While Wu Xingchen was preparing for the attack on the night of July 8, the vanguard of Pang Zi's cavalry division finally arrived near Qingdao. The horses under the crotch of a squad of cavalrymen were already foaming at the mouth, and they could no longer run. That's pretty good. The cavalrymen had changed horses several times along the way. The cavalry itself was almost overwhelmed by the bumps along the way.

As early as July 4, Chen Ke ordered his troops to assemble and set off on the border. On 7 July, after the People's Party sent a telegram to Yuan Shikai, without waiting for Yuan Shikai's reply, the large army stationed at the border line had already crossed the border line and headed straight for Qingdao. The feature of this campaign is a quick word. The People's Party has no navy, no heavy artillery, and China's terrible land transportation. If the German fleet was allowed to run back and forth between Lianyungang and Qingdao, the People's Party would absolutely not be able to withstand it.

The Japanese love to gamble on national fortunes, and Chen Ke used to laugh at this kind of thing. Now he realizes that he is actually more Japanese than Japanese. Preparations for the war against Germany had been going on for some time, and after Chen Ke arrived in Huaihai Province, he immediately organized troops and prepared supplies. Even so, the small scale of preparations for the first round of combat is frightening. With such an idea of materiel, the troops were able to launch no more than two attacks. Even so, Chen Ke still sent troops up.

He gambled on one thing, now there were only a thousand enemy troops left in the fortress, and most of them were not artillery. Even if an artillery team is formed temporarily, it is simply not able to send infantry to defend the fortress walls. This time, the People's Party wanted to use explosives and human lives to smash open the Qingdao fortress.

Qingdao Fortress is now the largest and strongest fortress of the Great Powers in China. To be able to break through this fortress would be to show that any strong fortifications are vulnerable to the BJP. The psychological shock of the great powers far exceeded the actual results.

It doesn't matter if the Germans say that the People's Party insulted the German minister, or whether the People's Party says that they will defend their homeland and the country. The reason for this conflict was very simple, the People's Party was against the recognition of any treaty, and the Germans forced the People's Party to recognize the treaty. The conflict was not just a question between the People's Party and Germany, but between the interests of China and the interests of the Great Powers. Once this battle is fought, Chen Ke himself can't fully grasp it. However, Chen Keruo adopted any "curve to save the country" strategy at such a juncture. Then the BJP's own programme will be dealt a complete blow.

Since you want to save China, you don't have to think about your own losses. If we can't take a firm attitude, we will carry it out to the end on this major issue of right and wrong. So what is the difference between Chen Ke and Wang Jingwei? Wang Jingwei's government in Nanking was not at least nominally a Japanese state, let alone a Japanese colony. Dejurely, Wang Jingwei's Nanjing government was also an independent government.

Getting the People's Party's Beijing negotiating team to claim that the People's Party needs 100,000 people to start attacking Qingdao is nothing more than a smokescreen. The only troops that Chen Ke was really ready to use were three regiments and attached artillery, totaling more than 13,000 men.

Through carrier pigeons and telegram announcements, the BJP intelligence agencies completely threw off their coats and operated openly. Someone has already caught the BJP forward. The lodging point can also be in the field, but it is impossible for the troops to solve it on their own in the field with food and drinking water. Someone has to arrange for a guide. Intense preparations continued until July 10, when the BJP forces finally arrived.

The horse storming the fortress is a joke, and Pang Zi's cavalry division has now changed into a transport team. More than 5,000 horses were all loaded with supplies and equipment, and Pu Guanshui, deputy commander of the Shandong Military Region, personally led the infantry to accompany the army.

Chen Ke wanted to personally command the battle, but the Military Commission unanimously opposed it. Pu Guanshui said very clearly, "Chairman Chen, your job is not on the battlefield, your job is to command us to fight. The manner in which the troops are attacking has been explained sufficiently. The training of the troops is also of sufficient standard. Please stay here and direct us. ”

Pu Guanshui's attitude represents the attitude of most commanders, and Chen Ke has already made it clear the cruelty of this battle, so the comrades especially hope to prove to Chen Ke that they can indeed complete the task. No matter how cruel the Qingdao fortress is, it is not a battle that determines the life and death of the People's Party. There is no reason for Chen Ke to personally go to the front line to command.

After several days of marching, the troops were extremely tired. Soldiers and junior commanders were resting in the planned area. Middle- and high-ranking commanders gathered together for military meetings of the front committee. The station is located in the northwest of Qingdao City, 15 kilometers away from the city. Just a little outside the edge of the German artillery range. Theoretically, it was still possible for the Germans to hit the edge of the station, but this would have required the Germans to have God's blessing.

Pu Guanshui didn't care about the risk of this idea at all, and his voice was very loud, "Comrades, we have been shouting to liberate the whole of China, and now it's time to prove it." The whole of China is watching how we fight. Let's see if we have the ability to lay down Qingdao Fortress. It should be said that this battle is not a field battle, it is useless to fight bayonets, everyone has to use their lives to cushion. Therefore, I would like to stress battlefield discipline, and if there is any fear of the enemy and disobedience to orders, commanders and political commissars at all levels should immediately enforce battlefield discipline. We have mobilized all the necessary mobilizations along the way. If the German devils want to seize our land, we will fight them to the end. Do you have any questions about this, comrades? ”

This was the first time that the troops had fought against foreign devils, and the commanders were very emotional, and after listening to Pu Guanshui's words, it was naturally impossible for all the commanders and political commissars to have any fearful emotions.

"Don't worry. I wrote all the suicide notes. ”

"After training for so long, the troops are confident."

……

The young soldiers' eyes were bright, and they did not show the slightest hint of flinching.

Pu Guanshui actually didn't want to say so much, as the commander-in-chief of this campaign, he was extremely clear about what he was going to face.

"Someone has already started to evacuate the masses in Qingdao today. Tomorrow morning, the tentative offensive begins. The Germans now have fewer troops, less than 1,500 men. They will inevitably rely on artillery to resist our attack. Even if it is to embolden themselves, they will fire fiercely. All units must be mentally prepared for this, and there will be no distinction between the front line and the rear at the beginning of the offensive. As soon as the Germans saw the sight of our troops, they would open fire. The movement of the troops will be in great danger. ”

There has been a lot of discussion in this area, and the situation described by Pu Guanshui is not new at all.

"What we want to play with is our numerical advantage. As long as we can blow a hole, we can rush into the fortress, our troops are ten times larger than the Germans, and most of these Germans are using artillery. At various gun emplacements, they simply did not have the ability to resist the system. The artillery is all external, and as long as no one controls it, the enemy threat to other comrades is immediately small. Therefore, once the various troops blow up a gap, they do not have to wait for other troops to follow, but immediately break into the fortress to fight. And the other troops were able to split up and blow up the fortress and rush into the battle. And don't give up your own offensive line and think of other breakthroughs to attack. We have a lot of people, and under the attack from multiple directions, the enemy will take care of one and lose the other, so the opportunity is greater. ”

"What about artillery support?" Pang Zi asked.

The People's Party lacks heavy artillery, and judging from the current situation, it will take several years, or even more than ten years, to be able to produce cannon steel for large-caliber heavy artillery. But without artillery, the Qingdao fortress would never have been able to be taken. Although the conditions for throwing explosives such as the conscienceless cannon are simple, they also need to be very close to the enemy. This is simply useless for a modern defense system like the Qingdao Fortress.

The artillery support Pang Zi refers to refers to the new equipment "rockets" developed by the People's Party.

For Chen Ke, the military industry before World War I did not need to have a scale of 10,000 tons, an accuracy of nanometers, and a depth of structure that did not need to be quantum. These can be gradually solved in the process of industrial development, and the key is a way of thinking. As the saying goes, "the rabbit is not dirty, and the combat effectiveness is five". This is very clear in the case of rockets. The whole rocket is a one-time assembly. The components were all metal shells and gunpowder, and the only thing that was delicate was the silk that was used to wrap the column. The basic principle is not much different from the two-base. The firing range is four kilometers, and the accuracy is around fifty meters.

Speaking of its scientific and technological content, it will make the European and American industries laugh. But such a thing has a standard modular design. At the time of research and development, to put it more specifically, a total of more than 30 units were invested. Take the shell as an example, first of all, the iron shell produced in the rolling workshop of the steel mill. Later, the aluminum shell of the electrolytic aluminum plant was changed. Later, it was changed back to an iron shell, and then it was handed over to the refractory factory to try to solve it. Finally, it was tentatively determined to be a composite shell with an aluminum shell and a ceramic lining.

Including the rocket propellant column and the blasting charge filling of the blasting department, it is the responsibility of the special military department. Each department is responsible for a fairly monolithic piece of content.

On the whole, Chen Ke proposed the design idea, and then handed over the design to the entire system integration department to be responsible. It's just such a thing, and the first model has appeared since the battle with Duan Qirui's Beiyang Third Town. With the progress of the BJP's industrial strength, many processes have been solved, and the entire rocket project has also been improved.

The modular design idea has the advantage of being a final product when each department comes up with its own components for which it is responsible.

There is no heavy artillery, but heavy firepower is needed, and this is the situation that the BJP is facing now. Coupled with the current inferior level of industrial strength, Chen Ke had to adopt such a method of getting rid of the slag to improve his combat effectiveness.

"Now the troops are just 100 rounds and more than 30 rockets, and after the fight, we can only rely on mortars and smoke bombs. But just like that, we have to fight. Pu Guanshui also made up his mind.

While the front committee was deliberating, a comrade from the intelligence department hurriedly came in and reported, "Report to the chief, the German fortress is sending troops to attack us. ”

Nothing came as a surprise to the Front Committee.

"Are the Germans crazy?" Because of excitement, Pang Ziteng stood up. The Germans did not have enough troops in the first place, and they dared to send troops to attack. Is there some trick in this?

"How many people came?" Pu Guanshui immediately asked.

"From what we've observed, there were about six or seven hundred." The comrade of the intelligence department replied.

"Where are they now?" Pu Guan Shui became more eager.

If these German troops can be annihilated in one fell swoop, the German troops guarding the Qingdao fortress will face a complete exhaustion. It's a godsend.

"We're still six kilometers away." The intelligence officer replied.

As he spoke, another intelligence officer burst into the meeting place, "Report, the Germans have stopped. They are setting up defensive positions on the northern traffic arteries in the urban area of Qingdao. ”

The eyes of the comrades of the front committee lit up one by one, and Pu Guanshui asked, "What is the situation in the urban area?" ”

"Foreigners are rapidly retreating into the Qingdao fortress."

Hearing this answer, Pu Guanshui turned his head and asked the comrades, "Are the Germans worried that we will sack Qingdao?" ”

"Hmph," Pu Guanshui sneered, "It seems that it's a good thing that they're so worried." ”

"Is 30 rounds enough?" Pang Zi asked eagerly.

"Prepare thirty rounds, hit twenty rounds. The artillery unit immediately went to prepare! Puguan Shui said.

A defense facility built after the German invasion of Qingdao. In 1899, Germany began to build coastal defense forts such as Tuandao, Taixi Town, Yamen, Huiquanjiao and Bismarck Mountain (now Qingdao Mountain) on the Qianhai line of Qingdao. along the north side of the ridge to build land defense batteries such as Bismarck North, Irchis North, Irchis East, and Zhongjiawa; The infantry fortress line that crosses the front and back seas was built along the Bo River, and there were five major forts of Xiaozhan Mountain, Xiaozhan Mountain North, Central, Taitung Town, and Coast, commonly known as No. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 forts.

The command post of the fortress center was located in the underground hill of Bismarck Hill and was completed in 1905. It covers an area of 1,600 square meters, with a three-dimensional structure, 3 floors in the main body and 5 floors in the part, with 42 halls. The shelter department can be divided into two parts, east and west, and is divided into three functional areas: command, life, and logistics. Its command system includes the military operations research room of the German Supreme Commander, the artillery command room, the naval command room, as well as the commander's special passage, dormitory, rest room, infirmary, dining room, water reservoir, etc. The top is equipped with a 360-degree rotating observation deck, which allows you to observe the boats and surrounding activities in Jiaozhou Bay in an all-round way. At this time, Admiral Hainel was standing on the lookout and observing the direction of the BJP garrison with a high-powered telescope.

Now the German Governor of Jiaoao was represented by Naval Colonel Hainel, who did not follow the commander of the German Pacific Fleet, General Maximilian 61 von 61 Spee, to attack Lianyungang. In fact, Admiral Hainel did not take this military operation very seriously. Mo said that the People's Party, which has no navy at all, is vulnerable to the German Pacific Fleet even if it combines the Beiyang Fleet and the Nanyang Fleet of the Chinese Beiyang Government.

However, the landing battle was extremely difficult, and in the opinion of Admiral Hernell, the acting governor of Germany, Admiral Pace, had to contend with the wind and waves at sea and the climate of the landing site.

The capture of Lianyungang was a very good thing for Germany, Lianyungang was in Jiangsu, very close to Shanghai. This not only facilitated the proximity of German ships to the affluent Jiangnan region in China, but also allowed Germany to have two ports in China. This completely revitalized the naval situation of the German Pacific Fleet.

If it were in Europe, Qingdao would not be unvigilant. But in China, the local regime of the People's Party is beaten. Could it be that the People's Party still dares to send troops to retaliate? At the military meeting before the troops, Colonel Hainel seemed to be quite serious about possibility. Selling Ervadek, who is also a naval colonel, replied with a straight face: "There is such a possibility, but if this possibility wants to become a reality, one condition is required, that is, the People's Party we want to fight is not Chinese. ”

Such a brilliant answer caused a burst of laughter in the light-hearted military meeting.

After General Pace led the fleet to attack, the Germans were still aware of some changes in the urban area of Qingdao, but these changes were not to the point of sending military police to arrest people. It wasn't until the morning that the patrolman tried to see Colonel Henell with a pale face, and he brought the news that tens of thousands of troops of the People's Party had arrived near Qingdao and were going to attack the fortress of Qingdao.

The Germans sent scouts, and after confirming this, Colonel Hainel had to be convinced of one thing, the People's Party was coming.

Senior Colonel Hainel never thought that the People's Party would have a military operation to attack Qingdao, but judging from the current situation, the People's Party was only afraid that it was really not Chinese. After the joke at this military conference became a reality, Senior Colonel Hainel's greatest feeling was not shock, but puzzlement.

However, the minimum of preparation must be had, and it has to be admitted that after General Maximilian 61 von 61 Spee took away two battalions of German marines, Qingdao was extremely lacking in troops. The Germans did not have enough strength to defend the whole of Qingdao. At the German military conference convened urgently, some people put forward the idea that the purpose of the People's Party's military action was to make a feint and force the German troops in Qingdao to ask for help from the Pacific Fleet, so that the crisis of their attack on Lianyungang could be resolved.

This view was unanimously agreed. This is in line with the Germans' perception of the Chinese. Following this line of thinking, the Germans discovered a problem, if the People's Party entered Qingdao at night to sack, the Germans would not have enough troops to defend it.

The Germans are really doing a good job in intelligence work, which is also related to the fact that the People's Party has done a lot of business with foreigners, and there are many foreign experts in the Wuhan Industrial Zone. According to the intelligence gathered by the Germans, the People's Party did not have powerful heavy artillery, not even the 75 guns.

Judging from the area controlled by the People's Party, it is impossible for this People's Party unit that arrived in Qingdao within a few days to carry 75 mountain artillery on the march. Therefore, theoretically, the German army relied on the fortress artillery and the forward defensive positions to effectively contain the offensive of the People's Party. The Germans didn't have to wait long here, they just had to wait until the German civilians took refuge in the fortress.

Therefore, Senior Colonel Hainel sent troops from the naval battalion to set up defensive positions on the one hand, and on the other hand, to help German civilians enter the Qingdao fortress to take shelter temporarily. In doing so, Colonel Hainel still had some egotistical hatred. If two of the three Marine battalions of the Navy had not been taken away, he would not only not have been forced to defend, but could even send troops to organize an offensive.

In the high-powered telescope, the German defensive positions were set up quite quickly, with artillery positions set up, machine guns erected, sandbags erated, barricades added up, and barbed wire pulled up. All military deployments were carried out in a calm manner. The Germans behaved satisfactorily.

The defense did not require so many troops, and while the Germans were organizing their ranks and preparing to set up their next temporary position, a strange flame suddenly appeared in the sky.

It is impossible for the high-powered telescope to be so flexible, and due to excessive force, the lens suddenly deviates greatly from its position. Senior Colonel Hayl simply let go of the binoculars and looked at them with his eyes. There was something flying in the air of an indescribable color, but at the tail of the thing, it spewed bright flames. This is by no means a shell.

As soon as he made such a judgment, Colonel Hainel noticed that more than a dozen similar things were flying in the distance one after another. These strange things make beautiful curves of smoke in the air and fall to the ground. Then there was a loud explosion from the landing site.

Shocked by the sound of the explosion, Colonel Hainel suddenly found that the landing location was so familiar. After less than a second of rapid brain racing, he already understood what was going on. Operating the observation telescope at high speed, Colonel Hainel saw that Fangcai's defensive position had turned into a sea of fire. And the successive explosions accurately completely enveloped the defensive position. The figures of more than 600 German soldiers completely disappeared into the violent flashes and smoke of the explosion.

"Is the People's Party really going to war?" Such a question arose in Colonel Hanell's confused brain.