Chapter 373 Strong Wind ()
French Concession, rooftop of International Hotel.
Seats are full.
As the tallest building in Shanghai currently, this can be said to be the place with the best view overlooking the entire Shanghai Beach. Looking north from the top of the building, you can have a panoramic view of Zhabei.
Therefore, after the fighting at the Eight-character Bridge in Zhabei this morning, a large group of people held up big umbrellas and stood on the roof of the International Hotel in the heavy rain to observe the fighting there.
Among these people, some were reporters from various newspapers, some were simply spectators joining in the fun, and the most numerous were military observers sent by various forces.
There is no way to demonstrate a country's strength more intuitively than war.
For military representatives from various countries, this war is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for them to find out the military strength of Japan, an Eastern power.
At the same time, they also wanted to see how the German weapon masters in the government who had been trained by the Germans for a period of time would perform in such a war.
This can also indirectly reflect the military level of the Germans.
It seems that the performance of the national army is not bad?
"Baga, what are the people in the Navy doing? They also asked us to help them film heroic battle scenes. How should I film it? How did their plane get shot down?"
Although there are heavy rain barriers, making it difficult for everyone to see the specific battle scene in Zhabei, who can serve as an observer here does not have sufficient war experience?
And then the Japanese warships opened fire on the river, making everyone realize that it was the national army that had the upper hand in Zhabei?
Before everyone could recover from the shock, they saw the two groups of sparks that suddenly exploded in the sky, and the white parachute that was still eye-catching even in the heavy rain.
"Hey!"
"That's awesome, I want to notify the newspaper immediately!"
"So, you shot down the plane?"
"Okay!"
They don't dare to retreat to the hotel to write, otherwise their position will be taken by someone else when they come out again.
In addition to observers from China and Japan, observers from other countries also expressed surprise at this situation.
After all, everyone knows very well that the government’s productivity is low. Coupled with the Japanese's overwhelming public opinion offensive of "Destroy China in three months", almost no one is optimistic about the performance of the government in the coming war.
Soon, a gloomy-looking guy came down from the top floor of the International Hotel together with several errand boys carrying reporters' manuscripts.
Yes, in the eyes of many observers, the only value of the national army this time was to serve as a foil for the Japanese army to demonstrate its military power.
The few Chinese reporters watching the game on the roof were full of excitement. They didn't care about anything else and started writing directly under the umbrella.
First of all, when the gunfire in Zhabei District became unified, everyone understood that the first confrontation there should have come to an end.
The crowd on the Chinese side was very excited, and the faces of several people with Asian faces next to them were not very good-looking.
"Okay, hurry up and inform the intelligence department that the government in the Zhabei area has anti-aircraft firepower, let them be more careful."
"Good news, good news, our army has just shot down two Japanese aircraft!"
However, the development of the battle situation surprised the observers on the rooftop.
"Good news, good news!"
"Did you see it too? Am I not dazzled?"
The errand boys had obviously received orders from the reporters, and they started shouting as soon as they left the door of the International Hotel.
After a while, two Japanese planes were shot down, and the news of the national army's small victory spread throughout Shanghai.
For a time, the people who were originally frightened by the sound of gunfire were instantly inspired.
It turns out that the Japanese are not as powerful as they say.
"Izumo", in the combat command room.
The face of Changgu Qingchuan is as sinking as water.
Long before the observer on the roof of the International Hotel came to deliver the information, he had learned from the ground troops that the two reconnaissance planes had been shot down.
For him, a fleet commander, just two 94 reconnaissance planes were not considered such a big loss at all.
But the problem is that this is the first battle of the Japanese Empire in Shanghai. As the elite naval force of the empire, they failed to perform brilliantly and allowed the enemy to perform well.
This is simply a slap in the face of the Japanese Empire and their Imperial Japanese Navy.
This cannot be tolerated!
"Cable order: Each ship fires freely, within one kilometer in the direction of the Bazi Bridge, the artillery fire covers two rounds."
"Nani?"
After hearing this order, the commander of the seventh detachment, Inoue Narumi, changed his expression, and he immediately said:
"Your Excellency, Commander, there are a large number of residential buildings over there, and they are too close to the British and American concessions. Such a coverage strike is likely to cause accidental damage. Should we let the reconnaissance aircraft fly over first to guide them and then open fire?"
Because there was a firing calibration yesterday, the artillery departments of each ship in the Third Fleet actually have a basic coordinate axis as a reference for shooting directions. However, without aerial reconnaissance guidance, the accuracy of the artillery will drop sharply. .
Of course, if it's just fire coverage, there won't be much of a problem.
Hase Aokawa looked at Inoue Narumi and asked with disdain: "Inoue-kun, do you think I was carried away by anger?"
Inoue Narumi didn't dare to answer.
Hase Qingchuan clicked on the Zhabei area on the map and explained:
"Able to shoot down two reconnaissance planes at once, the national army has at least arranged two anti-aircraft artillery positions here. What does this mean? This shows that either the national government has important military institutions here, or they have a large number of troops concentrated here. area.
By covering artillery fire at this time, we can inflict the most fatal blow to them, and even determine the outcome of this war in one fell swoop! "
After listening to Hase Aokawa's words, everyone in the command room seemed to be suddenly enlightened.
As the saying goes, "air defense and air defense, nine out of ten air defenses." In this era when radar has not yet been applied and aiming can only rely on machine sights, the accuracy of anti-aircraft artillery is very impressive.
Moreover, the aircraft is not a fragile bird, but a relatively solid steel structure. Coupled with the high-lift layout of flat-wing aircraft common these days, even if the aircraft is beaten to pieces, as long as the core functions are not destroyed, , you can still continue to fly in the sky.
This makes the anti-aircraft firepower mostly perform mediocrely when responding to air attacks.
But now, the government was able to shoot down two planes in such a short period of time. This shows that the government must have deployed a very tight air defense firepower network in the Zhabei area.
No one among the top Japanese generals has a clear understanding of the military strength of the national government. There are only so many air defense troops in the national government. They have to guard important locations such as the capital and the airport, and only a handful of troops can be drawn out for battlefield air defense. Numbers must be arranged in the most important place.
But now, there is such a powerful anti-aircraft firepower on the Bazi Bridge.
Hase Qingchuan judged that Zhang Wenbai's headquarters should be in this area!
This Zhang Wenbai was bold, daring to place his command so far forward. (Zhang Wenbai, who has returned to Nanxiang headquarters by car:???)
In Hase Qingchuan's view, these two reconnaissance planes have actually exerted their value. If he can destroy Zhang Wenbai's headquarters in one fell swoop, or even kill Zhang Wenbai, the commander of the national army, then the Songhu War will be a disaster. It will develop in a direction that is extremely beneficial to the Japanese Empire.
"Okay, let's convey the order. If we miss the opportunity and are successfully transferred by Zhang Wenbai, it will be our dereliction of duty!"
"Hey!"
The herald immediately began to issue fire coverage instructions to all ships in the fleet.
Inoue Narumi moved her mouth, but in the end she said nothing.
After a while, after receiving the order, the ships of the Third Fleet adjusted their parameters and began to unleash their firepower crazily in the direction of the Bazi Bridge.
This side of Zhabei.
The people who had just rejoiced for shooting down two planes heard the familiar whistling sound in the sky before they had time to regroup.
"Woji Liliang!"
Commander Qiu, who had just poked his head out of the Japanese bunker to catch his breath, cursed and retreated again.
This time, there was no need for anyone to direct them. The surviving Central Army soldiers ran desperately to the bunkers in order to save their lives in this bombardment.
"Let's move forward!"
Zhou Weiguo, under terrible pressure, observed the impact point of this round of shells and shouted to Zhang Chu who was driving.
They were a little far away from the bunker, and if they approached rashly at this time, they would probably be affected by artillery fire. Zhou Weiguo noticed that the artillery fire was obviously extending to the west, so if he continued to drive eastward, he could avoid the range of the artillery fire.
As for encountering Japanese troops heading east, compared to the bombing zone behind them, the few little Japs blocking the road all the way in front can be said to be kind-hearted.
In the back of the truck, Lu Feng watched as various buildings in the Baziqiao area were reduced to debris by the Japanese artillery fire. Later, the debris was raised high by new explosions and disintegrated into finer powder. .
The whole scene was like the end of the world in a movie.
As a descendant who grew up in a peaceful environment, Lu Feng lacked sufficient knowledge of the power of modern weapons for a long time.
Until he took a trip to the Northeast and was blown up again and again.
But now, this terrifying power was displayed in front of him in a more intuitive way.
This is the firepower coverage of a fleet. Within a radius of one kilometer, there are almost no complete buildings. Everything standing on the ground has been blown to pieces, and the ground has been plowed up over and over again. Fall again.
Exposed to such a blow, almost no human being could survive, not even Lu Feng.
"They regard us as the main force."
Zhou Weiguo's tone was both fearful and a little lucky.
Lu Feng understood what Zhou Weiguo was thankful for. The Japanese army currently in Shanghai was a lone army, and their personnel and supplies were limited.
The more ammunition they waste here now, the more powerless they will be in the rest of the battle.
Thinking of this, Lu Feng, who was originally disturbed by this terrifying scene, felt a little happy in his heart.
He even hoped that the Japanese artillery fire would be more intense, and he believed that Zhou Weiguo thought the same.
At this moment, both Lu Feng and Zhou Weiguo seemed to have forgotten something.
In the bunker of Baziqiao.
Even such a reinforced concrete bunker, which the Japanese spent a lot of money to strengthen, is still like a small boat swaying in the storm when faced with such a dense bombardment of large-caliber naval guns, with the possibility of capsizing at any time.
Commander Qiu looked at the scene outside that was almost like reshaping the world, and his heart was completely numb. He murmured:
"They all say I'm crazy. The Japanese are much crazier than me. Did I stab your emperor in the ass?
After all, you let me stab you and then you treat me like this again? "
(End of this chapter)
French Concession, rooftop of International Hotel.
Seats are full.
As the tallest building in Shanghai currently, this can be said to be the place with the best view overlooking the entire Shanghai Beach. Looking north from the top of the building, you can have a panoramic view of Zhabei.
Therefore, after the fighting at the Eight-character Bridge in Zhabei this morning, a large group of people held up big umbrellas and stood on the roof of the International Hotel in the heavy rain to observe the fighting there.
Among these people, some were reporters from various newspapers, some were simply spectators joining in the fun, and the most numerous were military observers sent by various forces.
There is no way to demonstrate a country's strength more intuitively than war.
For military representatives from various countries, this war is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for them to find out the military strength of Japan, an Eastern power.
At the same time, they also wanted to see how the German weapon masters in the government who had been trained by the Germans for a period of time would perform in such a war.
This can also indirectly reflect the military level of the Germans.
It seems that the performance of the national army is not bad?
"Baga, what are the people in the Navy doing? They also asked us to help them film heroic battle scenes. How should I film it? How did their plane get shot down?"
Although there are heavy rain barriers, making it difficult for everyone to see the specific battle scene in Zhabei, who can serve as an observer here does not have sufficient war experience?
And then the Japanese warships opened fire on the river, making everyone realize that it was the national army that had the upper hand in Zhabei?
Before everyone could recover from the shock, they saw the two groups of sparks that suddenly exploded in the sky, and the white parachute that was still eye-catching even in the heavy rain.
"Hey!"
"That's awesome, I want to notify the newspaper immediately!"
"So, you shot down the plane?"
"Okay!"
They don't dare to retreat to the hotel to write, otherwise their position will be taken by someone else when they come out again.
In addition to observers from China and Japan, observers from other countries also expressed surprise at this situation.
After all, everyone knows very well that the government’s productivity is low. Coupled with the Japanese's overwhelming public opinion offensive of "Destroy China in three months", almost no one is optimistic about the performance of the government in the coming war.
Soon, a gloomy-looking guy came down from the top floor of the International Hotel together with several errand boys carrying reporters' manuscripts.
Yes, in the eyes of many observers, the only value of the national army this time was to serve as a foil for the Japanese army to demonstrate its military power.
The few Chinese reporters watching the game on the roof were full of excitement. They didn't care about anything else and started writing directly under the umbrella.
First of all, when the gunfire in Zhabei District became unified, everyone understood that the first confrontation there should have come to an end.
The crowd on the Chinese side was very excited, and the faces of several people with Asian faces next to them were not very good-looking.
"Okay, hurry up and inform the intelligence department that the government in the Zhabei area has anti-aircraft firepower, let them be more careful."
"Good news, good news, our army has just shot down two Japanese aircraft!"
However, the development of the battle situation surprised the observers on the rooftop.
"Good news, good news!"
"Did you see it too? Am I not dazzled?"
The errand boys had obviously received orders from the reporters, and they started shouting as soon as they left the door of the International Hotel.
After a while, two Japanese planes were shot down, and the news of the national army's small victory spread throughout Shanghai.
For a time, the people who were originally frightened by the sound of gunfire were instantly inspired.
It turns out that the Japanese are not as powerful as they say.
"Izumo", in the combat command room.
The face of Changgu Qingchuan is as sinking as water.
Long before the observer on the roof of the International Hotel came to deliver the information, he had learned from the ground troops that the two reconnaissance planes had been shot down.
For him, a fleet commander, just two 94 reconnaissance planes were not considered such a big loss at all.
But the problem is that this is the first battle of the Japanese Empire in Shanghai. As the elite naval force of the empire, they failed to perform brilliantly and allowed the enemy to perform well.
This is simply a slap in the face of the Japanese Empire and their Imperial Japanese Navy.
This cannot be tolerated!
"Cable order: Each ship fires freely, within one kilometer in the direction of the Bazi Bridge, the artillery fire covers two rounds."
"Nani?"
After hearing this order, the commander of the seventh detachment, Inoue Narumi, changed his expression, and he immediately said:
"Your Excellency, Commander, there are a large number of residential buildings over there, and they are too close to the British and American concessions. Such a coverage strike is likely to cause accidental damage. Should we let the reconnaissance aircraft fly over first to guide them and then open fire?"
Because there was a firing calibration yesterday, the artillery departments of each ship in the Third Fleet actually have a basic coordinate axis as a reference for shooting directions. However, without aerial reconnaissance guidance, the accuracy of the artillery will drop sharply. .
Of course, if it's just fire coverage, there won't be much of a problem.
Hase Aokawa looked at Inoue Narumi and asked with disdain: "Inoue-kun, do you think I was carried away by anger?"
Inoue Narumi didn't dare to answer.
Hase Qingchuan clicked on the Zhabei area on the map and explained:
"Able to shoot down two reconnaissance planes at once, the national army has at least arranged two anti-aircraft artillery positions here. What does this mean? This shows that either the national government has important military institutions here, or they have a large number of troops concentrated here. area.
By covering artillery fire at this time, we can inflict the most fatal blow to them, and even determine the outcome of this war in one fell swoop! "
After listening to Hase Aokawa's words, everyone in the command room seemed to be suddenly enlightened.
As the saying goes, "air defense and air defense, nine out of ten air defenses." In this era when radar has not yet been applied and aiming can only rely on machine sights, the accuracy of anti-aircraft artillery is very impressive.
Moreover, the aircraft is not a fragile bird, but a relatively solid steel structure. Coupled with the high-lift layout of flat-wing aircraft common these days, even if the aircraft is beaten to pieces, as long as the core functions are not destroyed, , you can still continue to fly in the sky.
This makes the anti-aircraft firepower mostly perform mediocrely when responding to air attacks.
But now, the government was able to shoot down two planes in such a short period of time. This shows that the government must have deployed a very tight air defense firepower network in the Zhabei area.
No one among the top Japanese generals has a clear understanding of the military strength of the national government. There are only so many air defense troops in the national government. They have to guard important locations such as the capital and the airport, and only a handful of troops can be drawn out for battlefield air defense. Numbers must be arranged in the most important place.
But now, there is such a powerful anti-aircraft firepower on the Bazi Bridge.
Hase Qingchuan judged that Zhang Wenbai's headquarters should be in this area!
This Zhang Wenbai was bold, daring to place his command so far forward. (Zhang Wenbai, who has returned to Nanxiang headquarters by car:???)
In Hase Qingchuan's view, these two reconnaissance planes have actually exerted their value. If he can destroy Zhang Wenbai's headquarters in one fell swoop, or even kill Zhang Wenbai, the commander of the national army, then the Songhu War will be a disaster. It will develop in a direction that is extremely beneficial to the Japanese Empire.
"Okay, let's convey the order. If we miss the opportunity and are successfully transferred by Zhang Wenbai, it will be our dereliction of duty!"
"Hey!"
The herald immediately began to issue fire coverage instructions to all ships in the fleet.
Inoue Narumi moved her mouth, but in the end she said nothing.
After a while, after receiving the order, the ships of the Third Fleet adjusted their parameters and began to unleash their firepower crazily in the direction of the Bazi Bridge.
This side of Zhabei.
The people who had just rejoiced for shooting down two planes heard the familiar whistling sound in the sky before they had time to regroup.
"Woji Liliang!"
Commander Qiu, who had just poked his head out of the Japanese bunker to catch his breath, cursed and retreated again.
This time, there was no need for anyone to direct them. The surviving Central Army soldiers ran desperately to the bunkers in order to save their lives in this bombardment.
"Let's move forward!"
Zhou Weiguo, under terrible pressure, observed the impact point of this round of shells and shouted to Zhang Chu who was driving.
They were a little far away from the bunker, and if they approached rashly at this time, they would probably be affected by artillery fire. Zhou Weiguo noticed that the artillery fire was obviously extending to the west, so if he continued to drive eastward, he could avoid the range of the artillery fire.
As for encountering Japanese troops heading east, compared to the bombing zone behind them, the few little Japs blocking the road all the way in front can be said to be kind-hearted.
In the back of the truck, Lu Feng watched as various buildings in the Baziqiao area were reduced to debris by the Japanese artillery fire. Later, the debris was raised high by new explosions and disintegrated into finer powder. .
The whole scene was like the end of the world in a movie.
As a descendant who grew up in a peaceful environment, Lu Feng lacked sufficient knowledge of the power of modern weapons for a long time.
Until he took a trip to the Northeast and was blown up again and again.
But now, this terrifying power was displayed in front of him in a more intuitive way.
This is the firepower coverage of a fleet. Within a radius of one kilometer, there are almost no complete buildings. Everything standing on the ground has been blown to pieces, and the ground has been plowed up over and over again. Fall again.
Exposed to such a blow, almost no human being could survive, not even Lu Feng.
"They regard us as the main force."
Zhou Weiguo's tone was both fearful and a little lucky.
Lu Feng understood what Zhou Weiguo was thankful for. The Japanese army currently in Shanghai was a lone army, and their personnel and supplies were limited.
The more ammunition they waste here now, the more powerless they will be in the rest of the battle.
Thinking of this, Lu Feng, who was originally disturbed by this terrifying scene, felt a little happy in his heart.
He even hoped that the Japanese artillery fire would be more intense, and he believed that Zhou Weiguo thought the same.
At this moment, both Lu Feng and Zhou Weiguo seemed to have forgotten something.
In the bunker of Baziqiao.
Even such a reinforced concrete bunker, which the Japanese spent a lot of money to strengthen, is still like a small boat swaying in the storm when faced with such a dense bombardment of large-caliber naval guns, with the possibility of capsizing at any time.
Commander Qiu looked at the scene outside that was almost like reshaping the world, and his heart was completely numb. He murmured:
"They all say I'm crazy. The Japanese are much crazier than me. Did I stab your emperor in the ass?
After all, you let me stab you and then you treat me like this again? "
(End of this chapter)
