Hawaii did not become a state until 1959; at this stage, it was merely a US territory. The core island of Oahu, where Honolulu is located, covers an area of 1,554 square kilometers, and the United States had established massive naval bases and airfields there.

At this moment, the various airfields of Honolulu were densely packed with fighter jets, with formations taking off incessantly. These formations were not heading directly for Midway Island, but rather to islands further west in the Hawaiian chain. The ferry range of the P-47 was over 2,700 kilometers, and the P-51 over 3,700 kilometers. They could not fly directly from Honolulu to Midway for combat; they had to land and refuel at other Hawaiian islands closer to Midway before they could proceed to the battle.

The US military was well aware of the significance of the Hawaiian Islands. At this time, the number of fighter aircraft on the islands exceeded 8,000, and including carrier-based aircraft, the total was over 10,000. Now that even the combat groups on the eastern island of Honolulu were being mobilized, the sharp-witted pilots understood just how intense the situation at the front line must be.

Lieutenant Harris was a land-based pilot with over 30 combat sorties. His earliest combat experience had been flying from Singapore during the aid to Britain, where he had the fortune to participate in the "Battle of a Thousand Planes." That battle had left a deep impression on Lieutenant Harris. Chinese and American fighters had filled the sky, and the explosive sparks of death blossomed in the air.

In his hometown in Maine, as an Air Force pilot, Harris was the center of the girls' attention every time he went home on leave. But in the skies over Singapore, he was just one of thousands of fighter pilots.

Since then, Lieutenant Harris had understood that he was merely an insignificant member of a normal, grand-scale war. There was a vicious joke circulating in the US military now: planes were "dry goods," and pilots were "wet goods." Whether dry or wet, they were all consumables of war.

Harris felt his luck was good. He had participated in twelve air battles and survived with all his limbs intact, even shooting down two Chinese fighters. Afterwards, Harris received orders to return to the Hawaii command with other outstanding comrades to teach combat tactics to their Air Force peers. Not long after arriving in Hawaii, he learned the news that the US forces withdrawing from the Singapore theater had been intercepted and slaughtered by the Chinese Naval Aviation in the Sulu Sea. If Lieutenant Harris hadn't left early, he likely would have faced fatal danger over the Sulu Sea as well.

Now, flying a P-51, Lieutenant Harris left Honolulu, first arriving at Kauai airfield to refuel, and then proceeding towards Midway Island with his flight group. Guided by various US navigational beacons along the way, the formation did not get lost over the sea but headed straight for Midway.

Just as they arrived near Midway, they saw the Japanese fighters over the island scattering like a school of frightened fish, moving away from Midway in waves. Lieutenant Harris was somewhat surprised. he had always felt that Asia was China, and China was Asia. Japan's status relative to China was like Maine's relative to the United States. So, seeing the US forces arrive, the opposing Chinese pilots shouldn't have scattered in such a panic. In Singapore, the Chinese pilots had shown absolutely no fear of battle.

Before Lieutenant Harris could figure it out, he heard someone shouting angrily over the radio, "Dammit! The Chinese are dropping poison gas on Midway!"

Harris was stunned. Dropping poison gas on an island? That was a tactic he had never heard of. Moreover, the United States was a major power itself—did the Chinese dare to use gas attacks against the US? Were they not afraid of American retaliation?

Before Harris could process this, he saw a sky-high explosion suddenly erupt on Midway. Balls of fire expanded in layers in a diffusion pattern Harris had never seen before. Many American fighters over Midway were swallowed by the giant waves of fire, and planes further away lost control, blown away like toys by the blast.

There was no time to think. Harris only felt his fighter plane shaking violently, as if hit by a hurricane. Almost subconsciously pulling the control stick, Harris flew towards a safe direction on the periphery. After flying for several kilometers, the plane finally stabilized. Only then did Harris's attention return to his headset, which was filled with howling. The comrades of his flight group were cursing and screaming, inadvertently revealing their current state. In the sky, the US formation was in chaos, flying around like headless flies. At higher altitudes, the "Chinese fighters" that had just fled had now occupied the superior position and were diving down for the kill.

"Damn it!" Harris cursed, then fled towards safety. Even in this chaotic moment, he managed to steal a glance at Midway. He saw the entire island shrouded in fire and thick smoke. The vast sea seemed to have sunk into the flames of hell; the shape of the island was completely invisible.

The cloud bomb [fuel-air explosive] is not a conventional explosive weapon, but a type of incendiary bomb. After the warhead lands, it first releases a large amount of combustible gaseous material, forming an aerosol in the air, and then detonates. When the aerosol burns violently, it consumes the oxygen in the vast area it covers, killing enemies over a large area through high temperature, severe hypoxia, and blast shock.

It wasn't just the US military that was frightened by the power of the explosion; the Japanese forces were equally shocked. Seeing several square kilometers turn into a sea of fire in an instant, any normal soldier witnessing it for the first time felt the terror of war.

These shocked Japanese soldiers sent the news back to the Combined Fleet Headquarters. Yamaguchi Tamon read several telegrams in succession, confirming that Midway had been subjected to devastating fire coverage. Although the wording of the telegrams was somewhat chaotic, making it unclear to Yamaguchi exactly what had stimulated the frontline soldiers, he didn't care about that. He stood up abruptly and shouted to Lieutenant General Hatoyama Kōichi, who was in charge of the landing operation in the command center: "Order the landing troops to land immediately at all costs! Set up radar and air defense equipment!"

Lieutenant General Hatoyama Kōichi did not hesitate at all. With a loud "Hai!", he ran out of the command room, his face full of excitement.

Yamaguchi Tamon turned to the other officers. "Have we found the US aircraft carriers yet?"

The officers looked at Rear Admiral Harada, who was in charge of the search. The Rear Admiral stepped forward and answered, "Apologies, we still haven't found them."

Yamaguchi did not reprimand Rear Admiral Harada, but shouted with agitation, "Then keep looking! If the US military had any reservations before, they have none now! The Americans should be very clear that if they give up Midway, it is equivalent to giving up all of Hawaii!"

These words made the Japanese officers shudder silently. Although Yamaguchi had a rough personality, no one in the Japanese officer corps dared to question his operational judgment. Up to now, many officers in the Japanese Navy did not want a decisive battle with the US Navy. They preferred to attract the US forces towards Hawaii, letting the Chinese Army, Navy, and Air Force constantly seize islands in the Pacific, thereby forcing the US military into a dilemma. This would allow the Japanese military to win the greatest results with the minimum losses.

Yamaguchi Tamon was not wrong. Once the Japanese army landed on Midway and established an airfield link between Wake Island and Midway, the Japanese army could use land-based aviation in coordination with the navy to contest the Hawaiian Islands. The US military would have no room to retreat. Thinking of the losses Japan would have to bear, many naval officers felt their hearts beating uncontrollably faster.

"Send a report to the Allied Navy Headquarters in Asia and the Japanese Ministry of Defense immediately. Report the battle situation!" After adding this order, Yamaguchi Tamon strode to the chart and began to examine it.

***

Ten minutes later, Yamamoto picked up the telegram and read it, unable to help a slight sigh. Yamamoto also believed that the US military would absolutely not retreat. Thinking of the great battle the Japanese Combined Fleet was about to face, the image of Yamaguchi Tamon's ferocious face floated in Yamamoto's mind.

Sighing gently again, Yamamoto ordered, "Send a telegram to Marshal He Rui." After speaking, he stood up with his hands behind his back and walked out of the command room. Deep in his heart, Yamamoto both looked forward to the Japanese Combined Fleet winning the impending tragic battle and worried that Yamaguchi's uncompromising command style would cause the Japanese Navy to suffer huge losses.

But in war, there is no return without sacrifice. Up to now, apart from the Chinese army, the army rushing to the very front of the Asian Alliance was the army of the Republic of Upper Burma.

In the past month, the Korean President had submitted a letter to He Rui. In the letter, he strongly expressed Korea's willingness to dispatch one million troops to participate in the war, and requested that China directly command these one million troops.

Yamamoto understood Korea's thinking very well. Given China's traditional way of leading Asia, as long as China won this war, Korea would inevitably have a bright future. And the more effort Korea contributed to the war, the higher the returns it would receive. Japan could also obtain a bright future, but exactly how bright it would be was directly linked to Japan's contribution.

Soon, Yamamoto put away his emotions. He could now only hope that the Japanese Combined Fleet commanded by Yamaguchi could display powerful combat effectiveness and deal a heavy blow to the US Pacific Fleet.

***

At this time, Japanese Prime Minister Ishiwara got off the plane. Seeing that it was almost evening, Ishiwara held his wife's hand, gave a polite smile to the Japanese reporters, and hurriedly got into the car.

Inside the car, Ishiwara said to the Japanese Ambassador to China, "Time is tight today, so I won't go to the embassy. He-kun is not a man who cares about minor details."

The Japanese Ambassador to China quickly replied, "Hai!" Only then did he order the driver, "Go directly to Chairman He's official residence."

At dusk, the convoy entered No. 7 Renmin Road. Lady Guangzi [Hikari?] was waiting at the building entrance with her son to welcome Ishiwara. After the greetings, Guangzi saw the urgency on Ishiwara's face and smiled, "He-kun is waiting for you in the living room. I'll have a few words with your wife before we go in."

Ishiwara agreed and was about to enter, but Mrs. Ishiwara pulled him back and shoved a gift into his hands. Ishiwara walked quickly into the living room holding the gift and saw He Rui reading documents. Hearing Ishiwara enter, He Rui stood up and smiled, "Ishiwara, Yamaguchi-kun still has that temper. He grounded two warships on Midway."

Ishiwara had received the telegram, so he wasn't surprised. He presented the gift. "I am very happy to see that He-kun is in good health."

He Rui thanked him, handed the gift to his secretary, and invited Ishiwara to sit. "Speak, why have you run here in such a hurry?"

"Teacher, I heard that Korea submitted a memorial to you?" Ishiwara said jokingly.

He Rui felt that this fellow Ishiwara was getting more and more cunning, so he nodded deliberately. "Korean President Kim wrote me a letter. How did it become a 'memorial' in your mouth?"

Seeing He Rui so frank, Ishiwara felt much more at ease and asked, "It is said that President Kim quoted a passage from the *Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty* in his letter: 'China is the parent; our country and Japan are both foreign countries, like children. However, our country is a filial son, while Japan is a rebellious son; how can we be treated equally!' I wonder if this is true."

"Heh heh..." He Rui couldn't help but chuckle dryly. When he first saw this passage in the letter, he had indeed felt a bit surprised. Kim Gu's thinking wasn't unusual, but writing it so nakedly in a letter to win more benefits for Korea made He Rui wonder if Kim Gu's thinking was a bit too archaic. Or was Kim Gu trying to use the traditional relationship between China and Korea to influence Chinese public opinion?

"Teacher, I think this news was deliberately leaked to Japan by Korea." Ishiwara began to sow discord very frankly. Ishiwara believed that He Rui was too smart, so lying to him was meaningless. Korea's demands were not excessive; if Japan's future benefits depended on Japan's contribution to the war, Korea's future benefits depended on Korea's sacrifices in the war.

He Rui didn't dislike Ishiwara's attitude. The historical Ishiwara had been just this roguish—after launching the September 18th Incident, he had actually kept demanding that Japan must not provoke China any further and should be friendly with China. This was truly no ordinary brazenness.

Since Ishiwara was so frank, He Rui didn't want to waste words and asked directly, "Is this your view, or the Japanese Cabinet's view?"

Hearing this, Ishiwara immediately sat up straight and replied, "The guys in the Cabinet feel we should wait and see, but I felt I must come to discuss this matter with Teacher. I want to state first that the Japanese government is very moved by the consistent restraint of Teacher's government. The Japanese government has also profoundly realized the errors of colonialism and has conducted a comprehensive reflection on this. Japan, now and in the future, will take the maintenance of peace as its primary foreign policy."

Listening to Ishiwara's speech, He Rui felt that this guy's nature would absolutely never change. As a strategist, Ishiwara would change his strategy at any time according to the status quo; this was the characteristic of a strategist. As for whether this guy would maintain peace, He Rui never harbored any illusions.

Fortunately, Ishiwara was a strategist. This speech proved that Ishiwara admitted Korea had reasons to hate Japan and was prepared to face Korea's hatred with a sincere attitude. At least he was heading in the right direction. After Ishiwara finished this part, He Rui asked, "And then?"

Ishiwara bowed slightly, lowered his head, and asked, "Teacher, I would like to ask you. How will China treat the relationship between Japan and Korea?"

He Rui didn't coddle Ishiwara and answered frankly, "It is a fact that Japan is ahead of Korea in the industrial field. The future new order is one where the whole world develops and progresses together. Korea's industry will inevitably continue to develop."

Hearing this, Ishiwara's heart churned. Thirty years ago, He Rui had described the future world this way. At that time, Ishiwara had just felt that many of He Rui's ideas were too idealistic. Thirty years later, today, He Rui still wanted to do this, but what Ishiwara felt was a sense of helplessness.

He Rui hadn't changed, and Ishiwara hadn't changed much either. But as He Rui and Ishiwara became leaders of their respective countries, the pressure Ishiwara bore was completely different. The Japanese Cabinet knew very well that Korea was playing the emotional card, expressing obedience with genuflection, just to get China's help through Korea's contribution in the Second World War and become a true industrial country.

In the eyes of the Japanese Cabinet, if Korea became an industrial country, it would become Japan's competitor. The world market was only so big; if Korea took a piece, Japan would have one less. So what the Japanese Cabinet cared about most was to what extent China would allow Korea to industrialize, and what impact Korea's industrialization would have on Japan.

In the current world, the person who could decide these things was He Rui. That was why Ishiwara had run to the capital to see He Rui and seek his attitude. Now it seemed that since He Rui's attitude hadn't changed, Korea might become a tough competitor for Japan.

Thinking of this, Ishiwara pleaded, "Teacher, can you analyze the future economic situation of the world for me?"

He Rui happened to be dealing with this matter during this period. The exchange of scholars from various countries in the name of putting colonialism on trial was a mid-war conference. That was why He Rui had allowed a German Field Marshal like Reichenau to come to China forcefully identifying as a German scholar.

The Second World War had been fought to this point, and its process had exceeded He Rui's imagination. Although strategic considerations must be serious and cold, He Rui felt that the situation was developing a little bit better than imagined. Since Ishiwara had come specifically to ask, He Rui also wanted to hear Ishiwara's views, so he said, "In the past, wars ended either because they couldn't be fought anymore, or because destroying the opponent's production capacity was a major goal. But this war will not be exactly the same. I believe that in the future new world order, through worldwide economic, technical, and cultural cooperation, the world economy can be pushed to a brand new height in a very short time. At least in the next twenty years, the world economy will show unprecedented explosive development. So the worry about being marginalized—this idea is not keeping up with the situation.

"Ishiwara-kun, I think you can understand to this level."

Ishiwara sighed in his heart. It wasn't that he couldn't understand He Rui's ideal. But politics is the continuation of economics; it is an incredibly serious matter. No matter how lofty He Rui's ideals were, they had to face cold reality.

But since He Rui had asked, Ishiwara wasn't going to fudge it. He replied, "Teacher, based on my understanding of you, you do not intend to restrict yourself, so I don't think the market will become that huge. Because at this stage, if you want a ceasefire, you must promise benefits to Europe and America. If you divide this portion of the benefits out, the market scale will be much smaller."

"I convened this meeting to give Europe and America the bottom line. If they still want to carve up the market using the old model, then they have misunderstood the purpose and meaning of this war. The New Order is not an order of plunder, but an order of cooperation and development. Advanced countries have an obligation to help backward countries, and it must be genuine help. So I personally am not that optimistic; I don't think peace will just descend.

"Because I think Europe and America will be very clear that if they lose the markets of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, relying solely on their own domestic economies, they will have a minor economic crisis every three years and a major economic crisis every nine years. They simply cannot solve their domestic problems."

Hearing this, Ishiwara sighed, "Teacher, I think you overestimate the European and American countries. You can understand such a future, but Europe really cannot understand it! Unless their homelands are thoroughly liberated, they really won't believe that what you say is true."

He Rui found Ishiwara's old-school thinking quite interesting, but this judgment might not necessarily be wrong. He asked, "Ishiwara, who do you think will be the main force advocating for war next? Will it be the capital of various countries? Or the politicians? Or will it be the people of various countries?"

Ishiwara answered decisively, "I don't know who will support it, I only know that the first to withdraw from the war will be the capital of various countries, followed by the politicians, and finally the people of various countries!"