Add Bookmark | Recommend this book | Back to the book page | My bookshelf | Mobile Reading

Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in oicq.net -> Historic -> The last Beiyang warlord

Volume 2: Under the Warlord Chapter 1,179: Preparing for Battle

Previous page        Return to Catalog        Next page

    After Wang Maoru returned to Beijing, he received two pieces of news that made him happiest. One was that the steel plant in Anshan, Liaoning Province had developed No. 2 and No. 3 special steels. The second was that with the help of German steel workers and technicians who went to China to survive,  , Anshan Iron and Steel Plant's two latest blast furnaces in the world were fully completed and put into production.

    Just last year, Japan¡¯s total steel production reached 3.8 million tons, while China¡¯s steel production was 800,000 tons, only one-fifth of Japan¡¯s.  However, before the unification of the country, this number was less than one-twentieth of Japan's.

    Although former President Sun Liwen¡¯s heavy industry plan was whimsical in some respects, it still had a certain role in promoting China¡¯s steel industry.

    The completion of the latest and most advanced blast furnace means that from now on, China will no longer be a country that can only produce iron but not steel. It is estimated that the annual steel output of Anshan Iron and Steel Plant can reach as high as 800,000 tons, which has greatly increased China's steel production.  international status.  Before the construction of these two blast furnaces, China's steel industry was mainly concentrated in the three major steel plants in Northeast China, with an annual output of 720,000 tons of iron and 180,000 tons of steel. After the two latest blast furnaces were put into operation,  China's steel production is expected to reach 1.46 million tons of iron per year and 540,000 tons of steel per year.  Last year, China purchased 300,000 tons of steel from Japan for the production of tanks and automobiles, and imported 390,000 tons of foreign steel from other industries.  As for pig iron, domestically produced iron fully meets domestic needs. With the discovery of iron ore in Baotou, Suiyuan, steel production will continue to increase.

    Because Japan has massively reduced its warship manufacturing plans, and its domestic demand for steel is not high.  Japan's steel production this year will be reduced to less than three million tons after the commissioning of two blast furnaces at the Anshan Iron and Steel Plant.  China's total steel production this year reached two million tons. It can be said that it only took one year for China's behemoth to narrow the gap.  This is a rare development opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  After the completion of No. 2 and No. 3 blast furnaces at Anshan Iron and Steel Plant, Wang Maoru approved the continued construction of No. 4 and No. 5 blast furnaces.  He also instructed that the Baotou Steel Plant must be built into a steel plant that is more advanced than the three major steel plants in Northeast China. Since it is located inland, Wang Maoru believed that the establishment of the Baotou Steel Plant was even more crucial.

    As for the successful development of special steel, it means that China¡¯s tanks and cars can completely get rid of the demand for Japanese steel.  From then on, China could freely produce tanks and cars.  Especially the chassis and armor of tanks require more steel. In fact, the most advanced domestically produced Min-9 tanks use a semi-steel structure, with the front armor made of steel and the side armor made of iron-aluminum alloy. This is also a last resort.  In order to restrict China's tank development, the Japanese actually joined forces with the Americans to raise steel prices.  Japanese specialty steel is too damn expensive.  After the production of domestic special steel, the good days of little Japan came to an end, and Wang Maoru was overjoyed to have this information in hand.

    Although he received two pieces of excellent information, Wang Maoru was still waiting with anxiety and uneasiness, waiting for news on the sea, waiting for the encounter between the Chinese rescue fleet and the Japanese Navy's Fourth Fleet.

    The surface of the East China Sea in spring.  The wind and waves seemed to be much lighter, but the waves of more than one meter high still made navigation extremely painful. When we set sail about ten nautical miles, there were already fishing boats that had to withdraw due to the waves.

    The person in charge of this maritime fleet is Navy Chief Liu Guanxiong. He knows that many fishing boats and transport ships are actually only driven by patriotic enthusiasm.  Therefore, all fishing boats were not forced to follow him.  He asked the signal soldiers to pass the order, and the fishing boats whose reinforcement effect was not enough to support them could choose to go back.  The country recognizes your sincerity and dedication to serving the country, and some of you do not have enough fishing boats to cross the sea.

    Everyone blushed a little, but wisely chose to withdraw.  Subsequently, one after another, nearly a hundred fishing boats no longer forced to cross the sea and chose to return to the mainland.  This is not a shame. They did not expect that the sea surface situation would be so complicated. Fishing boats that originally fished offshore and passenger ships that transported on the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers were indeed not suitable for going to sea.  On the way to Japan, the wind and waves on the sea became stronger and stronger. Some reluctant ships were overturned at sea, and others rushed to rescue them.

    Liu Guanxiong continued to advise everyone not to do anything by force. It is better to wait for my rescue ship to be picked up at Weihai Port.  Everyone thought for a while and decided that this was a good idea. It would be better to stay in Weihai and wait for them to return while we go to meet them.  So more than hundreds of small boats chose to return to Weihaihai Port.

    Most of those left behind are large fishing boats and some Yangtze River shipping boats, especially the Jiangli Yangtze River passenger ship driven by Li Yuanhong himself. It usually has more than 200 people. Li Yuanhong said that after removing the seats and vacancies, only  It only took five days to add diesel, fresh water, and even rations. The Jiangli passenger ship could carry 400 disaster victims back home.  Even Li Yuanhong is so supportive, let alone others. Although this old Beiyang soldier-turned-politician has his own little thoughts and calculations, he isIn the face of family and righteousness, he chose to pay for the country calmly and unhurriedly.

    Only then did Liu Guanxiong learn that Li Yuanhong was actually on the ship, and he quickly summoned him. Li Yuanhong came to the battleship Canopus and took a closer look at the largest battleship in China, a 13,360-ton behemoth, with two black and smoking ships.  The chimney stands tall, and the four 350mm main naval guns look scary.

    "Good guy, is this bigger than the Zhenyuan and Dingyuan?" Li Yuanhong said with emotion.

    Liu Guanxiong smiled and said: "The Zhenyuan and Dingyuan are both 7,335-ton iron-clad battleships. Their main guns are four Krupp 305mm caliber breech-loading guns. It can be said that these are not products of the same era. The four Zhenyuan surrounded the old man  If you hit him with an asterisk, you may not be able to beat him.¡±

    Li Yuanhong was surprised: "The gap is actually so big?"

    Liu Guanxiong suddenly said sadly: "However, Japan's Fourth Fleet battleship Kashima is 16,400 tons, but its weapon caliber is smaller than that of our Canopus. If we meet"

    "Can we win?" Li Yuanhong asked excitedly.

    Liu Guanxiong said helplessly: "The Canopus is too slow and can only rely on large-caliber artillery. It is not yet known who will win."

    "So, you are still confident to fight?" Li Yuanhong asked.

    Liu Guanxiong smiled and said: "If it is the Fourth Fleet of the Japanese Navy, although I have no chance of success, I am determined to die."

    Li Yuanhong was stunned for a long time before saying: "I will not accompany you in the Yellow Sea."

    Liu Guanxiong laughed endlessly. When he arrived at a place 20 miles away from the Chinese coast, he did not see the Japanese Fourth Fleet. Liu Guanxiong still ordered everyone to be on alert.  Thirty-five nautical miles away, the airship sent a message that a huge fleet was approaching at high speed in the distance, with nearly 30 warships, and its size was much larger than the Chinese fleet.  During the communication, the airship observer came from the Air Force, so he was not familiar with the size of the Navy's warships. If he had come from the Navy, he would have noticed that it was not the Japanese Fourth Fleet, which was only slightly larger than the Chinese rescue team fleet, but  yes¡­¡­

    "The Japanese are coming." Liu Guanxiong immediately shouted through the loudspeaker, "Everyone is ready, the artillery shells are ready, and get ready to fight." He turned back to the adjutant and said: "Send power to the naval base. We are about to meet the Japanese fleet. Please ask the Army Airlines to send a plane.  .¡±

    "Yes." The adjutant said immediately.

    "Beep, beep, beep" The siren sounded, and the seventeen warships of the Chinese Coast Guard were all ready to fight. The main battleship was the battleship Canopus, the battleship Revenge, the destroyer USS Kale, the destroyer USS Hunter, and the destroyer USS Banshee.  , destroyer Kangaroo, cruiser Haiqi, cruiser Zhaohe, cruiser Haichen, cruiser Yongfeng, cruiser Yongxiang (gunboat), destroyer Tongan (gunboat), destroyer Flying Eagle, icebreaker Dinghai, Arrow  The torpedo boats No. Yu, No. Silver Fish, and No. Feng Wu gunboats immediately prepared their artillery fire.

    In addition, the five fleets of the supply ship Lin Yongsheng, the transport ship Liu Buchan, the transport ship Lin Zengtai, the transport ship Ding Ruchang, and the transport ship Huang Jianxun slowed down and began to slow down and move closer to nearly a hundred civilian ships.

    Liu Guanxiong nervously raised the telescope, looked into the distance, and said to himself: "Guan Lin, Guan Deng, I'm coming, brothers of the Beiyang Navy, I'm coming."

    "Engage the enemy?" Wang Maoru, who was in the Presidential Palace in Beijing, received the telegram immediately. He looked at the map of the East China Sea nervously and asked, "Where is it?"

    ¡°Probably here.¡± Shen Honglie, Chief of Coast Guard Staff, marked on the map.

    Wang Maoru held his chin and said, "This time we may face the complete destruction of the navy."

    "If you don't break, you don't build. Break and then build!" Shen Honglie said suddenly and uncharacteristically. Wang Maoru had a slight appreciation for his attitude of being able to take things up but also a little bit worried about his coldness.  Shen Honglie is capable, ambitious, and capable of bragging, just because at this time Wang Maoru's subordinates are not only the Northeast Navy, but also many Beiyang Navy veterans who are suppressing him - in addition, Wang Maoru  They were also suppressing him and preventing him from jumping up and down.

    "Report to the President." Zhang Kui'an suddenly pushed the door in, waving a telegram and said with excitement, "The Japanese government officially issued a notice to allow Chinese rescue ships to arrive in Japan to accept Chinese people who have been persecuted by the Koreans!" Another Korean,  Little Japan's move is really rogue, but it makes people helpless. What makes the Koreans slaves to their country's subjugation, and what makes them a tragic nation.

    Wang Maoru smiled disdainfully, the telegram from Japan must have arrived too late.

    "Have you sent a telegram to Liu Guanxiong and Li Ruyan?" Wang Maoru asked.

    "It has been sent as soon as possible." Zhang Kui'an said.

    Wang Maoru nodded and said: "We can't count on Japan's junior sergeantsOfficials will obey the orders of the Japanese government and be ready for an all-out battle.  Dingguo asked the Chief of National Defense Sa Zhenbing and the Chief of Staff of the National Defense Wu Peifu to come. In addition, the Chief of Finance Fang Hongxin also came.  "When Zhang Kui'an walked to the door, Wang Maoru remembered something and suddenly said: "Call Wang Yongjiang and Chang Rujiu from the Ministry of Internal Affairs!  "

    The Ministry of Internal Affairs is responsible for the police and national security agencies. In other words, is Wang Maoru really starting to prepare for militarization and dictatorship?

    Zhang Kui'an closed the door, and his heart began to beat. Have you started?

    A new powerful and authoritarian country?
Didn't finish reading? Add this book to your favoritesI'm a member and bookmarked this chapterCopy the address of this book and recommend it to your friends for pointsChapter error? Click here to report