Republic of China: German-equipped divisions massacred as warlords guarded the nation's borders

The moment the red flag was lowered, the entire Yangtze River trembled.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Twelve Flak 18 88mm anti-aircraft guns fired simultaneously.

The sound didn't sound like artillery fire; it sounded more like God slapping the river.

Six cannons on the south bank and six on the north bank unleashed twelve orange-red flames simultaneously in the morning mist, forming a line of fire that stretched almost across the entire waterway. The shockwaves from the cannons overturned all the straw bales and planks surrounding the camouflage positions, and debris mixed with mud and sand was flung dozens of meters away by the blast waves.

The muzzle velocity of an 88mm armor-piercing projectile is 810 meters per second.

The straight-line distance from the muzzle of the gun to the side of the "Jianglong" is less than one kilometer.

one second.

Before Liu Shijie could even shout "evade," the first armor-piercing shell had already hit him.

The sound of steel being torn apart was sharp and piercing, like a red-hot knife cutting into butter.

The 88mm armor-piercing projectile penetrated from two meters above the waterline on the starboard side, easily piercing through the 30mm thick side armor.

The armor-piercing shell continued its flight inside the ship's hold, piercing through two inner bulkheads before blasting a hole the size of a washbasin on the port side, carrying a large amount of scrap metal and flesh into the river.

Wear them side by side.

They really do wear each other's clothes.

An armor-piercing shell enters from the starboard side and exits from the port side.

However, this was only one of twelve shots.

The remaining eleven armor-piercing shells struck the "Jianglong" almost simultaneously.

Two shots hit the bridge. One pierced the bulletproof glass, sending shards of glass into the command room. Liu Shijie's wine glass shattered, and half of his shoulder was broken in the process. The other shot sheared off the upper half of the smokestack, black smoke and steam gushing out of the breach like a fountain.

Three shots hit the engine room section, and the armor-piercing shell pierced the boiler shell. High-pressure steam sprayed out from the breach, and the entire engine room instantly turned into a steam room. Death came too quickly, and the engine room crew didn't even have time to scream.

Two shots hit the ammunition compartment.

That's what's fatal.

The first armor-piercing shell detonated a spare four-inch shell inside the ammunition compartment.

Psychotic explosion.

A huge orange-red fireball expanded from the middle of the "Jianglong" ship's hull.

The ship's hull broke in half, like a flattened tin can.

The deck tilted to both sides, and the whole ship emitted a dull, bone-deep metallic groan.

Then, the fore and aft sections of the ship began to sink separately.

From the moment Yang Yanzhao raised the flag and fired until the "Jianglong" broke in two, a total of forty-seven seconds elapsed.

Forty-seven seconds.

A British-built river frigate with a displacement of 800 tons and a full-load displacement of 1,200 tons sank in 47 seconds.

Huge columns of water and black smoke rose from the river surface. Fragments of iron fell into the river like raindrops, splashing up countless water droplets. The surviving sailors struggled on the river surface, their mouths filled with murky river water mixed with engine oil and blood.

All the telescopes on both sides of the strait were shaking.

Yang Shouyi's officer, positioned towards Wuhu, muttered under his breath, "Damn it... what kind of cannon is that? One salvo sank it?"

Mazda from He County put down his binoculars and turned to leave. After taking two steps, he turned back and said to his adjutant, "Order the withdrawal of the supply wharf opened to Qi Yingcai. The port is closed starting today."

The acting captain of the "Jianghu" was so frightened by the loud explosion that his legs went weak.

"FUCK! Turn around! Turn around at full speed! Charge out! Run downstream!"

However, the turning radius of the Yangtze River inland waterway frigate exceeds 300 meters. In this narrow waterway, turning around means slowly turning with the side facing the gun barrels on both banks.

Yang Yanzhao spat out the cigarette butt from his mouth and stomped it out.

"Second round. Target, 'Jiang Hu'. Firing salvo."

Boom boom boom boom boom boom!

Twelve armor-piercing rounds roared out once more.

The "Jianghu" was desperately turning its rudder, with its entire side exposed to the muzzle of its guns.

This round was more precise than the last.

The bridge of the "Jianghu" was sheared off in half. The main gun turret was penetrated from the front by an armor-piercing shell, and the gun barrel drooped down crookedly, like a broken arm.

Three armor-piercing rounds penetrated below the waterline.

River water poured into the cabin through three fist-sized holes.

The "Jianghu" began to tilt rapidly.

The third volley.

The ammunition compartment of the "Jianghu" also exploded.

The fireball wasn't as spectacular as the "Jianglong," but it was deadly enough. The hull arched up from the middle, and then, like a broken playing card, slowly and irrevocably sank into the murky river.

From the first round of firing to the sinking of both ships, less than three minutes elapsed.

The river was covered with broken planks, lifebuoys, and struggling figures.

Yang Yanzhao stood beside the gun emplacement, staring blankly at the river.

The morning breeze blew by, and the smoke of battle gradually dissipated.

He took a new cigarette out of his overcoat pocket, lit it, and struck a match.

Then I picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Reporting to the Young Marshal, the 'Jianglong' and 'Jianghu' have sunk. Both ships are destroyed. Our side has used 72 armor-piercing shells, with no casualties."

Chen Zijun's voice came through the walkie-talkie, very calm.

"Well done. Rescue anyone who has fallen into the water; save them if possible. Hand over any survivors to MI6."

"Yes!"

Yang Yanzhao hung up the walkie-talkie and glanced back at the twelve 88mm mortars lined up neatly behind him.

The cannon barrel was still slightly warm.

Each cannon fired only six shots.

Of the 5,000 armor-piercing rounds, only 72 were used.

One percent.4%.

His lips twitched, and he thought to himself: It's still more enjoyable to fight alongside this young marshal. When have they ever fought such a lucrative battle? I heard that Zang Keping has an armored battalion under his command. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

Nine o'clock in the morning. Shanghai. Headquarters.

Chen Zijun sat at his desk, a newly written telegram spread out in front of him.

`` `

Chen Zijun sends telegrams nationwide

Effective immediately, the entire section of the Yangtze River from Jiangyin to Ma'anshan will be closed.

Without the written permission of the Shanghai Garrison Command

Any ship flying a military ensign entering the aforementioned waters,

If the river sinks and the ship is destroyed, don't say you weren't warned.

Commercial and civilian vessels can pass as usual with their permits.

This order.

Chen Zijun, Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Anhui

`` `

Shen Li stood to the side, his eyes shining.

"Young Marshal, you used 'Don't say we didn't warn you' directly in the telegram; that's practically rubbing Qi Yingcai's face in the dirt."

"And it wasn't just him."

Chen Zijun handed the draft telegram to Shen Li. "Whether it's warships from the Fengtian clique, Japan, Britain, or France, it's all the same—one rule applies."

Shen Li gasped.

"They're even blocking the way with the warships of the great powers?"

"We won't stop them, but they need to be registered."

Chen Zijun picked up his enamel mug and took a sip. "Civilian and commercial use will proceed as usual. Warships wishing to sail, please register with me first. The British fleet wishing to sail? Sure. Notify me first, and I'll clear the way for you. No notification? Sorry, the 88mm gun doesn't recognize the flag."

Shen Li's heart raced.

"This...Young Marshal, the British will protest."

"Protesting what?"

Chen Zijun sneered. "They haven't even reached the point of protesting. Liu Shijie is a retired British soldier, isn't he? Fighting for warlords on Chinese inland waterways under the guise of British citizenship—does the British Foreign Office even know about this?"

He stood up and walked to the window.

"Let them figure out who should be protesting first, then come to me."

"Besides, we've already done a 30 million pound deal. Instead of thinking about how to do more business with us, why is the British Empire challenging me over Qi Yingcai's petty squabble?"

"Otherwise, why do you think I would have gotten the French firm, Welchland, to sell me the German industrial and steelmaking equipment they dismantled, under the guise of scrap metal and steel?"

"I want them to know that you're not the only great power, but..."

"Only I, Chen Zijun, dare to invest tens of millions of pounds in business!"

At the same time. Yangzhou.

"What?!"

Qi Yingcai slammed the telephone receiver on the ground.

"They sank?! Both of them sank?!"

"Commander-in-Chief... a little after six o'clock this morning, in the waters off Jiangyin... Chen's army used a type of heavy artillery never seen before... firing horizontally... Liu Shijie was killed in action... 138 officers and soldiers, less than 30 were recovered..."

Qi Yingcai slumped into a chair.

He bought the two frigates from the British for £100,000, and with the daily maintenance, upkeep, and training of the sailors, he invested a total of nearly £200,000.

It's all gone.

It was all gone in three minutes.

His face flushed red and then turned pale, and his chest heaved violently.

"Get me the people from the Japanese Cultural Association!"

Zhou Qinian was startled.

"Commander-in-Chief, you want to contact the Japanese? Young Marshal Zhang said not to escalate the situation..."

"Making a scene?!"

Qi Yingcai grabbed Zhou Qinian by the collar, his eyes bloodshot.

"Both warships are sunk! How big could they be?! That bastard Chen Zijun has some kind of heavy artillery I've never seen before. The army can't beat them, and the navy is gone too. If I don't ask outsiders for help, am I just supposed to wait to die?!"

"Do you think Jiangsu Province, having lost southern Jiangsu, can still hold onto Jiangbei after all?"

"His Fengtian clique's army is eyeing Xuzhou covetously, and Chen Zijun's army is looking north across the Yangtze River. Jiangsu Province is a battleground on all sides. Without seeking help from the Japanese, how can we defend it?"

He let go, panting heavily as he sat back down.

"Tell Tanaka of the Dongying Tongwenhui that if they're willing to launch a pincer attack on Chen Zijun from the sea, I, Qi Yingcai, will give up all of Shanghai's tax revenue! All of it! Not a single penny!"

"Furthermore, I will publicly recognize the Japanese concession in Hongkou and grant it even more territory, allowing it to station its army and navy there!"

Zhou Qinian retreated, trembling.

The moment the door closed, Qi Yingcai stared intently at the Yangtze River map on the wall.

His hands were trembling.

At that moment, he knew he had embarked on a path of no return.