Back to the Republic of China as a commander

The purpose of the Minister of the Navy Kato Arisaburo is very clear, that is, to ask Yuan Jing to support the establishment of the "Eight to Eight Fleets" (8 battleships and 8 cruisers) as represented by the Ministry of the Navy, such as weapon mechanization, modernization, and complete aviation. Scale up the armament program.On this point, Kaoru Hara has clearly expressed his support. In his view, maintaining a strong naval force is the basis for the survival and development of the Great Japanese Empire.

In contrast, Tanaka Yoshiichi's request is a bit too much.

"Nani, sent troops to Shandong, and sent troops on a large scale? Tanaka-kun, what I hope most now is to complete the retreat of the empire from Russian territory as soon as possible. It is impossible for Kolchak to defeat Lenin's army." Yuan Jing heard Tanaka Yoshiichi's request almost jumped up from the tatami.

Tanaka Yoshiichi said with a nonchalant smile: "Don't get excited, Your Excellency, to conquer the world in advance, you must first conquer China, and to conquer China in advance, you must first conquer Manchuria and Mongolia. This is the only way to realize the empire's mainland policy. It is a national policy. Now you are intoxicated They are also too close to Britain and France in terms of internal affairs. But you must not ignore one of the most basic facts. Southern China has undergone an industrial revolution, and their current power has surpassed that of Northern China. According to the latest information held by the empire, They have hoarded 50 British and French armed forces on the south bank of the Yellow River, and they have sharpened their swords to complete the unification of the Northern Expedition by force. According to updated information, the Southern China government is also preparing to seize Shandong by force, endangering the interests of the empire in Shandong. Your Excellency, Prime Minister, If China is reunified, it will mean that the empire's mainland policy will become more difficult or even impossible to implement. If this is the case, it will be the greatest disloyalty that my subjects have committed to His Majesty the Emperor."

When Yuan Jing heard this, he was angry and funny: "All Japanese are the subjects of His Majesty the Emperor. They have been silently dedicating for the past few decades. Now that the great cause of the empire has been accomplished, should we consider rewarding them? It's time. As for sending troops to Shandong, I'm surprised how you, Prime Minister Lu, have such a crazy idea. Regardless of the outcome of the war with Southern China, the waste is all materials that should be used to improve the lives of the people!"

Yoshiichi Tanaka smiled contemptuously: "South China is already very rich now, and we can get enough spoils after defeating South China."

Yuan Jing thought about it very carefully and said: "This is unrealistic. Britain and France will not sit back and watch us continue to grow stronger. Believe it or not, the final result is the same as the Russo-Japanese War. We paid a lot, but we got nothing."

Tanaka Yoshihito shook his head and said: "Then I dare to ask you a question. In Paris, Britain and France have given us Shandong to Japan. However, South China is plotting to take back Shandong by force. May I ask how you plan to deal with this issue, Prime Minister? It is to sit back and watch it take it back." , or oppose it by force?"

This hit Yuan Jing's weakness, he thought for a while and took a deep breath and said, "Then, Prime Minister Lu, how many troops do we need to mobilize to go to Shandong?"

Tanaka Yoshiichi smiled proudly and stretched out three fingers: "With the invincible Imperial Japanese Army, three divisions are enough..."

Chapter 431 Fuse ([-])

Yuan Jing became hesitant. According to his original idea, he should lead a peace cabinet.Including improving the living standards of the people, withdrawing troops from Russia's Siberia, and carrying out large-scale infrastructure construction in Japan, such as the construction of national railways, and finding new outlets for Japanese heavy industrial goods after the end of the European War.

But now that Yoshiichi Tanaka has come to such a move, it would be a lie to say that his grand goal will not waver.Shandong in China is different from the uninhabited Russian Siberia. There is a vast market, cheap and abundant labor, and rich agricultural products. It is one of the two excellent colonies that best meet the development needs of the Great Japanese Empire in this era. The other is Manchuria .

Needless to say, Manchuria, according to the changes in China's national conditions, the imperial government established the Kwantung Army Command there in advance to replace the original Kwantung Prefecture Governor's Mansion.In Shandong, due to time constraints, there are not many imperial troops currently stationed. Even during the Xuzhou battle the year before last, Japan did not send more troops to Qingdao.Fortunately, the army of Southern China chose to advance westward instead of continuing the northern expedition after defeating the Feng army, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.This matter has also become the focus of controversy in the military for more than a year. The army has repeatedly emphasized that the military strength of Southern China far exceeds that of Northern China, and that sufficient imperial troops must be invested to ensure the interests of the Great Japanese Empire in Shandong.The navy dismissed this. Their point of view is very simple. China’s coastline is so long. As long as the empire increases its investment in the navy, the empire will always be able to suppress that end. The Southern China Navy has only four cruisers, not even a single battleship. Such an opponent is really not as good as their Imperial Japanese Navy.As for the army's worries, they didn't take it seriously at all, because in their eyes, the army was composed of a bunch of idiots who shouted to be loyal to His Majesty the Emperor every day, and they were different from the elites of the navy.

However, Yoshiichi Tanaka in front of Hara Kei is obviously not an idiot of the army, but a genius. Since the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, this man has been a tiger that cannot be ignored in Japanese political circles. In 1907, Tanaka was ordered to try out military education reform and served as the captain of the third regiment of the first division. The reform introduced new educational policies such as respecting individuality, regiments as home, and coordination between officers and soldiers, and supplemented the single education method of corporal punishment and commanding sword drills. The military has expanded its influence.At this time, he was already impressive, and Tanaka was from Changzhou, "I'm not close, I'm from my hometown", so I was promoted to a department in charge of combat.

After Tanaka Yoshiichi arrived at the first department, he wrote an opinion paper called "Suikan Miscellaneous Records", which covered everything from national strategy and military strategy to the organization and system of the army, and passed it to Marshal Aritomo of Yamagata through General Kodama Gentaro There went.Yamagata took a look, um, yes, reported it to Emperor Meiji, and came back and said to Tanaka: "You can have a look at the national defense policy of the empire."He took the Navy's Ministry of Finance Biao to formulate a plan, stipulating that the army should have 25 divisions in peacetime and 50 divisions in wartime, and the navy should build eight or eight fleets. In 1909, Tanaka was promoted to the head of the military section, the head of the second brigade, and the director of the Military Affairs Bureau of the Army Province. "Order", his deeds in office have proved his strength. In November 1910, the Imperial Civil Service Association, which he had been advocating, was established.The association is to organize reservists who have finished active service, which can not only reduce the maintenance cost of the national army, but also spread the will of the country to the people (later the reserve will also be included).At the beginning of its establishment, the association only targeted the army. Since 11, the navy has also been included, making the organization perfect. In August 1914, as the mastermind behind the scenes, Major General Tanaka Yoshiichi, the deputy chief of staff, planned to submit the infamous 1915 Articles to Yuan Shikai, but was strongly opposed by the Chinese people and failed.

In the operation of the temple cabinet to send troops to Siberia, it was also planned and directed by the Tanaka in front of him.

In addition to his influence among the soldiers in the village and his influence in the army, Tanaka himself is also a good hand at making money.In Hara Kei's election as Prime Minister this time, Yoshiichi Tanaka contributed 300 million yen for activities.You must know that Tanaka is just a general in the army, and the salary is not good. It is impressive to be able to spend so much money.Later, Yuan Jing learned that in the operation of sending troops to Siberia, Tanaka Yoshiichi used his power to list a total of 2400 million yen in army secret fees, of which about 340 million was given to the temple cabinet.Then according to elementary school mathematics addition and subtraction, this Tanaka Yoshiichi probably has 2000 million yen in his hand.

Another point that Yuan Jing cannot ignore about Tanaka is his good personal relationship with Zhang Zuolin, the current actual leader of the Chinese central government and the ruler of Manchuria.Tanaka had a close relationship with Zhang Zuolin. During the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, the horse thief Zhang Zuolin was captured by the Japanese army on charges of Russian espionage.When he was about to be shot, Army Staff Yoshiichi Tanaka pleaded with Major General Fukushima Yasuo to rescue Zhang Zuolin from the gunpoint.More than ten years later, the horse thief Zhang Zuolin became the Northeast King of China, and Tanaka also became the Prime Minister of Japan. In the Chinese civil war last year, it was Tanaka who strongly supported Zhang Zuolin, which made Zhang Zuolin, who received huge Japanese aid, successful. Entered Beijing and occupied the North China Plain.In this regard, Tanaka said that "Zhang Zuolin is like my younger brother", so Tanaka was naturally the first to stand up when he sent troops to Shandong this time.

Yuan Jing sighed and said, "Tanaka-kun, if we send troops in Shandong to fight a war with Southern China, how much will the empire gain? Don't take advantage of your Chinese brother in the end, wasting the blood of His Majesty's loyal warriors in vain .”

Yoshiichi Tanaka pretended not to hear the sarcasm contained in Prime Minister Keihara's words, but continued to sell his war plan: "... In any case, the completion of the substantial unification of China is very detrimental to the empire. Once China is strong The empire will lose its sources of raw materials and markets, and there will be a strong competitor in Asia. So in any case, we must find a way to plan for the unification of China. But to achieve this goal, only by assassination and bribery Obviously, this is not possible anymore. The empire must repel the army of Southern China in Shandong, which is the most basic. It would be even better if the Southern Branch can be defeated, and China will surely fall into unprecedented chaos again. At this time, Zhang Zuolin must We will fight for the richer southern China territory, and we can justifiably lease the entire Manchuria. At that time, adding the Russian Far East coastal area we currently control, the continental area of ​​the empire will be expanded by more than 300 million square kilometers. This is the most important step in creating the eternal foundation of the empire..."

Seeing that Yuan Jing was still hesitating, Tanaka suddenly got up and knelt down on the tatami and kowtowed: "I know that the prime minister wants to compensate the people for the difficulties they have suffered in the past, but the prime minister, a golden opportunity is in front of you. Compared with the eternal foundation of the Great Japanese Empire, what does it matter if the citizens contribute more and the emperor's people sacrifice a little more? Please make a decision!"

Hearing this, Yuan Jing couldn't help standing up, and looked at the small scenery in the courtyard without saying a word with his hands behind his back. . .

On July 7, the last stop of Wang Zhenyu's inspection was Youth Army Air Force Base 1, which was the code name of the original training base of the Expeditionary Force, but now the base has moved to Xiangyang and has expanded more than ten times.Currently, the 101st Airborne Division and the First Flight Division of the Air Force, which are affiliated to the Ministry of Air Force, are being formed and trained here. Strictly speaking, for the lack of airborne technology, only the First Flight Division is currently working at this base.The 101 excellent pilots trained in the past three years and 580 flight instructors from Germany who have participated in actual combat are working together for this intense combat preparation.

Lieutenant General Yang Xianyi, Minister and Commander of the Air Force, is reporting to Wang Zhenyu on the preparations of the Air Force: "...Since the commander-in-chief issued an order to build an air force in an all-round way in the sixth year of the Republic of China, we first completed Zhengzhou, Xuzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Wuhan, and Guangzhou. , Xi'an and other 22 large military airports, as well as 33 secondary airports and 1 tertiary airports, to ensure the smooth transfer of Air Force combat aircraft. Our current fighter is the Chinese Dragon fighter, code-named k[-] .”

Wang Zhenyu nodded and said, "What's the situation with the plane? How about its combat performance?"

Yang Xianyi quickly took the folder from the adjutant and opened it, then said seriously: "Our planes are divided into four categories according to the German standards: a. reconnaissance, b. bombing, c. assault, and d. The four major U.S. airlines jointly developed a new product that combines the performance and technology of the current European fighter jets. The flight distance is all about 20 kilometers, the altitude is about 8000 meters to 260 meters, the speed is currently 160 kilometers per hour, and the engine horsepower It ranges from 360 horsepower to 1 horsepower. At present, I personally serve as the commander of our first flight division. Brigade A is the reconnaissance brigade, equipped with 36 Shenlong A72 reconnaissance planes and 5 pilots, all of which are biplane aircraft. 1mm steel plates and automatic cameras are installed, and machine guns are installed at the bottom, so that there is a certain degree of protection. The b brigade is a bombing brigade, equipped with forty Huolong b200 monoplane bombers and 1500 pilots. Refer to The most popular is the British Handley Page v/13600, with a total weight of about 3400 kilograms and a maximum load of 1 kilograms; our Fire Dragon b360 has been improved on this basis, with five members and a 18-horsepower engine. The weight is 6 tons, and the maximum loading is 95 tons. In addition, our aerial bombs have been thrown from hand-to-hand to manual bomb racks. The power of these aerial bombs has also been improved. According to your requirements, Wuhan Military Industry has developed An aerial shell that is more suitable for bombing, after repeated tests, it has been proved that the probability of explosion after landing has reached 1%, and its power is equivalent to that of a mortar shell. Therefore, our bomber is currently envisioned to be used to bomb the enemy in future battles Supplies and artillery. Brigade C is an assault brigade equipped with 50 Water Dragon C1 biplane attack aircraft and 120 pilots. This prototype is a J-class Junker fighter that participated in Germany. It can be used when our army's ground troops attack These planes used the three airborne submachine guns equipped on the belly to repeatedly fire at the enemy's ground positions and fire points. The d brigade is a fighter brigade, equipped with [-] Jiaolong d[-] monoplane fighter jets and [-] pilots. It is used in air combat and security defense missions."

Chapter 432 The Fuse ([-])

"Currently, our army has 442 first-line combat pilots, 138 reserve pilots, 186 combat aircraft of various types, 1500 mechanics and ground crews, in addition to a ground guard regiment, a logistics transport regiment and a transport aircraft squadron. The total number of officers and soldiers in the division is 8600. In addition, according to the requirements of the General Staff, the flight time of the first-line pilots of our division is not less than 150 hours, and the reserve pilots are not less than 100 hours," Yang Xianyi continued.

Wang Zhenyu nodded: "There are still a few reserve pilots. In addition, a test flight team can be formed to understand the performance of the aircraft. In addition, a trainer squadron can be established to ensure the actual accumulation of reserve pilot training."

Yang Xianyi quickly said: "Please rest assured, this test flight team and trainer squadron will be established as soon as possible. As for the reserve pilots, our original plan was that each division should reserve pilots in accordance with the requirement that the reserves should not be less than the first line, but last year we were the first to reserve pilots. The first batch of pilots has just graduated from the aviation school, and at this rate, next month, the second batch of graduates will be in place, and the number of reserve pilots in the first division will reach 600."

Wang Zhenyu glanced at Yang Xianyi and said, "Then you, Air Force Commander, take me to see the plane."

"Yes, no problem. The geographical location of Xiangyang is relatively remote. Twenty kilometers around the base are forcibly set as no-man's land. At the same time, we moved many military factories to this place to cover the base, so security and confidentiality work has been very strict. It went well. The only bad thing is that the rainy season is too long, which affects our flight training..." Yang Xianyi, a returned overseas Chinese, chattered as he walked, probably this is the habit of Americans, and the Chinese hate that kind of thing. Chattering people, except for Wang Zhenyu, who himself is a chattering master in his later generations.

The chief of staff of the First Air Division was German Goering. At this time, the young man was still very slender. Wang Zhenyu shook hands with this handsome German boy with a little excitement, and got in the car and drove to the big airport of the First Air Division.

Airplanes of different models stood straight on the side of the runway like soldiers waiting for inspection, waiting for Wang Zhenyu to watch.

Sitting in the convertible, Wang Zhenyu couldn't help being a little excited. Once the war with Japan really started, submarines, tanks, and this plane would be the biggest guarantee for him to win the war. There would be no problem.

So Wang Zhenyu was not in a hurry to leave. Although he didn't understand the air force, he asked all the planes to fly for himself to see. . .

On July 7, Wang Yaqiao, who was in charge of intelligence against Japan, received news from at least four channels. Although Japan did not have any rumors of fighting against China, Japanese troops from at least five domestic divisions, including the Sendai Second Division, Being mobilized, plus their troops stationed in North Korea and Northeast China, at least some of the 1 standing divisions were mobilized, and all kinds of new equipment and conventional weapons and ammunition were also distributed to these mobilized combat units . . .

"It seems that the Japanese are really planning to send troops to Shandong. I'm afraid Zhang Zuolin's plot is about to succeed." Wang Zhenyu fell silent after leaving such a sentence at the enlarged meeting of the Standing Committee of the Military Commission. This is an old rule, just like Wang Zhenyu Let the people below speak freely instead of expressing their own opinions first.He knew very well that once he set the tone, things would not be able to see the truth.

"Zhang Zongchang also sent someone to contact us, asking for payment and weapons, saying that he is planning to turn against us." Seeing that everyone was thinking, Zhou Lan knew that the matter was too involved, so she took the initiative to ask a question.

Hearing this, Yang Du chose to speak: "Commander, there is a situation. Recently, the debate on Confucianism has intensified. One group, represented by Xinxue students, criticizes Confucianism in an all-round way, saying that Confucianism is the source of disaster for the Chinese nation, and it must be completely overthrown." .”

The eyes of the generals present all turned to Yang Du immediately, why did this old boy bring up a topic that had nothing to do with this meeting.

But Wang Zhenyu's eyes suddenly lit up and he said: "Mr. Xizi, this Confucianism is just a standard, emphasizing the sage, is it against human nature? To some extent. But preserving the principles of nature and destroying human desires is just the slogan of Cheng Zhu's Neo-Confucianism. It is just a branch of Confucianism. This branch of persecuting women and human personality has served the Manchu Qing well in history. This kind of rubbish Confucianism can be swept into the trash, but Wang Yangming's Xinxue deserves our attention In this way, Mr. Xizi, if you come forward, please ask Old Master Wang to come forward and integrate Confucianism, mind, and Wang Xue. In fact, I think the way that the ministers of the Ming Dynasty dared to take the truth seriously and dared to contradict the imperial power is the foundation of the revolution. So what is the foundation of the revolution? In my opinion, it is the orthodoxy that is independent of the imperial power. If a high-level government steals the orthodoxy like Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, and tosses out some great ideas when nothing happens, that is to combine the imperial power and the orthodoxy One approach, in this way, the people of the country will lose their qualifications for independent thinking, and those who dare to think independently will be regarded as heresies, and the foundation of corruption will no longer exist. How can the skin be attached? Sir, this is to pick up orthodoxy in the name of Chinese studies and go out independently..."

The generals all looked at each other in blank dismay, wondering why Yang Du's words could lead to Wang Zhenyu's big words.

Wang Zhenyu ignored these people, and what he said next was shocking.

"270 years ago, the Manchu Qing took advantage of the opportunity of trespassing and rebellion to successfully enter the Central Plains, and forcibly set back Chinese civilization for hundreds of years. Nearly a hundred million Han people were slaughtered by the Manchus. The prosperity of Kangxi and Qianlong was just a group of boneless literati whitewashing Peaceful, and Cixi's chaotic government is also a masterpiece in history. Ning and foreign thieves are not given to domestic slaves. It has become a lesson for Chinese rulers. Finally, we soldiers expelled the Tartars and recovered China. Little Japan started again. When the Manchu Qing came to rule the Central Plains, everyone said whether we would agree or not? Would our descendants still be wearing crotch pants full of birdsong, nodding and bowing when they saw the Japanese? Do we still want our descendants to look like Do we laugh at our trash and incompetence the same way we laugh at the corruption and incompetence at the end of the Ming Dynasty?"

The blood in the hearts of the generals was suddenly ignited, "No, absolutely not!"

Wang Zhenyu nodded and continued: "For a long time, there is a problem that has troubled me. How should I tell the officers and soldiers under my command, why are you fighting? Some people say that they are fighting for me, Wang Zhenyu, so if I am Assassinated or died a natural death? Some people say that they are fighting for the salary, so what if the salary cannot be paid? Now I tell you, you go and tell the brothers below that you are fighting for the Communist Party, for the nation, and for yourself Fight against descendants. What is orthodoxy? Let me tell you, it is the truth. A lie can be disguised as truth with the support of a bayonet, but it is a lie after all. You can call yourself a public servant and oppress the group you call your master, but you The awakening of the master cannot be stopped, because he is indeed the master. The reason why the truth is the truth is not how nice he said, but because he conforms to human nature and the trend. Anyone who thinks that he can go against human nature and move against the trend will eventually be abandoned by history , will be overwhelmed by the trend. Our youth army must follow this trend now. Since the Japanese want to fight, then we will fight for him. I believe that our youth army will win the final victory, and I believe that our Chinese nation will surely win the battle. Will once again stand erect in the east of the world, will win!"

"We must win, we must win, we must win!" Wan Yaohuang, Yang Wangui and other senior generals stood up excitedly and shouted that they must win. The meeting room has not had such an exciting atmosphere for a long time.

Chen Bulei faithfully recorded this scene in his diary: On July 7, the eighth year of the Republic of China, the committee made the determination to fight against Japan. . .

But deciding to fight is one thing, how to fight is another.

The meeting quickly went back to the old way, where ideas should be brought up, complaints should be complained, discussions should be discussed, and those who should slap the table should slap the table hard. . .

The situation on the Japanese side is not much better. Carefully calculate with your fingers, leaving aside the bloodless military operations such as taking over Qingdao and sending troops to Siberia.The Japanese hadn't fought for [-] years since the Russo-Japanese War. When Prime Minister Kyohara agreed to send troops to maintain local order in Shandong, the military department was in a quarrel.

The first point of contention is the candidate for the commander of the Shandong Dispatch Army. According to Tanaka Yoshiichi, this battle is certain to be won, so it is natural to give such a chance to gain military exploits to his own people.The candidate he recommended was Lu Ugaki Kazusei, the guy who had been around the position of prime minister for decades but still failed to become prime minister.However, at this time, he was known as the father of the Japanese cavalry, and Akiyama Yoshiko, who used machine guns to defeat the Cossack cavalry in the Russo-Japanese War, jumped out to fight for this position.

Speaking of this Akiyama good ancient is indeed a wonderful work in the Japanese military circles.This person has a generous and generous personality. He joined the army as a student and returned to his hometown as a teacher after he became famous. He is one of the iconic figures of the Meiji Restoration.Participated in the Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War as the Japanese army; in the Sino-Japanese War, the troops he led were killed by the Qing army in the battle of Tuchengzi, which became an excuse for the Japanese army to launch the Lushun massacre.I hate bathing very much. It is said that I only took 2 baths during the Russo-Japanese War.The military uniform has never been washed or changed, so he has lice, and he can smell a bad smell when he is close to him.When his subordinates and colleagues tried to persuade him to take a bath, he refused with the words "I don't know what will happen on the battlefield, and I can't deal with it when I take a bath" and "Do soldiers come to the battlefield all the way to take a bath?"He caught typhoid while studying abroad in France.I went completely bald because I didn't see a doctor.When participating in the Second Peace Conference of All Nations.He snorted and dozed off while others were giving speeches.Participating in Duzhu Xinliu reminded him to pay attention to his image.He replied, "I understand the content of the speech."

What's more amazing is that when Akiyama went to study in France, Army General Yamagata Youpon asked him to give gifts to senior French officers.As a result, Qiushan Haogu was so drunk that the gift was stolen by someone in the subway.

It is such a top character, and now he jumped out to fight for the commander. The reason was to see if he could get a marshal Dangdang. Tanaka Yoshiichi was very angry and funny about this, but the old general's record was too outstanding. It is impossible for normal people to resist 8000 Russian troops with 11 Japanese troops for three days. . .

Chapter 435 Sharpening the Knife ([-])

The sensational impeachment case was postponed to October [-], which made Sun Wen and the KMT feel very frustrated. Although they have little experience in political struggle, they know what nights and dreams are. But Sun Wen doesn't know what to do. , after all, he is the chairman of the national government without an army.Originally, there was a part-time job as the vice chairman of the military committee, but this position was given a kickback when Wang Longzhong returned it to the chairman of the national government.

As for the representatives of the National Congress, they are also happy to postpone the vote on the impeachment case. In fact, these members of Congress understand what is corruption better than the idealists of the Kuomintang. **It is the same as Zhuanzhi in essence, and it is also based on strength.It's just that the zhuanzhi system pursues one-sided absolute power, while the Communist Party pursues a balance of power.The former is simple and efficient, while the latter is troublesome and procrastinating.But anyone with a normal IQ will choose democracy, because only in a society with a balance of power can human beings have the qualifications to talk about dignity and freedom.