On January 1, the first round of consultations in the preparatory stage of the Sino-Japanese armistice negotiations was held in Paris

Unlike peace negotiations after the war, armistice negotiations took place during the war and were attended not only by diplomats from both sides, but also by military personnel from both sides. 【】，。 Head. The negotiator of the Republic of China is Foreign Minister Yan Shanglong, the military representative is General Su Jinhui, chief of staff of the General Army, the negotiator of Japan is Foreign Minister Kitayama Shikawa, and the military representative is General Takashima Bunichi, deputy chief of the Military Department.

The main task of the preparatory phase is to determine the main elements of the negotiations.

In accordance with Wang Yuanqing's instructions, Yan Shanglong reiterated the three-point principle upheld by the Republic, and Kitayama Shikawa also reiterated the principle upheld by Japan. Although the differences between the two sides are very large, almost completely contradictory, both sides have indicated that they can negotiate on the details.

In the afternoon of the same day, with the mediation of French Foreign Minister Rambero, China and Japan agreed to draw a ceasefire line first.

The problem was also exposed at this time.

Yan Shanglong's condition was that the area under the actual control of the Israeli side would be the ceasefire line, that is, the territorial waters and territories of Japan north of the center line of the Osumi Strait, east of the Male and Female Islands, south of the center line of the Soya Strait, and west of the center line of the Nemuro Strait would be areas under Japanese control, and that the sea areas and islands under the jurisdiction of Japan outside this area would be areas under the actual control of the Republic.

Kitayama Shikawa Kai: The condition is that the international boundaries between the territories and territorial waters of the two sides are the actual ceasefire line, and the Republic is required to withdraw from the occupied areas on its own initiative, and neither side shall engage in offensive military operations during the temporary cease-fire period.

The gap between the two sides was too great, and the preparatory consultations were adjourned in the evening of the same day.

Talk, you can only fight!

There is no need for Wang Yuanqing to give an order. After Yan Shanglong returned to the preparatory stage to negotiate the news of the breakdown. Xiang Linghui immediately asked Pei Chengyi to issue a new combat order to all participating troops.

After the 2 a.m. Beijing time stop. The Air Force of the Republic resumed strategic bombing against Japan.

The point is not on strategic bombing. Rather, it is a strategic blockade.

That same night. One group departed from the port of San Francisco in the United States and headed for the port of Yokohama, Japan. A convoy of 12 large freighters was intercepted in the waters east of the Japanese mainland.

The interception mission was not carried out by the Republic Navy ground aircraft carrier battle group. Rather, it is a "prefabricated fleet".

The so-called "prefabricated fleet" is actually a "small fleet" that specializes in carrying out strategic blockade tasks.

As early as the beginning of the second military reform in 225, Zhao Rundong specifically told Ying Changhui, who was still the commander of the navy at that time, to adjust the fleet as soon as possible and prepare for the imminent war against Japan. On this basis, Ying Changhui was the first to put forward the idea of a "strategic blockade against Japan," relying on an aircraft carrier battle group to seize sea supremacy, and then dispatching other combat forces to carry out a strategic blockade. This proposal of the British Changhui was also a last resort, and the Republic Navy had enough aircraft carrier battle groups or large warships that there was no need to adjust the establishment for the strategic blockade.

I have to admit that Ying Changhui is more far-sighted than Lin Xiaolei.

When Ying Changhui put forward the idea of a "prefabricated fleet," it was opposed by many naval officers, including Lin Xiaolei. Almost all admirals believe that the Republic Navy and aircraft carriers and dozens of submarines, even if the aircraft carrier battle group has more important combat missions in wartime, can use submarines to carry out strategic blockade missions. The British Standing Emblem made every effort to push forward the construction of the "prefabricated fleet" despite public opinion.

The reason for this is simple: submarines cannot complete the strategic blockade in the most ideal way.

War against Japan was not a "world war", and even if the Republic declared war on Japan, it would have to consider the impact of the war on other countries, and if the Republic used its submarine forces to implement a strategic blockade during the war, it could only sink all ships bound for Japan without warning. It is conceivable that the Republic of China will carry out "unrestricted submarine warfare," which is very likely to accidentally hit the ships of a third country, causing casualties among the personnel of the third country, and the result is difficult to predict. You must know that in World War I and World War II, Germany's submarine forces almost defeated Britain, but in the end, they all sank American ships in the "unrestricted submarine warfare", which led to the United States entering the war and finally defeating.

Although the possibility of the United States entering the war is very small, as long as the Republic's submarines sink the American ships and cause the casualties of the American crew, it is very likely that the attitude of the American people will change 180 degrees and actively support the government's entry into the war, which will lead to a direct conflict between the Republic and the United States.

In the view of Ying Changhui, the strategic blockade against Japan is actually only a "limited blockade."

In any case, the Republic cannot sink third-country ships without any reason, and must do everything possible to ensure the safety of third-country ships and crews when a strategic blockade is imposed. In other words, all ships bound for Japan had to be warned and stopped, and they could only be sunk if neither the warning nor the blocking were effective.

Due to the limitations of its own performance, it is very difficult for submarines to warn their targets in a blockade war, let alone intercept them.

In this way,

Surface ships are dispatched to carry out blockade missions.

Herein lies the problem.

The "reality" of the second military reform is very obvious, and almost all the reform measures are aimed at the imminent outbreak of the "Japanese war," and the purpose of the reform is to completely defeat Japan in the war. To this end, it is necessary not only to adjust the size of the armed forces to achieve the best level of effectiveness, but also to give priority to the development of the "most efficient" combat forces and avoid unnecessary waste, and more importantly, to ensure the normal operation of the country's economy and minimize the negative impact of war. In this case, military spending must be crucial. In other words, good steel has to be used on the cutting edge.

Among the three major branches of the armed forces, the navy has always had the highest military spending, but the pressure on the navy is also the greatest.

From 2025 to 2027, the Navy's military spending will mainly be used to improve the combat capability of aircraft carrier battle groups, purchase new carrier-based early warning aircraft and carrier-based fighters, improve the original combat system, purchase more advanced attack submarines, improve the Navy's logistics support system, and enhance the ability to project naval forces. As a result, the funds for the purchase of new large warships have shrunk sharply, and not only has the construction of new large aircraft carriers been delayed again and again, but even the construction of escort warships has been seriously affected.

When the number of large warships is limited, only small ships can be used to carry out strategic blockade missions.

Fortunately, there is no shortage of small ships in the Navy of the Republic!

In order to guard tens of thousands of square kilometers of territorial waters, the Navy of the Republic has hundreds of small ships, including missile boats, sea patrol boats, and sea patrol ships, of which the number of missile speedboats alone exceeds 1. More importantly, in order to occupy overseas markets and expand the number of exports, the Navy of the Republic "leads by example" and will start to purchase 12-class "all-electric missile frigates" at a rate of 6011 per year from 2022, which is often referred to in Western countries as "missile speedboats". Compared with ordinary missile boats, the biggest feature of the 6011 class is that it uses a composite battery as the power supply unit, a waterjet propulsion driven by a superconducting electric motor as the power unit, and a wave-piercing hull, with a maximum speed of more than 70 knots, a cruising range of more than 3,500 nautical miles at 30 knots, and a cruising range of more than 2,000 nautical miles at a knot. By the time the war broke out, the Navy of the Republic had been equipped with nearly 606011-class missile boats, which was enough to form five missile boat groups.

The biggest problem of the missile speedboat is that the endurance is too short and the self-sustaining power is too poor.

In order to solve this problem, the navy purchased a 50,000-ton fast bulk carrier from a state-owned shipping company, mainly to reduce costs, and converted it into a "missile speedboat mother ship", that is, to add a fusion reactor power supply system, install a large transformer that can charge six missile speedboats at the same time, carry various supplies including anti-ship missiles, artillery shells, food, and fresh water, and add a sea rescue station with more than 20 beds.

With the "missile speedboat mother ship" as the core, and equipped with 0 to 12 missile speedboats, it is a "prefabricated fleet".

The self-sustaining power of each "prefabricated fleet" is beyond the sky, and if supply ships are dispatched to replenish supplies for the "missile speedboat mother ship" and necessary temporary resting places, such as recreation places for officers and men to relax, their self-sustaining capacity can be doubled.

The "prefabricated fleet" to carry out the task of strategic blockade not only saves trouble, but also does not need to occupy valuable large warships.

What's more, the cost-effectiveness ratio of the "prefabricated fleet" is very high. The cost of procuring and improving the "missile speedboat mother ship" is not as high as that of an antisubmarine frigate, and the missile speedboat does not need to be built separately, and it can be temporarily transferred from the coastal patrol units of the three major fleets. In terms of secrecy, because the "missile speedboat mother ship" was converted with a cargo ship, the impact of the improvement work was not great, and many countries regarded the "missile speedboat mother ship" as a new type of supply ship.

In terms of actual combat use, as long as sea and air supremacy are seized, the interception capability of the "prefabricated fleet" is no less than that of any fleet. Missile boats can reach speeds of up to 70 knots, far exceeding any other type of large warship. When it comes to intercepting fast merchant ships, missile boats are often able to reach their destinations at the fastest speed. Because merchant ships are generally not armed, there is no need to worry about the safety of missile boats. If helicopters equipped with sea search radars are deployed in the "missile boats," the interception capability of the missile speedboats will be more effective.

It can be said that the idea of a "prefabricated fleet" embodies the concept of "economy-oriented" military building of the Navy of the Republic.

As the Navy's aircraft carrier battle group moved westward to participate in the combat operation of attacking the Ryukyu Islands, the "prefabricated fleet" became the absolute main force of the strategic blockade against Japan.

The merchant ships trying to make their way to Japan were shocked and frightened when they came to intercept the surprisingly fast missile boats. As a result, many ships voluntarily abandoned their trips to Japan and turned to their return voyages.

It's just that the world is not short of adventures.

The armistice talks between China and Japan have reached a stalemate, and some countries are trying to take advantage of the opportunity to create new incidents!