The meeting to study the adjustment of the army's establishment included the contents of the navy and air force, and evolved into a study of the overall national defense strategy.

Fang Shijun, Shang Fengchun, Sa Zhenbing and others attended the follow-up meeting.

Let's start with the Air Force. After the end of the war, the army put away its contempt for the aviation and recognized the great power of the aircraft that "moved above the nine heavens." During the Shandong Campaign, the aviation unit achieved good results, and it is estimated that about 5,000 Japanese soldiers were killed and wounded, and its role was equivalent to that of an army division, and the 16th Division, which undertook extremely heavy combat missions, fought from Longkou to the end, and the division's statistics confirmed the results of killing and wounding more than 6,400 Japanese soldiers and capturing 134 people. Although the results of the 16th Division could not be compared with that of the 6th Division, another old unit of the Central Military Region, the results of the 16th Division were also remarkable, and they were almost as good as those of the air force, and General Gao Huzi, the commander of the 16th Division, who was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general after the war, could not but be discouraged.

During the Shandong Campaign, in addition to carrying out combat missions such as bombing and strafing enemy forces (mainly landing sites and assembly areas), the air force also undertook reconnaissance, communications, and propaganda work to disintegrate the enemy's troops, and played a unique role. The air force has a great effect on the morale of one's own side, and every time an aircraft appears over the battlefield, it can trigger cheers from the army troops. In the second half of the campaign, all divisions of the army were enlisting the support of the air force, mainly to boost morale.

The huge investment in aviation that began before the founding of the People's Republic of China has finally paid off. The power displayed by the aircraft has not only been valued by China and Japan, but also studied by Germany, Britain, France and other countries. They find themselves lagging behind China in the use of aircraft. Invariably, the building of the air force has been strengthened, and according to its industrial strength, which is far superior to China's, it is easy to catch up with and surpass the Chinese air force.

It can be said that the Battle of Shandong changed the history of the First World War in terms of tactics. According to the information obtained by the Military Intelligence Bureau, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the State Security Administration, Japan attached great importance to its air force after the war, and set up corresponding departments in the Army General Staff Headquarters and the Navy Military Command Department to study and introduce the latest aviation technology.

It was under these circumstances that the National Defense Conference held in early March 1916 on the question of the formation of the Air Force was launched. First of all, Air Force General Shang Fengchun gave a briefing on the development of the air forces of various countries that had been verified. In the European theater. The scale of the aviation force was already considerable, and the total number of aircraft participating in the war in Germany, France and Britain exceeded 1,500, which played an increasingly important role in the campaign.

After entering the main part of the report, General Shang Fengchun proposed that the country continue to vigorously support the construction of the aviation industry. Establish more institutes and aviation schools. Develop more aircraft. Train more pilots and expand the existing strength of the Air Force, "The current situation has confirmed the president's prediction of aviation, and our leading edge is being lost." It depends on the weakness of our industrial base. But it is precisely because of this that we must continue to vigorously develop our air force, at least to establish air superiority in East Asia. Commenting on the establishment of the Air Force, General Shang said: "After the establishment of the Naval Aviation Command, the relationship between the Air Force and the Navy should be clear, and the tasks to be undertaken should also be clear. In my opinion, the task of covering and supporting the Navy should be under the Navy, but the rest is the responsibility of the Air Force. Shang Fengchun believes that the Air Force should establish a combat establishment of the Air Force Command, Air Force, Wing, Brigade, Squadron, and Squad, with 4 planes per squadron, 12 planes per squadron, and 36 planes per squadron. The wings are different, or they have 3 brigades or 4 brigades, which are adjusted and determined according to the mission. Each air force has several wings, which are divided into fighter wings, bomber wings, and other special mission wings.

In the establishment of the Air Force, the air wing is equivalent to the army of the army, and the air force is equivalent to the military district. Therefore, Shang Fengchun applied for the rank of lieutenant general for the commander of the air force, and the commander of the wing was a major general.

The young Republic Air Force shone in the Shandong Campaign, but it also suffered heavy losses, during which 17 aircraft were damaged, 11 were damaged due to breakdowns, and 23 were grounded for repairs. After the war, the total number of planes exceeded 400 by the end of 1915, of which a quarter was assigned to the Navy, and the Air Force actually had less than 300 combat aircraft. The air force is temporarily closed because there are too few fighters. At present, there are Xi'an and Shanghai places that can assemble aircraft, if the full horsepower, the output can add up to 50 per month, which is the ideal maximum production capacity, the actual situation is subject to the influence of components, and it is good to produce 40 aircraft per month. In addition to pilots, airplanes also need the support of ground facilities such as airports and maintenance stations, and the high failure rate that is difficult to solve at once, so that about a quarter of the military aircraft in active service are always in a state of maintenance.

After the end of the Sino-Japanese Shandong War, the General Administration of Ordnance Industry established an aviation bureau to coordinate the production of aircraft parts and final assembly. According to the opinion of the General Administration of Ordnance Industry, the top priority at present is not to expand the assembly plant, but to increase and strengthen the production capacity of the parts factory. It is planned to build Nanchang, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Shanghai and Luoyang into a production base for aviation accessories, with a total planned investment of 89 million yuan for four years, with the goal of building 11 new factories and transforming and expanding 17 factories. In the second half of the plan, the final assembly plants in Shanghai and Xi'an will be expanded. When the plan is completed, the monthly production of aircraft will exceed the 100 mark.

The plan of the Ordnance Industry Administration was approved by the Government Council. This is the second year of the program. The Air Force and the Navy were desperate for new aircraft, but the reality was that less than 250 aircraft had actually been supplied to the military since the end of the war. The reason is that at a special conference on aviation construction held in Shanghai in 1915, Long Qian put forward a series of new ideas for the development of aviation, emphasizing the importance of developing new aircraft, believing that aviation is a brand-new field, progress is changing with each passing day, and it is a waste to engage in so many technologically backward aircraft. At present, what we should pay close attention to is the strengthening of the research field, especially the study of flight theory, which should be based on itself and should not rely on imitation. Long Qian particularly emphasized the research of aero engines. Think it's a top priority. To this end, the state has increased the pace of talent introduction, mainly recruited a large number of scientific talents in the field of machinery and aviation from the United States, and established a series of practical laboratories and research institutes. This brings the number of aeronautical research institutes to seven. And in Shanghai and Xi'an, large flying rooms were established. As a result, the post-war investment in aviation construction exceeded the plan, and by the end of 1915, the actual investment had reached 158 million yuan. The Ordnance Administration's plan for investment in the infrastructure of the aviation industry has at least doubled.

At the special meeting on aviation construction in the spring of 1915, Long Qian proposed the establishment of civil aviation, and at first the officials at the meeting thought that it was too advanced, but after Long Qian's explanation, everyone understood that civil aviation was the cornerstone of supporting the development of military aviation. The time of war is always less than the years of peace, and the development of civil aviation is not carried out. It is difficult for the country to continue to invest heavily in military aviation. This led to the establishment of the Civil Aviation Corporation of China.

Entering 1916. China's entry into the European war is imminent. At least in the military, there is a loud call for joining the European war. War is a gold-swallowing monster that devours the vast wealth accumulated in peacetime, but the benefits are also enormous. The Japanese garrison in eastern Hebei was forced to withdraw, and the Japanese concessions in Tianjin, Hankou and other places were recovered. The Gengzi indemnity to Japan was cancelled. It's a real benefit. And. The war led to economic development, and the Shandong Campaign boosted the national economy and opened more factories. Increased tax revenue. It's a strange phenomenon.

It is already the view of the vast majority of policymakers that the rapid recovery of national interests depends on fighting a war, and if China chooses the opportunity to join the European war and win, its gains will far exceed that of the Shandong war. Tariff autonomy alone is enough to impress people's hearts. In 1915, the total tariff was as high as 75 million yuan, and if it was doubled, the treasury would have an extra 70 or 80 million yuan out of thin air, how much could be done? It's not just a matter of face, it's a real benefit. In addition, no matter which side joins, there is theoretically no need to pay the final payment of Gengzi, which is also a lot of money, especially for Russia (the largest proportion of Russia in the Xincho Treaty is more than three times that of Japan), and in any case there is no need to pay this infuriating amount.

Of course, the war costs money, but this time the European war will not be fought on its own soil. A large amount of the war expenses will be borne by other countries, not to mention a number of post-war benefits. Therefore, at the highest-level military establishment seminar held in March 1916, Shang Fengchun's proposal to expand the air force was approved. The Air Force will set up three air units, with the headquarters in Tianjin, Changchun, and Guangzhou. The numbers are the 1st to 3rd Air Fleets. Among them, the first and second air wings are each organized into three air wings (2 fighters and 1 bomber), and the third air force is organized into two (1 combat and bomber each).

This result shows China's determination to enter the European war.

Shanghai was to become the seat of the command of naval aviation, and the issue of the establishment of naval aviation was included in the Navy's package.

Compared with the great development of the air force, the development of the navy after the founding of the People's Republic of China, especially after the Shandong Campaign, was slow. The naval strength of the Republic is the weak old foundation left by the Manchu Qing Dynasty, whether it is ships or talents, it is not worth mentioning compared to the evil neighbor in the east. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Navy Headquarters was established, and Long Qian's old chief of staff, Fang Shijun, was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Navy, and the reorganization of the naval forces began. According to Long Qian's instructions, Fang Shijun first invited Yan Fu, Sa Zhenbing and other famous naval residences, and even used the Manchu nobles Zaize. Not to mention the Manchu generals like Li Zhun and other Manchu generals who had already "taken refuge" in the Mengshan Army. Fang Shijun spent a long time investigating the strength of the navy and had a clear understanding of the characteristics of the navy that was different from the army, and believed that in view of the current situation of the country, it was unrealistic to vigorously develop the navy in a short period of time so that it could compete with Japan. As a result, the company decided to build a long-term plan to build a maritime force that could rival Japan's in 20 years.

Fang Shijun and the naval team he formed regarded the Japanese navy as an imaginary enemy. It shows the great ambition of the navy. The proposal of this strategic goal is controversial within the navy, and even Deputy Commander-in-Chief Sa Zhenbing, who is full of confidence in the development of the navy due to the rapid changes since the founding of the People's Republic of China, thinks that it is a bit arrogant to regard Japan as an object of catching up and surpassing. However, the Mengshan military faction led by Fang Shijun insisted that Japan must be regarded as the great enemy of the navy, and only by catching up with and surpassing the Japanese navy can the Chinese navy occupy a place in the global situation and thus safeguard the country's maritime rights and interests.

Long Qian said to Shi Jun several times that the development of the navy must abandon the path of the development of the Japanese navy. It is necessary to study the development of the Japanese Navy. But we must not simply follow the path of catching up. Due to the rapid development of aircraft technology, the current status quo of battleships as the decisive force will completely change, and the idea of pursuing a warship with super-caliber guns and large tonnage will be doomed to be a joke. Long Qian put forward the theory of aviation victory, believing that special warships and submarines that can take off aircraft will be the magic weapon to defeat the Japanese Navy.

This is a view that is known only to a very small number of people. Those naval seniors who studied in Britain and the United States and thought they had a full understanding of naval combat power did not think so, submarines can take out cruisers and battleships? Plane? The kind of plane that can only drop a few kilograms of bombs can sink the enemy's cruiser battleship? I'm afraid you can't even do it with a 1,000-ton destroyer, right?

Putting aside the controversy over which path to take for the development of the navy, everyone still reached a relatively unanimous opinion on more aspects, that is, to lay a solid foundation first. Fang Shijun vetoed Zai Ze's proposal to raise funds to buy ships and rapidly expand the fleet, and insisted that he must follow the path of building his own ships. In this way, since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the navy's funds have been mainly invested in three aspects: personnel training, research on ships (including naval weapons), and shipbuilding capacity building.

From 1910 onwards. The Navy has been sending more and more naval students to the United States every year. According to the secret agreement signed by the main leaders of the republic on the visit to the United States. On the one hand, college students are sent to study in the United States to study naval majors, and on the other hand, officers and men on active duty in the Navy are sent to join the US Navy for internship and comprehensive study of the US Navy. The third is to cooperate deeply with the United States in shipbuilding and purchase American equipment and technology. Established shipyards in Guangzhou and Shanghai. Fourth, a joint venture between China and the United States Pacific Shipping Company was established. Meantime. The General Administration of Ordnance Industry established the Naval Ordnance Research Institute. The research and development of imitation of naval weapons began.

The United States is in order to restrain Japan and give comprehensive support to China's naval buildup. The United States has analyzed and assessed the current situation of China's navy and believes that China will never pose a threat to the United States. Therefore, it is safe to boldly sell and transfer naval technology, and to be "enthusiastic" to contribute to China's blueprint for naval construction, which is almost a blank sheet of paper.

Of course, the Navy still bought some ships. Over the years, it has successively purchased 6 cruisers, 7 destroyers and 4 transport ships from the United States and Britain. In order to avoid conflict with the Japanese Navy, the Navy focused on building the South China Sea Fleet based on the Yulin Port in Hainan and the Mawei Port in Fujian Province, and strengthened its maritime training. Compared with the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the navy's training at sea has been greatly improved, thanks to the annual increase in naval expenditure.

It is worth mentioning the vigorous development of submarines in the Navy. The partner in this area is not the United States, but Germany. China has purchased 20 of the latest submarines and a full set of submarine technology from Germany, built a submarine factory in Shanghai, and began trial production of its own submarines. As a result, before the outbreak of the Shandong Campaign, the Navy had two submarine detachments, and achieved remarkable results in the war.

The surface ships of the Navy in the Shandong Campaign did not participate in the battle and did not suffer losses. However, the more than 20 submarines that went all out into the war achieved brilliant results, but also suffered great losses. Seven ships were sunk in the battle, two were lost due to breakdowns, and almost all of the submarine forces were lost due to various failures when they returned to the base and could not fight.

After the war, the navy summed up the lessons learned from the war and unified its thinking, believing that submarines had demonstrated their ability to strategically deter, and that if the Chinese navy had a submarine force far superior to Japan's, it would pose a serious threat to the Japanese navy. Therefore, the development of submarines was given the highest priority, and a ten-year plan for the development of the Navy was proposed, preparing to build a powerful force with 50 ocean-going submarines, and the ability to build destroyers and large transport ships (3,000 tons).

This plan, which was revised several times, was presented at a seminar on the establishment of the three services in the spring of 1916, and was agreed in principle. At the meeting, it was decided that the navy would focus on building naval aviation and submarines, and appropriately build and purchase a number of surface warships, so that the total tonnage of surface ships of the navy would reach the level of 240,000 tons ten years later (1925). Three surface fleets in the Beihai, East China Sea and South China Sea will be built, of which the North Sea Fleet base will be located in Qingdao, the East China Sea Fleet will be located in Zhoushan, and the South China Sea Fleet will be divided into Mawei and Yulin.

The appropriation for the Navy was also determined, and at a rate of 10 percent per year, by 1925, the Navy would be spent more than 350 million Chinese dollars.

However, the decision of the Navy not to participate in the European war has also been determined, and this is a helpless matter.

The final item of the meeting, which focused on the establishment of the army, was expanded to include the determination of the establishment of the army, navy, and air force, and the last topic of the meeting was whether China should join the European war and choose a front. This was arranged by Long Qian to General Situ Jun, chief of the General Staff, when it was decided to convene this meeting. After the issue of the establishment of the three armed forces was basically decided, the meeting turned to the issue of the European war, which had plagued the armed forces for a long time. The number of participants in the meeting has also increased, and the principal heads of government and parliament have been invited to study together.

The consequences of the Battle of Shandong began to show, and that was contempt for the Great Powers. Not only did the military begin to show a self-confidence beyond its own strength, but the government's opposition to the war and its peaceful economic development also weakened. Prime Minister Fang Shengyuan, who has always held on to the theme of peaceful development, feels more and more isolated. There was a fairly unanimous agreement that China should take the initiative to join the European war, but there were endless debates over where to join and how to join. If the question of whom to form an alliance with is not resolved, it will not be possible to talk about how to join the reality. Voices within the military were also unanimous, with the Army advocating an alliance with Germany and the Navy addressing opposition, arguing that even if Germany defeated France, it would not be possible to win the war. The Air Force is swinging from side to side, with some supporting the Army and the other supporting the Navy. After reading the summary of the opinions of the group discussions, Long Qian convened a secret meeting on 10 March, discussed his basic judgment on the European war, criticized the army's idea of underestimating the enemy, and reminded the military generals that the fierce course of the European war far exceeded that of the Sino-Japanese Shandong War, and that there must be no arrogance. Long Qian said that at present, we can determine a positive attitude, but do not make the final choice of taking sides. The General Staff Headquarters and the Ministry of National Defense have done their best to complete the readjustment of the establishment of the three armed services, the change of guard of troops, and the allocation of officers, and the General Administration of Ordnance Industry and relevant departments will step up the production of weapons and military supplies. It is precisely this period of time to complete the integration of the troops, especially the reorganization and adjustment of the army units. Three months is not enough time to replenish the aircraft of the Air Force and the Navy, so it does not matter, even if it participates in the European war, it will mainly rely on the army.

However, the senior generals heard a clear signal from the Supreme Commander's statement that they did not favor the German-Austrian side, which had a clear advantage in the war, and the President's judgment encouraged the Navy and discouraged the Army.

The meeting was postponed until 11 March. After the meeting, Long Qian left Fang Shengyuan to preside over the central government affairs, and he took officials from water conservancy, railway, civil affairs, transportation and other departments to start a new round of inspections. Such inspections are carried out every year, this time focusing on transportation and water conservancy. (To be continued......)