"Baga, you are all a bunch of trash." After receiving the news that several pilots of the First Flying Division secretly bombed Jeju Island, Prince Hanyuan Gong Zairen went berserk like Su Tong in Nanjing, looking at the people in front of him.
A group of army generals yelled: "How do you discipline your subordinates? You bombed the China Navy base privately without orders. Do you know that doing so will destroy the great cause of the empire?"
In fact, I can’t blame Prince Zairen for being so angry. Japan’s plan to advance southward is under intense preparation. Such nonsense by the pilots below immediately made the Japanese government passive. Maybe China’s East China Sea Fleet has already set sail and is preparing to
It is approaching the Sea of Japan. If the Chinese Air Force launches another retaliatory air strike, once war breaks out between China and Japan, the southward advance plan that the Japanese government has been preparing for more than a year will be ruined. No one will bear the consequences.
Not worth it.
"Who on earth led those pilots to attack Jeju Island?" Prince Jae-in's roar made the glass of the office buzz.
"Your Excellency," Tada Shun stepped forward and replied with some trepidation: "This bombing operation was carried out by a captain named Takenan Xingyuki led by seven pilots."
"Arrest them all immediately and hand them over to a military court for trial." The furious Prince Zai Ren decided to kill as a warning to others. This kind of "subjugating the superior" can never happen again. If this trend is not stopped, the eternal great cause of the empire will really be destroyed.
Destroyed in the hands of these brainless idiots.
All the generals in the "here" office looked at each other and felt a little embarrassed. Now that the bombing of Jeju Island has been made public by the Japanese media, the pilots have also been hailed as heroes by the Japanese people. If they are tried now, it will probably cause a stir.
The people are angry, which may cause serious dissatisfaction among lower-level soldiers.
"Why, you don't even have the courage to arrest a few junior officers?" Prince Zairen looked sideways at Tada Shun, Itaheng Seishiro and several other generals. "If you can't take action, I will fight with His Majesty the Emperor."
Go catch him yourself."
"Your Excellency" Tada Shun and others saw that the Manned Prince was determined to punish the pilots this time, so they stopped interceding and allowed Prince Zain to issue orders.
"Report" An officer came in and reported: "Report to Your Majesty the Prince, the U.S. Embassy in the Empire has forwarded a telegram from the Chinese Government. The Chinese Government claims that if the Imperial Government does not compensate the Chinese Government US$30 million,
losses, they will retaliate massively."
"Nani 30 million US dollars" Everyone was shocked by the huge opening of the Chinese government.
It’s interesting to say that after the July 7th Incident in 1937, the Nationalist Government, headed by Chairman Chiang Kai-shek, had already declared war on Japan. Later, the Japanese Government also announced a formal declaration of war on China, and both sides also recalled
Ambassador of our own side, so the Chinese government's statement to Japan was also entrusted to the U.S. Embassy in Japan for delivery. However, since China drove the Japanese away from North Korea, the attitude of both parties has been very ambiguous. Su Tong is desperately trying to find a way to
The Japanese's attention shifted to the Americans, and the Japanese also knew that it was a dream to enter the Chinese mainland again, so they fulfilled Su Tong's wish and started the process of the "Southern Expansion Plan".
In short, neither of the two sides with evil intentions wants to start another war with the other party, at least not on a large scale now. Therefore, both sides have reached a tacit understanding, that is, neither side is willing to start a large-scale war immediately. But this tacit understanding
Now it was broken by a junior officer named Takenan Xingyuki. If Su Tong did not respond, he would be roasted by domestic public opinion, but Japan's political ax was against this "long tradition"
I feel that I can no longer tolerate the behavior of "lower and superior". When will the decision of a country's political ax be influenced by a few junior officers? This is really a big joke.
Prince Kanin Palace Zaihito informed Empress Hirohito that they both felt that they had to pour cold water on Japan's junior officers, otherwise God knows what trouble they would cause tomorrow.
Therefore, Hirohito changed his vague tone when issuing edicts to the people in the past, and clearly pointed out that this time the actions of Takenan Xingyuki and others were actually attacking without orders, and causing damage to the empire's foreign policy and environment.
The impact was very bad. In view of this, Emperor Hirohito ordered a military court to severely punish the eight captains Takenan Xingyuki.
Soon the Japanese military court tried the eight pilots including Takenan Xingzhi, and finally sentenced the principal culprit Takenan Xingzhi to death and the remaining seven accomplices to 20 years in prison.
After the news came out, there was an uproar within the Japanese army. No one expected that Emperor Hirohito's reaction would be so strong this time. In the edict, he used words such as "bearing my will" and "sinner of the empire" to reprimand Takenan Xing.
Eight people and so on. The way of expression of Eastern people is always relatively obscure. Emperor Hirohito and the Japanese government used this method to send a goodwill message to the Chinese government. You see, I have put those few
The people who are causing trouble are being killed, and you must be relieved of your anger.
Zhunan Xingzhi and the other eight people paid the price for their recklessness, but Su Tong had no intention of letting the Japanese go just like that. Don't think that it will be fine after you punished a few parties. You haven't compensated for the loss of buddies, 30 million
U.S. dollars, not a penny less
After receiving the news that Japan had sentenced Zhunan Xingzhi and eight other people, Su Tong began to repeat his old tricks and insisted that the Japanese government should compensate the Huaxia government for its losses of 30 million US dollars within a week, otherwise
The Chinese government will use its own methods to collect these debts.
"Thirty million U.S. dollars is impossible. The Japanese Empire has never been, is, or will never be burdened with praying for peace in such a shameful way." This is what the furious Emperor Hirohito personally told the crowd at the imperial meeting.
What the minister said.
Hirohito feels aggrieved. Damn it, I killed and imprisoned those people, but you still won't let me go. Do you think I'm afraid of you if I don't start a war with you now? I will fight with you today.
Up.
In anger, Hirohito ordered the commander of the Combined Fleet, Yamamoto Go, to assemble four aircraft carriers including Hiryu, Soryu, Shokaku, and Zuikaku, and Kongo, Yamashiro, Ise, and Mutsu near the Goto Islands.
A huge fleet including a battleship, six heavy cruisers, and more than 40 light cruisers and destroyers. This huge fleet posed a situation of life or death less than 600 kilometers away from Jeju Island.
Posture.
On the other hand, on the Chinese side, since the South China Sea Fleet was still visiting Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Su Tong ordered Jeju Island to prepare the first-level fleet. After the East China Sea Fleet's three aircraft carriers, the battleship "Dingyuan" and more than 40 cruisers and destroyers also
They came to the vicinity of Jeju Island to confront the Japanese Navy's combined fleet. Su Tong also mobilized an emergency navy division's shore-based aircraft to station in Jeju Island. The atmosphere between the two sides began to become tense, and the war was about to break out.
This tense confrontation has focused the world's attention on this sea area. Germany's Berliner Zeitung said: "After the German Empire just ended its air raid on Britain, the two most powerful countries in Asia have fought again.
Even as we prepare intensely for war, our great head of state is right, Asia is too small for two aggressive tigers to live together under one roof."
At this time, Roosevelt, who had gradually become wary of China, secretly said to his senior staff, Dr. Hawkins: "Hawkins, do you know how much I hope that China and Japan can fight?
The Pacific is already too crowded. For the benefit of our great United States, it would be ideal if these two countries could exhaust their naval power."
Churchill in London specially asked his young and beautiful female secretary to open a bottle of champagne and called the Admiralty Secretary McKenna to celebrate the good news. He smiled and said to McKenna: "Dear McKenna,
The Chinese people are already at war with the Japanese. Do you know how happy I was when I learned the news? If they could die together, the world would be peaceful."
McKenna shook his head and laughed: "Mr. Prime Minister, the world will not always run according to our will. If so, wouldn't we become gods?"
"But at least it gives us hope, doesn't it? I suggest we drink to hope." Churchill raised his glass and clinked it with McKenna happily, making a crisp sound.
Not only has the Western world turned its attention from Europe to Asia, but the country has also begun to discuss the upcoming naval battle. Some people even publicly declared in the media that this is a battle of revenge, and that the Chinese navy will retaliate here for the Sino-Japanese War.
Naval feud.
But can this naval battle really take place?
On November 20, 1940, at the port of Vladivostok, thousands of kilometers away from Jeju Island, where the eyes of the world were focused, the Pacific Fleet of the Chinese Navy was also quietly gathering, and countless army soldiers took advantage of the darkness to board the docked port.
A large troop transport ship in the port. Chen Shaokuan stood on the bridge of the "Zheng Chenggong" aircraft carrier. Looking at the ships that had all set fire and anchored, he turned around and asked the chief of staff Major General Zhang Shouye behind him: "Shouye, is there any news from the submarine ahead?
"
Zhang Shouye solemnly said: "Master Fu, the submarine brigade just sent a telegram half an hour ago. Everything is normal there. The Japanese did not expect our actions at all. They only have three old destroyers anchored in the port. And
They have not deployed patrol forces on that route, so we are setting off overnight and expect to arrive at our destination in the morning."
"Okay" Chen Shaokuan nodded happily and said: "Order the troops to set off immediately and attack immediately after arriving at the destination."