Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 182 Unnecessary Expectations
Since Japan invaded the French East Indies, Britain and the United States naturally had their own reactions.

In the United States, although the isolationist voices opposing the war are still strong and the government is determined not to send troops to Europe, there are not many voices opposing sending troops to Asia, especially to protect the Penang allies.

Who made Zheng Yi really make money for them?
Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Harold Stark proposed a budget of $40 billion to expand the Navy.

But Congress waved its hand and increased the amount from 40 billion to 85 billion US dollars.

A total of 257 new warships of various sizes were added, including 18 aircraft carriers, seven battleships, 33 cruisers, 115 destroyers, and various other auxiliary ships.

and a total of 1500 aircraft.

Anyone with a discerning eye can actually see that the United States is already prepared to arm itself for war, to fight a decisive battle with Japan, and to resolve this security threat once and for all.

However, for the United States, the time is indeed not yet ripe to go to war directly with Japan.

Building warships always takes time.

Moreover, although his existing warships and navy are still acceptable, the US army is really too weak.

How bad is it?
Not to mention that there are only five divisions in total, many of the new recruits in these five divisions don’t even have guns and can only use mops, brooms and other things to get through training.

It's all because of isolationism and the Neutrality Act.

During the interwar period, the United States truly loved peace, even too much.

So in addition to the navy being formed, the army has more to do, which means it takes time.

Therefore, the United States adopted "strategic defense and delaying time" as its overall strategic goal towards Japan.

To this end, the United States not only sent pilots directly to the University of Tokyo to assist, but also approved a loan of 100 million US dollars.

To be honest, compared with the wealth and arrogance of the United States, Zheng Yi feels that he is so poor.

In the eyes of American officials, as long as the United States is given a few more years to prepare, the small Japan, which is so frugal that it can't even build a ship, can be easily defeated if it is a little more serious.

Even most American officials believed that this war did not need to be fought at all, and that this non-war method alone was enough to force Japan to surrender.

Compared with the United States' active preparations for war, the British response was obviously much more intense, that is, directly sending out the legendary "deterrent fleet"

The so-called "deterrence fleet" is indeed much larger than the original "Z Fleet" in history.

Including six old battleships: Nelson, Rodney, Revenge, Repulse, Resolution and Lameire, and three light aircraft carriers: Ark Royal, Indomitable and Formidable.

Of course, the most important thing is the legendary ship, the pride of the British: Prince of Wales.

It also included 236 land-based aircraft, four Indian and Australian divisions, and two tank regiments.

Originally in history, the British also planned to send such a huge Sea Chrysanthemum Fleet to stroll around the Far East.

Unfortunately, because the war in the Far East started later in history, the pressure on the British side was too great. In addition, there was a unanimous view in the country that it was unnecessary to send such a powerful naval force to station in a shitty place like Singapore. In the end, when they arrived, they had almost cut down everything they could.

In the end, there was almost only the lonely Prince of Wales left, and it was not there to fight, but just to show off.

To be honest, Zheng Yi was indeed excited when he saw that Britain had sent such a powerful force to the Far East.

He certainly wouldn't believe the British's so-called impregnable defenses, but the army before him, because of himself, was indeed much stronger than the "Z Fleet" in history.

Combined with Singapore’s existing maritime power, such military strength may indeed be superior to that of the Japanese Navy?

Zheng Yi didn't know much about naval affairs, but he felt that Britain and the United States in this world obviously paid much more attention to the Far East than in history. The situation in the Pacific battlefield might really be completely different from that in history.

As long as the British army's huge "deterrence fleet" can really shock Japan, in about three years, even with the bloodletting of the French colonies, Japan's economy and society should be completely ruined.

By then, the US military, which had spent nearly 8 billion to expand its army, would probably be mostly built. By then, Britain and the United States would join forces and would certainly never give the Japanese army a chance to turn the tables.

As for the British inviting him to visit Singapore, it was nothing more than a way to show off to him.

Although Zheng Yi was actually quite busy, he still gave Bonnar this face and only let him stay in Penang for one day. The next morning, the two of them flew to Singapore together. Zheng Yi would also attend the welcome ceremony of this so-called "deterrent fleet" as a distinguished guest.

Today, the whole of Singapore seems like a sea of ​​joy.

In fact, long before this fleet arrived in Singapore, the British had already been showing off to the utmost, with music and dance all the way. When passing through Cape Town, they not only invited local celebrities to visit the ship, but also invited local sailors to hold social activities.

They even invited the South African Governor-General, Field Marshal Small, to board the ship to give a speech, and with the power of BBC broadcasting, the speech was spread around the world.

There was no need for Japan to conduct any investigation into this "deterrence fleet" at all. The British took the initiative to report the details of the fleet's structure.

What Zheng Yi didn't know was that after a brief meeting with this "deterrence fleet", Governor Sima immediately realized that although such a fleet was huge, it was actually not enough to defeat the Japanese Navy.

In particular, there are too few aircraft.

If the Japanese acted quickly and attacked proactively, the fleet would be in danger of destruction.

Unfortunately, no one takes the words of this British veteran, who has now retired from the navy's front line, seriously.

Fatty Qiu himself is from the navy, and he believes that no one understands the navy better than him.

All it would take is the slightest appearance of the powerful and invincible naval fleet in Singapore, and those short, bow-legged, short-sighted Japanese would tremble in fear like mice hiding in a rat hole to avoid the cat's patrol, until they met their end.

Today's front-page headlines of Sin Chew Daily, China Press, Nanyang Siang Pau and even Penang Daily are all surprisingly consistent, with the title: "Welcome a strong naval force to defend Malaya."

Singapore Radio even lauded it crazily: "Singapore is now an ironclad fortress. No country's fleet can possibly show off its prowess here."

Zheng Yi was deeply impressed by the actual vessel. The Prince of Wales is truly one of the world's most powerful battleships. With a length of 227.1 meters, a beam of 31.3 meters, and a draft of 8.53 meters, it boasts a standard displacement of 35490 tons and a full-load displacement of 40580 tons. Docked in the harbor, it looks imposing, its overall shape brimming with industrial beauty.

It is completely different from the industrial waste Shancheng that Anand had seized before.

"Mr. Zheng, let me introduce you to Lieutenant General Phelps. This is our British Empire's most important overseas friend, the world-renowned number one entrepreneur and applied scientist, Professor Zheng Yi."

As soon as he arrived in Singapore, Bonnard took the initiative to introduce people to Zheng Yi.

Zheng Yi proactively and friendly extended his hand and said, "Hello, Lieutenant General Phelps. I'm Zheng Yi. I've long heard of you."

Unexpectedly, a trace of embarrassment flashed across Phelps' face. He hesitated for about half a second before reaching out his hand and lightly shaking Zheng Yi's fingers. He smiled and said,
"I've heard of Mr. Zheng's reputation a long time ago. I heard that you, Mr. Zheng, are also a vice admiral of our British Empire, and command a formidable military force."

Zheng Yi: "I wouldn't say we're not weak, we're just trying our best to protect ourselves. If you count the Chinese, Burmese, and Malays, we're barely strong enough, just... three undermanned army divisions, which is pretty weak."

"hehe."

Phelps smiled and turned to look at General Bonnar and said, "That's certainly not that strong."

In a word, Bonnard's face turned a little pale.

"Mr. Zheng, do you think that with such a powerful naval fleet like ours, if we attack Penang, how long can Penang hold out?"

As he said this, Phelps raised his head proudly, his nostrils almost reaching the sky.

On the side, Bonnar was furious and scolded: "Lieutenant General Phelps, you are so rude!"

"Hmph~!"

Phelps turned his head and looked at Zheng Yi with a smile.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, that metaphor isn't very appropriate, hahahaha."

This Phelps was the Chief of Staff of the Navy and a close confidant of Fatty Qiu. As the saying goes, a new emperor changes his power. Fatty Qiu himself was from the Navy and always looked like he knew nothing.

These front-line naval officers no longer have much respect for these old veterans at sea.

Zheng Yi himself was not annoyed, and he even thought about it for a while.

A huge fleet consisting of seven battleships and two light aircraft carriers...

It seems that they can’t take down Penang either?

Zheng Yi might have a good understanding of strategy, but he was a bit clueless when it came to tactics. He also had no idea how powerful those old battleships were.

However, the Chinese have always been kind to others. Although Phelps is annoying, he is here to protect him after all: as long as Singapore is not lost, Penang will be absolutely safe. It is impossible for the Japanese to bypass Singapore and attack Penang directly.

He smiled and said, "General Phelps, you are indeed a man of few words. Penang is, after all, just a small commercial city. It is naturally no match for the might of the Invincible Armada."

"However, I see that this formation seems to consist mostly of battleships. I wonder how many aircraft...are there? In a naval battle, without sufficient aircraft carriers and escort aircraft, wouldn't we be at a disadvantage?"

Hearing this, Phelps scoffed. "Plane? Hahahahaha, Mr. Zheng really doesn't understand military affairs or the navy. Bombers are like mosquitoes against my invincible battleships. Why would they need any escorts?"

"what?"

Zheng Yi was stunned.

Looking at Phelps very seriously.

He knew that Phelps must have been asked by Henry and his people to "persuade" Zheng Yi to abandon the Penang wartime mode.

Penang is an international city with many British and American multinational companies. Zheng Yi has joint venture relationships with all of them.

In a word, preparing for war has actually seriously affected the production of those companies. Since he clearly declared war on Japan, the profitability of those multinational companies in Penang has been cut in half.

They are all entrepreneurs, so it is naturally difficult to persuade Zheng Yi. So, we have to ask these navy officers for help.

Zheng Yi didn't know whether Phelps's behavior was a pre-planned agreement with General Bonnar to play the good guy and the bad guy.

The subtext is simply: My powerful Invincible Armada has arrived, and you in Penang have no strength to resist. Why are you still developing armaments? Just make money honestly, you bastards.

With the national war at hand, Zheng Yi didn't care much about the disrespectful words, but Phelps's arrogant attitude made him feel a little uneasy.

General Bonnar smoothed things over, saying, "Mr. Zheng, rest assured. The 'Deterrence Fleet' is accompanied by 350 land-based aircraft."

Zheng Yi: "350 is not enough."

On the side, Phelps couldn't help but sneered: "Mr. Zheng, maybe because you are Chinese, you think the Japanese are too strong?
350 aircraft are not enough? With the strength of our British Empire pilots and aircraft, it would be easy to defeat two or three enemies at once, wouldn't it?

Mr. Zheng, do you think that Japan, an Asian country, can still fight against our great British Empire in an air battle? Hahahahaha.

Zheng Yi: “…………”

Turning his head, he looked at General Bonnar and found that he seemed to think the same way and even nodded slightly.

"Hey~"

【I don't have any fucking expectations of you guys. 】

(End of this chapter)