There is a reason why the Admiralty is deadlocked over the ambush of the Japanese landing force by Jinshanwei, not to mention how a few torpedo boats blocked the 23-kilometer-long landing beachhead; It is not said that the ambush, reconnaissance, arrangement, and retreat of the operation should be arranged safely; Just talking about the problem of the torpedo boats themselves is fatal: these old ships are all coal-fired boilers, and the ships can't be started without twenty or thirty minutes of warm-up, and the Japanese planes are flying overhead, and as soon as there is smoke, they will come over, and they are waiting for you to ambush ?! The second is the speed, the maximum speed of twenty knots is estimated to be only a landing craft; And the torpedo is an old goods from decades ago, the charge is only about 100 kilograms, and the range is only three or four kilometers, and the protection of ships today is not as good as it was a few decades ago, regardless of whether it explodes, what can be blown up and sunk at this charge level?

This is just a weapon, what is even more disturbing is the quality and experience of the crew - thirty or forty thousand torpedoes in real combat, although the training torpedoes can be reused, but how many times has the fleet trained? I'm afraid it's less than dreaming. www.biquge.info This is also the reason why Zeng Yiding said, "It's not about repairing ships, it's about repairing people." Regardless of how much military spending the Ministry of Military Affairs has given, the navy should not order any cruisers, but should order a large number of mines, torpedo boats, destroyers, and submarines. But Chen Shaokuan, the dignified Minister of the Navy, does not have a few decent big ships in his hands, and it seems that he can't get by on face.

Zeng Yiding's words were profound, but no one wanted to think about it, and the meeting ended quickly, and the result was indispensable. Fortunately, Chen Shaokuan's plane was not delayed like Qiu Zhongming, and in only nine days, he flew back to Shanghai from Berlin, but he did not go to Nanjing immediately, but went to Gaochang Temple first, and Chen Jiliang and others were also recruited to Gaochang Temple by him.

Chen Shaokuan came back alone, Lin Xianxin and Zhou Yingcong are still in Germany, they will sign a submarine contract with Germany in the middle of this month, and then the two will return to China by ship - although this trip to Europe only ordered submarines in Germany (in Italy I wanted to buy torpedo boats, but because of the domestic situation so canceled), in Britain, France, Austria and other countries to buy a lot of ship decorations, these things can only be shipped back to China.

In the conference room of the naval office in Gaochang Temple, Shanghai, in the scorching heat, the second naval decision-making meeting was held in a hurry. The first to speak was Ma Deji, director of the Jiangnan Shipyard, who mainly introduced the maintenance of torpedo boats such as Jiankang and Huyi.

"The Hulu ships are about to be repaired, but the problem of Jiankang is very big, the gas pot and brick wall have to be replaced, and there are a few places at the bottom of the ship that need to be repaired, we don't know how to weld, so we have to go to Hong Kong to find foreign technicians to weld, fortunately, there is still time to weld. The biggest problem now is that the money is not enough, and the total estimated cost is more than 600,000, about 63 or 40,000 yuan......"

Chen Shaokuan thought about the problem of money before he came back, and he said: "If you want money, let's find the bank to borrow it temporarily, didn't you borrow 500,000 yuan at the beginning of the year, I'll call the bank later." After he finished speaking, he added: "If the ship can be repaired, will the torpedo be useful?" ”

"The gas cylinder has been checked, and it is no problem." Ma Deji replied, "Whether the others are good or not..., no one knows if they have never been fought." ”

"Do we have any new torpedoes?" Chen Shaokuan turned to look at Chen Jiliang and Zeng Yiding, as well as the deputy chief Chen Xunyong.

"Nope." Chen Jiliang shook his head, "The Ningping No. 2 ship only fights in the Yangtze River, so it is said that torpedoes can be used, but they all use twenty-one inch (torpedoes), and eighteen inches only have old torpedoes, so we can only shoot a few and give it a try." He finally suggested.

A torpedo costs 30,000 or 40,000 yuan, and it is not child's play to give it a try. Chen Shaokuan wiped his face with annoyance - he only felt at this time that the navy was seriously underprepared, the torpedoes were old, and the number of shells was not much. In the past ten years, the navy under his leadership only cares about the number of ships, and does not pay attention to ammunition reserves, after all, ships are related to the jobs of the navy, and ammunition is just a pile of waste as long as it does not fight. However, there will be more and more problems exposed in the war, and there will be more and more things that make Chen Shaokuan regret and regret, but these are irreparable and can only be filled with human life and time.

With a frustrated thought, Chen Shaokuan had to nod and say, "Then let's try a few, mainly to see if it's available." How's going with the Marines? He asked again.

"The Ministry of Military Affairs did not approve it, and now the ministry can only privately grant leave. However, there are not too many people who return to Fujian like this, and there are only a few hundred backbones. Chen Jiliang sighed, only lamenting that things are getting more difficult to do one by one, and it is really difficult to be the acting minister.

"Okay, I'll personally explain the matter of the Marine Corps to the chairman of the committee in the future, so you don't have to worry about it anymore." Chen Shaokuan said, he then looked at Zeng Yiding, and asked with a smile: "I heard that the third province has a different opinion on the ambush?" ”

Chen Shaokuan knew that he had different views on Jin Shanwei's ambush plan, so he was naturally told by Chen Jiliang, and Zeng Yiding was not surprised by this. He said: "The subordinate officer thinks that one destroyer and three torpedo boats will be unable to complete the task of covering the army's transfer. Rather than this, it is better to let them stay in the Yangtze River, stick to the Jiangyin blocking defense line, and beware of the Japanese army going up the ...... along the Jiangxi River",

"No way!" Chen Shaokuan, who was brainwashed by Li Kongrong, immediately denied it. "The navy only assists the army to guard the Jiangyin defense line, and if the army collapses for hundreds of miles like the First Sino-Japanese War, the Jiangyin defense line will definitely not be able to hold on. Do you think the army can beat the Japanese? ”

The naval meeting mentioned the army, but also belittled the army's combat capability, Zeng Yiding did not know where Chen Shaokuan's intelligence came from, he was silent, and the deputy commander Chen Xunyong said: "Houfu, the army will not be so unbearable, right?" is also a virtuous mechanic; In addition, from Shanghai to Nanjing, there are two defense fortifications set up with heavy money. Even if the army is full of pigs, it is impossible for the Japanese army to ......"

"Let's not forget how the Beiyang Fleet didn't have it back then!" Chen Shaokuan reminded. "The navy was weak and could not compete for offshore sea power, so it had to retreat to the Yangtze River to prevent the Japanese army from moving west along the river. This is our weakness, if the Japanese army goes up the Jiangxi River and hits Sichuan along the Yangtze River, we will have to perish! But the Yangtze River can only be defended by the navy? The Yangtze River must rely on the army to withstand the Japanese army on both sides of the river in order to hold it! Once the army collapses in Shanghai, Nanjing will not be protected, the defense line is meaningless, and it is meaningless for Jiangyin to block the defense line.

The four ships going to Jinshanwei were indeed sent to death, but the death was not without value. In the unlikely event that the Japanese army landed from Jinshanwei and outflanked the flank of our warring army in Shanghai, everything would be over. What we have to do is to buy one or two days, or even half a day, for the army to cover the smooth transfer of the army in the direction of Nanjing. The army retreats steadily, and only then can we hold Jiangyin; If the army is defeated, our navy alone will not be able to hold Jiangyin.

Because of this, I have an idea, that is, the Ninghai will be sent to the ocean this month to carry out the breaking of diplomatic relations. Discuss this matter and say whatever you think. ”

Chen Shaokuan had just persuaded everyone to agree to the ambush plan with the strategic significance of the Jinshan ambush, and he didn't want to stop the past, and now he proposed an even crazier plan: send Ninghai to break diplomatic relations. Chen Jiliang, whose face changed greatly, naturally disagreed, and he said: "Houfu, if a big war really breaks out, it will definitely be difficult to send Ning Hai to break the diplomatic relationship, which is no different from sending him to death." Don't forget, she's only twenty-one knots! Any destroyer in the Japanese Navy ran faster and had more firepower than her. When this ship was designed, I didn't expect to go to the ocean! You're ...... You can shed some seeds for the Navy. ”

Although Pinghai became the flagship of the 1st Fleet after entering service, Ninghai had also been a flagship for several years before, and Ninghai's firepower was stronger than Pinghai's. Before, several torpedo boats such as Hu Osprey were sent to Jinshanwei to ambush and strongly agreed, but now the Ninghai was sent to the ocean to break diplomatic relations but strongly opposed, Zeng Yiding saw it in his eyes and smiled in his heart, but he did not express his opinion, but Lu Deyuan of the Counselor's Office asked: "Houfu, how can Ninghai go out to fight?" Hit, can't beat; Escape, can't escape, isn't this just sending to death? Don't be fooled! ”

Lu Deyuan graduated from the fifth driving class of the Jiangnan Naval Academy, Chen Shaokuan was one year later than him, and Lu Deyuan was four years older than Chen Shaokuan, and he was from Xiuning, Anhui Province, so he naturally persuaded him not to be confused by his qualifications.

"I'm not confused." Chen Shaokuan denied it, "I'm just worried that the Ninghai and Pinghai ships will retreat into the Yangtze River, and the Japanese will definitely not let them go." The Jiangyin channel is narrow, there is no way to avoid it, and in the event of an air attack by enemy planes, it will certainly be difficult for the Ningping No. 2 ship to survive, but it may be able to find a glimmer of life when it goes to sea. ”

Chen Shaokuan said many years ago that he wanted to build an aircraft carrier, and he mentioned the importance of aircraft a long time ago, and when he said the words of going abroad to protect ships, Yiding suddenly felt some feelings when he heard about it, but Chen Jiliang, Chen Xunyong, and Lu Deyuan shook their heads greatly. Lu Deyuan said: "Where can you go to Ninghai when you go to the sea?" Wherever you go, you will be overtaken by the Japanese Navy, and once you catch up......"

"Yes, what about supplies? Even if it is twelve knots, Ninghai is only 5,000 nautical miles away, and the Pacific Ocean is vast, where will she go to replenish fuel and ammunition? Chen Jiliang immediately agreed. Both ships in Ningping have sufficient anti-aircraft firepower, and even if Japanese planes attack when they retreat into the Yangtze River, the two ships can remain safe. ”

"Whether Pinghai can resist the Japanese attack, we will wait and see. However, because of the short voyage and slow speed of the ship, Ninghai must leave Shanghai before the war. Naturally, the supply is to be supplied in the commercial ports along the way, and it is very likely that our country will not declare war on Japan, and there is no question of neutrality or non-neutrality. Chen Shaokuan said that the major issue discussed in Berlin in the last few days - that is, although China and Japan are in a full-scale war, they are likely not to declare war on each other, which gives Ninghai extra room to live, and she can stay in the ports of other countries in the form of visits.

"What if war is declared?" Lu Deyuan asked.

"It's impossible to declare war!" Chen Shaokuan said categorically, "The relationship between Japan and Germany is extremely close, and once China and Japan declare war, Germany will immediately cut off the source of China's arms. The army had no ammunition and had to surrender in the end. ”

This reason that China and Japan would go to war without declaring war convinced everyone. It is a fact that everyone knows that the Central Army is equipped with German weapons and completely relies on them, but if China and Japan do not declare war, they will not see that the Ninghai will have vitality. After a moment of silence, Lu Deyuan said: "Ninghai has a lot to do with it, and it is best for the Counsellor's Office to hold a meeting after returning to Nanjing." ”

Based on the opinions of Li Kongrong and Lin Xianxi, the matter of sending Ninghai to the sea should be decided immediately -- the Ninghai target is too big, and if he can't go to the sea earlier, he will definitely be rounded up by Japanese ships after the war. But at this time, Chen Shaokuan saw that everyone else did not agree with his opinion, so he had to suppress his anxiety. He looked at the calendar on the wall: July 19, and then said, "Let's talk about it again." ”

Chen Shaokuan in Shanghai was anxious, but Li Kongrong in Berlin was extremely anxious!

He learned on July 22 that Kong Xiangxi had returned to Europe, and it was reported in China that according to the agreement between him and Chen Shaokuan, all domestic matters would be transmitted from the Admiralty to Berlin -- Chang Kaishen's Lushan speech had already been reported two days earlier, and the government and the opposition at home were jubilant, and they did not know that this was Chang Kaishen's threatening words in despair, and the sentence begging for mercy should be clear as long as it was read differently. From a historical point of view, the war in North China was decided by the Japanese cabinet on July 11, and there was no way to avoid it, but at this time the Japanese army did not have the intention of all-out war, as can be seen from the order issued by the Ministry of War to the Chinese garrison on July 16...... The Empire's intention was always to limit the situation to North China and to settle it on the spot, so it demanded that the Central Army of the Nanjing government restore its original posture, stop challenging Japan, and not prevent a settlement on the spot. [note 19]

North China was settled on the spot, and the 11th Division, which historically landed in Shanghai on August 23, originally planned to land in Qingdao[note 20], but after the Dashan Incident (i.e., the Hongqiao Airport Incident) on August 9, all these troops were sent to Shanghai. In later generations, in order to advocate Chang Kaishen's wisdom and martial arts, and leave a name for the ages, some people not only praised his 'leading the enemy south, In fact, the Japanese soldiers (Yuo Oyama and others) went to Hongqiao Airport to inspect because the Japanese side heard that the Chinese army (due to the terms of the Songhu Armistice Agreement, at the end of July, a regiment of Zhong Song's supplementary brigade had to disguise itself as a security team to enter Shanghai) had secretly increased troops to Shanghai.

Later, in order to cover up the truth, the commander of the Shanghai Garrison District made a self-defeating secret order from Tilanqiao Prison to propose that a death row inmate put on the clothes of the security team and be killed at the scene, and then lied that the Japanese side had shot first, and that our side had shot in self-defense. But the death row prisoner was unkempt and had extremely long nails, how could this be hidden from the Japanese? It was to encircle and annihilate the Japanese army in Shanghai without self-defeat, so that the Japanese army hurriedly put on guard. [note 21]

Although Japan only wanted to 'settle the problem on the spot' in North China this time, if the Chinese side refused to compromise with Japan and recognize the autonomy of North China, the result would naturally be a full-scale war, but that kind of all-out war would be completely different from a full-scale war in which the Japanese army was brought to Shanghai by his own death.

Although Li Kongrong would thus lose the ability to predict the war against Japan and lose the source of intelligence sales, he preferred not to sell intelligence rather than to exhaust the elite Chinese troops in Shanghai and Nanjing, and then the Japanese army went straight up the river and occupied most of China in 15 months. He originally hoped that Kong Xiangxi could persuade Chang Kaishen, but after Kong Xiangxi went to the United States, he didn't return to China immediately after hearing about the July Seven Incident, but came to Europe, which immediately made Li Kongrong resentful.

"I. Exercise. Your mom hole haha!! In the middle of the night, with a few screams, hysterical shouting and scolding echoed in the Chinese Navy dormitory on Berlin's Spandaustrasse.