Chapter Fifteen En Route

  "Dear, why don't you take the 'Jinghu Special Express' to Shanghai in just a few days?"

  "Ha! Don't forget, High Official! My current identity is your secretary and bodyguard! I'll be following you at all times!"

  "Hehehe!" Taking advantage of the moment, he gave Yunyan a quick peck on the cheek and received a light punch in return.

  Although there was a discordant "What if I didn't exist?" we still started our car trip from Nanjing to Shanghai with Zhang Zhizhong and his group of officers in high spirits. The one who dared to make the discordant sound was my third sister, or rather, she found a professional bodyguard for Yuyan, a woman, who was indeed a woman, but just a bit bigger (more than 10 cm taller than me, at 1.7 meters), with darker skin (she had just come from the engineering troops and could be ranked in the top three), and stronger (one of her hands was stronger than both of mine). As a result, the front row of the car was occupied by Xiao Ma and Lijiang Big Sister (who wasn't actually big, but had a high "martial arts value" that could take down the three of us with one hand, becoming the leader under Yuyan's protection), making our total entourage finally reach half a class.

  In real history, Zhang Zhizhong was indeed ordered to lead a group of officers in the name of camping and other activities in various parts of Jiangnan on the eve of the Anti-Japanese War, preparing for the command level work for the upcoming war; this command organ is the predecessor of the 9th Group Army Headquarters that commanded the Battle of Shanghai at the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War.

  After a day of traveling by car, Zhang Zhong led us silently to see groups of workers building permanent fortifications and some already-built reinforced concrete bunkers. Finally, he asked: "Zi Anxian Di, how is the Xicheng Line?"

  "Mr. Wen Bai, forgive me for speaking bluntly, but I'm afraid this level of fortification can only be considered child's play in the face of large-scale Sino-Japanese warfare and cannot withstand the attack of the Japanese army's heavy troops. If it were up to me, I would rather use these massive funds to equip our military with several thousand 60mm mortars and a munitions factory. In wartime, as long as we have three days' advance notice, our defensive forces can build field fortifications that will achieve 70-80% defensive effectiveness."

  Looking at the pale face of the engineer officer beside him, Zhang Zhizhong asked gloomily: "Younger brother, what do you think is the way to build an impregnable fortification?"

  "How to build reinforced concrete fortifications, I think the engineering troops have already successfully performed in Jiangyin Fortress, no need to add anything. I smiled at the engineers and eased the atmosphere a bit, "And how much funds and materials are needed to build the Xicheng Line according to the standard of Jiangyin Fortress? Don't mention military expenses, it's probably far beyond national power?"

  "What is your advice at this stage, younger brother?"

  "If it cannot be built to the standard of Jiangyin Fortress, I think it is better to complete the facilities that are close to completion and abandon the rest. The defensive line will only carry out preliminary construction work as a field fortification. The war will definitely not break out here, and at that time, the troops responsible for defending this section will be mainly responsible, with the assistance of engineers, combining permanent fortifications and field fortifications, which can be completed in just a few days."

  "Song Gao Can, what do you think is most important when constructing field fortifications during wartime?"

  "Fighting against the Japanese army's heavily armed forces, building fortifications is essential. Firstly, anti-artillery and anti-bombing defenses are crucial. The small-scale anti-artillery caves I proposed, especially individual soldier anti-artillery caves, are of utmost importance. They must be able to conceal all personnel and equipment underground. Secondly, trenches in front of the position can provide an additional layer of defense against infantry and tanks."

  (Note: At that time, Chinese people called tanks "war cars".)

  "Not bad, I've observed the Tangshan exercise, and the field fortifications designed by Song Gao are really good. The artillerymen's big guns took turns to fire perfectly without any damage."

  "Hey, don't talk nonsense!" I cried with a mixture of laughter and tears. "Field fortifications can't withstand direct hits from heavy artillery, and even regular cannons will finish us off with just a few shots."

  "Hahaha!"

  Before boarding, a colonel of the engineering troops came over and asked: "Song Gao Can, I'd like to ask if we need to dig anti-tank trenches in the previous preparation work? I think this trench is the most labor-intensive and time-consuming among all the field fortifications."

  I looked at Zhang Zhizhong and said, "It's all right, go ahead."

  "I think it's better to survey the terrain and prepare the construction drawings for now. Opening it up would cause too much damage to the people's livelihoods, and it's also not convenient for keeping secrets. The war won't break out here after all, and digging a defensive trench will only take one day for the garrison troops."

  The team continued eastward, and Yunyan asked: "They worked so hard to dig fortifications, since they can't prevent shells, what else are they digging for?"

  Everyone in the car is adding black lines to their faces!

  "The main function of field fortifications is to prevent direct hits from light artillery, near-misses from heavy artillery, shells and bomb fragments, as well as various types of gunfire. To prevent direct hits from heavy artillery or high-explosive bombs, reinforced concrete with a thickness measured in meters would be required, such as the ones found on the Jiangyin side."

  The wind is fine and the sun is shining, Suzhou Liu Yuan, no tourists, only occasionally passing by **military officers**, because now it's Zhang Zhongzhong's 'Wild Camp' base (real historical fact); while I stroll slowly between pavilions and towers with Yunyan, savoring the similar memories 80 years later.

  "I feel like I don't quite fit in here?"

  Look at Yunyan in hunting attire, her healthy and beautiful figure, compare with her slender waist, really can't add a word "small", "Indeed, the standard of classical beauty and dear have no fate."

  It's rare to see Yunyan blush and pout, but Zhang Zhong came over to interrupt.

  "Brother, I'm really sorry."

  Yunyan blushed and turned around, pretending to look at the scenery. I couldn't help but smile and said sorry to Yunyan.

  "Brother, I rushed here about that..."

  It seems I shouldn't have shown up! All I can say is: "Mr. Wen Bai, let's go talk in your office instead!"

  Both sides sat down, and Zhang Zhong immediately said: "Zi An Xian Di, regarding the plan to attack the Japanese army in Shanghai, you pointed out in Nanjing that there are two key points. Firstly, the large Japanese warships in the Huangpu River cannot be destroyed, and the enemy ships will inevitably inflict heavy casualties on our troops approaching the riverbank with their strong firepower. Secondly, there are several extremely fortified fortress-style buildings in the Japanese concession that are difficult to destroy, which the enemy will use as a last stronghold to prevent us from completing our combat mission. In my plan, I have requested the deployment of the 8th and 10th artillery regiments' fifteen-inch heavy guns for support, and an armored battalion (the only armored unit, at regimental level) has also dispatched a company of tanks. With the addition of air force and navy, we have already mobilized all possible heavy weapons. Can you still think of anything else that can be added to solve these two key issues?"

  "General Wen Bai, the Japanese army's ground forces in Shanghai's concession area are no more than 3,000. Even if they mobilize some sailors from their warships and recruit reservists from the concession area to make up the numbers, they can at most add another 2,000 combatants. Our first echelon can deploy three divisions and one brigade, totaling over 40,000 troops. Adding a few divisions from our second echelon will give us more than enough strength; General, you are mobilizing heavy artillery from various places to join the battle, but it's not being deployed effectively!"

  "What's wrong?"

  "To break through the solid fortress-style building fortifications, only heavy bombs, direct-fire heavy artillery, and **three types are feasible! The general's 150mm howitzer is difficult to fire directly; our army has only a dozen or so real heavy bombers, would the chairman be willing to give them up? Even if he is willing, many targets are close to the International Settlement and dare not use bombing; **the package is available at Yu Da Wei Yu's office, and can be mass-produced if needed, but it requires the correct usage method to achieve twice the result with half the effort."

  "Our army's most powerful direct-fire heavy artillery is part of the German 15cm howitzer, which can be converted to a 10cm cannon. I actually forgot to include the conversion of the gun barrel in the plan!"

  "In wartime, if the heavy artillery regiment goes up but cannot be converted into a howitzer, we will suffer greatly! Moreover, as far as I know, the heavy artillery regiment is now basically training in mortar mode, with very little direct fire training. If the general does not prepare in advance, even if 100 howitzers are deployed, they may not be effective!"

  "Thank you! Anything else?"

  "There's also the 88mm heavy anti-aircraft gun, which is actually a powerful cannon. The army has imported 20 of them and deployed them in fortresses along the river, I don't know how many General can mobilize? However, the air force has also imported some of the same 88 guns and formed an anti-aircraft artillery team, Director Zhou should also be conducting ground combat training. If General cannot mobilize the army's 88 guns, I am willing to go to the air force for you. As for **package**, I have left the usage method with Director Yu, General can pick it up when applying for **package** and use it for targeted training of brave soldiers as a backup; if still unclear, can go to Xiangshan to learn from my ordnance factory guard team, I taught them. As for armored units, they are really not suitable for Shanghai's urban terrain, it's better to fight in plain areas!"

  "Good boy, little brother!" Zhang Zhizhong grasped my hand tightly.

  "On the river, there are a few small destroyers and gunboats that don't pose much of a threat, as our army's general artillery can handle them. The key lies in two large vessels: one is the armored cruiser 'Izumo', which has thick armor covering its entire hull, with critical areas such as the sides, turrets, and command tower having armor up to 8 inches thick, making it impervious to our army's heavy artillery; the other is a light cruiser that rotates on a regular basis, with armor about 2-3 inches thick, which can still be penetrated by our heavy guns, but requires close-range direct hits."

  "What does my younger brother think is the way to break it? Please ask the air force to take action."

  "There, close to the public concession boundary, air raids would be too much of a concern, and even if used, they would be limited to attacking in a small space, with inevitable great losses; it's not suitable to waste my extremely limited air attack power like this!"

  "What?"

  "Does the general believe me?"

  "Of course."

  "Then please, General, let's not mention this matter again! Just notify me before the war, I have another way to try my best!"

  "How confident is your younger brother?"

  "It's already past the halfway point. If it doesn't work, our army is afraid that we can only rely on bombing and artillery fire from the Huangpu River embankment to directly hit the Japanese ships! The general can prepare for a backup plan, but the losses will be great!"

  "Alas!"

  "After annihilating the thousands of Japanese troops in the concession, we will probably have to face the counterattack of the main force of the Japanese army from an unknown landing point. At that time, the war will inevitably expand, and the general's position as commander-in-chief will be?"

  "As long as we can eliminate the Japanese invaders, personal position doesn't matter; as long as I can continue to command one aspect of it! If the Japanese army mobilizes its main force from within the country for a landing counterattack, where does my brother think the landing site might be?"

  "Mr. Bai Li thinks that the first wave of landing should be made in Baoshan and its western areas, the navy has promised to deploy mines and other defensive measures before the war, please keep this confidential, it should be possible for the army to gain 5-10 days of preparation time; if we don't land there, our troubles will really be big!"