Back to the Republic of China as a commander

Wang Zhenyu turned his head and looked over. Two tall and thin young men were saluting to him. After Wang Zhenyu returned the salute, he said, "It's another two fellows from Fujian. Said, what happened to the Fujianese? Fujianese are not Chinese anymore? As long as they can fight tough battles and win battles, there is no need for naval personnel to avoid relatives.”

Hearing Wang Zhenyu's words, Chen Shaokuan and many other Fujianese navies who were present couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.After the assassination incident the year before last, with the downfall of Sa Zhenbing, both the Fujian and Guangdong departments of the naval department were suppressed. Now with such a guarantee from Wang Zhenyu, everyone feels a lot of comfort.

Wang Zhenyu seemed to have seen through everyone's little thoughts, and he took the initiative to say: "Come on, let our old-looking Chen Shiying come to introduce us to the performance of this X-type submarine?"

Chen Shiying, born in 1883, graduated from Jiangnan Naval Academy and is 36 years old.Different from the historical encounters, after following the naval uprising, he was sent to the British Navy to study abroad because of his excellent military professionalism in the fifth year of the Republic of China.

During the European War, due to the outstanding record of the German submarine force, the British Navy had to send a large number of students to the battlefield. It was at this time that Chen Shiying fully realized the power of submarines. In February 1918, with the end of the war, Chen Shiying completed a two-year advanced study at the Royal Naval Academy in Portsmouth, England and returned to China.To be honest, due to the war, he didn't learn much about things like battleships, but he was not familiar with German submarines.After returning to China, he submitted a report to Minister Sa Zhenbing, advocating the establishment of a naval submarine force.However, Sa Zhenbing was not interested in submarines at first, thinking that this thing would not become a mainstream weapon in naval warfare; secondly, he was too busy to take care of himself because of his participation in Wang Jingwei's assassination of Wang Zhenyu, so this report was left in Sa Zhenbing's drawer. Asked about it.However, Chen Shiying was very lucky to escape the risk of the assassination, because a large number of officers of the Fujian faction of the navy were arrested and executed by the National Security Bureau.Due to the tight position of the navy itself, he was appointed as the commander of the newly built navy Zhanjiang base, and he practiced the marine regiment in the base every day.

Originally, I thought that I would never be able to return to the warship, but at this time, the navy has undergone tremendous changes. Lieutenant General Chen Shaokuan, who was [-] years old, became the new Minister of the Navy, and a group of naval officers from Germany brought a new look to the Nationalist Navy. .

One of the naval submarine captains named Doenitz quickly became familiar with Chen Shiying, the commander of the Zhanjiang base, and the two discussed submarine tactics almost every day.

And Chen Shaokuan saw Chen Shiying's report "On the Importance of Forming a Naval Submarine Force" by accident, and then handed it to Wang Zhenyu as if he had found a treasure, so Chen Shaokuan became prosperous.

In October 1918, with the secret help of the Germans, the Chinese Navy's submarine force officially entered the city, and Chen Shiying was awarded the command of the Rear Admiral of the First Submarine Fleet.At the same time, the Ministry of the Navy formulated a new military expenditure allocation plan under the repeated emphasis of the Military Commission, and the Navy submarine force won the bulk of it.

And now it's Chen Shiying's turn to report to Wang Zhenyu who came to Zhanjiang base for inspection: "Reporting committee, this is one of the only three X-type submarines we currently have. Technically, the X-type submarine is basically the German u-boat." The improved type of the submarine is still a pressure-resistant hull structure. The hull is a slender steel cylinder with waterproof facilities. There is a ballast groove on the outside of the pressure-resistant hull and a seawater valve below. When the air is filled into the tank, the buoyancy of the submarine increases, and the submarine will float up. If the seawater valve and the air valve are opened, the seawater will enter the tank, the air will be squeezed out, and the submarine will dive. The fuel on the outside of the hull The structure of the storage tank is ingenious, neither will there be unnecessary buoyancy due to the gap caused by the consumption of fuel, nor will it collapse due to excessive pressure during submersion. The X-type submarine adopts two kinds of propulsion devices, the two planes are coaxially symmetrically arranged, Two-shaft twin-propeller propulsion. Two diesel engines are used when sailing on water, with a maximum surface speed of 15-18 knots; two electric motors driven by batteries are used underwater. The battery pack is very heavy, and the latest two battery packs weigh 600 tons, after the power of the battery pack is exhausted, it needs to float up and use the diesel engine to charge, the charging time is longer, and it can be charged in the submerged state after being equipped with a snorkel later. Its combat performance is improved compared to the German U-boat.”

After a pause, Chen Shiying said seriously: "However, our submarine still has serious shortcomings. At present, the surface speed of the X-type submarine driven by the diesel engine is not high, and it can only catch up with some slow merchant ships. The maximum underwater speed is less than 10 knots, generally about 4 knots (except for the xxi type, because it is equipped with a 600-ton high-energy battery pack and a streamlined hull design, it can sustain at an unprecedented high speed of 17 knots underwater. Combat for one hour), in contrast, the maximum speed of a destroyer is 30 knots. In actual anti-submarine warfare, due to the need to use active sonar and hydrophones, the speed of the ship is generally still 10~15 knots, and the U-type submarine faces the enemy destroyer underwater. Depth charges are difficult to evade, and the lack of maneuverability is a fatal shortcoming of the X-type submarine."

Wang Zhenyu scratched his head and said: "That's it. I think everyone has heard about the Paris Peace Conference. Our current naval imaginary enemy is Japan. I don't need to chase them. I just need to ambush our submarines in Just wait for their fleet to die at the mouth of the Yangtze River. In addition, the Japanese fleet is no more than the British fleet, and there is no sonar installed at all. Don’t worry about this. My real concern is the formation of your army.”

At this time, Chen Shaokuan couldn't help interjecting: "Committee, our plan for the submarine force is to have 24 operational submarines before the end of this year, and a full [-]-ship submarine fleet by the end of next year. But Commissioner, the Ministry of the Navy reported a six-year naval construction plan to the Military Commission last year, but it has not received your approval, what are your thoughts?"

Wang Zhenyu read this plan. According to Chen Shaokuan, from the seventh year of the Republic of China to the end of the 12th year of the Republic of China, he planned to form a huge new naval fleet, including one aircraft carrier, two battleships, four cruisers, and 28 destroyers. , 24 submarines. . .

To be honest, Wang Zhenyu was really moved when he saw the aircraft carrier, and the cost was not high. The 2-ton aircraft carrier was only 2 million Chinese yuan. Wang Zhenyu felt that Chen Shaokuan had a strategic vision.But when he suddenly remembered the level of aircraft in this era, he suddenly understood that the co-author Chen Shaokuan was still an old guy whose thinking was stuck in the era of fleet confrontation, and his aircraft carrier did not play any strategic role, but just a scouting effect.So this plan was thrown aside by Wang Zhenyu, and at the same time urged the Ministry of the Navy to shift the focus of its work to the submarine force as soon as possible. Aircraft and submarines are now regarded by Wang Zhenyu as the most practical guarantee for China to become a great power.

However, Chen Shaokuan said all the words for this sake, and Wang Zhenyu would not be able to make it through if he did not give some explanation: "Minister Chen, I am afraid that the battleships and aircraft carriers should be slowed down, and the current four cruisers are enough. We really need to work harder." One of them is a destroyer and a submarine. These are the key weapons for the navy to carry out the mission of breaking diplomatic relations at sea in the future. I know you must say that battleships can determine the control of the sea. But I still have no way to promise you immediately, after all, the current government Finances are also tight. In addition, it is not completely impossible to deal with battleships. I have arranged for the Ministry of National Defense to focus on building Chongming and Jiangyin fortresses. At that time, 380mm cannons will be installed in them. These will be handed over to the navy, so once the Sino-Japanese war breaks out , the navy only needs to lock a few ports into the sea, and the rest can be used to attack Japan’s logistics lines. They are an island country, and they can’t consume ours. Okay, please arrange it, I will eat with my German friends here later One lunch, I have to tell them that China will not demand a penny of compensation from Germany, from now on, we are allies..."

At the same time, at the Liuguo Hotel in Beijing, Shi Congbin, Chief of Staff of the Zhilu Allied Forces, had a secret meeting with Wu Junmei, head of the North China Station of the National Security Bureau.

"Mr. Wu, my general has been convinced by Marshal Wang of Wuhan for a long time. Please bring me a message. As long as Marshal Wang needs it, my general will definitely go through fire and water!" Shi Congbin, who is already in his 50s, said something that felt nasty to him. But don't blush.

Apart from admiration, Wu Junmei did not forget to say a few words of courtesy: "General Xiao Kun has a heart. In fact, if General Xiao Kun has this idea, he can go to Wuhan in person. I think Marshal Wang will definitely welcome him."

Shi Congbin is also an old Jianghu, he pretended to be regretful and shook his head and said: "Mr. Wu's words are true, but my general is also holding other people's jobs, and often he can't help himself..."

After exchanging pleasantries, Shi Congbin went straight to the topic: "To be honest, my general sent Shi to negotiate with you on important matters. Since Feng's army entered the customs, the lives of the people in the northern provinces have been devastated. My general and Zhilu All the officers and soldiers of the coalition forces couldn't stand it anymore. This time it was a diplomatic failure, the people's resentment was boiling, and all our soldiers were filled with righteous indignation..."

It seems that the people are living in misery, and you Zhilu coalition forces have a lot of credit, thinking so, Wu Junmei still said politely: "So, General Xiaokun intends to seek the well-being of the people of the world and justice for the country? "

"That's exactly what I mean, but it needs your support, so we dare to go straight to Huanglong!" Shi Congbin said. . .

Zhang Zongchang wanted to betray Zhang Zuolin in his relationship, so there will be more talk later, the two parties have become hawkers in the vegetable market, and they began to grind little by little.

"The security chiefs of the three eastern provinces, no matter how much they estimate, Marshal Wang will not give it up. In addition, the army will gradually be nationalized, so..."

Shi Congbin nodded and said, "That's very good. I'll go back and report to my general immediately. When the North and South wars break out, my general will definitely turn against him to meet the king's division..."

After Wu Junmei came out of the Liuguo Hotel, she got into a rickshaw and left. . .

"Station Master, we've got rid of all the guards. What does the old man say?" It was Ming Dahu, the operation leader of the North China Station, who was pulling the cart.

Wu Junmei leaned her neck back and said, "I've thought about it, and this matter is quite strange. Dahu, do you think Zhang Zongchang will betray Zhang Zuolin?..."