Chen Shaokuan's determination was lifted by everyone's spirits, and at 128 o'clock, everyone said that the navy was a traitor, and they didn't want the navy to really fight to the death with the Japanese this time. Chang Kaishen, who was extremely satisfied with the pen & fun & pavilion www.biquge.info was about to say, 'I am very pleased' Yunyun, but Bai Chongxi, who was still thinking about how to deal with the Japanese landing offensive, continued to ask: "Then may I ask Minister Chen, how long can this coastal defense line last?" The northern coast of Hangzhou Bay is extended, what is the situation on other coasts, and is it possible for Japanese troops to land from other beaches? ”

"How long this coastal defense line can support depends on how long the coastal batteries can support, and how long the batteries can support depends on whether they can withstand the bombardment of bombers and naval guns from the Japanese navy. According to the preliminary estimate of the Admiralty, it will be able to hold out for at least a week. Chen Shaokuan told the truth, without exaggeration or modesty.

Chang Kaishen was disappointed by the week's talk, but Xu Yongchang, He Yingqin and others were overjoyed, and Chen Shaokuan added: "However, this is in consideration of the fact that the Japanese army landed from other undefended areas and fought in a roundabout way. Speaking of this, Chen Shaokuan turned around and pointed to the map and said: "According to the survey and verification of the Admiralty, these coasts in the north of Hangzhou Bay ......."

Chen Shaokuan's face was grim, and in the search for the landing site in the northern part of Hangzhou Bay, the Admiralty specially dispatched backbone personnel to determine the best minelaying site, and even studied the possible landing time and landing place of the Japanese army based on tidal and historical hydrological data. If it were usual, this approach would definitely be commendable, but now, Chen Shaokuan, who doesn't know the 'inside story', is tantamount to helping Li Kongrong.

“…… From Hangzhou Bend Xincang to Pengpu section, this is by no means suitable for landing; Although the section from Haiyan to Zhapu can be landed, because the beach is narrow, even if it lands, it will not exceed one division, and Haiyan only has the Shanghai-Hangzhou Highway running east-west, and there are no other northbound roads and railways in the territory, so it is difficult for the division and regiment landed by the Japanese army to develop in depth. To the east, that is, the section from the east of Tuolin to Nanhui, there are many reefs and shoals in the sea here, and there is no road to the inland on the shore, so even the landing force should be less than one division.

The sea area from Quangongting to Huangque is different, here is far away from the narrow mouth of Hangzhou Bay, and the tide is controlled by the current of the north shore and the Jinshan deep water trough, which belongs to the non-half-day shoal type current, and there are two high and two low tides between day and night. Although the slope of the coast here is gentle, the water is shallow and deep, and there are obstacles such as revetments and fish fences on the shore, and the convoy needs to choose a berth three or four nautical miles from the shore, if the troops are brought in at high tide in the middle of the night and attack after dawn, it can avoid the situation that it is not easy to land. The Japanese Navy has long studied China's coastal hydrological data, and this point cannot be unclear.

In addition, there are three roads and one railway in the section from Quangongting to Huangque, which is convenient for the Japanese army to land in depth, and our army only has one division of the 62nd Division stationed in this section, and the navy only builds the Zhapu Battery, if Japan wants to land, assuming that the information is not leaked, it will definitely choose to land within 15 nautical miles instead of other places.

When it comes to holding on to time, the navy actually has a lot to worry about, but the most worrying thing is that the Japanese army will outflank the shore batteries after landing in other seas. For nearly 100 years, the vast majority of the loss of shore batteries was due to the enemy's flanks, so the navy could only guarantee to hold out for a week. ”

According to the situation on the northern beaches of Hangzhou Bay, Chen Shaokuan almost pointed out the key points of coastal defense, and Chang Kaishen and several people were happy and worried. Chang Kaishen was glad that the navy had made preparations in advance, but he was worried that the Japanese army would land tomorrow, and it would be too late to make any further arrangements. Xu Yongchang and others were worried that the Japanese army would not be able to retreat when they landed on their own side, and they would inevitably be surrounded, but the joy was that it was too late for time, and Chang Kaishen could only choose to give up Shanghai and rely on the navy to snatch out a week to give the country. The army retreated to the Wufu line and the Xicheng line to resist one by one.

"According to reliable information, the Japanese army will land tomorrow!" Bai Chongxi exhaled deeply, "The navy must hold out for more than a week, so that the army can retreat smoothly to the Wufu line. ”

"Landing tomorrow?!" Chen Shaokuan was taken aback, he looked at Chang Kaishen and the others, and he didn't believe it.

"Yes, the intelligence indicates that the Japanese will land tomorrow." Chang Kaishen touched his bald head helplessly, thinking about how to arrange the retreat of the country.

"Impossible!" Chen Shaokuan shook his head vigorously. "There is no way that the Japanese army will land tomorrow."

"What can't be?" Chang Kaishen stared at Chen Shaokuan, and some hope was ignited in his heart. "Houfu, you say."

"The navy spent tens of thousands of yuan to buy sugar, rubber shoes, and cigarettes, and promised not to use the wood, steel, sand and gravel on the fort after the war, which has already bought all the peasants near Jinshanwei, and the marines also went around in plainclothes to spy on strangers, and also arrested a few of their own people......" Chen Shaokuan looked at Dai Li embarrassedly, the Marine Corps actually caught the Loyal National Salvation Army Special Forces, this is Dai Li's subordinates. The navy can guarantee that the Japanese army is not aware of the minelaying along the Jinshanwei coast. Since the news had not leaked, why didn't the Japanese army wait until midnight to land at the astronomical tide on the third day of the lunar month? ”

"The astronomical tide on the third day of the first month?" Chang Kaishen asked, "What day is the third day of junior high school?" ”

"Report to the chairman, the third day of the junior high school is November 5. It was the day with the highest tides in recent months. The water on the coast of Jinshanwei is shallow and deep, and the larger the tide, the more conducive to landing. Moreover, the high tide time was at two o'clock in the middle of the night, and the Japanese army must have begun to anchor and load the ships before one o'clock, and began to land at two o'clock, and the troops who landed in advance waited at the shoal at night, and then launched an attack after dawn, which was the best way for Jinshanwei to land on the ground. If the news of the mine-laying had not leaked out, I could not think of any other reason for the Japanese to land tomorrow. ”

"Really?" Chang Kaishen's eyes were straight and his whole body was stiff, as if he was grasping the last straw.

"As long as there is no leakage of the news about the naval mine-laying, it will definitely be the case that the Japanese will land." The navy's professional ability cannot be doubted, and Chen Shaokuan immediately took the top.

"Headmaster, the intelligence only said that it is expected to land tomorrow, not that it will land tomorrow, and the other party is not in the landing fleet." Dai Li, who understood Chang Kaishen's thoughts, also interjected, which immediately made Xu Yongchang, He Yingqin, and Gu Zhutong pull down their faces.

"Deputy Chief Bai, if the Japanese invaders land in the early morning of November 5, in three days, what troops of our army can reinforce Jinshanwei." Chang Kaishen, who figured out this section, touched his bald head with great joy, and his palms were full of sweat.

"Report to the chairman: The 62nd and 63rd divisions of the 28th Army, the 79th Division of Fengjing, the 55th Division of Songjiang, and the 56th Division of Pudong can be transferred. It's just ......" Bai Chongxi muttered for a while: "It's just that these divisions are extremely backward in equipment, with serious deficiencies in artillery and heavy machine guns, and weak combat effectiveness, so I'm afraid it will be difficult to resist the Japanese offensive." Can you first order the Left Wing Army to shrink the defensive line and retreat for the time being, and at the same time transfer a few divisions to Fengjing, Songjiang and other places to ......?"

"I know that." Chang Kaishen, who had already sat down and was meticulous in his military appearance, had already made up his mind in his heart, he actually had only one plan: the war began on August 13, and the Japanese clamored for the destruction of China in three months, so they would fight him in Shanghai for three months - let the war end on November 13. Such a slap in the face to the Japanese, and at that time the Nine-Power Pact meeting had already begun, if there was still troops left, then hold on for a while. Historically, he couldn't hold out until November 8, but now the situation is completely different.

"Our army is fully aware of the battle plan of the Japanese people, and the navy has done its duty faithfully and served the party and the state, and has spent nearly three months laying mines and building forts along the coast where the Japanese have landed. Judging from the situation in the northern part of Hangzhou Bay, the Japanese troops who landed were at most two divisions. Based on what you just said, we already have six divisions, and after holding out, more troops will be brought in, and there will be naval batteries to help defend it, so can't we hold out for two weeks? ”

Chang Kaishen's words made it difficult for Bai Chongxi to answer, the key to his side is to be prepared for battle, the Japanese army will definitely be delayed if the landing is caught off guard, and once it is delayed, there will be more reinforcements, and it is estimated that the coastal defense line will definitely be able to hold it with common sense.

After Chang Kaishen persuaded Bai Chongxi, he looked at Chen Shaokuan again, and he said, "Houfu, if the forts on the shore guarantee that they will not be surrounded by Japanese people, can the navy hold out for two weeks and then retreat?" ”

"This ......" Chen Shaokuan also found that Chang Kaishen and the ministers were at odds at this time, one had to defend and the other had to withdraw, and the navy was sandwiched between the two. He couldn't offend anyone, so he had to say: "Report to the chairman, if we ensure that the fort is not detoured by the Japanese army, and at the same time the fort can withstand bombs and heavy artillery bombardment, the navy will definitely be able to hold it for two weeks." It's just," he glanced at Xu Yongchang and He Yingqin, and then said: "I think that two weeks is not enough at all, and if the army in Shanghai wants to retreat safely, the navy must hold on for at least three weeks to achieve this goal." The lowly was worried that under the day and night shelling, there would be not enough shells. ”

"Will there be enough shells?" Chang Kaishen smiled, what is the reason.

"Yes, the military expenses of the Admiralty ......" Chen Shaokuan couldn't go on, so he only clicked here. The cannons in the Zhapu Fort are relatively old, and the shells of each cannon range from dozens to hundreds, and it is slightly better from Quangongting to the side of Huangque, but there are only more than 200 shells per gun, and once the Japanese ships arrive to fight with us, it is expected that the shells will soon run out. ”

"Isn't there a mine there?" Chang Kaishen was a little unhappy, "You just said that you can release floating thunder." ”

"Report to the chairman, floating thunder can only be released at the right time, and the Japanese ships are familiar with the situation in various parts of our country, so it is impossible not to know the tide and tide time." Chen Shaokuan said. "If the Japanese ships approached and I didn't open fire, the Japanese ships would destroy the minefields, and if they fired, I would consume ammunition. The largest caliber gun in this area of Jinshanwei was 150mm, and if the Japanese battleships came, we would not be able to do much damage to them. ”

"Didn't you just say there were eight-inch guns?" Chang Kaishen's displeasure was even worse, and his voice suddenly rose higher.

"The eight-inch guns were placed in the Zhapu Fort, and the four guns had only eighty-nine shells in total, so they could only be placed in Zhapu. And the cannon was so old, with a range of only eight thousand yards. Chen Shaokuan said helplessly.

"And what about the fortress guns elsewhere?" Chang Kaishen still didn't give up, "Why can't you transfer over?!" ”

"Report to the chairman of the committee, the transfer of the fortress artillery will definitely surprise the snake, the navy's previous plan was only to delay the landing of the Japanese army and cover the retreat of the army, and there is no plan to hold Jinshanwei for a long time. And if you want to hold on for a long time, you must build a large battery, the navy does not have so many materials and military funds, and the batteries of Jinshanwei are temporary. Chen Shaokuan said as he spoke, and the conversation went around to military expenses again. Indeed, the steel used to repair the fort is the steel accumulated by the Jiangnan Shipyard for decades, and now the shipyard is going to move inward anyway, and the navy is dead in name, so it will all be left and transported to Jinshanwei.

Chang Kaishen was originally very angry when he heard Chen Shaokuan say that he did not plan to hold on for a long time, but when he heard that the navy's military expenses and materials were insufficient to repair a large battery, his eyes glared at He Yingqin again. But it was useless to stare at He Yingqin, and the General Staff Headquarters had gone to Jinshanwei and Tang Shengzhi many times and worked tirelessly to personally wade into the water to inspect, but each time the result was that the water in this area was shallow and deep, and it was difficult for ships to dock, so they thought that this place was not conducive to landing.

But how does the army know about the navy? The tide rises and falls, and every time I inspect it, I choose the time when the tide is low, and I don't think that when the tide rises and the tide rises, the ship can only rely on the shore. And to land in the middle of the night, attack at dawn, and the landing is not troublesome. Since Jinshanwei has been considered unfavorable for landing many times, the defensive focus in the northern part of Hangzhou Bay is naturally Zhapu. The Navy wants to build the fort in Zhapu, and the Ministry of Military Affairs and the General Staff Headquarters naturally agree, but they want to repair the fort in Jinshanwei, not to mention the shortage of strategic materials now, even if the materials are not in short supply, it is impossible for the Ministry of Military Affairs to throw money into Jinshanwei, which is a place that has been considered impossible to land on many occasions.

Chang Kaishen was only stunned, and the conference room soon fell silent, only the phone outside and the telegraph ringtone came in like nothing. The meeting lasted more than 40 minutes, and Qian Dajun outside had already stopped countless phone calls and telegrams. It is indeed necessary to make a quick decision, whether it is to withdraw or to defend, we must make up our minds as soon as possible, and time waits for no one.

"I've thought about it, I should still hold on until the thirteenth before retreating!" After a long time, Chang Kaishen spit out such a sentence.

As soon as these words came out, Xu Yongchang, He Yingqin and others looked at each other a few times, and finally Xu Yongchang, who was the oldest in qualifications, opened his mouth, and he said: "Chairman, the navy is only laying mines now, and the guns are only equipped with gun mounts. What if the Japanese army received the news and landed on us tomorrow night, or even tonight? ”

"There are already mines, even if there are no artillery, they can stop the Japanese for two or three days." Chang Kaishen insisted. "Artillery and reinforcements will arrive at the right time. Our army knows itself and knows the enemy in this battle, and it will definitely win the battle. ”

"To reinforce Jinshanwei, we will have to draw the existing troops, and now the Japanese offensive on the left flank is amazing, in case it ......," Xu Yongchang said of his other concern. It was almost three months into the battle, and one division after another was filling in. Before, it was possible to fight in turns, but now it can't even be in turns - the training and armament of the army in the later days were too poor, and it collapsed as soon as the defense line was changed. The current approach is not to change the defense, but to directly scatter the reinforcements into the main division, so that the defense line can be stabilized. Exhausted, you have to draw out your troops, what if the left flank collapses?

"Just shrink the line on the left flank!" Chang Kaishen said stubbornly, and the green veins on his face loomed. "Shanghai must fight for three months, so that the Japanese will destroy in three months, and my plan will go bankrupt!"