On November 8, after nearly three months of fighting, 200,000 of the most elite army and navy forces were invested, and Shanghai, the gateway city of China, was finally captured in most of the area, and the remaining sporadic resistance appeared very weak. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

But for the commander of the Third Fleet, Vice Admiral Hasegawa, there was no expression of joy on his face. On the night of October 28, Izumo, which was docked on the shore of the occupied zone, was hit by a torpedo from a Chinese mine boat approaching quietly in the darkness of the night and hit the underwater armor plate. After 1 whole day of emergency repairs, the gap was plugged.

The overhaul of the Izumo return voyage was inevitable, and a large number of transport ships also arrived at the front line, bringing supplies and reinforcements to the combat troops.

"Admiral Kii? The rare ship lady served as the admiral of the town guard mansion, and Lieutenant General Lingzun Sanjo Masamune, and I also had a few acquaintances. I have always stayed by my side to Ling Zun's writings, and I read them in my spare time, and I have benefited a lot every time. ”

"You're humble."

It was the first time Kii had seen a big man with the rank of lieutenant general on an equal footing with her, talking and laughing freely, but her secretary, Sato Gonjun, clearly sensed Lieutenant General Hasegawa's faint evasion. I sat down and talked for two hours, all about things that had nothing to do with the battle situation, and I didn't even mention the supplies escorted by the Ninth Team.

"It's getting late now, so let's talk about it today." Lieutenant General Hasegawa deliberately looked at the time and finished all the prepared speeches, "When will Admiral Kii's Ninth Sentai return?" ”

"Stay for 10 days and return to Sasebo Military Port on November 18." The other party was the commander of the entire expeditionary fleet, and Kii did not hide the itinerary of his team.

Hasegawa nodded, "It seems that you still have time to visit this city that is about to be completely conquered. ”

……

At the time of nearly 90 days after the Songhu Incident, many front-line soldiers were indeed excited by the results achieved, and they defeated China's most elite combat troops, proving that there was no military strength in East Asia that could withstand the chariots of the Great Japanese Empire.

But the people who really led the war fell into deep thought, and it took 3 months to take Shanghai, which was too long.

The first team of Wu Gang guarded the mansion, and no one knew that a terrible figure had come on this day.

"Nagato, do you think it's feasible to continue to let the war expand?"

The man who spoke lost his usual composure and posture, and as the supreme commander of the army and navy of all Japan, Emperor Hirohito did not receive a war report from the Ministry of War until the North China Army had been fighting at the Lugou Bridge for a week.

It can be said that from before the Battle of Songhu, including the earlier Zhina Incident, he could only sit in the palace and receive the victory report before giving orders. As for the orders issued, whether the army will adopt them or not, only they themselves know. For example, when the Kwantung Army bombed the railway, he also had to make the prime minister take the blame. It is precisely because of this that Emperor Hirohito, on the one hand, continued to cultivate his own power among the young officers of the army, and on the other hand, he exalted his sister-in-law, Nagato, to the top of the navy.

Even if the naval commanders and the ministers of the Navy Ministry have great power, they have no right to directly manage the ship, the ship's mother belongs to the town guard, and the superior is the admiral appointed within the navy, but Nagato, the commander of the First Fleet, not only governs all the admirals in Wu Jungang, but also relies on his power to secretly become the leader of the ship. Whether it is the admiral or the senior officer of the headquarters, once Nagato comes forward, they will have to make concessions, otherwise who knows what kind of trouble their town guard will face.

It can be said that Emperor Hirohito, through Nagato, secretly controlled the entire fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

"For the sake of our long-cherished wish of the Great Japanese Empire to establish a new world system, China must be occupied. There are resources in that land that our country does not have. ”

In the dimly lit attic, in addition to Hirohito and Nagato, there are only two Hirohito's henchmen, as well as Mutsu.

"But China is too big."

"This is indeed the most difficult problem, and my personal opinion is that it will only take ten years of stable operation to seize the Lower North China Plain and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The power of the empire will increase several times, and then it will be able to annex China in one fell swoop. ”

Compared to Nagato's suggestion, Emperor Hirohito still seemed dissatisfied. "Will the Chinese surrender? I know them better than you, and the Chinese love the land no less than we do. ”

"It's rare to hear praise for China from you." Nagato knew that his brother-in-law was a little confused, but one thing everyone knew was that resources had to be plundered from the vast land of China, and Japan was an island country, guarding the land of projectiles, and sooner or later it would perish. In order to conquer the world, you must first conquer China. Regardless of whether this was said by Prime Minister Yoshiichi Tanaka or not, the truth hit the nail on the head.

"After taking Shanghai, the next step is undoubtedly Nanjing. Vice Admiral Hasegawa is old after all, his combat style is too conservative, although he is the leader of the navy, but this battle of Songhu still has more prestige for the army. In the long run, the Army's loss of control is inevitable. ”

"If Hirohito needs you, I will use all my strength at any time to pave the way for you to govern the country." Nagato's words really gave Hirohito some confidence. I'm afraid that Hirohito is also waiting for his righteous sister's words.

"No, as a last resort, you can't take any chances." Emperor Hirohito immediately stopped Nagato's dangerous remarks. "At present, the first priority is how to capture Nanjing. As long as they don't push the ministers of war into a hurry, they don't dare to tear their faces with me face to face. Even if a North China Plain and the lower Yangtze River Plain are combined, the two large pieces of land are enough for the army to tear them apart for a long time. Let them focus on the Chinese front, and we will have enough time. ”

At this time, Mutsu handed over a note, "This is Miss Kaga's secret music for the First Voyage War." His Majesty the Emperor, please take a look. ”

If they were replaced by other ship girls, it would be impossible to send them up, and they needed the permission of the superior admiral to meet with the senior naval officers alone. But Kaga is not an ordinary person, and it is not impossible for him to meet Emperor Hirohito in the name of the adopted daughter of the Konoe family. Mutsu sent a twist and turn just to ease the contradictions between the ship's mothers and send personal favors, and Nagato did too much a lot of the time.

Hirohito opened the wax seal and couldn't help but be frightened by the contents of the song. "The commanders at the front are all crazy? Large-scale bombing was going to be launched. ”

"What's going on?" Nagato was also a little surprised when he heard it. Japan has been isolated in the League of Nations, and if it develops too quickly, it will be troublesome, and then Western countries will use various reasons to intervene.

"At present, the army has very little air deployment, and they do not have this redundant capability. It was the Army that demanded 'appropriate support' from the Navy's air forces. ”

"Support?" Hirohito's word "support" can be heard by Nagato. "Does the army have to make our navy die for them? It's impossible! ”

"Lieutenant General Hasegawa did not achieve much success in the battle of Songhu, and at the military conference, he was helpless. Agreed to use naval aviation to 'support' the ground advance. Hirohito did not expect that Lieutenant General Hasegawa, who had always been strong, would also have to compromise in the battle with the army.

The capture of Shanghai was only a landing point, and it was not easy to capture the city of Nanjing. As a participant in the meeting, Kaga gave a detailed account of the Army's next strategic plan. The vanguard of the army had already begun to march in the direction of Nanjing, but the large and small towns along the way formed a strong barrier by continuous railway and water transportation. The Chinese have a great deal to fight to the death with the Japanese side in one city and one place. Whether it's materiel, ammunition, troops...... All the back-up forces make this barrier stronger. The Japanese side is obviously in a weak position through the mainland, or through the Yizhou sea.

So there was an army staff officer who came up with a crazy plan. By paralyzing all the transport lines for ammunition, supplies, and troops, this barrier could be broken, and the Imperial Army could quickly encircle the city of Nanjing, capture the capital of China, and crush the Chinese resistance.

"I've seen the map, and if you want to destroy all the Chinese lines of communication between Nanjing and Shanghai with air force, the cost is unimaginable." Nagato is not just sitting in the position of fleet commander to eat, she is also studying the strength and weakness of China's enemy forces.

Hirohito agrees with Nagato, "So, someone has come up with a better way. ”

"Who?"

"Commander of the Shanghai Dispatch Army of the Army. Admiral Matsui. ”

Nagato had met the general a few times, and he was a pseudo-imperial sect with a vacillating personality, and Nagato was very distrustful of such people.

"Kaga wrote down his exact words, 'There is no need to destroy these lines of communication. First, we don't have to pay such time and cost; Second, after the acquisition of Nanjing, these transportation lines will be important strategic transportation lines belonging to us. Therefore, it is not allowed to wreak havoc. These lines of communication were carrying supplies, ammunition, and soldiers to defend against the Imperial Japanese Army. If we replace the above items with something else, the Chinese defenders will lose their geographical advantage, and the barrier will naturally collapse and become a piece of fat to be slaughtered. ’”

Hearing this, Nagato vaguely knew what the army was going to do, and if it didn't work, it would be simple. There is no shortage of ordinary people along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and this is the "goods" that General Matsui used instead. Nothing is more of a headache for the garrison than fleeing refugees from their own war.

There are no refugees, then it is made with aviation bombing! There is not enough army aviation, and there is not enough army aviation under Vice Admiral Hasegawa, so isn't there still a Kaga lady who can completely annihilate the Chinese fleet by herself? Long Xiang and Xiangfeng's planes had suffered considerable losses in the bombing of military strongholds in Shanghai and coastal cities, and needed to be resupplied and repaired, but the news that Kaga had obtained a batch of new carrier-based aircraft had spread throughout the upper echelons of the military. As the saying goes, those who can work harder.

Nagato understood that the army was pressuring Lieutenant General Hasegawa to let Kaga bomb innocent villages and towns. Even if Kaga is the mother of the aircraft carrier faction, Nagato can't sit still. "No! Absolutely not. Hirohito, the Army's sideways must be stopped! Please order it immediately. If Nanjing was captured by the army in this way, they would not have taken the rules into account. Lieutenant General Hasegawa and Kaga could not withstand the pressure of the army. Miss Kaga sent a recital, which means that she needs you to come forward. ”

"Although I shouldn't have said much, I would like to ask His Majesty the Emperor to make a judgment. This matter must not be left to the army alone! "Even Mutsu voted to let Emperor Hirohito handle it.

Hirohito saw that he was in a hurry to stand up and get his sister and junior sister Mutsu, and understood how out of control the current situation was. But his next sentence completely shattered the innocence of Nagato and Mutsu.

"Kaga wrote with only one request. That is to say, I hope that after the end of the Nanjing War, I will erect a monument to commend all the Chinese civilians who died in the war for their contributions to the common prosperity of Greater East Asia. ”