Almost at the same time, the Japanese fleet spotted the Chinese Air Force reconnaissance aircraft trailing behind. Of course, in this clear and cloudless sky, an iron lump with a roaring sound circled around the fleet, and from time to time lowered its altitude to take pictures, it is estimated that it is difficult not to be discovered, not to mention that the reconnaissance plane did not intend to hide it in the first place.

Later, several nearby reconnaissance planes also swarmed in, like bees smelling flowers, flying up and down the fleet, as if trying to photograph and verify every ship in the fleet, so as not to slip through the net.

Just when the reconnaissance planes were busy, on the Mikasa, the flagship of the Combined Fleet, the commander of the fleet, Yuzaburo Kato, said with a wry smile to the field commander Umezawa Michiji who went out on this expedition: "Long before the expedition, I thought of the strength of the reconnaissance planes of the Shina Air Force, so after going to sea from the port of Nagasaki, I did not go directly to the west, but turned north, and then moved along the coast of North Korea to avoid their search. Mei Ze-kun, what should I do now? ”

Michiji Umezawa reclined on his chair and shook his head slightly at Yuzaburo Kato, "Kato-kun, the so-called 'guest is as you please', how the fleet moves is naturally up to you!" Isn't asking this veteran from the army to ask about blindness? ”

Although Michiji Umezawa let him call the shots, Yuzaburo Kato was still humble to the commander of the prestigious main division: "In that case, then we will no longer hide it and continue to implement the original battle plan, right?" How about the Second Fleet, which has a relatively fast capital ship, escorting the 18th Division to land in Longkou Bay, Huangxian County, Shandong, our First Fleet escorting your Sixth Division to land directly in Jiaozhou Bay, and the Third Fleet being responsible for patrolling and guarding the surrounding areas. ”

Michiji Umezawa replied with a smile: "It's all up to Kato-kun!" However, we are now being watched by the Chinese plane, and we are not in a hurry to divide our troops. How about waiting until the evening to go our separate ways? Maybe tomorrow we will be able to trouble the plane for another day! ”

Yuzaburo Kato complimented: "Umezawa-kun Takami! Now our army is less than 300 nautical miles away from Jiaozhou Bay, which is only about a day. If you can make the planes of China at a loss during this time, you will definitely be able to receive unexpected results! ”

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Hearing that the reconnaissance plane had spotted traces of the Japanese fleet in the waters off the coast of Korea, He Yingqin suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, but related questions also arose: Are the reconnaissance fleets all the fleets sent by Japan? Is the target of their attack Qingdao? Will there be a division of troops on the way? …… That's where the defender's passivity lies. Shandong has a long coastline, and there are not a few places suitable for large-scale landings, and the Japanese army can choose the landing site at will, but China cannot defend everywhere. Even if Sun Yuanqi was temporarily transferred to 3 integrated divisions and 5 mixed brigades, he would not be able to do it.

Of course, even if you can defend everywhere. It is also impossible for the squadron to spread its forces evenly among various suitable landing sites like a pancake. It has long been said in the art of war that fortification everywhere is equivalent to no defense everywhere. Especially in the face of a strong enemy like Japan, if you deploy your forces like this, the final result can only be broken by each one.

He Yingqin thought more than once: Since Japan has made up its mind to attack Shandong, why should we be hypocritical with him! Simply send dozens of bombers to follow the bombing all the way, and they have no way to hide or escape in the vast sea. The distance of a few hundred nautical miles was enough for the Japanese army to not be able to dock, and it was simply effortless. Wouldn't it be too much to give up your strengths, wait for the Japanese army to land, and finally defend desperately?

However, He Yingqin also knew that Sun Yuanqi was not a single-celled creature like Song Xianggong, and he did not use bombers, so he naturally had no choice but to suffer. For example, they don't want to fall behind the handle of taking the initiative to attack other countries, for example, they don't want to destroy the absolute neutrality position that they have profess before, and so on. But He Yingqin still couldn't help but want to move the bomber.

In order to dispel this thought, He Yingqin asked the intelligence officers around him: "What is the change in the Japanese fleet now?" Are there any signs of a division of troops? ”

The intelligence officer replied: "Returning to Commander, according to the latest news from the Fourth Reconnaissance Group of the Shanghai side, the Japanese fleet has changed its course after being discovered by our troops, from sailing along the Korean coastline to heading 13 degrees north-west, and the speed has increased, and it has now reached 11.4 knots, and no other changes have been found for the time being. Why, the commander thinks that the Japanese fleet will divide its forces? ”

He Yingqin said: "The division of troops is certain. Otherwise, how could they land with more than 80,000 people crowded together? Not to mention that Jiaozhou Bay does not have such a large landing site, even if there is a suitable location, once it fails to be launched in time after landing, so many people are stuck in a beachhead and are in a dilemma, so we will not be allowed to slaughter? The Japanese are not so stupid. The troops will definitely be divided into different locations to land, and then they will encircle and outflank the Jiaoao area. The question we need to figure out at the moment is whether the Japanese are planning to outflank the left and right, or to flank the front and rear! ”

"Outflanking left and right? Front-and-back pinch? "The intelligence officers were a little puzzled.

He Yingqin casually picked up a pencil and poked it on the map a few times: "The so-called left and right outflanking is to spread out along the Yellow Sea side of Shandong, land at multiple points in Zhucheng, Jiaozhou, Jimo, Haiyang and other places near Qingdao, and then outflank in the direction of Qingdao. In addition to the Yellow Sea side, the front and rear flanking attacks will also be deployed on the Bohai side, and then the front and back will be flanked against Qingdao. Whether it is outflanking left and right, or flanking from front to back, its purpose is to give full play to the superiority of troops, expand the scope of the battlefield, pull our army's defense line, and then seize the whole province of Shandong! ”

The intelligence officer realized: "No wonder the Frontier Command wants to put a mixed brigade in Laizhou Fucheng (stationed in Ye County) and Dengzhou Fucheng (stationed in Penglai), it turns out that it is to guard against the landing of Japanese troops on the coast of the Bohai Sea!" However, now that the Japanese fleet has not yet divided its forces, and all of them have turned around and rushed westward, aiming directly at Jiaozhou Bay, can it already be determined that the strategic intention of the Japanese army is to outflank left and right? ”

He Yingqin shook his head: "It's too early to say!" If I were the commander of the Japanese fleet, the division of troops would definitely be chosen at night, and not during the day. Now that there are reconnaissance planes in the sky closely watching, if we divide our forces now, won't it be tantamount to telling us our strategic intentions in advance? That's why tonight is the most important thing! ”

"Tonight?" The intelligence officer hesitated: "Our planes can't be dispatched at night!" The navy is so weak that it will not be of much use for a while, and it is estimated that we will have to rely on our reconnaissance planes to dispatch tomorrow morning. But at present, the Japanese fleet is only two or three hundred nautical miles away from Qingdao, and when we find them again, it is estimated that they should also land on the shore, so how can we notify the friendly forces to prepare in advance? ”

He Yingqin said: "So we have to make all preparations tonight!" ”

The intelligence officer immediately saluted solemnly and said, "Please command, commander!" ”

He Yingqin said: "1. Order the bomber groups of all aviation regiments to complete all equipment inspection and maintenance work before dark today, install aerial bombs before 6 o'clock in the morning tomorrow, and stand ready to take off at any time!" 2. Except for a reconnaissance plane group left by the Shanghai side to follow and monitor the movements of the Japanese fleet, all the reconnaissance planes returned to the airfield for maintenance and were on standby, and the pilots were full of spirit and dispatched to search early tomorrow morning in accordance with the plan of the headquarters. After the last batch of data is transmitted by the reconnaissance planes in the evening, the personnel of the staff headquarters must calculate overnight the approximate area where the Japanese fleet will be infested tomorrow and the optimal reconnaissance path of the reconnaissance planes in light of such factors as wind speed, ocean current speed, the fastest and slowest speed of the Japanese fleet, and suitable sites for large-scale landing along the Shandong coast. Got it? ”

"Understood!"

With the approach of the Japanese fleet, the atmosphere of the divisions and brigades stationed in Shandong also became tense, weapons and ammunition had already been distributed to the soldiers, and even the wills were written and handed over to the instructors of each platoon for safekeeping. Although in the past, actual combat exercises also required the writing of a will or something when issuing ammunition, but this time it was real and big, and everyone's mood suddenly dropped, because it is very likely that in another day or two, the brothers who are playing and playing together and sharing weal and woe will be bloody on the battlefield, and of course, it may be themselves who may fall!

The officers also moved, urging the soldiers to dig the trenches longer and strengthen the anti-artillery fortifications more firmly, while constantly reminding: "You little rabbits, don't dig it quickly!" Now sweat a little more and exert a little more effort, maybe I can save your life in the middle of a war! Do you know how powerful little Japan's main battleship is? They had four twin 305-mm guns, each shelling more than 700 pounds, and a range of 25 miles. If a cannonball were to fall, it would be at least a pit the size of a wheat floor! ”

As he spoke, he was afraid of scaring the recruits, and the officer's tone changed: "But don't worry, their small Japanese guns can't fire a few shells, and our bombers are not vegetarians!" When they were in Guangzhou and outside the mouth, weren't the Jijun and Beiyang armies also very horizontal? As a result, the plane dropped a few bombs, and they immediately became honest and defeated. As long as they dare to open fire, our planes will guarantee to blow them up! ”

Outside Jiaozhou, the lights of the Air Force Headquarters were also bright all night, and several staff officers were lying on the huge nautical chart to depict the optimal reconnaissance path of tomorrow's reconnaissance plane, and behind them, dozens of soldiers were sweating like rain, using abacus, pens, and other tools to calculate relevant data and provide a basis for the staff officers who drew the map.

And in the sea hundreds of nautical miles from Qingdao, the three fleets of the Japanese Combined Fleet were preparing to part ways. Michiji Umezawa reluctantly stood up with the support of the guards, and saluted Lieutenant General Mitsutomi Kamio, commander of the 18th Division, Major General Hanzo Yamanashi, chief of staff, Major General Fumijiro Horiuchi, commander of the 23rd Infantry Brigade, Major General Yoshisui Yamada, commander of the 24th Infantry Brigade, and others: "I wish you a long military fortune and a victory!" ”

It stands to reason that Mitsutomi Kamio should reply with a polite phrase such as "Please take care of your body, Your Excellency, Commander" (which translates to "take care of your body") or "each other". However, Mitsutomi Kamio didn't know whether he wanted to show his sense of humor to lighten the atmosphere, or whether he wanted to express his determination to win, so he replied in a mysterious way: "Thank you, Your Excellency, Commander, I will definitely fight bravely to serve His Majesty the Emperor." In short, if you don't meet in Qingdao, you will meet in Kudanzaka! ”

Kudanzaka is the site of the Yasukuni Shrine and is dedicated to Japan's military personnel and their families who died in battle since the Meiji Restoration. Kamio Mitsutomi suddenly mentioned Kudanzaka on the occasion of parting, which suddenly made the hearts of those present have a sense of foreboding.

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