Singapore, the most important waterway controlling the West Pacific to the Indian Ocean, a small jewel in the crown of the British Empire—the news that the Chinese had gouged out this jewel in just one week shook the world.

A fleet centered on three battleships and three heavy cruisers was a combat force that absolutely could not be ignored by any maritime nation. Such a naval force was completely annihilated by the Chinese in two hours. The Chinese were also able to advance hundreds of kilometers within a week, annihilating over a hundred thousand troops, and capturing the fortress of Singapore. For countries around the world, this was undoubtedly a clear signal: the British were not as powerful as imagined.

In Southeast Asia, having expelled the British, China was already the most powerful existence. The Dutch East Indies authorities received a formal meeting request from the consul of the Chinese Consulate in the Dutch East Indies on February 12, 1939. The Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies refused the meeting on the grounds of illness. In a formal diplomatic note, the Chinese Consulate raised two questions: First, why did the Dutch fleet participate in the defense of Singapore when China attacked it? Second, why was the Netherlands preparing to imprison a portion of the Chinese people in the Dutch East Indies?

The Netherlands had followed Britain in Southeast Asia for so long; some warships of the Dutch East Indies authorities fled from Singapore back to Jakarta. These warships brought back news that the entire city of Singapore was burning. Reporters on the warships also brought back photos and short films. Originally, the purpose of these reporters bringing photography and filming equipment was to record how the British and Dutch navies fought bravely. Now, the content recorded by this equipment became evidence of how frenzied the Chinese were in war. Developing film reels took time, but developing photos took much less. The burning Singapore appeared incomparably vivid in the photos, and combined with the terrified statements of the Dutch navy, the demonic image of the Chinese army left a deep impression on the Dutch East Indies authorities.

China's attitude was easily misunderstood, or at least for the Dutch East Indies authorities, they understood it as China being about to make a move on the Dutch East Indies. The Dutch East Indies was a colony, so they naturally had to consider issues from the British standpoint. Even if China actually hoped that the Netherlands could "find their way back" and issue a declaration to "thoroughly reform." For example, if the Netherlands clearly stated they chose neutrality and clearly stated they would no longer get involved in the war between China and Britain.

The Netherlands is a European country. In the habits of European countries, issuing such a menacing diplomatic note was basically equivalent to declaring war. Moreover, China had beaten the Netherlands before and seized Borneo and other places. The Dutch side did not believe that they could obtain China's understanding by "softening" towards China. After the Dutch East Indies side fearfully sent this news to the Queen of the Netherlands, there were no options related to "diplomatic mediation" or "softening" in the discussions between the Queen and the cabinet.

Taking hardline measures against China would simply let the already imminent war break out. Taking a softening approach towards China, while not necessarily gaining China's "understanding," was destined to trigger British hostility.

By February 13, 1939, opposing political parties in the Netherlands such as the Anti-Revolutionary Party, the Liberal Party, and the Socialist Party all agreed on one thing: they could not make any submission to the threat from Asia. Queen Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria, already 59 years old, changed her attitude of trying to maintain neutrality in Europe and agreed to the cabinet's declaration of war. Formally joining the British bloc and declaring war on China. Queen Wilhelmina immediately issued a manifesto titled "The Fiery Protest" to the whole country and even Europe, declaring that Europe must resist the attack of Asian evil communism, hoping that Europe would abandon internal disputes and unite in the face of the evil enemy, China.

Chamberlain burst into tears of excitement over this timely manifesto; the Netherlands was truly giving its all to support Britain. For the Netherlands, which had always tried to extricate itself from the vortex of European strife, this was an extremely difficult decision. The hardliner Churchill in India also greatly praised this manifesto, believing that it "undoubtedly inaugurated a great era" and "clearly pointed out that there is no possibility of compromise between Europe and the evil communist China."

Of course, this was all superficial. Since declaring war on China, Britain had been working hard to lobby other European countries, trying to form a European coalition army against China. Naturally, the commander of the coalition should be British. Britain used all its influence in the Netherlands to try to convince Dutch political parties that after Britain did its utmost to defeat China, it would definitely restore Borneo and other places seized by China to the Netherlands, and even agreed to assign China's Hainan Island as a Dutch colony. With the fueling of the Chinese, the Dutch, under the panic in their hearts and the weighing of interests, finally boarded the British ship.

The Dutch declaration of war meant the demise of the Dutch East Indies. The British Empire was considered "kind" to the Dutch who were giving their all. After the Alliance against China gained a third partner, an agreement was signed in London, which reached the "Treaty of London" for carving up China after the war. The Alliance demanded China's unconditional surrender. After victory, not only would the Borneo and other regions stolen by China be returned to the Netherlands, but a part of China's territory would also be compensated to the Netherlands and Poland as war dividends.

Britain began to accelerate lobbying European countries, and even contacted the United States, hoping to form a new "Eight-Nation Alliance." The Eight-Nation Alliance 39 years ago consisted of the US, UK, France, Germany, Russia, Austria, Italy, and Japan. In Britain's new plan, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Tsarist Russia were finished, Austria had merged with Germany, and Japan was currently fighting fiercely with China. The new Eight-Nation Alliance consisted of eight European and American countries: the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

Chamberlain even felt somewhat fortunate about China's expansionist posture. If Britain led the formation of a new Eight-Nation Alliance, he really couldn't see the possibility of China winning. More importantly, Britain could take this opportunity to establish a new world order and continue to lead the world.

The telegram was public, but the response was almost non-existent. Neither Poland nor the Netherlands were major powers with international influence. They joined the "Alliance" formed by Britain first, so responding to Britain's call was naturally a duty they should fulfill. The King of Belgium had already publicly declared "absolute neutrality" in 1936. Asking Belgium to break its permanent neutrality because of a dispute between China and Britain ten thousand miles away was a bit too demanding. The King of Belgium saw through Britain's thoughts. After receiving the British telegram, he couldn't help but say privately to his chief attendant: "Britain now wants to form a military alliance nominally against China, but in reality, it's just wanting to form a military alliance against Germany and Italy."

Italy had absolutely no interest in an expedition to China. If China could cleanly wipe out the British Mediterranean Fleet, Mussolini would probably jump for joy and dance an Italian folk dance. The Italian army was charging into Albania, preparing to move on Greece and Yugoslavia; where would they have the time to participate in this anti-China alliance?

France's economic situation was very poor, and a rearmed Germany gave France immense pressure. Germany and France were mortal enemies, and what France wanted most now was to hold the Maginot Line. Letting these two countries, Germany and France, join the same camp—this idea really proved that Chamberlain had too much imagination.

When the news reached Little Mustache, Little Mustache only sneered and didn't want to make any comment at all. Germany was already preparing to attack Poland. At this time, Poland joined the "Alliance" camp formed by Britain, and especially after the Netherlands also joined this camp, if this strategic alliance was said to be against China, it would be better to say this alliance was against Germany.

The Soviet Union and Britain and France were trying to reach an agreement to conclude an anti-aggression mutual assistance treaty including military aid between the UK, France, and the USSR, valid for 5 to 10 years. The three countries would guarantee the security of Central and Eastern European countries. Conclude a specific agreement for mutual assistance among the three countries.

The appeasement policy of Britain and France indulging Little Mustache was originally hoping that Little Mustache would fiercely attack the Soviet Union. If this treaty was reached, the Soviet Union would have a legitimate excuse to act freely in Eastern and Central Europe, which Britain and France would absolutely never agree to.

Little Mustache keenly saw that Britain's new Eight-Nation Alliance policy not only had the implication of coercing Germany but also attempted to coerce the Soviet Union's strategic layout. This was a rare opportunity for Little Mustache. Just after Britain issued a formal request on February 17, Little Mustache directly telegraphed Stalin, requesting a Soviet-German meeting to sign a treaty. The Soviet Union was quite dissatisfied with the appeasement policy of Western countries, and coupled with already knowing Britain's proposal to form an Eight-Nation Alliance, immediately and readily agreed to this request.

On February 17, German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop set off for Moscow with full powers signed by Hitler personally, as well as the full text of the British document on forming the new Eight-Nation Alliance.

On the 18th, Ribbentrop proposed to the Soviet Union a desire to improve relations, claiming: From the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, there is no problem that cannot be solved through negotiation to the satisfaction of both parties.

The Chinese comrades, in accordance with their promise to the Soviet Union, had already carried out strikes against Britain in Asia. Resolving the battle of Singapore in a week proved China's strength and also proved Britain's incompetence. After Ribbentrop formally proposed to the Soviet side the suggestion to "finish off Poland," Uncle Iron Man was quite satisfied with this in his heart. The Soviet Union and Germany felt exactly the same about how annoying Poland was. The Germans brooded over Danzig, and Poland went even further than Germany in being anti-communist and anti-Soviet. The only thing where Poland and Germany might share a foul odor was anti-Semitism.

Britain's idea of a new Eight-Nation Alliance seemed very good; it could unite the fragmented Western Europe and even avoid a new European war under the banner of allies. But this Eight-Nation Alliance excluded the Soviet Union. If such a proposal could succeed, the Soviet Union would be the first to face the threat of the "new Eight-Nation Alliance." To undertake an expedition against China ten thousand miles away would require countries with powerful naval forces. But these eight countries would only need to spend a fraction of the strength compared to an expedition against China to attack the Soviet Union. Even if Uncle Iron Man had no trust at all in Germany's credit, in such a situation, even if Little Mustache could break up this "new Eight-Nation Alliance," Uncle Iron Man was willing to sign an agreement with Little Mustache.

At this time, Roosevelt of the United States also finally made his stance known. Roosevelt did not mention a word about participating in the new Eight-Nation Alliance. He sent an open letter to Hitler and Mussolini, and broadcast it to the world on February 19, stating that "people all over the world are living in fear of a new war breaking out day and night." Roosevelt said, "and any new war in its course is bound to affect the American people and future generations." After citing reports of German and Italian attempts to further infringe on the independence of other countries, he addressed Hitler and Mussolini, asking, "Are you willing to make a guarantee that your armed forces will not attack or invade the territory and possessions of 31 countries for at least 10 years?"

Roosevelt listed 31 countries, including Poland, the Baltic states, the Soviet Union, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Britain. The President hoped this guarantee of non-aggression would be valid for "at least 10 years," or "a quarter of a century, if we dare look that far ahead." Roosevelt reminded Hitler: "You have repeatedly stated that you and the German people do not want war anymore. If this is true, there is no need for war in the world!"

Chamberlain did not expect that his initiative would receive absolutely no response. The war taking place in the West Pacific seemed not to be noticed by countries around the world at all. Being the boss is hard; Chamberlain knew this clearly in this matter. The pro-British forces in the United States were very weak. Based on the news provided by this group, the US domestic public had no interest in a war between China and Britain. Americans held the attitude of watching the fun regarding the British suffering a setback in the West Pacific. Some congressmen even publicly stated that they hoped the British would kill the annoying Chinese ten thousand kilometers away, and likewise hoped the Chinese would kill the hateful British ten thousand kilometers away.

And Roosevelt's approach seemed to attempt to calm the disputes in Europe, but it was hard to consider this a stance beneficial to Britain. In Chamberlain's view, this approach was more like trying to distract the world's attention from the war in the West Pacific by stirring up events in Europe.

Little Mustache was Little Mustache after all. After receiving this open letter, he ordered the German Foreign Ministry to send a telegram on February 21 to all the countries mentioned by Roosevelt except for Poland, the Soviet Union, Britain, and France, asking two questions: Do they feel threatened by Germany? Did they authorize Roosevelt to make this appeal?

The vast majority of countries, including Yugoslavia, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, "have already given negative answers to both questions."

Little Mustache immediately gave a public speech in the German Reichstag on February 25, specifically replying to Roosevelt's open letter. When he spoke eloquently in the Reichstag, he fully utilized these materials. He was eloquent, full of sharp wit, and exhausted his ability for sarcasm, hypocrisy, and cunning. This skill had reached an unprecedented peak. The speech was broadcast not only on all German radio stations but also on hundreds of radio stations worldwide, and was also rebroadcast by major broadcasting companies in the United States. Before and after this, he never had such a worldwide audience as on that day.

After the usual opening remarks complaining about the evils of the Treaty of Versailles and the injustices and long-term suffering it imposed on the German people, this speech first replied to Britain and Poland. This reply shocked the worried Europe. Hitler first expressed his admiration and friendship for Britain, then attacked Britain for distrusting him and for implementing a new "encirclement policy" against Germany. He announced the abrogation of the 1935 Anglo-German Naval Agreement. He said, "Its basis has disappeared." It was the same for Poland. The "Führer" made public the proposal he had kept secret regarding Danzig and the Corridor that he had made to Poland, calling this proposal "the greatest concession imaginable in the interest of European peace," and told the German Reichstag that the Polish government had already rejected this unique proposal.

Hitler then pointed out that the news that Germany intended to attack Poland was "nothing but a fabrication of the international press." He said that this "fabrication" by the press had led Poland to sign an agreement with Britain, which "under certain conditions would compel Poland to take military action against Germany." Therefore, Poland had already reneged on the German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact! "Therefore, I consider this agreement to have been unilaterally broken by Poland and is thus no longer valid."

Hitler then turned to President Roosevelt. Little Mustache's eloquence reached its zenith here. As he mocked and scolded, almost endlessly making fun of the American President, the Nazi deputies burst into laughter continuously. He first listed the points of Roosevelt's telegram one by one, and then ridiculed and sophistcated them with a look of amusement.

Hitler's reply to President Roosevelt's request for him to guarantee not to attack any of the 31 countries finally touched the core. Hitler asked back: "How does Mr. Roosevelt know which country considers itself threatened by German policy, and which country considers itself not threatened?"

He said, "I have taken the trouble to inquire of the countries mentioned above, first, whether they consider themselves threatened, and more importantly, second, whether this inquiry by the American President was made at their request, or at least with their consent? All the replies were negative... True, I did not inquire of certain countries, because these countries, for example, Syria, have not yet obtained freedom, but are under the occupation of the armies of democratic countries, and thus have been deprived of their rights."

"I must call Mr. Roosevelt's attention to one or two historical errors. He mentioned, for example, Ireland, and asked me to declare that Germany would not attack Ireland. I just read a speech by Irish Prime Minister De Valera. Strangely, in this speech, contrary to Mr. Roosevelt's opinion, he did not blame Germany for oppressing Ireland, but condemned Britain for constant aggression against Ireland..."

"Similarly, Mr. Roosevelt did not notice the following fact: Palestine is currently not occupied by German troops, but by British troops, and the freedom of this country is being suppressed by the most brutal military means."

The members of the German Reichstag laughed so hard the roof shook, yet Hitler did not show a trace of a smile, maintaining his solemn demeanor to achieve the maximum propaganda effect.

Roosevelt's attempt to break away from American isolationism failed. The white-haired old fox sitting in the wheelchair did not want to not respond to Britain's application for a "new Eight-Nation Alliance." It was just that even after being ridiculed by *The Biography of Mao Shan Eliminating Demons*, the American public did not want to participate in any war pulling chestnuts out of the fire for foreigners.

In the summer of 1932, about 20,000 veterans poured into Washington from all over to demand that the federal government immediately pay wartime bonuses. Among these veterans, some were Patton's subordinates, including the orderly Joe Angelo who had saved his life. They were in ragged clothes, had not enough to eat, lived in dilapidated houses abandoned by others, and some simply built shacks to live on the streets. They gathered around Capitol Hill to demonstrate.

The ruling class represented by President Hoover considered these people to be revolutionaries and subversives, and decided to suppress them with force. Out of class instinct, Patton hated the so-called "Bolsheviks" extremely. He also participated in this suppression operation.

On July 28, Patton was ordered to lead a team out. In the morning, when he rode on a horse and looked towards Pennsylvania Avenue from the banks of the Ellipse River, thousands of veterans cheered and saluted him. But they would never have thought that the hero they worshipped became the executioner who slaughtered them. At 4 pm, Patton led a cavalry unit, waving a broadsword in his hand, rampaging through the marching veterans, cutting down several people in succession.

Although this incident was quelled by force, it left a trauma that was difficult to heal, casting a shadow over the US Army for several years thereafter. Fighting for the country, bleeding and risking their lives for the British who had invaded the United States in Europe, after various promises made by the US government, these veterans were treated like this. The prevalence of isolationism in the United States in 1939 was not because a small group of people were trying hard to incite it; bloody facts had educated the American people.

Crossing the vast Pacific Ocean to fight heavily with China ten thousand miles away for the benefit of Britain—every American who knew about the veterans' march on Washington expressed true opposition from the bottom of their hearts. Who knew what kind of treatment the soldiers participating in this war would receive years later after returning to the United States after a narrow escape?

American isolationists cried out in delight; they were very satisfied with Hitler's speech. The gloating Hiram Johnson stated, "Hitler's words were powerful and righteous, while Roosevelt got a resounding slap in the face as soon as he opened his mouth." "I have concluded that there will be no war in Europe. Roosevelt wants to fight for some trivial matters; he wants to bring down two dictators in Europe so as to set up a new dictator in the Americas!"

Catholic newspapers stated, "Roosevelt's appeal seriously ignored the mistakes made by Britain and France after the war and the responsibility they should bear for the poverty of the central countries!" Commenting that Roosevelt was "asking for a snub," more people accused Roosevelt of provoking disputes for no reason and that he shouldn't interfere in European affairs!

As for the China issue, Americans didn't even bother to discuss it. As that American congressman said, "Hope the British ten thousand kilometers away kill the annoying Chinese, and likewise hope the Chinese ten thousand kilometers away kill the hateful British."

On March 4, 1939, two "Condor" transport planes carried the Nazi German delegation to Moscow. Stalin, Molotov, and Ribbentrop held two talks. That night, the two sides formally signed the "Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact."

On March 6, the flag of the Dutch East Indies was torn down from the flagpole by the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army who had fought their way into the Governor-General's Palace of the Dutch East Indies in Jakarta! Amidst earth-shaking cheers, under the joyous gaze of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary troops whose faces were filled with excitement due to victory, the soldier who tore down the Dutch flag held it high and threw it with all his might onto the square in front of the Governor-General's Palace, which was already covered with the gathered attacking troops.

The photos and the film of the camera faithfully recorded this entire process: the cheering soldiers, those high-spirited youths, the falling flag, and the slowly rising Chinese national flag!

The Dutch East Indies' rule in the West Pacific ended here!