By the time the 10 miniature submarines at the Krabi Naval Base launched a suicidal charge, the entire southern fleet was already 200 kilometers away from the Philippines. Although the power systems of each ship were overhauled before the operation, the three-and-a-half-hour hurricane still caused some old ships to gradually fall behind. Considering that no matter how much they ran, they would not be able to escape the search range of the American planes, the commander and Vice Admiral Shiro Kawakoshi ordered to slow down at dawn and ordered all ships to form an air defense formation and sail in the northwest direction at a speed of twelve knots.

Vice Admiral Kazukawa Koshiro probably wanted to imitate the tactics of perfectly evading the Italian air force when the Combined Fleet attacked East Africa, but as soon as he gave the order, unfavorable news came from the cloud-making troops - the air humidity was not enough to make the water vapor insufficient, and even spraying Buddha dust (aerogel, salt grains, dry ice) could not form a thick enough cloud to cover the entire fleet.

It is difficult to implement the clouds, so the rest can only rely on the blessing of Amaterasu, fortunately, there was no alarm from the bat early warning aircraft throughout the morning, but at noon, when the stragglers were finished, accompanied by the warning of the early warning aircraft, a black dot flew from the north. Kagawa Koshiro was about to give the order for the catapult plane to take off and shoot it down, but the chief of staff, Major General Kusaka, had a different opinion, and he said: "Your Excellency, it is very likely that the plane flying from this direction is a Chinese plane. ”

As soon as the chief of staff reminded him, Kagawa Koshiro, who had been nervous since the first half of the night, had also sobered up. He raised his binoculars and looked at it carefully for half a minute, and only then did he realize that it was indeed an old land-based land-based Hongyan reconnaissance plane from China, and looking at the logo of the dragon and tiger beast under the wings, it should belong to the South China Sea Fleet.

When Shiro Kawakoshi took a closer look, the reconnaissance plane flew closer and closer, and the dragon, tiger, and beast logos under the wings became clearer and clearer, which greatly relieved the officers and men who thought it was a reconnaissance plane of the Mi Army, and some sailors who did not know why actually cheered -- they still thought that China was an ally of Japan, and in this extremely southern land more than 1,000 nautical miles away from the mainland, the appearance of the allied planes brought them a lot of hope and excitement for several days.

The Hongyan reconnaissance plane circled the fleet and returned, but when it returned at 2:20 p.m., it swept over the entire fleet at a very low altitude and sprinkled a pile of paper.

"Your Excellency, they should want us to go to the Zhongsha Islands." Grass deer either. He took a few pieces of paper picked up by the sailors, and the staff officers found that there was only one coordinate written on it, that is, the Zhongsha Islands, which were not far away.

"Zhongsha Islands ......" Zhongsha Islands are in a westerly direction, and the fleet's course at this time is 30 degrees west-north. Perhaps the Chinese Navy can supply the fleet with a certain amount of material and oil. But under the blockade of the planes of the United States, the entire South China Sea is a prison. Only by brushing the mainland of China to the north and passing through the Taiwan Strait can the fleet safely return to the sea, and it is not possible to go west or south.

Twelve hours have passed since the attack, and by this time the US Navy and the British Navy should have sent ships to search around. As long as the fleet is found by their reconnaissance planes, the only way to survive the round-up fleet is to go to the port of China to disarm. Although this can provoke contradictions between China and Britain, it is not the expectation of all the officers and men of the fleet. They hope that they can return safely, and then continue to fight the United States navy and continue to kill the United States, and it is not a lucky thing to be detained by the Chinese government.

Originally, with the advantage of electric reconnaissance, its own side could continue to fight with the US navy at night and win victories, but the entire South China Sea is a narrow water, and the US naval base is in the sunken belly of the Philippines, which makes it difficult for the night battle fleet not only to escape the blows of the US planes, but also to leave this closed sea.

The commander was still pondering, but Cao Lu Ren said again: "Your Excellency, even if we don't stay in the Zhongsha Islands, we should hand over the wounded of the fleet to them. There must be a hospital of the Chinese Navy on the Zhongsha Islands, and even if there is none, the wounded can be transferred to Guangzhou or Sanya as soon as possible, and many soldiers can be saved. Moreover, this sea area is under the jurisdiction of the South China Sea Fleet, and they must be more familiar with the situation here than we are, and with their help, the fleet must have more hope of returning home. ”

"Okay, let's turn to the Spratly Islands." Vice Admiral Kazukawakoshiro was finally persuaded by the chief of staff to order the fleet to turn around and head west. After the order was delivered, the sailors below were jubilant.

"I'll give you a lung!" Fifty kilometers east of the Zhongsha Islands, Vice Admiral Chen Ce, commander of the South China Sea Fleet, is hiding in a small fishing boat. This boat is temporarily requisitioned for fishermen, not only used for fishing but also for living, although the old man of the boat tried his best to serve, but a storm came, and the tea held by General Chen was still splashed on his military uniform.

In normal times, it didn't matter at all, but the next thing he wanted to meet was the Japanese, the former sworn enemies who had turned the Philippine naval base upside down. The only information he knew: That night, the Japanese sank an aircraft carrier and two battleships of the US Navy, and several other battleships and aircraft carriers were wounded, not to mention other sunken cruisers, destroyers, and submarines.

The results of the battle were so brilliant, but what stimulated Chen Ce the most was that the Japanese used a standard miniature submarine to break into the military port to make a decisive charge, which couldn't help but make him, a former submarine commander, think about a question: If you pull people in your own troops to make a decisive charge, can those rabbit cubs also achieve this effect?

"My lord, the Japanese are here." While the adjutant was helping him wipe his tea, the signalman who had received the flag outside came in and reported.

"Okay." Chen Ce raised his hand and straightened his clothes before saying, "Raise Lao Tzu's flag and see the dog. The sun cannot fall into majesty. ”

When approaching the Zhongsha Islands, two submarines suddenly appeared on the sea in front of the Southern Detachment Fleet, and the appearance of the submarines surprised the officers and men on the ships, but the dragon, tiger and beast flag of the Chinese Navy that they randomly raised made everyone feel at ease. After that, things became more and more strange, and in the waters about 30 nautical miles away from the Zhongsha Islands, one of several fishing boats actually raised the flag of Vice Admiral Chen Ce, commander of the South China Sea Fleet. Obviously, Vice Admiral Chen Ce, the admiral of the South China Sea Fleet, was on the fishing boat, and he did not want to meet with him in China's territorial waters, all of which seemed to be a chance encounter between the fleets of the two countries on the high seas.

Fifteen minutes later, Chen Ce boarded the ship.

"Your army attacked the enemy army at night, so that Zai Xia sincerely admired, as long as I Chen Ce can help, just ask." Chen Ce was accompanied by only his lieutenant and two veterans without military rank, while on the Japanese side were Kazukawa Koshiro, Kusaka Renichi, Shimizu Mitsumi, and Captain Tokai Goto Cunchi and others. Chen Ce's side is not only at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, but he is the only one who wears the uniform.

"Is Your Excellency General representing the Chinese Navy?" Mitsumi Shimizu, who looked smug, asked proudly. He hated the treachery of the Chinese government very much, and if it were not for Chen Ce, who was the admiral of the South China Sea Fleet, he would never have spoken so politely.

"I only speak for myself." Chen Ce replied disapprenously. He turned around and introduced the two submarine captains beside him, "They were my subordinates before, and now they have been decommissioned, and the submarines are only old submarines that the Navy has decommissioned and sold." ”

"And how can Your Excellency help us?" Mitsumi Shimizu wanted to speak, but Shiro Kawakoshiro stopped him, and when he saw that Chen Ce was boarding the ship in his personal capacity, he couldn't help but wonder how he planned it.

"Isn't the general wondering why he was able to sail safely all day?" Chen Ce asked with a smile, and then said: "The wounded of your army can rest assured that they will be handed over to our side, and after they recover from their injuries, they will naturally all return to the team and continue to fight the Yankees; And then is the general ready to continue to make trouble in the South China Sea, or is he ready to return immediately? ”

"Of course it's ......" As soon as Kusaka opened his mouth, Kazukawa Koshiro stopped him with his eyes, and Kazukawa said, "May I ask what advice your Excellency has for our army?" ”

"My advice is to get back to the sea as soon as possible." Chen Ce said: "It is no longer the era of ships, it is the era of aircraft. Even if I can help you hide from the Americans for a day, I can't hide it for two days. After stopping for supplies, the general can go directly north to Taiwan, and when he enters the Taiwan Strait at dawn tomorrow, your army will be completely safe. ”

He was able to sail safely for a day without being found by the planes of the United States, which really puzzled Kagawa Koshiro, but when he heard Chen Ce's meaning that he helped, he immediately stood up and bowed to Chen Ce and said, "Thank you, Your Excellency, General, for your help." ”

"There is nothing to help or not to help each other, you fight the Yankees is equivalent to us fighting the Yankees. I just want to say that those shameful things in the capital can never represent my 600 million Chinese compatriots! As soon as the news of your attack on the Philippines came out, all the newspapers in Guangzhou rushed out, and the people applauded, and the firecrackers crackled like a festival......"

After several days of hard work, the Japanese, who had never had any contact with the outside world, were immediately thrilled to hear that their feat had made the Chinese people so happy. Mitsumi Shimizu, who was excited before, also stood up and bowed to Chen Ce to show her apology for the rude just now, and he also said: "Your Excellency, your two countries should quickly join hands to drive the British and American white animals out of Asia!" ”

"I want to too!" Chen Ce put down the teacup heavily, "But my country was founded late, and the things of our ancestors who worship foreign countries are several times that of your country." He has always followed the law, which has taken advantage of the Westernizers. But the Yankees' bombers in the Philippines are not aimed at your country, but against our country...... It's such a bunch of blind things, and they have to pull people back when they die......"

Chen Ce said here, but the adjutant reminded after the clock rang: "My lord, it's not too early......

"Hmm." Seeing that it was already half past five in the afternoon, Chen Ce also stopped talking nonsense and said, "Let's transfer the wounded immediately." If you don't have enough fuel, you will immediately go to the front island to refuel and replenish your supplies, and although it is not enough for you to go to Japan, you can at least go to Taiwan. When we got there, another group of people answered. And even though I was in a hurry, I still asked people to prepare a table of food for you, and wished you a triumphant return to China. ”

Although the Japanese side arranged for supply tankers to refuel the fleet, the replenishment at sea needed to break the radio silence, and it took a lot of time to refuel. Now seeing that it can be refueled on land here, and supplies have been arranged throughout the process, all the people and devils are overjoyed, and Kawagu Shiro immediately took the lead in bowing to Chen Ce and thanking him.

However, when Chen Ce and the Japanese were laughing near the Zhongsha Islands, in the waters 200 nautical miles south of Scarborough Shoal, the flagships of the South China Sea Fleet, the Yingrui, the Feihong, and a dry torpedo boat were forced to die. After being spotted by a US reconnaissance plane at 10:38 a.m., several reconnaissance planes followed the ship all along. At about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the first wave of B-17 bombers arrived as scheduled, and although the fleet that had been prepared for a long time released smoke, the sea breeze was too strong for the smoke to cover the fleet. In the raindrop of bombs, the Ying Rui was slightly wounded, and two torpedo boats, Liheng and Yuanheng, were shot and sank. At about 4 p.m., a second wave of B-17 bombers arrived, and this time the smoke finally took effect, and the fleet suffered no losses except for several more bombs from the flagship Yingrui.

The Japanese fleet's surprise attack on the US Philippine naval base in the middle of the night shocked China and the rest of the world, and in the afternoon, the US military actually bombed the Chinese Navy as the Japanese Navy, which made the Chinese government and the public even more boiling. It's just that the Wenhua Hall of the Forbidden City is a different scene.

"Mr. Ambassador, I have summoned Your Excellency here only to respond to public opinion." At nine o'clock in the evening, Weng Wenhao, who had to work overtime due to the South China Sea bombing incident, said frankly to Situ Leiden. "There must be a reason why the South China Sea Fleet will go to patrol the Nansha at this juncture! I know, I know those people are trying to drag this country into war, but I'm not going to let them get their way! ”

The prime minister told the truth so much that he only closed his eyes to Gu Weijun, who was standing on one side. He increasingly wanted to resign from the position of foreign minister, but the problem was that he could not find a suitable reason. Regardless of whether or not the South China Sea Fleet deliberately covered for the Japanese, Weng Wenhao, as the Chinese premier, should not completely abandon his stance and stand on the side of the United States......

Gu Weijun thought so, and Situ Leiden was also inexplicable. He received an instruction that the army had taken revenge and had indeed blown up the wrong person, so Washington allowed him to apologize to the Chinese government and compensate him for the damages. Unexpectedly, before he could open his mouth, Weng Wenhao made his position clear, as if he had become an American rather than a Chinese premier.

"Your Excellency......" After Weng Wenhao's words were almost finished, Situ Leiden said: "Our government believes that the fault is indeed ours, so it allows me to apologize to your government for this incident and compensate for the losses. ”

"What?!" Weng Wenhao was surprised. In his heart, he already decided that this was a ghost done by Yang Jingcheng, and he didn't want the Americans to bomb it by mistake.

"That's true." As a diplomat, Stuart Leiden was of course not trusted by Roosevelt, and only his confidant envoy was trusted by Roosevelt, so at this time he did not know that Washington's ultimate goal was to start a war against China. Therefore, in line with the principle of peaceful coexistence between China and the United States, he also bluntly told Washington's directive. "The army aviation unit is subordinate to the army, and they don't understand the difference between the full flag of the navy and the national flag, so they mistake your warship for a Japanese warship, which causes misunderstanding."

"It's... That's ......" Weng Wenhao was stunned. But when the secretary Wu Jingchao whispered a few words in his ear, he laughed again, "If your country is handled like this, then my country's public opinion will be better calmed." In addition, on my behalf, I would like to express my condolences to the fallen soldiers of your country, and the civilized world will eventually triumph over those who have lost their lives. Freedom and democracy will surely shine on this ancient but decaying continent. I have deep confidence in this, and the vast number of Chinese people also have deep confidence in this! ”

China withdrew from the East Asian alliance last year and declared its neutrality at the time of Japan's declaration of war on the United States. In Stuart's view, this was entirely his own merit. Seeing Weng Wenhao expressing his confidence in the United States so excitedly, Situ Leiden was even more happy, and he took the opportunity to put forward another request of Washington's directive, "Your Excellency, in view of your country's position in the world's tungsten production, China hopes to urgently purchase a batch of tungsten concentrate from your country, preferably in about 50,000 tons. ”

China's tungsten production is the world's largest, and the US government, which is in hindsight, was not in a hurry to stockpile wartime minerals, but before the declaration of war against Japan, the issue of tungsten reserves was raised by William Y. Elliott, an expert in economic warfare, and Charles K. Leth, an adviser to the National Defense Advisory Council. Of course, other mineral resources are not a problem, but tungsten is a different matter, and tungsten is definitely nervous in the event of a war with China, so they suggested that the president should urgently purchase a batch of tungsten in China before declaring war on China next month.

"Of course, there is no problem." Weng Wenhao agreed without thinking about it, which made it too late for Gu Weijun, who wanted to stop this, to stop it. After Situ Leiden said goodbye with a smile, he said with a gloomy face: "The prime minister must not sell tungsten concentrate to the United States, tungsten is a military mineral, we have declared external neutrality, since it is neutral, then there should be no bias." If...... If you ......," Gu Weijun wanted to say and stopped, but in the end he still said what was in his heart, "If the prime minister is really determined to sell tungsten sand to the United States, then please accept my resignation first." ”

"Shaochuan, what are you ......" Gu Weijun suddenly proposed to resign, which surprised Weng Wenhao, but Wu Jingchao, who was beside him, said reproachfully: "Shaochuan, what does this mean?" Do you want to retreat from the rapids and cut ties with those of us? ”

"I'm not interesting." Gu Weijun's expression became even more solemn, "I just think that since our government has declared its neutrality, it should strictly abide by neutrality and treat all warring parties equally." We can't ban the sale of steel and oil to Japan here, but sell tungsten sand to the United States over there. What the hell is going on? He shook his head violently, "When did outsider neutrality become a tool?" If we do this, how will the rest of the world renew our diplomatic commitments? ”

"Shaochuan, don't forget our ideals and oaths back then!" When Weng Wenhao wanted to explain this, Wu Jingchao spoke first, "Compared with China's early realization of democracy, any department and anyone is just a tool. If it weren't for the fact that there are too many opposition forces at home, we should have declared war on Japan and North Korea, and the whole of East Asia should be completely liberated by domestic and foreign cooperation. ”

"In that case, please accept my resignation." Gu Weijun took off his official hat after saying that, and then said: "My ideals will always exist in my heart, but I will never do anything for the sake of the end. If this is really the case, how different is it from Sun Wen's chaotic party? Is this true democracy and true freedom? I don't see it that way! Gently putting the official hat in front of Weng Wenhao's bookcase, Gu Weijun said again: "Prime Minister, Weijun has negative expectations, and you are disappointed!" ”

"Shaochuan ......" didn't expect Gu Weijun to really resign, Weng Wenhao panicked, but when he got up and wanted to hold Gu Weijun, Wu Jingchao stopped him. Wu Jingchao said: "Shaochuan, do you think those people who quit Yang Jingcheng will let you go now?" ”

"Beihai is too worried, Wei Jun has always been law-abiding and respectful, except for Dali Temple, who can convict me?!" Gu Weijun glanced at Wu Jingchao, then bowed his hand to Weng Wenhao, turned around and walked out of the Wenhua Palace.

"Shaochuan ......" Although he was stopped by Wu Jingchao, Weng Wenhao still shouted when he saw him leaving. After seeing Gu Weijun completely walk out of the hall, he sat back on the chair and looked at Wu Jingchao and blamed: "Beihai, why are you ...... Why don't you help me persuade him! ”

"Prime Minister, Shaochuan is determined not to go with us, and he can't be persuaded at all. Since Japan issued an ultimatum, many people have sent their wives and concubines and children abroad, and we all know it in our hearts. It is unreliable for these people to force them to stay, and if they leave, they can distinguish who is loyal to their ideals and who is greedy for life and afraid of death. Wu Jingchao said.

Wu Jingchao didn't explain, but an explanation made Weng Wenhao forget about Gu Weijun's resignation. In the past few days, not to mention other officials, even some people in the cabinet have also sent their families abroad in a hurry, and they have become the naked people that Yang Jingcheng used to say. Official. Does this mean that liberal democracy is really unpopular?

"So what's next?" Not daring to think too deeply about things, Weng Wenhao sighed and then thought of the present. Gu Weijun must be replaced when he resigns, Jiang Tinghuang is obviously not qualified, and Wang Zhengting is not firm because of his close relationship earlier......

"Let's let Shouzhang, the deputy minister, take over." Wu Jingchao suggested: "Shaochuan said that he resigned due to illness. ”

"Well, that's all there is to it." After thinking about it, there was no suitable and reliable candidate, so Weng Wenhao had to nod and agree.

Wu Jingchao said again: "Prime Minister, Washington has declared war on Japan and North Korea, and Britain is said to be going to war tomorrow. Judging from this incident, it is too dangerous for the South China Sea Fleet to be placed in the South China Sea, where the power of Britain and the United States are intertwined, and if it is not careful, it will lead to conflict, so I think it is better to transfer it north to the East China Sea and not allow them to go south of Taiwan. ”

The main fleet has been confined to the Bohai Bay, and the South China Sea Fleet thought that it was just a few old light cruisers and a few half-retired gunboats and torpedo boats, and nothing could be done, but this time it proved that even if there were only old cruisers, those people could still make trouble, but was it really feasible to transfer to the north?

"Isn't it better to take a break?" Weng Wenhao helped his glasses. "After all, there has just been an accident in the South China Sea, and the people are also very uneasy, and now that the fleet is ordered to move north, the people of Guangdong Province will definitely have an opinion."

"Then he will not be allowed to go to sea." Wu Jingchao thought about it again and felt that it was a little inappropriate to ask the South China Sea Fleet to move north immediately, so he came up with another compromise idea. "In addition, public opinion should also clarify the accidental bombing, so as not to cause chaos in those people." (To be continued.) )