At noon on January 8, 1909, the waves on the South China Sea were calm and level as a mirror. (Net) The weather is fine and the sun is shining.
On the sea more than 300 nautical miles away from Tainan, a Japanese naval fleet consisting of armored frigates, cruisers, destroyers and other ships appeared.
Unfortunately, the Japanese naval fleet has no worthy rivals in Asia, leaving its powerful navy with little use and becoming a display used to intimidate other countries.
¡°For example, this time in the interior of Borneo, there was an Indonesian anti-foreigner army that dared to massacre the citizens of the Japanese Empire. Although the majority of naval officers and soldiers were angry, apart from being the transport nannies, they could only watch helplessly and helplessly as the Army worked hard to win glory for the country.
At this moment, the protagonists of this fleet are not the invincible naval officers and soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Navy in Asia, but the tens of thousands of officers and soldiers of the 17th Division on the troop carrier protected by them.
At around 1 p.m., on the deck of the Japanese armored frigate "Izumo", the flagship of the Japanese Navy's Second Fleet, Fleet Commander Lieutenant General Uemura Hikosei was accompanying Lieutenant General Ichitobei, the commander of the 17th Division. , walking and chatting while watching the sea scenery.
Lieutenant General Ichitobei, the commander of the 17th Division, is a famous general who is brave and good at fighting. He was good at formulating detailed combat plans. The troops he led achieved their combat goals at a much lower cost than other Japanese generals during the same period.
During the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894, a soldier led an army to defeat the famous Manchu general Nie Shicheng.
During the Russo-Japanese War¡¯s attack on Lushun, he personally led the team to occupy the difficult-to-conquer Panlong Mountain Fortress P. His reputation for bravery shocked the entire army, and he was awarded a personal certificate of thanks for his military exploits. The fortress was later named Yihu Fort.
Therefore, Ichitobei was one of the few generals in the Japanese army with high prestige and high praise during this period.
Vice Admiral Hiko Uemura also has great military exploits, and has been friends with Lieutenant General Ichitobei for a long time. This time the two were on the same battleship and had a great conversation.
When talking about the 9th Division's unlucky start and the annihilation of its 7th Regiment, Uemura Hikosei lamented and sighed: "The commander of the 9th Division, Lieutenant General Tsukamoto Katsuyoshi, can also be regarded as a great leader of the Empire of Japan." A fierce general, this time his boat capsized in the sewer. Not only was he defeated by the Indonesian anti-foreigner army, he also asked for support."
Having said this, Uemura Hikosei let out a long sigh and continued: "I never expected that such a cruel and ruthless army would appear among the Indonesians, who are known for being cowardly and lazy. The Indonesian xenophobic army is so difficult to deal with. Ichito-kun, you have to be careful when you arrive in Borneo."
However, Lieutenant General Ichitohei looked proud and said disapprovingly: "Kamimura-kun, I don't think a rubbish army composed of Indonesian farmers can withstand the powerful Imperial Army. The defeat of the Ninth Division made the Empire of Japan lose face. Unfortunately, in my opinion, Tsukamoto-kun, the commander of the 9th Division, should have had a caesarean section to express his gratitude to the Emperor."
After a pause, Ichitobei silently organized his words in his mind, and analyzed plausibly: "The reason why the Ninth Division lost the first battle was mainly because it underestimated the enemy's carelessness and was not familiar with the terrain. The key is that its vanguard The troops unexpectedly lost contact with the follow-up troops. A few hours after the 7th Regiment was completely wiped out, the follow-up troops barely arrived.
Even so, under the sneak attack and siege of the Indonesian anti-foreigner army that was ten times its own, the 7th Regiment with less than 4,000 people still caused tens of thousands of casualties to the enemy. It can be seen from this that the Indonesian Anti-Foreign Army's combat power is extremely weak, and it will only rely on large numbers of people and luck to win the first battle. "
Uemura Hikosei thought for a while and felt that Ichinohei's analysis was very reasonable. He couldn't help but said in agreement: "Ichito-kun, you are right. Even the Russian Empire is not a rival to the Japanese Empire. The little Borneo , it is impossible for an army to confront our army head-on."
"Hey, Uemura-kun, just wait and see. When my troops arrive in Pontianak, within three months, I will uproot the Indonesian anti-foreigner army," Ichibei said with high spirits.
"Yoshi" Uemura Hikosei said appreciatively: "Ichito-kun, as the mainstay of the Imperial Japanese Army, you will definitely be able to do it smoothly. Oh, by the way, Ichito-kun, I heard internal news. After a while, , you will be promoted to military counselor.
And, you are a strong candidate to serve as the Director of Education, one of the three chief officers of the Army. Hehe, after successfully completing this mission, I believe you will be able to go further. "
Ichitobei was overjoyed when he heard this, but with a look on his face, he said solemnly: "Kamimura-kun, these are insignificant matters. I always remember that no matter what position I am in, I am fighting for the Empire of Japan. Serve."
The two chatted for a while. Uemura Hikosei remembered that he had nothing to do now, and said with some frustration: "Alas, since the defeat of the Russian navy, the empire's navy has never been put to use It's the same this time. The navy can only drift helplessly on the sea, listening to the news of the Indonesian anti-foreigner army massacring the citizens of our empire.
What is irritating is that even a small country like Lanfang Republic, which is composed of Chinese people, dares to come to the door and verbally obstruct our army from entering Borneo. "
Ichibei's eyes flashed with cold murderous intent, and he said calmly: "Uemura-kun, actually you don't have to be so depressed. When I was in China, I investigated the Lanfang Republic and they have purchased 2 battleships and several other battleships in the United States. , trained to form a naval fleet, which is likely to head to Borneo in the near future. Hey, by then, you will be useful."
Uemura Hikosei was overjoyed and said with a beaming smile: "I have long disliked the Lanfang Republic. Hmm, I destroyed their naval fleet and completely blocked their coastline. Let's see if they still dare to be arrogant."
When Ichibei and Uemura Hikosei were talking nonsense on the battleship, behind them, five imperceptible water patterns crossed the calm sea surface, as if they were passing by with four sharks with dorsal fins above the water.
Of course, these are not 5 sharks, but 5 PLA "Sea Wolf 2" submarines.
Six months ago, Chen Hao ordered people to establish several submarine supply points on several remote islands in the Paracel Islands and Nansha Islands. Immediately afterwards, actual submarine combat simulation training also began in the South China Sea.
These five submarines, under the command of submarine captain Zheng Shaoze, have been following the Japanese fleet from a distance for a long time.
In the command cabin of the command boat, First Officer Huang Xiaosi looked into the periscope and sighed and said to Zheng Shaoze: "Oh Captain, every time I see Japanese ships passing by one after another, I can't sink them. I feel really frustrated and helpless.¡±
A soldier on the side felt the same and echoed: "Yes, if our five submarines take advantage of the darkness and give those troop carriers a few torpedoes, we can at least reimburse them for thousands of ghosts."
"what a shame"
Everyone sighed in helplessness.
"Stop being wordy, our submarine force is a strategic force. It cannot be used lightly unless it is absolutely necessary. Moreover, even if it is used, it cannot be discovered by the enemy." Every time the crew members "complained", the captain Zheng Shaoze only said It can be so comforting.
"Captain, what exactly is a strategic force? We now have dozens of submarines, and their combat effectiveness is very strong. Why don't we kill the enemy when we are right in front of us?" First Officer Huang Xiaosi heard this sentence too many times. I couldn't bear it anymore, so I finally asked.
Zheng Shaoze didn't know what a strategic force was. He was stunned for a long time and shouted angrily: "What a coward. Just obey the order. Why are you asking so many questions?"