Chapter 99: The War of Southern Expedition (Part 1)

  Zhang Xinghai sat on the truck with a look of boredom, smoking and wearing his helmet at an angle, with his MP18 slung over his shoulder, his face filled with annoyance.

  I was an officer, but suddenly I was demoted to deputy squad leader! Rubbing the Iron Cross medal with my hand, I felt a bit of a headache about what to do next. Should I swallow my pride and continue to stay, or retire on the spot? The eyes of my fellow soldiers looking at me had all changed strangely.

  With a bitter face, Zhang Xinghai let out a long sigh as he gazed at the endless stream of trucks on this simple highway. Thinking of his wife and children at home, the ancestral property in his hometown, he gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind to turn things around and make a name for himself in this battle. If not successful, then die trying!

  A loud rumbling sound echoed through the sky, and when I looked up, dozens of red-painted tri-wing planes whizzed by from hundreds of meters above.

  Last time during the battle to capture Jiangyin, the 6th Division Aviation Brigade was severely reprimanded by Gao Yang because there were no reserve aviation bombs at Changzhou Airport. All logistics officers in the aviation brigade were dismissed and kicked out of the army.

  The last campaign was nothing but reconnaissance and photography for the air force, and there were basically no awards or commendations after the war.

  Major Miller was furious about this, the enemy had no air power. The main task of the air force was to support the ground, but this simple and safe task was caused by logistical mistakes, and after they were ready to drop bombs, the battle was over!

  Apart from a handful of individuals who received the Iron Cross Second Class, the entire aircrew went unrewarded.

  The aviation troops, who had been holding their breath for a long time, received the order to prepare to head south. The first thing they did was to load various materials onto vehicles and ships and set off in advance. At the same time, officers were dispatched to follow along and do everything possible to deliver the materials to Wenzhou Airport as quickly as possible.

  Wenzhou had no airport, only vast wilderness. After the local garrison received the telegram, they found a large area of flat land and gathered civilians to flatten it overnight, turning it into a makeshift airfield. What Zhang Xinghai saw was the aviation team's planes transferring bases.

  At this time, in the Garrison Command of Magic Capital, Gao Yang was meeting with British Envoy Sir Mak Klie.

  Mackenzie put down his teacup and said to Gao Yang, "After discussions between the British Empire government and the governments of the United States, France, and Italy, it has been decided to hold a supplementary meeting of the Washington Naval Treaty in Shanghai! This meeting will be at the ministerial level, but the Japanese government has indicated that it will send Finance Minister Kanehiro Kiyotaro to attend."

  Gao Yang nodded slightly and said, "Rank doesn't matter, I just want to know if you can make decisions?"

  "We are all plenipotentiary ambassadors," said Lord Marquis with a slight smile.

  "When does it start?" Gao Yang asked.

  "The envoys of various countries have already set out a few days ago and will arrive in Shanghai at the latest tomorrow. The meeting venue is located at the Peace Hotel in the British Concession, and your country's Northern Government has also dispatched Mr. Kung Hsiang-hsi as its representative for the talks. Mr. Kung will also arrive tomorrow night."

  "Ah, I'm really looking forward to it." Gaoyang said with a smile.

  The next evening, Kao Yang invited Acting Premier Kwei Chung-ching to dinner.

  "Zi Hou, this time rebuilding the great naval fleet and displaying national prestige abroad is all your credit. I toast you a cup." Prime Minister Gu smiled and drank up the wine in his cup.

  Gao Yang smiled and raised his wine glass, taking a sip before saying with a gentle laugh, "Director Guo is too kind. I invited Director Guo here today to discuss tomorrow's meeting and how we should respond."

  Gu Weijun put down his wine cup and said, "What does Zihou mean?"

  "I don't have any special ideas, the bottom line is that it's acceptable to reduce the tonnage of the main fleet, but the tonnage of the aircraft carrier must be increased. The rest are not important!" Gao Yang said calmly.

  "Well, everything is based on Zi Hou's opinion, I'm just a signer." Gu Weijun said with a smile.

  The next afternoon, in the conference room of the Majestic Hotel, Washington, the supplementary meeting of the Washington Naval Treaty officially began.

  For the arms purchase contract of Kaohsiung, Britain and America have taken a clear supportive attitude. France and Italy are indifferent to it. Only Japan strongly opposes it!

  Japanese Foreign Minister Hara Keitaro was emotionally agitated from the start, loudly shouting his opposition and disagreement with the Empire of Great Japan.

  Gao Yang sat in the chair, watching the Foreign Minister's strenuous performance with a flushed face and red ears. A faint smile hung on his lips, his eyes narrowed slightly as he lowered his head, and before he knew it, he had dozed off.

  Half an hour later, when the envoys of various countries present were all annoyed by Mr. Foreign Affairs, they were already parched and hoarse. The hoarse Mr. Foreign Affairs finally stopped his voice. He picked up the teacup on the table and drank more than half of it in one gulp.

  Gu Weijun lightly touched Gao Yang, who was already sleeping very lightly and immediately woke up. Looking at the Foreign Minister with tea leaves still hanging from his mouth, Gao Yang smiled slightly and said, "The Japanese government's opinion has been expressed, now it's my turn to say a few words."

  Standing up and looking at the diplomats from various countries in the conference room with a smile, he said, "The Foreign Minister has just vented his anger, I can understand. However, some things are unstoppable."

  "Foreign Secretary also knows that with the agreement of both British and American governments, any opposition is futile. Alright, venting anger has ended. Let's talk about everyone's specific conditions."

  Gao Yang's straightforwardness made the diplomats on the scene somewhat unnatural, they were all used to making a living by talking, and various exploratory, linked, ambiguous words and hypocritical phrases were their daily norm. Gao Yang's approach of directly addressing the topic was completely not in line with the diplomatic style.

  "It's indeed the style of a military man." thought the diplomats.

  Just as Kao Yang said, this time's military procurement incident has already been expressed in the UK and the US, while France remains neutral. The Japanese government is powerless, and all Foreign Minister can do is to fight for better conditions for the Japanese government.

  The diplomats began to quarrel and shout at each other, eventually resorting to personal attacks. It started with Mr. Foreign Minister and Mr. Gu Weijun, but then the Italian minister intervened on behalf of the foreign minister, only to be mocked by Minister Ma Muwei for Italy's lack of qualifications to intervene. The two ministers immediately became entangled in a heated argument.

  The American ambassador, who was watching the joke on one side, also received a cold sneer from his old rival, the French ambassador. The two men, who had lost their gentlemanly demeanor, immediately started fighting.

  Gao Yang stood quietly in the corner, smoking a cigarette. Watching the interesting scene in front of him, he couldn't help but burst out laughing. After watching for half a day, he found that everyone had no intention of ending it, so he took a step forward to end this farce! Suddenly, he turned around and dodged the shoe thrown by Foreign Minister Mr. Wai. His face turned black as he slammed his hand on the table.

  A loud "Bang!" sounded, and the noisy negotiating scene, like a temple fair market, suddenly fell silent. The diplomats hastily adjusted their clothes and hairstyles, and also rehung professional smiles on their faces.

  Gao Yang walked up to the main seat with a stern face and said, "I don't have time to watch a play here! Gentlemen, this world is about strength! This matter has already been decided. Foreign Minister, are you sure your government is prepared to confront both Britain and America at the same time?"

  The Foreign Minister's eyes twitched and he didn't speak. The British and American ambassadors on the side both had a smug expression, on this planet, except for the Soviet Union's pervert, no country dared to confront Britain and the United States at the same time.

  He nodded slightly and continued, "I still have things to do, so I'll take my leave first. The specific conditions will be handled by Mr. Koo Vi-kyuin for negotiation." After finishing speaking, he put on his military cap, slightly nodded to the diplomats, and left the conference room.

  Gao Yang left the He Ping restaurant and did not return to the Garrison Command, but instead went straight out of the city to the temporary command post of the Sixth Division outside the city. Gao Yang was indeed the division commander of the Sixth Division!

  At this time, most of the troops had already set out, and the temporary command post also began to pack up and prepare to move forward.

  Gao Yang walked into the command center, changed into combat uniform, put on sunglasses and got into a high-end sedan to move forward with the command center.

  Wei Ke's battle plan did not choose to go straight down Xianxia Ridge along the Quzhou and Jiangshan line, but instead chose to follow the coastline from Wenzhou all the way down to Fuding, Ningde, and directly to Sun Chuanfang's base in Fuzhou.

  Choosing this route is because the Sixth Division occupies an absolute advantage in sea and air, marching along the coastline can be greatly relieved by the navy's logistical pressure. After all, this is a military operation of tens of thousands of troops, food, clothing, shelter, weapons and ammunition are transported by sea as there are no railways and roads are very bad.

  Wenzhou, close to Fujian, was designated as the frontline logistics supply center and command headquarters. At this time, the vanguard of the Sixth Division had already entered Wenzhou.

  The air force was even earlier than the vanguard, and after feeling ashamed last time, they were exceptionally proactive this time. After arriving in Wenzhou at noon, they didn't rest, but instead had their planes inspected and refueled before immediately taking off to conduct aerial reconnaissance along the Fuding line.

  At this time, most of Sun's subordinates had not yet received the news that they were to make contact with Gao's army in the north, so when they saw the planes in the sky, they were shocked!

  The news reached Fuzhou, and General Sun's heart suddenly cooled down. How long has it been! The scouts in the Magic City said that the follow-up troops of the Sixth Division had already left, and the scouts hiding in Wenzhou just reported that there were troops from the Sixth Division entering Wenzhou, and as soon as the words fell, the planes arrived overhead! Just this marching speed is absolutely unbeatable at home!

  He slowly let out a breath, suppressing the panic in his heart and began to issue orders to deploy troops and prepare to resist Gaoyang's attack. At the same time, he sent his trusted subordinates to seek help from various forces around Gaoyang, as well as foreigners, regardless of their nationality, as long as they were willing to help him, no matter what conditions they asked for!

  After sending away his subordinates, the feeling of heart palpitations deep in his heart appeared again. After Gao Yang swept through Zhejiang, Sun Commander had carefully studied the combat effectiveness of the Sixth Division. Even without detailed intelligence, he could analyze that the Sixth Division was a force with super strong combat effectiveness! This can be seen from the marching speed of the Sixth Division.

  Never thought that I would experience this terrifying speed myself one day! After hesitating for a moment, I called over the orderly and said "Go back and tell Madam to pack up her valuables and go to Hong Kong first, hurry!"

  PS: The second update is delivered, and there will be another chapter before 12 o'clock tonight.