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

"Just because of the Japanese intervention?"

Mo Lanzhi's question carried a hint of inquiry, but also a hint of worry.

These days, warlords may be the most powerful and second most powerful, but in front of foreigners, they still have to automatically be inferior, even if the foreigner is Japanese!

The naval and land war thirty years ago solidified Japan's position as a world-class power and successfully reversed the 2,000-year-old cowardice and inferiority complex of the Japanese in front of the central dynasty, turning it into blind arrogance.

Chen Zijun didn't say anything, but stood up and sat down on the sofa next to him. Sitting on the sofa were Generals Zang Keping and Yang Yanzhao, who had just come from the press conference.

When the two saw Chen Zijun approaching, they were about to stand up when they saw that Chen Zijun had already sat down, so they had no choice but to sit down awkwardly.

Neither of them drank a drop of coffee.

Mo Lanzhi quietly poured Chen Zijun a cup of coffee as well.

Chen Zijun unconsciously pulled out a cigarette. Just as he was about to take out a lighter, he saw Mo Lanzhi hand him a flame. He leaned over, tilted his head, lit the cigarette, took a deep breath, tilted his head back slightly, closed his eyes, and seemed to be thinking about something.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes, looked at Zang Keping and Yang Yanzhao, and said very seriously.

"Uncle Zang, Uncle Yang, if I were to fight the Japanese in Shanghai, could I win?"

Chen Zijun's words startled Zang Keping and Yang Yanzhao, and cold sweat immediately broke out on their foreheads.

Although Fujian began resisting Japan after the First Sino-Japanese War, there have been numerous anti-Japanese incidents of all sizes over the years. In fact, Fujian was the first province to stand up against Japan in the original history, such as the People's Revolutionary Government of the People's Republic of China and the 19th Route Army's resistance against the Japanese invaders in Shanghai during the January 28 Incident!

To be honest, the hatred towards the Japanese devils began when the people of Fujian supported the people of Taiwan in their resistance against Japanese colonization.

But you said you wanted to fight the Japanese in Shanghai...

Zang Keping and Yang Yanzhao exchanged glances, and it was Yang Yanzhao, who was known as the "Little Zhuge Liang" within the Anhui clique, who asked first.

"So, young marshal, what are your strategic objectives?"

Chen Zijun thought for a moment, then slowly said, "Recapture Hongkou and eliminate the Japanese military presence in Shanghai!"

"Does the young marshal know about the Japanese military presence in Shanghai?"

Yang Yanzhao asked very seriously, then counted on his fingers—

"The Japanese have only one direct military force in Shanghai: the Shanghai Special Naval Landing Force of the Japanese Navy, which is small, with just over 1,700 men. However, they also have a naval force permanently stationed there, the First Overseas Fleet, although their flagship, the armored cruiser Izumo, has returned to its home port in Japan..."

"Even so, it still possesses one light cruiser, the Tenryu, and two fir-class destroyers, the Nashi and Sugi..."

"And there's also their newly built Marine Corps headquarters building, equipped with comprehensive command and logistical support, capable of effectively coordinating ship deployments..."

At this point, Yang Yanzhao stopped, because he finally understood why Chen Zijun wanted to wage war against Japan at this time.

Removing Hongkou, this thorn in our side, is the greatest threat to Shanghai's military strategic security.

Zang Keping's expression was also somewhat solemn. He was not a coward. Among the younger generals in the old Anhui clique, besides He Maofeng, the right-hand man of Chen Yuhe, the military governor of Zhejiang Province, the commander of the Sixth Independent Mixed Brigade, and the garrison commander of Songhu, the only one with a fierce and tough fighting style and who was good at fighting hard battles, was Zang Keping!

Even so, there was not a trace of relief on his face.

Japan's military strength in Shanghai was actually not strong.

Even with a single armed civilian and an armed ronin, the total number of the 1,700+ naval special marines would not exceed 7,000.

This amount of military strength is insignificant compared to the fully reorganized Tax Police Corps.

But the navy...

With that independent fleet in Shanghai, it would be too difficult for them to win!

Moreover, the coastal defense fortresses in Shanghai have been in disrepair for many years. The last large-scale construction of the Wusongkou Fortress was in the late Qing Dynasty!

Chen Zijun nodded, knowing the difficulty.

He participated in both previous Battles of Shanghai, and he fought over this Marine Corps headquarters building more than once. It was difficult, costly, and yielded almost no results!

But it has to be pulled out.

The longer it drags on, the worse it will be.

Especially Hongkou, to hell with the Japanese concession!

How could there possibly be a Japanese concession in Shanghai!

Chen Zijun closed his eyes, slowly waved his hand, and said calmly, "You can all go out now. I'll think about it some more!"

Think about it?

What are you thinking!

His confidence stemmed from his natural abilities.

"Great decisions begin with small choices."

"Would you prefer to receive 100 million in one lump sum, or one yuan per second?"

This was a newbie gift pack that appeared when he was first reborn in this land.

He knew how to do this problem, he knew the answer, so he resolutely chose the latter, because according to the data calculation, in the long run, one yuan per second is 3600 yuan per hour, 86400 yuan per day, and 260 million yuan per month. So far, he has accumulated 3100 million yuan.

GBP!

Yes, the system is benchmarked against the world's most resilient hard currencies.

Now he's thinking about whether if he had chosen the 100 million pounds option back then, and poured that wealth into the country, he could have made the Japanese suffer in silence and not dare to make a move.

Then we need to start with the British Empire, the French Republic, and the United States of America.

"Get the car ready, we're heading to the British Consulate General in Shanghai!"

Chen Zijun's conspicuous Stypunk luxury four-door limousine quickly arrived at the British Consulate General in Shanghai. Chen Zijun's eagerness to pay his respects surprised the British Consul General in Shanghai, Barton.

What happened that made this newly crowned King of Shanghai come to see me on the very first night after the end of the Jiangzhe War?

The two men sat down as host and guest, and a servant brought out coffee. Both men stirred their coffee with silver spoons, the unmelted sugar cubes making a crisp sound as they touched the exquisite bone china.

After a long while, Chen Zijun put down his coffee and slowly said, "Sir Barton, I am here on behalf of the Shanghai Special Administrative Region to discuss two matters with you: the construction of roads beyond the concession's boundaries, the arbitrary expansion of the concession's area, and extraterritorial jurisdiction."

"The British Empire is a civilized country, and of course it should have a spirit of contract and the rule of law. Shanghai is not a lawless place either..."

"No, no, Mr. Chen, you've made a mistake..."

Baldon said arrogantly.

"The British Empire is certainly a tower of world civilization, and what you said is a problem, but who to talk to and how to talk to them are issues that need to be discussed."

"To put it bluntly, Mr. Chen is just a minor local warlord. What qualifications do you have to negotiate with the British Empire?"

At this point, he stood up, pointed condescendingly at Chen Zijun, then at himself, and said calmly, "Our statuses are not equal!"

"So, Mr. Chen, please excuse me, please..."