December 25, 1941, Christmas Day in the West. Photographs of the heads of state of the United States, Germany, Britain, and Italy were published in American newspapers. Occupying the center positions were U.S. President Roosevelt and Nazi German Führer Hitler. British Prime Minister Churchill sat beside Roosevelt, while Italian Prime Minister Mussolini sat beside Hitler.

In the photos, the four Allied leaders appeared cordial. The newspapers published their joint statement from the meeting, which included pledges to go all out to defeat the Asian Alliance that threatened world peace, ensure the legal status of Jews in Madagascar, eliminate racial discrimination, establish fair, free, and open world trade, and advance the development of human civilization.

Many Americans were heartened by the fruitful success of the Allied Leaders' Conference, though a minority felt disdain for such diplomatic achievements. This was especially true of the American Left, who had suffered fierce suppression and held an even more negative view of Roosevelt.

The American Left had once been a significant force supporting Roosevelt's election, and Roosevelt had collaborated quite closely with them after taking office. But by 1940, in order to declare war on China, Roosevelt began a fierce crackdown on the Communist Party USA and other left-wing forces.

The American Left was anti-war, but in terms of influence, they fell far short of the American isolationists. Under the fierce crackdown, large numbers of leftists, especially those from the CPUSA, were either imprisoned or fled to Mexico. The left-wing figures who could still move freely in American society were merely those who were pro-labor in stance but had little interaction with the Communist Party.

Even these politically moderate figures, seeing the Allied leaders, recalled the propaganda slogan of the Communists over the years: "After we leave, they will build schools and hospitals for you, and they will raise your wages. This is not because their consciences have awakened, nor because they have become good people, but because we came."

They watched anti-Semitic Europe claim to protect the rights of Jews in Madagascar, racial-segregationist America declare the elimination of racial discrimination, the Imperial Preference-holding Britain advocate for a fair, free, and open world trade system, and white nations that had slaughtered millions of Native Americans and blacks acknowledge the advancement of human civilization. All of this was simply because China had raised the great banners of anti-imperialism, anti-colonialism, anti-feudalism, and anti-bureaucratic capitalism earlier, and was establishing a brand-new world based on military strength.

These left-wing figures could only think such thoughts; they dared not speak them. Because by now, the American Left was certain that Roosevelt's fierce crackdown on them was intended to gain the support of right-wing forces in the US. There were too many people in America who wanted to thoroughly exterminate the Left, or at least kill off the Communists. Roosevelt, so far, had merely not publicly announced his accession to the Anti-Comintern Pact; in specific anti-communist actions, he had done no less than Nazi Germany.

A few days later, on January 1, 1942, the Chinese intelligence department received a message from within the CIA: "The US, UK, and Germany have jointly established a Jet Aircraft Research Center. They strive to produce an advanced jet fighter within 1942, based on German and British technology."

Since jet combat had never been publicized within China, the comrades at the Intelligence Bureau who first received this message did not understand what it meant. And the personnel within the CIA, due to the high-pressure situation domestically, did not send further details to protect themselves.

Before this message reached the high levels of the Intelligence Bureau, the bureau comrades only knew that the three Allied nations—US, UK, and Germany—were developing a new type of air combat equipment called a "Jet Fighter." As for what a jet fighter actually was, the comrades were unclear.

When the news reached the Military Commission, Senior Engineer Wang Donglu, responsible for jet engine research and development, immediately received orders to enter the capital. Within one day, Wang Donglu rushed from Sichuan to Beijing and was immediately received by the Military Commission members led by He Rui.

Wang Donglu looked at the intelligence from the US and surprisingly didn't feel much pressure. Looking at the military leaders, he saw that everyone except He Rui looked somewhat grave. At this, Wang Donglu felt even less inclined to offer his opinion proactively. Since He Rui was the one who had first proposed the technical directions and concepts of turbojet, turbofan, and turboprop, and since He Rui hadn't spoken, Wang Donglu felt there was no need for him to speak up first.

He Rui finally spoke. "Chief Engineer Wang, how many more years for the turbofan?"

Wang Donglu replied, "Probably five years. None of the various turbofan engine prototypes have truly succeeded yet; they are all in the technology accumulation stage."

"What is the progress on side intake and belly intake technologies?" He Rui continued to ask.

Wang Donglu answered confidently, "The belly intake mode is closely related to the engine. The side-belly intake mode is already quite mature. The reliable lifespan of our newest turbojet engine has reached 320 hours. The expected engine lifespan during design was 480 hours."

"Are all our jet fighters supersonic?" He Rui asked.

Wang Donglu replied immediately, "Reporting to the Chairman, our fighters can easily achieve supersonic flight in level flight, and basically achieve supersonic combat during turns and climbs. Give us another year, and we can complete a fighter that is truly capable of supersonic combat in all operational environments."

He Rui had no further questions and looked at the other Military Commission members. Most of them looked like they wanted to speak but stopped, while a few had no intention of speaking at all. In the end, Wang Donglu's report concluded like this.

After Wang Donglu left, Hu Xiushan asked, "Chairman, are you certain that the Euro-American jet engines at this stage are only solving the problem of existence?"

He Rui answered confidently, "If they really had clear design parameters by now, jet fighters would have been deployed in combat during the Western European campaign."

Other Military Commission members knew Hu Xiushan didn't like to talk much usually, and assumed he would remain silent after asking this. Unexpectedly, upon hearing He Rui's answer, Hu Xiushan immediately said, "In that case, I firmly support the Chairman's decision."

Xu Chengfeng couldn't help but criticize silently upon hearing this. *The Chairman hasn't said anything yet, how can you support it already?* Despite his silent criticism, Xu Chengfeng himself couldn't judge how great an impact jet fighters would have on air combat.

The China Aircraft Design Bureau had completed the development of a nose-intake jet fighter a few years ago. This fighter was indeed very fast, but the engine reliability lifespan was only 70 hours—it required a major overhaul or even an engine replacement after 20 flights. The cost was too high. Moreover, jet fighters were heavy, generally reaching over 10 tons, and had high runway requirements. No matter how one looked at it, they couldn't compare with the J-9 and J-10.

Precisely because of such cost-efficiency issues, some in the Military Commission's upper echelons who opposed the immediate equipment of jet fighters used the then-unbroken record of airborne radar as an excuse. They argued that nose intakes restricted the installation of radar, which was disadvantageous for air combat.

Xu Chengfeng hadn't said anything at the time, though he had also criticized it in his heart. After all, no practical airborne radar had truly been successfully developed back then.

Now that these equipments were available, Xu Chengfeng didn't want to express his own opinion either. He waited and waited, but still didn't see other comrades expressing their views. Now, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Asian Allied Forces, Xu Chengfeng had to speak. "Do the comrades have other opinions?"

The members present were all renowned military men without exception, yet all indicated they had no opinion. Xu Chengfeng could only ask He Rui, "What is the Chairman's opinion?"

He Rui smiled. "I am not very satisfied with the new fighters. But since Europe and America are cooperating so seriously, if we cherish our own broom too much, we must hurry up and bring out our new models to let the world see."

Hearing this, Cheng Ruofan finally asked, "Chairman, isn't the Euro-American cooperation somewhat inconsistent with geopolitical concepts?"

Xu Chengfeng was stunned when he heard this. Previously, Cheng Ruofan's views on geopolitics had been relatively naive, but he hadn't expected the question to be so sharp this time. And this question was actually what Xu Chengfeng wanted to ask.

At this moment, He Rui signaled Cheng Ruofan to continue. Cheng Ruofan continued to ask, "Apart from Britain, European countries including the Soviet Union do not want American power to penetrate the European continent. America's industrial capacity completely overwhelms all of Europe. From a geopolitical perspective, European countries, especially Germany, should not be choosing to cooperate with the United States so actively. But Germany chose to cooperate with the United States. What is the geopolitical objective?"

"Who does Ruofan think Germany should cooperate with from a geopolitical perspective?" He Rui asked.

Cheng Ruofan answered without hesitation, "Germany's best partner is naturally us, China. But since we will definitely not cooperate with Nazi Germany, then Germany's partner should be France. Cooperating with the United States at this time does not look like a long-term plan for Hitler no matter how you look at it."

He Rui looked at Xu Chengfeng. "How does Chengfeng see it?"

Xu Chengfeng replied, "I agree with the view that Hitler's cooperation with the United States is a short-term choice. Germany's greatest geopolitical rival now is the Soviet Union. Does Germany intend to go to war with the Soviet Union?"

Hearing this, Zhong Yifu couldn't help but say, "I don't think Germany has any intention of initiating war with the Soviet Union. Hitler's fundamental stance is only one thing: to establish the so-called Thousand-Year Reich. Starting a war with the Soviet Union at this stage does not fit Hitler's strategic needs. Could Germany be releasing such goodwill to intimidate the Soviet Union?"

Cheng Ruofan smiled. "Intimidate the Soviet Union? This cooperation is still a secret at this stage."

Zhong Yifu did not agree and immediately retorted, "That's because you don't interact much with revolutionaries from other countries, Ruofan. The Soviet Union's efficiency in obtaining British intelligence is faster and more accurate than the British government itself. A vast number of European progressives believe that the Soviet Union is the future social system of Europe. Since this news couldn't be kept from us, it certainly can't be kept from the Soviet Union."

Cheng Ruofan continued to insist on his view. "I still think this choice by Hitler lacks a reasonable explanation. Germany definitely doesn't know our R&D progress, so there's no reason to rush into cooperation with the Anglo-Americans."

Typically, at this point in the discussion, it would be up to He Rui to provide analysis. But before the comrades could ask He Rui, Hu Xiushan spoke up again. "What if Germany's goal is to cut off the possibility of US-Soviet cooperation?"

Now the Military Commission members all frowned. Even Xu Chengfeng felt that Hu Xiushan's rather impactful view was a bit too radical. The so-called Allies were just short of publicly declaring anti-communism; it seemed impossible for the United States to truly cooperate with the Soviet Union.

Hu Xiushan continued to explain, "A US-Soviet alliance could partition Europe. The United States can only persuade the Soviet Union to stand on its side by offering such chips. If a US-Soviet alliance really appears, can we really make up our minds to attack the Soviet Union?"

Once this was said, the conference room fell silent. Hu Xiushan's explanation had even more impact than his initial point. China was now in a fearless state; since it was already at war with the world's major industrial nations, it would just keep fighting.

But one of the pillars of geopolitics that had allowed China to reach this point was the strategic mutual trust between China and the Soviet Union. Even with a US alliance, China might not be able to immediately change its relationship with the Soviet Union. Hu Xiushan's explanation indeed poked at China's strategic vital point.

Seeing no opposition, Hu Xiushan added, "If the US and Soviet Union partition Europe, Western Europe gets US protection and resistance might not be great. If Central and Eastern Europe are designated as the Soviet sphere of influence, on what grounds would we go to war with the Soviet Union?

"Moreover, from our strategic angle, if we liberate all colonies in Asia and Africa, and also maintain good diplomatic relations with South American countries, can we really not accept this? I think we can accept it.

"The Soviet Union doesn't have a necessity to go to war with us either. Once it obtains Eastern and Central Europe, if the Soviet Union immediately acts as a mediator to reconcile our contradictions with the United States, what should we do?

"There is another possibility. After the Soviet Union gets Central and Eastern Europe, it immediately flips and no longer supports the United States. Would we really want to go to war with the Soviet Union then?"

These scenarios were very pragmatic. China's goal was to defeat world colonialism, not to destroy European nations. Once the US and Soviet Union cooperated, the combined strength of the two countries would indeed put great pressure on China.

After thinking for a while, Xu Chengfeng asked, "Hitler doesn't want to see US-Soviet cooperation, so he wants to build a closer relationship with the United States. This explanation is also not very reasonable."

Cheng Ruofan slapped the table. "What if Germany's goal is to wait for the Soviet Union to attack Germany first? As long as the Soviet Union attacks Germany first, the United States will have no choice but to declare war on the Soviet Union. Everyone must understand the European view. In the eyes of Europeans, the Soviet Union is also that Russia with insatiable greed for territory. Not to mention, the Soviet Union has already completed another expansion through cooperation with Germany. This further solidifies the Soviet Union's image as an aggressor.

"The American public will easily believe such propaganda. And for the United States, whether it can truly control Western Europe is still an uncertain future. But the Soviet Union seizing Central and Eastern Europe is a future that is very easy to be convinced of."

Having discussed this far, everyone looked at He Rui. He Rui had been listening happily; at least the comrades were able to analyze things relatively calmly, rather than relying purely on feelings and emotions.

As for the question itself, He Rui was also unsure of the future direction. Because the Soviet Union's strength at this stage was vastly different from history. In history, the Soviet Union was attacked by Germany in 1941, losing 5 million troops, vast territories, and the industry and agriculture on those lands.

Even so, the industrial strength the Soviet Union had accumulated, along with technical and management support from Britain and America, allowed the Soviet Union to possess military industrial capacity exceeding Germany's by the end of 1942. Plus, the Soviet Union learned warfare in the cruel war. By 1943, the Soviet Union already possessed army tactics and techniques capable of countering Germany. After the attrition of 1943, Germany showed signs of collapse under the blows of the Soviet Red Army in 1944.

But the current Soviet Union not only hadn't suffered a German attack, but had also solved the huge contradiction of its light industrial products failing to meet the people's needs in quality and quantity through cooperation with China. This made the Soviet Union's strength much greater than in history.

So He Rui found it hard to judge whether a Soviet-Finnish war would break out. Theoretically, the current Soviet Union had absolutely no reason to launch a Soviet-Finnish war, but the culture of that country was truly unreliable. He Rui couldn't be sure if Comrade Stalin would move against Finland under various pressures.

As for US-Soviet cooperation, He Rui was equally unsure. Because it was entirely possible for the United States to be satisfied with obtaining leadership of Western Europe. At such a time, as long as the Soviet Union could truly help the United States withdraw from the war with dignity, the United States might really withdraw.

After all, the purpose of this World People's Liberation Movement was not to destroy the United States. With America's resources, if it waited out 20 years, it was possible to join the new world economic system again.

However, the basis of this possibility lay in Stalin having to be wiser than in history, and Roosevelt needing to possess greater power than in history. If their performance was not stronger than in history, this possibility was very low.

But these were He Rui's deductions. Seeing the comrades looking at him with burning gazes, He Rui had to make a prediction about the realistic future. He Rui could only say, "We really have no way to grasp whether the Soviet Union will actively attack Germany. Maybe they will, maybe they won't. At least now, from an economic perspective, the Soviet Union has no need to attack Germany. So once war appears, it means the Soviet Union's strategy is more aggressive than we imagined."