Chapter 236

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

At the Yangtze River Estuary, aboard Gu Qingchuan Commander's Mutsu Battleship, two Army generals urging the Navy to hurry up and attack had arrived: they were Matsui Iwane, Area Army Commander of Central China, and Asaka-no-miya Yasuhiko, Commander of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army.

Third Fleet Commander-in-Chief Gu Qingchuan General stood unhappily before the chart table, arms crossed, his gaze falling on the Taihu region.

Central China Area Army Commander Matsui Iwane General stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the operational diagram on the wall extending to Jinling, his brow tightly furrowed.

Asaka-no-miya Yasuhiko stood between the two, glancing now at Matsui Iwane, now at Gu Qingchuan.

"Commander Gu Qingchuan," Matsui Iwane finally turned around, suppressing his anger, "I've heard that your minesweeping operations on the Yangtze waterway are nearly complete, so why haven't you launched the attack?!

The Army's warriors are ready to attack along the river, just waiting for the Navy's big guns to clear the way for us!"

Gu Qingchuan said upon hearing this: "Matsui Iwane Excellency, you put it lightly.

Do you know how many valuable light vessels and auxiliary ships my fleet diverted to support the Sixth Division's fanciful central breakthrough plan?

Twenty-one Type 2 Landing Craft! Twenty modified gunboats! And a large number of steamships!

Now? They're all thrown into Taihu! Becoming trophies for the Xia people to celebrate victory, or sunk at the bottom of the lake feeding fish! Who will make up for these losses?

The Army lightly draws a line on the map with a pencil, and our Navy must pay with real steel!"

Matsui Iwane General argued loudly: "The Navy pays with steel, but the Army pays with real lives!!!"

Seeing the two about to quarrel again, Asaka-no-miya Yasuhiko Prince timely stepped forward, standing between them: "Both of you! Please calm down!"

"Commander Gu Qingchuan, Commander Matsui Iwane, please both restrain your anger. The losses of the Sixty-third Regiment of the Sixth Division are truly heartbreaking, and the attrition of Navy vessels is equally worthy of respect.

But please both do not forget that we stand here not to quarrel over who paid more or whose responsibility is greater; Emperor Tenghuang Majesty is still waiting for our good news!"

"The Emperor Majesty is in the homeland, day and night looking forward to good news of the Central China war.

Quarreling cannot solve the Xia people's defensive line, nor can it make the Sun Flag fly atop Jinling City! Now, the Xicheng Line and Jiangyin Fortress are the last barrier standing before us.

Open them, and Jinling is before our eyes! Seizing the enemy's capital will be the most glorious victory since Emperor Chuo's Holy War!"

Gu Qingchuan snorted and questioned: "Prince Highness says well. But I've also heard some rumors.

It is said that within the Army General Staff, some feel the Central China Area Army's war has dragged on too long with excessive casualties, and plan to have the Central China Area Army stop large-scale offensives and instead seek to force the Xia government to submit through negotiation?

If that is true, then what meaning is there for my Navy fighting to the death here, risking mines and artillery to storm Jiangyin Fortress? Is it merely to add a bit of bargaining chip to the Army's negotiating table?"

Hearing these words, Matsui Iwane's just-suppressed anger flared up again: "Absurd! Commander Gu Qingchuan, you've seen it too—the Xia government has already moved its capital to Chongqing!

This clearly shows they have no intention of negotiating at all, but rather to resist us to the end!

Negotiate? What is there to negotiate with a group determined to resist to the end?

Only with absolute strength, completely crushing their army, occupying their capital, and destroying their will to resist can this war truly be ended!

Lv Muzhi has created so many obstacles for us, but I insist on breaking through them one after another, shattering the myth of the Youth Army's invincibility!"

Asaka-no-miya Yasuhiko also nodded in agreement: "Yes, the Xia people moving their capital is precisely a manifestation of their stubbornness; the Empire must deal them the heaviest blow..."

Gu Qingchuan insisted on his view: "Both of you need say no more; as for how to act specifically, I only take orders from the Navy General Staff Office.

I hear the Imperial General Headquarters is holding an audience meeting within the Imperial Palace; our arguing here is meaningless. We must trust the Imperial General Headquarters' decision—whether the Army General Staff or the Navy General Staff Office, both will prioritize Emperor Chuo's supreme interests."

The three ceased their activity, and the two highest Japanese commanders in Central China, Army's Matsui Iwane and Navy's Gu Qingchuan, thus fell into a painful silence of waiting within the Mutsu Battleship's bridge command room.

Staff officers and adjutants came and went cautiously, afraid of bringing bad luck.

Time passed minute by minute; only the howling of the sea breeze and the distant, faint whistles of warships could be heard.

They waited from morning until afternoon; lunch was hastily eaten in silence, with no one having an appetite.

It was not until the afternoon sun began to slant westward that an officer from the Communications Room, holding a just-translated telegram, ran into the command room.

"Report! Urgent telegram from the Imperial General Headquarters Army General Staff!"

Matsui Iwane snatched the telegram, skimmed it quickly; his face first relaxed slightly, then furrowed again, and he handed the telegram to Asaka-no-miya Yasuhiko, who, after reading it, fell into silent contemplation.

The telegram's content roughly was: affirming the Central China Area Army's recent combat "achievements," and requiring the Central China Area Army to "take advantage of the early stage of the enemy's capital relocation and unstable deployment to strive to smash the enemy at the current Xicheng Line, fully demonstrating the Locust Army's powerful combat strength and firm resolve."

But at the same time, the telegram also clearly instructed: "After achieving the above military objectives, the Central China Area Army should appropriately shift to strategic standoff, consolidate the front line, temporarily refrain from attacking Jinling, coordinate with political and diplomatic efforts, and force the Xia authorities to realize resistance is hopeless, drawing them back to the negotiating table."

That is to say, the Imperial General Headquarters hoped Matsui Iwane and others would, after capturing the solid Xicheng Defense Line, immediately stop advancing and temporarily refrain from occupying Jinling.

In the Imperial General Headquarters' view, once the solid Xicheng Defense Line was captured, taking Jinling City would be no difficulty at all; Jinling City was a peach that could be plucked at any time.

Relying on the great prestige after capturing the Xicheng Line, they would draw the Xia Guo high-level to the negotiating table and force the Xia Guo high-level to agree to Japan's unreasonable treaties—that was the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters' idea.

Hardly had the Army telegram arrived when, less than ten minutes later, another telegram was delivered.

"Report! Urgent telegram from the Navy General Staff Office!"

Gu Qingchuan took the telegram, read it carefully, and his face showed little expression.

The Navy General Staff Office's telegram was worded more directly: ordering the Third Fleet to "closely coordinate with the Central China Area Army, spare no effort to break through the Yangtze Channel blockade, capture Jiangyin Fortress, and clear the water obstacles on the way to Jinling.

Use powerful naval firepower to support Army operations, seize a decisive military victory, and create favorable conditions for forcing Xia Guo to submit and compelling Xia Guo to negotiate."

The two telegrams had similar tones, both demanding continued fighting and victory, but their ultimate goal was negotiation; it seemed indeed that the Army and Navy high commands had worked it out at the same table.

The Japanese goal was to force Xia Guo to the negotiating table, obviously recognizing that the old saying "human greed is never satisfied, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant" had begun to come true for them.