Hearing MacArthur's commotion, the staff officers raised their heads. They saw MacArthur shout involuntarily, then continue to look at the map with the corncob pipe in his mouth.

MacArthur himself didn't notice his gaffe just now. He stared at the map intently with the corncob pipe in his mouth. The map showed that the Chinese army was advancing on three routes in India, but only on one route on the Indochina Peninsula.

MacArthur, who set the highest academic score in the history of West Point and later served as the Superintendent of West Point, had never quite understood why China's combat method was so "simple." Obviously having a large number of troops, and Commander Zheng Silang being a brave general, under normal circumstances, the Chinese army should advance on both land and sea on the Indochina Peninsula and attack from multiple points.

To date, the Chinese army had insisted on advancing steadily along the Indochina Peninsula. MacArthur had very deep attainments in military engineering. He judged from the air combat figures of these days that China had built many temporary airfields in northern Malaya, creating good conditions for continuous sorties by the Chinese Air Force. If MacArthur had such conditions, he would definitely give it a go.

The Strait of Malacca was the most important channel for the Pacific Ocean to enter the Indian Ocean. Once China seized Malacca, it could transport a large amount of personnel, equipment, and materials to the Indian Ocean. In order to prevent this from happening, Britain and the United States both put their most elite forces in the Malacca region to fight China.

Until just now, a thought suddenly popped up. If China's highest priority campaign goal was not to seize Malacca, but to mobilize the elites of Britain, the Netherlands, and the United States to the Strait of Malacca and consume them completely... MacArthur found that all previous actions of the Chinese army had a reasonable explanation.

The exclamation just now was just involuntary. MacArthur combed through the map carefully and gradually confirmed that his idea could explain everything that happened.

In the Indian Ocean, Britain was fighting China almost independently. In the Pacific, the power of the Netherlands was basically negligible, and because the United States had not declared war on China, its aid to Britain was constrained. China made full use of the status quo to mobilize British and American elites to Malacca, an area at the end of British and American shipping capabilities.

Everyone knew that Malacca was the key channel for the Pacific Ocean to enter the Indian Ocean. Once China took the Strait of Malacca, it cut off the connection between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Britain and the United States could never give up Malacca. In this war of attrition, China only needed to maintain a supply line 3,000 kilometers long, while the British and American supply lines were as long as 30,000 kilometers. Even with the powerful national strength of the United States, the burden was too heavy.

Worse still, China's battlefield was not only the Malacca region. In the Indian region, the battlefield was divided into three parts: the northern Aksai Chin region, the eastern Assam region, and the southern Burma region. Most of the claimed 3 million British troops were British Indian troops with little combat effectiveness, while 1 million Chinese troops were elite National Defense Forces. No matter how one looked at it, China had the advantage.

Even if Britain and the United States held on in Malacca, Britain could not withstand the loss of losing India. When India was in an emergency, priority would inevitably be given to India, and British troops in Malacca would likely be transferred to aid. At that time, it would be the turn of the constrained United States to hold on to Malacca for Britain to the death.

Maintaining continuous fighting in the Malacca region through a 30,000-kilometer supply line, the United States couldn't hold on either. To reverse such a situation, the United States only had to actively declare war on China and pour the power of the whole United States into fighting China.

If the situation developed like this, it highlighted the value of China consuming American elite forces at this time. The more American elites were consumed in Malacca, the weaker the relative strength of the United States would be when war started later. Moreover, the United States fought in the Western Pacific with too long a supply line, while China had a short supply line and waited at ease for the fatigued enemy; the advantage was very large.

There was also a worst-case scenario: the gentlemen in the US Congress might be scared upon seeing the results of the cruel war of attrition, and instead of daring to rise up and fight, they might choose to continue fighting a war of attrition with China in Malacca.

Thinking of this, MacArthur just felt his head buzzing. Strategic disadvantages basically could not be salvaged through tactical advantages, not to mention that China was not at a disadvantage tactically, and even had a small advantage.

Having a reasonable line of thought, MacArthur was not anxious anymore. He focused on thinking about ways to break the deadlock. Increasing troops was definitely not advisable. The airspace of the Battle of Malacca was only so big; there was no difference between 3,000 and 30,000 fighters. To win by attacking, only by organizing a powerful army to counterattack China and drive the Chinese army out of Malaya.

Using a 30,000-kilometer supply line to prepare for a campaign of this scale would take at least half a year. Now the US Air Force lost hundreds of fighters every day. Fighting at the current intensity for half a year, the United States itself would be drained first.

If they couldn't fight on, they had to retreat. Someone had to be responsible for the retreat. Giving up such a key strategic point as Malacca required someone to be responsible even more. At that time, even MacArthur was afraid he couldn't carry it. But MacArthur was increasingly inclined to give up the burden of Malacca.

After China seized Malacca, it would certainly expand recklessly in the Western Pacific, and Britain and the United States would face contraction. But contraction might not be a bad thing; Britain and the United States could shorten the defense line and condense their strength. China's expansion would burden China with a heavy logistical load, diluting China's power.

Of course, expansion also had many benefits. China could obtain resources in Southeast Asia and supplement China's strength to a certain extent. MacArthur couldn't calculate it clearly himself, so he got up and ordered the staff officers to calculate.

On November 5, the air battle continued. Fighting until dusk, Major General Michael, Commander of the US Aid Force, received the news that the Chinese Air Force had disengaged from the battlefield, and immediately issued an order to the 55th Flight Group: "Sortie according to plan!"

Watching the fighters of the 55th Flight Group take off one by one, Major General Michael, who knew the danger of this sortie well, waited for the last fighter to take off, raised his hand in salute in the direction the planes left in the tower, paying tribute to these warriors.

Even if it was dangerous, Major General Michael had to do this. China built temporary airfields too fast. According to intelligence obtained by British and American air forces risking death for reconnaissance, China had built at least 6 temporary airfields in northern Malaya. The American fighter that managed to escape back was scarred, but fortunately, the camera equipment was still intact. The developed photos showed that China's temporary airfields were still expanding in scale. Judging from the length and number of runways being added, the airfields could accommodate a whole group of aircraft after completion.

These airfields posed too great a threat to the war, so Major General Michael decided to bomb them. The bombing time was chosen at dusk so that they could retreat immediately if they missed the hit.

The Malaya region had a hilly terrain. The area near the Indian Ocean was a high slope, and there were also many hills in other areas. China had installed radar on every peak. Before it got dark, observers at several radar stations facing the Indian Ocean saw a large number of light spots coming from the sea direction on the screen and immediately contacted their superiors.

This air force was exactly the US 55th Flight Group, which used P-47 fighters entirely. Although the P-51 fighter had better aerial dogfighting performance, the target of this operation was an air raid. The P-47 fighter, which was larger and could carry larger bombs, was more suitable for this battle.

Before the 55th Flight Group arrived at the destination, a team of Chinese fighters suddenly charged out from the clouds above. The two nearest US fighters were hit successively before they could dodge, and the planes fell directly with rolling thick smoke. The captain of the 55th Flight Group knew the mission had failed, so he immediately ordered all planes to drop their bombs and return quickly.

But there were five Chinese flight groups sortieing this time. Before the 55th Flight Group could get rid of the pursuit from the rear, another Chinese flight group flew from the front to intercept.

Facing encirclement and interception, the fighters in the 55th Flight Group that were not bitten gave up air combat and fled south at maximum speed. The Group Captain of the 55th Group was also among them. The fleet did not fly far south before he immediately ordered, "Turn east, fly towards the Philippines."

The escaped American pilots immediately obeyed. Not long after changing direction, they saw a large number of planes flying from the south, obviously the Chinese Air Force ambushing American planes. Seeing that the American planes did not enter the encirclement, they immediately chased after them.

The American pilots who survived until now were like stray dogs, panic-stricken like fish that escaped the net, all advancing towards the Philippines at the fastest flight speed. The radio station of the Philippines Command had already contacted the 55th Flight Group. The US military command not only told the 55th Flight Group that the airfield for landing was ready but also informed them that the US Air Force had also taken off to meet them.

The communication used codes. Outside Cam Ranh Bay, the three aircraft carrier battle groups of the Sino-Japanese Coalition received the content of the telegram, and the computers on the aircraft carriers were deciphering the codes at full speed. During this time, the intelligence team of the Coalition had been carrying out deciphering work, and 80% of the codes currently used by the United States had been deciphered.

At this time, Joint Navy Commander Yamamoto did not need deciphering. When the radar network and the aircraft group determined the direction of action of the US Air Force, analyzed from a military perspective, the choices for US fighters were few. If this US force was unwilling to crash into the sea, they had only one choice left: flee back to the Philippines.

More than a week after the war started, the Joint Navy had no chance to appear except for providing escorts. At this time, finally being able to show the naval power of the Coalition, Yamamoto was in a good mood. His order was simple: "Cruisers go to the designated sea area for radar reconnaissance, carrier-based fighters take off to intercept. Do not let the enemy escape."

An hour later, the pilots of the 55th Air Group, who had gradually shaken off the pursuit of the Chinese Air Force, finally breathed a sigh of relief. The straight-line distance from Kuala Lumpur to Manila was 2,470 kilometers, and the P-47 could fly more than 2,700 kilometers. The 55th Group also carried drop tanks before departure, and only dropped the drop tanks and bombs when encountering an ambush. With the range of the P-47, it was enough to fly to the airfield. Escaping death this time, the American pilots all felt very lucky. Moreover, although the sun could still be seen at high altitude at this time, as long as they flew down, they could disappear into the night. The 55th Flight Group was finally safe.

The 55th Flight Group Captain even laughed three times on the radio. "Brothers, back in Manila, drinks are on me!"

As soon as the voice fell, several teams of planes suddenly jumped out of the clouds in front. Compared with the slender and elegant J-9, these planes were much smaller, appearing round and chubby, looking a bit cute. But the extremely flexible actions of these planes made the American pilots of the 55th Flight Group feel a sharp killing intent.

There were only planes from China, the US, and Britain in this sea area. The US and Britain were basically using US-made planes now. The planes in front were unfamiliar, but the nose extremely similar to the J-9 was enough to prove that this was a Chinese fighter. American pilots were ready for war at any time, and at this time they entered a combat state immediately.

As soon as the two sides met, the Chinese planes soared into the sky with unimaginable climbing speed and disappeared from the field of vision of the American pilots. A moment later, from above where these Chinese planes disappeared, bullets rained down like a storm. American planes were hit one after another, losing control unwillingly and falling towards the sea surface.

Some American pilots dived down from the beginning, trying to enter the darkness below to avoid battle. But although their diving speed was fast, the opponent's speed was faster. A moment later, they bit the American planes tightly. The American fighters were soon hit by violent shooting and plunged directly downwards.

Some American pilots also tried to use spiraling tactics. Although they were in the inner circle with a short turning distance, the Chinese planes in the outer circle surprisingly flew in front of the American planes very quickly, showing amazing spiraling and acceleration capabilities. The American planes were then occupied by Chinese planes in advantageous positions and shot down by dense machine gun bullets.

At this time, a large number of parachutes appeared in the sky. Although the air was still relatively bright, the sea surface was already very dark. But pilots with excellent eyesight could still barely see many wakes drawn by ships sailing on the sea surface. This made the parachuting American pilots secretly breathe a sigh of relief; being captured was much better than drowning.

The US 55th Air Group was completely annihilated. Both the Philippines Command and the Singapore Command received their last telegrams. Both Britain and the US immediately made a judgment: China had deployed radar stations in the occupied Malaya region, and sneak attacks had become extremely difficult. If they wanted to defeat the Chinese Air Force, they could only rely on frontal storming.

MacArthur ignored the depressed looks of the staff officers in the headquarters. He asked the staff to give today's battle loss situation immediately. The US staff officers quickly brought the statistical table. MacArthur's gaze swept over the number 233, and he felt irritable in his heart. After further thinking today, he had already sent his views to the US Army General Staff. MacArthur suggested that the US military temporarily withdraw from Singapore and accept the subsequent situation changes.

Judging from today's loss figures, if the daily consumption reached 233 fighters, the United States would lose 6,990 fighters a month. The United States' more than 30,000 fighter pilots were only enough to be consumed for 5 months. Given the importance of the air force in war, the United States would immediately lose control of the sea. MacArthur ordered the staff officer, "Send a telegram to the Air Force in code, prepare to evacuate Singapore."

Yamamoto Isoroku was listening to the news sent back by the ships rescuing American pilots on the flagship *Yamato*. At this time, the aircraft carrier formation was ready to guard against US night raids. Although night raids had lost suddenness under air defense radar surveillance, and night raid efficiency was very low in the dark, Yamamoto still did not relax at all.

At this time, the Coalition frigates had rescued 29 US pilots. These 29 people were all tracked by ships long ago, and helicopters were sent to locate them. As for the US pilots who had not been rescued yet, they belonged to those who failed to be tracked accurately from the beginning. In the night, one could only hope that they were lucky enough to last until dawn tomorrow.

Just as Yamamoto was preparing to contact the headquarters, Colonel Li Mei, who was responsible for intelligence, walked excitedly into the aircraft carrier command post. "Report Commander Yamamoto, we believe we have deciphered the US military's A9 code, and received a telegram sent by the US military using the A9 code just now. Please have a look, Commander Yamamoto."

Yamamoto Isoroku took the telegram and saw it read: "Your unit begins preparations for evacuation from Singapore tomorrow. Specific details will be discussed face-to-face by personnel sent by the headquarters to Singapore tomorrow."

After a little thought, Yamamoto tended to believe that the US military's A9 code had really been cracked. The so-called "A9 code" was the name given to the US code by the Coalition; the Coalition did not know how the US military named this set of codes themselves. In Yamamoto's view, the US withdrawal was a wise choice. Yamamoto himself hoped that the Coalition could sweep Southeast Asia like a tiger descending the mountain. But Committee Member Li Runshi of the Chinese Military Commission, who was responsible for the southern campaign, insisted on supporting He Rui's idea of a war of attrition.

Yamamoto was convinced by He Rui and could also understand the advantages of a war of attrition. To date, the Chinese Air Force had damaged or shot down nearly a thousand US planes. Pilots were originally elites of various countries, and they had to undergo three years of flight training after selection. Although Yamamoto respected He Rui very much and also recognized the power of the Chinese Air Force, he still had a little sense of superiority regarding the average level of the Chinese Air Force. Because Japan cultivated pilots on an elite route. Now the slightly over one thousand Japanese pilots were all elites, and their average level was a little bit higher than that of the 300,000 Chinese pilots.

Although he had such a small desire to win, Yamamoto still frankly admitted that if China and Japan went to war, the Japanese elite pilots would be completely exhausted within three months. Japan would then have no air force to use and would be crushed by the overwhelming Chinese Air Force.

As far as Yamamoto knew about the situation in the United States, the batch of American pilots currently fighting China was about the same. The United States had vast land, a population of only 110 million, and very many large farms. The work of spraying pesticides on these large farms was basically undertaken by young people. So the foundation of the US Air Force was very good; at least half of the first batch of more than 30,000 pilots had sufficient flight experience before joining the army.

If Yamamoto and MacArthur were to switch places, Yamamoto would not allow these elite pilots to be wiped out in vain in a doomed war of attrition. But the onlooker sees clearly while the participant is baffled; MacArthur was in the midst of it and could still make the decision to retreat. This boldness made Yamamoto appreciate him very much.

But since the news of MacArthur's decision to retreat fell into Yamamoto's hands, these US troops must not be allowed to leave Singapore as easily as walking through a city gate. Yamamoto immediately convened staff officers to start formulating a plan. On the morning of November 6, the plan was sent to Li Runshi, who actually commanded the entire southern campaign.