Chapter 655 Prelude to the Battle of Diaoyu Islands
Naval battles require the combination of many factors, especially group operations. If one party is determined to escape, it will be difficult to wipe out all enemy ships. The fleeing party will sacrifice a few ships at most. Therefore, Li Guolou organized the warships into three T-shaped battle teams. A fleet comes to lure the Japanese fleet into a decisive battle, so when the second and third fleets appear on the battlefield is the key to victory or defeat.
Feng Zicai was a little moved when he heard that Li Guolou used the cruiser Mighty as a bait and risked his life as the first echelon.
"The characteristic of the Japanese army's military training in the spirit of Bushido is that they would rather bend than bend, even if they die, they will have to pull a back. Therefore, our army must seize this characteristic of the Japanese army and lay a trap in the waters of the Diaoyu Islands to let the cruiser Fuso actively seek me for a decisive battle. An hour later, the second echelon arrived at the battlefield. The Japanese army They will fight to the death and continue to struggle with our army. When the third echelon arrives on the battlefield, the Japanese army will have no choice but to be slaughtered by our army." Li Guolou launched model warships one after another with a rainbow-like momentum and looked at the generals with a ferocious smile. Either they would not send troops or they would send troops. In a decisive battle, I want to destroy the Japanese main battleship Fuso in one fell swoop.
Li Guolou spoke elegantly and gave a succinct lecture on tactics. T-shaped tactics are offensive tactics. There are no flaws in the layout of the battleships on the tactical board. At most, both sides will suffer losses.
The officers around the table looked at Li Guolou with sharp eyes. Although they did not say anything, they all had the thought of sacrificing their lives for the country. Everyone in the room knew that Li Guolou was a ruthless person who dared to risk his life. Lou has extensive naval knowledge and has many insights into Western naval warfare. He seems to be a qualified commander.
Feng Zicai looked up to Li Guolou in his heart, stroking his long beard and squinting: "Commander Li, you are opening the battlefield like this. We already know your bravery, but if you are the commander-in-chief, if you make a mistake, it will have a great impact on morale. Sometimes command An official's personal bravery is harmful to an army. The first echelon is not suitable for you to command. Only by putting it in the second echelon can we fully utilize the strengths of our army."
Li Guolou nodded calmly for a moment and said: "Feng Guandai's words are reasonable and should focus on the overall situation. I will command the second echelon and leave the command of the first echelon to you."
Feng Zicai replied without hesitation: "Commander Li, please rest assured that I will bite the Japanese flagship and never let the enemy escape."
After a near-death battle at sea, all the generals stood proudly and expressed their determination to Li Guolou with the expression of a warrior who has never returned.
The Weiwei led the first echelon to sail to the Diaoyu Islands. Li Guolou moved to the Weiwei cruiser. The moment for the decisive battle was getting closer and closer. The Qing Dynasty Navy attacked the enemy and set off on a long voyage. Ships on the blue waves were advancing rapidly.
The Milky Way is dotted with stars in the sky. Li Guolou looks at the Big Dipper and the Wuqu star shines brightly. What he has done is beyond ordinary people's imagination. The decisive battle with the Japanese army is his biggest test. Although he has the confidence to win, how many loyal generals are there in the blue blood and yellow sand? buried here
Li Guolou is thinking about the Shandong Dahan Changqianshe, Boxing Boxing, and bandits. These Shandong restless elements were recruited by the New Armed Forces. In the face of the country's righteousness, these people will die righteously in the civil war, each for his own master. Others will be merciful and merciful to incorporate these scum, but the Japanese invasion Taiwan is an invasion of the Chinese nation. As long as he directs the battle, the Japanese army will be massacred and no prisoners will be taken.
Li Guolou looked at Zheng Hengdan beside him. He had just been promoted to the chief military officer of Shuangzhen. Zheng Hengdan hinted that he would revive the Han Dynasty and make more preparations for a rainy day. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses fighting. Is he an armored warrior? Li Guolou is a Han. He has never regarded himself as a Manchu. Joining the Eight Banners of the Han Dynasty is just a temporary measure to climb the dragon and attach himself to the phoenix. However, the Li family has been favored by the emperor for generations, so he can't rebel. He is so cruel and cruel. The Empress Dowager, the Emperor, Prince Gong, and Li Hongzhang were all kind to him. As long as these five people did not die, he would not rebel. Li Guolou laughed off Zheng Hengdan's reactionary remarks. There were too many dissidents in the New Military Army. Stability Factor: Even the people who adopted him want to be founding heroes. Only he can overcome these thorns.
Li Guolou's ideal is to become a prince to open up territory for the Qing Dynasty. The future is full of variables, everything depends on God's will. Li Guolou put aside his distracting thoughts and looked up at the sky and said: "Is that Wuqu star on the small carrying pole really me?"
Zheng Hengdan smiled and said: "Li Zhentai, if you don't do Wu Quxing, you can snatch it away."
Li Guolou said scornfully: "Little Shitou is not academic and likes to talk arrogantly. He has little future and staying in the capital will harm him. In the future, he can only be a general guarding the frontier."
For the first time, Zheng Hengdan heard Li Guolou comment on his subordinates, who took advantage of Li Guolou's good mood to ask: "What about Su Yuanchun and Li Yunqing, whom you value most?"
"Su Yuanchun is a loyal minister, honest, kind, and good at using troops. No matter how high his fate as a governor is in the future, I can't say what Li Yunqi is." Li Guolou paused for a moment, looked at Zheng Hengdan under the starlight, curled his lips and said, "You are so stupid. "Confused" You two are an unstable factor in the Xinwu Army. Be careful while I clean up the house."
"It's unfair, sir. Everything I said was copied from what you said. How come it turned out to be reactionary remarks when it came to my mouth? Aren't you trying to burn bridges by crossing the river?" Zheng Hengdan was very unconvinced. His ideological work as a soldier was based on Li Guolou's ideas. How dare you tamper with Li Guolou's thoughts by instilling great-power chauvinism into the New Armed Forces?
Li Guolou said: "Sometimes what I say is improvised. Don't hold on to the chicken feathers and use them as arrows. Do you think I don't know the dark thoughts in your heart? Little carrying pole is still an honest man. Master Fu Xiang, his disciples and old officials are all over the world. We are all Xiang Fu." Weapons in the hands of adults"
Zheng Hengdan lowered his head and muttered: "Shu Zi can't achieve great things."
Li Guolou turned his head away, pretending not to hear that there were reactionaries around the Han ministers, but the Han ministers were bribed by the Qing Dynasty's restraint policy. Just like him, he thought about resisting the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Han Dynasty, but his thoughts of loyalty made him unwilling to embark on the road of rebellion. Instead, like Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang, he embarked on the path of suppressing peasant uprisings.
Li Guolou was full of contradictions in his heart and believed that the Qing Dynasty could not "disrupt" the Qing Dynasty's governorship system, which provided the soil for local separatism to grow. The Qing Dynasty was already on the verge of local separatism. If the Qing Dynasty became a warlord armed separatist regime, foreign powers would surely take advantage of the situation and invade it. The territory of the Qing Dynasty was exactly like Tsarist Russia's invasion of the six cities of Ili. The consequence of the Muslim uprising in the northwest was that foreign powers invaded Xinjiang. The Andiyan people also established an independent kingdom in Xinjiang. The Qing Dynasty lost one-seventh of its territory. This was the consequences of the civil war in the Qing Dynasty.
Li Guolou did not want to see his country shattered and his country being divided by foreign powers. Therefore, Li Guolou had to take it as his own responsibility to revive the Qing Dynasty. First, he had to drive the invaders out of the country. The naval battle in Taiwan was inevitable. He wanted to defeat the Qing army. The majesty of our Qing Dynasty [
Zheng Hengdan has become the second-in-command of the New Armed Forces. The military planning for the Taiwan naval battle was carried out according to Li Guolou’s ideas. The specific planning of the campaign was completed by the staff led by him. He learned to fight in the battle and was as skilled in commanding and fighting as he was in eating. Zheng Hengdan is no longer the young scholar-minded young man. His ambitions are growing day by day, but Li Guolou is pressing on his head like a big mountain. Zheng Hengdan’s thoughts are actually similar to Li Guolou’s. “As long as Li Guolou is in the Xinwu Army, If Li Guolou was not established on the top of the mountain, he would be killed by the Qing Emperor and immediately rebel."
Sometimes Zheng Hengdan hoped that Emperor Tongzhi would kill Li Guolou so that he could do some amazing things and usher in the rise of the Han people. The ambition he pretended to be in his heart was buried by Li Guolou. There was no point in being loyal to the Qing Dynasty. For Zheng Hengtan Generally speaking, he is only loyal to Li Guolou. Now he can't persuade Li Guolou to rebel. There will be opportunities in the future. Zheng Hengdan is not in a hurry to wait until Li Guolou becomes a general. He has 100,000 soldiers at his disposal. Why worry about the uncertainty of the world?
Zheng Hengdan stood next to Li Guolou and guessed Li Guolou's intentions. The number of the general soldiers in the second town was still too small. They were dormant at the feet of the Qing Dynasty. For the time being, they served the Qing emperor and made great achievements in the future.
When Li Guolou hires someone, he first looks at whether the person is loyal. This loyalty is for him. As for whether he is a loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty and has a so-called attitude. Feng Zicai, the powerful leader, is not a member of the Tiandihui who fought against the Qing Dynasty and restored the Ming Dynasty. Now he has become a member of the Qing Dynasty. As for the talents of the Qing Dynasty, it is not about recruiting scholars for the country and training him to become a general capable of fighting. He was young and energetic and became a legend in the Qing officialdom. Even Zhang Haogu, who was promoted to the third level, could not compare with him. Even more sharp-edged teenagers have become famous generals. War will always be the world of young people. Li Guolou believes that through the Taiwan naval battle, he can train a large number of commanders for the Qing Dynasty in the next twenty years. He will lead the Qing army
"Li Zhentai, why did the Japanese army invade Taiwan? What are the benefits of doing so?" Zheng Hengdan did not ask about his status in Li Guolou's mind, but wanted to know Li Guolou's true views on the Japanese army.
"Japanese militarism is resurrected. The military is under the control of the main militant faction. Attacking Taiwan Island can gather people's hearts and win over the hearts and minds of Ryukyu Islanders. In a while, Ryukyu will become attached to Japan and become a province of Japan. As for Taiwan's defense, it belongs to our country." Japan has seen through its weakness. The Japanese have learned Western colonial policies and are still arguing that they are competing for territory with Taiwan's indigenous people and are unwilling to recognize the Qing's sovereignty over Taiwan. In the final analysis, our country's national strength is not enough to deter Japan, so we must build small carrying poles first. It’s good that our motherland is not for destruction,” Li Guolou said eloquently. Japan has no worries and can devote all its strength to the decisive battle with the Qing Dynasty. Instead, the Qing people are fighting in their nests and the civil war is endless. How can the war between Qing and Japan be escalated? It is best to defeat the Japanese army in one battle. Drive out of Taiwan
"Liu Liu Mazi is not someone to be trifled with. He is very good at training. Our New Armed Forces is the foundation he laid. I believe we can achieve a great victory in this Taiwan battle." Zheng Hengdan looked towards the eastern sky, not afraid of the cold wind.
Li Guolou stopped talking to Zheng Hengdan, thinking about putting shackles on Zheng Hengdan in the future and not giving Zheng Hengdan a chance to be independent. He did not comment on Zheng Hengdan, but this remnant of the White Lotus Sect always wanted to rebel and stay in Jinji. Some of the New Armed Forces officers in the fort have the same ideals, but they still have to be wary of this group of generals who work for him.
A troop transport ship can carry more than 200 people. It is divided into two cabins. The ship is all from Shandong. They are all soldiers and officers of the New Armed Forces. They also sleep inside. There is a strange smell in the cabin of the troop transport ship. There is a strange smell under every bed. There were several basins where the vomit was vomited, and the recruits suffered from the turbulence, so even though they cleaned the cabin diligently, there was still a smell of vomit. More than a hundred people slept in the same cabin, with bunks tied up with canvas. Hold your body in order to avoid falling off the iron bed
The bumpy ship rocked left and right, and people had to walk sideways when going out for convenience. More than a hundred Shandong men slept, cleaned guns, and played cards in such a narrow environment.
Gambling is not allowed in the army, so soldiers who play cards put notes on their foreheads. Whoever loses more has more notes on their foreheads.
Zhang Xiaotian, Zhang Tiepian, and Yang Jingwei were sitting on a bed, their faces covered with notes, shirtless, teasing each other, and playing cards relentlessly. For them, going out to sea on a boat was a novel experience, and after that, it was a long bumpy ride in Taiwan. It’s unclear how far it is. The current tasks are to eat, sleep, and play cards. If you want to smoke, you have to go out of the cabin. After a round of card games, a few people squeezed out of the cabin, holding cigarettes in their mouths and puffing away at the side of the ship.
The New Armed Forces soldiers on this ship were composed of the bandits from Weishan Lake, prisoners of the Lincheng garrison, and members of the Changqian Society, Boxers. Zhang Xiaotian was awarded the rank of captain and actually became a lieutenant for his meritorious service in the water battle of Weishan Lake. He is the alternate captain, so he distributes cigarettes to the brothers first. He is the backbone of these Shandong people and enjoys high prestige.
Zhang Tiepian and Yang Jingwei were awarded the rank of lieutenants and each led thirty soldiers. The soldiers they led were all bandits from Weishan Lake. Now they have become glorious members of the New Armed Forces and are led by Captain Arilang of the Eighth Battalion and Four Posts.
Zhang Tiepian killed the bandit leader Zhou Tianlun and expressed his will to Li Guolou with practical actions. He deserved the title of lieutenant. No one in the army raised any objections.
But it was unexpected that "Black Tiger" Yang Jingwei was awarded the position of lieutenant. At first, he chased Li Guolou's boat and wanted to kill Li Guolou. After Yang Jingwei was captured alive, Li Guolou did not kill him and said that he had the potential to be a general. Only then was he allowed to lead Shandong heroes to invade Taiwan to open up a fertile land for the islanders of Weishan Lake. Li Guolou let go of the robbers in Weishan Lake but did not allow these people to return to Weishan Lake to settle. He wanted to kill the islanders of Weishan Lake. All moved to Taiwan Island
This unit will take root in Taiwan in the future to find a paradise for their fellow countrymen, so in their minds Taiwan has become their second home, full of desire to fight.
Zhang Xiaotian looked at the blue sea and blue sky and blew out a smoke ring and said: "I don't want to retire. Liu Mingchuan likes to be a hero. After that, I will join Chief Liu to be the magistrate of a certain province in Taiwan."
Zhang Tiepian shook his head and said: "I don't believe that the head of a county has to manage 100,000 people. Are there so many immigrants from Shandong? You were deceived by Li Guolou?"
Zhang Xiaotian laughed loudly and said: "Idiot, what I'm saying is that twenty years after retirement, Taiwan will be dominated by Shandong people. I can't manage 100,000 people."
Yang Jingwei sneered and threw the cigarette butt into the sea and whispered: "You two idiots have no sense of direction at all. We have already passed Taiwan Island. Where will there be wars? Are we being used as a transport team to carry supplies for the navy or are we saving money?" Try your best and stop talking nonsense."
"It's true that we have passed the island of Taiwan." When the others heard Yang Jingwei's words, they couldn't help but look up and look at the blue sky and blue sea. Wherever the sun shines above their heads, they can tell where they are.
"Believe it or not, your navy is going to fight. We can only watch. In fact, I am very good at water warfare. It's a pity that Li Guolou doesn't use me." Yang Jingwei sighed sadly with an incomprehensible expression. The failure of the Weishan Lake water battle was not his fault. The mistake was that Li Guolou had eighteen mosquito ships. If he had eighteen mosquito ships, Li Guolou's head would have been used as a chamber pot.
Yang Jingwei looked arrogantly and jealously at the mosquito boat sailing in the sea. He did not want to stay in the Xinwu Army. It was his dream to change his position and serve the Nanyang Navy.
The Shandong man on the deck looked seriously at the several warships sailing around. The Qing Dynasty was looking for the Japanese army to fight, but they could only act as spectators to ensure the safety of the troop transport.