@@@@@@@

The summer of 1940 was scorching, and the flames of world war had been going on for a year. Central Asia is full of wars, the English Channel is filled with gunsmoke, the North Africa and the Middle East are still fierce, and the world after the Cairo Declaration has not only not subsided because of the alliance between China and Britain, but the scale of the war has become larger and larger. On the second day of the outbreak of the Battle of Britain, the Sino-Soviet Battle of Petropavlovsk also began, and the 10 armies with a total of 1.1 million Wehrmacht officers and men, under the cover of 2,000 fighters, 8,000 tanks, and 40,000 artillery pieces, annihilated the main force of the Soviet army that had been surrounded in the triangle area for a month without food in just one week, and officially pushed the troops to the city of Petropavlovsk. At the same time, with the cooperation of the 1st Panzer Division and two infantry divisions, the 50,000 Polish Corps set out from Pavlodar and launched an offensive on Karachinsk, east of Omsk. The dire situation made Timoshengordon feel that his troops were insufficient, so he had to send troops back from Barnaul and other places to prevent the main artery of the Trans-Siberian Railway from being cut off, and at the same time gathered troops in Orenburg in an attempt to recapture Arkarek from Aktobinsk (now Aktobe).

While the north and south of the great river were once again rushing to tell each other the good news of the victory of the third great war of annihilation in Central Asia, which exceeded 500,000 troops, the southeast coast was already quietly shrouded in a layer of haze. On the third day after Hideki Tojo became the new prime minister of Japan, the three cruisers of the Chinese Navy broke the tacit agreement for the first time and sent additional heavy cruisers to Vladivostok after a gap of 20 years. For ordinary people of the Republic of China, it is not a big deal to transfer a few cruisers to the northern territory, but for Japan it is completely different. Because before that, the Chinese Navy had only maintained a detachment of destroyers and submarines in the Japanese Sea, and now it has added three cruisers at once, including a heavy cruiser, which is very intriguing. On the one hand, Japan has repeatedly expressed its intention to resolve the Sakhalin oil issue through consultations, and has also appointed Ambassador to China Nobu Abe as a plenipotentiary envoy. At the same time, it sent 30,000 troops to Okhotsk, mobilized six heavy cruisers and a dozen destroyers from Hakodate, including Furutaka, Kako, Kaohsiung, Atago, Chokai, and Maya, and transferred to Hokkaido the 23rd Land Air Squadron, which was stationed in Osaka and had 56 Zero Combat Units. Finally, four battleships, Ise, Hyuga (the British Lion-class purchased after the European War, equivalent to King Kong after the overhaul), Fuso, and Yamashiro, were sent to Sasebo, and the rearmed battleships Matsushima and Itsukushima (the British Indefatigable class battlecruisers purchased after the European War) were transferred to Naha, and it was also announced that a joint naval exercise would be conducted in the Ogasawara Islands at the end of August.

Just when the smell of gunpowder in the north was getting stronger, in Keelung Harbor in the evening. The newly renovated electronic reconnaissance ship USS Ryukyu is also preparing to set sail.

The predecessor of the Ryukyu was the Combined Forces-class battleship Taghoff purchased after the European War, and after the battleship Beijing was put into service, the two combined forces purchased at that time, the Taghoff and the Prince Eugen, were dismantled and handed over to the Maritime National Guard, named the Ryukyu and Natuna, and converted into maritime surveillance patrol ships. With the Navy in dire need of a displacement of 10,000 tons. Warships that can be equipped with large radars and electronic equipment, these two old ships have been given a new lease of life, and after a year of refit, they have become the world's first specialized electronic reconnaissance ships, and a large number of anti-aircraft guns have been installed on them. After the refit, both ships have a standard displacement of 15,000 tons, and are equipped with two sets of radars and one set of electronic listening equipment. With ten twin 120-mm anti-aircraft guns (two in the bow and stern and three on each side) and twenty twin 40-mm rapid-fire guns, it was not only changed to the bow of the Atlantic with better seaworthiness. The power pack removed from the Beijing class was replaced, and part of the armor was retained. The pontoon-type mine-protected compartment commonly used by shallow water heavy gunboats is used to enhance the defense capability of the side side. As a result of the dismantling of the main gun, the tonnage was reduced by four thousand tons. On the contrary, the seaworthiness and endurance of the two ships have been greatly enhanced.

Led by the pilot ship, the Ryukyu and two Qinling-class destroyers slowly sailed out of the waterway. The latter is a first-class ocean-going air defense destroyer that the Republic of China Navy began to build in batches in 1937 after absorbing the Taishan-class (French utopia). With a single chimney, triangular mast and square stern design, it has a very beautiful appearance. Along with the British Tribal class, they were rated as two of the most beautiful destroyers of the pre-war period. It is also the first destroyer in the world to have sonar and radar as standard equipment in the navy, and has very strong comprehensive combat capabilities. Standard displacement 2730 tons. The full load is 3,550 tons, the maximum speed is 36 knots, and the cruising range is 15 knots / 4,500 nautical miles. Three twin 120 mm/L56 high-level dual-purpose naval guns, two quadruple 550 mm torpedo tubes, six twin 40 mm rapid-fire anti-aircraft guns, eight single-barreled 25 mm cannons, two 24-pack hedgehog launchers, and two mine-laying/depth charge rails. On the electronic side, an "Hawkeye" III anti-aircraft radar is installed, with a maximum high-altitude detection distance of 187 kilometers, and a "sea level" anti-sea radar, which can detect destroyer targets 37 nautical miles away in good weather.

After the three warships sailed in front of the Keelung shipyard at Bachimen, they immediately turned to the Bass Strait along the coastline of Taiwan Island and began their routine sea patrols. Seeing the formation turn around, a few clicks of the camera shutter were heard in a window behind the shipyard, and then the window was quickly closed. In the room, Ota Masayasu quickly put away the camera, carefully pulled out the film and placed it on the table. He was a Japanese naval intelligence officer, mainly responsible for monitoring the movement of Keelung Harbor.

A rhythmic knock on the door suddenly interrupted the work, and he quickly pulled out his pistol. It wasn't until the rhythm sounded three times in a row that he breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door. When the door opened, a short, swarthy man in a plain coolie suit quickly entered. "Datian-kun, have you figured out the situation of the fort and the landing site?" The visitor looked very anxious.

After making sure that no one was following him through the cat's eye, Ota Masaan spread out the map and film he had drawn by himself and handed it to the visitor: "This is a map of the fort." He pointed to two red dots and lowered his voice: "Wu Anjun, look, this is Jianbi Mountain on Heping Island, there are two 406mm shore guns on the mountain, and the firing range can cover the entire Keelung Port." On the opposite shore of the island of Heping, there was a 150-mm shore gun emplacement, with five shore guns, all of which were covered by thick cement reinforcements, which were difficult to open from the sea. This is Suao, there is also a 380-mm and four 150-mm shore guns, only here is the new city, which is the most suitable for landing. ”

"Good." The visitor quickly put away the map and continued to inquire about the three warships that had just left the port. "The Ryukyu Island is just a patrol ship, and it should be a routine patrol depending on the direction of sailing." Ota Massaan thought about it and came to a conclusion.

"Data-kun, you're doing a great job. I'll report it to the camp right away. The visitor quickly put away the map and film, and after seeing through the cat's eye that there was no one outside, he cautiously opened the door. But as soon as the door opened, the butt of a rifle swept through behind the wall on the left, and before Ota could react, several soldiers rushed into the room and crushed him underneath.

"Captain, Keelung Port reports that the target has been cleared."

"Very well, telegraph. Herring out of the nest. In the bridge of the Ryukyu, Sun Baozhen wiped his hands and walked to the helmsman: "Course 270, direction due south, twenty-three sections." Five minutes after the telegram was sent, three cargo ships belonging to the American company China in Mawei Port slowly left the wharf. At the same time, there are also two 10,000-ton ships in the direction of Hangzhou Bay to untie the cable. These five ships are all freighters that carry raw silk and tung oil to the United States for many years, so the dock workers and everyone thought that they were also going to the United States to deliver goods this time.

Lieutenant General Seishiro Itagaki walked into the headquarters of the Korean Dispatch Force in Incheon and looked at the officers of the North Korean Dispatch Army standing in a room full of smiles. A pair of fanatical eyes made him very satisfied. "Everyone, the war is about to begin!" As soon as the words came out, the army officers who had been waiting for this day for a long time burst into low cheers. They had waited too long for this day. Changing the name from the Kwantung Army to the Korean Army was a step backwards and a shame for them, so they didn't want to restore their former name. It's just that the old opponents in front of them are no longer what they used to be, so they are after the frenzy. He also remained quite calm. In particular, Seishiro Itagaki, commander-in-chief of the Korean Army, studied the Chinese National Defense Forces all the time. After everyone calmed down a little, he waved his hand, took off his gloves and sat down first.

"Everyone. His Majesty the Emperor was very dissatisfied with the small maneuvers of Shina in the South Seas, in the French East Indies. The Shina reneged on their promise to adopt a hostile attitude towards the Empire, which seriously threatened the security of the southern part of the Empire. As an Asian country, China does not think about the common prosperity of Greater East Asia, but forms an alliance with the British and Minian ghost animals, and threatens to cut off the oil of Huatai Island for the benefit of the ghost animals, such a country cannot represent the countries of Greater East Asia! Therefore, our army should take responsibility for punishing China! Both the Korean Army and the Kwantung Army were the most elite forces of the Imperial Army, and His Majesty the Emperor entrusted us with this important task to fight to the end.

The diplomatic activities of Prime Minister Tojo and Ambassador Nobuyuki Abe have already confused the people of China, so North Korea, opposite us, has not increased any troops. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the people of China will surely pay the price for their slackness and betrayal. You can rest assured that we are not alone, His Excellency Hirota Hiroki has personally visited Moscow and Berlin, and believes that before the attack, the Reich will be formally allied with Germany, the Soviet Union, and Italy! Therefore, I ask the officers to cancel their leave immediately, distribute supplies as soon as possible, and strengthen the maintenance of the aircraft so that it can leave at any time. When Seishiro Itakami said this, he suddenly stood up again: "Now let's start reporting the battle plan." ”

With a bang, all the officers who had not been sitting down for a long time stood upright, and Ryuzo Sejima, who had come from Tokyo to personally report the plan, quickly walked up to them with the battle plan in his hands, and spread out the northern battle plan that had been planned for a long time: "This attack will start from Korea, Okhotsk, and Taiwan at the same time. ”

When General Sejima Ryuzo's battle plan appeared in front of the Japanese officers, Zhang Xiaozhun was also in the Northeast Theater Command in Shenyang to check the map in detail under the lamp. As one of the earliest Wehrmacht generals, he assumed a very important role after being transferred to the Northeast. However, because the northwest war has entered the most critical August, most of the people who can be assigned to the northeast theater are recruits. The entire theater of operations combined is only five corps and three recruit divisions. Therefore, he was particularly supportive of the effective forces that attacked the Japanese army in advance. Because this can change from passive to proactive, relieving the pressure on the front line.

Only so far, the General Staff has not ordered reinforcements to be sent to the DPRK, so that there are only two infantry divisions and ten Korean divisions on the north-south dividing line. The combat effectiveness shown by the North Korean army in the northwest is still good, but the problem is that there is superior air-ground fire cover over there. The planes on his side are not bad, but the army firepower on the demarcation line is not very sufficient. What if the demarcation line is lost? What would happen if the Japanese army advanced to Pyongyang? Korea has many mountainous areas, and the armored forces can only advance from the thin and narrow places along the western coast, and they are very vulnerable to the threat of artillery fire from the sea. South Korea has a vast mountainous area in the middle of the country, and the Japanese army has built a large number of bunkers and small fortresses in the past 20 years. Where as a breakthrough? This all requires him and the staff to come up with a plan immediately.

This foggy period before the Great War. Let him be an old qualified officer, and he is very worried. "Yizhi, what do you say the president and the chief of staff are paying attention to? If it is an active attack, why not increase the number of troops in North Korea? I am afraid that there will not be enough troops on the north-south dividing line. He turned his head and asked Zhu Peide, who was sitting next to him looking through the pieces.

Zhu Peide was a first-term student at the National Defense University and participated in the Northeast Campaign and the Qingdao Defense Campaign, but he did not have the same good luck as Liu Mingzhao. During the war in Europe, he was left in the War Department as a staff officer, responsible for the internal liaison of the Allied forces. Compared with today's glorious Long Yun and others, he is cautious and decent, taking into account the overall situation and ignoring fame and fortune. So it's quite low-key within the Army. It's just that this low-key can't hide his military talent. In the early days of the war when Japan advanced southward, he was transferred to the southwest to stabilize the morale of the army, and now he has been transferred to the northeast, which shows that the General Staff is very aware of his ability to accept orders in times of danger and stabilize his position. Hearing Zhang Xiaozhun's inquiry, he closed the piece and smiled: "This is not strange. Now that the prime minister is negotiating with the Japanese ambassador, the increase in troops may be exposed. Moreover, the territory of South Korea is narrow, the main plains are on the western coast, and the Japanese and Korean armies have been holding back their strength, and in the past 20 years, they have built a large number of permanent fortifications, and their ability to fight defensive battles is very strong. Besides, it is a critical time for Central Asia. It will be at least the end of September for the troops to return, so I guess the president also wants to spend money in North Korea first. ”

"You mean, the president deliberately knocked Jin Jiu?" Zhang Xiaozhun heard the sound outside the strings.

"I didn't say that." Zhu Peide has never interfered in politics, so he smiled and continued without explaining: "Temple Street to the area of Wai Heilongjiang. It's only in August or September, and the temperature drops to a very low level in October, so the president definitely wants us to settle this place first. As for the north of Korea, there is nothing to worry about, there are many mountains here. It's just enough to grind off some more flesh and blood. The more they die in Korea, the weaker the defense of Japan and Turkey becomes. ”

Zhu Peide's words immediately dispelled most of the fog in Zhang Xiaozhun's heart. smiled: "When you get old, the more urgent you are, the more confused you are, but it is better for you to see it thoroughly." But I still have to say that you are good at everything, but you are too clumsy. What does the president mean, I think it's clear that you have already thought about it in your heart, right? ”

"I am the same year as you, the commander, if you call the old, Peide will also return to his hometown."

"Haha." Zhang Xiaozhun laughed, and was about to get a cigarette, but the office door was suddenly pushed open. "Akiyama (Yu Lei), why are you here?" It was Yu Lei, deputy commander of the Air Force, who came in. Seeing the two of them, they immediately unbuttoned their military uniforms and fanned the wind vigorously: "This day, it's really hot." ”

"That's not easy, send a plane around the sky to get some ice cream to cool off. I've heard that those boys under your command use the plane to make ice cream every day and coax the big girls outside the base. ”

"Don't mention those bastards, they were criticized for this yesterday." Yu Lei scolded with a smile. I don't know who invented it, but as the weather gets hotter, energetic pilots who have nowhere to vent have used auxiliary fuel tanks to convert them into ice cream machines, and then hang them on dive bombers to make ice cream at an altitude of tens of thousands of meters. You say that you can eat it yourself, but there are still people who take out the base to hook up with female college students. Several universities complained to the Ministry of Education about this incident, saying that the discipline of the army was poor and the management of the army was not strict, which caused him and several air force generals to be scolded by Song Ziqing.

"By the way, you didn't say why you came to me in the middle of the night?"

Yu Lei took Zhu Peide's water cup, and after drinking it in one gulp, he became serious: "I came by liaison plane, and the main force of the Japanese Navy had already left Yokosuka four hours ago. "The Wehrmacht ciphers are not infallible, especially the Japanese Army is very good at code breaking, so before the war, the army often preferred to use communication liaison machines to transmit confidential information.

Zhang Xiaozhun's face froze: "Are you going to do it?" ”

"Hmm. Before coming, Chen Shaokuan had already ordered the 15th fleet to set off and blockade the Soya Strait in advance, preparing to lure the attention of the Japanese navy to the past. ”――

Vladivostok, brightly lit. Led by the heavy cruiser Nanchang, all 15 surface ships had turned on their ramps and lights, and truckloads of supplies were quickly loaded onto the ships, and the thick oil pipes made a gurgling sound. Every half hour, the oiler injects lubricating oil into the tubing to prevent the viscous heavy oil from clogging the tubing. In the middle of the waterway, the first prepared submarines lined up in a long line and began to leave the port one by one.

"Sir, the latest password." Inside the heavy cruiser Nanchang flying the flagship flag, Liao Hai, chief of staff of the 15th Detachment, took the code he had just received, and together with Ruan Shao, commander of the detachment, and captain of the Nanchang, they checked and inspected the key around their necks. This is a naval tradition, and the fleet often does not know the specific objectives before the battle, and only after receiving the code from the naval command and collecting three keys can the battle plan be opened, which is placed in the safe in advance by the military police.

"Command! From now on, the waters from the Soya Strait to the four northern islands will be blocked, the Aniwa Bay and Terpeniye Bay will be blocked, Japanese troop carriers and oil tankers will be strictly prohibited from calling at the port of South Sakhalin Island (Korsakov Port), and the security of the Tatar Strait will be protected. If you don't listen to dissuasion, collide or threaten to approach, you can sink it immediately! ”