Courtyard House: I only wiped out 30,000 Japanese pirates

Meanwhile, similar discussions are taking place among the pro-Korean faction.

Captain Shu sat behind the long table in the conference room, with two intelligence reports in front of him: one was a warning forwarded by the major party, and the other was a similar message sent by the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) before, signed by a man named Deng Hanyong.

The two intelligence reports were highly consistent, both pointing to the same conclusion: the Japanese were preparing to launch a large-scale attack on Shanghai, which was likely to happen soon.

Captain Shu pondered for a moment, then asked the staff and advisors present what they thought.

Some say that intelligence from major parties may not be reliable, and that they might be deliberately spreading rumors to mislead the public.

Some say it came from the major party, so we need to be even more careful.

However, some have pointed out that the two independent intelligence reports corroborate each other, and combined with the recent movements of the Japanese fleet, the credibility is very high.

After listening to everyone's opinions, Captain Shu remained silent for a long time.

The conference room was so quiet that only the hum of the electric fan could be heard.

He stood up, walked to the large military map on the wall, picked up the pointer and pointed to the location of Shanghai, then pointed to the location of Jingzhou.

Then he turned to look at everyone present and said that no matter where the intelligence came from, we cannot gamble the lives of the soldiers on the truth of the intelligence.

Start preparing now.

The army has entered a state of combat readiness, supplies have begun to be transferred to the front lines, and all leave has been canceled.

Meeting adjourned.

Soon, the elite troops stationed near Shanghai began to move.

Almost simultaneously, in an inconspicuous three-story Western-style building in Hongkou, Shanghai, Ono, the head of the Japanese intelligence section stationed in Shanghai, was standing in front of a wall covered with aerial photographs and military maps.

He had unbuttoned two buttons on his collar, and a cigarette, already burned down to the filter, was between his fingers. He didn't even bother to flick the ash off the map.

Five telegrams were spread out on the table, one from the Japanese and one from the Chinese Communist Party.

Intelligence analysts slumped over their desks, their eyes bloodshot, marking maps with magnifying glasses and red and blue pencils.

Through their analysis of the movements of the Guodang troops, they concluded that "the Daxia people already know our battle plan."

Ono slammed the telegram on the table, his expression cold and hard. "They are mobilizing troops and building fortifications, preparing for a tough battle with us in Shanghai. They know we are coming, and they know it quite clearly."

Ishida, the deputy head of the intelligence section, turned around from in front of the map, holding a magnifying glass and pointing at several marked points.

He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and spoke with a calmer tone than Ono: "The Great Xia army has been deploying its defenses around Shanghai much faster these past few days, and new unit designations have appeared at several key locations. We should attack immediately."

"Our original battle plan was based on surprise, aiming to land quickly in the Jinshanwei and Baoshan areas before they could react. But now they are prepared, and the surprise effect is gone."

Ishida put down the magnifying glass and gently tapped the location of Shanghai on the map with his finger.

After listening, Ono remained silent for a moment, then turned around and looked at the map on the wall that was covered with dense markings.

His gaze lingered for a while on the Great Xia defensive fortifications marked with red circles on the outskirts of Shanghai, then he squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "Quick victory."

"The longer we drag this out, the stronger their defenses will become, and the greater the cost of a siege will be. We must launch an attack before they are fully fortified, and at the same time, we should immediately advise the frontline troops to accelerate their assembly."

Ono threw the cigarette butt into the ashtray, walked to his desk, picked up the phone, shook it a few times, and gave the operator the code name for an encrypted line.

A few minutes later, the intelligence analysis report was placed on a long table at the Japanese Army Command in Japan.

The long table was filled with officers in crisp military uniforms, the stars on their epaulets gleaming coldly under the chandelier.

A larger military map hung on the wall, with Shanghai's location marked by a thick red circle, and next to it densely marked the unit numbers and estimated troop strength of the various units of the Great Xia garrison.

The air was filled with the smell of sake and ink.

General Kawada, Chief of Staff of the Army Group, stood up and briefly reported the intelligence section's conclusions to everyone present.

"The intelligence section has confirmed that the Great Xia is aware of the Imperial Army's plan to march south and attack Shanghai, and is intensifying its troop deployment. The original plan for joint naval and land operations is no longer applicable, and it will take another three to five days for the main naval fleet to reach the waters off Shanghai."

"Five days later, the fortifications in Shanghai will be completed, and the garrison will be at least twice as strong. At that time, the casualties will be enormous, and the strategic goal of a quick victory will be lost."

As soon as Kawada finished speaking, a person stood up at the front of the conference table.

General Yamamoto, the army commander with two stars on his shoulder insignia, was the army's leading hawk. He was not tall but had extremely broad shoulders, a thick mustache, and a deep, loud voice.

"The situation is economical. The navy isn't in place, so we'll have to fight it ourselves with the army." Yamamoto slammed his white gloves on the table, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"The Great Xia garrison in Shanghai consists of only nine divisions, poorly equipped, and the soldiers are not well trained. The Imperial Army is worth ten men and can take Shanghai without naval support. Why wait for them to slowly arrive?"

The meeting room was quiet for a moment, then filled with a chorus of agreement.

Several army generals stood up and said that the navy always did this, never arriving at the agreed time, and that the army should just attack according to plan.

Some say that the quality of the garrison troops in Shanghai is far inferior to that of the Imperial Army, and that even with fortifications, they could not stop the iron hooves of the Imperial Army.

Some people even said that after taking Shanghai, the navy shouldn't come over; all the credit should go to the army.

This remark made several staff officers nearby laugh.

Of course, several liaison officers from the Navy were sitting in the conference room, their expressions changing from shock to anger, and then from anger to ashen.

A naval lieutenant commander stood up to speak, but his colleague pulled his sleeve. This was army territory; there was no point in saying anything more.

Yamamoto glanced at them, too lazy to even respond, and turned back to continue explaining his battle plan to the map.

……

The infighting between the Japanese army and navy has a long history.

The conflict between the Japanese army and navy can be traced back to the anti-shogunate movement. The two branches of the military each have their own sphere of influence and political backers, and they have disliked each other for decades.

The army advocated a northward advance, while the navy advocated a southward advance; their strategic directions were completely at odds.

More importantly, military spending is limited, and the navy wants to prioritize its development, while the army wants to prioritize its development.

Similarly, not only in strategic development, the two sides compete and even become enemies, but also in specific combat operations, with the navy not sharing intelligence with the army.

After the fall of Beijing, the army's power expanded further, and its arrogance towards the navy became more and more undisguised.

The navy was naturally furious, especially since its military budget was higher than that of the army.

Several naval liaison officers left the meeting room without saying goodbye after the meeting ended. One lieutenant colonel turned back to look at Yamamoto as he walked to the door, his eyes filled with such venom that you could wring water out of them.

He returned to Naval Headquarters and reported the news of the Army's solo mission word for word, his words so sharp they were almost impeachment.

Upon receiving the telegram, the Naval General Staff immediately convened an emergency meeting. Several admirals slammed their fists on the table, berating the Army for its arrogance, and then went to the Cabinet.

However, the army's orders had already been issued, and the front-line troops had begun to accelerate their assembly. All the navy could do was speed up the fleet's preparations and try to get to the front before the end of the campaign.

Thus, this intelligence coming from Beijing was changing the course of the entire battle in a way that He Dajun had never anticipated.