The spacious office window is bright and clean, and in addition to the neat four treasures of the study and the military telephone on the desk, there is also a model of an old-fashioned ironclad ship, which was sunk in the First Sino-Japanese Naval Battle. At this moment, the early spring sunlight shines directly through the glass window, which not only divides the entire desk into light and dark, but also illuminates the 50,000th military map hanging on the wall. Although the map is densely packed, the winding Yangtze River is clearly visible, and in four months, she will once again witness the suffering and glory of a nation.

Admiral Chen Shaokuan, Minister of the Navy of the Nationalist Government, was reading a manuscript, and Colonel She Zhenxing of the Navy Compilation Office was smiling for a while. He took the manuscript, and it was the engineer major Li Kongrong, who wrote the third article in the series on the submarine forces of the German Navy: Deep-Sea Wolves.

After more than half an hour quietly, when the sailors changed the tea for She Zhenxing for the third time, Chen Shaokuan put down the thick manuscript, rubbed his eyes and nodded: "Brother Zhenxing, you are right, this article really cannot be published." ”

"Hehe......" She Zhenxing smiled even more when he heard this. He is the first graduate of Yantai Naval Academy, and his qualifications are older than Chen Shaokuan, the sixth graduate of the Nanjing Naval Academy. He said unceremoniously: "Talent! Brother Houfu. If the chairman really agrees to order several submarines this time, we can also try this wolf pack tactic. Japan is an island country, once the sea route is blocked, the end will be worse than the British on the spot, the Americans will help Britain, but the Americans will never help Japan......"

She Zhenxing, who has always liked to study the navy, said that his eyebrows were flying, but the corners of Chen Shaokuan's mouth had been drawn into a straight line. In order to install a descendant in the navy, Chang approved the opening of the electric thunder school in Jiangyin a few years ago, and the school was actually said by the principal Ouyang Ge to be the Whampoa Military Academy of the navy. Although the matter of going to Europe to order submarines in Germany this time was approved by someone Chang and the Ministry of Military Affairs, it is still two ways to say whether it will be successful or not.

She Zhenxing said happily, Chen Shaokuan thought heavily, just when he wanted to find an opportunity to interrupt She Zhenxing, the sea idiot, the military telephone on the table rang, Chen Shaokuan, who picked up the microphone, turned serious when he heard the casual expression of his voice, and a minute later, when the phone was hung up, he put down the microphone and said: "Brother Zhenxing, the chairman has summoned, brother is here, and the brother is ......here."

Unexpectedly, Chen Shaokuan answered the call from the attendant's room, but She Zhenxing was stunned for a moment and then smiled, "Houfu, it's rare to be able to meet Shengyan, you have to seize the opportunity!" Seize the opportunity! ”

*

In March, the water of West Lake is turquoise, and there is a baroque building with red bricks and blue tiles on the shore of the green lake, and the location of the building is obviously excellent, if you stand in front of the window on the second floor, you can see the lake and mountains in full view. Here, it is the official residence of Chang Kaishen, chairman of the Military Commission of the National Government: Chenglu. The scenery of West Lake in early spring is picturesque, but Chairman Chang closed his eyes and refreshed his mind, without any appreciation. The chairman of the committee was like this, and the chief of the guard, Wang Shihe, and Colonel Huo Ran, who came in a hurry, relaxed their steps, but Chang Kaishen was still awakened, and he said in Fenghua's words: "It's Chen Shaokuan from the navy, right?" ”

"Yes..."Wang Shihe agreed, he was a native of Fenghua, Chang Kaishen's cousin, and he had been Chang's personal guard since Guangzhou, and he was loyal. After peeking at Chang Kaishen, Wang Shihe suggested, "Principal, do you want Minister Chen to wait a moment first?" ”

"No need, you let him come." Chang Kaishen waved his hand - the negotiations with Zhou Shaoshan, the vice chairman of the Red Party, in the past few days were so brain-consuming that he felt exhausted. But in any case, the determination has been made, and it is only a matter of time before it will be fought. Judging from past experience, life is a big gamble, and since I can win before, I will definitely win this time. [Note 1]

Of course, Chen Shaokuan, who came in a hurry from Nanjing, did not know the purpose of the Standing Committee Chairman in Hangzhou, and he only thought that he had come to Hangzhou to bring his wife to enjoy the spring scenery of the West Lake. Walking into the official residence and Chang Kaishen's office, Chen Shaokuan, as well as Colonel Lin Xianxi, Director of the Department of Naval Ordnance Department who came with him, Major Zhou Yingcong, Captain Lin Zhun immediately stood up and saluted, Chen Shaokuan took off his military hat and said: "Report to the chairman of the committee, Chen Shaokuan, who is lowly and lowly Chen Shaokuan, came to report." ”

Chenglu is not the official residence of Nanjing, the layout is much smaller, but like Nanjing, the national flag of the Nationalist Government and the flag of the Kuomintang hang on the wall behind the huge desk, and in the middle of the two flags is a photograph of the former prime minister. Different from ordinary party, government, and military offices, the photo is not a bareheaded photo of the former prime minister, but a group photo of teachers and students—the former prime minister is sitting on an old-fashioned rattan chair, and the chairman of the Standing Committee, wearing a command knife, is standing behind the former prime minister.

Chen Shaokuan's expression was restrained and solemn, and Chang Kaishen, who pretended to be reading the official documents, was holding a red and blue pencil. He was dressed in a gray beep tunic with no messy style buttons. After Chen Shaokuan finished reporting, Fang Cai raised his head in surprise and smiled: "Well, it's Houfu here." Sit down and talk, sit down and talk, you don't have to talk about etiquette. ”

"Yes, Chairman." Chen Shaokuan took a few steps forward, and although his buttocks fell on the chair, he did not sit down. Lin Xianxi, Zhou Yingcong and others stood with their chests held high on one side, and did not speak in Chang Kaishen's scrutiny.

"This time I went to Europe, the Executive Yuan will award you the second-class jade medal......" As soon as Chang Kaishen opened his mouth, Chen Shaokuan immediately stood up and thanked him, which made him smile again: "Houfu, sit down and talk, sit down and talk, don't be rigid in etiquette." ”

After Chen Shaokuan sat down, Chang Kaishen said: "This time I went to the UK, I can take the opportunity to go to Europe to have a look." It would be better to buy some ships and new weapons to come back and strengthen the navy. However, after all, the country is in difficulty, and we do not have enough foreign exchange for the time being, so it is better to buy things on credit, or to compensate for them with local products such as soybeans and tung oil from the northeast. ”

"Yes, Chairman." At the moment when Chang Kaishen paused, Chen Shaokuan hurriedly agreed.

"Political issues are something to consider. Ships and weapons can be bought as soon as they are bought, and it is not easy for us to buy them. As for the question of money, the amount is not limited, as long as you discuss with Yongzhi, you can buy as much as you can, as long as people trust ......"

Chang Kaishen explained the last matters before leaving, and his unlimited amount made Chen Shaokuan's blood swell a little, and only after Chang Kaishen finished speaking, he replied: "Report to the chairman: I have been discussing with various departments in the Admiralty for many days, and everyone agrees that submarines should be purchased, preferably German submarines. If there are fifteen submarines, then there is no need to worry about the coast! ”

As soon as Chen Shaokuan opened his mouth, there were fifteen submarines, which surprised Chang Kaishen, and he suspected that Chen Shaokuan deliberately took the bridge, because there were only five of them last time. After coughing heavily, Chang Kaishen asked without changing his face: "Is fifteen ships too much, when the Ministry of Military Affairs reported it, there were only five ships." ”

"Chairman Mingjian." Chen Shaokuan said confidently, "Five submarines are not enough even to protect the coast. According to the experience of German submarine warfare, the submarine force in the war can be roughly divided into three parts: one is to carry out diplomatic breaking operations and ambush enemy merchant ships in the Atlantic; The second is to travel between military ports and blockaded sea areas. Submarines are small boats, and they have to sink quickly when encountering enemy ships, and with the addition of avoiding minefields, the time spent on navigation is also considerable; Judging from the experience of the German Navy and the navies of other countries, it is best not to sail for more than two months from the time of departure to the return of the port, and the officers and men should be given a long leave of 10 days after each voyage patrol.

Although the situation in China is somewhat different from Germany, for example, Shanghai is not far from Japan, and the distance from Zhoushan to Tokyo is also within 1,000 nautical miles, so the time spent on the road is about ten days. Three of the fifteen submarines can rest and maintain at their home ports, three will be on the road, and the remaining nine will be engaged in a disruptive operation along the coast of the Sea of Japan.

Japan is an island country, and now all countries in the world have not found a good way to break up diplomatic relations with submarines, and in the last war, a German submarine was attacked by more than 300 depth charges but did not sink. Once Japan's coastal ports are threatened by submarines, their war potential and international trade will be severely constrained. In addition, if the Japanese army landed in our country, the submarine could also cut off its supply line of supplies at sea, and if this was the case, those Japanese troops who landed on the shore would have to sit and wait for death! With such merit, fifteen submarines are not outrageous. ”

Chen Shaokuan finished talking about what he had seen a few days ago in one breath, and waited for the leader's ruling. Although Chang Kaishen was born in the army, he also paid attention to the navy, and when he saw what Chen Shaokuan said, he habitually asked the details: "How many people does a submarine need?" ”

"Report to the chairman, a maximum of sixty people for an ocean-going submarine." Chen Shaokuan said, "If it is an offshore submarine, it will only take more than 20 people." The price of submarines is also not expensive, it is estimated that an ocean-going submarine sold to the German Navy is about 2.5 million marks, and an offshore submarine is around 1.5 million marks. Although the price of German ships is high, it is conceivable that the price of ocean-going submarines should be less than seven million marks. The cost of the fifteen ships should be less than 100 million marks, or 75 million yuan. The country is in difficulty, but these 15 submarines can be purchased in three years, and it costs only 25 million national dollars per year. ”

After Chen Shaokuan finished thinking about the plan he had been thinking about in the past few days, and he was worried that Chang Kaishen was too expensive, he finally made a supplement, "This exchange rate is actually converted according to the official price, and if it is based on the actual exchange rate of the mark dollar, I am afraid it will be much lower than this amount." ”

Quantity, function, price, cost, after Chen Shaokuan finished speaking, Chang Kaishen thought for a while before speaking under the expectation of everyone, but he did not express his position, but continued to ask: "With the current technology, the navy really can't sink submarines?" ”

"Yes, Chairman." Chen Shaokuan nodded heavily, "The main thing is that surface ships can't find underwater submarines." The only way to find it is to rely on a device called sonar, which uses sound waves that reflect back when they encounter an obstacle underwater. However, the current sonar technology is not mature, as long as the direction of sound wave detection is not right, it will not be able to touch the submarine. Even if it is in the right direction, as long as the submarine is a kilometer away, it is safe. ”

"Isn't that an echo?" Chang Kaishen said with interest that he had forgotten the 75 million national coins for the time being.

"Yes, Chairman, this is the underwater echo." Chen Shaokuan said. "At present, the navies of various countries are the most advanced sonar of the British Royal Navy, but it is still quite difficult to find submarines under the ocean."

"Alright, Houfu. Since the Admiralty already has a specific plan, let's follow the Admiralty's plan. You can talk about money, go to Germany, Germany because of the contract with Japan, they are ashamed of us. They invited us to Germany last month, just to change Sino-German relations, and you can have a good talk with them. Chang Kaishen finally nodded, which made Chen Shaokuan breathe a sigh of relief, but he mentioned that the matter had to be discussed with Kong Xiangxi, and Chen Shaokuan had a lot of shadows in his heart.

"Yes, Chairman." Chen Shaokuan suppressed the shadow in his heart and replied loudly.

Nodding his head and looking at Chen Shaokuan, Chang Kaishen's eyes looked at Lin Xianxin again, Lin Xianxin and Zhou Yingcong He had seen them before, only Lin Zhun who had just arrived was a little unfamiliar, he asked with a smile: "This is ......"

"Report to the chairman, this is Mr. Yongzhi's adjutant Lin Zhun." Chen Shaokuan introduced on the side. Lin Zhun saluted again, and reported: "Navy Captain Lin Zhun has seen the chairman of the committee and asked the chairman for instructions. ”

Before coming to Chenglu, Chen Shaokuan explained Chang Kaishen's preferences - the military appearance must be meticulous, neat and solemn; Speak loudly and sharply, and at the same time never have bad breath. Sure enough, after Lin Zhun reported loudly, Chang Kaishen smiled: "Okay." Good. Take a break. I don't have anything to say, the only thing I want to say is that soldiers take obedience to orders as their duty, and defend their homes and the country as their ultimate mission! ”

"Always remember the teachings of the chairman!" Lin Zhun pinched a handful of sweat in his heart, and when he heard Chang Kaishen's laughter, his heart was relieved.

"Report to the chairman, Lin Zhun is still Lin Yuanfu's (Zexu)'s nephew......" Seeing that Chang Kaishen was satisfied, Chen Shaokuan revealed other things in a timely manner, "This time I went to Germany to let Lin Zhun lead the team to train in the German Navy." ”

Chen Shaokuan raised Lin Yuanfu to make Chang Kaishen's gaze a little complicated. Lin Yuanfu, who sold cigarettes in Humen, was a person he respected, so he also looked up to his nephew Lin Zhun a few times, but from Lin Yuanfu to the Lin Zhun in front of him, he was a Fujianese, and the Fujian tail of the Central Navy was too big, and Chen Shaokuan strictly forbade the establishment of a party department in the navy, which was really uneasy.

Fortunately, the worry was only temporary, and after changing his mind, Chang Kaishen talked to Chen Shaokuan about other naval affairs, but obviously he didn't speak as smoothly as he did just now, and there were always pauses in his words such as 'this, this...', 'um, um...'.

Twenty minutes later, Chen Shaokuan, who had left Chenglu, was sweating all over, and the others were no better. However, Lin Xianxin smiled, he said: "Brother Houfu, I really didn't expect to agree!" Has someone often made a fortune, so kind? ”

Chenglu is on the shore of West Lake, and when there is no car to go out for the time being, everyone is standing by the lake and talking. Hearing that Lin Xianxin said that someone often gets rich and has a good heart, Chen Shaokuan said thoughtfully: "The civil war has ended, and it is said that last year the Executive Yuan finally had a balance, and the amount seems to be more than 70 million [Note 2]. It's also the turn of the Navy. I'm just worried about ......" Glancing at Lin Xianxi, Chen Shaokuan continued: "I'm worried that the Japanese will call tomorrow!" ”

Chen Shaokuan looked at the water of Xizi Lake with a sad face, of course he didn't want to fight, and the tens of thousands of tons of old family funds in the navy would definitely be wiped out. Once it is light, it is often possible to guess what someone will do.

"Houfu, the situation is not so dangerous." Lin Xianxin came from the late Qing Dynasty, and he couldn't be clearer about the enmity between China and Japan and between the Chinese and Japanese navies, but he really hasn't heard any news recently, and just some time ago, the newspaper said that what kind of Japanese economic inspection delegation went to Nanjing, and if it really wants to fight, it won't come to inspect it with great fanfare.

"I'm worried!" Chen Shaokuan faced the West Lake and said with his back to him. When Lin Xianxin was thinking, he turned around again and said: "As long as the conditions allow, the number of personnel going to Germany should be increased, so that the submarine can enter service earlier." ”

"Increase?" Lin Xianxi looked at Chen Shaokuan, and then at Zhou Yingcong and Lin Zhun who were standing far away, and said, "I'll leave in three or five days, and the people have been arranged, maybe the ferry tickets are all set, how many more people do you have to add to come in?" Will Kong Yongzhi's people agree? ”

"I'll just add one." Chen Shaokuan decided, "If Kong Yongzhi's people don't agree, I will tell him personally." ”