"The nickname is extra... The Japanese Navy's main fleet broke into the Indian Ocean without knowing it, and our fleet was defeated! The vanguard landing force lost contact!"

"The nickname is extra... General Horikito Horikiri, commander of the Japanese Navy Combined Fleet, declared solemnly: From now on, the North Indian Ocean waters are blocked, and sails are not allowed to enter and exit! British and American allied ships will be destroyed as soon as they are discovered!"

Looking at the dazzling black headline on the newspaper, President Roosevelt felt a sense of anger that he wanted to tear it apart and stepped on the ground to vent his anger. But after all, he was a well-educated politician. He resisted this impulse and coldly ordered the secretary to hand the newspaper to the staff in the conference room.

Everyone's brows were frowning. Although the developed American media industry often exaggerated newspaper news titles to attract attention, this time it was obviously not. In the face of the joint fleet's record and threat, all the defenses seemed pale and powerless - these contents and statements were like a slap on the US, and the faces of the politicians were sore!

"This is the newspaper published this morning. What do you think?" Roosevelt asked in a low tone, suppressing his anger.

Vice President Henry Agard Wallace said unhappily: "Why no one blocks the media? This kind of news will only cause unnecessary chaos to society."

"Blockade? How to blockade?" Secretary of State Corder Hull looked depressed. "The Japanese fleet has sent messages with clear telegrams. We are located in Africa, the Middle East, and India's major newspapers and newspapers have received news. They spread throughout the US media in less than three hours. The blockade is just to cover up. Should we wait for those reporters to sneak out? Then let the people take to the streets of Washington to protest our incompetence and shamelessness?"

It is very difficult for democratic countries to block public opinion, especially heavyweight news related to war (in history, even the Third Reich dared not conceal the failure of the Sixth Army in Stalingrad). Now American public opinion is highly concerned about the war situation in Egypt and the Middle East. A little bit of turmoil makes them extremely sensitive. If anyone dares to hide and lie to the people, his future political future will be very bad. With the sending of the clear telegram, the news has become transparent. Instead of letting rumors spread all over the sky, it is better to shake it out quickly.

Everyone's hearts were burning: What about the promised British and American maritime power? What about the promised blockade axis? Now the axial naval forces are concentrated in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Not only do they beat the allied navies one after another, they even made such clamors. Is it really intolerable!

Roosevelt looked solemn. He received the full battle report much later than Churchill. It was not until after the fleet was confirmed to be destroyed and the landing troops lost contact. London passed this terrible news to Washington. It was already late at night when it reached Roosevelt. He was so angry that he didn't sleep well all night. He called a team to meet early in the morning to discuss countermeasures.

"Now, these yellow-skinned monkeys sneaking into the Indian Ocean are finally no longer afraid of exposing their targets." General Jin said in a slightly mocking tone. "From the statement, the Japanese fleet's battle goals have been changed from the main combat to the sea control and the fleet. It is obvious that they are cooperating with the German Egyptian offensive. I wonder if the British can still save their territory in the Middle East. Churchill, an old bastard, cheated us again and again. This time the Navy compensated 1 aircraft carrier, 1 battleship, 6 cruisers, and a bunch of transport ships and destroyers in one go - I will settle the accounts with him one day."

"It's far more than that." George Marshall spoke coldly, "The Army also compensated a Second Armored Division. Although they seemed to have successfully seized the beach in the end, the losses must be huge, and there is no news yet."

Everyone expressed strong dissatisfaction with the British. How did such a powerful and huge joint fleet get in without any knowledge? General Jin and Marshall's words suddenly opened up. Everyone criticized the various incompetences of the British Empire: including the destruction of super secrets, forcibly demanding the launch of the torch plan and redirecting to reinforce Egypt, intercepting materials to the Soviet Union, and finally becoming the enemy's spoils, the 300,000 Eighth Army was eliminated, and the Mediterranean Fleet and the Fast Column became victims of the Axis powers... In total, the Army Minister Shi Tingsen concluded without hesitation: "The British are the Italians on our side, specially used to hold back. This level is not as good as the Chinese. At least they have recovered more than a dozen counties recently."

Roosevelt usually doesn't blame his allies publicly or privately. Today, he couldn't help it and said, "The British not only put us together, but also suffered such huge losses. It's a perfect bucket. Of course, this is not the point. The key is that the Indian Ocean Allied fleet is over. Now the entire Indian Ocean does not have the power to compete with the joint fleet. Not to mention the canal and the Red Sea, even the Persian Gulf can be blocked by the Japanese, and the route between India and Africa will obviously be cut off. What should we do next?"

Admiral Nimitz frowned and said, "This incident finally explains why the Japanese faced heavy pressure on our army on the Nanyang islands, and they still only used planes and the army to support them, without seeing them spending nearly half of their fiscal revenue to build a joint fleet - these madmen have already gone to the Indian Ocean to run wild!"

When he heard Nimitz talk about this, Marshall asked in confusion: "Is the Japanese fleet planning to completely surrender to Germany and not come back? Otherwise, it would be difficult to understand why they left their islands and territory without caring about it, and Baba went to work hard for the Germans."

Admiral Kim shrugged: "Who knows? The world of madman is something we cannot understand."

"Maybe Hitler gave the Japanese a difficult condition to refuse. After the German-Japanese and Indian Ocean route was opened, troubles in the future would come. I have studied the public statements about Japan, Germany and Italy regarding Arabia and India. They should have colluded on many issues." He is a veteran politician. Secretary Hull knew the details and realized the truth.

"I have to say that this time it hit our weakness." Shi Tinson was obviously more pessimistic about the future of the war. "We have no power to compete with the axis in Africa and the Indian Ocean - in terms of the navy, the joint fleet is now the overlord; in terms of the army, the Germans took Alexander, and Cairo fell only in the evening, and the whereabouts of the Second Armored Division were still unknown."

After a few minutes of discussion, everyone came to the conclusion that the problem was still with the navy! Without sea control, there was no way to send the army to land and support. They could only watch German ground forces sweep Egypt, East Africa and the Middle East. The next step was to threaten South Africa and India.

"What other reinforcements can we invest?" Roosevelt asked General Jin hopefully, "The strength of the Slow Column is indeed a bit inconvenient."

"It's very difficult." General Jin quickly took a look and reported, "Our strength is concentrated on the Pacific Fleet. Now the Atlantic Fleet can use one Arkansas-class (Arkansas) and two New Mexico-class (Mississippi, Idaho). The Nevada (Nevada-class) and Tennessee (Tennessee-class) battleships are undergoing modern modifications and are expected to be put into use in 6-12 months. The first Iowa-class ship will not be completed and put into service until February at the earliest, and then it will take 2-3 months of trial sailing. There is not a single fleet aircraft carrier for the time being, but there will be an Essex-class aircraft carrier and an independent light aircraft carrier at the end of this month and next month respectively. However, the two ships still need to go through trial sailing, boarding, running-in processes, and forming combat power will be at least 5 months later."

Roosevelt shook his head in disappointment: Both the Arkansas and the New Mexico class are old ships from World War I, and they cannot defeat the new battleships of Japan or Italy. The useful Iowa-class battleships and Essex-class aircraft carriers have to wait for another 5-6 months. The Atlantic Fleet is currently a bit weak, and it may be barely enough to escort the fleet, so it is impossible to use it for the main force of the fleet to fight.

He turned his head and asked Nimitz: "Since the main force of the Japanese fleet is in the Indian Ocean, can the Pacific Fleet draw 1-2 new battleships to support the Atlantic Ocean? In the future, Iowa's first ship can be deployed in the Pacific."

"This..." Nimitz showed an embarrassing look, "We have lost two Crodora class ships in the direction of the Pacific (the Corodora and Maryland were destroyed by the hands of Sakura). The only battleships that can be used now are Indiana, Alabama (both South Dakota class), North Carolina (Carolina class) and New Mexico (New Mexico class). If 1-2 more ships are drawn, there will be problems in the Far East battlefield."

Shi Tingsen asked strangely: "Are there four George V-class ships?"

General Jin answered the other party's question in a gloomy tone: "Old bastard Churchill sent us a telegram saying that because the Japanese fleet is so rampant in the Indian Ocean and Africa, he hopes that the main force of the Pacific Fleet will move to Ceylon to fight, block the Japanese's way back to Asia, and fight against them in the Indian Ocean. If not, can they return the four George V and three armored aircraft carriers to them, and let them add the main ships in the slow fleet to fight with the Japanese."

"This is impossible..." Nimitz hurriedly said, "If we only fight the main force of the joint fleet, the Pacific Fleet may still be sure to win the battle with its existing force. However, after the Suez Canal fell into the hands of the axis, the Italian and German fleets could also come out, and the convergence of the three countries has an advantage in terms of force. More importantly, since the main force of the Japanese fleet is staying in the Indian Ocean, why don't we take advantage of the opportunity of the enemy's empty troops to increase the offensive efforts, but instead go to the Indian Ocean to fight for them?"

This is not OK, that is not OK; this is not OK, that is not OK... Roosevelt felt upset and couldn't help but knock on the table and start to fire: "Can we only watch the Germans sweep the Middle East? Can we only let the Japanese show their power in the Indian Ocean? What if they attack India and what to do when they attack South Africa? Gentlemen, now is not the time to complain, we have to come up with a solution."
Chapter completed!