June 2, 1941, Wuchang, the anchorage of the Yangtze River Fleet of the Navy
When the government decided to return the capital to Wuhan, the naval fleet immediately moved eastward to the Wuhan area, repaired the coastal defense fortresses, sorted out the dock facilities that the Japanese army had not taken away or destroyed, deployed mine defense lines, controlled the passing ships, and eliminated those who were still active. The water bandits hardly stop for a day.
It's just that there is really no complaint at all for the navy. In the past few years, the navy has been a laughing stock in the eyes of the Chinese people. No one is willing to pay attention to them. There is not much they can do in the face of the iron hoof of the invaders. It is really So tight.
During the Battle of Eastern Sichuan, the navy was indeed prepared for the annihilation of the entire army. Even Commander Chen and the clerks of the headquarters have boarded the warship. Naturally, there are many "elites" here who are unwilling. So I'm sorry, I have you when I eat beef and drink red wine, but how can I miss you when I go to battle? As a result, Commander Chen directly stuffed these people into the bottom warehouse of the "Ding'an", and finally died with the warship, which was considered worthy of the military uniforms they wore.
Regardless of the fact that most of the original warships of the Navy are in urgent need of repair, they can still run away at least. With the fifty 1125 patrol boats purchased from special channels, they can always control the waters from Wuhan to Jiujiang. After all, their The opponents haven't gone anywhere yet. The Japanese Army's shallow-water ships have lost many people in the past period, and the Japanese Navy has suffered similar losses. The Navy Ministry does not want to waste precious warships on the Chinese battlefield, and refuses to continue to support the Chinese fleet. Supported some of the technical workers of Lieutenant General Shitaro Shimada, encouraged him to repair the shipbuilding equipment in Jinling and Magic City, and then build small warships himself. After all, if you want to control the Yangtze River, you really don't need a large warship.
In fact, the view of the Japanese Navy is actually correct. As for the remaining warships of the Chinese Navy, the Chu Qian and Chu Guan were seriously injured and could barely be driven out. The boiler power was lost. It was a heavy loss, and one of the 4.7-inch main guns on the warship was also lost, and the remaining ones did not have barrels. It is estimated that the life of the barrels is almost the same. Of course, even new barrels are useless, because they were imported from Japan back then. There are only a few artillery shells purchased. What combat effectiveness can such a warship have?
The larger warship is the Yongsui, a 600-ton shallow-water gunboat built by Jiangnan Factory. That thing really can't get into the eyes of the combined fleet, isn't it just a larger gunboat? There is no need for shelling. A larger destroyer will probably sink if hit. The reason why the Yongsui has not been sunk until now is largely because this ship was once a ship of the highest authority. The Japanese Navy wanted to capture it. This warship.
The Chinese Navy can also make some small gunboats by itself, but due to the lack of raw materials and equipment, it can only build wooden-hulled steam patrol boats of about 50 tons. These things are not enough to deal with water bandits, let alone the enemy. Fighting.
But just when everyone in the navy had given up hope in acquiring new warships, news came from Li Yunlong: one cruiser, two destroyers, one hundred G-5 torpedo boats, fifty 0.3-meter inland river patrol boats, and one The displacement of more than 10,000 tons is equivalent to doubling the displacement of the Chinese Navy in one fell swoop.
As for the models of warships, if they are not advanced or anything, then what does it matter? Aren’t the most advanced warships in their hands also the river warships ordered by the former Qing Dynasty from Japan? The technical level is similar to that of the old Beiyang warships, so as long as this warship can still be driven, it should be much better than theirs.
Sure enough, after seeing these warships in a river bend near Wuchang, the navy officers and soldiers' eyes lit up. An old cruiser of 7,000 tons and two high-speed destroyers of 2,000 tons (we assume that cultural relics can be sold) ), a hundred brand-new torpedo boats whose paint has not even dried out, and the ultra-light motor patrol boats with a draft of only 0.3 meters.
But with this warship, the problem arises again, that is, "not enough people." Just one cruiser and two destroyers require more than 1,100 officers and men, and 100 torpedo boats require almost a thousand officers and men. But after repeated losses, the Navy Where do you still have so many officers and soldiers?
But if there are no conditions, we must create conditions. All qualified cadets of the naval academy will graduate early, and all the officers and soldiers who are idle at home will be recalled, regardless of whether they are from the Northeast, Fujian or Guangdong. Even the Beiyang who are still strong and strong The veterans of the Navy were also cleared back. Then, several injured warships were immediately put into dock for repairs, and all naval officers and soldiers were transferred to the new department.
New warships cannot be mastered in a day or two. After all, the navy is the most complex of all services. But forming combat effectiveness and being able to launch are two different things, so after a few days of preliminary exercises, the Navy couldn't wait to bring out all the warships in its hands, and conducted a drill in Wuhan waters. Although it was not deliberately publicized, it still caused a stir A huge sensation. The Chinese Navy has never had a warship of about 7,000 tons since the Sino-Japanese War. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the navy almost disappeared from the public's sight. Suddenly, we saw such a large number of warships with "combat power". How can the citizens not be excited about the "tyrannical" navy?
However, the Navy also caused a lot of trouble after acquiring these warships. On the day when reporters disclosed the photos of the cruiser, the alliance ambassador went to the highest authorities to block the door and strongly demanded that the highest authorities explain that the ship was named "Zhongshan" The origin of the cruiser, because the alliance is 100% certain that only three Parada-class protected cruisers were built. The first ship Parada was sunk during the Russo-Japanese War, the No. 2 ship was dismantled in 1922, and the three The ship is the famous "Aurora", which is like a spiritual totem for the entire alliance.
What does it mean when such a warship suddenly appears in the battle sequence of the Chinese Navy? I can't even explain it clearly, okay? Moreover, even if this matter can be fooled, what if the warship is sunk? What would the people of the Alliance think, and what would foreign powers think? Will it affect their rule? Will it affect the international image of the league?
As soon as the alliance ambassador learned about this incident, he opened the drawer of his desk to confirm whether the pistol inside was still there. If Moscow wanted to recall him because of the failure of negotiations, he wanted to kill him with a single shot. , being sent to the Counterrevolutionary Suppression Committee would result in the death of his family.
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