Turning Point - Sekigahara: Toyotomi's Global Expansion and its Consequences

Phase 26 - Great War (3)

Sixteen months have passed since the start of the war.

On the Eastern Front, the Russian army suffered heavy blows from the Germans, but there was no sign of Russia surrendering. The Western Front and the Balkan Front were in a complete stalemate for different reasons. The Austrian army's efforts in the Alps against the Italian army were in vain. In Africa and the Middle East, Britain, at the forefront, was driving out the weak forces of the Alliance, but it had little impact on the overall situation, resembling something akin to a sideshow.

Meanwhile, in East Asia and the Pacific region, Japan, the only major power in Asia, was wielding the blade of revenge and rapidly recovering much of its former territories within a short period. The only significant Entente stronghold remaining was Singapore.

And the influence of Japan's activities in Asia was gradually beginning to affect the Entente. Due to Japan's invasions in various regions and its extensive use of surface ships for commerce raiding, the Entente war economy was showing significant disruptions.

In East Asia, not only could no troops be sent from the various colonies to Europe, but resource and food shipments were also difficult. Many of the British troops mobilized in India were tied down in various locations across Asia to counter the Japanese army. Furthermore, to defend India, Britain had to allocate a significant amount of effort, weaponry, and war resources to Asia. Moreover, the Japanese navy had also begun commerce raiding in the Indian Ocean.

The symbol of this situation was the combined British and French fleet trapped in the isolated Singapore. However, as long as a powerful fleet was stationed in Singapore, it meant that the Japanese army could not advance into India.

The Japanese were well aware of this fact, and the most powerful fleet of the Japanese navy maintained a blockade near Lingga Island, close to Singapore, to prevent the fleet in Singapore from sortieing and disrupting Japanese maritime traffic. Efforts to conduct a landing operation on Singapore from land were also being made.

However, in 1915, the Japanese army itself had devoted a lot of effort to the campaigns against Russia and the Qing Dynasty, so they could not deploy a force capable of crushing Singapore Island. An attempt was made to land on Singapore from the rear side of the Malay Peninsula, but due to inadequate preparation, the Japanese army experienced a severe failure.

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However, by around the autumn of 1915, the situation had turned in Japan's favor. The wartime systems in Australia and Shinkai, which had become entirely aligned with Japan, were fully established. In these regions, not only had they completely expelled British control, but they were also rapidly preparing their military and entering the war under the condition of gaining full independence from Japan. In September 1915, they both joined the Alliance one after the other. Since the Entente did not recognize their independence, they had to be treated as part of the Japanese military according to international law, but in reality, nothing had changed.

Furthermore, by mid-November, the Russian fleet at Urashio had been virtually destroyed, with most of the remaining ships rendered inoperable, as revealed by Japanese aerial reconnaissance of the Urashio military port fortress, which they were besieging. Given the inadequate repair facilities in relation to the extent of damage, it was determined that there would be no more sorties.

With this development, the Japanese fleet that had been tied down in the Urashio region was decided to be sent to Southeast Asia after two months of rest, maintenance, and repairs. During this time, preparations for the capture of Singapore were being made diligently, and by February 1916, the prospect of launching a well-prepared operation was in sight.