"You sour scholars, what are you talking about?" The tea drinkers in the market couldn't bear it.
The literati throwing the teacup looked upright and arrogantly at the tea drinkers in the market: "We are not sour talents, we are all people with lofty ideals who have stayed abroad, seen and learned Western modern civilization, and opened our eyes to see the world! Really confused, so ignorant!" He knocked on the table excitedly, looking heartbroken and sincerely heartbroken, "You discuss and discuss, either support Jiang Jingguo's succession, or agree with Jiang Weiguo's succession, Have you ever thought that the next national leader must be one of the two brothers? We have a large population and a wealth of talents in China, so there is no one who is more suitable to be the national leader than Jiang Jingguo or Jiang Weiguo? Why are you thinking so narrowly? ?It is because of the deep-rooted thought of "family world" in your mind! You take it for granted that after Chiang Kai-shek leaves office, one of his sons will take office. What a sad, deplorable, shameful, ridiculous, pitiful idea, and how harmful it is Poisonous! The scourge is endless! Could it be that China belongs to the Jiang family? You have never thought about the difference between this kind of thinking and the feudal emperor? The old emperor is dead, and his son is the new emperor. Now? It’s just that Changing the word 'Emperor' into 'Chairman' or 'Chairman' is nothing more than stupid!" He lamented, "Since the New Culture Movement and the May [-]th Movement, 'Mr. De' and 'Mr. Sai' have been introduced into China, More than twenty years have passed, but the ordinary people in China have not made any progress! They are still superstitious about hereditary inheritance from father to son, and the power of the world!"
"I'm afraid the situation is more serious than standing still!" Another literati tea drinker stood up and sighed, "Back when Yuan Shikai proclaimed the emperor and Zhang Xun was restored, the people all over the country were full of enthusiasm and menacing. Strong protests, now? Chiang Kai-shek’s two sons are vying for the succession, such a naked father-son hereditary, so few people object, the debate is whether it is better for Chiang Ching-kuo to come to power or Chiang Wei-kuo to come to power, look, the whole country actually agrees The idea that "the next national leader should be one of Chiang Kai-shek's two sons"! No one openly resisted! This is not a retrogression of history, what is it? It is sad and lamentable that so many martyrs and sages have paid in succession, but in the end it is changed. Let's have a look through the mirror!"
The shoppers in the market were all annoyed, and they all retorted:
"You sour talents, who are you going to show this 'everyone is drunk but I'm sober'?"
"The reason why we support it is because both the eldest son and the second son are really doing practical things!"
"Are you blind? Can't you see the achievements of the eldest son and the second son? The second son led the army to go through life and death again and again on the battlefield, defeated Japan, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom, regained all the lost land, and expanded the territory. Washing away the national humiliation for a hundred years has made all Chinese feel proud; how many provinces has the eldest son traveled all over the country to help the poor? The whole person is tired, dark and thin, how many poor people's living problems have been solved? How many orphanages and welfare have been established? Homes, nursing homes? Can’t you all see them?”
"The people are the people, and a little profit will make them die!" A literati tea drinker shook his head and sighed, "Can't you see that apart from doing practical things, Jiang Jingguo and Jiang Weiguo are also seeking capital for succession? Can't you put your eyes on a longer-term perspective and think about problems more thoroughly and deeply?"
"I have to admit that the set up by Jiang's father and son is very effective!" Another literati tea drinker said with emotion, "He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. Cultivating cronies and inviting cronies has blinded the general public and all sectors of society and confused their minds. Therefore, they are now blatantly engaging in "family world". Fearing the power of the Jiang family, father and son, they became silent, wise and safe, and succumbed to Jiang's despotic power, no one dared to stand up and truly speak out for the destiny of China and the Chinese nation!"
The shoppers in the market began to turn from anger to despair: "If you speak ill of the chairman, the eldest son, and the second son, are you not afraid of being drowned by the spittle of the common people?"
The literati and tea drinkers shook their heads and laughed, looking upright and fearless: "How can our ideological realm be understood by you bastards? What you pursue is three meals a day and no worries about food and clothing. That's all. We pursue It is the real avenue of truth! You are living in the fog because of your ignorance, so you think you are living a good life, but we have seen through the fog and have to worry deeply about the future of the country and the nation!"
"Whether it is the French Revolution or the Meiji Restoration in Japan, people with lofty ideals are lonely, not understood and accepted by the public, and even the ignorant public is a real enemy that is more terrible than a corrupt government.
Don’t you see, when the American Civil War broke out, it was not the slave owners in the South who were most angry with the northern government preparing to free the black slaves, but the slaves in the South?Didn’t you see that during the French Revolution, the famous statesman and great woman, Mrs. Roland spent all her life in order to liberate the people’s minds, but when she was sent to the guillotine by the reactionary government, the foolish people around her insulted her viciously? "
"Yes, to die for the country is worthy of death, so happy to die!"
Listening to the almost narcissistic talk of the literati tea drinkers, the market tea drinkers at the scene couldn't help it.
"Damn it! Even if you get whipped by the picket team, I will teach you crows a lesson!" "If you don't do shit, you'll know how to tell tales!" "I'm so pissed off! Beat them up!"
The scene suddenly exploded, tables and chairs were overturned, shouting and cursing were accompanied by the sound of punching, kicking and messing up cups and plates.
"Stop! Hush!" Amidst the shouts and whistles, a team of civilized pickets rushed in and began to clear the field with their whips.
All kinds of right and wrong rumors are mixed together, and it is inevitable that there will start to appear all kinds of inciting and fueling accents, and even intensify.
Chapter 676 New Year's New Beginning (1)
The New Year’s Eve in [-] was February [-]th. On this afternoon, when Jiang Weiguo was at home happily leading Jiang Xiaojie and Jiang Xiaojun to paste Spring Festival couplets and hang lanterns, and was busy going around under the command of several unmarried wives, a I don't know whether it is good or bad urgent news was sent to him: the Japanese navy suffered its first real and disastrous defeat in the Pacific battlefield.
"Well, it's time to come!" Jiang Weiguo was mentally prepared, so he wasn't too surprised. He looked at Zhong Junchu, deputy chief of staff of the Navy's 1st Fleet, who came to report information, "The Japanese sank several ships. Aircraft carrier?"
Zhong Junchu smiled: "We contacted the high-level officials of the Japanese Navy, but they were vague and ambiguous!"
"Of course!" Jiang Weiguo lit a cigarette and said with a smile, "If you lose a battle, you will definitely hesitate and hesitate. If you win a battle, we don't need to ask, they will take the initiative to tell us !"
"So we went to contact the Americans!" Zhong Junchu lowered his voice, "So we know the general battle process and the final result!"
Jiang Weiguo puffed out a puff of smoke.
Zhong Junchu is the deputy chief of staff of the 1st Fleet of the Navy. This is only his first identity, and his second identity is a senior member of the Maritime Statistics Bureau.
This kind of arrangement and situation is very common in all major countries. There will always be people in the army who are not pure soldiers. It is not their main responsibility to go to the front line. Their main responsibility is to look at the people around them calmly. And their second identity is basically completely unknown to those around them.
For example, in a certain division of the Army, there will always be a deputy chief of staff, deputy head of the regiment, and director of a certain department. People with official positions who say they are big or small or even have a low sense of existence shoulder a second mission. , There are also at the grassroots level, a certain deputy battalion commander, a certain company commander, and a certain squad leader may be. Compared with the army, the navy is more serious. A latent organization that can defy the captain's order under certain circumstances, thereby preventing surrender, mutiny, and defection on the ship. A defection in the army is just a few people who escaped. A defection in the navy means that the entire warship is either destroyed or destroyed. Falling into the hands of the enemy will cause inestimable losses to the country. The most typical example is the submarine. There are 100% of such people quietly existing in any submarine.
Since the outbreak of the Pacific War, the U.S. and Japanese fleets have fought three battles. The first was the Battle of Hawaii, where the Japanese army was victorious and the U.S. military was defeated. The second was the first Battle of the Southwest Pacific. The winner, the third game is the Second Southwest Pacific Battle (Christmas Battle). The Japanese army and the US military fought to a tie. Now, the fourth battle between the two sides officially took place.
This battle is still in the Southwest Pacific, and the fuse is the land battle on the Australian battlefield.
After receiving two batches of U.S. aid in a row, the strength and morale of the Allied forces increased greatly. They not only repelled the Japanese army on the battlefield in Melbourne, kept Melbourne, but also curbed the Japanese army's unrelenting offensive since they set foot in Australia. He also counterattacked the Japanese army all the way, and started the battle to recover Canberra. Such a turnaround made the Japanese army deeply embarrassed. Before the Australian battle, the Japanese army claimed to "occupy Australia within three months", and Hideki Tojo and others made such wild words There are three reasons. First, they knew that after the Japanese navy won the big victory in the Battle of Hawaii, the United States was unable to "interfere" the "good thing" of the Japanese army's occupation of Australia for a long time. Isolation and helplessness, the overall situation is extremely beneficial to the Japanese army; second, they concluded that Australia is a country with a vast land and sparse population and low armed forces, and they believed that it would not take much effort to win the country; third, since the end of the Sino-Japanese War, Afterwards, the status of the Japanese army in Japan and the alliance was getting lower and lower day by day, which made the Japanese army feel "aggrieved" and made up their minds to "fight one or two beautiful, large-scale land battles." Revive the military prestige and restore the face and status of the Japanese Army.
Unexpectedly, at this time on the Australian battlefield, not only was their offensive blocked, but they were even chased and beaten by the Allied forces. The Japanese army was once again disgraced. China will perish within a month" is the same joke.
The disheartened Japanese Army had to find excuses, so it shifted the responsibility to the Japanese Navy, claiming that "it was because the Navy was incompetent and failed to cut off the US-Australia maritime transport line that led to the stagnation of the Australian war situation", In this regard, the Japanese Navy retorted, "Before the reinforcements and assistance from the United States arrived in Australia, the Australians had resisted for six months, enough for the Army to occupy Australia twice, but the Army did not receive reinforcements and assistance from the United States for a full six months. The Japanese Army did not completely control Australia as they boasted within a short period of time." The Japanese Army argued that "In order to expand the Japanese Navy, the Japanese Army made great sacrifices. If it were not for that, the Japanese Army would have five times the number of tanks, three twice as many planes and twice as many large-caliber artillery, it is precisely because the expansion of the Japanese navy has greatly dragged down the Japanese army that the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army has dropped sharply." Yunyun, the Japanese navy angrily denounced the Japanese army as "shameless", and the Japanese army denounced the Japanese navy " Incompetence", the two sides quarreled from the end of 1942 to the beginning of 1943. Finally, after the "emperor's holy ruling", the Japanese Navy decided to launch a large-scale offensive operation again.
Yamamoto 56 is the person in charge of this battle. There are four reasons for supporting him in launching this battle:
First, pressure from the Japanese Army.
Whether the Japanese army invaded China at the beginning or attacked Australia and India at this time, they did not want to fall into a protracted war and a war of attrition. The Japanese navy, like the Japanese army, absolutely did not want to fall into a protracted war and a war of attrition in the Pacific battlefield. The reason is needless to say .
The Japanese Army strongly requested the Japanese Navy to completely cut off the US-Australia maritime transport line. After the Japanese Navy completed this task, it would objectively promote the Japanese Army’s early occupation of Australia and Japan’s early realization of the final victory in this world war. Goal (Tokyo high-level officials have determined that "the goal of the empire in this world war, after taking India and Oceania, the imperial army will stop launching strategic offensives and turn to strategic defense in an all-round way", in other words, the goal of the Japanese That is, the eastern and central parts of North Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines, Oceania, and India. After occupying the above four places, the Japanese will not continue to fight other places.) Although the Japanese army and navy have always been at odds, they are both The Japanese army and the Japanese navy still have to fulfill their duties to the Japanese army. No matter how discord the Japanese army and navy are, they will not plot against each other;
Second, the pressure from time and the sense of crisis.
From the Battle of Hawaii to the present, more than ten months have passed (as of early 1943). With the United States' world-leading industrial productivity, ten months is enough to create a Pacific Fleet. If it continues to drag on, the US military The accumulated power must become stronger and stronger, and it will become more and more difficult for the Japanese army to win. Deep down in his heart, Yamamoto 56 really did not dare to procrastinate any longer. Although he was afraid of major defeat and loss, he had to face the difficulties .
"If we fight now, we may not have a high chance of winning, but if we delay the fight later, we will definitely lose." "Continuing to give the US military time to recharge their batteries is equivalent to slow suicide by ourselves." This is Yamamoto 56 in the Japanese Navy. The original words publicly spoken at the high-level meeting;
Third, from strategic considerations.
Yamamoto 56 is well aware of the situation in the Pacific Ocean. He believes that the Hawaiian Islands have fallen into the hands of the Chinese and Japanese coalition forces, which means that the Chinese and Japanese coalition forces have deployed an unsinkable aircraft carrier battle group in the central Pacific Ocean. With a thousand land-based aircraft, it is almost impossible for the U.S. military to launch a large-scale counterattack in the central Pacific Ocean. As for the northern Pacific Ocean, where it is desolate and remote and the climate is harsh, it is difficult for the U.S. military to launch a large-scale counterattack in the northern Pacific Ocean. Then, the place where the U.S. military can make a comeback is the Pacific Ocean The south is Oceania.
The Japanese army must win an overwhelming victory in the South Pacific to completely smash the US military's attempt. By then, the Japanese army will be able to occupy the entire Oceania, and the US will not be able to counterattack even if it builds fifty aircraft carriers.
Yamamoto 56 believes that by that time, the U.S. government and the U.S. people will turn from "hatred of Japan" to "phobia of Japan." They will all believe that "the United States cannot defeat Japan", and then, the Japanese government can "send an olive branch to the US government". With the United States fearing Japan, the Japanese government "symbolically" surrendered to the US government. Some interests, give the US government a step down, and the two sides can shake hands and make peace in a smooth and tacit manner (the United States thinks that it cannot win the war, and at the same time knows that Japan does not want to fight the United States to the end, so it is very likely to fight with Japan peace talks and armistice), Japan can really win the Pacific War, win the US-Japan War, and retreat completely;
Fourth, consider the strength.
Before the Pacific War, except for the Fengxiang, which sank during the Sino-Japanese War, and the Ryujo, which was leased to the Chinese Navy, the Japanese Navy had a total of 10 aircraft carriers. The Kaga was lost in the Battle of Hawaii, and the number was reduced to 9, and then 4 were added. The new aircraft carrier became 13 ships, but lost Yamato and Soryu in the first Southwest Pacific Battle, and lost Xiangfeng in the second Southwest Pacific Battle, so it became 10 ships. However, Japan Once again, a new aircraft carrier has been completed and put into service in China. There are 5 ships in total. The five ships can only belong to light aircraft carriers in terms of tonnage and combat effectiveness. Even so, the addition of five new aircraft carriers still makes the Japanese Navy feel that its strength and confidence have greatly increased. After all, the Japanese Navy at this time There are a total of 5 aircraft carriers. However, the Japanese army had a total of 15 aircraft carriers injured in the first two Southwest Pacific battles. After such a long period of repairs, 9 aircraft carriers were repaired.
The current situation of the 15 Japanese aircraft carriers is as follows:
5 new aircraft carriers: Longfeng, Daying, Yunying, Chongying, Haiying;