In late March 1938, the Itagaki Division and the Isoya Division of the Japanese North China Front launched the Battle of Taierzhuang with the aim of capturing Xuzhou. Li Zongren, commander of the Fifth Theater of the National Revolutionary Army, launched an active frontal defense. At the most tense juncture of the Sino-Japanese Battle of Xuzhou, the eyes of the Japanese Navy Admiral Matsui Ishine suddenly fixed on the southern corner of the battle map against China - Xiamen.

Although the Japanese Empire threw its main forces on the battlefields of North China and Central China and had no time to take care of South China for a while, in order to contain the Chinese army in South China and consider the development of the future war situation, it was necessary to quickly lay an important base for the southward invasion of China, and the Japanese Empire chose Xiamen.

Matsui Ishone, the executioner of the Nanjing Massacre, was already the commander of the Japanese Central China Front at this time, and concluded that his plan to attack Xiamen was correct, so he summoned Miyata Yoshiichi, Ichiro Ohno and other generals, and said majestically: "The war in Xuzhou is tense, and the soldiers of our empire are fighting bloody battles and are determined to win. The Battle of Wuhan will also begin, and the navy is now idle and should be used to prepare for the great military deployment of the empire. ”

"Listen to the general."

In the Admiralty War Room of the Japanese base camp, Vice Admiral Shiro Kawako, commander of the Fleet on the Shina side, and Vice Admiral Kiichiro Kawa, commander of the Fifth Fleet under his jurisdiction, were standing on a large map in the war room to study the military situation.

In the corner, several transceiver radio stations were constantly ringing "tick, tick...", and several transceivers were busy operating the radios, transmitting all kinds of orders and information to the Japanese naval forces. The tense atmosphere on the eve of the Great War is reproduced.

Fleet Commander Kawakoshiro pointed to Xiamen Island on the combat map, pointing with a pencil in his hand, and said arrogantly: Xiamen Port is the middle point of the Shanghai-Hong Kong shipping route, very close to Taiwan and the Nanyang Islands, and is one of the five major treaty ports along the coast, as well as the import and exit of 20 million overseas Chinese in Nanyang and the receiving port of 40 million yuan in remittances of overseas Chinese in Nanyang. After our navy imposed a blockade on the coast, the three ports of Kowloon, Guangzhou, and Xiamen were still important ports for Chiang Kai-shek's military supplies. The fall of Xiamen would be a blow to the mainland and hasten Chiang's defeat in the Battle of Xuzhou. Jiang Zhenglun has lost his financial source in Shanghai, and now he has lost Xiamen, blocking trade with overseas Chinese in Nanyang, which can be said to be the end of his fate. By occupying Xiamen, we are severing ties with overseas Chinese in Nanyang and choking the mainland.

Yoshiichi Miyata continued: "Xiamen is an important gateway to China's southeast coast, a natural port for the distribution of goods in southern China and the entry and exit of overseas Chinese, and a major port for maintaining exchanges between Taiwan and Chinese mainland. ”

The officers of the War Department nodded incessantly.

Kawa Kiichiro pondered for a moment and said: "The enemy has cut off the material import channel because the sea is blocked by our navy, and in addition to using the Guangdong-Yunnan railway, they are also trying to use Xiamen to import materials, and there are many signs that they are using ships from third countries to secretly avoid the blockade line, which will be very unfavorable to our frontline battlefield to occupy Greater East Asia, so the island can no longer be left alone." ”

Kawagu Shiro nodded, and then said: "After occupying Xiamen, the army will be forced to disperse its forces to consolidate the coastal defense, and it will not be able to drive to the northern front, and the soldiers of our empire will not have to worry about it at that time. If our navy is disrupted along the coast of 'China,' its arms will also be blocked, and it will not be able to transport to and from Hong Kong. ”

"The general is clever." The generals of the sun exclaimed in unison.

Yoshiichi Miyata replied: "The Imperial Japanese Army has begun to recover Xiamen, and it is necessary to create a pretext for attacking Xiamen as an open basis for sending troops. ”

Shiro Kawakoshi narrowed his eyes and said: "On this issue, General Matsui has already thought of a reason for sending troops, and at that time, he can make the following statement to the press: This attack on Xiamen is due to the presence of the Cantonese army in this station, which is the center of anti-Japanese activities, and Chinese arms have also entered the interior from this place, but there are 30,000 Japanese and Taiwanese expatriates in this place, and the imperial army should be responsible for protection."

"The general is clever!" The Japanese generals nodded again and again like chickens pecking rice.

As he spoke, Shiro Kawakoshi quickly drew a circle on Xiamen Island on the map with a pencil, turned around, threw the pencil on the table, and shouted to the Japanese general, "I announce the implementation of the Emperor's order." ”

All the Japanese officers and soldiers stood up in unison.

Shiro Kawako said loudly: "I announce the implementation of the 'Dahai Ling No. 112' plan to capture Xiamen Island!" ”

In a large house on the beach of Taiwan Island, opposite Xiamen Island, Sawashigenobu, the South China Intelligence Minister of the Japanese Army, sat on the sofa, leisurely sipping rock tea from Wuyi Mountain, while hearing the female secretary reading the newspaper.

The female secretary was holding a May 10, 1938 newspaper full of Chinese traditional Chinese characters.

She read aloud with interest: "The southern branch will be taken sooner or later" for a long time...... The tomahawk swinging to the corner of South China is our need. Although the island is only a 40-mile island, it has a public concession of Gulangyu Island across the inner harbor. Kinmen Island, on the eastern side of the sea, is the key point of the coast of South China.

In addition, the island is the entry and exit port of overseas Chinese in Nanyang, and overseas Chinese ...... Instigated by anti-Japanese elements, they boycotted Japanese goods in Nanyang and at the same time financed the army on the mainland. Therefore, it is necessary to resolutely block this entrance and exit and stop the movement of overseas Chinese, which is the most urgent matter at present.

Third, South China and Taiwan are separated by a strip of water, and from the perspective of national defense, we cannot underestimate the movements of the other side, because Taiwan's proximity to the enemy's bases is always harmful and unhelpful.

In short, the occupation of Xiamen, the key port of Fujian Province, which is closest to Taiwan, and the elimination of all kinds of instigation centered on it is an inevitable measure of the empire, and it is also necessary from the point of view of national defense and operations.

Hearing this, a hint of smugness appeared on his face, he stood up and came to the window, looking in the direction of Xiamen Island......