The expeditionary force began to dominate Southeast Asia by recruiting defeated soldiers

Chapter 390 Mitsumasa Yonai: Combined Fleet, don’t move!

With the successive fall of Pegu, Siam, Saipan and other places, the so-called "absolute national defense circle" of the Japanese in the past has become like a broken net, full of holes.

The Anmin Army's attack was like a needle piercing paper, and the White Eagle fleet was pressing forward step by step. Hideki Tojo, the "Showa Military God", was ultimately unable to keep his position as prime minister and was forced to resign in disgrace.

The newly appointed 41st Prime Minister is Kuniaki Koiso, who was formerly the Governor-General of the Korean Peninsula. Although this old bureaucrat has extensive experience in officialdom, he has always been slick and conservative. Seeing that the situation was precarious, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and take office to "cover the back" for the sake of power.

After the cabinet was reorganized, fearing that he was not capable enough, Tian Huang simply "suggested" that he and naval veteran Mitsumasa Yonai form a team called the "Sea and Land Joint Cabinet" - although it was called a coalition, in fact, each had their own calculations and no one would submit to the other.

(Due to the devil's mysticism, Showa himself was generally not allowed to express his opinions directly, and it was the Grand Secretary, Prince and other characters who spoke on his behalf.)

At this time, the 41st Prime Minister, Koiso Kuniaki, was holding a cabinet meeting. His face was as gloomy as steel as he looked at everyone:

"The An Min Army has successfully landed behind our main force on the Malay Peninsula, not only cutting off the retreat of the 16th and 19th Armies on the front lines, but also bringing the landing force to just over 200 kilometers from Singapore. Singapore is in danger, and Malacca is in danger. Everyone, please come up with a solution!"

The Navy Minister Mitsumasa Yonai, who was originally sitting nearby, suddenly slapped his thigh with a loud "pa" sound, which frightened the older Foreign Minister Shigemitsu Mamoru in the front row so much that he almost fainted.

"How foolish! Kuala Lumpur Harbor is such an important place, why didn't you army idiots send heavy troops to defend it? The People's Security Army successfully carried out an amphibious landing so easily. This is a shame, a shame!"

"I think Doihara-san should just commit seppuku and apologize to His Majesty the Heavenly Locust. Even a pig could do better than him!"

Due to Tojo's failure, Mitsumasa Yonai, who had returned to power, was able to feel proud and immediately began to spit out saliva wildly.

General Umezu Michijiro, the Army Chief of the General Staff, slammed the table and retorted, "It's because you navy idiots are such useless people. If your warships could protect the coastline, how could you let the Anmin Army land so easily?"

"Not to mention your fleet. How many naval battles have you won since Midway? This time, the squadron stationed in Lion City was almost completely wiped out. I think you just ate too much steak and ice cream, bastard!"

As he spoke, Umezu Michijiro actually reached for his waist, and Vice Admiral Inoue Narumi immediately stood up and stood in front of Yonai Mitsumasa.

Fortunately, it was an Imperial Court meeting, and Umezu Michijiro did not touch the hilt of his sword, otherwise he would have probably chopped the Navy Minister to pieces in front of him.

Looking at the noisy crowd in front of him, Koiso Kuniaki sighed. To put it bluntly, his cabinet was just there to clean up the mess for the Tojo cabinet:

"Everyone, now that things have come to this, this is not the time to discuss who is responsible. Instead, we need to come up with a concrete solution!"

Kuniaki Koiso was tired of the army and navy blaming each other. As prime minister, he just wanted to achieve some tangible results instead of suffering repeated defeats.

The Minister of the Army, Sugiyama Hajime, clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.

"Of course we're holding on and waiting for reinforcements. The Lion City fortress is impregnable. The army still has many troops in Sumatra and Annan. As long as the navy can solve the transportation and escort problems, they can reinforce Lion City at any time."

Mitsumasa Yonai curled his lips. The navy was actually not particularly enthusiastic about rescuing Lion City.

When the Japanese were in a state of expansion, the Strait of Malacca was very important. By controlling it, they could enter the Sindhu Ocean at will and expand westward.

But now the Japs are in a passive defensive state.

With the destruction of the Mutaguchi Corps, the Combined Fleet had no intention of entering the Sindhu Ocean again. The Anmin Army's capture of the Malacca Strait only cut off the Combined Fleet's westward passage into the Sindhu Ocean. In fact, the impact on the Japanese's resource transportation lines was relatively limited.

The most important things for the Combined Fleet are the oil, rubber, and various metal deposits in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

The Sunda Strait and the Bashi Strait, through which the transport ships need to pass, are the vital points that the Combined Fleet must not give up.

As for the role of the Strait of Malacca as a pass, both the An Min Army and the John people only have some destroyers and light cruisers west of the Strait of Malacca, which is not a big threat.

Compared with the Strait of Malacca, the White Eagle Navy and Army that are already right in front of us are clearly the biggest threat.

Choosing the lesser of two evils, Mitsumasa Yonai was not prepared to change his original plan to rescue Singapore:

"Everyone, Luzon Island is much closer to the mainland than Lion City. The main force of the White Eagle Navy is eyeing it covetously. The Navy has already launched 'Operation Ji-One' and is unable to send a large force to reinforce Lion City..."

Sugiyama frowned. "It's only been less than 20 hours since the Anmin Army landed, and they're still some distance away from Singapore. If the navy quickly dispatches a fleet, it's possible to blockade the Johor Strait north of Singapore with heavy naval gunfire."

Mitsumasa Yonai shook his head. "The main force of the navy is concentrated in Luzon, over 2000 kilometers from Singapore. It's impossible to get there in a short time. Moreover, if we divide our forces now, what if the White Eagles launch a landing operation against Manila? Wouldn't that be a waste of time?"

"Not to mention that the People's Security Army's air force has already demonstrated sufficient anti-sea attack capabilities. If we want to cover the bombardment troops approaching Lion City, how many aircraft carriers and shore-based aviation forces will we need to dispatch to Lion City?"

Just when the situation was tense, a light cough suddenly came from behind the screen, "Cough cough——".

Everyone was shocked and turned around and knelt in unison, "Your Majesty, please make your judgment."

At this moment, his uncle, Prince Kanin-no-miya Zairen, spoke up: "So the navy is going to do nothing and watch the Lion City fall?"

Mitsumasa Yonai shook his head again. "No, all the navy personnel stationed in Lion City will assist the army in defending the city and fight to the end. Once we have repelled the main force of the White Eagle Navy and inflicted heavy damage on them, preventing them from coveting Luzon, the main force of the Combined Fleet will turn to Lion City to relieve it."

Kaninnomiya Zairen looked at Mitsumasa Yonai and said, "So, Mine-kun, when do you estimate the outcome of the decisive battle?"

Mitsumasa Yonai glanced at Sugiyama Moto with disdain. "Within a month, we'll definitely see results! We still have over 3000 naval warriors in Lion City. With their help and the impregnable fortress, the army can hold out for even a month, right?"

Mitsumasa Yonai said this in a very high-sounding manner, and Sugiyama Gen snorted a few times in anger, which was considered as his agreement.

Mitsumasa Yonai closed his eyes, feeling only immense pain in his heart. In order to allow Kurita's main fleet to smoothly carry out "Operation Satsuki No. 1", he actually abandoned the lives of more than 3000 of his subordinates on Lion City Island in exchange for the acquiescence of the army.

For the Combined Fleet, which had already suffered many devastating defeats and was at an absolute disadvantage, life or death depended on this last chance. For this final swan song, Mitsumasa Yonai would do anything.

Of course, regardless of whether the upcoming naval showdown was a win or a loss, Mitsumasa Yonai, who was filled with guilt, had already decided to resign.