Chapter 65 Conspiracy (Part 1)

  Just as day was breaking, Chiang Kai-shek's plane took off. He had already stayed in Lingling for half a day to discuss countermeasures.

  With a night of sleeplessness and special excitement, Chiang Kai-shek was still unable to fall asleep on the plane: This time he went to Nanjing with great significance! After consulting with everyone yesterday, they had already sent five notifications to Japan: First, in this conflict between Japan and Western powers, China would remain neutral and non-interfering but would provide humanitarian assistance to civilians and prisoners of war as much as possible; Second, it was required that the Japanese landing forces and the troops of the powers restrict the scope of the conflict within the concession area, with the city directly bounded by the Mingguo Road, and the Shanghai Chinese Peacekeeping Team would set up defenses on the Mingguo Road to protect the safety of citizens and refugees; Third, it was required that all parties to the conflict guarantee the safety of China's and other non-belligerent neutral countries such as Germany and the Soviet Union's financial institutions and important properties in the concession area from being invaded; Fourth, the talks between the two sides currently underway in Beiping would be temporarily suspended; Fifth, the Nanjing government planned to invite the German naval fleet to come to Shanghai to maintain maritime security.

  In response to China's five-point proposal, the Japanese side gave a full affirmative reply within several hours. The Japanese were indeed unwilling to stir up trouble at this time, even with China, which they looked down upon as a weak country.

  Tan Xiao had not yet noticed that the changes in this space-time had already reached a degree of gradual deviation from the track: the original space-time was now conducting the Beijing negotiations between China and Japan, and would soon sign the Hebei-Meng Agreement, causing the sovereignty of North China to actually fall into Japanese hands; while Mei Zhenmei, who had already actually stepped down as commander-in-chief of the North China Garrison, would complete his final stroke before handing over the position of commander-in-chief of the North China Japanese army to Tada Toki.

  The current breakdown of the North Ping negotiations can be considered as rescuing He Yingqin from his continuous headaches for several days, no longer having to see how Matsui Iwane, that rough and barbaric man, puts his shoes and stinky socks on the table and urinates in front of him!

  Chiang Kai-shek had another important task on this trip to Nanjing: convening an emergency military commission meeting, requiring Feng Yuxiang, Chen Jitang, Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi, Yan Xishan, Zhang Xueliang and many other warlords to come to Nanjing for a meeting to discuss the current crisis in Shanghai. Of course, this was just an excuse, the real purpose was to directly capture Li and Chen in Nanjing!

  After a night of negotiations, Chiang Kai-shek and Tan Xiang had already set out a new plan to pacify Guangdong and Guangxi: they would take action during the Nanjing Conference, as long as they could capture one of the Li brothers it would be considered a success. As for Chen Jitang, who was always hiding in Guangdong and never went anywhere, Tan Xiang didn't take him seriously at all. If either of the Li brothers were captured, the blow to the Guangxi army would be enormous. At present, the main force of the Guangxi army was still in western Guangxi and the Yunnan-Guizhou border area. As long as Tan Xiang could quickly launch a surprise attack and occupy key positions in Guangxi, the Guangxi army would collapse without a fight!

  This is indeed a very good opportunity, through yesterday's contact with the Japanese, it is clear that the Japanese have been completely tied up by the events in Shanghai and will not be able to intervene in China's internal affairs at this time. And the situation in Shanghai is so critical that holding an emergency military meeting at this time would not arouse any suspicion. Li Bai and the others estimated that no matter what, one of them would definitely come. Just thinking about being able to quickly capture these political enemies and publicly play the film of the two Guangdong governors' conversation with the Japanese, intimidating all the warlords, Chiang Kai-shek would be so excited that he wouldn't be able to sleep at all!

  A sleepless night is extremely exhausting, and if you add a huge physical drain, it's even more deadly!

  Izō Okada and Fujii Suketsune were no exception, staking everything on the seventh assault. After the bombardment, Fujii Suketsune would personally lead the remaining 2,500 men of the 35th Brigade as the first wave; Izō Okada led the remaining 1,700 men of the 7th Brigade as the second wave; and behind them, hastily mobilized naval troops from various ships and some unimportant positions temporarily withdrawn, totaling over 1,000 sailors in different uniforms, would launch the final attack.

  More than 2,500 Japanese soldiers of the 35th Brigade, who had taken amphetamines, charged towards the Allied lines under the command of Fujii Matsuji, who wore a sanitary napkin on his head, shouting and rushing wildly.

  "Get closer and fire! Conserve ammunition..." The commanders of the Allied forces were reminding their soldiers while running in the trenches, after six defenses, they had very little ammunition left, if not found some supplements on the bodies, they could even say that they were completely out of ammo.

  When soldiers feel they have a sacred mission on their shoulders, they become fearless. The Allied soldiers now are just like that, shouldering the life and death of tens of thousands of people! This remaining force of less than 400 men is facing an enemy several times larger.

  When the Japanese rushed to within fifty meters of the position, the Allied forces opened fire. M2HB, Vickers, M1917, M1919, Browning... all light and heavy machine guns suddenly fired! Although they had already suffered heavy casualties in the previous charge, the Japanese army had made adjustments to their formation; however, those stimulants became a catalyst for death - excited Japanese soldiers forgot all tactical deployments during the charge and charged completely in the way that felt most natural to them.

  No matter if it was the 12.7mm large-caliber bullets of the M2HB that directly broke through the people around them, or the precise shooting of the Browning, none of these could make these Japanese soldiers feel afraid. These crazy war machines stepped on the bodies of the fallen and charged forward! These old Japanese soldiers had another ultimate skill, a skill that was neglected in last night's battle, which was that at a distance of 300-400 meters, the limit of human eyesight, their half-body hit rate could be compared to that of snipers.

  "Machine gunner! Machine gunner! Fire!......" Dale was running on the most advanced No. 9 position, he saw a row of Japanese soldiers pressing over, but his own machine gunner didn't fire.

  When he ran to the machine gun position, what he saw was that the M2HB had been blown over, the scorching barrel pressed against the face of the machine gunner, burning its owner's dusty and bloody face into a different shape. There wasn't a single living person left on the machine gun position.

  The Japanese had already reached the edge of the trenches, and in desperation, Dale picked up a rifle: "Marines! Charge!..."

  A soldier suddenly stood up in the trench, that amazingly skilled American young man. A Briton and an American, two bayonets, gleaming with cold light amidst smoke and flames, formed a completely shocking battle scene...

  The 9th stronghold has fallen!

  The Allied forces did not retreat, nor could they retreat. The Japanese had already closed in! Before being killed, the soldiers either fired all the bullets from their guns or picked up any available weapons: bayonets, engineer shovels, rocks... Not a single person retreated, not a single person surrendered. The Japanese had to kill everyone before occupying an inch of land!

  "Victory!......" Fujii Sueyoshi personally rushed to the trench of the Allied army's position, his command knife had just been raised when a bullet hit his right arm. The high-speed spinning bullet head directly knocked him down and broke his arm bone!

  The impact of the team leader's injury was like a ripple in the ocean, disappearing instantly. Several guards rushed up to help him deal with his injuries, while others continued to charge forward under the command of their officers.

  When the 35th Regiment had just climbed up to the edge of the trenches, the 7th Regiment launched a charge under the leadership of Isao Ichino!

  There were only a dozen soldiers left around Nuo Wen, among whom five people quickly set up a Vickers machine gun that had been hidden earlier, loaded the last bullet chain, and began to sweep the densely packed crowd along the edge of the trench! The distance was very close, and even the machine gunners seemed to hear the "popping" sound of bullets entering the human body amidst the gunfire!

  Wave after wave of Japanese troops were mowed down in front of the trenches, but soon the machine guns fell silent, and a tidal wave of Japanese troops rushed forward again, jumping into the trenches...

  "Fire!" Noven's order, the soldiers beside him immediately pressed the detonator, and the entire trench suddenly burst into the sky like a fireworks display; The first Japanese army to rush up was instantly engulfed in the dust that blocked out the sun...

  "Charge!" Isoroku's baton pointed forward, and the soldiers of the Seventh Regiment rushed into the dust cloud that obscured their vision. Behind them, naval troops wearing various identification gear also pressed forward.

  Noven, choked by the smoke and dust, struggled to maintain his balance, using his willpower to counteract the dizziness brought on by the shockwave. He pulled out the treasured personal handgun that had been given to him by his battalion commander in a trench during the European war when he was still a lieutenant; he aimed it at his own temple!

  "Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!" A burst of rapid machine gun fire halted his advance, and behind him a company of U.S. Marines materialized as if by magic!

  This detachment was arranged by him in the rear, preparing to cover a mixed brigade during the retreat of the main forces. The covering mixed brigade led by American Captain Peigen was defending about two kilometers behind them, with about 2,000 people. Since the agreed time had passed, Captain Peigen dispatched an elite company fully equipped with Thompson submachine guns to scout ahead, and this elite company appeared in a timely manner!

  Under the cover of dust, the Japanese did not find that this regiment was pressing up, so after the smoke and dust thinned out a bit, those Japanese who were already celebrating began to be slaughtered by 120 rounds per minute with a firing rate of over 700 rounds at a distance of less than thirty meters. These cumbersome guys using fifty-round drums showed super powerful force at this time!

  Many Japanese soldiers, who were deafened by the massive explosion and had their vision obscured by smoke and dust, only realized the danger after the wall of men in front of them was quickly mowed down. It wasn't until this company's third clip that the Japanese began to organize some firepower for a counterattack. On the position centered on this company, the number of Japanese corpses felled by bullets and scattered in a radial pattern on the ground exceeded an astonishing 1,600!

  On this patch of land, a fierce battle raged through the night. The more than 6,000 Allied troops defending were finally rescued by this company of American soldiers, with only nine men remaining! The Japanese Seventh and Thirty-fifth Regiments were almost completely annihilated! Those naval troops who came up last didn't dare to pursue those powerful American forces, they occupied the position and stayed put waiting for reinforcements.

  Izuo Ichino was shot by a shotgun bullet from the seam of his clothes and hit in the right lower chest, the bullet shattered one of his ribs, the shockwave injured his internal organs, now he is vomiting blood while receiving treatment, his life or death is uncertain!

  Brave soldiers, embodiment of justice, fearless dedication... These are often just sacrifices to conspiracy, or even part of the conspiracy itself!

  In the original core area of the Japanese concession, a residential area almost entirely inhabited by Japanese people, another conspiracy is being staged: members of the Brandenburg training camp are hanging up corpses of women wearing kimonos on broken walls and pillars, then stripping them naked, using weapons and torches to desecrate their sensitive areas! Afterwards, they write obscene language in English and French on the walls and pillars where the corpses hang, using charcoal and the victims' black blood.

  "Report, the allied forces ahead have started to retreat, but not in our direction..."

  "Keep an eye on the Japanese army's movements! ...... You're moving too slowly! Can't you find more corpses? Hurry up and find some more!" Sipul scolded his soldiers. Now they had already hung up over two hundred female corpses, but he still felt it was not enough!

  Among these German special forces, several were tactical instructors of Zhang Xiang's Special Warfare Brigade. They were responsible for explaining the significance and tactics of each action. After communicating with them and a series of actions over the past few days, Xi Pu's understanding of special warfare concepts reached a whole new level!

  Special warfare! It turns out that's how it's done! Now he is incredibly proud to have become the first special forces commander in Germany, and the role of the special forces team, in some sense even surpasses that of an army group!

  For example, they successfully provoked a war between the powers and Japan; for example, they looted all the banks in the Shanghai concession but framed the Japanese; for example, what they are doing now, this brutal act of mutilating corpses, it will drive all the Japanese soldiers who witness it mad! It will bring out their beastly nature!...... Now Xipu believes that the Japanese will definitely massacre people in the concession!

  The plot doesn't stop there. In last night's bank raid, Wang Hongbiao's troops specifically "took care of" the two Soviet banks in Shanghai: the Soviet Far East Bank and the Moscow People's Bank.

  To the employees of these two banks, they did not spare them like other banks, they chased into the bank and slaughtered all the men; raped most of the women - leaving only one.

  Wang Hongbiao's deputy, Jiang Shuixiang, took charge of this very difficult task. He pretended to be momentarily soft-hearted and said in Japanese to the Russian girl under him: "If you understand, pretend to be dead after a while..." When he finished and got up from the girl's body, he stabbed her belly with his bayonet, of course not too deep, then walked away. The girl naturally understood Japanese, she was a Soviet spy confirmed by their intelligence agency through Dai Li!

  That beautiful female agent named Eva, after lying on the ground for half an hour with her belly bleeding profusely, got up and bandaged her wound. She used a camera to record the brutal crime of the "Japanese", then walked out of the bank that evening. She later received help from two "kind-hearted" Chinese people and escaped to Nanshi...

  China is now too weak, and it's unlikely that the West will mobilize a large land army to deal with Japan. However, in the north, there is still a greedy polar bear! A polar bear that has been a sworn enemy of Japan for centuries!

  It was in this "mimicry" action of the Japanese army's atrocities that Wang Hongbiao discovered that although his troops had also undergone brutal training, when the target was not the human-shaped animal Japanese people they had in mind, some soldiers would still be resistant. Therefore, he later proposed to let his troops select a portion to escort the looted bank assets. After all, the existence of humanity is an obstacle in war, and some things must be executed by someone who has no sense of right or wrong!

  Wang Hongbiao's next task was even heavier: he had to provoke the Japanese army to loot and massacre the concession after it was fully occupied by the Japanese army! This is a very secret and important task! Before departure, Tan Xiao told him about the task and analyzed its significance with him. From that moment on, he became the most core figure in the Wild One Army! So Wang Hongbiao was so excited when he set out!

  The significance of provoking a rupture between Japan and the Soviet Union is extremely important. Tan Xiao believes that as long as the Soviet Union has the intention to join hands with Europe and America to declare war on Japan, Japan will have no choice but to transfer its main land force northward to defend against the Soviet Union. At that time, Japan will have to make concessions to China - this is the most likely outcome, because in Japan's eyes, it has the ability to take back whatever it gives up to China! In this way, it is highly possible that while the situation is still chaotic, China will have the opportunity to recover the large tracts of land lost since the September 18th Incident and before the Battle of the Great Wall. If Japan gets through the difficult period and wants to take back what it gave up, it won't be so easy! As for Japan eventually declaring war on various countries? That would be the best opportunity, and China will certainly participate in the war!

  He needn't worry about Japan taking revenge after the war, unless the Japanese can win the war! Otherwise, China can completely use the war to strengthen itself and suppress Japan with restrictions on military size, war reparations, etc. in the post-war armistice treaty!

  Worried that the Soviet Union will take advantage of the situation and move south? This is necessary, but this crisis will instead make China gain consistent support from European powers...... Moreover, if we can recover all our territory and send Japan to the 18th level of hell, what risk isn't worth taking?!

  Here's another subtle issue: At this critical moment when China's domestic revolution is at its most difficult, the Soviet Union, which only likes to stir up trouble and take advantage of others, will inevitably lean towards the Nanjing government. This can be seen from its previous attitude towards the Nanjing government. Can we use its intervention to push China towards a united government and achieve peace and stability ahead of time? The opportunity is slim, but it's worth a try!

  Tan Xiao's conspiracy against the Japanese was not just this one move: after recognizing Hitler, he thought of a strategy to get Britain to send heavy troops to fight Japan!

  Because the Shanghai matter was too big, now "M" and De Gaulle have arrived in the Far East, right in Vietnam. Tomorrow they will come to Lingling for a meeting. As for these two, Tan Xiao welcomed them from the bottom of his heart, hoping to swindle them again.

  Due to the events in Shanghai and the potential for a large-scale naval battle between the two sides, neither Shanghai nor Hong Kong is a paradise anymore. The massive development of Qinzhou Bay, which was rumored in the market, has caught many people's attention, and this originally capital-intensive and cash-strapped project has become a hot cake!

  Taking advantage of this rare opportunity to make England and France pay a higher price is enough, let alone that Tanaka has already made them aware of the Japanese threat. At this time, proposing to arm China's military forces against Japan is no longer just a matter between two anti-German organizations, but can be considered a national policy for both countries!

  Tan Xiao's plan was to discuss with the two how to directly provide military aid to China through the British and French governments. The British are very rich, as long as they can persuade the British government to exempt China from paying the Boxer Indemnity in advance, what if this money is converted into corresponding arms purchases? This is what Tan Xiao was thinking about.

  In order to increase the chips for this negotiation between China and Britain, the "Strait Settlement Army" which was originally planned to go by sea has already set off. However, the plan has been modified: after consulting with Chiang Kai-shek, Tan Xiao decided to assign an artillery regiment from He Shaozhou's Central Directly Subordinate Artillery Troops to this troop that had just changed into a full set of British-style equipment from Qinzhou Bay, and directly depart for Shanghai under the name of Chinese Peacekeeping Temporary Brigade; of course, the military expenses are still paid by the British!

  After this unit arrived in Shanghai, it had a combat mission! The target was of course the Japanese. Tan Xiao thought that through the surrender of the Allied fleet to the National Army, the Allied land army would also definitely surrender to the National Army in the end. This is a bait for the Japanese! His order to Liang Shuang was to make full use of these prisoners to lure the Japanese, and it's best to let the Japanese launch a night raid on the prisoner camp - the Japanese marksmanship was what Tan Xiao feared most, and nighttime combat could offset this advantage.

  Tan Xiao's inference was that the Japanese army would definitely not dare to turn against China at a sensitive time, so they would take a quick night raid to capture these prisoners; he asked Liang Shuang's department to do the same as Peng Hanbo did in Chenjiawan, using traps to annihilate the invading Japanese army! This is a very important stroke: it can not only warn Japan, making them more cautious and tolerant of China when they are making enemies everywhere; at the same time, it can also make European and American countries that cannot dispatch more land forces see the value of winning China over to their side and invest heavily in aid to China. Furthermore, this is still providing theoretical basis for future German mediation efforts to force Japan to give great benefits to China.

  All the strategies mentioned above are important, but what can make the British send a large army to fight against Japan is not these. The real big plan still lies with the Germans, precisely on Hitler! After Tan Xiao sends away these troops and sets off, he will go to see Hitler, his goal is to be able to let the British at least mobilize the Mediterranean fleet or even the home fleet to Shanghai!

  I had a splitting headache last night, wrote the beginning and had to go to bed... Luckily I have drafts! The impact of continuous all-nighters on my body is still significant, I need to schedule time for exercise. Writing books is like this, reading books too. This morning, a friend said he finished reading the chapters I uploaded earlier in one night... Oh no! Everyone please give me more recommendations and collections!