One man's resistance against Japan, I mobilized a million people to aid Shanghai.

London, Westminster House of Commons.

Inside the debate hall, what should have been a tedious discussion about the domestic budget was completely shattered by a telegram marked in red: "Far East, Top Secret, Disaster."

Time seemed to freeze when the Speaker read aloud the urgent telegram from the last remaining radio station of the Royal Navy's Far East Command, his voice trembling.

"...Reconfirming...the Malacca Fleet...HMS Revenge, HMS Cornwall, HMS Dorsetshire, and several destroyers..."

"It was ambushed at the eastern entrance of the strait...most of it sank...only the 'Rapid' escaped with heavy damage...the enemy fleet has blockaded San Francisco..."

"...Old Singapore...after a day of bloody fighting...most of the city was destroyed by naval artillery...local dignitaries such as Lim Boon Keng rebelled, leading the enemy into the city..."

"The last line of defense has collapsed... Governor Sir Thomas Thomas has been killed in action... Commander of the garrison, Lieutenant General Howard, has been seriously wounded and captured..."

"...Preliminary estimates suggest that of the 80,000 defenders, aside from a very small number who may have deserted, the rest...are presumably all dead."

"Civilian casualties...are incalculable, and old Singapore...fell yesterday."

"...Additionally, unconfirmed and horrifying rumors from French Indochina: The city of Thang Long in Annam was massacred, with the death toll among resistance fighters potentially exceeding one million..."

"..."

Dead silence.

A suffocating silence that lasted for a full minute engulfed the entire House of Commons.

Hundreds of MPs, whether from the ruling Conservative Party, the opposing Labour Party, or the Liberal Party, remained frozen in their seats, their faces ashen and their eyes vacant, as if they could not comprehend every word that had just been uttered into their ears.

Old Singapore? Collapsed?

The entire fleet was wiped out? 70,000 defenders "presumably all dead"?

Was Thang Long City massacred?

This is impossible!

This must be a nightmare!

That's old Singapore! It's the "Gibraltar of the East"! It's the most dazzling and solid jewel in the imperial crown, guarding the sea lanes of wealth to India and Australia! It's the symbol of the Royal Navy's presence in the Far East!

How could it possibly have fallen?

"Bang!"

A loud bang shattered the silence.

It was Clement Attlee, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, who slammed his fist on the table in front of him, trembling with extreme anger.

He stared intently at the front row of the government seats, at the hunched figure of Prime Minister Chamberlain.

"Mr. Prime Minister!"

Attlee's voice was hoarse and shrill with excitement, like a rusty saw cutting through the silence.

"Did you hear that?!"

"Old Singapore! Our Old Singapore! Seventy thousand sons and daughters of the Empire! An entire fleet!"

"And...and the terrifying rumors coming from Hanoi! Is this the price you pay for blindly following Washington and throwing our precious fleet and troops into a war against an enemy we know absolutely nothing about?!"

This question was like igniting a powder keg.

Instantly, the entire House of Commons erupted in chaos.

"A disgrace! An utter disgrace!"

"Chamberlain must be held responsible!"

"We've been dragged into the abyss by the bald eagle!"

"Our children are bleeding in vain in the Far East, while the White House is still slowly mobilizing!"

"The government must provide an explanation! Immediately! Right now!"

"Resign! Chamberlain resigns!"

Roars, howls, table-pounding, waving documents... order was completely lost.

The speaker's gavel was completely drowned out.

Labour and Liberal MPs were outraged, and even many Conservative backbenchers stood up, their faces ashen, their eyes piercing their leaders like knives.

Many of them had initially supported Chamberlain's appeasement of the Third Reich and his war against the Far East, thinking they could pick on the weak.

But at this moment, they felt as if they had been struck by lightning. No one had expected that the poor and weak country had turned into a ferocious beast that would devour people without spitting out the bones.

They launched such a fierce attack with just a declaration of war that Britain could not have imagined suffering such heavy losses.

Chamberlain sat there like a stone statue that was rapidly weathering away.

Every word on the telegram felt like a red-hot branding iron, searing his eyes and searing his heart.

Old Singapore falls... Fleet destroyed... Thang Long City massacred...

These words swirled in his mind, eventually converging into a thunderbolt that cleaved his very soul.

He felt a violent dizziness, his ears were ringing, and he could barely hear the piercing roars.

His painstaking efforts to maintain "imperial dignity" and "strategic patience" were shattered at this moment.

He could feel the gazes from his colleagues behind and on both sides, gazes that no longer held support, but only suspicion, fear, and even... resentment.

"Quiet!" The speaker shouted hoarsely, finally managing to quiet the noise down a little.

Chamberlain stood up with great difficulty.

He adjusted his glasses, trying to regain his composure, but his lips trembled slightly uncontrollably, and his face was deathly pale.

He spoke, his voice dry and hoarse, completely lacking the confidence he usually displayed when giving speeches:

"Gentlemen...members of parliament...I...like you all, I have just learned of this...this extremely sad news."

"I express my deepest condolences for the heroic sacrifice of the soldiers who defended Singapore and for the loss of officers and men of the Royal Navy..."

"This is undoubtedly a dark day in the history of the Empire... the Empire."

"but!"

He suddenly raised his voice, "However, it is extremely irresponsible to simply blame this tragedy on government policies!"

"We are not facing a normal state actor, but a... a complete and utterly inhuman butcher's group!"

"A demon who betrayed all the laws of war and basic human morality—Zhu Ganglie!"

He seemed to have found an outlet for his emotions, and his voice became sharp and hoarse.

"It was this demon who began his atrocities in Manila with a despicable sneak attack!"

"It was he who used horrific methods to massacre Annam!"

"Now, he's extending his clutches to Singapore! His target is the entire East, the entire civilized world!"

"In this situation, what's wrong with standing with the bald eagle to confront this unprecedented threat?!"

"Are we going to bury our heads in the sand like ostriches and watch this monster devour our colonies one by one until it reaches the Mughals and threatens Australia?!"

He avoided examining specific strategic mistakes, instead attributing everything to the "evil" of the enemy and the necessity of the alliance.

But this argument seems so weak and powerless at this moment.

"ally?"

A senior Conservative MP, a retired general who had served in Yuan Dong, coldly interrupted him.

"Mr. Prime Minister, we do need allies. But we need allies who can fight side by side, not partners who hide behind the oceans, using our blood and territory to buy themselves time to mobilize!"

"Roosevelt in Washington delivered his impassioned war speech, their factories roared day and night, but where were their fleets? Where were their armies?"

"While old Singapore was burning, and our children were fighting the devils in the streets until their last breath, their Pacific Fleet was still cowering in Pearl Harbor."

"Is this the support we get?!"

Another lawmaker roared, "It's pointless to discuss who's more evil now!"

"The fact is, our pillar in the Far East has collapsed!"

"Malaya is in imminent danger! Burma is exposed to enemy forces! Most importantly—the Mughals!"

"If we lose the Mughals, the British Empire will lose its heart!"

"Mr. Chamberlain, you must do one thing right now, immediately: demand of the Bald Eagle—not request, but demand!"

"We demand that they immediately deploy troops from Honolulu to launch a diversionary offensive in the Western Pacific to relieve pressure on the Far East!"

"Otherwise, by the time they are ready, our colonies will have been reduced to ashes, and even our expeditionary fleets will have nowhere to land."

"Yes! Send the Bald Eagles out immediately!"

"We can't wait any longer!"

"We need substantial aid, not empty promises!"

In the cabinet seats, several key ministers—Foreign Secretary Halifax, Chancellor of the Exchequer John Simon, and Admiral Churchill—all had serious expressions and were exchanging opinions in hushed tones.

Halifax whispered to Chamberlain, "Prime Minister, the pressure is too much."

"We must immediately engage in the highest-level negotiations with Washington and exert maximum pressure."

Chamberlain, seeing the situation spiraling out of control, knew there was no turning back.

He took a deep breath, straightened his back, and announced with all his might, "Given the extreme seriousness of the situation, I propose a temporary recess!"

"The government needs urgent consultations and immediate high-level communication with our allies!"

"I assure Parliament that I will take all necessary measures to address the current crisis and safeguard the Empire's fundamental interests in the Far East!"

Without waiting for the Speaker's approval or looking at the angry faces below the stage, he almost staggered, and with the help of his deputy, quickly left the chamber, fleeing back to 10 Downing Street as if escaping.