Cai E nodded and said in agreement: "No matter what, the power of this tank is really powerful. With the aerial bombing, the assault power is amazing! Unfortunately, there were only three divisions in the early stage, and the number was a little less.￥f,"

"Songpo, these three divisions may have spent all Wen Qiang's family." Jiang Baili smiled and said, "I have met him in Beijing. He wants us to study the application of new tactics well. He is trying to raise funds to increase investment in the army."

"The research team sent by the General Staff Department reported to me." Cai E said: "This mechanization division costs a lot, not only oil costs, weapons, ammunition, but also mechanical repair and maintenance personnel, logistics support personnel, and special engineers. In short, although it looks good, it will never be formed in a large number of ways in the short term."

"The Secretary of State returns to Beijing, it is probably not just about raising funds?" Duan Qirui said with a slightest statement: "Besides, the government is unwilling to increase taxes, and if it wants to raise funds, it will take some trouble. I want to say that for the long-term plan, it is enough to maintain the current living conditions of the people. When the country becomes prosperous and strong, it is not impossible to give the people more benefits."

Although Cai E knew what Duan Qirui was referring to and did not agree with his statement, he didn't say anything. He just smiled faintly and said, "Captain Duan, according to your opinion, how many ordinary army divisions can the combat effectiveness of this mechanized division be as good as that of several ordinary army divisions?"

Duan Qirui pondered for a moment and said, "In terms of firepower, if there is no danger to defend and no fortifications to follow, fighting in the field, this mechanized division can withstand three to four divisions; even if there are fortifications, two divisions may be required to withstand the attack of this mechanized division, and the casualties must be very large."

"Even if it's one to two!" Cai E nodded and said, "Today's exercise is not perfect. The cooperation between infantry, tanks, aircraft and cannons is still very unfamiliar, but it has opened us a new horizon. From plane to three-dimensional, this was used during the revolutionary war. However, several airships are far less powerful than dozens, or even hundreds of aircraft! In-depth research, reasonable deployment, and accurate use are the government's requirements for us, and the country's requirements for our soldiers."

"Rational deployment, the government has already made plans." Duan Qirui said with his finger: "Look at the troops drawn and then the military commanders summoned, you can see that there must be a division in the northeast, a division in the northwest, and a division in the capital."

Cai E looked at Li Yuanhong, Yao Yuping and others who were gathered together and talking in a warm manner. This was a very obvious conclusion. These three military commanders were extremely happy because their subordinates were about to have such a steel army, and they talked happily.

"Japan and Russia are our most dangerous enemy recently. Strengthening the military strength of the Northeast and Northwest is also the right thing to do." Jiang Baili said: "The important areas of the capital and the central government of the country should not be relaxed. Although the naval power has developed, its strength is still weak. If the country has war, it still has to rely on the strength of the army."

Duan Qirui pursed his lips and felt a little dissatisfied with the government. Wu Luzhen replaced Yuan Shikai, who was ill and resigned, and saw that the position of the general manager was vacant. However, the government appointment was not issued, but instead transferred Chen Wenqiang to Beijing. Could it be that just because he turned out to be an old man from Beiyang, he could never take another step forward?

Although the chief and the deputy chief are only one step away, just like the major general and the colonel, it means two changes of different natures, and Duan Qirui cares very much about this.

"Know yourself and your enemy, and you will not be defeated by a hundred battles. This is to understand the strength of our own army and increase our confidence." Cai E said solemnly: "The world situation is turbulent and war is about to break out. It may not be easy for China to survive alone!"

"The army is the pillar of the country, and the reliance on foreign policy. As long as our soldiers have a hard tone and have sufficient confidence, the government can be confident." Jiang Baili said: "The establishment of this mechanized division is to cheer us up!"

"I once said: Those who want to destroy China's completeness will refuse it with their own will. Although China is weak, the people will die in their country." Duan Qirui said: "The government is indeed preparing for war. I heard from General Huang that China is responding to the war without seeking war. Even if the government is defeated and in exile or even collapses, there will never be any acts of the Qing Dynasty losing power and humiliating the country. For soldiers, sacrifice their lives on the battlefield and wearing horses and corpses is also a deserved destination."

"Although the war against Russia is not large in scale, the morale of the military is very encouraging." Cai E said: "The results of large-scale training and competition are also quite significant. At present, Japan and Russia have the greatest threat to our country, followed by Japan..."

"Brother Songpo, I think Japan poses the greatest threat to our country, and Russia is not worth worrying for the time being." Jiang Baili shook his head and said, "When fighting against Japan, the army alone may be passive, but there is no confidence in the navy."

"Brother Zhiquan, what do you think?" Cai E asked with a smile.

"The government has always regarded Japan and Russia as an imaginary enemy. Now Russia is restrained by Germany and cannot gather more power in the Far East. Japan, due to financial problems, has collapsed several times of cabinet, but the navy is still dominant in the Far East and has always had ambitions towards China." Duan Qirui said: "my country is very close to Germany, and Britain and France are the enemies of Germany, and Britain and Japan have alliance treaties. As a result, Japan poses a greater threat to China."

"Haha, Brother Zhiquan and Brother Baili are really heroes who have similar views!" Cai E compliments him dissatisfiedly, turned to look at an officer walking over.

The Army Chief, when the title suddenly fell on Duan Qirui, he was obviously a little unbelievable. It was not that he felt that he was incompetent, but that it was too different from his ideas.

Cai E raised his eyebrows at Jiang Baili, and the telegram made it clear that Duan Qirui was promoted to the chief of the army and immediately returned to Beijing to preside over the work. Cai E was also recalled to Beijing, because the German visiting delegation was about to arrive, including several senior officers from the General Staff. As the relative reception staff, Cai E, the chief of staff, must not be absent.

After a brief moment of confusion, Duan Qirui tried his best to remain reserved, turned to Cai E and said, "Brother Songpo, do you think when will we set off? The meaning in the telegram seems to be very urgent."

Cai E thought for a while and said, "The day after tomorrow, I will communicate with the staff team that has studied the new tactics in advance, and then leave after mastering the situation. If Brother Zhiquan is anxious."

"I'm not in a hurry." Duan Qirui waved his hand quickly and said, "I should also know more about the situation, so that the formation will be more accurate in the future."

"Tonight, should Zhiquan treat him?" Jiang Baili said with a smile.

"It should be, it should be too." Cai E smiled and agreed.

…………………………………………………………

Fighting against Japan's invasion of Qingdao when World War I broke out was something Chen Wenqiang always worried about. The army alone is probably not enough to reassure him. The navy can only count on the submarine troops that have developed over the years.

The purchase and preparation of submarines can be traced back to before the Revolutionary War. In recent years, we have spared no effort to purchase 15 small submarines and ten large submarines from Germany. In addition, China-Germany cooperation has provided more than ten large and small submarines produced in China. Although there is still a gap according to the government's plan, it has done its best.

Moreover, by March next year, according to the drawings secretly provided by China, all ten submarines built by the United States will be completed. In this way, China has a great advantage in Asia in terms of the number of submarines.

Not only that, the snorkel technology jointly studied by China and Germany has finally achieved results, which will greatly increase the submarine's submarine's submarine capability and be more threatening.

The basic structure of the snorkel is very simple, it is a snorkel that can be extended, guiding the outside air to the diesel engine, and the waste gas generated is also discharged through the snorkel, and a pipeline is also attached to prevent seawater from entering and removing incoming seawater.

By using a snorkel, the submarine can use a diesel engine at the depth of the periscope, so that the submarine does not have to float up to replenish its power. The use of a snorkel greatly changed the operation mode and elasticity of the submarine at that time. Before using a snorkel, the submarine must float to the sea for ventilation and charging operations, and this operation time is limited to night. After using a snorkel, the submarine only needs to extend the snorkel out of the sea to charge, which not only reduces the chance of the submarine being discovered, but also expands the time when the submarine can charge.

"The submarine dock in Yantai has been built." Navy Chief Huang Zhongying informed President Song Jiaoren of the latest naval situation. "The first batch of six submarines have gone to the Bohai Sea to familiarize themselves with the water conditions, especially the oceans near Qingdao, which are the waters that are focused on surveying."

Huang Zhongying looked at people more accurately and thoroughly. However, he was not in good health some time ago, and he was always in a semi-rest and semi-working state. The daily affairs of the navy were basically responsible for Li Jun and Cheng Biguang. After the operation at the beginning of this year, his condition improved greatly, so he devoted all his energy to naval affairs.

This is a small-scale national defense work conference convened by the president and chaired by Chen Wenqiang, and it is also a rehearsal for the government to establish a national defense committee. The new Army Chief Duan Qirui, Deputy Chief Jiang Zuobin, and Navy Chief Huang Zhongying, all attended the meeting.

Song Jiaoren nodded. He was not good at military affairs. He really didn't know how useful the submarine was. Not only did he not know, but a considerable number of naval officers also had doubts about it. This was related to the overall understanding of submarines in the world. Now, the navies of various countries generally lacked their understanding of submarines in war. They only used it as an auxiliary force for nearshore defense, believing that submarines were just a sneak attack weapon for weak countries.

"According to the government's speculation, in Asia, the main enemy of the navy is Japan." Chen Wenqiang said slowly: "If our country's navy fights the main force of the surface fleet with Japan, there is no hope of winning. As a means of remedial and tricks, our country has vigorously developed the submarine force, and the Navy Department has established a special submarine tactical research team. As of now, this research team has made great progress." As he said that, he turned to look at Li Zhun.

Li Zhun nodded and said, "It's true. After conducting many simulation exercises, we came to a surprising conclusion. First of all, the biggest feature of a submarine is its good concealment, which is incomparable to any other weapon. If an enemy ship is hit by a torpedo launched by our submarine, it may still be difficult to judge the direction of our submarine, let alone actively discover our submarine; secondly, the submarine has strong assault power, and the torpedo it carries is the most lethal weapon to warships."

After pausing, he continued: "If torpedoes in the torpedo tube on a submarine are launched at the same time and hit the target, then any type of large surface warships so far will be sunk or destroyed; thirdly, for a country like Japan with a lack of resources, it is not an extremely difficult task to use submarines to destroy their transport ships and use blockade and economic warfare to drag down Japan. In short, although our country's navy is not sure of winning, there are still ways to deal with it."

Chen Wenqiang was very happy that Li Jun and other naval officers had reached optimistic estimates and made great progress in submarine combat thinking. These situations made him more confident in using submarines to curb the Japanese fleet and successfully defend Qingdao.

You should know that during World War I, the power and function of submarines were fully demonstrated. German submarines alone sank more than 5,800 transport ships from Britain and other Allied countries, about 14 million tons. In addition, the submarines also sank more than 190 surface combat ships, including 12 battleships.

The First World War entered the countdown, and now it can no longer be counted in years, but in months and days. Ignorance is happy, and Chen Wenqiang sometimes really envies them, but he has to count the days and hope for them.

In October 1913, the German delegation arrived in Shanghai. Chen Wenqiang personally rushed to greet him and expressed his sufficient courtesy and importance. After a short stay in Shanghai, Chen Wenqiang accompanied the Germans to the north along the Jinpu Line. Everything seemed normal, but at this time there were few people missing in the German delegation, which was a very secret matter and was unknown to outsiders.

Chen Wenqiang is still very confident about whether Germany needs tanks and fighter jets made by China.

For the German Army, the European War meant fighting against France and Russia at the same time. Although France, which experienced the Napoleonic War, failed in the Franco-Prussian War and lost Alsace and Lorraine, which produced iron ore-rich, its army remained strong and was in a leading position in Europe. It was the biggest enemy of the unified German Empire on the European continent.

In contrast, although Russia has millions of conventional troops, its equipment is backward and its strategic thinking is still stuck in the era of cold weapons. Moreover, Russia's vast territory, backward railway network and aging war mobilization mechanism have greatly reduced Russia's war response speed.

Therefore, Germany is likely to concentrate its superior forces to launch a fierce attack on France at the beginning of the war, and use the rapid mobilization of German troops to defeat France first, and then turn back and concentrate its efforts to fight against Russia.

In fact, Germany has currently had a Schliffen plan, which is to use Russia's backward military mobilization system to quickly complete military assembly and defeat France. In summary, it is "time difference", or it can also be called blitzkrieg. Therefore, tanks, assault weapons, are very suitable for the German army, and will play a great role in blitzkrieg.

The relationship between countries is always measured by interests. Germany supports China in nothing more than trying to pull China on its chariot. But China does not want to rashly participate in the war when the situation is unclear. It only has investment but no output. From the perspective of Germany, if China cannot show the meaning of value for money, Germany's attitude will change.

Therefore, after discussion, the Chinese government informed Germany of the entire submarine snorkels, tanks and aircraft listed as secret weapons. Of course, Chen Wenqiang also had his conspiracy. First, with the idea of ​​killing people with a knife, he made the great powers fight to the death and lose both sides; secondly, it made Germany more proud of its military power, because Germany greatly underestimated its own strength, and it actually had the strength to fight against France and Russia at the same time.

The Chinese government solemnly received the visiting German delegation, which once again sounded the alarm for the Allies. Previous cooperation between China and Germany and China and the United States had threatened Britain, France and other countries, but they were somewhat arrogant and did not want to relax their toughness towards China. However, as the danger of the European war further deepened, the diplomatic actions of the allies attracted their attention and vigilance.

What would it be like if China joined the Allies? The Allies finally began to study the possibilities in this regard and studied the possible results.

Although China is still very weak, no matter how weak it is, it will play a certain role. First, if China joins the allies, it will pose a direct threat to Russia. Germany is fighting on both sides, and Russia will also face this situation. Then the situation may have such a result: Germany takes a defensive position on the Western Front to resist the French attack, and join forces with China to launch a fierce attack on Russia, forcing the weakest Russians among the Allied Powers to make peace. Then Germany will concentrate its forces against the French army, and China and Russia may launch an attack on the enemy that they hate, Japan. Yes, the crushing defeat of the Russo-Japanese War made the Russians hate the Japanese more than the Chinese.

Everything can happen in the world. Although this possibility is not great, it is not absolutely impossible. Especially when the situation in Europe is getting more and more tense, countries must conduct careful research and judgment on various variables.

What's more, China has a very close ally - the United States, which adopts a guardian and hostile attitude towards Japan. As an emerging capitalist country, wouldn't the United States be involved in the war in order to seize the vast overseas colonies of Britain and France and dominate the Chinese market?

The more you make your whole body move, the more nervous and scared you become. Especially since the founding of the People's Republic of China, it has spent most of its funds on developing its army. With its unique population advantage and support and help from the United States and Germany, it has now had nearly one million regular army. Moreover, in terms of weapons and equipment, it has greatly surpassed the Russian troops stationed in the Far East.
Chapter completed!