A nation's self-confidence is based on victory, especially victory at sea, which makes the Chinese people sweep away their depression and become high-spirited. They no longer have that fear when facing the great powers.
And this change in morale will inevitably bring about the rise of nationalism. An ancient big country cannot surrender to the clown's feet forever. When the colonists set foot on this land, they knew that China was different from Africa and South Asia.
, it is impossible for them to completely conquer this land.
What they wanted most was to maintain China's divided state forever, allowing the country to sink and become a public colony of the great powers. However, they did not expect that the speed of this ancient nation's awakening exceeded their imagination, and the intensity was also astonishingly great.
All the newsboys along the street were surrounded, and the newspapers, which smelled of ink, were quickly sold out.
"Read the newspaper. There is a newspaper with a picture of the King Kong. Come and take a look. This is the warship that was sunk!"
Several more newsboys rushed out, waving pictures of battleships in their hands, which immediately attracted the attention of countless people. Although the photos were black and white, a behemoth of more than 30,000 tons still had an unparalleled momentum.
The muzzle shows great power.
Such a huge thing was actually sunk by Feng Jun. What a great skill, so powerful! Everyone couldn't help but give a thumbs up. Aston also felt very uncomfortable in his heart. This battleship is a British one.
It was made, but now it was sunk, and he felt strange in his heart.
After driving to the Presidential Palace, Eston directly met President Xu Shichang. At this time, Xu Shichang also got the news. He was also shocked and almost speechless. The Japanese battleship sank and was sunk by Fengjun.
What countermeasures will the Japanese take? Will they declare war? Will the two countries go to war with each other? How should Beiyang deal with itself?
This series of problems weighed on Xu Shichang's mind. At this time, Aston hurriedly came to find him. When he saw Xu Shichang, he said in a face-to-face manner: "Your Excellency, President, do you know what it means to sink a battleship? President, do you know?"
"It's a war, a terrible war. I believe that Japan will declare war on China at any time soon. How are you going to deal with it?"
Faced with the questioning, Xu Shichang was speechless. Indeed, he had nothing to say. These were all done by Feng Jun. He, the president, didn't know anything about it, and he didn't even know as much as Ayston. Mackensen
The British were aware of the transaction, but Xu Shichang had no idea at all.
"Mr. Minister, I, the great president, am just a memorial tablet. Not to mention the Fengjun outside the Pass, even Beiyang is beyond my control. If the sky falls and I am holding on, I, the old man, can't do anything."
Xu Shichang took the lead, and Aston was also red-eyed at this time: "Your Excellency, President, let's get straight to the point. Once China and Japan go to war, the interests of the great powers in China will inevitably be affected. Therefore, I hope that through diplomatic mediation, we can try our best to avoid a war.
.The British Imperial Government has been communicating with Japan to understand the truth of the matter. I also hope that you can take action to convince Fengtian to accept the compensation conditions."
When Xu Shichang heard this, his eyes lit up. Once the war broke out, it would not only impact the interests of the great powers in China, but Beiyang would also be involved. No one could stay out of it.
"Mr. Minister, I agree with your proposal, but what conditions do Fengtian need to accept to avoid war?"
"Compensate, compensate for all the losses of the warships, hand over the Mackensen to the Japanese unconditionally, and then expand Japan's interests in Northeast China. It is best to hand over the railways and mines to the Japanese. I believe that if this is done, it is possible to recover
.”
After Aston finished explaining, he hurriedly left to find ministers from various countries to coordinate. Xu Shichang also hurriedly invited Cao Kun and Wu Peifu over to discuss how to convince Fengjun.
It can be said that the war has reached the edge of the cliff and is about to break out. After Zhang Tinglan gave a speech in Huludao, he also felt that the matter was serious. The Japanese would not give up and hurriedly flew back to Fengtian. All the civil and military officials of Fengtian gathered together.
Discuss the situation at hand together.
Chief of Staff Yang Yu said: "Commander, first of all, I think the battle with the Japanese is inevitable. We have sunk two battleships. If the Japanese can still endure it, they will not be able to explain to the country. The current problem
Is it a big fight or a small fight? Should both sides put all their money on the line and engage in an all-out war, or should they limit the conflict within a certain scope until one side is willing to negotiate?"
Jiang Fangzhen also said: "I agree with Linge's judgment, but we must be prepared for a life-and-death battle. We can't take chances, otherwise we will suffer big losses! The army's change of uniform has not yet been completely completed, and the newly organized troops
We still need to adjust, especially the naval and air forces, which are still very deficient. We are not yet completely sure whether we can defend the Bohai Bay. In short, we have many difficulties, but fortunately, we can already produce our own weapons, and with the addition of internal
If we fight against the Japanese, we have at least a 50% chance of winning."
In fact, Zhang Tinglan was not willing to start a war with the Japanese prematurely, but the strategy of developing the navy could not be delayed, and to be honest, he did not expect that the Japanese battleships would be so fragile. They sank two of them at once and became uncontrollable.
Of course, he also knew that when things got to this point, there was no way to reverse it. It could only be God's will, and Zhang Tinglan could only accept this challenge.
"Everyone, since war is inevitable, we must be prepared to meet the challenge. Now we must shift to a wartime system and establish a supreme command. All armies will immediately enter a state of first-level combat readiness and be ready for action at any time. Military supplies must also be
To keep up, people’s organizing work must also be started.”
Wang Yongjiang said from the side: "I'd like to say, don't worry about this. After a fight with the Russians, we have formulated various plans and they will be launched immediately. You don't have to worry about these matters."
Zhang Tinglan had great trust in Wang Yongjiang's ability. He smiled and said: "In this case, Mr. Minyuan and Minister Zhu will be mainly responsible for mobilizing this area. In addition, Minister Gu will also take the initiative in diplomacy to expose the Japanese ship hijacking."
We had no choice but to fight against the conspiracy."
Zhu Qinglan and Gu Weijun all nodded. Zhang Tinglan explained these things and took all the generals aside. Here are the sand tables of the three eastern provinces, including the Far East, and all important places are clearly visible.
"Let's take a look, what measures do you think the Japanese will take, and how should we respond?"
Facing the sand table, everyone was meditating. They had had a lot of dealings with the Japanese. They were well aware of the Japanese's tactical characteristics and the terrain of the three eastern provinces. They could not help but deduce the situation after the war started in their minds.
Jiang Fangzhen was the first to speak: "Commander, I think the battle will break out from four directions. First, the Japanese's largest military base is Guandong Prefecture, which is Luda. They should send a force to attack Gaizhou and Yingkou.
Wait for a while and capture Haicheng. In this way, the door to Fengtian will be opened, especially since this line is a coastal area and can be supported by maritime forces. It should be the direction of the Japanese main attack."
The generals present all nodded in agreement with Jiang Fangzhen's judgment. Indeed, if they thought about it from his perspective, they would also take this measure.
"In addition, the Japanese should also send a partial division from Lushun to attack Zhuanghe, Dandong and other places, so that they can connect with the Japanese troops stationed in Korea and then threaten the security of Fengcheng. Once this is done, the entire Liaodong Peninsula
, will fall under the control of the Japanese."
"The third direction is Shanhaiguan. The Japanese also have troops stationed in North China. They will use Tianjin as a base to contain us from the south. As for the fourth direction, it is Fengtian. The Japanese still have troops stationed along the Manchuria Railway. Once a war breaks out
After that, these troops should quickly move south, break through the encirclement, and join the Japanese troops who came from the brigade to massacre."
Jiang Baili's analysis was thorough and reasonable. As expected of a military master, he clarified all the issues at once. Everyone couldn't help but nodded in agreement. Zhang Tinglan stared at the sand table, and then said: "Brother Baili, I think the Japanese are still
It is possible to launch an attack from here."
Zhang Tinglan's hand fell on the Yanji and Tumen areas, which were originally the handover zone between China, Russia and North Korea. But now North Korea is a colony of Japan, and the Far East Empire is controlled by the Feng army. In fact, it is the frontier of the confrontation between China and Japan.
, and this place is less than two hundred kilometers away from Vladivostok. As long as it is captured, it can threaten Vladivostok.
After taking Vladivostok and adding Dalian controlled by the Japanese, Fengjun's channels of communication with the outside world were blocked, turning him into a caged bird that could not fly out.
Yang Yuting also frowned: "Commander, if the Japanese attack here, they are trying to get involved in the Far East. At that time, the war situation will be out of control. Will they do this?"
"Yes!" Zhang Tinglan said very confidently: "This depends on the strategic goals of the Japanese. If they want to have a life-and-death battle, they will definitely not let it go in the Northeast. If they don't want to, their strategic goal is probably to consolidate the
The interests of South Manchuria, and the seizure of the Far East. Don’t forget, the Japanese paid huge military expenditures for this land, but it ended up falling into our hands. How could they be willing to do so.”
Jiang Dengxuan also said: "I also agree with the commander-in-chief's judgment. This is an offshore area and can receive support from the sea. Since the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese navy has developed vigorously, but their army equipment has hardly been updated. Their artillery and
As for the armored forces, they are actually in a weak position. If I were Japan's decision-maker, I would also use our strengths and avoid our weaknesses, use the navy to seal off our contact with the outside world, and force us to surrender!"
Jiang Fangzhen nodded: "That's true. Japan is powerful and has a huge navy, but our advantage lies in being fully prepared. The ground and air force equipment is temporarily ahead. Therefore, we should make a quick decision to drive the Japanese out of southern Manchuria, and then intensify the war."
North Korea, break their blockade." (To be continued...)