Chapter 795, Second Stage of Operation

The dawn gradually revealed a glimmer of dawn, and the winter morning was shrouded in a thick frost mist.

The Laiyang County position is still busy repairing the fortifications, but too many places have been hit hard by heavy artillery and have reached a point where they cannot be repaired. The Second Brigade Brigade Department had to order the line of defense to tighten and concentrate the troops in the existing trenches.

From 2 a.m. to nearly 7 a.m., after more than four hours of accounting and statistics, the detailed casualties report of the large-scale night attack in the early morning was finally counted. The report was first sent to the First Division headquarters, and then sent to the Weifang War Zone Command from the First Division headquarters.

He Fuguang, Wu Peifu and other staff officers of the War Zone Command have not relaxed at all since the beginning of the night attack in the early morning. Two hours ago, the First Division had sent a preliminary estimate of the damage to the war, so they had a bottom line in their hearts. And now they did not feel much difference when they received this detailed report. Although many peripheral defense lines were lost, all of this was still in the original plan.

"The First Mixed Brigade was killed 339 people, the Fifth Regiment of the Guocheng Defense Line was killed 220 people, 194 people were killed in the main formation of Laiyang County, and 18 reinforcements from the Second Division were also killed. In this battle, more than 2,400 wounded people in the entire army." Wu Peifu held the report and sighed while reciting.

"About 800 soldiers died in just one night, and this battle was really difficult." A chief of staff sighed and said slowly, shaking his head.

He Fuguang stood in front of the command seat of the briefing room without saying a word. Although his face was very heavy, his inner emotions were quite relaxed. What he was concerned about now was not the losses of the National Defense Forces, but the main force of the Japanese 18th Division was approaching Laiyang County. This was the result he had been looking forward to for a full three days. He had long expected that with the mentality of the *** army's eagerness to break through the Laiyang defense line, a large-scale battle would break out sooner or later, but the gains and losses of the war itself were not important. His only bottom line was that the National Defense Forces had to defend Laiyang County, and it didn't matter even if they lost all the peripheral positions.

Judging from the current results, the National Wehrmacht in the early morning was very effective!

"How much losses have we suffered, the Japanese army must have suffered greater losses than us, so there is no need to be sad." He turned around slowly and said in an unselfish tone.

Everyone present looked at each other, of course they knew this. The attacking and the defensive side had always had to bear greater pressure on the former to fight. However, they were just expressing condolences to the fallen soldiers. I really don’t know why Chief of Staff He had such a calm attitude.

Wu Peifu vaguely noticed He Fuguang's current mentality. Of course, he knew that He Fuguang was not a stern heart, but was full of longing for the upcoming second-stage combat plan. Thinking of the second-stage combat plan, even he himself was a little excited. Once the plan was successfully implemented, it would not only turn around the entire battle situation, but show the aggressive side of the Chinese team, and a blow was enough to defeat the confidence of the whole country!

He took two steps forward and asked He Fuguang: "Mr. He, when are you planning to order the second phase of the battle?"

A smile that could not be concealed appeared on the corner of He Fuguang's mouth and said, "Call everyone in the Air Force Command immediately and hold a combat meeting in ten minutes. What time is it now?"

A servant quickly took out his pocket watch and said, "Sir, it's just 7:10."

He Fuguang thought quickly in his heart and said solemnly: "Very good, the second phase of the battle officially began at 9:30."

When the staff officers heard this, they gradually felt a sense of passion and nodded.

A few minutes later, all officers of the Air Force Command, the German Advisory Group and the representative officers of Qingdao German Army stationed in Weifang were present. He Fuguang first briefly explained the successful completion of the first phase of the combat plan in the closed briefing room, and then explained and arranged the detailed tasks of the second phase of the combat plan in detail.

"Commander Li, Rizhao, are the Jiaozhou Air Force ready?" He Fuguang asked Li Shengru seriously.

"Don't worry, General Staff, if you are really ready this time, you will go there. Twenty-nine torpedo planes and forty-three fighter planes can be launched at any time. Not only that, the ground staff has also made sufficient preparations to ensure that a batch of torpedoes and fuel can be replaced within twenty minutes, and it will definitely ensure the continuous firepower of the air strike." Li Shengru stood up and stood at attention solemnly replied.

"Very good. Who will you send to command the airboat troops here in Weifang?" He Fuguang asked again.

"Sir General Staff, I personally lead the team and command the team." Li Shengru said meticulously.

Hearing this, everyone present showed varying degrees of surprise. This was the first time since its establishment that the air craft troops had been put into actual combat, and the upcoming mission was not ordinary reconnaissance or harassment, but to cross the Bohai Sea and rush to Lushun for a long distance.

Even if it is not an Air Force officer, it is known that the airship itself is not a safe and reliable combat weapon. Once the hydrogen explodes, the possibility of survival of the entire airship is very low. Now the airship unit is carrying a bombshell to Lushun for combat. During the preliminary training, the headquarters also specially guided the airship pilot to operate the airship and crashed into the enemy building when the airship caught fire. This shows that the airship unit is very likely to carry out suicide missions.

As China's oldest air force talent and the Air Force commander who is deliberately trained by the Ministry of National Defense, if a mistake occurs during this long-distance air raid on the Lushun Fortress, it will be an extremely unfavorable price. What's more, everyone present knows that Li Shengru only knows how to fly fighter jets and knows nothing about airship command. Why do you need to take such a risk?

He Fuguang frowned and said, "How come you have such an idea?"

Li Shengru answered seriously: "Mr. General Staff, I have recently heard that the soldiers of the airship forces have made private discussions and most of them have the intention to die for the air strike against the Lushun Fortress. Thanks to Wu Zhizheng's promotion and General Staff's respect, he was able to take up the position of the highest commander of the Air Force. Because of this, I must set an example and stand with colleagues from the Air Force to carry out the most difficult tasks. Although I do not know how to work on the airship, I still have to stick to the front line so that the Air Force brothers who participated in this mission know that the country is not sending them to die, but sending them to win glory for the country!"

This was so passionate that not only other Air Force interns were moved, but even the German officials showed a solemn expression. Li Shengru personally led the team to carry out the air strike in Lushun, which was to use his life to boost the morale of the airship troops!

He Fuguang hesitated for a moment, finally nodded, and said in a serious tone: "Okay. But, you must retreat with your brothers. The airship unit is the most expensive army in China at present! This mission is only allowed to succeed, not fail!"

Li Shengru stood attentively and saluted: "Yes, guaranteed to complete the task."

He Fuguang turned to German flight consultant Colonel Bacon and said, "Mr. Consultant, there are 37 fighter jets in Weifang Military Base. I hope you will lead the team to carry out the operations against the 18th Japanese Division."

Colonel Bacon nodded. Under the influence of Li Shengru, he did not dare to neglect his expression at all, and said seriously: "I will definitely complete the task."

He Fuguang took out his pocket watch and looked at the time. It was already past eight o'clock. He said: "The Air Force immediately sets preparations. The army staff officers and German representatives stay. We will immediately deploy the land-surface combat in Laiyang and the naval battle in Qingdao."

Air Force officers stood up one after another and left the briefing room and began their final pre-war preparations.

There are basically no plans for the army to change. The three national defense divisions assigned earlier have learned that He Fuguang only made some emphasis on the details of the mission, requiring the three national defense divisions to cooperate with the air strikes of the air force and seize the opportunity to wipe out the 18th Division.

Wu Peifu said: "Fortunately, the Second Division seized Qishan Town and controlled an entrance to Yanqing Highway, which was of great convenience to the second phase of land combat plan. The troops of the Second Division could infiltrate the enemy's back through Yanqing Highway, and then cut off the entire 18th Division in half. The main force of the Japanese army on the Laiyang front line had no way to escape!"

He Fuguang sneered and said, "This is the result you want, otherwise we will be in vain for the first three days."

This is the key to He Fuguang's overthrow of the previous three divisions' defense plan from Qixia to Wendeng. He had no intention of turning the war into a defensive battle from the beginning. Wu Shaoting also made such an instructor himself when he was in Nanjing. Qingdao devoted all his efforts to the battle, not only military efforts, but also political efforts.

Wu Shaoting's ambition was revealed since the Northern Expedition of the Yangtze River Strategy. He emphasized that after the end of the Yangtze River Strategy, the "conservative thought" in the southern era should be changed to radical "hawkish thought". This is also why the highest commander selected by Qingdao War was not Cai E, but He Fuguang.

Since the Guangdong First Agency, He Fuguang has always represented military radicalism, striving to advocate the idea of ​​"aggression", "expansion" and even "barbaric combat". "aggression" and "expansion" are combat attempts, while "barbaric combat" is a style, and he absolutely believes in the barbaric concept of "unethical on the battlefield".

And this concept of barbarism has been applied to the Qingdao War!

The principle He Fuguang pursued in this war was to cause more losses to the Japanese army at all costs. A 18th Division could not even satisfy his ambitions, so he planned to take the initiative to attack Lushun with a long-range air strike.

If this war is a simple defensive battle, the air force will be put into operation from the first day, attacking the Japanese army's army with absolute air supremacy, destroying the Japanese logistics base, and harassing the Japanese army day and night, leaving the Japanese army without peace for a moment; at the same time, the heavy artillery troops of the Third Division cover the entire coastline, and the artillery of each division seizes a favorable position. Even if the Japanese offensive cannot be defeated, it is enough to easily drag the occupation into a tug-of-war.

However, once this is the case, the Chinese Air Force's first large-scale practical combat will be wasted too much.

Before the war, the Ministry of National Defense's "Hunting Eagle" war room had a fierce discussion, believing that the 18th Division of the Japanese Army was such a huge threat, but He Fuguang did not take these at all. China has not experienced foreign wars for too long. All references are cases of old events. It has congenitally looked down on the National Defense Forces by a certain level.

He decided to let the Air Force and the newly-organized National Defense Force fully exert their combat effectiveness, and to give the Japanese army a heavy blow, so that they would not give the *** time to develop air defense capabilities and strengthen the army's troops to make a comeback.

The first phase of the battle was to lure the enemy to defend, deliberately abandon the beachhead to suppress landing, attract Japanese infantry to penetrate deep into the inland hinterland, and concentrate the main force near Laiyang County, thereby extending the distance between the main force and logistics. As for the entire second phase of the battle, it was a large-scale counterattack like a net-closing. The Second Division of the National Defense Forces successively entered the battlefield, and the Third Division's artillery arranged an artillery fire coverage circle in an orderly manner. With the cooperation of the Air Force, it first wiped out the main force of the Japanese army, and then cut off the Japanese sea retreat route.

Not only that, the Second Fleet on the Qingdao sea surface is also a target of attack, and this kind of operation must rely on cooperation with the German Command.

Before the land combat deployment meeting ended, He Fuguang found Major Ludwig, the German representative in Weifang.

"The second phase of the battle is about to begin. Are Commander Melwadek ready?" He Fuguang asked.

"General He, I have already conveyed your meaning to Qingdao Headquarters four days ago, but Qingdao is still considering it these two days. Although I personally think your plan is very courageous, there are also serious risks. It is difficult for Your Excellency Melwadek to let our Far East Fleet take risks like this." Major Ludwig said a little embarrassedly.

"What? You told me at this time that Commander Melwadek could not make a decision? It is already 8:30 now, less than an hour before the second phase of the battle began. Are you playing tricks on me?" He Fuguang asked angrily.

"General He seems not a big deal to China, but the Far East Fleet is the only naval force of our German Empire in Asia. It is not easy to use them to deal with the second fleet with twenty-one warships." Major Ludwig emphasized.

Before He Fuguang could continue to condemn him, Wu Peifu, who was standing by, came over and said to Ludwig first: "Mr. Major, you should be very clear that it was already many days ago to formulate this combat plan, but you have given such a reply over the past few days. You must know that this war is the Chinese who are helping you Germany, and you Germans do not pay any attention to it at all! Our soldiers did not retreat from the front line against about 60,000 enemy troops. Now we are just asking your German fleet to lure the enemy, not head-on. Did the German Navy not even have this confidence?"

Ludwig's face turned ugly. It was related to the honor of the Germans. How could he ignore it like this? After taking a deep breath, he had to take a serious attitude and said, "I will contact the Qingdao headquarters immediately and try my best to convince His Excellency Melwadek to make a decision."

Wu Peifu smiled and said, "This is how China and Germany work together to fight against the enemy!"

At nine o'clock, Weifang Air Force Base began to enter its busiest moment. While clearing the runway with snow, ground crews dragged fighter jets out of the hangar one after another, and replenished bullets, bombs and fuel. All airships and aviation towers entered the combat state. Nine large airships and six small airships flew out of the warehouse an hour ago and gathered in front of the aviation tower. Various bombs, incendiary bombs and gasoline bombs were sent into the pod in batches. Even if the airship was full of loads, the ammunition had to be stored in advance under the aviation tower to deal with the second round of air strikes at any time.

From a distance, the towering bodies of these fifteen airships almost enveloped the entire air force base. The airship airbags were painted in different colors, and they were so spectacular and full of energy floating in the air.

Not long after, the Air Force combatants lined up near their respective flight squads and airships in squads. The mission briefing was conveyed one after another half an hour ago. These young Air Force personnel were solemn and were looking forward to the upcoming battle. From the beginning, they had a firm belief, believing that they were the first time in nearly a hundred years that China took the initiative to attack in a truly sense, and were warriors fighting for national sovereignty, national interests and national honors.

Acting Air Force Commander Li Shengru took a car to conduct a final inspection of each queue. He wore an air force combat uniform and his face was as solemn and serious as all the air soldiers. Every time he passed by a queue, the air force soldiers stood attentively to salute him, because everyone knew that this boss, who had just become the commander of the air force, would participate in the most dangerous airship bombing operations.

The generals are not greedy for life, and the soldier is determined to die! Li Shengru's participation in the war greatly encouraged the morale of the air force soldiers, and the airboat troops, which had already been gossiping, immediately united sincerely.

Not only did Weifang Air Force Base start mobilization in the pre-war mobilization, the two air force transit stations in Jiaozhou and Rizhao also received instructions, and twenty-nine torpedo planes and forty-three fighter jets also entered the combat state. After the exchange, the Rizhao Air Force transit station will work with Qingdao Belt to complete the raid against the Japanese Second Fleet. Therefore, after receiving the order from the theater command, both air force command posts were waiting for the order from Qingdao Fortress.

Major Ludwig sent several telegrams to Qingdao at the Weifang War Zone Command, persuading Commander Melwadek to respond immediately to the combat plan of the Chinese team, otherwise it would not only violate the Far East strategy of the Military Commission, but also affect the entire war against Japan. In the telegram, he emphasized that the Chinese team suffered major casualties in order to help Germany, as Germans, must not blindly defend the Qingdao fortress, and should take the spirit of soldiers' sacrifice to participate in the war head-on.

Not only Major Ludwig urged in the telegram, the delegation of the China-Ningxia delegation in Qingdao was also constantly putting pressure on Melwadek to immediately order the Far East Fleet to fight. Li Genyuan said it very clearly. This was a good opportunity to severely damage the Japanese Second Fleet. If the German Command did not want to do its best to consume the strength of the Far East Fleet, it would allow the Far East Fleet to huddle in Jiaozhou Bay. China would cancel the air strikes against the Second Fleet. As for the military threats of the Navy to Germany in the future, China would not provide any help.

Faced with such pressure, Melwadek had to make a decision and order the Far East Fleet to prepare to leave Jiaozhou Bay to lure enemy ships.
Chapter completed!