Episode 63 Wooing the Navy

Xiang Xiaoqiang took advantage of the fact that those people in the navy were not too busy, and on the evening of the 3rd, he held a small reception at his home, which was in the nature of a family gathering, and invited Xiong Dingming, chief of the general staff of the navy, and his wife, Wei Dongxin, commander of the navy, and his wife, and Qi Xiaofeng, commander of the submarine force, to congratulate the navy on its victory in the war against the Soviet Union.

The ranks of these bigwigs in the navy are not below Xiang Xiaoqiang, especially Xiong Dingming is still a marshal. But they give Xiang Xiaoqiang a lot of face. First, the ambiguous relationship between Xiang Xiaoqiang and Her Majesty the Empress has been widely known, and everyone knows that it is very realistic for Xiang Xiaoqiang to become a prince. It will be of great benefit to have a good relationship with Xiang Xiaoqiang and compete with the army for steel quotas and oil quotas in the future. The second is that Xiang Xiaoqiang has always been very good to the navy, and in the war of unification, he always provides the navy with opportunities to perform as much as possible. In particular, some time ago, the Qing Army's Lushun fleet was all owned by the Ming Navy, which can be said to be the People's Guard's deep into the icy forests, seas and snowfields, born and died behind enemy lines, vomiting blood and working hard. For this, the Navy has always been very grateful. Also, Xiang Xiaoqiang's two wives are both from the navy, and they are also working beside Xiang Xiaoqiang now, which also makes the navy people full of good feelings towards Xiang Xiaoqiang.

At the reception, Xiang Xiaoqiang, of course, talked about the dangers of Japan by eating and drinking. And Qiu Yu and Xiuxiu have the dual identities of wives and naval officers, and they are also beating the side drum from time to time. These people are all navy and are naturally wary of Japan. There was no need to "do work" to Xiaoqiang, and soon, the atmosphere at the reception was unprecedentedly consistent.

Soon, the top brass of the Navy and Xiang Xiaoqiang reached an agreement in private: if the cabinet asked the Navy to increase troops in Europe or the Sea of Japan, the Navy would boldly resist, and Xiang Xiaoqiang would support the Navy in front of His Majesty. In short, it is necessary to concentrate the remaining fleet on the mainland and guard against Japan. In addition, the HNA should intensify its aerial reconnaissance and keep an eye on the direction of Japan. The People's Guard has stepped up reconnaissance of Japan and has also stepped up surveillance of Japan's military ports.

In fact, the navy has always maintained that Japan is the most dangerous enemy of the Ming Dynasty. But the Navy is a Navy after all, and it does not have some influence on politics like the Army. The navy is a 100% nationalized army, and its ability to influence politics is almost zero. Even if the Navy had always regarded Japan as an imaginary enemy, they would not be able to compete with the Cabinet government in these political directions. Not only can't he compete, but he even can't say it ugly, and he doesn't even have the right to speak. Now at last there is a powerful force between the navy, the army, and the cabinet to come to them and support them. And they know that behind Xiang Xiaoqiang is Her Majesty the Empress, and Xiang Xiaoqiang and Her Majesty the Empress have a word, but it is much more useful than several memoranda by the Chief of the General Staff of the Navy.

Of course, although Xiang Xiaoqiang patted his chest and assured that the People's Guard Force must intensify its surveillance of Japanese military ports, everyone knows that it is not easy to monitor Japanese military ports.

Xiang Xiaoqiang himself knows that the Japanese military port is different from the American Pearl Harbor. And it's hard to find a military port in the world that is as peaceful and semi-tourist as Pearl Harbor. Not only is Honolulu Island home to a large number of Japanese expatriates, but Pearl Harbor is also a must-see attraction for visitors to Hawaii. Before the sneak attack, it was slackened to such an extent that it was open to the public on weekends and holidays, allowing tourists to take pictures with warships...... Therefore, it is easy to monitor that kind of military port.

But the Japanese military port is different. Within a few kilometers of the surrounding area, it is set up as a military restricted area, which is heavily guarded, and the gendarmes patrol back and forth with dogs, not to mention blending in, and it is not easy to even climb to the mountains and take a look from afar.

Now, the intelligence of the People's Guard is that the Japanese army is training hard day and night. In the Seto Inland Sea, the Combined Fleet cleaved the waves day and night, repeatedly sailing, formation, torpedoes, fire control and aiming, shelling, day and night battles, all kinds of weather, and all kinds of sea conditions...... And the planes of Hainan Airlines and Army Airlines are also training day and night. It is said that Hainan Airlines pilots can fly against the waves, and Army Airlines pilots can fly against the treetops. The Japanese Army, on the other hand, is now training in its new territory in the northeast.

In general, the Japanese army is now rapidly increasing its combat effectiveness with the fanaticism and seriousness characteristic of the Japanese. According to many scattered intelligence, the intensity and length of the Japanese army's training were enough to disgrace the most elite units of the Ming army.

……

Xiang Xiaoqiang saw that Qiu Yu and Xiuxiu had already accompanied the three ladies to the living room to chat, and there were only four men left in the dining room, so he lowered his voice and said:

"Ladies and gentlemen, that troop carrier is now in the Tsushima Strait between Japan and Korea...... It is said that they are all shuttled 24 hours a day...... The Japanese army in Manchuria grew in strength...... In my opinion, if Japan is preparing for war, it should be in the next few days. ”

The three of them looked at each other, obviously with some surprise.

As for the Japanese threat, their understanding of Xiang Xiaoqiang is obviously not at the same level. They only have a vague understanding that "Japan is the most dangerous enemy of the Ming Dynasty", and Xiang Xiaoqiang has been specific to the extent that "Japan will attack the Ming Dynasty on which day and from where".

However, since he talked about this issue, Xiong Dingming also expressed his opinion.

"Personally, I think that if—just if—if Japan is going to attack us in the near future, I personally think it's likely that the Liaodong Peninsula will be attacked first."

Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at him and nodded slightly. This is in line with his own opinion.

Xiuxiu quietly appeared behind them, presented a map, and quietly retreated.

Xiong Dingming pointed to the Liaodong Peninsula on the map, drew a circle in the north of Fengtian Province, and said:

"It is clear that the Liaodong Peninsula, along with the entire province of Mukden, is surrounded on land by the Japanese sphere of influence on three sides. Only the westernmost Liaoxi Corridor can be connected to the inland land of Guanxi. And there are too many directions that are likely to be attacked. In addition, the Japanese army is still hoarding heavy troops in Manchuria in the north, and we do not know the specific strength of the Japanese army and what equipment it has. Tohoku has a humid climate all year round, with many cloudy and cloudy days. Moreover, it is summer, and the northeast region is also very hot, and the Japanese army has built their barracks in the vast forest, and even if we send reconnaissance planes, it is difficult to see why. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded:

"Yes, that's a problem."

Xiong Dingming went on to say:

"And our army has only a few divisions in Mukden, and Mukden is still the most densely populated area and the largest number of towns outside the Guantian. We all stationed our barracks near the town, and we wouldn't be stationed in the forest like the Japanese army anyway. We thought this was normal and convenient, but the Japanese army detected us very clearly. ”

Wei Dongxin, commander of HNA, also nodded and sighed:

"Those people in the army think that Mukden already has several divisions and is very strong. But I don't want to think about it, how many dozens of divisions of the Japanese army are in Jilin and Korea! ”

Xiong Dingming smiled slightly and shook his head:

"The same cannot be said. For dozens of Japanese divisions in Jilin and Korea, our divisions were really weak. But on the other hand, Mukden is, after all, just a small piece of space the size of a palm. A few divisions were stationed in that area, and the troops were already relatively dense. If it is normal, it cannot be called 'weak troops'. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded and said:

"Yes, by normal standards, it seems that it is okay to station a few divisions in Fengtian. But they didn't take the 'Japanese attack' as a premise. ”