Chapter 1467 Disaster Relief (Part 1)
Before the spring of 1942, the international war situation in the relatively stable Chinese battlefield actually underwent changes that made the Yamashiro government most happy.
First, in December 1941, with the Japanese victory after victory in the Southeast Asian battlefield, the Japanese Empire, whose desires were expanding day by day, finally could no longer suppress its ambitions for the entire Pacific Ocean, and the United States, with its strong navy and industrial strength, was the roadblock to their desire to dominate the Pacific Ocean.
Although it was considered by domestic assessments in Japan that the industrial output of the United States was dozens of times that of Japan, and it was not at the same level at all, the United States also had very obvious shortcomings.
First of all, in terms of the army, because the United States is located in North America, surrounded by the sea on both sides, with the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean as natural barriers for it, far away from the political whirlpool of Europe, and in a corner, there were no opponents nearby that threatened it, so there were not many US troops at that time.
At this time, the US Army was in a terrible state in terms of military strength. It only had 4 infantry divisions and 1 tank division, with a total of only 100,000 people and more than 300 tanks. With such a low level, it would be crushed by the poor and backward Chinese army if it came to China.
On the other hand, Japan had more than 100 divisions at this time, and its total active force was more than 20 times that of the United States. Moreover, many of them had experienced wars, not to mention the ever-victorious army! It was easy to crush 100,000 American cowboys.
In terms of the navy, although the Americans had the second strongest navy in the world at that time, with a tonnage of 1.43 million tons and 8 aircraft carriers, the United States had to take into account Europe and the Indian Ocean. The only thing that could be used to deal with Japan was the Pacific Fleet, and the US Pacific Fleet in 1941 had only 3 aircraft carriers.
Before the outbreak of World War II, the Japanese Navy had a total of 6 main heavy aircraft carriers, namely Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Shokaku, and Zuikaku. Because Japan has always focused on the development of aircraft carriers, the quality of Japanese aircraft carriers in the early stage of World War II was obviously superior to that of American aircraft carriers.
Especially Shokaku and Zuikaku, the full load displacement of this type of aircraft carrier exceeds 33,000 tons, which was one of the best performing aircraft carriers in the world at that time.
With a high-power engine of 160,000 horsepower, the Shokaku-class aircraft carrier has a higher speed, which can exceed 34 knots, and can carry 80 carrier-based aircraft.
The number of fighter planes owned by the navy and the army is as high as thousands, and the navy, army and air force have achieved a comprehensive crushing of the Americans. It would be a strange thing if the Japanese, who are extremely gambling, did not choose to gamble on the national destiny at this time.
But these, the arrogant Americans will not think so. In the eyes of the Americans, whether it is China or Japan, they are extremely backward in the East, whether it is South Asia, East Asia or Southeast Asia, they are all places where they get wealth.
Especially after the First World War, the United States, which made a fortune by buying arms, did not even take the European countries seriously, let alone these low-level civilizations from the East?
Even Tang Dao warned General Stilwell through Laura in the second half of 1941, especially in November, and told them to be careful of the crazy Japanese.
Admiral Kimmel, then commander of the US Pacific Fleet, listened carefully to the intelligence Stilwell obtained from China, reported the situation to the US military high-level officials, and made certain arrangements, including sending the Enterprise aircraft carrier battle group to the Wake Island area to increase the number of troops stationed in the Wake Island area, sending the Lexington aircraft carrier battle group to the Midway Island area to transport a sufficient number of bombers and ammunition, and temporarily adding shore batteries and anti-aircraft artillery at the Pearl Harbor Naval Base.
But these were not enough to stop the already crazy Japan, nor were they enough to make up for the attack of the Japanese Navy, which had invested 6 aircraft carriers and 350 bombers and almost exhausted all its efforts.
The radio waves of "Tora! Tora! Tora!" arrived as expected over the Pacific Ocean on December 7, 1941. The Japanese naval fleet, which spanned 3,500 nautical miles, taught the arrogant American cowboys a lesson with flames that shot up into the sky.
The Japanese won a huge victory in this attack. At the cost of losing a cruiser and a hundred aircraft positions, they sank 19 warships of the US Pacific Fleet and severely damaged 20 ships, and destroyed and damaged more than 300 US fighter planes.
And this was the result after the Americans were alert. If it weren't for the 10 temporary artillery batteries on the shore firing desperately, the final result would only be 0 to 40 in the past time and space.
But there are still great hidden dangers behind Japan's huge victory. The three aircraft carriers, the core of the US Pacific Fleet, are still intact.
This is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that an oil depot storing 4.5 million tons of heavy oil near the port is actually intact.
All this is thanks to the Japanese Navy. After the first two waves of attacks, the Japanese Navy was ready for the third wave of attacks targeting the docks and oil depots, but was suddenly stopped before the action.
The commander of the Japanese assault fleet, Chuichi Nagumo, was too cautious in this battle. He was always worried about the sudden "disappearance" of the US aircraft carrier. He believed that the Imperial Navy had won a comprehensive victory, but its position had been exposed and it was very vulnerable to retaliatory attacks from US aircraft carriers and submarines. Therefore, there was no need to take greater risks to expand the victory.
This seemingly foolproof move was considered by future war history researchers to be a great opportunity for Japan to miss. They had more than 50% chance of winning the war.
The Japanese army only needs to blow up the huge 4.5 million ton oil depot to completely turn Pearl Harbor into a scorched earth. At that time, the US military will have to retreat to San Diego, 3,500 kilometers away, and lose the initiative in the Pacific battlefield. At that time, there will be no naval force in the vast Pacific that can match the Japanese navy.
If this happens, China will no longer be able to obtain military aid from the United States. The Japanese, who have obtained rich mineral deposits and materials from Southeast Asia, can first invest all their strength to solve the Chinese battlefield, and then use China's vast land as a logistics base to compete with the Americans.
By then, Japan, which has tens of millions of "slaves" who can work hard without paying any price, will not necessarily fail.
But in the long timeline of history, there is no such thing as "if". Let alone those who are deeply in the torrent of that era and cannot see the future clearly, even the Tang Dao who goes against the long river of time, has tried his best in this world, but has only changed the fate of a few people around him. Has it never changed the so-called general trend?
It doesn't matter whether the Japanese are celebrating their victory or not. What matters is that when they learned that Japan and the United States had officially declared war, the high-level officials in Shancheng were jubilant.
Although the telegram of condolences to the US President was still painful and indignant.
The Americans were forced to participate in the war in person, which meant that they could get more military aid as allies. As for giving money or how much money, it didn't matter. Only the victors were qualified to consider the debt issue.
He was definitely a good hand in politics. After the Japanese army ignited the war in the Pacific, only two days later, on December 9, he ordered all war zones to launch attacks to contain the Japanese army and support the friendly countries' operations.
He ordered the 4th War Zone to attack the Japanese army in Yangcheng and support the operations of the British Empire Army in Hong Kong; and the 5th, 6th, and 66th Armies were assembled from Guangxi and Sichuan to Yunnan respectively, preparing to enter Burma to directly assist the British Empire Army in operations.
In order to support the operations of its 23rd Army and the Southern Army and contain the Chinese army's advance towards Guangdong Province, the Japanese 11th Army decided to launch another attack south of the Yangtze River.
Thus, the third Tanzhou Campaign began.
The 11th Army invested more than 100,000 people and fought for a month with the 300,000 troops of the 9th War Zone led by General Xue.
"Whether I can work with the Military Commission and the Executive Yuan depends on the result of this Tanzhou Campaign! If we win, everything will be fine; if we lose, it will be hard to say. Once Tanzhou is lost, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan and other important southwestern areas are all under the threat of the Japanese army, and our First War Zone and Fifth War Zone are also in great danger."
When Tang Dao and General Jiang were sitting in the office discussing disaster relief, General Jiang also fully expressed his concern about the Tanzhou Campaign, which was almost over.
"Although Commander Xue is a maverick, he has a good way of managing the army and has studied the Tianlu tactics. Anami Yuji is not his opponent." Tang Dao said decisively.
Anami Yuji took office as the commander of the 11th Army three months ago. His predecessor Yokoyama Isamu was already remembered by the Japanese headquarters because of the defeat in the Battle of Shipai. When the "Eagle Special Attack Team" carefully organized and planned by the General Staff Headquarters and the Expeditionary Army Headquarters was annihilated, and even Tanabe Moritake and others were assassinated by the Chinese in Jiangxia City, Yokoyama Isamu, the highest military commander of the Japanese side in Jiangxia, could only take the blame.
There are also many bad people in the Japanese Army Headquarters. Yokoyama Isamu, who was transferred, did not return to Japan, but went to the Expeditionary Army Headquarters to replace the dead ghost Tanabe Moritake and became the deputy chief of staff of the Expeditionary Army. As the former commander of the 11th Army, he became the deputy chief of staff at the level of major general. This is definitely a demotion.
However, the arrogant Yokoyama Isamu actually took up his post obediently, which made the Japanese headquarters look at him with new eyes.
Perhaps only Tang Dao knew that this old man was not a good thing. Yokoyama Isamu, who led his troops to fight the 9th War Zone in two battles in Tanzhou and both ended in failure, knew the ability of the general surnamed Xue best. He was waiting for the opportunity to make a comeback.
If the Japanese side chooses to fight Tanzhou again and loses, it may be the time for him to be re-employed.
And the third battle of Tanzhou is destined to end in the defeat of the Japanese side.
"You are quite confident in Commander Xue, but you must be careful about your unique evaluation. If I help you spread it, Commander Xue is not Commander Li!" General Jiang, who was in a good mood, couldn't help but tease Tang Dao.
"Sir, capable people are mostly people with personality, especially in this chaotic world. If you don't have some special personality, how can you shock those arrogant soldiers from various mountains!" Tang Dao said seriously.
"Oh?" General Jiang looked out the window thoughtfully, but stopped talking.
He understood that Tang Dao was persuading him. The First War Zone had many troops, and some generals relied on their status as the direct lineage of the general to disobey the orders. The military orders of the War Zone Command were not so easy to use.
He, the new commander of the War Zone, was not deaf. How could he not have heard of the bad reputation of the 13th Army stationed in western Henan?
But if he was to be cruel or report the evil deeds to the general, the general would probably not believe it, and even choose to put it aside because of his excellent performance on the battlefield the year before last. Then his position would be very embarrassing.
After all, compared with the disciple of the emperor, he, who was known as the Five Tiger Generals under his seat, was not as close as others imagined. He knew it very well.
Seeing that the general responded with silence, Tang Dao could only sigh helplessly in his heart.
To be honest, this commander was not highly regarded in historical records. He was corrupt and especially addicted to gambling. When he was the division commander in 1930, he lost the military pay of an infantry division for three months overnight. He was good at civil wars but not foreign wars on the battlefield. The great defeat of Henan Province in the past was inseparable from his poor command.
But at least this time, he was really willing to solve the problem of the impending disaster in Henan Province, and even expressed to Tang Dao that if it really came to the worst, the First War Zone could take out some military rations to provide relief to the victims.
Tang Dao remembered very clearly that in the past, when the Japanese army conquered Henan Province and occupied Zhengcheng, there were still 1 million bags of flour in the grain warehouse of the First War Zone, which was enough for the 200,000 troops of the First War Zone to eat for a year.
In the blink of an eye, it was the New Year. With the arrival of 5 million kilograms of grain, and the general Jiang took out another 1 million kilograms of military rations from the warehouse, they provided relief to the victims in the 20 counties affected by the disaster.
However, this time it was not pure free relief, but it was sold to the victims at a price lower than half of the current market price. The money collected was used by the merchant group brought by Tang Dao to purchase grain in Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces, and then transported to Henan Province for storage to deal with the possibility of a second drought or even a locust plague next year as Tang Dao said.
Except for the soldiers and businessmen who followed Tang Dao, most people believed that the disaster might be alleviated in the spring. The serious disaster that Tang Dao said was only a possibility, not a necessity. Only Tang Dao knew that this was a historical necessity.
From the beginning of February, all counties began to sell grain!
Under Tang Dao's suggestion, each county's grain sales point had an inspection team sent by the First War Zone Command. If someone was found to privately sell the grain purchased at a low price, or if someone dared to mix the grain with sundries and pass it off as good, they would be immediately taken to Zhengcheng. If they had money, they would pay 100,000 yuan to atone their sins, and if they had no money, they would be shot at the beginning of spring!
Moreover, before the inspection team led by the captain of the army set out to give a speech, Tang Dao had clearly informed everyone that there were secret inspectors behind the inspection team. If the members of the inspection team dared to collude with local officials and businessmen, the businessmen could spend money and risk their lives for disaster relief, and they, as soldiers, would be subject to wartime military law.
If others said this, the inspection team might just think it was just talk, but the reputation of Tang Tuanzuo who starved thousands of Japanese soldiers to death in the Battle of Shipai had long been spread to major war zones. Even the Japanese hated him but could do nothing about him. Wouldn't it be easy to kill these big soldiers?
However, human greed is really terrible.
Tang Dao, who was appointed by the Military Commission and held the handwritten order of the commander of the First War Zone, had already made such a cruel statement. In the face of huge interests, there were still people who played tricks.
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Tang Dao also knew that it was difficult to save the 30 million disaster victims by his own efforts. Even if there were tens of millions of kilograms of grain stored in Zishan, and even if it took time and effort to transport it to Henan Province, it would only temporarily alleviate the disaster that would sweep across Henan Province.
Therefore, while selling grain to the disaster victims at a low price and collecting money to buy grain for a virtuous cycle, Tang Dao persuaded Laura to personally bring the Western journalists in the mountain city to Zhengcheng on a US military transport plane.
Then he sent special people to accompany these reporters who received red envelopes and had a strong sense of "justice" to the worst-hit counties to see the lives of the people.
Not to mention the people who had not yet lined up to buy food, there were often only some leaves and bark in the pot, and the degree of hunger could not be described by skin and bones. Almost every household had elderly people and children who starved to death, which was really unbearable to read.
And those people who emptied their family's savings to buy some food also had simple meals, because the superiors said that there would be a greater drought this year, and even locust plagues.
The gene of being prepared for danger in times of peace has long been engraved in the genes of the Chinese. Bark flour mixed with two taels of flour and boiled in water to make bark noodle soup is often the most normal meal for a family.
New graves scattered across the countryside, not even a sparrow can be seen in the sky, men and women who are like wandering ghosts searching for any food to eat in the wilderness, and groups of photos of Chinese bowls that are so clear that you can almost reflect clear faces of people, I don’t know how many Chinese people’s hearts have been hit hard.
Until the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, all counties reported that the low-priced disaster relief grain was basically sold out.
For a few people who really have no purchasing power, the local village head, the head of the security guard, and the head of the village will sign and seal it. After the captain of the inspection team personally reviews it, 50 kilograms of rice and flour will be distributed to each person, and some grains and wild vegetables will be exchanged for it, which will be enough for half a year.
Under such a policy, it can basically ensure that every household has food, at least before the spring plowing.
New Year’s Eve is the day that Chinese people value most.
On this day, no matter how poor you are, you have to take out what food you can afford at home, and the family sits together to celebrate the New Year.
It was snowing lightly that day. Tang Dao, who did not return home due to work, accompanied Laura and two Chinese and American reporters to randomly choose to step into the door of a house under the leadership of the village chief.
Tang Dao's trip was not for inspection or condolences, but to accompany the Chinese and foreign reporters he invited to see the situation after the relief grain was distributed.
Seeing the smiles on the faces of the victims satisfied the humanitarian concept of the Western world and also reassured people from all walks of life in Shancheng.
Because the shocked Western reporters spared no effort to report, Shancheng held a disaster relief fund-raising a week ago. People from all walks of life in Shancheng, including ordinary people, raised nearly 40 million French francs in just two days.
General Jiang was so happy that he asked Tang Dao to accompany these Chinese and foreign reporters, especially after the disaster relief. He not only wanted to see the past misery, but also wanted to see that they could maintain a good life after the disaster relief.
After all, this is also one of his political achievements.
But the first one he entered surprised Tang Dao, Laura and the two reporters!
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PS: There was no update yesterday because Fengyue was revising the chapters that were blocked earlier. Otherwise, it would cause more problems. It really hurts my head. I said this in the group, and I will say it again to the brothers who are not in the group.