At the beginning of January of the 19th year of the country. Outside the naval dock on the Huangpu River in Shanghai.

It was a bleak winter day, and there were few people walking around inside and outside the dock houses. Only a few Marines in thick winter clothes, carrying rifles, stood up straight, and guarded their posts without squinting. However, outside the cordon of the naval base, a large number of brightly dressed Shanghai citizens gathered from time to time, some of whom still held small binoculars in their hands.

Everyone craned their necks and looked at a strange-looking ship docked on the docks. The size of this giant ship was undoubtedly huge, and in the eyes of the curious citizens of Shanghai, it was larger than all the warships of the great powers that had often visited the Huangpu River a few years ago, but this giant ship did not have the thick, long, and scary-looking barrels. The entire wide deck was empty, except for an island structure on the side edge, though no cannon was to be seen. However, those who did not see the cannon could not hide their excitement, because they clearly saw a blue sky and white sun flag fluttering at the top of the towering island-like building. A little more attentively, I also saw the bow of the twelve-pointed star on the bow of the giant ship. All of this is clearly telling everyone that this is a giant ship belonging to the Chinese Navy, and this country finally has the world's first-class warships again after the First Sino-Japanese War, eh, it just looks a little weird? It's not that it's not unfinished? Is it like the two outfitting warships floating on the docks of the Jiangnan Shipyard and the Yesong Shipyard?

However, among these citizens who looked at the "diorama" from afar, there seemed to be many people who knew a little bit about it, and some of them were enthusiastic about introducing this battleship to others, and after a while there was a lot of discussion.

"This kind of ship is called an aircraft carrier, and it is currently the newest warship in the world. The flat deck above is used for taking off and landing planes."

"Yes, I read it in the newspapers. Now the planes should all be in the belly of this aircraft carrier, right? I haven't heard a lot of words about how an aircraft carrier can carry dozens of planes."

"This kind of warship fights not with artillery, but sends out planes to drop bombs. It is said that those bombs are bigger than a person, and a single bomb can sink a warship."

"Hehe, how can it be so powerful? The steel plates of those big warships are thick, yes, I just work in the Jiangnan Shipyard. There is a battleship under construction, the armor steel plates are all Krupp's, the thickest is about half a meter, those engineers said that it can prevent more than 1,000 pounds of shells, I think the planes on this aircraft carrier are unsinkable. ”

Well, this shipbuilder still seems to be a "battleship faction". At present, there are so-called battleship factions and aircraft carrier factions in the navy below the world. But in general, it was the battleship faction that dominated the mainstream. Apart from...... Chinese National ** Army Navy.

At this moment, in the luxurious conference room of this 20,000-ton aircraft carrier named Zhongshan, the warship faction and aircraft carrier faction of the Nationalist Navy are also engaged in a war of words, trying to persuade Luo Yaoguo, chief of the general staff and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, who came to inspect the work at the Shanghai naval base.

"Your Excellency, Marshal." The first to speak on behalf of the aircraft carrier faction was the captain of the Zhongshan, Zhao Zheng, who graduated from the first phase of Haida University. The officer, who was now dressed in a white naval cadet uniform, respectfully gave a military salute to Luo Yaoguo, who was sitting in front of the center of the conference room:

"The battle of Shandong in the seventeenth year of the Republic of China has told us a fact that is happening, the key to determining the outcome of the war is air supremacy In this war, it is precisely because of the air supremacy that our national army can win this war at a very small cost. It was precisely because the Japanese army lost air supremacy that it was tied up in the war, and was in a state of being passively beaten and powerless to fight back. And in such a situation, I will definitely appear in future naval battles with the development of aviation technology. Even...... It could be more obvious. If the horsepower of an aircraft engine can exceed 1,000 horsepower, then naval warfare is likely to be superior in the air. It is very likely that the traditional naval battle, in which the main ship is used to decide the winner or loser, will not happen at all, so our national army and navy should shift the focus of development from battleships to aircraft carriers and high-performance aircraft. Build an air fleet that can firmly grasp air supremacy and rely on aircraft air strikes as the main means of combat. I suggest that we should put in the 'Karl. Two of the battleships of the Marx' class were converted into aircraft carriers......"

"No, this is absolutely not good, the hull of a battleship is much stronger than that of an aircraft carrier, so isn't it a waste to transform it into an aircraft carrier. Before Zhao Zheng's words were finished, he was interrupted by Admiral Chen Shaokuan, Minister of the Navy, Admiral Chen was not a staunch warship faction, but as long as there were ships, the more the better. All four battleships were needed, and as for the aircraft carriers, five more were built...... It can be regarded as expanding domestic demand.

"I also agree with Minister Chen." Rear Admiral Long Yuhui, director of the Naval Staff Bureau, is a stubborn warship faction, and he should be the captain of the Zhongshan ship. But he would rather wait for those battleships to be completed than to be the captain of an aircraft carrier. So after graduating from Haida University, he returned to the yamen in Wuhan and became the director of the General Staff Bureau.

"The Battle of Shandong in the 17th year of the Republic of China was a land war, and it is a bit far-fetched to transfer the experience of land operations to naval battles, right? There is no shortage of words, the army does not fight under the protection of steel plates up to several hundred millimeters thick, and the 100 kilograms of bombs mounted on our current dive bombers cannot blow up battleships at all. It is...... The future E-2 series may not threaten the battleships either. ”

Zhao Zheng's rebuttal came quickly and quickly, the current aviation technology is advancing extremely fast, the e-2 is expected to be equipped with the BW-129 star engine already has 600 horsepower, it is estimated that its improved version may reach 800 horsepower, so the next generation of aero engines will definitely have more than 1,000 horsepower. At that time, carrier-based dive bombers will have a combat radius of 500 to 600 nautical miles and can carry bombs weighing 700 to 800 kilograms, which will be enough to pose a mortal threat to battleships...... In addition to dive bombers, we have torpedo attack aircraft at our disposal in the future. Now there are seaplanes carrying torpedoes in our country, and torpedo bombers exist on the aircraft carriers of the great powers, so at most ten years, the battleships will be completely eliminated by new dive bombers and torpedo attack aircraft. ”

"But what if the war happens in ten years?" Colonel Chen Si, the captain of the cruiser Guangzhou, stood up, snapped upright, and took over the topic:

"The four battleships under construction will all be completed around the 21st year of the Republic of China, and they should be able to form combat effectiveness by the 22nd year of the Republic of China. At that time, China will have nearly 160,000 tons of capital ships, and the tonnage will be the same as that of France and Italy. However, considering that our country's battleships are all of the latest type, the age of the ships is also the shortest. Therefore, in actual combat, it should be able to defeat the Japanese Navy, which has a larger total tonnage of capital ships, and at least it can be a draw. Such...... After the 22nd year of the Republic of China, we will be able to draw out the main force of the army to defend the coastline, launch the Northern Expedition, and unify China."

The viewpoint mentioned by Chen Si is still quite representative among the current high-level leaders of the National Army. After the Battle of Shandong, a theory of Japanese retaliation began to spread among the elite throughout South China. A considerable number of people believe that Japan is certainly not willing to accept defeat and has been looking for an opportunity to retaliate. The only way for the Japanese to retaliate was to take advantage of their naval superiority, land on the southeast coast of China, and loot and destroy them like the Japanese in history, and then escape by boat before the main force of the Nationalist ** Army arrived. Therefore, the national ** army must deploy heavy troops in all coastal provinces, just in case. The great cause of the Northern Expedition to unify China could only be temporarily shelved because of this.

In other words, if the navy is not revitalized for a day, the main force of the National ** Army will be forced to act as a "coastal garrison" instead of the Northern Expedition. On the contrary, as soon as the navy is revitalized, the main force of the Kuomintang army will be liberated from the coastline. And the war of China's reunification began at the same time

At this time, the admirals and colonels in the conference room all turned their eyes to Luo Yaoguo, who was wearing the uniform of the field marshal. It seems that he wants to see a little inside information about the Northern Expedition from the white face with a faint smile.

And Luo Yaoguo just smiled noncommittally Well, the Navy's views on warships and aircraft carriers, I have already known. And I can tell you the opinion of the Military Commission now. In the future, the navy of the Nationalist Government will have up to four battleships, and the navy will also have four armored ships of the 'Polish Legion', so that the total tonnage of the navy's capital ships will be more than 200,000 tons. At present, it is planned to build five aircraft carriers, with a total of 100,000 tons. However, in the future, in addition to the 400 carrier-based aircraft on five aircraft carriers, the naval aviation will deploy a large number of shore-based aircraft, including seaplanes, as a supplement, with a total size of more than 1,000 aircraft."

……

The bow of the Nakayama ploughed a white spray and the course went straight south. Several F-1B fighters on the deck are making final preparations before takeoff. Navy officers and sailors dressed in training uniforms of various colors shuttled back and forth on the deck, and the entire flight deck of the aircraft carrier looked a little chaotic.

Luo Yaoguo, Minister of the Navy Chen Shaokuan, and Chief of Staff Long Yuhui stood in the command tower, observing their training program with great interest through the glass. The aircraft carrier is currently the largest warship in the Navy and the first aircraft carrier, and is now also serving as a training ship. All the officers and men, including Captain Zhao Zheng, were training on a real aircraft carrier for the first time. Previously, they had only been practicing for a few months on an "aircraft carrier" converted from a large coal carrier, and now they are inevitably a little rusty.

The surface of the East China Sea in front of you is undulating, and the water and sky are the same color. The smoke from the chimney of the warship rose in a curling voice. The whole ship is heading for the deep sea at a speed of 16 knots. In front of the Zhongshan was the 8,000-ton air defense cruiser Guangzhou, and the two ships formed a tight column, while on their decks, sailors were also training under the command of the officers. However, it seems to be much more organized, and it is obviously a well-trained elite.

In addition, after Luo Yaoguo got on the ship, he also took the time to take a few turns in this floating maritime steel city, carefully considering the legendary aircraft carrier.

The steel body with a displacement of 20,000 tons is immaculately maintained everywhere. Flight deck, hangar, anti-aircraft guns on both sides, anti-aircraft machine guns. There are sailors who are busy training on it. At the end of the day, according to Luo Yaoguo's estimates, there were five or six hours of practice

It seems that Zhao Zheng, the "champion" of the Naval University, is still strictly organized when he leads the troops. The hope of the navy seems to lie in this elite trained by the Germans, right? No small number of words

As for Chen Shaokuan, the boss of the Fujian Navy, although he stood there, he was also majestic and extraordinary. But Luo Yaoguo didn't see a hint of confidence in his eyes. Some are just deeply afraid of the Japanese Navy, perhaps the Fujian Navy, which has been inherited from the Beiyang Naval Division, is somewhat Japanesephobic, right? There are not many words, and they don't even dare to make a bold claim that they have the same size as Japan's navy

Speaking of this, we have to mention the two "Karl . Marx-class battleships. When these two battleships were taken over by the Nationalist Government, the total tonnage of the capital ships of the Chinese Navy in the future suddenly surpassed that of France and Italy. Ranked fourth in the world, it became a naval power. As a result, the Nationalist Government soon received an invitation to negotiate the "London Treaty on the Limitation of Naval Armaments...... The 200,000-ton capital ships and 100,000-ton aircraft carriers mentioned by Luo Yaoguo earlier are the positions held by the Nationalist Government in the negotiations of the "London Treaty on the Limitation of Naval Armaments" and are also recommended by the Admiralty. Luo Yaoguo's inspection of the navy this time was also to listen to the opinions of the middle-level officers of the navy on the treaty on limiting naval armaments.

After watching the training for a while, Luo Yaoguo was a little indignant Minister Chen, the 600,000-ton naval plan you proposed back then now seems to be really about to come true. It's really unthinkable, even I didn't dare back then. ”

Chen Shaokuan smiled and patted the 600,000-ton navy with the thick bulkhead of the command tower, to be honest, I was also talking nonsense at the time, I never thought that it could become a reality, with such a powerful navy, coupled with coastal forts and land-based aircraft, our 10,000-mile sea frontier can be guaranteed. ”

Luo Yaoguo just smiled. Thousands of miles of sea frontier to ensure safety, then unify China, and then deploy heavy troops in northern Xinjiang. In this way, 500 million Chinese can live a small life behind closed doors without being disturbed by the outside world, right? There are not many people who have this kind of thinking in this era Chinese but they account for the majority, and there are only a few who really want to take the road of imperialism and expand their living space...... Maybe it's just one person, right? No small number of words

"Sure? Hehe...... Minister Chen, our navy is an offensive arm that is meant to be used to wage war, not to defend our hometown. It was Long Yuhui, chief of the Navy's General Staff, who said this, and he was watching with relish an F-1B carrier-based aircraft tumbling up and down in the sky. It was he who flew the plane, Long Tenghui, who graduated from the first phase of the Naval Academy, who only turned 20 years old this year and had already received the rank of major. He is currently the squadron leader of the fighter squadron aboard the Nakayama.

"Oh, is this what you came up with without skipping words. Luo Yaoguo was overjoyed when he heard this, and looked at this little old man of the battleship faction, and there was a little more appreciation in his eyes.

Long Yuhui just casually replied that it was taught in the Naval University, and the Germans wanted to attack and launch a war to conquer the world, and this idea was imprinted into the bone marrow. ”

"What do you see?" Luo Yaoguo said lightly.

Long Yuhui seemed to only care about the performance, and forgot for a moment that he was talking to the most powerful person in China, and he was still a little careless...... It depends on the opportunity, and if there is such an opportunity, we will get a vote. If I don't have a chance, I'll forget it. ”

"Look...... Is there a chance in the future? Luo Yaoguo asked again.

"Perhaps." Long Yuhui paused slightly, not caring about the plane, but still thinking about Luo Yaoguo's question. After a while, I saw that the Germans were holding back their strength to avenge the revenge of the year, and we ...... I inadvertently helped them again. Maybe in a few years, this world war will break out again. Just no, who are the Germans going to fight? It's the Soviet Union...... Or Anglo-American? If it's the Soviet Union, then I'm afraid there won't be a share of our navy, if it's Britain and France......"

"Yuhui" Chen Shaokuan suddenly drank when he heard this, his face sank, and he learned that we are now allies with Britain and France, can we have such a perfidious idea? And...... The British Navy is so powerful, and the tonnage of capital ships alone is 500,000 tons, which is what our four battleships can deal with? ”

After reprimanding Long Yuhui, Chen Shaokuan turned around again and looked at Luo Yaoguo with a solemn face, after all, our China has not been revived for a long time, and the country is not unified, so it is not suitable to be an enemy of such a great power as Britain, the United States and France. In the negotiations on the Treaty on the Limitation of Naval Armaments in London this time, it is better for us to follow the footsteps of Britain and not challenge the authority of the British Empire. Although Britain has declined, it is still not something that a country like ours can fight against. ”

Luo Yaoguo sneered in a deep voice, General Houfu is indeed an old Chengmouguo, you think the same as me. In this naval arms treaty negotiation, we only need to keep 200,000 tons of capital ships, 100,000 tons of aircraft carriers, and have two 'Karl Browns' for export. The power of the Marx's class battleships will be fine. Other ...... We can all accede to the demands of the United Kingdom and the United States. ”

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