New Warlords 1909

Silently watching the four submarines sail out of anchor and slowly dive into the mouth of the Yangtze River.Hua Fei picked up the binoculars. Although it was difficult to see anything in the dark night, Hua Fei continued to watch until the arms holding his arms began to ache.

If it wasn't for the fact that there were too few submarines, how Hua Fei wished to send more submarines!Nagasaki, Kure Port, Kobe, Yokosuka are just four important shipyards in Japan.Many other areas, such as Sasebo, Maizuru, Osaka, etc., have large and small official and private shipyards.

Hua Fei used the resources of one place to start a war against Japan. Apart from the home field advantage, he did not have much chance of winning.Although Japan is not yet powerful at this time, whether it is industry or economy, it is just a start, and it is far from being comparable to Japan before World War II.However, Japan has completed the industrial revolution in a relatively comprehensive way for many years, and with the help of the Sino-Japanese War indemnity and the victory of the Russo-Japanese War, it has built a powerful navy with rich combat experience and few opponents in East Asia.

As a time-traveling identity, Hua Fei has devoted himself to developing and expanding for many years, and confronted Japan.Although Hua Fei is confident in the army that he can fight Japan, after all, we have a favorable geographical position and harmonious people.

In this respect, it is more advantageous to transport supplies by sea.the most important is

Back to the rear, the recruits in the rear can also quickly make up for the losses in the front

But in other respects, apart from Huafei's leading air force, which the Japanese army cannot currently overtake, the entire navy, and only the submarine force, can compete with the Japanese navy.But even so, the biggest problem, the problem of the number of submarines, still exists.

With the operation of the war machine, once Japan's industrial advantage over the autonomous region is at full speed, Hua Fei understands that if the war cannot end quickly, he will be more and more passive.Moreover, Hua Fei clearly knows that Japan is a country full of expansionary ambitions and resilience at this time, and they will never admit defeat easily, so the war can fall into a protracted war of attrition.

The great powers are busy with the European war, so it is hard to say whether they will mediate.The United States was probably most interested in mediation because of its restrictions on Japan.But at this time in the United States, there is a strong atmosphere of isolation and diplomacy, and it is not necessarily possible to make much effort.Mediation is not the ultimate goal, and Hua Fei can't pin his hopes on others, can he?

Of course Hua Fei understood that if he failed in the war against Japan, it would be a heavy blow to his strength and prestige.But this battle is not only a short-term sovereignty battle, but also a battle of interests.For the future of the Chinese nation, it is also a necessary national destiny war.

During the First World War in history, Japan's national power increased greatly.The entire country's industries, such as steel, shipbuilding, machinery, electric power, and chemistry, have developed prominently, and the growth rate has doubled year by year.Especially in Japan's shipbuilding industry. In [-], Japan built [-] ships with a gross tonnage of [-] tons. In [-], the number increased to [-] ships with a gross tonnage of [-] tons, an increase of more than six times.

If it is said that before the outbreak of World War I, there was a gap between China's shipbuilding industry and Japan's, but this gap is still within reach.However, after the rapid development of World War I, the gap in the shipbuilding industry between China and Japan has been completely widened.

Especially for island countries like Japan, the shipbuilding industry is the foundation of their industrial base and the lifeline of their economy.In order to achieve a decisive strategic victory in the war against Japan, it is a complete victory in the naval battle and completely defeat the strength of the Japanese navy.

This is why Hua Fei has been thinking for a long time and took the risk of adopting a deep attack plan.Lead the smoke of war to the Japanese mainland, destroy their shipbuilding industry as much as possible, and slow down the construction of their warships and merchant ships.

Dense mines have affected their shipping.

The effect may be limited, but it will prevent Japan's limited naval power from going south unscrupulously, reducing the pressure on the First Fleet and submarine forces, thereby increasing the threat to the Japanese merchant fleet.

Once the sea trade of Sinotrans is affected, it will have an impact on Japan's economy and industry.This war not only requires a military victory, even if it fails to achieve a military victory, as long as it can suppress the Japanese economy and prevent their industry from rapidly rising in World War I, for Hua Fei, this is an extremely huge victory.

Japanese merchant ships were hijacked one after another, and of course Japan quickly took measures.Japan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Oshigenobu, officially notified all countries, requiring them to stop related trade with the autonomous region, and merchant ships from various countries are not allowed to enter the waters of the autonomous region, and are not allowed to dock at the ports of the autonomous region!At the same time, some small merchant ships in the autonomous region were constantly bombarded and captured by the Japanese navy, which greatly affected the trade of the autonomous region for a while.

Although countries such as Britain, France, Germany and Austria put forward their opinions, after all, they do not want to spend too much energy on the Far East issue, and they only express some worries verbally.

The United States, which is not close to Japan, ignored Japan's diplomatic representations and warnings, and entered and exited the Shanghai port of the autonomous region as usual.Under Hua Fei's movement, Smith and others felt guilty for the previous stock withdrawal incident. They never thought that Hua Fei would have the strength to fight against Japan.In order to continue to maintain the close relationship with Hua Fei, so as not to weaken the interests of the United States in the autonomous region.In terms of shipping, they gave Huafei a lot of help.Not only did Hua Fei acquire many American merchant ships through the Smith Concession, but the ocean-going merchant ships of Deep Blue Shipping also flew the American flag.

If Japan wants to search, even if the autonomous region exports arms, it is supporting the European war.If Japan dares to detain it, it will be a provocation to the United States.Although the United States will not participate in the war because of this, this is the conclusion of Hua Fei's prediction, but the Japanese are not sure about this.The United States is also something they can't afford to offend now!

While Japan strengthened the maritime blockade of the autonomous region, it dispatched special envoys to secretly contact Yuan Shikai's government.Many conditions were set, requiring Yuan Shikai to send troops to contain Hua Fei, and even promised to help Yuan Shikai send troops to the autonomous region to complete the unification of China.The Japanese special envoy said that as long as Yuan Shikai sent troops to capture the Jinan-Pukou section of the Jinpu line and cut off the transportation of the railway line, Japan would provide Yuan Shikai's government with a preferential loan of up to 5000 million yen after the war!

The conditions were not unfavorable, but Yuan Shikai's pressure was doubled at this time. He was no longer thinking about containing Hua Fei, but was thinking about whether to declare war on Japan and send troops to Shandong.

The development of the situation to this point has completely exceeded the expectations of the Beiyang staff.They thought that Hua Fei's army would soon be defeated by the Japanese army, so that all plans could be carried out logically.I never imagined that Hua Fei was not only undefeated, but also won consecutive victories in the [-] naval battles.Even though he and Hua Fei were not on the same ground, Yuan Shikai couldn't help cheering loudly for this victory.

As the leader of the Beiyang army and the hero of the new army in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, Yuan Shikai certainly understood Japan's ambitions for China.And while borrowing heavily from Japan, it also restricts Japan's development in China everywhere.In history, when Japan sent troops to Shandong, Yuan Shikai also considered sending troops.It's just the restriction of strength and the desire to preserve the armed forces. In the end, it was just a diplomatic note stating that the war zone would be cancelled, and the British and Japanese troops should be withdrawn.

But since Hua Fei achieved a great victory at sea, fierce battles on land have also won and lost.Under the momentum of public opinion in the whole country, an unprecedented upsurge of the war of resistance was set off.Some people even donated their entire family property and joined the army alone, in order to go to the front line in Shandong, fight against the Japanese army, defend the country, and defend the sovereignty and dignity of the country.

The upsurge of joining the army up and down the country not only made the Fourth Army and the Fifth Army of the New Army quickly full of recruits, but also a large number of young people from other places came and eagerly requested to join the National Defense Forces.The workers in the autonomous region worked overtime, lived frugally, and used all the saved wages to donate to the military.

The students set off waves of demonstrations, protesting against the central government's stand-off and solidarity with the just and brave acts of the National Defense Forces of the Autonomous Region.Although the demonstrations in Beijing have been suppressed several times, they can no longer hold back at this moment, and protest marches broke out again and again.Students, workers, businessmen, and even ordinary citizens took to the streets, demanding that the central government immediately declare war on Japan and send troops to the Shandong battlefield.

The students of National Peking University, Tsinghua School and other colleges and universities are very disappointed with the central government.Shout out loudly, the mere local self-government, for the dignity of the country, will send troops without hesitation.The majestic central government remained silent, as if it did not exist.Who is the president of the country, and who can seek benefits for the country?

Such questioning is not deafening.

It's a bit embarrassing.Even if Yuan Shikai's face collapsed in front of him and his face remained unchanged, this time + went.

On December [-], Yuan Shikai's central government issued an ultimatum, formally announcing the cancellation of the war zone, and ordering the British and Japanese troops to withdraw from Shandong within three days, otherwise all consequences would be at their own risk.

Yuan Shikai's ultimatum not only surprised the British, but also the Japanese.Although they were not afraid of Yuan Shikai declaring war on Japan, after the stalemate in the Shandong battlefield, if Yuan Shikai confronted them again, the import of many raw materials from China would be completely interrupted, making Japan, which was originally blocked by the South China Sea, even worse.

More importantly, if Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Army sent troops to Luda, it would directly endanger Japan's interests in Northeast China, and even endanger Japan's interests in North Korea.You must know that the Beiyang Army is a new type of army in China that is second only to the National Defense Force of the Autonomous Region.

On December [-], the United Kingdom finally announced its reply, immediately withdrawing from the Shandong theater and not armedly interfering in Shandong affairs.However, it and Germany are belligerent countries, so the navy still maintains a deterrent blockade against Qingdao, and at the same time slightly fulfills the obligations of the British-Japanese alliance.

Japan turned a deaf ear to Yuan Shikai's warning. Not only did it not withdraw its troops from Shandong, but it also warned Yuan Shikai not to act rashly, so as not to expand the war situation.At the same time, the plan for the third wave of troop increase was made public, and the domestic reserves were also quickly called up to recruit recruits to start training.In addition, the Japanese army stationed in North Korea also forcibly recruited and formed a puppet army of 5 people to reinforce Liaodong, posing a threat to Gyeonggi.

At noon, Yuan Shikai publicly declared war on Japan as the President of the Republic of China.At the same time, the Beiyang First Army and the Second Army were ordered to guard Gyeonggi.The Third Army and the Fourth Army stationed in Huludao and Jinzhou to contain the Japanese troops in Luda and Liaodong.

As for the Fifth Army and the Sixth Army, which had been hovering on the border of Shandong, they immediately entered Shandong to look for opportunities to fight.

At the same time, Hua Fei was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces on the Shandong battlefield, in charge of all the troops on the ground in Shandong, and fighting against Japan.

Yuan Shikai's declaration of war immediately set off bursts of cheers in Gyeonggi and other places, and some people even excitedly shouted long live.Only calm people discovered that although Yuan Shikai made a declaration of war, he hardly made a big war gesture.Even the Beiyang army that entered the ground in Shandong never went to the front line, hiding behind the Second Army of the National Defense Forces, waiting for an opportunity.

December is the season of deep winter.The cold current blowing from Siberia caused the temperature to drop rapidly, and a large amount of warm clothes were transported from the autonomous region to the Shandong front line.After a college game, the fighting between the two sides stopped temporarily, and the snow covered all the smoke and scars on the battlefield, making the battlefield, which was still buzzing with gunfire just a moment ago, suddenly as peaceful and beautiful as a fairyland on earth.

Although Shandong is not in the extreme north, the cold current is still very strong this year.Many soldiers from the south had difficulty adapting to this climate for a while, and the environment in the trenches was a bit bad, and many people fell ill one after another.

The sick and the wounded, and the slightly wounded soldiers were unwilling to leave the front line and return to the rear.Even if all the new trainees and nurses of Nanjing Military Medical College are on the battlefield, there is still a serious shortage of medical personnel.

Hua Fei was very anxious when he received this situation. The soldiers could not burn their energy on the battlefield, but fell ill on the hospital bed with no one to take care of them. Even in Hua Fei's view, this was unbearable.

On the one hand, he ordered the staff to recruit Chinese and Western doctors in the autonomous region to serve temporarily as soldiers.On the one hand, he personally took to the streets to give speeches, calling on more female compatriots to join the ranks of building a prosperous and strong country, and asking female compatriots with certain nursing knowledge to voluntarily join the battlefield nursing team to increase the number of nurses in frontline hospitals.

Although feminist awareness has quietly risen in China, and Hua Fei has always supported the improvement of women's status.But in China, a traditional country, such maverick women as Wang Zixia are still very few.The delicate and gentle advantages unique to women are also an excellent choice for them to take up nursing work.

On the campus of Shanghai Aurora University, Zhu Ruoyin, Lu Youyun and several female students were discussing something.

"Ruoyin, do you really want to leave school and go to Shandong to take care of those dirty soldiers?" A female classmate said with disgust.

"Yes, yes, you are the eldest daughter of the Zhu family. I heard that it is cold and freezing in Shandong, and the wounded soldiers are missing arms and legs, which is scary! Besides, does your father agree with you to go? "

"They are not dirty soldiers, they are the heroes of our country. Commander Hua is also a soldier!" Zhu Ruoyin was obviously deeply influenced by the Jagged Military News, and argued vigorously.

"Of course Commander Hua is a hero, and he is a hero who is brave and handsome. How can he be compared with those soldiers! I heard people say that the temporary hospital on the front line in Shandong keeps screaming every day. People often close their eyes and die after yelling. It's scary!"

"Dead people, really dead people. I'm most afraid, don't talk about it, I will have nightmares at night!"

"Yes, yes, but if I was asked to take full-time care of Commander Hua, I would definitely sign up! My God, many girls in our college dream of marrying this great hero. By the way, I heard that your Wan Yan Sister, I donated all my jewelry to the National Defense Forces, and for this reason, Commander Hua even met her specially, how lucky it is!"

All the girls were chattering, there was no point at all.Lu Youyun remained silent all the time, and finally couldn't help but said, "My aunt Yin, donated all the dowry. But that damned Commander Hua is unwilling to accept it for free, what kind of equivalent is he giving? bonds."

As soon as Lu Youyun spoke, she was quickly interrupted by Zhu Ruoyin.The focus of discussion among the women turned to Hua Fei's property, and they all came to the conclusion that Hua Fei's property was amazing.The reason why he is unwilling to accept donations from everyone for free is probably because of his business-like mentality.

Although Zhu Ruoyin didn't understand why Hua Fei did what she did, not only was her behavior not opposed by her family, her father also strongly supported her.The mother even said that the dowry was donated, and when she got married, the Zhu family would prepare a richer dowry, which made Zhu Ruoyin blush.

"Xiaoyun, are you going or not?" Zhu Ruoyin locked the final breakthrough on Lu Youyun.

"Okay, okay, I will give up my life to accompany the beauty today." In the end, Lu Youyun was still worried that Zhu Ruoyin would go to Shandong alone, so she joked with a smile, "I hope the lover of your dreams can know your actions, so maybe I can too. Get some light and meet the great hero of our autonomous region, the prince charming of countless girls, Commander Hua."

"you……"

"Ha ha……"