"As long as we can successfully seize the beach, land in Taiwan and establish a stable bridgehead, our possibility of regaining Taiwan Island will increase a lot. However, the biggest problem we face now is the transportation of military supplies, the transportation of the army, and the Japanese troops stationed in Taiwan. How should the Southern Expedition Fleet deal with it!"
The baton in Jiang Fangzhen¡¯s hand circled the map for a while, covering almost the entire island of Taiwan.
"The two divisions stationed on Taiwan Island are both Japanese second-class divisions, and they are both newly built divisions. This shows that the Japanese are confident in their naval superiority. Although they are unwilling to admit it, Japan does have that proud capital. Their A naval fleet stationed in Taiwan is equivalent to more than half of the combat strength of our navy As long as we can solve this naval problem and buy us 710 days, no even if we only have 35 days, we can still be in Taiwan Show the majesty of the National Defense Force!"
The person sitting and speaking was Xu Chongzhi, the only senior general of the Kuomintang who is still in the military. He himself performed well in the unification war launched by Li Han in 2015. He also paid attention to drawing a clear line with the Japanese and ensuring the integrity of the country's sovereignty. Therefore, after the war, after being briefly kept in cold storage for Li Han's inspection, he was appointed chief of staff of the South China Military Region in early 2016. This time, he came to Xi'an on behalf of the South China Military Region to participate in the last ventilation before the war.
"In terms of supplies, we are limited by the lack of naval power. Although we have gathered about 30 cargo ships totaling 70,000 tons to transport supplies, we are still worried about being harassed by the Japanese navy. However, since the beginning of last year, we have begun to increase civilian freight Once the construction of large-scale airships starts, we can concentrate more than 50 airships in Fujian and Guangdong. If the Chinese Air Force can seize air supremacy, we can transport 3,000 to 5,000 tons of materials and equipment to Taiwan Island in one day! It can alleviate the shortage of sea transportation to a certain extent"
Jiang Fangzhen stood in front of the map, holding a baton and pointing at the huge military map on the wall. He emphasized several strategic points of the war against Japan. After all, it was a war. Most people were still a little nervous. Yes, Li Han's face was solemn and unmoved. In recent years, both the 2014 war with Japan and the 2016 war with Russia have been victorious under his leadership. Therefore, seeing that he showed no signs of stage fright, everyone suppressed their uneasiness.
After Jiang Fangzhen finished introducing the strategic key points, the war room immediately became quiet, and everyone looked at Li Han.
"Our advantages are very obvious on the northern battlefield, especially on the branch battlefield of the Liaodong Peninsula. The navy will cooperate with you to blockade the Bohai Bay and not let the Japanese navy hinder your actions. However, the time left for you is very limited ¡As for Taiwan on the southern route, don¡¯t worry, the Japanese navy can¡¯t move it¡¡±
Li Han stood up and said in a deep voice. In this battle, the Republic of China revealed all its trump cards. There were several trump cards that he had hidden away for many years and had never been released. Now, it was time to play them out and see the blood.
"So, everyone In this battle, we not only need to regain our homeland, but also create a clear sky. Let the whole world know that the rise of the Republic of China is unstoppable No one can do it!"
Not everyone left. Chief of the Navy Tang Xiangming stayed and showed no intention of getting up. Also unmoved was Chief of General Staff Jiang Fangzhen.
Seeing that everyone was gone, Tang Xiangming stood up carefully, walked to him and waited, and asked cautiously: "President, our navy"
"I got you!"
There were some emotional fluctuations in Li Han's eyes. No one yearned for the ocean more than him, and no one hoped more than him that the Republic of China could become a great maritime country. However, the harsh environment in modern times determined that during his term, even if the Republic of China could recover, it would not be able to quickly become a naval power.
No way, the navy is a technical branch. Not only does it take 48 years to train a qualified soldier, but warships are also a huge burden. Moreover, even if one or two powerful warships can be bought from foreign countries, what is the use? 14 years ago, the fragile shipbuilding industry of the Republic of China, which was still in the manual era, could not even provide repairs for warships of more than 10,000 tons, let alone manufacture them. A battleship of more than 10,000 tons.
By comparison, it only takes 1 to 3 years to train a qualified army soldier. The cost of building a 20,000-ton battleship can produce more than 300 aircraft, which can be used to fully arm 46 army divisions.
The navy has indeed contributed too much to the rise of this country. But now, with Li Han's order, the weak navy will be sent to the front line to confront the behemoth Japanese Navy. If nothing unexpected happens, after this battle, the Republic of China Navy will reallyThere are few decent surface combatants left.
Tang Xiangming¡¯s mouth moved slightly, but did not open in the end. He is a bit obsessed with power, but he has put all his efforts into running the Republic of China Navy in the past few years. To this end, he often went to the Ministry of Finance and even visited the Ministry of War and the General Staff in person. Bit by bit, he squeezed out bit by bit from the Army's huge military expenditures that could only make the Navy jealous, and then purchased a A batch of offshore gunboats were equipped with a batch of torpedo boats. It was his love for the navy that kept him from losing the position of chief of the navy after Li Han took the president's seat. You must know that the president was not very satisfied with him before and preferred Sa Zhenbing.
"I know that in this battle, asking the navy to confront Japan head-on is tantamount to hitting a stone with an egg. Don't worry, in this battle, it's time for our underwater forces that have been hidden for many years to be revealed. In this battle, your navy is not required to fight to the death. Japan, I have only one order for you. Try to contain the Japanese navy as much as possible, create favorable conditions, and even attack and severely damage Japanese battleships to buy time for our victory on land. After this battle, I will work with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of War , the General Staff discussed to appropriately reduce Army expenditures and increase Navy military expenditures every year. At the same time, restart the plan to purchase large ships and strive to add at least three more 10,000-ton warships to the Navy every five years."
"President" Tang Xiangming was shaken, with a look of surprise on his face. You must know that after the European War began, their navy chose to pay compensation to the United States and expropriated several cruisers originally built for the Republic of China, but it never purchased a single large warship from abroad, and only purchased two more ships from the United States in the past few years. A light cruiser of more than 3,000 tons, used to combat rampant piracy along the coast, especially in the South China Sea.
"go Go¡¡"
"yes!"
After Tang Xiangming left, Jiang Fangzhen walked to him silently and suddenly asked: "I don't know how much of the navy will be left after this battle!"
Li Han was shaken and said with a wry smile: "Did you see it?"
"Being with the president for so many years, Baili has learned something! In the past two years, there were voices everywhere in our country accusing you of being indifferent to the navy, and there were not many people who really understood you. Who knows, this country Here, you are the most precious and heartbroken one for the navy. In the past, even when it was dangerous, you were unwilling to send out the navy. We have invested in the military in Shanghai, Tianjin, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Nanjing and Wuhan It was a small shipyard. No one else knew what was being built. The General Staff was somewhat involved. Baili knew that submarines were being manufactured continuously there. In the past few years, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of War and the Navy had been bypassed. Ministry, you have privately allocated a lot of money to support it. Now you are ready to show your trump card"
Li Han remained silent, and continued: "I once went to Wuhan for inspection. The shipyard there is said to be in full production and can build 57 submarines a year. I roughly calculated that in the past few years, if all were counted, our Republic of China would be afraid Aren¡¯t we going to have nearly a hundred submarines? It¡¯s completely enough to protect the coastal waters and a few routes. So¡ you have only one reason for sending the navy. What are you worried about?¡±
"Okay, Mr. Baili. I'm a little tired too, so I'll go back and rest first. I know the answers to some questions, but I can't answer them for you. I'll wait until this battle is over"
Li Han¡¯s face became gloomy and uncertain for a while, and finally he sighed deeply. Without answering his question, he picked up his hat on the table, said hello to him, and left the conference room.
For a long time, Jiang Fangzhen silently walked to the wall and pulled out a world map hanging there. His eyes almost turned around on the map, and finally stopped on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, which was separated from the Republic of China by an ocean. "Is itAmerica?"
He muttered to himself, but no one answered him, and the conference room fell into a dead silence.
With the sudden tension between China and Japan, apart from the residents living in the Northeast who were the first to feel the atmosphere of impending war, there was another place, and that was the Shandong Peninsula.
In terms of geographical location, Dengzhou is the northernmost city on the entire Shandong Peninsula. It is located at the southernmost end of the Bohai Strait. It is far away from the Liaodong Peninsula at the northern end of the Bohai Strait. Together with Lushun at the southern end of the Liaodong Peninsula, it guards the mouth of the Bohai Sea. It has a very strategic position. important.
For this reason, Dengzhou has been an important military town since the Ming Dynasty. During the Chongzhen period, Yuan Keli, the Minister of War, was ordered to lead troops and stationed in Dengzhou. In the Qing Dynasty, Dengzhou still played an important role in military defense. There is a naval force in charge, which also has jurisdiction over land defense. During the Sino-Japanese War of 1898-1894, several key members of the Qing army's participating troops boarded ships from Dengzhou and headed for the battlefields of Korea and Liaodong, such as Wu Changqing's Qing Army and Zhang Gaoyuan's Songwu Army. Before Yuan Shikai, the former president of the Republic of China, became successful, he also served in Wu Changqing's army in Dengzhou, and he had the opportunity to be the governor of North Korea in the future.During the Sino-Japanese War of 1888-88, after the entire Beiyang Navy stationed at Weihaiwei was annihilated, the Japanese Navy completely gained control of the Bohai Sea. The Qing army that went to aid Liaodong had to risk crossing the sea from Dengzhou to aid Lushun. The reason why Dengzhou was chosen as the crossing point was, Not only because Dengzhou is the shortest straight-line distance from Lushun at the northern end of the Bohai Strait, but also because there is a series of islands on the sea from Dengzhou to Lushun. Once the crossing troops are attacked by enemy ships, they can land on the islands nearby.
The series of islands distributed between Dengzhou and Lushun are collectively called the "Salmon Islands". These islands occupy almost two-thirds of the total width of the Bohai Strait, both for the defense of Lushun and Dengzhou, and for For the security of the entire Bohai Sea coastal area, the strategic position of the Salmon Islands is very important. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, during the early war against Hou Jin. The Salmon Islands once played an important role in the logistics supply of the Liaodong Ming Army.
When the Qing government formed the Beiyang Attack Division, some people suggested placing the Beiyang Navy base in Dengzhou. However, after careful consideration, the Qing government decided to choose Weihaiwei and Lushun as the Beiyang Navy base. The reason is also very simple. Dengzhou Although its geographical location is good, it lacks a suitable naval port. Because it protrudes from the northern end of the entire Shandong Peninsula and lacks favorable terrain like Lushun and Weihaiwei, Dengzhou is extremely vulnerable to attacks from the sea. It is not suitable as a naval base. Another secondary reason for use is technical. Steam engine warships do not need to rely on islands for supply and navigation. In the face of modern military technology, ancient war experience is indeed outdated.
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