At noon, Li Junhao, Acting Prime Minister of the US Consulate General in Shanghai, Justin Sheehan, Colonel Gatling Rup, commander of the 15th Infantry Regiment, Colonel Dejay Cole, commander of the 4th Marine and Marine Regiment, and relevant personnel of the consulate gathered at the Wusongkou Wharf in Shanghai to prepare for the arrival of the US Asian Fleet......

At this time, the Wusong wharf was still in common use by various countries, Britain, the United States, and Italy each had a warship stationed here, and more than a dozen warships of the Japanese Navy's First Fleet stationed in the coastal waters a little farther away.

The land road leading from the concession to the area passed through the Japanese concession, and when it came to the wharf, the Japanese Navy's Shanghai Sea Special Marine Corps blocked both sides of the road, prohibiting the residents of the Japanese concession from contacting the Americans, but there was no obstruction to the American convoy.

Even after learning that the US Asian Fleet was visiting Shanghai, Vice Admiral Tanimoto Mataro, commander of the Japanese First Dispatch Fleet, and Rear Admiral Moriji Takeda, commander of the Special Marine Corps, both came to the pier to prepare to welcome Admiral Hart of the US Navy to Shanghai.

In the same way, the British and Italian military attachés and the two captains of the navy were waiting next to them, waiting for the arrival of the American Asian fleet.

Li Junhao was impatient to stand and wait, so he asked the guards to bring a lot of marching chairs (canvas with backrests) for everyone to sit on, and even set up a few folding tables and made tea.

He sat with Rupp, Cole and other officers, drinking tea and listening to the two of them report on the training of the troops, which was considered to be the best use of the time.

——

At one o'clock in the afternoon, more than a dozen warships of the Asian fleet approached the pier......

Admiral Thomas Hart is 63 years old, but he is still in extraordinary spirits with a tall and thin figure, blond hair, and a straight military uniform.

After dealing with the naval officers and military attaches of other countries, Admiral Hart and his attachés were invited into the car and the convoy drove to the concession.

As the supreme commander of the military in Shanghai, Li Junhao was naturally the main person in charge of receiving Admiral Hart, but on the return trip, he got into a car alone, and even stayed at the end, waiting for the departure of the large army before leaving the dock with his guards.

This caused the dissatisfaction of the naval officers who came ashore, thinking that this commander Pan Sen had gone too far and treated their admiral slowly!

Seeing this, Rupp and Cole, who were in charge of accompanying the officers of the fleet on their return journey, hurriedly explained: Commander Pan Sen also served as the deputy director of the Ministry of Industry and the chief of police, and had previously ordered the cleaning up of the black industry in the concession, arrested thousands of criminals, and rescued tens of thousands of victims, so he offended many powerful forces and faced the danger of being assassinated every day! He is going to be separated from everyone today, in fact, so as not to affect everyone......

The attitude of the officers and men of the Navy immediately changed, and it turned out to be like this, this Commander Pan Sen was actually sacrificing himself!

Admiral Hart's brows furrowed and he asked, "Is the situation in the concession so bad now?" ”

"Not really." "Since Commander Pan Sen began to take charge of the security of the concession in the second half of last year, he has taken several major operations in a row to rectify the gang forces and forces of all parties in the concession, and now the market environment is the best period in history...... However, he himself has attracted the jealousy of all parties! ”

Hart nodded his head in understanding.

At this time, the convoy was driving south along the Bund Road and entered the concession area, and the situation outside the window was immediately noticeable - the streets were cleaner, the shops on the side of the road were more lively, there were more pedestrians and vehicles, and the patrolling policemen were all neat and energetic from time to time...... Especially with more smiles on everyone's faces!

The officers and men of the navy nodded their heads again and again, and Admiral Hart praised them even more: "Yes, very good!" He was even more interested in the young colonel he had met before, and thinking of the telegram he had received earlier, he felt that it was necessary to talk to him as soon as possible.

——

After the navy visited the Bureau of the Ministry of Industry of the Concession, they were sent to the joint headquarters in Jiaozhou Park by Rupp and Cole, and saw Li Junhao who had rushed back again, which was naturally lively again.

Colonel Hsieh Jin-yuan of the 327th Regiment accompanied the other naval officers and men on a tour of the barracks and police training center, while Admiral Hart sat in Li Junhao's office, accompanied by the three chiefs of staff, Yang Shixiong, Rupp, and Cole.

After a brief chat about the political situation in the Far East, Yang Shixiong and the three of them took their leave and left, leaving the two commanders to talk alone.

Li Junhao personally brewed a pot of black tea and put a few special snacks from Shanghai and Haihai, please taste it, it can be regarded as morning tea!

Hart accepted the young man's kindness with a smile, tasted everything, praised the taste, and then turned to the topic, first asking: "Colonel Pan Sen, I want to know the real situation of the Huhai Concession......

In this regard, Li Junhao was prepared for a long time, and immediately introduced that the work during this period was not fake, and when it came to the current situation of the concession, he had detailed data, and it was clear to say.

Hearing that in addition to the three reinforced main regiments, more than 40,000 people's troops and militias were now organized in the concession, Hart's eyes widened in surprise, and he glanced at this young Pan Sen in his heart, this toss is too powerful! However, it is indeed a military force that is very suitable for presiding over the Shanghai Strait.

After thinking about it, Hart asked again: "Pan Sen, do you want to use these armed forces to hold the concession and resist the Japanese attack?" ”

Li Junhao shook his head and said helplessly: "Mr. General, you should know that with the current military strength of the concession, it is still possible to resist the attack of 40,000 or 50,000 Japanese troops, but in the case of its aircraft and navy, it will not be able to win at all!" ”

Hardy bowed his head, agreeing that he was not arrogant and still had a clear understanding, and said, "In that case, what is the point of what you are trying to do now?" ”

"I guess I'm looking for a possibility!" Li Junhao didn't say anything, "According to my judgment, the concession should be safe before December next year, and I think that during this time, the people in the concession can live a little better...... Of course, I also want to try the possibility of keeping the concession......"

Then, he said the reason he had at first: "The Japanese army's goal of fully occupying the Shanghai Sea was nothing more than to fancy the international status of the Shanghai Sea as the financial center and economic center of the Far East, especially the industrial and commercial resources in the concession, which was the fat meat that the resource-poor island nation Japan coveted......

"If the concession is more powerful, and the Japanese army wants to forcibly seize it, the war will destroy the concession...... I'm betting the Japanese can't accept that! ”

(End of chapter)