newbobooks Chapter 288 Chen Zijun, Besieged on All Sides
Chapter 288 Chen Zijun, Besieged on All Sides
Inside the Jinzhou forward command post, the telephone was ringing so loudly it almost blew the roof off.
The map table was piled high with urgent telegrams from Nanjing, Beijing, Fengtian, and Shanghai.
Outside the window, the autumn wind of the Northeast Plain swirled with withered leaves, pattering against the glass and making a rustling sound.
"Young Marshal! Something terrible has happened in Shanghai!"
Shen Li, his face ashen, strode into the command post, clutching a telegram with ink still wet in his hand.
"British Far East Fleet Commander MacDonald, with twelve heavy cruisers, has forcibly anchored at Wusongkou!"
Chen Zijun sat on a wooden chair, his expression showing no sign of panic, and slowly used a knife to cut open a secret military letter.
"McDonald? What message did he bring?"
Shen Li gritted his teeth and loudly read the telegram:
"The other side has sent a telegram in plaintext!"
"The British Empire demands that our Chen family army unconditionally withdraw from the North China and Jinzhou defense lines within 24 hours!"
"At the same time, control of the Shanghai International Settlement and the Jianghai Customs must be returned!"
"They also need to compensate us for all the losses we caused them by withdrawing the tariffs!"
"Otherwise, their twelve heavy cruisers will open fire directly, bombarding the Jiangnan Shipyard and all of our military industrial bases in Shanghai!"
Upon hearing this, the officers in the command post turned pale and their breathing became heavy.
"Young Marshal! What should we do?!"
A Northwest Army representative was pacing anxiously, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
"Shanghai is your foundation! All your military pay, ammunition, and the heavy industry of the Jiangnan Shipyard all depend on Shanghai!"
"If we're bombed into ruins by the British heavy artillery, what will we use to fight the Kwantung Army on the front lines?!"
"Yes, Young Marshal Chen!"
Another Fengtian Army officer panicked and echoed his sentiments.
"President Chang from Jinling has sent an urgent telegram, strictly ordering us to exercise restraint!"
"Young Marshal Zhang also called from Fengtian, saying that the overall situation is of utmost importance and that we must not anger the British Empire at this time, otherwise the League of Nations mediation will be completely ruined!"
"How about... we withdraw our troops from Jinzhou first? Retreat back to within Shanhaiguan and negotiate with the British?!"
The command post was immediately filled with noise as everyone urged Chen Zijun to withdraw his troops.
As Chen Zijun listened to the cacophony of persuasion around him, his gaze gradually turned icy cold.
He slowly stood up, walked to Shen Li, and snatched the British ultimatum from him.
"Sizzle."
Chen Zijun struck a match and slowly lit the telegram.
To everyone's astonishment, he lit the cigarette in his mouth with the burning flame and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
"retreat?"
Chen Zijun gave a cold laugh, his voice devoid of any warmth.
"A few dilapidated boats on my turf, let alone setting them on fire, even if they really wanted to fight, I wouldn't be afraid of them in the slightest!"
"Does the British Empire really think it's the 20th year of the Daoguang Emperor's reign? Or the 10th year of the Xianfeng Emperor's reign?!"
"Do they really think they can continue their century-old myth of an invincible fleet on China's inland waterways and coastline with just a few broken iron plates?!"
"Young Marshal!"
The Northwest Army representative became anxious.
"Those are twelve heavy cruisers! Not wooden sailing ships! They're steel behemoths with armor hundreds of millimeters thick!"
Chen Zijun slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups clatter!
"That's enough!"
"Shut up, all of you!"
"My backyard isn't a place where just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can set fire to!"
"Do they really think I spent tens of millions of pounds building these coastal fortifications and naval forces just to sit around doing nothing?!"
"Shen Li, send a secret telegram to Shanghai immediately!"
Chen Zijun suddenly turned his head, staring at Shen Li, his eyes flashing with a violent light.
"Young Marshal, please speak!"
Shen Li snapped to attention, his expression solemn.
"Order the Wusongkou Fortress, Jiangyin Fortress, Mawei Shipyard coastal defense, and Jinshan Fortress to activate Level 1 alert. If any enemy ships intrude, open fire immediately without requesting permission!"
"Telegram to the Mawei Shipyard and the underground radio station in Shanghai: Order the First Submarine Flotilla and the newly formed Second Submarine Flotilla to launch a full-scale attack!"
Chen Zijun's voice was extremely low, yet it carried a chilling murderous intent.
"Initiate unrestricted submarine warfare!"
"Get into the deep sea and keep a close watch on the twelve British heavy cruisers!"
"If the British dare to fire a single shot at Wusongkou, I'll sink them all and send them to feed the fish!"
"Remember, leave no survivors, annihilate them all!"
Upon hearing the words "unrestricted submarine warfare" and "annihilation," the temperature inside the room seemed to drop to freezing point instantly!
A flicker of fervent excitement flashed in Shen Li's eyes!
"Yes, sir! These dozen or so wolf cubs can finally have a good time with the big ones!"
The officers looked at each other, their faces filled with shock.
They had no idea that Chen Zijun had deployed such a terrifying force underwater at some point!
At this moment, Chen Zijun's consciousness had already sunk deep into his mind.
A golden system panel flashed in my mind:
Current system funds: £15,453,200
Looking at this enormous sum of money, Chen Zijun coldly commanded in his heart:
"System, lock onto the East China Sea!"
"All magnetic torpedoes and heavy live ammunition needed for the submarine have been deployed and replenished!"
"Notify all U-VII submarine operators to execute the highest-level kill order!"
"Ding, replenishment complete. After deducting five million pounds, the current balance is: £14,953,200."
The system's cold notification echoed in his mind. Chen Zijun suddenly opened his eyes, a cruel smile curving his lips.
British Empire?
Today, I'll use these twelve cruisers of yours to test the sharp teeth of my submarines!
Meanwhile, in Shanghai, off the coast of Wusongkou.
The waves rolled, and the river surface was shrouded in mist after the heavy rain.
On the flagship of the British Far East Fleet, the heavy cruiser HMS Royal Oak, the massive triple-mounted main guns were slowly rotating, pointing towards the urban area of Shanghai.
Inside the flagship's command center, Vice Admiral McDonald, commander of the Far East Fleet, was holding a cup of red tea, looking arrogantly at the distant river.
"Commander, the Chen family army has not given any response to date."
The adjutant respectfully reported to the commander from the side.
McDonald scoffed dismissively.
"Answer? Those foolish Far Eastern warlords only know how to fight for territory in the interior."
"Compared to the mighty Royal Navy, they are nothing but a bunch of uncultured bumpkins!"
"As soon as our main guns roar, they'll kneel down like frightened rabbits, handing over all their tariffs and dollars!"
"Order all ships to continue advancing five nautical miles!"
McDonald put down his teacup and coldly gave the order.
"We want to use the most tangible, steely shadow to envelop this most beautiful city in the Far East, to put one last bit of pressure on them!"
However, the arrogant British were completely unaware that, dozens of meters below the surface of the sea, in the undercurrents, menacing steel ghosts had silently bared their fangs.
Beneath the surface, the waves surged.
Inside the U-101 submarine of the First Submarine Flotilla of the Chen Family Army, all was silent except for the red emergency lights flashing in the narrow compartment.
"Sound report! Enemy ships are 9,000 meters away and are moving towards our positions!"
The sonar soldier wore headphones, and his voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet cabin.
Submarine Captain Hans gripped the periscope handle, his eyes gleaming with a cold light.
"The young marshal's order to hunt down the enemy overseas has arrived."
"Brothers, those are the British capital ships outside. We didn't have this opportunity in the North Sea and the Atlantic back then. Do you want them to run rampant in the East China Sea now?"
"Today, let's send them to the bottom of the sea!"
"Load all torpedo tubes with magnetically fused heavy torpedoes!"
"Ready to fire at any time!"
Meanwhile, in the naval port of Mawei, several submarines of the newly established Second Submarine Flotilla slowly slid into the water and disappeared beneath the deep sea.
Inside Jinzhou City, Chen Zijun did not stop there.
Since the British like to use clear text telegrams to exert public pressure, then he will retaliate in kind!
"Shen Li, draft a telegram in plain text for me and send it nationwide!"
Chen Zijun stood on the city wall, facing the biting autumn wind, his voice echoing through the rubble.
The power-on process is as follows:
"Effective today, the East China Sea Fleet of the National Defense Forces is officially established!"
"My father, Chen Yuhe, has been appointed Commander-in-Chief of the East China Sea Fleet of the National Defense Force!"
"Lin Chengzhang, former captain of the Maritime Anti-Smuggling Brigade of the Tax Police Corps, will be appointed commander of the East China Sea Fleet!"
"Commanding the First Destroyer Squadron, the First Cruiser Squadron, and the First and Second Submarine Flotillas in Shanghai!"
"The East China Sea Fleet vows to defend Jiangnan and Shanghai to the death!"
"Any foreign warship that intrudes into our defense zone without our permission shall be deemed to have committed an act of aggression against China!"
"The East China Sea Fleet will be destroyed decisively at all costs!"
Shen Li was thrilled and immediately responded loudly:
"Yes! I'll send the message right away!"
This power transmission, in an extremely short time, was like a comet hitting the earth, completely igniting the entire land of China!
Nanjing, inside Chiang Kai-shek's residence as Commander-in-Chief.
"Snapped!"
Another exquisite porcelain teacup was smashed to pieces on the ground, shards flying everywhere!
Although the consumption of porcelain has increased since moving into this official residence, everyone thought it was because feng shui was bad for porcelain, but how could the commander-in-chief's official residence be lacking in porcelain?
Chiang Kai-shek's face turned ashen, and he trembled with rage, pointing at the telegram in his hand and cursing loudly:
"Arrogant! Utterly lawless!"
"Who does this Chen Zijun think he is?!"
"The East China Sea Fleet of the National Defense Force?! He actually dares to directly challenge the British and even threaten to destroy their fleet?!"
The head of the entourage quickly poured a glass of warm water and handed it over, whispering a word of advice:
"President, please calm down. In my opinion, Chen Zijun is courting death."
"The naval power of the British Empire was immense; a salvo from twelve heavy cruisers would be enough to raze the entire Huangpu Riverbank to the ground!"
"Chen Zijun's meager possessions were nothing but paper toys in the face of the foreigners' powerful ships and cannons!"
Upon hearing this, the anger in Chiang Kai-shek's eyes gradually subsided, replaced by a sinister sneer.
"Hmph, they're definitely courting death!"
"Pass on my order: have the First and Second Divisions stationed on the Jiangsu-Zhejiang border prepare!"
"As soon as the foreigners open fire and destroy Chen's army's stronghold in Shanghai, we will immediately use the pretext of 'maintaining local order and protecting the safety of foreigners' to forcibly enter the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions and then occupy Shanghai!"
"Nationalize the Jiangnan Shipyard and all those heavy industry enterprises!"
"This is called the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!"
Chiang Kai-shek was already plotting how to divide up the legacy left by the destruction of Chen's army.
In Fengtian, upon hearing the news, Zhang Jialiang could only sigh helplessly and shake his head at his subordinates.
"This Chen Zijun is still too young; he has no idea how terrifying the power of the great nations is."
"He transferred all his elite troops to Jinzhou. If the foreigners raided his rear, he would have no way to retreat."
"Send orders to all units at the front: absolutely no participation in military operations against Chen's army. After all, they came to help us in the three northeastern provinces; we cannot betray their principles."
Almost none of the warlords in the country had a high opinion of Chen Zijun; they were all waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
However, this calm before the storm did not last long.
Just as the world's attention was focused on the impending artillery battle at Wusongkou, a silent financial strangulation suddenly erupted in the Shanghai concessions!
The Bund in the Shanghai International Settlement.
Inside the imposing HSBC building, the blinds in the general manager's office were tightly shut.
Several foreign bankers, dressed in sharp suits and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, sat around amidst the smoke of cigars, their expressions aloof.
"Chen Zijun's telegram to the British National Army has crossed the line for the British Empire."
The HSBC general manager took a puff of his cigar and spoke coldly.
"The military has authorized that the Chen family army must be completely strangled economically."
"A joint statement is immediately issued by Merck, Citibank, and Russo-Chinese Bank!"
"Effective immediately, freeze all bank accounts belonging to the Chen family's faction, including Chen Zijun personally, and all his heavy industry, foreign trade, and shipping companies!"
"Cease all fund transfers and foreign exchange services to areas controlled by Chen's army!"
"We want to make sure his factories can't pay wages and can't buy a single ton of iron ore or a single liter of oil!"
"Without money, his tanks and soldiers are nothing but scrap metal!"
Just half an hour later.
One after another, notices bearing the bright red seals of major foreign banks were delivered to Mo Huixin and Mo Lanzhi's desks.
This was like a heavy hammer blow, slamming into the very weak spot of the Chen family army!
On Shanghai's financial street, a tense atmosphere instantly arose. A financial tsunami, powerful enough to destroy the lifeline of the entire rear industrial sector, roared in at the darkest hour before dawn!