The national army was counting the things that caused the fire in Sihang Warehouse, and the Japanese were not idle either.
After Yoshida Yasuda took office as the acting commander of the Special Marine Corps, he immediately drove to the Bank of Communications warehouse and held a combat meeting at the headquarters on the third floor.
The 2nd Infantry Battalion of the Shanghai Special Marine Corps also withdrew from Guangzhao Villa.
Because across the Suzhou River from Guangzhao Villa is Zhenru County, which is no longer part of the urban area.
According to the previous agreement, the Japanese Marine Corps was only responsible for operations in SH urban area.
Therefore, after clearing out the remnants of the national army on the front line of Guangzhao Villa, the Navy only had the Sihang Warehouse as a target, and could put more troops and most of the heavy equipment into the Sihang Warehouse.
The heavy equipment of the Shanghai Special Marine Corps includes more than 30 flat-fire guns, rapid-fire guns and more than 20 tanks.
However, 10 of the Type 95 Doudin tanks have been destroyed by the Chinese army in the battle this morning, so now there is only one and a half tank squadrons and 18 Type 95 Doudin tanks.
In addition, there was support from more than ten ships such as the Izumo and the Kinu, which were towing on the Huangpu River.
The straight-line distance from Sihang Warehouse to the Huangpu River is less than three thousand meters, which is a piece of cake for naval guns.
However, on the issue of whether to use naval gunfire, several detachment captains and more than a dozen captains participating in the meeting had serious differences.
There have always been many conflicts between the Japanese Army and the Japanese Navy.
The navy is not monolithic, divided into two factions: the treaty faction and the fleet faction.
The treaty faction advocates abiding by the Washington Naval Treaty and should not challenge the West rashly.
The Fleet faction advocated breaking through the Washington Naval Treaty and making every effort to expand the naval fleet.
Ever since Fushimi Miyahirokyō succeeded Taniguchi Naozhen as the Chief of Naval Command, the navy's top treaty generals have been purged on a large scale and replaced by all senior generals from the fleet.
However, there are still a large number of treaty officers at the rank of lieutenants and lieutenants.
Among the officers of the Shanghai Special Marine Corps, the number of treaty factions even exceeded that of the fleet faction.
The officers of the treaty faction believed that the Japanese navy was not ready yet, so they should not rush to use force against the concession.
However, the officers sent by the fleet believed that they should not worry too much, but should resolutely use naval gunfire to completely destroy the Sihang Warehouse and end this shameful battle as soon as possible.
The officers of the two factions were furious with each other, and the sound of rattling could not be heard without stopping.
As the acting commander, Yasuda Yoshida firmly took the lead and was not in a hurry to express his attitude.
Yoshida Yasuda is waiting for the outcome of Okamoto's negotiations with the Concession Industry Bureau.
However, what awaited in the end was not good news. Although the Concession Industry Bureau issued an ultimatum to the Nationalist Government, the Nationalist Government also sent senior officials to the Sihang Warehouse to prepare for the execution of the national army commander at the Sihang Warehouse and ordered him to defend the Sihang Warehouse. The small national army unit in the warehouse surrendered to the merchant group of all nations, but in the end, this attempt came to nothing.
The senior government officials sent to the Sixing Warehouse were actually driven back to the concession by the angry national army.
Now there is no other way but to try to solve the problem by force again.
At that moment, Yoshida Yasuda stood up and shouted: "That's enough, shut up!"
The detachment captains and brigade captains who attended the meeting all fell silent and turned their attention to Yasuda Yoshida.
Yoshida Yasuda paused, and then said: "It is true that the Sihang Warehouse can be easily destroyed by using naval gunfire or aerial bombs, but the risk is too great. If the artillery shell or aerial bomb accidentally lands on the southeast side of the Sihang Warehouse, The running fire factory and the entire public concession will be reduced to rubble, and the Japanese concession will not be spared."
The so-called Japanese concession actually refers to the northern and eastern areas of the concession.
The faces of the fleet officers could not help but show disappointment.
Yasuda Yoshida changed the topic and said: "However, the Imperial Navy does not need to worry too much about the reaction of the West. The risks of naval guns, aerial bombs or large-caliber howitzers are too great, but the use of 37mm caliber rapid-fire cannons, flat-fire cannons and tanks It is possible to fire at the Sihang Warehouse from both the east and north directions at the same time."
The officers sent by the fleet immediately became energetic after hearing this.
Yasuda Yoshida added: "Give me the order to mobilize all the rapid-fire guns, flat-fire guns and tank guns, and fire at the west and north walls of the Sihang Warehouse. It will take me a day and night to fire the north and west walls of the Sihang Warehouse." The wall is like a sieve, but I want to see how one platoon of Chinese troops can defend the four-row warehouse with air leakage from all sides?"
…
On the rooftop of the Bank of China building.
The unusual movements of the Japanese army quickly attracted the attention of military observers and war reporters from various countries.
"Wow, look, the Japanese army is building artillery positions in the ruins on the west and north sides of the Sixing Warehouse. It seems they plan to fire from both directions of the west wall and the north wall at the same time."
"Oh my god, how many artillery pieces did the Japanese army mobilize?"
"I just counted, there are at least thirty doors."
"They are all 37mm caliber flat-fire cannons and rapid-fire cannons."
"Not only that, there are more than ten Type 95 Douding tanks, and these are more than ten 37mm caliber tank cannons."
"The Japanese army finally woke up and knew that Guangfu Road was too narrow to deploy their troops, so they thought of opening more gaps in the west and north walls of Sihang Warehouse to open more attack channels."
"Now, the national army in Sihang Warehouse really can't hold on anymore."
…
It is impossible for the national army in Sihang Warehouse not to know about such a big movement from the Japanese.
Yan Yan, Yang Deyu and others immediately came to the north observation post on the fifth floor.
The view from the rooftop is better, but going to the rooftop in broad daylight means lighting a lantern in a latrine - looking for shit.
When the 1st Battalion of the 524th Regiment first entered the Sixing Warehouse, in addition to setting up observation posts on the rooftop, multiple observation holes were opened and observation posts were set up on the west, north and east walls of the fifth floor.
The field of view of the observation post is narrow, and the child soldiers instinctively want to look out.
"Little Huangpao, are you looking for death?" Yang Deyu quickly pulled the child soldier back.
It was daytime now, and anyone who probed would be easily shot by a Japanese sniper.
But as long as they don't stick their heads out, the Japanese snipers hiding in the ruins outside will not be able to see the figures of the national troops inside the observation post, and they will not be able to complete the sniper kill.
Through the narrow observation post, the Japanese could still be seen building artillery positions.
Yang Deyu, Wu Jie, Zhu Shengzhong and other officers were immediately panicked.
"You may have shot yourself in the foot now."
"We should not have built flanking firepower in the south direction in the first place."
"If we hadn't built southward flanking firepower, if the artillery shells hadn't landed on the south bank of the Suzhou River and injured the patrol police in the concession, the Japanese wouldn't have dared to build artillery positions outside the north wall."
"Old Yan, didn't you say you could suppress the Japanese artillery tanks?"
Frankly speaking, Yang Deyu did not believe that Yan Yan could really suppress the Japanese artillery and tanks with a rifle, but now he could only act as a doctor.
Yan Yan waved his hand and said, "Not now."
"Not now?" Yang Deyu asked anxiously, "Then when will we have to wait?"
Yan Yan took out his Huawei mate60pro phone and checked the time, and then said: "It will be dark in two hours, and then it will be my world. I will kill all the Japanese flat-fire cannons and rapid-fire cannons in the ruins to the north, and Don’t even think about keeping any of the Japanese flat-fire cannons and rapid-fire cannons outside the Western Wall!”
"Wait until it gets dark?" Wu Jie said with a dark face, "By the time it gets dark, the north and west walls of the Sihang Warehouse have been beaten into sieves, and the Japanese have climbed into the warehouse through the gaps in the west and north walls. By that time, It’s all over.”
"That won't happen." Yan Yan shook his head and said, "The first floor of Sihang Warehouse is a stone wall more than one meter thick. The Japanese's 37mm flat-fire cannon may not be able to penetrate it even if it fires for half a month. The second and third floors of the brick-concrete wall It is also more than half a meter thick, which is enough for the Japanese flat-fire cannons and rapid-fire cannons to fire for several days and nights. Haven't the Japanese already verified it in the battles in the past few days?"
As far as he knew, the armor penetration thickness of the Japanese 37mm caliber flat-fire gun within 500 meters was 40mm.
According to the ratio of 1mm steel plate to 8mm concrete wall, the Japanese's 37mm rapid-fire cannon or flat-fire cannon can penetrate a 320mm thick concrete wall.
The brick-concrete walls on the second and third floors of Sihang Warehouse are more than half a meter thick and can withstand them for a long time.
However, the thickness of the brick-concrete walls on the fourth and fifth floors is less than 400mm. Although a single artillery shell cannot penetrate it, the continuous shelling will not last long.
Yang Deyu also thought of this and said, "What about the fourth and fifth floors?"
Yan Yan said: "It is true that the brick walls on the fourth and fifth floors cannot hold up for long, but the height of these two floors is high enough. Even if a gap is opened by the Japanese, it will be difficult for the Japanese to launch an attack from such a high gap."
"What if?" Wu Jie asked, "What if the Japanese attack from the gap on the fourth and fifth floors?"
Yan Yan smiled and said, "Don't worry about that. I have prepared a big gift for the Japanese in advance. If they come, I will treat them to a barbecue."
