In the tiger den war room in Jinan, there was a colonel officer with an angry face sitting upright. He was Tang Zaili, the chief of staff of the First Field Army. When Cai E decided to draw certain troops from the Mobile Corps in the afternoon to reinforce the north, he received a decisive order from Sima Zhan. The troops of the Mobile Corps were not allowed to be transferred, and the troops on the southern branch of the Jiaoji Line were also not allowed to be used! This order issued in the name of the General Staff made Cai E's mobilization order immediately invalid. The famous general who felt that his field command authority was disturbed angrily quarreled with his students on the phone. Finally, he dropped the phone. Later, the chief of staff was sent to Jinan as quickly as possible to meet Sima Zhan and even Yuchen. According to reason, the Mobile Corps must go north to reinforce at this time!

Yuchen sat there silently, listening to Sima Zhan explain his plan clearly. At this time, to be honest, he was also a little unconscious. For Sima Zhan's paranoid persistence, he couldn't help but wonder whether he wanted to maintain the prestige of the General Staff, so he would definitely not allow the adjustment of the deployment formulated before the war? Of course, these thoughts just flashed through his mind. The opposition between the two sides sounded reasonable. At this time, he needed to listen to their statements for the last time and make a decision. There was not much time left for him.

Sima Zhan stood in front of the map with a bad face. At these times, he was an absolute minority. The development of the situation supported General Cai E's judgment. Cai E's reputation in the military and his record in the northwest made many people believe that the judgment he made would never make mistakes. Because of the differences in opinions with the teacher, the troops below also had all voices, and they all doubted him as the chief of staff, which made him feel exhausted. But he was still persisting and did not give in. This is a war, and there is no friendship between teachers and students. A wrong decision is related to the destiny of the country! Especially for the Republic of China, which is far from being strong enough to be considered strong! Now he can't stand setbacks!

He stood in front of the map, looking at Yuchen who was silent and seemed to be thinking about something, and Chief of Staff Tang Zaili with excitement on his face. The surroundings were the chief of staff of the field troops and the staff of the headquarters, and finally spoke heavily.

"Please look at this map, the northern wing of Jiaozhou Bay, extending out the port beach that can be landed. It stretches for more than 200 kilometers. On the southern shore of Jiaozhou Bay, the distance is probably the same. Why do I insist on not to equip the front line? Have you calculated that the full line is equipped, if there is not much good terrain to use on the east coast of Shandong, how many troops are needed and how many fortifications are built?" He did not wait for the staff members who were dissatisfied with their faces to answer: "I can tell you that the General Staff has calculated it! I didn't sleep for a few nights! In this way, the full line configuration requires a field army of twenty divisions, and all of our engineers need to work for two years.

! Such configurations lead to weakness everywhere, and the Japanese army can land everywhere. Once our regular front line is broken, if there is no strong reserve team to make up for it, it is doomed to fail! It is precisely because of our weak naval power that the enemy has been pressing to our doorstep and choosing the direction of strike at will. The naval artillery fire is poured out to our army with weak fortifications, but we must not be equipped on the front line on the coast! The limited force invested by the two armies in Shandong and the huge gap between the navy between the two sides is destined to be a mobile battle rather than a positional battle! This is the basis for us to make all judgments!"

Yuchen didn't say anything, but Tang Zaili shouted: "Director Sima! Now we can ignore the issue of pre-war deployment. The key now is that the direction of the Japanese attack has been determined. On the northern wing of Jiaozhou Bay, the target is directed to Chengyang. We need to react quickly! Instead of listening to you taking tactical classes here!" He was a military instructor and was familiar with these common sense, so he spoke without hesitation. The tense situation on the front line really made him feel uncomfortable.

Sima Zhan snorted: "That's fake!" Regardless of the astonished face of the officer below, he continued to face downwards, "What is the key point of attack of the modern army? It is to attack the enemy's live force, occupy the transportation line, and obtain important ports... For the Japanese troops who conduct attacks from sea to land, the top priority is the port and transportation line! Without a large amount of lasting supplies, it is unimaginable for large-scale army operations! Chief of Staff Tang and the reserve army mobilized in Qingdao Operations Station, you must also know very well! Modern wars are different from our previous civil wars, and they are fighting logistics!"

His voice was sharp and his speech was as fierce as the machine gun: "Rely on the beach, there was no port, all supplies had to be transported by boats. There was no loading and unloading equipment, and it was entirely manpower. How much supply can Japanese transport ships provide to the army in a day? It was probably the one they carried with them! So no matter whether they established a landing base in the southern wing of Jiaozhou Bay or the northern wing of Jiaozhou Bay, as long as they were still under pressure from our army and as long as they needed further combat, Qingdao, the only large port on the Shandong Peninsula (Weihaiwei is a British base), is what they must fight for! And

They also need transportation facilities. Only by occupying the railway can they easily transport troops and replenish supplies. Modern warfare is relying on the real national strength of the transportation line! The Jiaoji Line South Branch can provide them with this convenience, and at the same time, a small port such as Huangdao (a peninsula, the end of the Jiaoji Line South Branch) can be used. What is there in the northern wing of Jiaozhou Bay? The army still has to cross more than 170 kilometers to reach Chengyang, and can use a small section of the Jiaoji Line North Branch. You must know that the Jiaoji Line South Branch will lead to the seaside, but the North Branch is not!”

This argument and this sharp tone immediately calmed down the staff officers. Whether they believed his inference or not, they all knew that the Chief of Staff's determination was already extremely firm. Tang Zaili said with little confidence: "But now any information shows that the Japanese army is concentrated in the northern wing of Jiaozhou Bay, and no ships were found in the south wing..."

Sima Zhan pushed back: "The Japanese army is not a fool! Under the established tactical principles, it is possible to hide the truth and false, and launch a restraining attack! And they have the freedom to act at sea. I infer that the main force of the Japanese army landing on the southern front must have retreated more than a hundred nautical miles last night, just outside my plane reconnaissance circle! Even if this is not the case, the naval army arranged on the northern line will only be transferred to the southern line for one night! They are going to mobilize our army to move northward, and the main force of their southern line landing on the southern line can encounter the minimum resistance. Following the Jiaoji Line, you can just hit the butt of our field main force and attack the side back of Qingdao! At the same time, you have achieved the results of defeating our field main force and besieging Qingdao! You must know that this has fought the Russo-Japanese War, and has been more baptized by modern war enlightenment than us, and is still the strongest land army in East Asia!"

Some words were still excited and he hid under his tongue. His teacher Cai Songpo was indeed a famous general and an excellent military strategist. However, the military academic he studied was a little far from this modern war that showed the power of technology and logistics. At that time, only some geniuses could vaguely feel the dawn of the coming of a new era, and Sima Zhan was undoubtedly one of these geniuses. Cai E was still more like a general who paid more attention to strategy, the art of leading troops, and even more political. His political vision was undoubtedly higher than Sima Zhan. However, in pure military academics, what shone in Sima Zhan’s mind was the wisest light of China at that time. The era of war when logistics and national strength determined the victory and defeat was coming. Therefore, his eyes were firmly nailed to the transportation line and the port. Using this tempting goal, the actions of the Japanese army were determined and his own deployment.

Sima Zhan made a final summary of his eloquent speech: "The military deployment of the south and the north is definitely not allowed to be changed now. Instead, the southern line needs to be more vigilant. I have to see how long it takes for the Japanese army to attack Chengyang on the northern line! At that time, their combat attempts were exposed long ago!"

Tang Zaili and other staff officers of the field troops seemed to want to say something. Yuchen, who had already made the decision, stood up suddenly. He was completely convinced by Sima Zhan. The young chief of staff was under tremendous pressure to insist on his own judgment, which made him only admire at this time. He said coldly: "Everyone goes back to the army! Now the combat deployment will not be changed! The deployment of the mobile army will be completely decided by Director Sima! I will bear this responsibility! In addition, the army will also send planes to search southward, and the Japanese are there!"

The deployment of the troops did not make any adjustments that day, only the 105th Regiment of the 18th Division reinforced the direction of Chengyang. It was the only concession made by Sima Zhan. Now the command of this war seemed to have been transferred from Cai E to him, although this was not the original intention of the Chief of Staff. However, the National Defense Force finally survived the initial panic and began to calm down. In the limited firefighting situation on the front line, he paid attention to the movements of the Japanese army. The first time facing a considerable modern army battle, it was the most natural thing for the troops to be panicked. Fortunately, there were Sima Zhan and Yuchen in this National Defense Force.

At this time, on the ocean surface of the East China Sea, the First South Detachment finally arrived west from more than 150 nautical miles away when the day was approaching dusk. As Sima Zhan inferred, on the night of August 12, they drew a large arc from the ocean surface near the northern wing of Jiaozhou Bay to retreat beyond the reconnaissance range of the Chinese army's reconnaissance aircraft. The 6th Division's ships and troops also suffered more than a day of storms. Their target was still the landing point of Huangdao and a harbor that could be used there. The Japanese army did not look down on the opponent in front of them this time. After all, the An Meng army showed their strong combat power in the northeast. Now Miyakasaka's evaluation of the Chinese Army

That is, the use of procurement has brought their army equipment to a higher level. The backbone of the Jiangbei official school also made the army well-deserved and a difficult opponent. Therefore, General Masato Seiuchi, who took over as the commander of the Chinese dispatched army as the governor of the North, carefully planned this operation. Using the advantages of maritime power, he launched a strong attack momentum in the north first. Let the Chinese army reinforce the north! Their landing on the southern line is a matter of ripening! Isn’t Qingdao, which was suddenly hit on the side, the imperial army is still in the pocket? What’s rare is that the navy also showed high cooperation this time! The fleet’s dispatch did not say anything bad to the army!

But the only irony is that, just like the Chinese army's deployment of the Japanese army is not completely clear, General Masato Tanaka's deployment of the Chinese army was just a small amount of intelligence and speculation. He had no idea of ​​the powerful mobile corps gathered in the west of Qingdao, and the forces on the front line were weakened to symbolicity except Qingdao. He thought that more than 100,000 Chinese troops were gathered on the coastline, and now they were swarming to mobilize to the north. The task of the main force on the southern line was to capture Qingdao while also giving the elite troops of the Chinese army a heavy blow!

The fleet on the sea was moving forward by wind and waves, and the setting sun painted the steel monsters with mottled golden color. General Masato Tani was looking at the fleet that cooperated with him on the old battlecruiser of Tsukuba (this title is also the Japanese claim). The warship was satisfied with the ship that was cooperating with him on the old battleship cruiser of Tsukuba (this title is also the Japanese claim, it was nothing more than the main gun of the warship of the warship, but the speed and armor were far from it). The flag of his army general was flying on the warship, and the most elite warship of the empire, the King Kong. 10

The fourteen-inch cannon represents the powerful strike ability of this warship. On the King Kong, the flag of Lieutenant General Kato Dingyoshi was also flying. The fleet was guarded by the huge fleet that carried the entire Sixth Division of the Army. Japan pieced together so many tonnages in a short time, and then loaded these soldiers and supplies onto the ship is really not easy! Now the Guards Division is still waiting to set off in a Japanese port! But it is enough to have the Sixth Division, the most powerful division in Japan!

It was getting dark. According to the speed of the entire fleet, at 3 a.m. on August 14, the fleet will arrive on time at the ocean near Huangdao and give a decisive blow to the Chinese army that was completely unpredictable. The general has no doubt about the results they will achieve!

Just when he was full of joy, a shrill combat alarm sounded suddenly on the warship, which scared the general sitting in the bridge. He saw Captain Navy Colonel Chai Ji also rushed from the chart room to the bridge. There were already officers next to them pointing to the sky and showing them: "Look! Chinese Army planes! Chinese Army planes!"

This is in the sea with white waves, among the last bright red clouds of sunshine in the sky. Sure enough, a small Chinese plane was flying there outside his extreme range! Even the surprisingly white scarf on the pilot's neck, these Japanese officers could see clearly at this moment!

This plane was naturally the Ting Zhi of Captain Ding Yushang. In the afternoon, they dispatched another search, but they still found nothing. Ding Yushang didn't believe he was so unlucky. Before the war, he said that the southern line was the key point, and he was begging for the transfer here, but he didn't even notice a Japanese mao! After landing, he immediately asked the ground staff to refuel and he wanted to search south again! The ground staff were shocked. Now the flight equipment is so simple that it is getting dark. How can you fly back then? But Ma Yuncheng is now in the north, which means that Ding Yushang has no one to care about it. He brought a compass and an electric rod and got on the plane. If there was a Japanese fleet, they should come at this time! He boarded the plane with the eyes of others as if they were looking at people.

He lowered the engine speed and sailed in the most fuel-efficient way. As the sky gradually darkened, the plane reached its limit, but there was nothing on the sea. The young overseas captain, who seemed to be young, insisted on flying forward for more than ten miles, finally glaring at the ocean to see white trails, the Japanese fleet! The Japanese soldiers finally appeared! He quickly used the last light to hover around the Japanese fleet, judging the approximate number of ships, as well as the course and speed, and flew west without looking back. Now he was going home, the road was so long! At this time, a few black smoke from the explosion of shells exploded in the air. The Japanese warship used the first generation of Bali anti-aircraft cannons to shoot at him, but Ding Yushang was unharmed and left.

Only General Masatoshi Tanuchi's face was left with a worried look on his face, and was discovered by the Chinese plane. All their previous actions were in vain. One night, I hope the Chinese army would not have time to adjust their northward deployment! At this time, he still wished that the Chinese army had been mobilized by the actions of Lieutenant General Mitsumon Kamio. Navy Chai Chi next to him murmured: "This Chinese pilot has really courage... but it was dark soon, and he also exceeded the maximum flight distance of the land-based aircraft... He could not go back!" (There was no radio device on the plane at that time) Masatoshi Tanuchi also prayed silently, God Amaterasu blessed me, I hope the pilot would not fly back! Although his courage is very admirable!

Ding Yushang could not remember how hard he flew back to his airport that night. In the night, the sky and water were not clear at all. He had no reference and could only use an electric rod to keep flying on the altimeter and compass. Three missions a day were gone, and the man was extremely tired. Fortunately, his loyal mount was still roaring and moving forward with the wind. The index of the oil meter kept falling, making him look up countless times in the distance, hoping to see the shadow of the land under the stars. I don’t know how long it took, but his face was frozen and numb, and when the man was so tired that he was about to exhaust himself, he finally saw the waves in front of him.

Hit the white line on the shore! Ding Yushang finally got up and lowered his height to find the reference object on the ground carefully. Finally, when "there is at most a tablespoon of oil in the fuel tank (Ding Yushang's original words)", he found Wangtai Airport and stumbled down on the grass. He almost fainted when he got off the plane. The alarmed ground crew had long thought that this bold captain could not come back. When he surrounded him in surprise, Ding Yushang had only the strength to wave a record in his hand: "The Japanese fleet............... Report it quickly!" Ding Yushang once again became the hero in this war.

The Army Aviation discovered that the main force of the Japanese fleet and the Army fleet immediately reported the information to the superior command department. Although this information could not be verified now, the Japanese army in the northern wing was still in action at night, and even the artillery harassment of Qingdao has not stopped. However, the number, direction, and direction of the fleet ships reported by the Army Aviation pilot were extremely detailed and credible. The pilot even reported the ship type accurately! The General Staff and the Field Force headquarters made calculations. If this news is true, then the Japanese fleet will arrive at the Huangdao position they pointed to at 1:00 to 2:00 in the morning. The Army’s guards in this direction should quickly transport materials and prepare for destroying the southern branch of the Jiaoji Line! Sima Zhan looked at the report and immediately slapped the table: "It's him! The Army will start to act soon!"

Unlike the orders for the army to retreat, the naval forces that have been questioned by the army. They have been resting in the small harbor on the southern wing of Jiaozhou Bay for too long. Now they have finally received the order: "I will order your troops to use all ships of Wen Tianxiang Brigade to arrive at the ocean between Huangdao and Zhucha Island at midnight to search for the Japanese landing fleet and attack. The target order is: troop transport ships, enemy main ships, cruisers. The navy has raised troops for a thousand days, and today they fight for the strong. I hope your troops will play their unyielding fighting spirit and will not let down the nation's entrusted."
Chapter completed!