Chapter 187: Gentlemen, Our Allies Are in the East

Just while waiting for the th Division.

Meng Fanle looked at the telegram in his hand; he could not believe that the Americans had actually lost.

It was entirely because the commander gave the information to the Japanese; the intelligence must have been correct, and the Japanese won at the Coral Sea.

"What happened?" Jiang Anguo took the telegram from Meng Fanle's hand and skimmed three lines at a glance.

It seems the telegram we sent to Little Japan had an effect; the Coral Sea battle was won by the Japanese.

"It looks like the Americans' days in the Pacific are about to get tough," Jiang Anguo said softly.

Even now, Meng Fanle still does not understand why the commander gave such crucial intelligence to the Japanese.

Meng Fanle asked again, "Commander, why did you give American Army intelligence to the Japanese back then? You know we are allied with the Americans!"

Jiang Anguo set the telegram down and said, "Remember, there are no eternal allies. Before the Japanese launched the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the Americans sold oil and steel to the Japanese, and the Japanese used those strategic supplies to continue their aggression against us."

"Of course, the Japanese are no good either. We must secure the greatest benefit in the war. Look at the weapons the British have—tanks and aircraft—they treat them like burning sticks. If we had such equipment, the Expeditionary Force wouldn't suffer losses in Myanmar."

"Take Tonggu as an example; see how our th Division achieved a 1:2 record at Tonggu."

"In Southeast Asia, the Japanese Army is winning step by step, gaining more and more territory. The Japanese Navy won at the Coral Sea. The American war machine still needs time; once it starts, the Japanese will not be able to match the Americans, and we must seize this time to maximize our benefits and obtain more aid from the Americans."

Seeing Meng Fanle's puzzled expression, Jiang Anguo smiled and said, "We have tied down millions of Japanese troops; once those Japanese forces are poured into the Pacific, it will be a disaster for the Americans. Therefore the Americans will surely give us more weapons and equipment so we can contain the Japanese. So don't think of the Americans as good guys; it's all about profit."

Indeed, Jiang Anguo hopes to gain more resources through the Americans' losses; he doesn't need them, but the Expeditionary Force does, and the homeland does as well.

The Americans are not fools; they naturally know that a large portion of the first supplies to support the Expeditionary Force have already been diverted by the British.

But at that time the Japanese had not yet started fighting; the supplies were sent to Myanmar first.

Now it's different; successive defeats have made the Americans realize they need an ally in Southeast Asia to contain the Japanese and give their domestic war machine some breathing room.

Once this machine is set in motion, it will be far beyond what the Japanese can match.

The gap in national power between the United States and Japan cannot be closed in a short time.

Of course, if Japan could absorb the whole of Southeast Asia, it might be able to grapple with the Americans, but in such a short time the Japanese can seize Southeast Asia only through luck and the American Army's underestimation.

When the American Army recovers, the Japanese will have it coming.

Meng Fanle still doesn't quite understand; this short interval is hard to explain, after all, he is not in that position and cannot think so far ahead.

Across the great ocean, the United States.

Now it should be Roosevelt who worries.

Roosevelt sat upright in the White House office, surrounded by his staff; his fingers drummed the desk as he looked at the crowd and asked, "Who can tell me! What should we do now?"

He had already received news of the loss at the Coral Sea; even though the carrier Hornet had approached Japanese waters and bombers struck Tokyo, the impact on the Japanese Army was still too small.

Now, suddenly, the carrier Lexington and the carrier Yorktown both sank into the sea.

This blow is simply too great a loss for the United States now.

The American Army's carrier count in the Pacific was already limited—six carriers in total—and now two have been lost at once, leaving four carriers to face the Japanese Navy. For Pacific defense, the Americans are even more powerless.

George Marshall, Army Chief of Staff and Roosevelt's principal military adviser.

"Sir, we need time now," George Marshall said.

Before the Japanese Army attacked Pearl Harbor, the Staff Department had simulated the Japanese Army's final outcome countless times; each time it failed. They could never succeed, not even get close to the United States mainland.

"Time—where will we get that time? The Japanese Army's next move will surely be to attack Port Moresby, then Australia. If we lose Australia, we will have no foothold in Asia," Roosevelt said, noting that losing the Philippines mattered little, just as the British losing Myanmar.

But once Australia is occupied by the Japanese, its resources will continuously supply the Japanese, giving them at least a thirty percent chance of fighting the United States in this Pacific War.

As for New Zealand, if Australia cannot be held, New Zealand will naturally fall into Japanese hands.

The group fell silent once more.

At that moment, the door was suddenly pushed open from outside—no outsiders were allowed in then—Roosevelt was about to get angry, but looking up he saw Hopkins, his closest adviser, known as the "Shadow President."

"Hopkins, I hope you can bring me good news; things have been terrible lately," Roosevelt spread his hands and joked, though his expression showed no relaxation.

Hopkins lifted the paper in his hand and said, "Sir, I indeed have good news."

"The Expeditionary Army Fifth Army th Division and its Independent Regiment launched a counterattack on Tonggu at 6 a. m. Far East Time on the 6th, and by ten in the morning had fully occupied Tonggu. Gentlemen, the allies we need are in the East," Hopkins shouted.

The East has always been a term of failure; they keep retreating, retreating.

An agricultural nation, they've been at war for how many years? Few among them can know—perhaps ten years.

Roosevelt, trembling, rose from his wheelchair, "God, this is truly good news; we've been surrounded by failure for too long."

Roosevelt's sentiment was not without reason; now flames of war flare across the Pacific, yet true victory is scarce.

A few days ago, the news arrived that the United Kingdom had completely lost Myanmar, and even Yalishanda, who orchestrated the Dunkirk evacuation, had been captured by the Japanese.

Now, unexpectedly, we have received news of the Expeditionary Force's counterattack on Tonggu and its victory.

It truly came at a perfect time.

A nearly forgotten nation has brought a good message to the United States, this allied country.

From this, Roosevelt and his team began to reconsider whether support should be tilted; reports from Stilwell indicate the British are truly unmanageable.

This further leads Roosevelt and his government to view the United Kingdom as an unreliable ally; based on the British troops' performance, they are simply unsuitable as a partner.

Too unreliable!