dhibooks Chapter 224 When facing a staged accident, don't act recklessly.
Chapter 224 When facing a staged accident, don't act recklessly.
Submarine captain?
Heinrich said it.
Who has he praised?
The room fell silent.
The young crew members straightened their backs.
In the northern Taiwan Strait, the flagship of the Japanese fleet, the Iwami.
This is an old-fashioned armored cruiser.
The ship is not new.
The steel plate has old, mottled paint.
But with its tonnage and turret there, from a distance it still looks like a moving iron city.
In the flagship conference room, Major General Shinichi Terauchi looked at two reports, his face as gloomy as the sea before a storm.
The first document was a naval battle report brought back by two damaged destroyers.
Chinese cruiser.
Submarine torpedoes.
Water pressure.
Radio warning.
The second document was a brief report on the chaos following the takeover of the Xiamen consulate.
The underground radio station was exposed.
Unpacking of the arms depot.
British and American observers signed as witnesses.
The Qingchao slogan may have been leaked.
Terauchi Shinichi slammed the report onto the table.
"When did the Chinese learn to fight like this?"
No one in the meeting room dared to speak.
Major Watanabe stood to the side, his face equally grim.
He had learned his lesson on the second destroyer.
The sound of the stern being torn apart by torpedoes still echoes in my ears.
Terauchi Shinichi said coldly, "They're not buying a boat to put on a show."
"They are controlling the battlefield."
"Cruisers control the surface, submarines control fear, and newspapers control public opinion and discourse."
As he said this, his jaw clenched.
"Those idiots in Xiamen even let the Chinese open their boxes and register their dignity."
Major Watanabe lowered his head.
"Commander, we must immediately move towards the waters off Xiamen. If we do not demonstrate our naval power, consular documents, arms inventory lists, and frequency catalogs will become weapons of public opinion in China."
Terauchi Shinichi: "What should we say to outsiders?"
"Protect overseas Chinese."
Major Watanabe answered quickly.
"To safeguard the safety of international merchant shipping routes."
Shinichi Terauchi gave a cold laugh.
"It sounds nice."
"What about internally?"
Major Watanabe looked up.
"Force Chen Jiajun to return the consulate documents, release the detained personnel, and stop the investigation of the Imperial expatriate business community."
Shinichi looked up at the sea from the temple.
Where is the Zhen Dong?
The staff officer immediately stepped forward.
"According to the report of the damaged ship, the Chinese cruiser should still be in the waters off the mouth of the Minjiang River."
Shinichi Terauchi stared at the sea chart.
"If it's still there, overwhelm it with the fleet."
"What if it retreats?"
Major Watanabe asked.
Shinichi Terauchi remained silent for a moment.
He meant to say that the Chinese people dared not back down.
But those reports were right there.
The Chinese dared to ram, launch torpedoes, and fire cannons, yet they also dared not to sink the damaged ships.
Such a person may not follow the Imperial Naval Academy's expectations.
He said slowly, "Then force them out."
"What should we use?"
Shinichi Terauchi pointed to the merchant shipping route.
"channel."
Zhen Dong, radio room.
The cabin was not large.
The telegraph key crackled and popped.
Shen Li bent down and stood behind a radio operator, looking at the symbols on the copy paper.
The telegraph operator next to him had bloodshot eyes from exhaustion.
"Young Marshal!"
Shen Li grabbed a piece of paper and strode back to the bridge.
"The frequency register transferred from Xiamen matches."
Chen Zijun accepted it.
There were only a few deciphered fragments on the paper.
Green tide.
convoy.
Merchant shipping routes.
Dangerous maneuvering.
public opinion.
There is no complete sentence.
But that's enough to convey the meaning.
After reading it, Chen Zijun suddenly laughed.
Lin Chengzhang frowned.
"Young Marshal?"
Chen Zijun placed the note on the nautical chart.
"The Japanese didn't come here simply for revenge."
"They're trying to stage an accident."
Lin Chengzhang didn't understand the word.
Shen Li, having spent a long time with Chen Zijun, had a vague idea of what was going on.
"Does the young marshal mean they're deliberately getting close to the merchant shipping lanes to force us to fire first?"
"almost."
Chen Zijun looked at the shipping routes on the nautical chart.
"They headed north under the guise of protecting overseas Chinese and maintaining shipping lanes. If the Zhen Dong rushed to meet them and raised its guns, they could shout to newspapers around the world that Chinese warships were threatening international merchant ships."
He pointed his finger at the area densely populated with merchant ships.
"If they allow their warships to maneuver dangerously near merchant ships again, or deliberately send an auxiliary vessel to skim the edge, they will have something to say if we open fire."
Isn't this just a Republic of China version of a staged accident at sea?
The front of the car is practically under your wheels, and you still lie on the ground and yell that you hit someone.
It's truly a family heirloom craft.
Lin Chengzhang's face darkened.
"mean!"
Hans shook his head.
"Not despicable. There are many such methods in naval history."
He spoke calmly.
"They just didn't expect that the young marshal would get the frequency book first."
Shen Li asked, "Young Marshal, should we immediately release the remaining codes for the Azure Tide?"
"No rush."
Chen Zijun said, "Send two sets of telegrams first."
Shen Li spread out the paper.
"The first set will be given to merchant ships from various countries."
Chen Zijun stated, "A large Japanese warship formation is heading north towards Xiamen and the Minjiang River estuary in the Taiwan Strait, and may be conducting dangerous military maneuvers. Merchant ships from all countries are advised to avoid the relevant waters. Chen's Army is willing to provide safe route suggestions."
Shen Li's pen flew across the paper.
"The second set?"
"Give it to the newspaper."
Chen Zijun's voice was steady.
"The call sign 'Qingchao' recorded in the backup frequency register of the underground radio station of the Japanese Consulate in Xiamen has been corroborated by the communications of the Japanese fleet in the Taiwan Strait. The Fujian Provincial Government will continue to release evidence to protect the safety of ordinary overseas Chinese and international trade routes."
Shen Li looked up.
"Young Marshal, shouldn't we expose their actions in causing the navigation accident?"
"If we expose them now, they'll change their tactics."
Chen Zijun said, "First, let the merchant ships avoid us, let the reporters keep an eye on us, and let the Japanese fleet think that we haven't fully understood yet."
Lin Chengzhang understood.
"Let them into the evidence?"
Chen Zijun glanced at him.
"right."
"Let them put their feet into the clamps themselves."
The sea breeze made the flag ropes flap loudly in the Zhen Dong extra edition.
The navigator relayed the report.
"Young Marshal, if we retreat half a leg of the journey according to the new course, the Zhen Dong will be separated from the edge of the area that the main Japanese search force may be searching."
Lin Chengzhang closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, he had regained his captain's cold and hard demeanor.
"Left-hand drive, number five."
"Keep the twelve sections."
"All gun positions are on alert and are not allowed to point them at merchant shipping lanes without authorization."
The messenger repeated the order aloud.
"Port five swerve, maintain twelve knots, all gun positions on alert, no unauthorized pointing at merchant shipping lanes!"
The veteran sailors at the gun emplacements were somewhat unwilling to accept this.
But a command is a command.
The bow of the Zhen Dong ship slowly curved out an arc.
On the grey-blue sea, the warship that had just fired the first round of main gun fire at the Chinese cruiser did not continue its charge toward the Taiwan Strait.
It retreated half a segment of the journey.
They retreated without panic.
It retreated like a knife, then hid it back in its sleeve.
The bridge of the Iwami flagship in the northern Taiwan Strait.
The staff officer rushed in.
"Commander, we cannot detect any radio echoes from the original location of the Zhen Dong."
Shinichi Terauchi turned around.
"What do you mean?"
"The Chinese cruiser may have changed course."
Major Watanabe's expression changed.
"It's been cancelled?"
The staff officer hesitated.
"It's not like a retreat. It's more like... leaving our pre-set line of pressure."
Shinichi Terauchi's fingers slowly tightened.
He threw a punch.
There was no one in the air.
This is more unpleasant than the other party coming at you head-on.
If the Zhen Dong rushes up, he can use the old armored cruiser and two light cruisers to create pressure.
If the Chinese fire their cannons, they will make full use of the international shipping lanes.
If the Chinese don't fire, they'll force them to retreat and lose face.
But now, the Zhen Dong is not in the expected position.
The submarine is nowhere to be found.
The frequency registers from Xiamen are still being held by Chinese people.
Even merchant shipping routes have begun to receive explicit warnings from Chen's army.
The staff officer handed over another telegram.
Merchant ships from various countries began to swerve to avoid them.
"Two British merchant cargo ships inquired about safe routes from Chen Jiajun."
The conference room was deathly silent.
Major Watanabe said in a low voice, "They told the merchant ships about the route we need to take."
Terauchi Shin's eye twitched slightly.
He finally realized that Chen Zijun wasn't afraid to fight.
It's about not giving him the playing style he wants.
Bridge of the Zhen Dong ship.
Night fell.
The chart light came on, casting a warm yellow glow on Chen Zijun's face.
Shen Li handed over the last deciphered note.
"Young Marshal, another fragment of the Qingchao code has appeared."
Chen Zijun accepted it.
This time, there are more words.
Under the guise of protecting overseas Chinese.
Approaching the shipping lane.
This provoked a Chinese artillery barrage.
Panic in the manufacturing of merchant ships.
To file complaints with foreign parties.
Shen Li's voice was cold.
"Young Marshal, Qingchao is not an attack order."
"It's an order to cause a navigational accident."
Lin Chengzhang slammed his fist heavily on the edge of the chart table.
Boom!
"Using merchant ships as a shield?"
Hans said in a low voice, "They're using the expatriate community as an excuse too."
Chen Zijun looked at the paper.
All the boxes in the Xiamen concession have been opened.
The crates at sea were also starting to crack.
The Japanese wanted to turn the waterway into a stage.
They want warships, merchant ships, newspapers, and consulates to put on a show of "Chinese people threatening maritime trade."
They're quite shrewd with their calculations.
pity.
He hates it when people stage accidents to extort money.
Especially at sea.
Chen Zijun put the note back on the table.
"Shen Li."
"exist."
"Seal the remaining code of Qingchao and send a copy to Shanghai."
Shen Li was taken aback.
"Miss Mo, you want some too?"
"want."
Chen Zijun looked at the merchant shipping routes on the nautical chart.
"The Japanese want to use the shipping routes to scare merchants."
"Then let Mo Huixin prepare the accounts."
"Tell her that it's time to start preparing for the Haiphong government bonds."
Shen Li immediately understood.
Japan used its fleet to block the shipping lanes.
Chen Jiajun used evidence to stabilize the waterway.
When the merchants realized that it was Chen's army that was truly protecting the trade routes, the coastal defense bonds were no longer just a loan.
It's about buying peace of mind.
Lin Chengzhang looked up.
"Young Marshal, what's next with the Zhen Dong?"
Chen Zijun said, "Keep it visible."
"Don't fall into their trap."
"And let them not forget that we have cannons."
He raised his hand and pointed towards the Taiwan Strait.
"The submarine is listening for sounds."
"The shore guns are loaded."
"Watching a play at the newspaper office."
Merchant ships should avoid the area.
Chen Zijun looked up, his voice very soft.
"They're trying to stage an accident."
"Then let them know that even if they try to stage an accident, they have to pick the right car."