On the eve of the start of the Battle of Songhu, Chiang Kai-shek formulated a preemptive battle plan, planning to block the Yangtze River channel in Jiangyin and annihilate all the warships stationed at the mouth of the Yangtze River in one fell swoop, so as to win the initiative on the battlefield for the upcoming Battle of Songhu. Unfortunately, this plan was betrayed to the Yue Ben spy by Huang Jun, who was the administrative secretary of the State Council at the time, causing the Yue army to urgently evacuate the ships and expatriates and prepare for war.

After the Battle of Songhu began, under the command of the commander of the Third Fleet, Hasegawa Kiyoshi, the naval aviation of the Yue Army took off from an aircraft carrier and the Shanghai Naval Air Force airfield, which had been urgently repaired, to bombard the positions of our troops, so that the marines of the Yue Army, which had only 6,000 men, were able to support the arrival of reinforcements from two divisions of the army under the onslaught of our troops.

Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek hated the warships of the Chinese Navy, especially the aircraft carriers, and dreamed of blowing them up. To this end, he ordered the Air Force to take action to bomb the aircraft carrier Longchamp, but unfortunately it was unsuccessful. Not to mention the aircraft carrier, it was the heavy cruiser "Izumo", the flagship of Hasegawa Kiyoshi, and Chiang Kai-shek also strictly ordered the air force and navy to attack together, striking at the "Izumo" several times, and seriously damaging the "Izumo".

Now, when the good news of the bombing and sinking of the aircraft carrier squadron of the Eighth Route Army suddenly came, Chiang Kai-shek cried with joy, and his hands holding the telegram trembled. It was Zhou Zhirou on the side who reminded Chiang Kai-shek of whether to publish the war report immediately, so that Chiang Kai-shek woke up from tears of joy.

Chiang Kai-shek, who was sober, rang the bell and summoned Wang Chonghui, secretary general of the Supreme Council of National Defense and minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of China, and asked him to immediately meet with the envoys of the Soviet Union, the United States, Britain, France, and Germany to the Republic of China, announce that our army will completely annihilate the Longxiang aircraft carrier squadron, demand that all countries prohibit trade with the People, and support the Chinese people in driving out the invaders. At the same time, Wang Chonghui, Zhou Zhirou, and Mao Bangchu jointly held a press conference to announce to the Chinese and foreign media the news that our army had completely annihilated the aircraft carrier squadron of the Longxiang Army. Then he called Chen Bui and asked him to write a press release on the Longxiang aircraft carrier squadron of our army's total annihilation, and distribute an editorial to the Central News Agency. Immediately after the article was written, it was handed over to all newspapers for printing and supplementation, and it was immediately broadcast on the radio to boost the morale of our army and people.

Originally from Dongguan, Guangdong, Wang was born into a church family in Hong Kong, and his grandfather, Wang Yuanchen, is said to have been the first believer in Guangdong Province to join the church. He himself studied at St. Paul's School and Huangren School since he was a child, and was later admitted to the Beiyang Western School opened by the Qing Dynasty in Tianjin with excellent grades, and graduated from the Beiyang University Hall with the best grades four years later, obtaining the first university diploma in China. Later, he studied at the University of California and Yale University, and obtained a Juris Doctor degree from Yale University. His English translation of the German Civil Code is a common textbook for universities in Europe and the United States. It should be said that Wang Chonghui has made important achievements in both Western and Chinese legal circles. Later, because he and Sun Yat-sen were good friends, Wang Chonghui entered the political arena of the Republic of China, and once served as Yuan Shikai's chief justice, and also served as the prime minister of the "good man political axe" cabinet with a life span of only more than 70 days during the Beiyang political axe. Later, when Chiang Kai-shek rose, Wang Chonghui was used again, first as Minister of Justice, President of the Judiciary, then as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and now as the Secretary-General of the Supreme National Defense Council, becoming an evergreen tree 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, and when he heard that Chiang Kai-shek had asked him to make an appointment to meet with the envoys of various countries, he suggested whether or not to ask the chairman of the NPC Standing Committee to personally meet with these envoys; now that the situation is so tense, the embassies of various countries have already been withdrawn to Yucheng, and the ambassadors who remain in Wuhan are panicking, and if the chairman can personally meet with them, it will certainly play a role in stabilizing people's minds.

Although this Wang Chonghui is a master of law and has an upright character, he is not a military expert and cannot see the battle situation clearly. Chiang Kai-shek himself knew in his heart that although the army had suffered continuous setbacks in the past few days, the battle of Wuhan had entered the later stage, and the loss of Wuhan was a foregone conclusion. Chiang Kai-shek was no longer willing to expend his living forces here, and now all he sought was to eliminate as many troops as possible. Therefore, after listening to Wang Chonghui's suggestion, Chiang Kai-shek directly replied that he did not have time, and only saw the Soviet ambassador, and the ambassadors of other countries were all invited by Wang Chonghui.

Zhou Zhirou proposed to publish the battle report in the name of the Chinese Air Force or in the name of the 18th Group Army Aviation Brigade?

A trace of coldness flashed in Chiang Kai-shek's eyes, and Zhou Zhirou's heart jumped when he saw it. In the end, Chiang Kai-shek stated that the all-annihilation of the aircraft carrier squadron and the Wuhan air battle were a whole, and that they were both campaign operations under the unified leadership of the Central Military Commission, which were specifically organized and implemented by the Aviation Commission of the Republic of China, and that the main force of fighters was used to fight with the planes, and to cover the bomber formation of the 18th Group Army to attack the aircraft carriers, thus winning a complete victory.

All newspapers and radio stations in Wuhan have been notified that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Air Force will jointly hold a news conference to announce the news of our army's unprecedented victory.

The air battle in Wuhan that has just passed has made many people see his own ferocity again. Many newspapers and radio stations sent reporters to the streets of Wuhan to cover news, and some reporters were hit by bombs by the Chinese army and died heroically in air battles. Therefore, the press conference was immersed in a tragic atmosphere.

After Wang Chonghui and Zhou Zhirou and Mao Bangchu, who were dressed in military uniforms, walked into the venue, there was silence at the venue, and no one applauded.

Wang Chonghui glanced at the reporters who were in tears, and said in a low voice: "Ladies and gentlemen, I know that in the air battle just past, many of our compatriots died under the bombs of the Yukou, and everyone is very sad. However, I would now like to make a big announcement, the valiant Chinese Air Force has achieved unprecedented results in the air battles that have just passed. In the airspace over Wuhan, 55 planes were destroyed and damaged, and they attacked for thousands of miles, completely annihilating the aircraft carrier formation of the Longxiang in the Dajiyang near Shanghai, sinking two aircraft carriers, the Koulongxiang and the Fengxiang, destroying 32 carrier-based aircraft, two water reconnaissance planes, two cruisers, and four destroyers. There were not a single casualty in the bomber formation that I rushed to the ship. ”

After Wang Chonghui finished speaking, he stopped and waited for the reporters' reaction.

Most of these reporters were still immersed in grief, so Wang Chonghui didn't react after finishing speaking. After about two minutes, everyone suddenly understood that the Chinese Air Force had blown up the aircraft carrier fleet of the Japanese army, oh my God! As a result, many people didn't care about any image, didn't even wipe their tears, stood up and applauded desperately.

When the applause stopped, Wang Chonghui introduced the identities of Zhou Zhirou and Mao Bangchu, asked them to give a detailed account of the battle, and answered reporters' questions.

This week, Zhirou and Mao Bangchu are both members of the Air Force, and they have both drunk foreign ink abroad, have seen the world, and are very familiar with the procedures of the press conference. After Wang Chonghui finished his briefing, the two began to introduce the specific situation of the air battle, and gave a clear account of the gap between the strength of the enemy's and our air forces, the decision-making process of the Wuhan air battle, the process of formulating the combat plan, the combat process, the performance of various units, and the basic situation of the aircraft carriers Longxiang and Fengxiang. He directly described the results of the Wuhan air battle and the Eighth Route Army's air brigade's attack on the aircraft carrier squadron as the result of Chairman Chiang's strategic planning, accurate intelligence, and correct decision-making, and the results of the air force officers and men bravely going to the national disaster, sharing the same hatred for the enemy, cooperating with each other, and bravely killing the enemy. Of course, the two of them naturally won't talk about things that involve confidentiality.

After the two introduced, the reporters did not ask too many questions, because this is a major news and must be published as soon as possible, and the reporters are busy going back to writing.

Soon, Wuhan's radio station broadcast the major news of our army's total annihilation of the Koulongxiang aircraft carrier squadron, and it was broadcast over and over again, and many citizens flocked to their homes with radios to listen to the radio.

By the time Wang Chonghui met with the envoys, they had already heard the news on the radio. The yellow-haired envoys were less excited than the Chinese, and almost unanimously demanded photos from Wang.

There is no photo, 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 swear to these envoys that the photos would be provided later, but the sinking of the aircraft carrier squadron was a true fact. It is hoped that the envoys of various countries will convey to their own political axes that the Chinese people will never give in, that they are determined to fight a bloody war against the Kou to the end, and that they will increase their assistance to the Chinese people and help the suffering Chinese people defeat the aggressors.

After the meeting, these envoys immediately sent back telegrams to their foreign ministries requesting that the foreign ministries of various countries meet with the envoys to confirm whether the Chinese's message was accurate.

At this time, the base camp was already dizzy by the bombing of the aircraft carrier.

Emperor Hirohito couldn't figure out how the Chinese, who had few planes, could sink the powerful aircraft carrier formation, and they fought so cleanly that by the time the rescue air planes arrived, the Chinese's planes were already like yellow cranes. What the hell is going on? Not to mention that the army has been deflated repeatedly, how can a powerful navy have such large losses? It's simply humiliating!

Without waiting for Emperor Hirohito, Prince Zaihito of Kanin Palace, and others to discuss countermeasures, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that envoys from various countries asked about the actual situation of the destruction of the aircraft carrier fleet and asked for instructions on how to respond.

Before Emperor Hirohito could speak, Prince Zaihito of the Idle Yuan Palace scolded the foreign minister and asked him to immediately hold a press conference, saying that it was a rumor spread by the Chinese, that the aircraft carriers of the Great Imperial Dragon and Fengxiang were on a mission, and that if the Chinese could blow up and sink the aircraft carrier squadron of the Great Imperial Empire, their great Shanghai and the capital Nanjing would not be occupied by the imperial army.

This Emperor Hirohito's real surname is like that, he is particularly gloomy and hypocritical, and he is most afraid that the countries of the world will look down on him, and he is afraid that the army and navy he is proud of will lose face. Listening to the words of Prince Zaihito of the Idle Palace, he felt that it was very agreeable, and nodded and said that he would act in accordance with the advice of the Chief of the General Staff.

Lu Xiang Shanshan Yuan was reluctant at this time.

Originally, at this time in history, it was Itagaki Seishiro who served as the land minister, but now the incompetent Itagaki has long been disemboweled, and the land minister of Sugi Sugi Yuan has been dry. Before coming to meet the emperor, Sugi had already received a telegram from Shunroku Hata that he knew that 55 planes had been lost in the air battle in Wuhan, and that the Central China Dispatch Army had suffered heavy casualties and made slow progress in the Wuhan Raider. Now that the Navy's Longxiang aircraft carrier squadron has been annihilated, it is a great opportunity to divert the people's dissatisfaction with the army, so how can we let it go?

Shanshan Yuan's confused eyes opened: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that it is inappropriate to reply to the envoys of various countries on this matter. The Chinese Air Force must have taken pictures of the warships when they blew them up, and if they made them public, the empire would not be able to win the trust of the rest of the world. The minister thought that he should tell the truth to all countries, but he wanted to explain that the Longxiang was a light aircraft carrier and the Fengxiang was about to be decommissioned. At the same time, it is necessary to explain to the countries of the world that Wuhan will soon be captured by the imperial army, and the loss of two aircraft carriers with weak combat effectiveness will not affect the overall situation. ”

Hearing Shanshan Yuan say this, Military Senator Nagano was reluctant. 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 the Etajima Naval Academy, deputy director of the Military Command Department, military senator, and minister of the Hirota Cabinet. After the resignation of the Hirota cabinet, he returned to the post of commander of the Combined Fleet, commanding the naval fleet to invade and occupy Shanghai and Nanjing. However, after the capture of Nanjing, he sat on the cold bench again and served as a military senator for the second time.

As soon as Nagano Xiushen heard Shanshan Yuan's words, he knew that Lu Xiang was a joke about wanting to see the navy, and immediately retorted: "Lord Lu Xiang has something to say directly, the navy has disgraced His Majesty this time, but the army is even worse!" If you want to announce that the Longxiao aircraft carrier squadron was destroyed by the Chinese, then take stock of the army's achievements and calculate how many soldiers have been killed, how many planes have been lost, and how many weapons and ammunition have been lost since the beginning of the war. All of them will be announced, so that the people of the country can see the glorious achievements of the Imperial Army! ”

Seeing that Nagano cultivated himself and rushed forward, Mitsumasa of the sea phase Yonechi naturally would not shut up.

Although Mitsumasa Yonechi was a well-known faction in the army that did not expand the scale of the war, and he was also resolutely opposed to the launch of the Pacific War in history, and was acquitted at the post-war trial, he was afraid that a war with Britain and the United States would lead him to destruction, and that expanding his aggression against China would lead him into a quagmire, not that he was opposed to war and loved peace. At the beginning of the Battle of Songhu, he said that from now on, the doctrine of non-expansion would no longer exist, and that he would fight all the way to Nanjing. In fact, he is also an out-and-out culprit of the invasion of China.

Mitsumasa Yonechi has always had a bad relationship with the Army, but he generally pretends to be suave and speaks more calmly. But at this time, when it comes to the honor of the navy, Mitsumasa Minai's gentleness has become a little loud: "Lord Land, the navy has only lost two aircraft carriers, and the army has lost 100,000 soldiers and hundreds of millions of war funds. Nagano-kun is right, if you want to announce it, you will announce it all! ”

Shanshanyuan immediately ridiculed him: "The army has occupied at least Manchuria, North China, East China, Beiping, Tianjin, Taiyuan, Jinan, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Anqing, and is about to capture Wuhan, planting the banner of the Great Empire in the richest places in China." At best, the Navy has captured a few small docks, how can it be compared with the military exploits? There are casualties and losses in war, and it is normal to publish battle losses. I wonder why the sea minister and the senator are so afraid? ”

Seeing that the head of the land and sea bureau was about to be fried into a pot of porridge, Prime Minister Fumima Konoe hurriedly came out to persuade him, saying that he wanted to maintain the international image of His Majesty the Emperor and the political axe, and could not lie to the powers of various countries.

Konoe Fumima is pulling the bias, everyone can hear it, and Emperor Hirohito can naturally hear it.

Emperor Hirohito, who was so angry with these ministers, finally made a decision: he ignored the inquiries of the envoys of various countries, newspapers and radio stations went all out to report the achievements of the imperial army, and embassies stationed abroad strengthened exchanges and communication with dignitaries of various countries to seek support. The army and navy should strengthen cooperation, capture Wuhan and Guangzhou as soon as possible, and use their achievements to show the international community the strength of the empire. The military industry should speed up production and make up for the war losses.

Emperor Hirohito's statement can be regarded as a set tone, and Sugi Sugimoto, Mitsumasa Yonechi, and Nagano Shushen stopped talking.

After Emperor Hirohito finished speaking, the sullen breath held in his chest had nowhere to come out, and as soon as he looked up, he saw Shanshanyuan's somewhat smug face, and this breath came out of Shanshanyuan: "Aiqing, I remember that at the beginning of the war, you swore to destroy China in three months. It's been more than a year now, I don't know if you still remember what Lu said to you? ”

After speaking, without waiting for Sugi Sugimoto to play, Emperor Hirohito stood up and snorted, and went to find Empress Ryoko to relieve his boredom.

Shanshanyuan's heart fell into the ice cellar at once, covered in sweat.

At this time, the Eighth Route Army Instructor Division and Dadian Town, Juxian County, where the Shandong Bureau was stationed, were already jubilant.

When they received Feng Dafei's telegram, Liu Yimin and Luo Ronghuan were still in the lower units 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 Brigade to annihilate the aircraft carrier squadron of the Longxiang Army, and was now flying from Shanghai to Shandong, asking for smoke navigation.

After Liu Yimin received the telegram, he was overjoyed and couldn't suppress his excitement, and immediately called Cai Zhong back: "Use the airstrip to welcome the hero's triumph." Then he ended the inspection, and rushed to the big store with Luo Ronghuan.

After Liu Yimin returned to Shandong, he began construction of an airstrip in Zhujiazhuangzi Village, north of Dadian, in accordance with the chairman's instructions. This place is surrounded by mountains, and in the middle is a flat land of hundreds of acres, which is not only convenient for concealment and security, but also can meet the take-off and landing of large aircraft groups, and the location is very ideal.

At this time, there was no mechanical equipment such as bulldozers to build an airport, and it all relied on manpower, so it was naturally more difficult to work. Fortunately, there are many cars and tanks and armored vehicles in the instructor, and after the land is leveled, the cars, tanks, and armored vehicles can be directly driven up and crushed at night, which saves a lot of effort than manual tamping.

Speaking of an airstrip, Liu Yimin also put a lot of effort into getting a lot of white ash from the lime kilns in the base counties, and collected a lot of cinders, which were mixed with gravel to level the airport ground. It is very strong after being evenly crushed by cars, especially tanks. That's it, Liu Yimin still regrets a little, after the capture of Tianjin, due to the short time, there are too many materials to be transported, and the equipment of Tangshan's Qixin Ash Company does not have the strength to be demolished, and there is not even ready-made cement. If I knew that we were going to build an airport now, I might as well think about transporting the cement out. The cement produced by Qixin Ash Company has won the international gold medal, and the quality is absolutely good.

(To be continued)