Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 818 $50 Island Purchase, London House of Lords Meeting

Upon hearing Fang Wen mention wanting to buy the island, the governor's eyes were filled with surprise, as if he hadn't expected Fang Wen to make such a request.

After a moment, he spoke up: “Fang, our cooperation has always gone smoothly, and I consider you a friend. Since we are friends, I can tell you clearly that the Andaman Islands are a completely useless place for the British Empire. There are no other resources there except for trees. For a long time, we have been making a net investment with no return whatsoever. Now that the war is tense, we are too weak to take care of our homeland. If you want to buy it, I am sure the House of Lords will definitely agree.”

He paused for a moment, then got up and sat back down behind his desk.

"I spoke to you as a friend just now, but now I am speaking to you as the Governor-General of Burma about the Andaman Islands. Mr. Fang, the Andaman Islands are British colonial territory, and although I am the Governor-General of Burma, I have no right to unilaterally decide to transfer the islands. However, I can tell you clearly that the British government is currently deeply embroiled in war and no longer wants to expend energy on this remote archipelago. If you can offer sufficiently sincere terms, I can request instructions from headquarters in London on your behalf."

Fang Wen smiled and nodded: "Governor, you can rest assured about our sincerity. As long as the British side is willing to transfer one of the large islands, I am willing to pay a transfer fee of five hundred thousand US dollars. In addition, I will also bear the resettlement costs of the existing troops and guards on the island, and I promise not to interfere with the British sovereignty over other islands. Taishan's activities will only be limited to that island."

Five hundred thousand dollars to buy a barren island inhabited only by natives is definitely a high price.

The governor replied, "The offer of five hundred thousand dollars is indeed very sincere. Here's what I'll do: I will send a telegram to headquarters in London as soon as possible, explaining your proposal in detail. As for the final outcome, I will need to wait for headquarters' reply before I can answer you."

“Alright, I’m willing to wait for the Governor’s message.” With that, Fang Wen prepared to take his leave.

The governor, however, had more to say.

"Fang, we've received several telegrams from Hanoi, all trying to find out your whereabouts. Aren't you worried at all about what's going on there?"

Fang Wen analyzed, "The Japanese army's plan was to establish a southward base in French Indochina. Now that they have suffered a setback, they cannot remain in French Indochina indefinitely. They will inevitably try other ways to advance into Southeast Asia."

"Is it because of oil?" the governor asked.

Fang Wen nodded: "Yes. It's oil, and other strategic materials."

Since the conversation had already reached this point, Fang Wen simply shared his analysis of Japan's Southeast Asian strategy with the governor.

"The core purpose of the Japanese invasion of Southeast Asia was to seize five major categories of strategic materials, including oil, rubber, tin, bauxite, and rice, while also taking into account the strategic objectives of cutting off aid channels to China and building the 'Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere'."

"The most important destinations are the Dutch East Indies and Malaya. Japan produces almost no oil on its own soil and relied on the United States for 80% of its oil before the war; with the US embargo starting this year, Southeast Asia has become the only large-scale oil source that can be seized."

*The Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia, Sumatra, and Borneo)

The governor interrupted, "Please wait a moment. I have heard of your military strategy in France, which successfully predicted the German invasion of France. I believe everything you say, but there is too much to remember. May I have my secretary come in and take notes?"

Fang Wen nodded.

Immediately, the governor summoned his secretary and had him copy down what Fang Wen had said earlier.

After he finished writing, Fang Wen continued.

"At present, Japan has very little oil reserves, and the Americans will no longer sell to them. China also does not have a large amount of oil production. If they want to maintain the war situation, they can only go south to seize the oil fields and refineries of the Dutch East Indies and Malaya."

"The first strategic material was rubber, produced in Malaya, Thailand, and Indonesia. These regions accounted for 85% of global production. Rubber is an essential material for manufacturing tires, seals, gas masks, and other products, which Japan could not produce domestically. Rubber was also a major consumer during the war, and the Japanese army's southward campaign would inevitably have included the plundering of rubber."

The secretary quickly copied it down, her face full of surprise and admiration.

The governor nodded, agreeing with Fang Wen's assessment.

But Fang Wen hadn't finished speaking yet. Since he'd already come this far, he decided to finish everything.

The Japanese needed tin to manufacture ammunition, canned goods, and military solder, which was essential for the Japanese army's field logistics and weapons production.

Malaya and the Dutch East Indies account for 60% of global tin production.

The Japanese cannot even produce the aluminum alloys they use to manufacture aircraft themselves.

Bauxite is also produced in large quantities in Malaya, the Dutch East Indies, and the Philippines.

The last one is rice. Japan is currently facing a food crisis, which is entirely due to its plundering of China.

The previous attack on French Indochina, besides serving as a strategic springboard in Southeast Asia and cutting off China's overseas transport lines, also had another purpose: to seize the rice resources of French Indochina.

After listening to Fang Wen's analysis of the Japanese army's strategy in Southeast Asia, the governor was very impressed and took the initiative to see Fang Wen out.

After Fang Wen left, he looked at the contents copied by his secretary and immediately ordered a telegram to be drafted and sent to the British mainland, along with this contents.

The atmosphere was tense in the House of Lords chamber at Westminster Palace, London.

In May 1941, the British Isles were still under the threat of German air raids. The sky outside the window was gloomy and gray, which, combined with the tense expressions of the members of parliament in the room, made the atmosphere even more oppressive.

Prime Minister Churchill, dressed in a dark suit and holding a cane, walked to the podium and glanced at the members of parliament in attendance.

"Fellow Members of Parliament, the current situation is far from optimistic. We must be keenly aware that the British Empire is facing an unprecedented challenge."

The chamber was completely silent, all eyes fixed on Churchill.

Churchill slowly raised his hand, his tone filled with undisguised sorrow: "Just recently, the Battle of Crete came to an end, and we lost Crete. The Germans launched a large-scale airborne assault on Crete, and despite the desperate resistance of our soldiers and the heavy casualties they suffered, we ultimately failed to hold the island." He paused heavily, his voice filled with resentment: "The fall of Crete means that the Germans have completely controlled the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean, our supply lines in the Middle East are seriously threatened, and the entire Mediterranean campaign has become passive. But I must emphasize that although the Germans won the battle, they also paid a near-devastating price; their airborne casualties were far greater than we expected."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a member of parliament stood up and asked, "Mr. Prime Minister, the German paratroopers have always been elite, so why did they suffer such heavy losses on Crete?"

Churchill replied:

"This is inseparable from the help of a new piece of equipment, a walkie-talkie from the Oriental Taishan Group."

He gestured to his attendant to place a Taishan walkie-talkie on the conference table.

"This walkie-talkie features short-to-medium range real-time radio voice communication capabilities. It is compact and portable, and can reliably transmit commands in complex battlefield environments. The British forces on Crete relied on this walkie-talkie to achieve efficient coordination between units and accurately intercept German paratroopers, thus inflicting such heavy damage on the enemy. The German paratroopers, on the other hand, did not have such equipment. Therefore, their reaction speed after the parachute landing relied entirely on pre-battle planning, which gave us a significant advantage at the beginning of the operation. Unfortunately, they ultimately won the battle."

The lawmakers craned their necks to examine the walkie-talkie on the table, their eyes filled with surprise.

Previously, they had never heard of this equipment from the East, and they never expected it to play such a crucial role on the battlefield.

Churchill continued, "The strength of the Taishan Group should not be underestimated. They are not only capable of producing such advanced communication equipment, but their leader, Mr. Fang Wen, also has an extremely keen understanding of the situation in the Far East."

He pulled a telegram from the Governor-General of Burma from his pocket, unfolded it, and slowly read aloud Fang Wen's analysis of Japan's southward strategy: "The core of the Japanese invasion of Southeast Asia is to seize five major categories of strategic materials, including oil, rubber, tin, bauxite, and rice, while also taking into account the strategic objectives of cutting off aid routes to China and building the 'Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.' Japan itself produces almost no oil, and before the war, it relied on the United States for 80% of its oil. After the US embargo this year, Southeast Asia has become its only large-scale oil source that it can seize, and the Dutch East Indies and Malaya will be its primary targets..."

As Churchill read aloud, the atmosphere in the chamber grew increasingly tense. The surprise on the members' faces gradually faded, replaced by solemnity and vigilance.

A member of the Foreign Affairs Committee stood up and said, "Mr. Prime Minister, if Mr. Fang Wen's assessment is correct, the southward advance of the Japanese army will seriously threaten our colonial interests in Southeast Asia. Should we intervene militarily?"

Churchill shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness: "No. Our main focus must be on the European and North African fronts. The German victories in the Balkans and the Mediterranean have put us on the defensive, and we do not have enough troops to commit to the Far East."

He paused, then added, "Moreover, Japan has not yet directly attacked our colonies, so we don't need to provoke a conflict and risk getting caught up in a two-front war."

The members of parliament nodded in agreement, knowing full well that Churchill was right despite their concerns.

At this time, Britain was mired in the European theater of war, with German air raids continuing and the North African campaign at a stalemate. It was indeed unable to spare any attention for the Far East.

Churchill looked at the members of parliament present and continued:

"According to intelligence agencies, after the campaigns in the Balkans and the Mediterranean, the next target of the German army is likely to be the Soviet Union. Hitler has always coveted the Soviet Union, and now that he has controlled most of Eastern Europe, he has the conditions to attack the Soviet Union. We have secretly sent a warning to the Soviet Union, hoping that they will be vigilant and prepare for defense."

"But what is the Soviet Union's attitude?" another member of parliament asked eagerly.

Churchill's face showed a hint of helplessness: "Unfortunately, the Soviet Union did not believe our warnings. They believed that Germany still had many battles on the Western Front and in the Mediterranean, and it was impossible for them to attack the Soviet Union rashly in the short term. They even maintained a superficial peace with Germany."

He sighed, "We have done our best to remind them, but the final outcome depends on the Soviet Union's own choices."

Silence fell over the council chamber once again.

Everyone knew that if Germany had actually attacked the Soviet Union, the entire situation of World War II would have changed dramatically.

If the Soviet Union could withstand the German offensive, Britain would have a chance to regroup; if the Soviet Union were defeated, Germany would be able to concentrate all its forces against Britain, and the British Empire would be in an even more precarious situation.

Churchill raised his hand, breaking the silence: "Fellow members of parliament, although the current situation is dire, we must not back down. We must hold our ground on the European front, support the British forces in North Africa, and at the same time closely monitor the situation in the Far East and the Soviet Union. Regarding the telegram from the Governor-General of Burma, there is one more matter that needs your discussion. The Taishan Group has offered to pay $500,000 to purchase a large island in the Andaman Islands for the purpose of establishing a material reserve and research base."

He briefly explained the situation in the Andaman Islands, adding, "The Andaman Islands are remote and barren, with no economic or strategic value to us. Maintaining our rule there has always required significant financial and military investment, and it has become a burden. The Taishan Group's proposal would save us an expense and provide us with substantial funds to support the war effort. I believe this deal is worth pursuing."

The lawmakers discussed it animatedly, with most expressing their agreement.

One member of parliament said, "The Prime Minister is right. The Andaman Islands are of no use to us. Rather than leaving them idle, we should transfer them to the Taishan Group in exchange for funds to support the war effort. Moreover, the Taishan Group can produce advanced walkie-talkies, and maintaining a good cooperative relationship with them will also benefit us."

After a brief discussion, the lawmakers unanimously agreed to Fang Wen's proposal to purchase the island.

Churchill announced: "Very well, since all members of parliament agree, then immediately send a telegram back to the Governor-General of Burma, authorizing him to sign a transfer agreement with the Taishan Group and complete the transaction as soon as possible. At the same time, continue to closely monitor the movements of the German and Japanese armies and be prepared to respond at any time."

After the meeting ended, the members of parliament left one by one, leaving Churchill alone in the chamber, gazing at the gloomy sky outside the window, his mind filled with many thoughts.

In May 1941, the war situation was turbulent, with Germany launching attacks on multiple fronts, and the future of the British Empire was fraught with uncertainty.

But he firmly believed in his heart that he would win the war.

Fang Wen, far away in the East, was unaware that his name had been mentioned in the British House of Lords.

At this moment, he is piloting a plane over the Andaman Islands to observe and select a suitable island.

The Andaman Islands consist of the North Andaman Islands, the Central Andaman Islands, and the South Andaman Islands, as well as Randfar Island, West Island, Little Andaman Island, and other islands.

This is a large area with a sparse population, mostly indigenous people, and the island is covered with lush and dense trees.

In the future, this place will belong to India.

When India gained independence, the British were too lazy to deal with the island, and it simply became an Indian overseas territory. (End of Chapter)