Chapter 232 Armament Expansion and Preparation for War
Lao Yuan looked at the twenty-one documents and suddenly had a very ridiculous feeling. If Qiao Yu sat in his position, would he be so passive?
"Xizi, am I getting old? The Japanese have already bullied me at my doorstep. I still have to rely on a small Sichuan to share the pressure. Am I too useless as a great president?"
"President, please don't say that. As president, you have too many things to consider, too many interests to weigh, and even more constraints!" Yang Du heard the desolation in Lao Yuan's tone and hurriedly explained:
"President, as the saying goes, a small ship is easy to turn around. Sichuan is still too small compared to China, so change is relatively easy. But the President should also see hope from here. There are more than twenty provinces in China. If each of them can
If it can reach the level of Sichuan, I'm afraid all the great powers will be outclassed!"
"Xizi, I've worked so hard and wasted so much effort in the past few years, but there are a few people who have truly understood my difficulties! It's not easy to change!"
"The president does not have to be like this. I think it is still a question of status. If his name is not justified and his words are not smooth, this president will not be as good as the emperor who keeps his word. He will definitely sacrifice his life to plan for Gong Yuan!"
All the important officials from Sichuan came to the commander's mansion. Even Qiao Zhen, Liu Xiang, Yu Peilun, Luo Changchun and others who were on the edge of Sichuan were also transferred back. Everyone looked at Twenty-one with serious expressions.
After reading the document, all the military generals frowned. After reading it, Han Yong slammed the table.
"Commander, these Japanese are so greedy that they dare to put forward such arrogant conditions. Our 50,000 Sichuan Army athletes are all useless. At worst, we will fight to the end and die together!"
"That's right, Marshal, the Sichuan Arsenal and the Chongqing Iron and Steel Plant are our lifeblood. How much effort did Sichuan merchants and people put into establishing them? How could they be given to Japan so easily? If the Japanese dare to touch this place, they must ask us
Promise or not!" Wu Tong also expressed his opinion.
"Haha, you guys are so angry and can't fight!" Jiang Baili participated in this kind of meeting for the first time, but as a Japan expert, he felt it was necessary to express his opinion: "Everyone, I think the Japanese are at this time
The reason for proposing such conditions is for President Yuan, and in my opinion, it is probably a bluff!"
Qiao Yu asked with a smile: "Brother Jiang, do you have any basis for this?"
"Qiao Shuai, everyone, the damage caused by the Russo-Japanese War to Japan is much more serious than it seems. Japan is still suffering from this huge debt. If the First World War had not broken out and with the support of Britain and France, would the Japanese have sent troops to Shandong?
We are still in a dilemma, so I say that the Japanese are blackmailing. They do not have the strength to force China to compromise! Moreover, the Japanese government should not be ready for war yet. Sichuan can regard the European War as an excellent opportunity for development.
The Japanese have seen through all this. Now that Japan is focusing all its energy on improving its national industrial capabilities, how can it be willing to be interrupted?"
"Brother Jiang, you and I know that Japan does not have this strength, but President Yuan may not know it. Moreover, Sichuan is inland and it is difficult for the powerful Japanese navy to reach it. There are also many coastal areas. As soon as Japan's combined fleet appears, I am afraid that
They can’t stand it anymore!”
After Qiao Yu finished speaking, his heart felt cramped. The Twenty-one Points were famous in modern history, and they were actually chosen at the moment when the Yuan Shikai government had just stabilized the national situation. The timing was so clever that it was hard to describe. Yuan Shikai accepted the last part.
The 21 Articles were passed, completely delegitimizing the Beiyang government, and making people across the country begin to dislike this government. In fact, Yuan Shikai's prestige was still very high before this.
Then Yuan Shikai made a bigger mistake, which was to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor. The unified situation that was finally achieved in the early years of the Republic of China was completely ruined. Qiao Yu even suspected that Japan had foreseen this possibility, so it forced Yuan Shikai so hard.
of.….
After Jiang Baili heard Qiao Yu's words, his optimism disappeared. Qiao Yu was right. This was a two-sided bet. The key is who has more confidence. I wonder if Yuan Shikai has the confidence to let the coastal areas
Will his courage be turned into ruins to start a war with Japan? Jiang Baili has had too much contact with people in Beiyang, and they will probably retreat.
"Commander, if Beiyang is unreliable, what should we do? The factories must not be allowed to get involved by Japan, and the railways must not be built by Japan. Otherwise, our military strength has become stronger and we have lost our geographical advantage. I am afraid it will be difficult for us to develop.
Come on!" Since Wang Dongcheng followed Qiao Yu, his net worth has become richer and richer, and he also has a lot of shares in Chongqing Iron and Steel Works. This is the foundation of Wang Dongcheng. How can we allow any mistakes? The rest of Wang Gui, Zhang Fuxiang, Wang Chengji and others are also the same.
In this way, it is related to your own interests, so you cannot care less about it.
Qiao Yu thought for a moment and said, "Everyone, I very much agree with Brother Jiang's view of Japan. Now Japan absolutely does not have the ability to go to war in an all-out way, nor does it have the will. This is blackmail, but we must also see clearly that the Beiyang government will definitely find it difficult to
Resisting the pressure from Japan, Yuan Shikai leaked the contents of the 21st Treaty to us, probably with the purpose of getting us to step forward. We should not step forward for the time being. I suggest that we leak the contents of this treaty to the press again.
Use their forces to force Beiyang, and at the same time put pressure on Japan, striving to form a wave of boycotts of Japanese goods again!"
Yuan Shikai wanted to take advantage of Qiao Yu, and Qiao Yu had no intention of taking advantage of this incident. After the outbreak of World War I, Sichuan's power increased rapidly, and its military strength also increased rapidly. Therefore, Sichuan must expand its power to prepare for the upcoming warlord melee.
Therefore, this opportunity must not be passed up.
"Everyone, we have to be tough on ourselves. In addition to being good at using public opinion, we also need to expand our forces. The original first and second divisions will remain unchanged, and all three reserve divisions will be expanded into regular armies. The original cavalry divisions will
and mountain brigades will all be converted into divisions. In addition, a heavy artillery battalion will be established in each division. Each battalion will have four 155mm howitzers and four 120mm cannons. The number of heavy artillery is not complete yet.
We can wait until technical assistance from France arrives, produce it as soon as possible, and equip it as soon as possible." After Qiao Yu finished speaking, the military generals present were all beaming with joy. They suddenly changed from two divisions to seven divisions. There was no doubt that everyone present was happy.
There is another opportunity for promotion, especially equipping each division with heavy artillery, which will definitely improve the combat effectiveness of each division. The only drawback is that these equipment have not been produced yet.
Qiao Yu asked Feng Ru again: "Mr. Feng, how is the aircraft doing now? Can it meet the needs of the war?"
"Commander, don't worry. We have designed a batch of new aircraft that can carry 200 kilograms of bombs. In addition, we have introduced an engine production line from the United States. We can assemble the engines ourselves and can fully participate in the war!"
"Well, in that case, let's form two flying brigades first and be ready to dispatch at any time. In addition, Fenglou's special team has another mission!"
Wufenglou had just protected many officers who had withdrawn from Shandong. These officers had been baptized by battle and had an intuitive understanding of Japanese army operations. They were the main force in this military expansion, and Wufenglou also made great contributions.
"Commander, if anything happens, just give me your orders!"
"You, Mashan, will allocate one of the most elite special operations battalions and immediately leave Sichuan to join Xia Douyin's troops to enhance Xia Douyin's combat effectiveness and defend Yichang. If the Japanese just use force, you must go down the river to assist Wuhan and defend the city.
If you live in the Yangtze River waterway, you must not allow Japanese warships to enter the Yangtze River. The first flying group is also assigned to you. Our ships may not be able to do it, so I will use planes to blow up the Japanese and sink them. I must cut off their dog claws. You cannot
Let them have no desire to covet Sichuan!”….
Qiao Yu issued orders one after another, and all sectors of the military and political circles in Sichuan were mobilized. These upper-level figures knew very well that Japan was going to touch everyone's lifeblood, and no one would be polite. At this time, the combat effectiveness of the industrial party in Sichuan was fully reflected.
Starting from Beiyang, the agricultural party must be more efficient and more effective.
"Qiao Shuai, I have estimated that this matter is a competition of determination. It is nothing more than the following situations. First, Beiyang blocked Japan's unreasonable request, so we can just cooperate with Beiyang. Second, Beiyang did not block it.
, or only push back part of the content, and our factories must be the interests that Beiyang has given up first. At this time, the Sichuan army must resist. The rest is that the Sichuan army has shown determination, and Japan has retreated despite the difficulties.
It’s still a big fight!” Jiang Baili quickly explained several situations, and his mind was indeed very clear.
"Brother Jiang, what do you think we should do?"
"Qiao Shuai, to be honest, Japan values the opportunity of the European war. Why don't we? I am not willing to go to war with Japan at this time. There are really not many strategic opportunities like this. We must seize them. In addition to using our
In addition to the determination to fight to the death, it is best to be able to bring the great powers to our side. Britain cannot count on it, and there is the United States. If it is not ready, it will not fight if it can!"
"Brother Jiang, since you said this is a competition of determination, we can no longer be weak in momentum. We must show the courage to burn the boat and pull down the emperor! We are the only ones who have made a gesture of war.
, and made the Japanese believe it, so that they could back down, otherwise if we show weakness, Japan will tear us apart like hungry wolves!"
Just after Qiao Yu issued the order in Sichuan, he communicated with Zhang Bailin from Guizhou and Xia Douyin from Yichang and explained the situation to them. Xia Douyin's feat of protecting the people of Hubei during a confrontation with the Japanese army in Wuhan last time had a great impact in Hubei.
With a huge influence, Xia Douyin's prestige also increased rapidly. He became the division commander of the Hubei Army and was stationed in Yichang. He was the leader of the Hubei group. Xia Douyin knew very well that he could only achieve this status because of his cooperation with Qiao Yu.
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Therefore, Qiao Yu's order was fully followed, and the entire army was mobilized. While waiting for the arrival of the special operations battalion, they were actively preparing for war. Eight planes from Sichuan also departed from Chongqing and flew to Yichang. Sichuan was at war with others, which surprised many people!