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"A bunch of maniacs!" Chang Ruiqing snorted coldly, and said, "How did you do it, how did you do the evacuation work in Zhenhai?" Why are there still casualties? What did Lu Zijia's Zhejiang chairman do? ”

Hearing Chang Ruiqing reproach his cousin, Lu Yixuan's face turned slightly red, and he explained in a low voice: "Chairman Lu personally rushed to Ningbo to organize the evacuation after learning that the Japanese ship shelled Zhenhai, but he was still halfway there, and the Japanese ship shelled it for the second time......"""The update is the fastest, and the whole text is hand-hit."

"How many casualties?" Chang Ruiqing asked.

"The exact number hasn't come out yet, but there are always thousands."

"Thousands? How could it be so many! Chang Ruiqing was taken aback, and said in his heart, isn't it just a few Japanese warships, how could it be possible to kill and injure so many people in two shellings?

"Yes," Lu sighed, "the shelling caused a fire, and the frightened residents fled and trampled on each other...... Chairman of the committee, after all, those people are ordinary people, not soldiers, and they ...... encounter this kind of thing."

"I know," Chang Ruiqing stood up, patted Lu Yixuan's shoulder, and said, "You and Lu Zijia can't be blamed for these things. It was my negligence that in the past few years, I have only thought of developing a regular army, and neglected the militia and civil defense...... When this war is over, we must run both the militia and the civil defense. By the way, this time, the performance of the naval aviation and air force is very good, and the whole army will be commended, and the meritorious personnel will also be given special and heavy awards. The Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou Garrison General Headquarters should do its best to send a list of meritorious personnel. "Baidu Search" "See the latest chapters."

"The Army's 15th Fortress Brigade is also outstanding. Without their assistance, the Navy and Air Force would not have achieved such results, and Major General Han Deqin made great contributions. ”

Chang Ruiqing nodded. smiled: "Then give him a lieutenant general." He paused for a moment, and then said: "Zixiu, you said that the Japanese lost two battle cruisers in a row, will they give up the battle in Shanghai and return home?" ”

Lu Yixuan thought for a while and said, "I'm afraid not." There is no way to recover the defeat of the Japanese army in the Far East and Korea, and now they can either simply admit defeat or fight to the end in Shanghai. If they were willing to admit defeat, then they wouldn't have shelled Zhenhai like crazy. His eyebrows furrowed slightly. I estimate that the Japanese will be able to launch a landing operation in these two days. ”

Chang Ruiqing's tense face showed a smile. He nodded and said, "It's better if the Japanese want to fight, Zixiu, are you sure to fight this battle?" ”

Lu Yixuan nodded heavily and said, "Please rest assured, chairman." The ministry will not disgrace its command. ”

"Good, good!" Chang Ruiqing said. "With your words, I can rest assured that I will go to Ningbo to inspect. There are so many dead and wounded in Zhenhai, I can't say it if I don't go once! Zixiu. Here in Shanghai, we must fight hard. Avenge the deaths! ”

……

July 21, 1923, 6 a.m.

A reconnaissance plane converted from a Min-12 torpedo bomber hovered high in the sky outside the mouth of the Yangtze River, and the pilot in the front seat carefully steered the plane around the huge lineup of the Japanese Combined Fleet on the sea. The lookout in the back seat held a telescope and looked at the Japanese fleet in the distance, and sighed with emotion as he watched. "Good boy Longlidong, the Japanese are really pouring out! One, two, three, four, five, six...... There are twelve capital ships, and one aircraft carrier! ”

As he spoke, two Japanese Navy fighter jets staggered over. The lookout patted the driver in the front seat and said loudly, "Return." Now back! The small plane, known as the Min-12 biplane single-engine reconnaissance plane, shook its wings and drew a beautiful arc in the air. He turned around and flew towards the land. The two Japanese fighters also accelerated their pursuit, but the distance between the two sides did not decrease, but became larger and larger.

Eisuke Yamamoto, chief of staff of the Japanese Combined Fleet, held a telescope and witnessed the chase from the bridge of the Nagato. He put down his binoculars, sighed softly, and said to Commander Isamu Takeshita with a wry smile: "Your Excellency, Commander, it seems that the planes in China are more advanced than those of the Empire, and the Empire is lagging behind in this regard......"

Isamu Takeshita smiled reluctantly. "It's going to catch up, it's going to be...... After winning this war, the Navy must shift the focus of development from battleships to naval aviation and submarines. The naval battles of the future belong to the air and underwater forces! ”

"Win the war? Your Excellency, do you think we still have a chance? Eisuke Yamamoto looked desperate. Takeshita shook his head and did not answer directly, but said: "Compared with their mainland nations, the biggest advantage of our Yamato nation is perseverance, and if there is a hope of success, we must do our best to fight for it and never give up!" Since the Meiji Restoration, the prosperity of the empire's national power has been achieved with this persistence! And this time, I believe that as long as the empire can hold on to the end, it will definitely be able to recover its decline! The final victory belongs to the Japanese Empire! ”

"Xia Guan understands, if you keep going, you will definitely win." Eisuke Yamamoto bowed slightly towards Takeshita, then raised his binoculars to look in the direction of the land. The landing operation of the Japanese army has begun!

The light warships of the Japanese Navy had already appeared not far from the tidal flats of Hengsha Island and Chongming Island, and one after another 120 mm and 140 mm shells exploded on the deserted beach, detonating the mines planted there by the Chinese army. Two freighters of three or four thousand tons slowly approached the beach, lowered their sampans, and the Japanese marines sat in the sampans with rifles on their backs and rowed hard towards the coast. The mines in the nearby channel have been cleared, and only a few dozen anchor mines have been found, which does not seem to be the focus of the Chinese army's mine-laying. The Japanese warships poured hundreds of shells farther away, but it was not surprising that they did not provoke a counterattack by Chinese artillery, and the huge guns on the twelve capital ships of the Japanese army were waiting for the Chinese firepower to expose the target!

However, both islands had defenders of the Wehrmacht, including a division of the 20th Wehrmacht Army on Chongming Island. There were only a few troops on Hengsha Island, consisting only one battalion of the Defence Forces Marines, and several concealed posts had been constructed off the eastern coast of the island, guarded by about a company of defenders and several artillery observers from the artillery command. The artillery observers among them were all young officers who had just graduated from the artillery branch of the Central Military Academy, and according to the original plan, they were supposed to go to the unit for internship. I didn't expect to encounter a real war! These young people were so excited that as soon as they saw the Japanese landing, an artillery second lieutenant named Qiu Qingqian shook the phone: "Report, the vanguard of the Japanese army has come up!" There are hundreds of them...... Why don't we fight first! ”

As a result, there was a shouting and scolding voice from an artillery staff officer on the phone: "Do you want to talk more if you don't fight?" Don't fight when you see a Japanese soldier. That's where the beachhead was built...... The big fish are still to come! Wait until our air force comes up and fight together! If the enemy finds out and approaches your outpost, retreat to the second line, understand? Try to avoid firefights, you're within range of the Japanese guns! ”

"Your Excellency Commander, the Nagato is calling, the Marines have landed on the two islands of Hengsha and Chongming. Naval artillery has swept around the landing site. No trace of the Chinese army was found. Now that the reconnaissance unit is advancing, the main force of our army can land in a big way......"

Suzuki's Third Army Headquarters has now moved to the Izumo, a first-class coastal defense ship, and the war room is located in the Izumo's officers' lounge. He did not pay attention to the chief of staff of the army, Yamada Otozosa, who reported to him. Instead, he set his sights on the map table. A huge topographical map of Shanghai and the surrounding area was unfolded on it, and the map was densely packed with the codes and numbers of the Chinese army! There are three Wehrmacht infantry corps that have already ascertained the number! There were also two huge fortresses and a full 10 independent heavy artillery regiments, which were marching into Shanghai in a mighty way, and of course could not hide from the Japanese intelligence network.

Lieutenant General Shonroku Suzuki patted the map table. Whispered:

"This Shanghai is where the jade of our Third Army is broken......"

"Your Excellency, Commander!"

"Convey the order and let His Majesty the Emperor's personal guards be the vanguard! With the Guards Cavalry Wing, the 1st Guards Brigade. 2nd Guards Brigade. Then the order of the 5th Division, the 11th Division, landed ashore as far as possible! Consolidate the beachhead and expand the search area...... Among them, the 1st Guards Brigade was responsible for occupying Hengsha Island, and the rest of the troops were landed on Chongming Island. Before twelve o'clock at midnight today, there must be a brigade and an artillery wing to complete the landing! Electricity was sent to the base camp, and our Third Army had already begun to land. Prepare for the Battle of Shanghai to the Death! After saying these words, Suzuki Shoroku's face. It was already a resolute expression, and it seemed that he already knew that there was no return in this battle.

The war room of the Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou Garrison Headquarters in Yangshupu. At this time, there was a crowd of people coming and going, and the telephone and telegraph were ringing cacophony. The news of the Japanese army's landing on Chongming and Hengsha islands was delivered here as soon as possible, and the Wehrmacht's counterattack plan was immediately launched.

Air Force Major General Huang Guangrui, deputy chief of staff of the Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou Garrison General Headquarters, walked in from outside with an excited face, and when he saw Lu Yixuan, he reported with a smile: "An air force aviation regiment and a naval aviation regiment are ready, 60 Fokker D.18, 120 Min-12 torpedo attack aircraft, and 48 modified Ju.23 are on standby." Chief Lu, there are a total of 228 planes, and even if you can't sink a few battleships this time, you can still catch a few transports. ”

Lu Yixuan nodded with satisfaction, and then looked at Chen Ce, the deputy chief of staff sent by the navy. "Where are the two submarines?"

"It's almost there." Chen Ce said. "They arrived at Yuntai Port last night, loaded a torpedo and set off immediately, and the time should be in place now. According to the plan, they were to sneak through the sentry circles of Japanese light cruisers and destroyers after the air raids began to sneak up on their capital ships. ”

Lu Yixuan knew that submarines 001 and 002 were practicing radio silence, so the Navy did not know their exact location. He smiled at his chief of staff, Major General Liu Fei, and said, "For Zhang, how are the artillery units prepared?" ”

Liu Fei was standing in front of the map platform and wrinkling his eyebrows in contemplation, and when he heard Lu Yixuan's words, he picked up a baton and knocked on the map in Heqing Town, Chuansha County, and said: "Five artillery regiments equipped with 220mm caliber heavy howitzers are already in place!" The artillery observation posts were also arranged, just waiting for the Air Force to fire the first shot! ”

Lu Yixuan clapped his hands heavily. "Excellent! The navy, land and air forces are all ready, and this time the three armies will definitely be able to fight a second victory in Zhenhai! ”

The deputy chief of general staff of the Chinese Army seemed to have a little military talent, and when he saw the report on Zhenhai's victory, he quickly figured out a tactic of "sea, land, and air coordination." In fact, it is to use the army's heavy howitzers, the navy's submarines, and the air force and navy planes to attack at the same time! Hit the Japanese in a hurry. Even if you can't sink the Japanese battleships, it's good to sink some transports! To this end, the Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou Garrison General Headquarters mobilized 180 220mm heavy howitzers, 228 aircraft of various types, and two submarines in the shortest possible time. Moreover, they have drawn up an operational plan for the navy, land, and air force to start together. The plan is actually quite simple. It was the planes of the Air Force and the Navy that led the attack, and while the Japanese ships were busy with air defense, the army artillery group lurking on the shore of the Chuansha Sea suddenly opened fire and bombarded it. At the same time, the two submarines quietly approached and launched a torpedo sneak attack.

July 21 at 10:30 a.m.

The field airfield in Baoshan, Shanghai, was already full of people, and the ground crew soldiers pushed the aerial torpedoes and the 50-kilogram and 250-kilogram aerial bombs that had just been unloaded from the trucks in small carts, and trotted all the way to the planes lined up on the tarmac, and then carried them and fixed them on the pylons in the belly or bomb bay. Finally, the fuses of the bombs and torpedoes were carefully pressed.

Aviation technology has advanced by leaps and bounds in this era, and it is basically a generation of three or four generation aircraft, and almost all aircraft have just been designed. It has become a backward product. Therefore, no country will keep too large a fighter plane in peacetime. China, of course, is no exception, the entire air force is two air divisions, four aviation regiments, plus a few aviation brigades. Naval aviation also has two aviation regiments. That's seven or eight hundred planes in total. To be precise, it should be an active pilot who can fly seven or eight hundred aircraft! It's these planes that are really expensive. And not an airplane cobbled together with wood and steel pipes.

Now the Chinese Air Force and HNA have aircraft, except for the Ju.23, which are somewhat more expensive. The rest of the planes, such as the Fokker D.18 and the Min-12 torpedo engine, were not of much value, except for a 450 hp engine, and nothing else was technical. If it weren't for the fact that the Japanese didn't pay much attention to their air power (and not many countries did), they wouldn't be so far behind China.

At 11 o'clock in the morning, all the more than 200 planes involved in the operation were ready, and a blue signal flag was raised in front of the runway. This means that all the preparations before take-off have been completed.

The roar of the plane's engines began to sound, and the first three Fokker D.18 fighters to take off were already taxiing on the runway. According to the plan. The Fokker D.18 was the first to take off, followed by the Ju.23, and the Min-12 torpedo plane, designed by Chinese engineers, took off last. Thirty minutes later, all 228 fighters had taken off, formed a huge group, and flew towards the mouth of the Yangtze River in the east.

……

Near noon on July 21, the beaches on the east coast of Hengsha Island and Chongming Island had become a huge army gathering ground and material dumping ground. Due to the shallow water level in the eastern part of both islands, it is difficult for large ships to approach and there are few harbors. All supplies had to be transported by hand to the beachhead in small boats. Moreover, the beachhead here is not a beach, but a mud pond, so this landing operation is really a huge body job. However, the officers and men of the Japanese army and navy who participated in the operation knew that they had a heavy responsibility, and they were all going crazy and carrying out super-heavy physical labor. In just one morning, all the personnel of one army cavalry company and two infantry wings, as well as most of the equipment, were sent to the beachhead. Among them, the Guards Cavalry Wing was divided into two, a cavalry squadron went to Hengsha Island, and the main force of the wing went to Chongming Island. The two infantry wings landed on Hengsha Island and Chongming Island respectively. However, the 12 75mm field/mountain guns assigned to the three wings, as well as the more than 500 war horses of the cavalry wing, were still waiting to be unloaded on the transport ship.

At this moment, off the coast of the Yangtze River estuary, the Japanese Second Fleet and the First Artillery Detachment have joined forces with the main force of the Combined Fleet, and the Grand Fleet and dozens of transport ships of unprecedented scale have formed a tight air defense formation on the turbid sea. Thirteen Japanese battleships, battlecruisers, and an aircraft carrier were located in the center of the formation, and hundreds of anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft machine guns were raised and pointed to the sky. Around them were dozens of transport ships, on which the main forces of the three Japanese divisions were still on board. The light cruisers and destroyers protected the transports and capital ships at the outermost part of the formation, and the lookouts on each light cruiser and destroyer were all wide-eyed, holding binoculars and staring at the sky or the water, trying to spot the Chinese planes or submarines.

At 12:20, Takao Yamada, a lookout on the Japanese light cruiser Tenryu, first found the target from the six-fold military telescope! It's a plane that covers the sky! A fleet of more than 200 planes might not be a big deal if it was placed during World War II. But it's only 1923! Takao Yamada was shocked for dozens of seconds before he reacted, quickly pressed the alarm in the watchtower, grabbed the phone and shouted: "Air raid!" Air raid! Enemy aircraft were found, the number was about 200! It's 25 kilometers away, and it's coming towards us! (To be continued.) )