No matter how intrigue and fierce the diplomatic position is, it cannot replace the frontal battle between blood and fire.

The navy was busy laying mines. While the south was rushing to land, it transformed a new Anfeng railway line and witnessed a battle against time. All civilian trains were ordered to suspend operations. If you could look down from the sky, you would find two parallel rails filled with soldiers, tanks, gasoline, cannons and ammunition running back and forth at ten minutes intervals.

Time, time or time!

The conflict broke out, landed in Taiwan, and the Japanese combined fleet was dispatched... The first element of any military operation was to compete with time! Five years ago, the powerful German Empire took the lead. With its powerful railway network, it sent millions of troops to the border in a short time, defeated Belgium and entered France in a short time, and stubbornly placed the war in the enemy territory in the following four years. Although it eventually failed due to strength, disease and food, the short-term outbreak ability of its army overshadowed those countries that called themselves the strong army in the world. Therefore, for the National Defense Forces, how much military force can be mobilized in a short time is the key to this war. Although the railway network cannot compare to the European war, thanks to the end of the European war, many veterans who should have recovered had no chance to leave. In just a few days, Anton City gathered several divisions of troops.

When Liu Mingzhao arrived by plane, the small town, which was the first to be occupied by the Japanese army in 1894, was finally given up. In 1904, it was used as a bridgehead for attacking the Russian army, had become a sandy yellow ocean. After soldiers with various accents gathered here, they took the army along the Yalu River Andong Bridge to enter the North Point of Shinyizhou and Ping'an Road in North Korea.

In the headquarters, Liu Mingzhao met Major General Qin Zhangshu and Chief of Staff Major General Zhang Tingfu, who were commanding the battle, and saluted with both feet: "Report, the staff in the Second Division of the Army, and the Army Captain Liu Mingzhao was ordered to report."

Strangely, things have developed to this point. Celebrity officers such as Cai E, Yue Peng, Feng Guozhang, and Zhang Xiaozhun were almost not moved. Instead, Qin Zhangshu, the former commander of the 4th Brigade and the commander of the 202nd Division of the Western Front Expeditionary Force, was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the campaign, and Major General Zhang Tingfu was appointed as the chief of staff. They were actually the oldest generals in the National Defense Forces, and Qin Zhangshu was also the biggest contributor to the battle of the Beiyang in Xiaocangshan. However, compared with the famous Yue Peng and Cai E today, they were still quite different. However, after two years of fighting on the Western Front, their experiences have gradually become richer, and they have become the mainstay of the new generation of the army.

"Ming Zhao, haha... I finally hope for you."

Qin Zhangshu and Zhang Tingfu were familiar with the Army lieutenant who personally escorted "important materials" around the earth, and were received by Yang Qiu and awarded a first-class medal. So he asked politely: "Have you worked hard all the way? How are you preparing in Shandong?"

After returning to China, Liu Mingzhao was temporarily placed in the Shandong 2nd Division as an intern staff officer in the Operations Department. The mission of the 2nd Division in this combat is still to ensure the security of Shandong coastal areas. He said: "Report. The Navy has strengthened the defenses of Qingdao, Laoshan and other places. Qingdao Port has been temporarily blocked, and Yantai and Weihai have also been deployed. When the 11th Battalion of the Air Force arrived in Qingdao, they assisted in reconnaissance can ensure that they do not land suddenly by the Japanese army." Although the military reform was interrupted and the Air Force had not been officially established, the National Defense Forces have already called the air force. Several people who have experienced the Western Front knew what it means to have eyes in the sky. As long as the coastal aircraft and submarines can detect the enemy in advance, the army will have enough time to mobilize to prevent the Japanese army from landing.

When the two were about to ask about the situation in Jiangsu, they were interrupted by Zhu Depei who came from outside. Jiang Fangzhen's beloved disciple is now also the rank of captain and was transferred as combat staff. Zhang Tingfu introduced the two: "Ming Zhao, this person is Zhu Peide. His courtesy name is Yizhi, the first name in the second phase of the National Defense University, and his former combat staff member of the 433rd Regiment of the 433rd Regiment of the 433rd Brigade, you two are about the same age to get to know each other."

Zhu Peide heard about Liu Mingzhao and other non-commissioned officers who went to Germany to fight in the German army, and had also gone to the Eastern Front to train, hoping to get to know more Western Front officers and absorb the combat theories and knowledge of Germany, France, Britain and other countries, so he shook hands and greeted a few words. When they met each other, they asked: "Yizhi, what's the matter?"

Zhu Peide saluted and said, "Report, Lord Zhang Zongchang, the supervisor of the North Korea, is here."

Zhang Zongchang walked in. The former soldier disappeared, with a greasy and fur-faced suit and lace. He looked like a big businessman who was thriving in the business world. No wonder he was proud of North Korea in recent years, especially after the gradual progress of the Macao Sect, he took advantage of the opportunity of the founding of the Macao Sect Party of Korea to enjoy the taste of the Supreme Emperor. Not only did he help the country to circle several important mines in the northern mountainous areas, but he also brought all the original Japanese assets in the Ping'an Road area of ​​Shinyizhou to his name. But he didn't dare to take them too much. After all, Yang Qiu's three bullets were hidden close to his body, and he knew the long-lasting rules, so most of his income was donated to the country for construction. But even a little bit of it flowed out from his fingers, he made a fortune. The North Korean concubine married six houses.

Qin Zhangshu, who has been stationed in the Northeast for many years, met the disaster of Yang Qiu deliberately putting it on North Korea, but the war was urgent and he had no intention of discussing the Korean women and Korean ginseng. He walked to the map and asked, "Sir Zhang, is there any latest transfer of the Japanese Army?"

Zhang Zongchang is very capable of making money and is not bad at intelligence. He has established his own intelligence network in just a few years. He knew that the situation was urgent and did not dare to neglect it. He pointed to Turtle Castle not far from Shinyiju and said: "This is the prominence of the Japanese Korean army. After learning the news of the start of the battle, Seoul is also actively supporting the north. Before, Kim Kowloon and others dispatched to blow up the Anzhou railway, but Japan was very good at building roads, so they only took one night to repair them all. Now the railway is protected tightly. The North Korean children are even less courageous than mice. They dare not fight after several casualties."

"How many troops do the North Korean army have now?" Zhang Tingfu asked.

"It's more than 60,000 yuan, divided into five divisions, and Jin Jiu personally served as commander-in-chief." Zhang Zongchang took out the American cigarette and handed it to Qin Zhangshu and Zhang Tingfu. When he arrived in front of Liu Mingzhao, he shook his head. Finally, he lit it himself before continuing, "It's not easy to control too much. Moreover, they are all moving in the northern mountainous areas now, and there are too many people in the land and they waste our food."

Because Liu Mingzhao went abroad early, he didn't know much about the events during the Sino-Japanese War, so Zhu Peide took the initiative to introduce it to him. Through explanation, he realized that the North Korean ** Army was originally supported by Yang Qiu, and in recent years, the Northeast War Zone has been controlling this force by sending officers, food aid and equipment. In terms of equipment, this force is similar to the National Guard, but because it has been operating in the northern mountainous areas for many years, it is very familiar with the terrain. Therefore, it will be the key to deciding this battle.

Zhang Zongchang nagged in front of the map: "North Korea is good, but it's lack of food. The railway restructuring in Shinyiju and Ping'an Road has been done, but after passing Xuanchuan, it becomes a narrow gauge. Japan originally wanted to change it, but was afraid that we would use the railway. So it has not started construction. After passing Xinyiju, it is all mountainous and it has to be flattered until the North of Huanghai. Now it is difficult to walk on the road to block the mountain with heavy snow. If the railway is taken earlier, it would be difficult to replenish supplies and supplies. But the commander restoration is safe. I have hidden several narrow gauge trains in Shinyiju and have asked someone to recruit 50,000 Koreans. In fact, there are many Koreans in the north of us. Now we can help them fight and let them take on transportation tasks. These people have no other skills, so it's not too slow to walk on the mountain road."

Qin Zhangshu also knew that the environment was not good, and the defense in the mountainous areas was a hundred times easier than flat ground. The Japanese army would definitely fight to the death in this battle, so he was very satisfied with Zhang Zongchang's suggestion and turned his head to instruct Zhu Peide: "Yizhi. Call the Logistics Department and ask them to contact the guards to recruit civilians from North Korean refugees from all over the country. It is necessary to send it to me within half a month." After saying that, he was about to ask about the situation again. The staff came to report: "Report, the General Staff Department's telegram. The Japanese joint fleet divided the troops one hour ago. The main force began to move south to the Taiwan Strait. It is expected to arrive tomorrow morning. The declaration of war is likely to be at that time, so our army will take the opportunity to launch an attack tomorrow morning."

"Has the main force gone to the Taiwan Strait?" Qin Zhangshu frowned. The Japanese Navy was really experienced. Knowing that the last two Anhai were in the Bohai Sea, the remaining main force of the First Fleet also hid, so he simply went south... Now the pressure on the Second Fleet and Taiwan was too high. But it was not his turn to worry about this. He raised his wrist and looked at the watch and issued an order: "Order the 26th Brigade to advance to Turtle City. The 28th Brigade headed towards Yichuan. Remind all troops to be careful of artillery bombardment from the sea and let the Air Force cooperate and keep alert."

Qin Zhangshu didn't know that in fact, the Taiwan Strait had already started by night.

After escorting the transport ships from Ryukyu, two Isofeng-class destroyers arrived in Keelung, they escorted two white waves in the bow of the night, and slowly approached the strait. Since the second fleet's mine laying operation was not confidential, the Japanese Navy had learned that there were a large number of mines in this area. The destroyers' mission was to find the channel as soon as possible and sink the ships that were still mined. So when they just saw the mine formation not far away, they saw a mine-burning fleet composed of more than a dozen fishing boats, they almost fired guns and launched an attack without hesitation.

The sound of artillery broke the silence of the strait. The four Paulding-class destroyers escorted from the United States in 1917 rushed up from the slant. As early as the first time the strait conflict, the sailors were asked to prepare. Although their five 76 guns were not as good as the opponent's four 120 guns, the Second Fleet Destroyer Detachment, which had experienced two years of Atlantic escort mission, was not weaker than the disadvantage. Instead, they used their speed to attack the enemy repeatedly. The mid-to-high-speed navigation in the night led to large-caliber naval guns being fired.

If it can't be swung well, the double-connected 37mm rapid-fire gun added after the Paulding class was the best effect, with ignition beads strung into a red meteor rushing towards the enemy in the dark. After the Japanese captain found that the large-caliber naval gun was inappropriate, he simply used the secondary gun to fight, and the main gun aimed at the mine-branch ships that lacked protection. Boom... A huge fireball ignited the sea, and a fishing boat loaded with 12 mines was hit and exploded. The debris and corpses were raised high for hundreds of meters, and the entire ship was scattered into wreckage.

The explosion of the fishing boat made the escort destroyer detachment red eyes. The captain on the destroyer number 17 simply made a clear speech, allowing the other three ships to cover and accelerate to the 32nd knot to rush towards the Japanese destroyer. Seeing this, the two Japanese destroyers almost sent all their firepower to it, and the explosion and flames instantly spread from the deck of the destroyer No. 17. But this did not block the mad captain's assault. When the distance was close to 2,000 meters, the ship

The long and decisive rudder turned the rudder and all four 600mm heavy fanged aurora torpedoes in the two double-unit launchers on the hull. The distance between 2,000 meters and 45 knots was difficult for destroyers to dodge. The Japanese destroyer, led, quickly evaded but still failed to avoid the fate of being hit. But at the same time as the big explosion occurred, the second Japanese destroyer also gave No. 17 a fatal shelling, and a series of shells drilled into the ammunition compartment.

The two black and red smoke groups that soared into the sky almost at the same time indicate that a cruel maritime guerrilla war has begun.

In the base of the Second Fleet Submarine Detachment of the Zhoushan Islands, not far from the combat zone, three submarines that were obviously much larger than the first generation were parked quietly next to the river ship like whales. Bai Yutang, who made great achievements in the Qingdao Battle, was commanding the sailors to carry out boxes of oil-clothed cargo from the river ship and load them onto the ship.

After Yang Qiu proposed the goal of regularizing the naval army, the naming rules of various types of warships were also determined. All submarine troops had the word "Jiaolong" (meaning the word "Jiaolong" hidden in the deep sea zodiac), and each ship was arranged according to serial numbers, and the internals were subdivided by different models. Bai Yutang is now commanding the submarine No. 47, which was launched and delivered last year. Compared with the previous submarines, the over-water tonnage has been amplified to 821 tons, 785 tons underwater, 13 knots of water speed, 10 knots of snorkel, 7 knots underwater, and the range reaches 3,300 nautical miles in 6 knots, and the self-sustaining power of the underwater battery has also increased to 3 hours. A 76mm short-barrel cannon was installed on the deck, using a 550mm fang B torpedo specially developed for submarines, 4 launch tubes on the bow, and 1 stern.

After buying pressure-resistant steel, batteries and periscopes from Germany in 1912, and sent workers to learn manufacturing technology in the name of supervising the manufacturing process, Yang Qiu and the Navy attached great importance to submarines. After 7 years of digestion and hard work, they finally got rid of imitation from the beginning of last year and designed and built their own domestic ocean submarines. Overall, the performance has reached the German level in the late European War. Unfortunately, the engine is not as good as Germany, so the range and tonnage are still a little worse.

"Captain, received a telegram from the destroyer detachment and found a Japanese destroyer outside us."

The detective officer turned to the news of the destroyer fighting. When he heard that a mine-branch was sunk, a destroyer and the enemy died together, and hundreds of people were killed or injured, the sailors' eyes were red. But Bai Yutang knew that he had a heavy responsibility this time, so he just watched quietly. When the last box of mysterious cargo that no one knew was filled with the cabin, he waved his hand and ordered to set off.

Three submarines quietly left the Zhoushan Islands and disappeared into the vast sea.

.(To be continued)
Chapter completed!