Negotiations with the Hebulou Company and the German Navy on the purchase of submarines continued in the afternoon of the next day, and Li Kongrong, as the officially authorized representative of the negotiations, was not in the slightest state and even kept smirking. The Germans felt inexplicable, and Major Zhou Yingcong, who knew the inside story, was helpless - he was going to be a father! Zhou Yingcong felt that it was not the first time he had been a father, and he couldn't understand why he was so excited, but Li Kongrong was really a father for the first time, so he had been scratching his ears and cheeks after receiving the telegram in the morning.

He suddenly had the idea of returning home once. If she doesn't go back, Xu Peipei has a child out of wedlock, it must be a big rebellion in this era, and there is no one to take care of her when she is pregnant. Having a child at this time is not as good as the next generation, what if something happens? Another way is that he will not go back and let Xu Peipei come to Germany, where the medical conditions are better than those in China, and the Nazi government encourages childbearing. However, if you want to come, you must come as soon as possible, otherwise you will have a big belly and will be unable to move, and it will be difficult to ensure safety on the cruise.

Li Kongrong, who is about to become a father, seems to have returned to his youth, and he was completely absent-minded about the afternoon negotiations, but fortunately, the negotiations took less than an hour and a half, which was nothing more than to reconfirm the content of the previous negotiations and make plans for future negotiations.

Li Kongrong was extremely excited, but Mr. Kraai, the general manager of Hebu Building, and Vice Admiral Bastian of the Navy were not very happy. The former is disappointed that he has not replaced this hateful Chinese naval lieutenant, and the future negotiations will be extremely difficult; The latter feared that he would not be able to fulfill Colonel Dönitz's instructions that the colonel hoped that the submarines sold to the Chinese would be as backward as possible.

After the negotiation in the conference room, he sat back on the car to the hotel, and Zhou Yingcong said: "Brother Shaosheng, you are ...... today, as for it, your sons are in elementary school." The minister will definitely be unhappy to see you talk like this. ”

"Huh." Li Kongrong was smiling all day today, and the corners of his mouth were about to crack to the back of his head. "I'm just happy. This is my ......" He didn't dare to say that this would be his first child, but said: "The matter of negotiation is really not urgent, and if something happens in the country after a while, it will be even more difficult to negotiate!" ”

"Something happened at home? What's going on in the country? Zhou Yingcong looked at Li Kongrong and was very surprised. Give him a hundred dollars to get all the information on German submarines, Zhou Yingcong has complete trust in his intelligence capabilities, plus he said before that there will be a big war between China and Japan this year, so his heart immediately raised. If China and Japan really want to fight, it will be even more difficult to talk about the submarine side.

"What else can happen in the country, it can only be a war between China and Japan." Li Kongrong said solemnly. "So I came up with a proposal that I was going to submit to the minister." He said and explained: "Chang someone is familiar to us in the Fujian department, but Sima Zhao's heart is well known, if there is no record in the war, but the lightning school is good, what do you say will happen next?" ”

"Humph! They're embarrassed to say it! When it came to the Electric Thunder School, Zhou Yingcong, a veteran of officialdom, couldn't help but be angry, "How much did the Electric Thunder School cost, and how much did we spend?!" In the past ten years, the navy has only built two ships, Ninghai and Pinghai, how can this fight the Japanese? Do those people from the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Supervision Yuan want us to be sent to death? ”

"So I'm going to arrange it." Li Kongrong said thoughtfully. Half an hour later, Bristol Lodge.

After spending twenty minutes reading the battle plan written by Li Kongrong, Chen Shaokuan was silent for a moment after putting it down, and said, "Is the situation really so bad?" ”

"Minister, Xia Guan has also had a lot of contact with the German side during this time, and he also had a lot of insights when discussing the Sino-Japanese issue with Mr. Yongzhi before, and the situation has indeed reached the point where it is on the verge of breaking out." Li Kongrong not only pulled the Germans but also pulled Kong Xiangxi, and he believed that Chen Shaokuan would never go to verify it. "Therefore, the lower officials think that if the fight really starts, we must prepare early. The Jiangnan shipyard and other arsenals should begin to produce mines in large quantities in order to block the Yangtze River waterway if necessary and prevent the Japanese navy from moving along the Yangtze River.

As far as the lower officials are concerned, the country. The army is simply unreliable, and the subordinate and the army representative, Major General Du Luming, have talked many times on this issue, and each time the subordinate officer scolds him, but every time he respectfully invites the subordinate to dinner and dinner, it can be seen that he is also worried about the situation within the army......

Li Kongrong had heard of the army's slander of Chen Shaokuan, and he didn't want to scold him for nothing, so he turned a blind eye. At this time, when he heard him scolding Du Luming, his face was grim, but he was smiling in his heart. In fact, he doesn't believe in the army, and he knows best what the difference between the current party-state and the former Qing Dynasty and Beiyang is.

As a naval general, he naturally habitually looks at artillery when it comes to the combat effectiveness of the army, and whoever has more artillery can win. By this standard, the pitiful twelve 75mm mountain guns of the German Mechanic Division could not be compared with the fifty-four 75mm mountain guns in the six towns of Beiyang. To put it mildly, a town in Beiyang can top at least two German mechanics. As for the independent artillery regiment, the independent artillery brigade, and the 24 German-made 150mm howitzers that the state government spent a huge amount of money on, with the army's current mules and horses, whether they can be pulled is a big problem. The artillery has a car, but can the car be relied on, and if the car breaks, does it depend on people?

Chen Shaokuan listened quietly for a while, he didn't care about the other reasons put forward by Li Kongrong, the only thing he cared about was that the Central Navy was more ugly than the electric thunder, if this was the case, Ouyang Ge would be even more invincible, maybe the Min system would be absorbed by him. Fifteen years ago, he dared to seize the ship and shoot him, and in the war, he dared to kill people by military law.

"Since the torpedo boats are going to be transferred, why don't the four torpedo boats Chen, Su, Lie, and Zhang be transferred together?" Chen Shaokuan thought about it in his heart and began to think about the plan proposed by Li Kongrong.

"Minister, these four torpedo boats are too old, and they are also slow, and the number of columns is said to be only twelve knots at the fastest now." Li Kongrong said, "Originally, the British torpedo boats bought by the Electric Mine School were the best, but the Electric Mine School was not under the jurisdiction of the Admiralty. Now only the Jiankang, Hu Peng, Hu Ying, Hu Falcon, and Hu Osprey can barely fight. ”

"That's also the chairman of the committee who is gullible and believes Ouyang Ge, that speculator." Thinking that his subordinates were all broken ships, but the electric thunder school was full of new ships, Chen Shaokuan finally said a word of anger. It was not good to slander Shangguan in front of his subordinates, so he immediately talked about the torpedo boats: "These four boats of Hupeng were all built in the former Qing Dynasty, and they were not properly maintained before, and they have long been broken. Thank God that the speed can pass twenty knots, the Jiankang is better, but not much better. ”

"Minister, this time we are taking advantage of the Japanese army's unpreparedness to do a big job, it is best to sink the cruiser, if it can't be defeated, it is good to sink a few landing ships, no matter how you say it, it is also a record." Li Kongrong tactfully persuaded him, but he was worried that Chen Shaokuan would not agree.

"Of course I know that." Chen Shaokuan nodded, "But before the ambush, it is best for these ships to be overhauled thoroughly." ”

"It's too late, Minister." Li Kongrong pinched a handful of sweat, he immediately shook his head again, and said, "It's not that it's too late, it's just how much time does Jiangnan have to spend on maintenance?" And torpedoes that have not been used for many years, is there a problem? ”

"If we really want to go all out, these five ships will definitely be able to be overhauled this month, and there will be only 12 torpedo ships in 5 boats, and 24 in one reload, and we still have this number." Chen Shaokuan thought about the details of the plan, frowning. In addition to thinking about the details, he was also thinking about the consequences of such an arrangement. However, if China and Japan really want to start a full-scale war, there is really nothing to worry about what he is worried about.

"Then the next thing is to do the secrecy work well." Li Kongrong reminded: "If this matter is known to Japan, I am afraid that the attack will lose its suddenness, and I am afraid that it will not be effective......

"If it's a secret, let's just say that these ships are being overhauled in Jiangnan." Chen Shaokuan said, "When leaving the port from Jiangnan, it is chosen at night, and there is no flag or the flag of other ships, and secrecy is not a problem. After he said that, he looked at Li Kongrong with a solemn expression: "Are you so sure that the Japanese will land from this area?" What if the Japanese don't land, or if they land in a different place? ”

"No, Minister. There are two judgments on this. First, throughout the history of the Japanese army, every battle likes to flank outflank, and our army is incompetent, once outflanked, the army's heart will be shaken, for example, the 128th Anti-Japanese War The Japanese army used the flank outflank landing to win, so this time the Japanese army must repeat the old wisdom of flank outflanking. And Shanghai is surrounded by the sea on both sides, and if the big war still takes place in Shanghai, then the Japanese army will definitely outflank the landing. Second, the place mentioned by Xia Guan is an excellent landing place, and there were Japanese pirates who landed here during the Ming Dynasty, and the Japanese Navy Staff must have a soft spot for this place.

The torpedo boat used this time is the Jiankang, which has a displacement of more than 300 tons, and the Hupeng and other four torpedo boats have a displacement of less than 100 tons. The landing site was crisscrossed by rivers, and when the time came, the Japanese army would definitely not be able to find out if they covered the ship with camouflage nets. Even if the draft is insufficient, it is not a big deal, and the Japanese will definitely land at high tide. It's ......, it's ......"

Li Kongrong wanted to speak and stopped, Chen Shaokuan listened quite like it, and when he saw Li Kongrong stammering, he said: "Say it, what is not good to say." ”

"The subordinate is worried about whether this plan will be reported to the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Chairman of the National Committee, and if the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Chairman of the National Committee know about it, then it is estimated that the Japanese army will also know about it." Li Kongrong said. "There are many pro-Japanese factions in the national government, and maybe the matter will be investigated by the Japanese. The lower officer thought that this matter should be cut first, and the Ministry of Military Affairs would not come to the fleet to inspect the ships anyway, and even if they did, it could be said that these five ships were being overhauled in the south of the Yangtze River. ”

"You're quite bold." Chen Shaokuan said a word, and Li Kongrong, who was staring at him, was covered with sweat on his back.

"Xia Guan only hopes that the navy can make a record and not be crushed by the electric thunder school!" Li Kongrong said, "When Xiaguan went to Kiel last month, he happened to meet a group of students studying in Germany from the Dianlei School, and they happened to live in Zhonghua Building, and it was hot and humid at night, so they chatted and talked about ......."

Chen Shaokuan's eyes were cold, and he said in a deep voice: "What did they say? ”

"They slandered the minister, and also said that the minister was about to be appointed as an ambassador, and that when the time comes, President Ouyang will be in charge of the navy, and they also said that they will kick us Fujian people out of the navy one by one and never hire them." Li Kongrong added fuel and vinegar and said, "When the lower officials heard it, they immediately taught them a lesson. ”

"Humph!" Chen Shaokuan flicked his sleeves and stood up, and the person walked in the room hurriedly, like a trapped beast, and after a while, he said: "I think this thing will be done like this, we must play the majesty of the navy!" ”

Seeing that Chen Shaokuan was excited, Li Kongrong hit the railway while it was hot: "Minister, then we should immediately send a report to the country, let the Jiangnan Institute immediately overhaul the five ships, and then the torpedoes should also be inspected, and finally the ambush should also be sent to investigate in plain clothes, so as to determine the ambush location." And radio, no! It is better to have two telephone lines so that they can be connected to each other, otherwise the boats will attack without permission and startle the snakes. ”

"Draw up a telegram right now!" Chen Shaokuan instructed that at this time, he suddenly had the idea of transferring Li Kongrong to the General Staff so that he could return to China immediately to arrange this matter, but he thought that the negotiations in Berlin could not be separated from him, so he had to give up.

The subordinate thought that the telegram should not be too detailed, and ordered the four torpedo boats, including the Jiankang and Hupeng, to immediately go to the Jiangnan Institute for overhaul. As for the specific battle plan, the subordinate officer thought that it would be better to send a special person to escort him by plane. Li Kongrong said, he actually wants to escort the battle plan back to China, and then meet Xu Peipei, either marry her immediately, or bring her to Germany, but the current negotiation really can't go away, it's really ......

"Okay, you can do it right away." Chen Shaokuan said, "Find a reliable one among the other trainees, let him escort the combat plan back to China by plane, and wait for the contract to be signed here, and then come over with the others." ”

"Yes, Minister!" Li Kongrong agreed. He finally had a sense of changing history. In the afternoon of the same day, an encrypted telegram was sent from Berlin accompanied by an ordinary telegram, which was sent to the French Concession in Shanghai, and the encrypted telegram to the Admiralty in Nanjing.

The Admiralty is on the Zhongshan North Road in the Rujiang Gate of Nanjing, the former Qing Dynasty was the Jiangnan Naval Academy, but the gate has long been different from before, the current Admiralty Gate is a baroque archway building, the two sides are low and the middle is high, the middle is open with the door opening, the door hole is written horizontally with the three big characters of 'Admiralty', and then the upper side is similar to the Navy cockade, the same is to put an iron anchor under the day, and then go up to stand a blue sky and white sun flag fluttering in the wind.

The encrypted telegram was delivered to the Admiralty through the sentry box and the stone lion outside the door. After the declassification was declassified, the director of the Communications Division handed it over to Chen Jiliang, commander of the First Fleet, who entrusted him with the handling of the department's internal affairs before leaving the country.

"The five ships of Quick Jiankang, Hu Peng, Hu Ying, Hu Osprey, and Hu Falcon will immediately go to Jiangnan Shipyard for comprehensive overhaul!" Looking at the order on the telegram, Chen Jiliang read it silently and began to guess what Chen Shaokuan wanted to do. These five ships are all torpedo boats, and suddenly the order to overhaul the torpedo boats immediately, what are you trying to do?! Chen Jiliang suddenly smelled a hint of war, torpedo boats are the only weapons in the navy that can threaten the enemy's navy, relying on the 140mm main guns of the Ninghai and Pinghai alone, I am afraid that no ship can fight except destroyers. After reading the first sentence, Chen Jiliang looked at the following sentence again: 'Qiu Zhongming will return to China by plane on the same day, and I hope to contact. 2176011。 Old. East. ’