On the eve of the Songhu Battle, Chiang Kai-shek had formulated a preemptive combat plan, planning to block the Jiangyin Yangtze River waterway and wipe out all Japanese warships stationed at the mouths of the Yangtze River in one fell swoop, thereby gaining the initiative on the battlefield for the upcoming Songhu Battle. Unfortunately, this plan was
Huang Jun, who was the administrative secretary of the State Council at the time, was betrayed to Japanese spies, which caused the Japanese army to urgently evacuate its ships and citizens and prepare for war.
After the Battle of Songhu began, the Japanese naval aviation, under the command of Third Fleet Commander Kiyoshi Hasegawa, took off from the aircraft carrier and the Shanghai Naval Aviation Airport that was under emergency repair, and bombed our positions, leaving only 6,000 Japanese Marines behind us.
Under the fierce attack of the army, it was able to support the arrival of reinforcements from two army divisions.
Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek hated the warships of the Japanese Navy, especially the aircraft carriers, and even dreamed of blowing them up and sinking them. For this reason, he once strictly ordered the Air Force to take action and bomb the aircraft carrier Ryuchang, but it was a pity that it was not successful. Don't say that.
The aircraft carrier was the heavy cruiser "Izumo", the flagship of Kiyoshi Hasegawa. Chiang Kai-shek also strictly ordered the air force and navy to jointly attack, hitting the "Izumo" several times and seriously damaging the "Izumo".
Now, suddenly came the good news that the Eighth Route Army Air Force had sunk the Japanese aircraft carrier Longxiang. Chiang Kai-shek actually cried with joy, and his hand holding the telegram was trembling. It was Zhou Zhirou on the side who reminded him whether the battle report should be announced immediately, which made Chiang Kai-shek cry with joy.
Woke up.
Chiang Kai-shek, who had sobered up, rang the bell to summon the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of National Defense and the Foreign Minister of the Republic of China, Wang Chonghui, and asked him to immediately meet with the Soviet, American, British, French, German and other envoys stationed in the Republic of China to announce that our army had completely annihilated the Japanese Longxiang.
The aircraft carrier team asked all countries to ban trade with Japan and support the Chinese people in driving out the invaders. At the same time, Wang Chonghui, Zhou Zhirou, and Mao Bangchu were asked to jointly hold a press conference to announce to the Chinese and foreign media that our army had completely annihilated the Japanese aircraft carrier team Longxiang.
. Then he called Chen Brai and asked him to personally write a press release about our army's annihilation of the Japanese aircraft carrier Ryūjang, and distribute it as an editorial to the Central News Agency. After the article was written, it was immediately delivered to various newspapers for printing and supplements, and the radio station immediately broadcast it to encourage
The morale of our military and civilians.
Wang Chonghui's ancestral home is Dongguan, Guangdong. He was born in a church family in Hong Kong. His grandfather Wang Yuanchen is said to be the first believer to join the church in Guangdong Province. He himself studied at St. Paul's School and Huangren School since he was a child, and was later admitted to the Qing government with excellent results. The Peiyang Western School was opened in Tianjin. Four years later, he graduated with the best grades from the Peiyang University and obtained my country's first university diploma. Later, he went to the University of California and Yale University to study and obtained a doctorate in law from Yale University. He The book "German Civil Code" translated in English is a common textbook in universities in Europe and the United States. It should be said that Wang Chonghui made important contributions in both Western and Chinese legal circles. Later, because he and Sun Yat-sen were close friends, Wang Chonghui entered He entered the political arena of the Republic of China and served as Yuan Shikai's Chief Justice. During the Beiyang Government, he also served as Prime Minister of the "Good Man Government" whose life span was only more than 70 days. Later, with the rise of Chiang Kai-shek, Wang Chonghui was appointed again, first as Minister of Justice and then President of the Judiciary. Later he became the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and now he is also the Secretary-General of the Supreme National Defense Council, becoming an evergreen figure in the political arena of the Republic of China.
After reading the battle report of the Eighth Route Army Air Force, Wang Chonghui was naturally very excited. When he heard that Chiang Kai-shek asked him to meet with envoys from various countries, he suggested that he ask the Chairman to personally meet with these envoys. The situation is now so tense that all embassies from various countries have withdrawn to Chongqing.
, the ambassadors staying in Wuhan are panic-stricken. If the Chairman can meet with them in person, it will definitely play a role in stabilizing people's hearts.
Although Wang Chonghui was a master of law and had an upright character, he was not a military expert and could not clearly see the battle situation. Chiang Kai-shek himself knew that although the Japanese army had suffered continuous setbacks in the past few days, the Wuhan battle had entered an advanced stage and the fall of Wuhan was a foregone conclusion. Chiang Kai-shek knew
No longer willing to waste manpower here, all he wanted now was to eliminate as many Japanese troops as possible. Therefore, after listening to Wang Chonghui's suggestion, Chiang Kai-shek directly replied that he did not have time. He only saw the Soviet ambassador, and all other ambassadors were sent by Wang Chonghui.
Make an appointment.
Zhou Zhirou proposed whether to publish the battle report in the name of the Chinese Air Force or the 18th Army Aviation Group?
A cold glint flashed in Chiang Kai-shek's eyes, which made Zhou Zhirou's heart pound. Finally, Chiang Kai-shek stated that the total annihilation of the Japanese aircraft carrier fleet and the Wuhan air battle were a whole, and they were both campaign operations under the unified leadership of the Military Commission, and were conducted by the Air Force of the Republic of China.
The committee organized and implemented the plan in detail, using the main force of fighter jets to fight the Japanese aircraft and cover the bomber formation of the 18th Army to attack the Japanese aircraft carrier, thus achieving a complete victory.
Newspapers and radio stations in Wuhan were notified that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Air Force would jointly hold a press conference to announce the unprecedented victory of our army.
The air battle in Wuhan that just passed allowed many people to once again see the ferocity of the Japanese. Many newspapers and radio stations sent reporters to cover the streets of Wuhan, and some reporters were hit by Japanese bombs during the air battle and died heroically. Therefore, the press conference
The scene was immersed in a tragic atmosphere.
After Wang Chonghui and Zhou Zhirou, who were all dressed in military uniform, and Mao Bangchu walked into the venue, the venue was silent, and no one applauded.
Wang Chonghui glanced at the reporters who were all crying, and said in a low voice: "Everyone, I know that in the air battle that just passed, many of our compatriots died under the bombs of the Japanese invaders, and everyone is very sad. But, I
Now I want to announce a big news. The heroic Chinese Air Force achieved unprecedented results in the air battle that just passed. It destroyed and damaged 55 Japanese aircraft in the sky over Wuhan. It also rushed thousands of miles to completely annihilate the Japanese army on the Dajiayang sea near Shanghai.
The Ryujo aircraft carrier formation sank two Japanese aircraft carriers, Ryujo and Hoho, destroyed 32 carrier-based aircraft, two water reconnaissance aircraft, and sank two cruisers and four destroyers. None of our bomber formations attacked the Japanese ships.
casualties."
After Wang Chonghui finished speaking, she stopped and waited for the reporters' reactions.
Most of these reporters were still immersed in grief, so they did not react after Wang Chonghui finished speaking. After about two minutes, everyone suddenly understood that the Chinese Air Force had blown up the Japanese aircraft carrier fleet. Oh my God! So,
Many people didn't care about their image, they didn't even wipe away their tears, they stood up and applauded as hard as they could.
When the applause stopped, Wang Chonghui introduced the identities of Zhou Zhirou and Mao Bangchu, asked them to introduce the battle in detail, and answered reporters' questions.
This week to Rouge, Mao Bangchu is the head of the Air Force. They have also gone abroad to drink foreign ink, have seen the big world, and are familiar with the procedures of press conferences. After Wang Chonghui's introduction, the two began to introduce the specific situation of the air combat, and
The gap between the strength of the enemy's and our own air forces, the Wuhan air battle decision-making process, the combat plan formulation process, the combat process, the performance of each unit, the basic situation of the Japanese aircraft carriers Ryuchang and Fengxiang, etc. were explained in detail. The Wuhan air battle was described in detail.
The results of the attack on the Japanese aircraft carriers by the Eighth Route Army Aviation Brigade are said to be the result of Chairman Chiang's strategizing, accurate intelligence, correct decisions, and the Air Force officers and soldiers bravely going to the national calamity, sharing the same hatred of the enemy, cooperating with each other, and fighting the enemy bravely. Of course, the secrets involved 2
Of course people don’t know how to speak.
After the two introduced each other, the reporters did not ask too many questions, because this was major news and the report had to be published as soon as possible. The reporters were all busy going back to writing.
Soon, Wuhan's radio station broadcast the major news of our army's total annihilation of the Japanese aircraft carrier Ryukyu, and it was played over and over again. Many citizens flocked to homes with radios to listen to the broadcast.
By the time Wang Chonghui made an appointment with the envoys from various countries, they had all heard the news on the radio. These yellow-haired envoys were not as excited as the Chinese, and almost in unison asked Wang Chonghui to provide photos.
There are no photos, because the Eighth Route Army Air Force did not return to Wuhan, but went directly back to Shaanxi. Wang Chonghui had no choice but to tell these envoys that the photos would be provided in the future, but the sinking of the Japanese aircraft carrier team was an absolute fact. I hope that all countries
The envoys told their governments that the Chinese people would never surrender and were determined to fight the Japanese aggressors to the bitter end. They requested governments of all countries to increase assistance to the Chinese people and help the suffering Chinese people defeat the invaders.
After the meeting, these envoys immediately sent telegrams back to their respective foreign ministries, requesting the foreign ministries of various countries to meet with the Japanese envoys to confirm whether the Chinese information was accurate.
The Japanese base camp was already confused by the bombing of the aircraft carrier.
Emperor Hirohito couldn't understand how the Chinese with only a few planes could sink a powerful aircraft carrier formation and do so cleanly. By the time the rescue aviation planes arrived, the Chinese planes were already gone.
Crane. What on earth is going on? Let’s not talk about the army’s failure over and over again. How could the powerful navy suffer such huge losses? It’s simply an insult to the country!
Before Emperor Hirohito, Prince Kanin Miyazaihito and others could discuss countermeasures, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that envoys from various countries were asking about the fact that the aircraft carrier fleet was destroyed and how to respond.
Before Emperor Hirohito spoke, Prince Kanin Miyazaihito scolded the Foreign Minister and asked him to hold a press conference immediately. He said that it was a Chinese rumor and that the Imperial Japanese aircraft carriers Ryujo and Hosho were on a mission.
, if the Chinese could sink the Imperial Japanese aircraft carrier fleet, their Shanghai and capital Nanjing would not be occupied by the imperial army.
The nature of Emperor Hirohito is just like that, he is extremely gloomy and hypocritical. He is most afraid that other countries in the world will look down on Japan and that his proud army and navy will be embarrassed. After hearing the words of Prince Kanin Giyazaihito, I feel that they are very suitable to me.
He nodded and signaled to the foreign minister to follow the advice of the chief of general staff.
Prime Minister Lu Shanshan Yuan was unwilling at this time.
Originally, it was Seishiro Itagaki who was appointed land minister at this time in history, but now the incompetent Itagaki has already had a caesarean section, and Shanshan Yuan is still working as land minister. Before coming to see the emperor, Sushan Yuan had already received a telegram from Hata Shunroku, knowing that Wuhan
The air battle resulted in the loss of 55 aircraft, coupled with the heavy casualties suffered by the Central China Expeditionary Force in the Wuhan offensive and the slow progress, some people in the country began to blame the Army again for repeating the old tune of not expanding the war. Now the Navy's Ryukyu aircraft carrier team has been annihilated.
This is a great opportunity to divert public dissatisfaction with the Army. How could we just let it go?
Shan Shanyuan opened his eyes in confusion: "Your Majesty the Emperor, I think it is not appropriate to reply to the envoys of various countries. The Chinese Air Force must have taken photos when they blew up the warships. If they publish these photos, the Empire of Japan will be in trouble in the world."
It is impossible to gain trust in front of other countries. I think I should tell the truth to all countries, but I must explain that the Ryuxiang is a light aircraft carrier and the Fengxiang is about to be decommissioned. At the same time, I must explain to all countries in the world that Wuhan will soon be captured by the imperial army and two ships will be lost.
An aircraft carrier with weak combat effectiveness will not affect the overall situation."
Hearing what Sugisu Yuan said, Military Councilor Nagano Shushen was no longer willing. This guy is a hardliner, a pioneer in the navy's invasion of China, and has served as commander of the Combined Fleet, principal of Etajima Naval School, deputy director of the Military Command Department, and military councilor.
The Hirota cabinet held the position of Marine Minister, and was one of the main makers of Japan's northward and southward policy. After the resignation of the Hirota cabinet, he returned to the position of commander of the combined fleet and commanded the naval fleet to invade Shanghai and Nanjing. However, after the capture of Nanjing, he again
Sit on the bench and serve as military counselor for the second time.
As soon as Nagano Shushen heard what Sugisu Yuan said, he knew that Prime Minister Lu wanted to see the navy's joke, and immediately retorted: "Mr. Prime Minister Lu, if you have something to say, you can say it directly. The navy has embarrassed your majesty this time, but the army is even worse! It needs to be announced.
If the Ryukyu aircraft carrier team is destroyed by the Chinese, then take stock of the Army's record. Calculate how many soldiers the Army has killed since the war began, how many aircraft have been lost, and how many weapons and ammunition have been lost. Publish them all so that the Chinese people can
Look at the glorious achievements of the Imperial Japanese Army!"
Although Mitsumasa Yoneuchi is a well-known member of the Japanese army who does not want to expand the scale of the war, and has historically firmly opposed Japan's launch of the Pacific War. He was actually acquitted during the post-war trial, but he was afraid that war with Britain and the United States would bring Japan to destruction and was afraid of expansion.
Invasion of China will plunge Japan into a quagmire. This does not mean that he is opposed to war and loves peace. When the Songhu Battle began, he said that from now on, expansionism would no longer exist and that he would fight all the way to Nanjing. In fact, he was also a
The out-and-out culprit of the invasion of China.
Mitsumasa Yoneuchi's relationship with the Army has never been good, but he usually pretends to be gentle and speaks calmly. But when the honor of the Navy was involved, Mitsumasa Yoneuchi's gentleness became a bit harsh: "Mr. Prime Minister of the Land, Navy
It only lost two aircraft carriers, but the army lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers and hundreds of millions of war funds. Nagano-kun is right, if you want to announce it, publish it all!"
Shan Shanyuan immediately retorted: "The army has at least occupied Manchuria, North China, and East China. It has captured Beiping, Tianjin, Taiyuan, Jinan, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Anqing. It will soon capture Wuhan and remove the flag of the Japanese Empire."
It has penetrated all over the richest places in China. The navy has only captured some small docks at best. How can it be compared with the army's military exploits? In war, there will be casualties and losses, and it is normal to announce the battle losses. I don't know, Mr. Marine Minister, Councilor
Why are you so afraid, sir?"
Seeing that the head of the Land and Maritime Bureau was about to become a mess, Prime Minister Konoe Fumima hurriedly came out to break up the fight, and said that he wanted to maintain the image of His Majesty the Emperor and the government in the world and could not lie to the powers of various countries.
Everyone could hear that Konoe Fumima was going too far, including Emperor Hirohito.
Emperor Hirohito, who was so angry with these ministers, finally made the final decision: ignore the inquiries from envoys from various countries. Newspapers and radio stations fully reported the achievements of the imperial army. The embassies abroad strengthened communication with dignitaries from various countries to seek support. The army and navy asked for support.
Strengthen cooperation, capture Wuhan and Guangzhou as soon as possible, and use the achievements to demonstrate to the world the power of the Japanese Empire. The military industry department must speed up production to make up for war losses.
Emperor Hirohito's words had set the tone, and Sugimoto, Yoneuchi Mitsumasa, and Nagano Shushen all stopped talking.
After Emperor Hirohito finished speaking, the suffocating breath he was holding in his chest had no place to escape. When he looked up, he saw Shan Shanyuan's somewhat proud face, and this breath came out on Shan Shanyuan: "Ai Qing, I remember that at the beginning of the war, you were steadfast in your vows.
The ground promised to destroy China in three months. It has been more than a year now. I wonder if Mr. Lu still remembers what he said?"
After saying that, without waiting for Shanshan Yuan to reply, Emperor Hirohito stood up and snorted, and went to find Empress Ryoko to relieve his boredom.
Shan Shan Yuan's heart suddenly dropped into the ice cellar, and he was covered in sweat.
At this time, Dadian Town, Ju County, where the Eighth Route Army Instruction Division and the Shandong Bureau of the Communist Party of China are based, were already in a state of jubilation.
When receiving the telegram from Feng Dafei, Liu Yimin and Luo Ronghuan were still in the army and at the grassroots level to inspect the rest and training of the troops. Cai Zhong immediately sent a report to Liu and Luo, reporting that Feng Dafei led the Eighth Route Army Aviation Group to completely annihilate the Japanese aircraft carrier Longxiang. Now,
Flying from Shanghai to Shandong, requiring smoke navigation.
After receiving the telegram, Liu Yimin was overjoyed and couldn't restrain his excitement. He immediately called Cai Zhong back: "Open the airstrip to welcome the hero's triumphant return." He then ended the inspection and hurried to the store with Luo Ronghuan.
After Liu Yimin returned to Shandong, he followed the chairman's instructions and started construction of an airstrip in Zhujiazhuangzi Village, north of Dadian. This place is surrounded by mountains, with a few hundred acres of flat land in the middle, which is convenient for concealment and
It is safe and secure, and can accommodate large fleets of aircraft taking off and landing. The location is ideal.
At this time, there were no mechanical equipment such as bulldozers to build the airport. It relied entirely on manpower, so it was naturally more laborious. Fortunately, the instructors had many cars, tanks and armored vehicles. After the land was leveled, they used the night to directly drive up the cars, tanks, and armored vehicles to crush them.
, which saves a lot of effort than manual tamping.
It is said to be a simple airport. Liu Yimin also put in a lot of effort. He obtained a lot of white ash from the lime kilns in various counties in the base area, and collected a lot of cinders, which were mixed with gravel to level the ground of the airport. Cars, especially tanks, would pass by evenly.
It was very strong after being rolled. Liu Yimin still regretted it. After capturing Tianjin, due to the short time and too many materials that needed to be transported, the equipment of Tangshan Qixin Cement Company did not have the power to dismantle it, and there was not even ready-made cement.
If I had known that the airport was going to be built now, I might as well have tried to transport the cement out. The cement produced by Qixin Cement Company has won an international gold medal, and the quality is absolutely good.