Chapter 66 Conspiracy (Part 2)

  "I think my brother has already guessed who I am, how did you guess?" This was the first sentence Hitler said after meeting Tan Xiao today. Hitler is not stupid, he had already guessed that Tan Xiao knew his identity from their conversation topics.

  "Honorable leader, before I met you for the first time, I found that the guards outside the camp had become more severe...". Tan Xiao shrugged: "Besides... in our country's ancient times, there was a leader who disguised himself as a guard when meeting guests, but still got recognized... A leader's temperament can't be hidden..." Tan Xiao's flattering skills are getting better and better, and his praise is becoming more subtle.

  "Haha, my brother! You are indeed very clever, but I ask you to continue keeping this secret!" Hitler said.

  "Of course, I guarantee that no one else in China knows about the arrival of the Führer at this moment!" Then, Tan Xiao revealed his intention: "I think there is a clever move now, which is to send Germany's High Seas Fleet to Shanghai..."

  Tan Xiao's proposal was indeed a move to remove the fire from the cauldron: The situation in Spain is now extremely tense, and countries like Britain and France are highly concerned, even preparing for war. At this time, Germany sent its High Seas Fleet to the Far East, undoubtedly giving Britain and France an illusion of relief; especially for Britain, they have the English Channel as a barrier, originally there was no threat from Germany's High Seas Fleet, now they are even more free from worries; but this is an attitude, an attitude of removing the European alarm.

  Since Germany has sent a High Seas Fleet to China, it is naturally in order to seize interests in China during the Anglo-Japanese confrontation. Based on this inertial thinking, Britain will naturally react by sending more fleets to China!

  At the same time, it is possible that due to the easing of the European situation, even more indigenous troops will be sent over, and the Japanese will have a chance to gain something. The chain reaction will definitely lead to the US sending more troops; seeing this situation, will the greedy polar bear let go of the opportunity to take a bite?

  For Germany, the Spanish War does not need a High Seas Fleet at all!

  "As for the expenses, Mr. President, during this Shanghai chaos, I looted several banks...". Tan Xiao briefly introduced the situation: "The gains from these will be enough to let our German brothers take the High Seas Fleet on a trip around the world many times!"

  Hitler and Goering were stunned by what Tan Xiao had done in Shanghai!

  "I think that after this exercise in Shanghai, the Brandon Training Camp, no, the Brandon Special Forces Team will have a very clear understanding of what special warfare means. In the future, they will be able to make a mess of the British backyard!" Tan Xiao said. He had to say something to bring the two back to their senses.

  "Are you saying that all of this was part of the plan you had set before sending them to Shanghai?" Hitler asked, it being his first time encountering the specific application of special warfare tactics.

  "Yes, of course, it's not that detailed, just asking them to do what they're told, the plan was set in Shanghai." Tan Xiao replied: "An ordinary member of the special forces is worth more than a whole battalion!"

  Hitler now absolutely believes that China is qualified to be his equal ally to change the old rules of the world, just because he has brothers left behind in China! This absolute military genius plus conspirator!

  "When the British fleet is engaged in a war in the Far East, that will be the perfect time to launch a war against Spain!" Tan Xiao began to plot with Hitler: "The British will be caught off guard! And under the tense situation in Europe, Japan's fleet will not suffer too much damage. We can still count on them to go and fight the Americans later!"

  Hitler's plan for Tan Xiao has completely lost its immunity: an opportunity to make the Japanese hate the British and American to the bone; an opportunity to drive the Japanese back to the Pacific; an opportunity to make the British miserable; an opportunity that may finally allow Germany to mediate and show off its international status...... Why not!?

  If the move to mobilize the German High Seas Fleet to the Far East is a brilliant and upright tactic of Tan Xiaoguang's, then this brilliant and upright tactic can be established only on the basis of his previous despicable and shameless tactics. Why was Tan Xiaoguang just an ordinary squad leader in the original timeline, but now he can dominate the court? Because the original him was simple and kind, while the current him is sinister and bloodthirsty! The various trials and tribulations on the road to success after crossing over have finally created the precious qualities that make him a true leader - despicability! The current Tan Xiaoguang is no longer the one who can only use chopsticks to force others to gamble with their lives, but a military and political figure who can compete with all enemies with sufficient cunning!

  Yesterday, when discussing the Guangdong and Guangxi issue with Chiang Kai-shek, he also brought up a method to make local governments thoroughly loyal to the central government: political science classes! He hoped that the political science department could fully support the work in Guangdong and Guangxi, sending elite personnel to fill positions in the provincial governments. On the surface, this is to strengthen the central government's control over Guangdong and Guangxi, but in reality, it will promote many talented but underutilized scholars from the political science department, satisfying them. These people will eventually become Tan Xiang's bureaucratic clique due to Yang Yongtai's non-partisan approach! This is exactly what Tan Xiang has been trying to make up for his own shortcomings!

  To be a leader of an era, one must have something extraordinary. For example, take the judgment of the development of the times. Now, in this space-time, who is more qualified to make judgments than Tan Xiao? A person's ambition changes with their environment, and Tan Xiao can no longer suppress his own ambition, especially after meeting Hitler: Hitler is nothing special, is there still anyone in this world who is my enemy? If we really want to reform this era, Chiang Kai-shek won't do, only I, Laozi, can!

  A person who wants to become a great man must sacrifice many people, such as those who are now dying in Shanghai.

  The current chaos in Shanghai has become irreparable after this morning's big battle.

  The seventh Japanese attack in the morning finally captured the Allied position at a terrible cost. However, the Japanese losses were far from over!

  In the middle of the night, Japan's large fleet received news of a fierce battle. To effectively support the 7th and 35th Divisions, they made an emergency plan: three high-speed special-type destroyers would carry over 1,100 elite troops selected from the 19th Infantry Regiment of the 9th Division to quickly rush to the landing site, land near the mouth of the Suzhou River on the east side, and attack the Allied forces from the flank.

  The troops arrived quickly, even before the Japanese launched their seventh charge, but they continued south to the designated landing point.

  Further south, it was the forbidden navigation zone left by the Jiangmen naval battle of No. 3, where there were sunken ships everywhere, and it was also their southernmost point; In the darkness before dawn, they prepared to land. However, they overlooked the British fleet! The warships heading to Hankou and the special environment here made them overlook the possible fleet attack.

  The British left behind three shallow-draft gunboats! These three shallow-draft gunboats were all converted from old ships, products of the era of big-ship big-guns; but they had all been successfully converted to diesel power, which was also why they could escape. These light cruisers from the previous maritime era retained their original large-caliber small-bore guns! They even added new small-caliber guns after sacrificing armor to reduce weight, so it's not quite right to call them shallow-draft gunboats, or maybe inland battleships would be more fitting!

  As a superpower of the navy, the John Bulls are not covered, they are very clear about their strengths and weaknesses. At the same time, they also judged that the estuary of Suzhou River is likely to become a landing point, so they have been lurking on the opposite bank of Jiangdong, preparing to use their large-caliber guns to inflict heavy losses on their opponents! But at the beginning, they miscalculated - the Japanese landing point was in the farther north!

  Because they were afraid of being detected by the enemy's smoke and fire, they had to extinguish their fires and hide in the silent night. They waited until the sky was still dark and the morning fog began to rise before starting some engines and attempting to sneak into the forbidden zone where numerous ships had sunk to spend the day. However, they discovered three Japanese special-type high-speed destroyers speeding towards them along the western shore!

  Those three destroyers never thought that there would be an ambush on the opposite bank, which was just a stone's throw away. They directly pointed all their gun barrels at the western shore to cover the landing troops. The British sailors on the three old vessels were overjoyed: wasn't this a feast served up on a platter? With their large-caliber guns, hitting these stationary destroyers was like shooting fish in a barrel! So they quietly aimed their guns at the three destroyers, one-on-one.

  The three Japanese destroyers were all new ships launched after 1932, with superior mobility, speed, main gun range and accuracy compared to the British trio of antiques. The only thing they lagged behind in was the caliber of their guns; if it were a battle on the open ocean, these destroyers could have taken down their opponents one-on-three. But now, they are destined to become the tragic protagonists of a farce; the British opened fire! Still, all three scored direct hits with their first salvo, just like in the Battle of the Three Islands!

  These three freaks, each with at least three 8-inch guns, decided the outcome of the battle with their first salvo! All three Japanese high-speed destroyers were hit in vital spots! To maintain accuracy, the three British ships did not move at all, just letting the gunners lower the muzzles and fire flat shots! "Boom! Boom! Boom!" One round! Two rounds! Three rounds... The shockwaves from the large-caliber shells fired at close range even rolled onto the decks of the British ships! Those Japanese ships hadn't even finished turning their turrets when they were all sunk!

  Three British warships began to move, aiming at the exposed parts of the Japanese ships' bottoms and supplementing with cannons, while using machine guns and anti-aircraft guns to shoot at the Japanese troops on the boats and in the water... As for the few Japanese soldiers who swam ashore, they were also killed by the French army who rushed over from Baisheng Bridge after hearing the sound. This rapid reinforcement unit was annihilated in an unthinkable way! Three destroyers, each costing 20 million yen before the devaluation of personnel, were completely destroyed!

  The British fleet, which had made a lot of money, calmly drove the warship to the east coast and ran aground, serving as a coastal artillery fort, fully utilizing its main gun caliber advantage to engage in an artillery battle with the Japanese Navy's first echelon gunboat that rushed to the scene; due to the narrow navigation channel on the river surface, the Japanese blue-water naval vessels were unable to maneuver, and even heavily damaged three new destroyers before being destroyed by the gun tower. The remaining personnel went ashore and merged with the French army. This battle fully demonstrated the true colors of the British Navy as a powerful nation, and it can be said that it regained no small amount of face for the navy, which had been repeatedly heavily damaged by Japanese warships!

  Also due to this battle, the Japanese army had no ability to continue attacking before noon and could only have the fleet occasionally open a few cannons on the Allied military positions on the shore to vent their anger.

  Upon learning of the news, the Japanese army was furious and even brought in heavy cruisers to bombard the Allied positions, covering the landing of the 19th and 36th regiments. By the time the Japanese had finished landing, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon, and the Allied forces, including the French troops who arrived later, totaling over five thousand men, had all surrendered to the Chinese army west of Shanghai, following Nomonhan's suggestion!

  When Lieutenant General Shozo Sakijima, the commander of the 19th Army Corps, who was leading the attack, entered the ruins of the original Japanese military headquarters, he suddenly heard the troops in front of him making a series of cries like wounded beasts! When he rushed over to take a look, he couldn't help but let out a heart-wrenching wail! What they saw was the handiwork of the Brandenburg Special Forces!

  Confronted with the mutilated bodies, Japanese women's bodies, any Japanese person cannot help but shed tears or go mad! On the ruins, more than 400 bodies were hung by the Brandenburg Special Forces and mutilated with weapons and fire! As for the obscene English or French written on them, most Japanese people can't understand, but everyone knows who wrote such words!

  Staring blankly at the charred corpses for a while, the tear-stained faces saw Xiuzhu suddenly let out a loud wail and drew his battle knife, pointing it south: "Kill all white-skinned pigs!"

  "Kill all white-skinned pigs!" ... was almost the unanimous cry of hatred from the Japanese army! They rushed southward like madmen...

  The concession has calmed down a lot after a night of panic, and the big gates that were tightly locked last night are now mostly open - the Japanese have been here, and it's nothing to be afraid of.

  The atmosphere in the Foreign Affairs Bureau was completely different, with all foreign envoys stationed in Shanghai gathered here. The representatives of various countries were waiting outside the door; they all knew that the Japanese had landed and had a bloody battle with the Allied forces overnight; they also knew that the Allied forces had withdrawn from the concession area; what these big shots still staying in the concession area were worried about was that the Japanese would do something surprising again after yesterday's atrocities.

  "It's obvious that the Japanese army hasn't arrived here yet, just to shirk responsibility! They will make excuses that their troops were still fighting in the concession yesterday and push away the responsibility for last night's bank robbery!" Some merchants were discussing there... "But it was clear that they were wearing military uniforms to do these things last night. Can they escape accountability?" "Of course, did you take pictures of them? The Japanese are all rascals..."

  Shawn wasn't among these people, he was in Shawn Building, his kingdom.

  Now, Shason looks extremely depressed, with bloodshot eyes and disheveled long hair, which makes his originally ferocious face look even more sinister. Because he had to escort those Wall Street big shots from the US to Nanjing, Shason mobilized many of his bodyguards, leaving him with very few people at hand. Last night, his Shason Bank was also looted, and after learning the news, Shason didn't even have anyone to send out to protect his own property! He only had fewer than 50 bodyguards left by his side to guard the safety of the Shason Building.

  Shasoon stood alone, staring blankly at the huge portrait of Jesus hanging in the office. The scattered long hair and pale complexion of Jesus nailed to the cross were so similar to his current state! Jesus could be resurrected, but what about him?

  Because the exchange was frozen and the Sassoon Bank was looted, he can't even get more than 50,000 cash in hand now! Yes, looking out of the window, you can still see many of his properties, but now these magnificent buildings are all shrouded in the shadow of war. Before the war is over, he will almost be a pauper!

  In Tianjin, Hong Kong and India, he still had some assets, but that was only enough to support his old age. His Sassoon Kingdom collapsed in a matter of days due to this uncontrollable war! He cursed bitterly in his heart, thinking of Ronghui, the foolish woman who only knew how to buy or sell with one sheet, and the first investment fund was still borrowed with his consent, but now she was holding billions in Nanjing continuing to be her super-rich lady. While he, the real Shanghai Emperor, was namelessly guarding his assets with a group of subordinates in this crisis-ridden place.

  "Mr. Sha, a telegram from Miss Rong..." The secretary knocked on the door, but Mr. Sha didn't hear it and the obedient female secretary took the initiative to enter. She saw that Mr. Sha had no intention of looking at her, so she said: "Miss Rong's intention is for Mr. Sha to go to Nanjing to hide for a while... At least leave the concession..."

  "Bang!" A loud noise, Sha Xun exerted himself to kick the office desk, he wanted to kick this thick and heavy desk to vent his anger, but unexpectedly it was the chair he sat on that flipped over, and he fell heavily to the ground!

  "I'm not going anywhere! I want to stay in Shanghai! Shanghai is mine! ......"

  Sassoon pushed away his female secretary who came to support him: "Have all those Chinese run away? I still have Indians! Whites! ...... Get everyone who can be gathered together! Give them weapons! I'll show the Japanese a good time! ......"

  Sassoon had completely gone mad, he wanted to use his motley crew to fight against Japan's regular army!

  The regular army of Japan came in large numbers this time, and it was two whole divisions of the first-class division! In addition to the 9th Division, there was also the 14th Division that participated in the January 28 Shanghai Incident; The 14th Division, which had participated in all battles in Northeast China after January 28, happened to have been resting at home for a year. This fierce division joined the ranks of rushing to Shanghai under the command of Division Commander Hata Shuroku.

  Hata Shunroku gathered all the senior officers above regimental commander under his command, and together they mourned silently in front of the Japanese female corpses left intact by the 9th Division at the original site of the Shanghai Garrison Headquarters.

  "Leave the female corpses, bury them properly!" After the 14th Division, no other troops landed, and these female corpses had completed their "mission". On Hata Shunroku's icy face, a terrifying killing intent suddenly burst out: "Now I order you to kill all white people you encounter along the way! Treat all the white women you meet like those corpses you just saw..."

  The Japanese concession was so named because of the large number of Japanese in this area, but it is actually still part of the public concession. There were not a few white people here, and there was even a Jewish quarter almost entirely composed of Jews.

  After the troops of the 9th Division had already killed their way through, the troops of the 14th Division could no longer find any targets on the devastated north bank of the Suzhou River, so they also rushed to the south bank to join in that hellish carnival!

  Panic fills the concession: refugees who escaped from the north bank of Suzhou Creek did not even stop before fleeing to the Chinese district, bringing news that made residents on the south bank tremble with fear: the Japanese killed or raped every white person they encountered along the way! Panic quickly enveloped the two concessions, the troops were gone, and the Japanese were killing their way in! Everyone only knew to escape... where to escape? Many people lost their sense of direction, simply following others fleeing south, south was the place for Chinese people!

  The Japanese army of the 9th Division had caught up with them, surrounding them; the Japanese were not in a hurry to move south, they feared startling these "white pigs". More Japanese troops arrived along the border of the International Settlement and continued to advance along its edge, on the waterway, they dispatched large fleets of landing craft down the Huangpu River, passing through the forbidden navigation zone, until they landed at the southeastern corner of the concession - They wanted to surround the entire concession! They wanted to kill all "white pigs"!

  In Shanghai, the once arrogant white people have now become refugees. Some are carrying as much luggage as they can, while others are only wearing their pajamas; some are shouting for lost family members, while others are tightly holding onto their relatives' hands... They are colliding with each other, trampling on one another, in the surging tide of people, in the streets filled with cries and wails, desperately fleeing south... What's going on up ahead?! Suddenly, from the direction of Min Guo Road, came the sound of gunfire, machine gun fire!

  "Run away, the Japanese are coming! Run away......" Those who turned back from the south and ran back collided with the crowd rushing to the south, forming a chaotic stampede. Every street was filled with cries and screams, as if it were the end of the world!

  At the end of the road leading to the Chinese district, on the west and north sides of Minguo Road, at some unknown time, barbed wire was erected! Behind the barbed wire were Japanese soldiers with machine guns, who had already begun firing! Behind them was the defense line of the Shanghai Security Guard, and the Chinese people were watching this tragic scene just a street away! Many of the Chinese soldiers and civilians who watched could not help but shed tears; while those lucky white people who had escaped to the concession earlier began wailing in grief!

  In this parallel space-time, June 6th, 1935 became a day of global mourning: Shanghai Concession Massacre Memorial Day!

  I've been sick for the past two days and haven't written anything, luckily I still have some drafts stored away... However, I did manage to do something meaningful these past two days, such as opening a blog under this pen name; that way, if my book gets shut down by the censors one day, I can continue writing on my blog - I don't like leaving things unfinished... Also, for some topics that are more sensitive and spark debate, everyone can leave comments on my blog. There, I've expressed my views on resisting Japan..." If you go to "Lunar Goddess Shooting Down the Sun's Blog" and see 20 or so chapters of previously posted content under "My Writings", then you'll know it's really my blog. Also, today I started a vote that's very important - it will decide the direction of this book, please everyone participate and show your support! And also: recommendation votes and collections... Hehe, thank you all, happy new year and may everything go smoothly!