On December 24, 1939, when Japan had just recovered from the failures on the battlefields of Nomenkan and Central China, the entire country gradually showed its sharp fangs.

The cities and villages of Japan were crowded with people from parades, and the parades were wearing colorful carp flags and paper kites. Although they had frequent failures on the battlefields in East Asia, the top leaders of Japan still covered up everything well, saying that this was a temporary failure and the empire was still prosperous in its martial arts.

With the unique determination of an industrial power, the Tokyo Imperial General Staff chose this time to issue the final combat order. Thousand Years of Hegemony, success or failure is here. This is the last madness of the samurai and only a few dignity left.

"His Majesty the Emperor ordered Yamamoto, Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Fleet!" The Navy's Order No. 18 said, and arranged a specific plan for the "Shanghai Campaign": "The Joint Fleet Commander cooperated with the Army to occupy strategic strongholds east of the sea islands in Shanghai and Fujian."

The order launched the largest battle that the Imperial Navy had never dared to carry out, and advocated a strategy that Yamamoto hoped would lead to a "decisive naval battle."

He believed that the Japanese Navy's overwhelming advantage would surely achieve a decisive victory. Then, he planned to use his personal high reputation to persuade Prime Minister Tojo to make concessions, so that China could come to the negotiating table and quickly end the war of aggression against China.

Now Shanghai has the China United Army Air Force and a strong navy stationed. Although China does not have super battleships, as an open-minded Yamamoto Iroku still dares not take it lightly.

Since the fall of central China, Japan's rule in northern China has been in danger. Now, there is panic in Manchuria, let alone Wang Kemin's North China Autonomous Government.

The day when Yamamoto received the order, he was anchored on the flagship of the picturesque anchorage of the Matsushima anchorage south of Hiroshima, holding a briefing and conducting a simulated combat exercise with his senior officers.

For half a year, the Imperial Navy's main ships, including the newly-income 80,000-ton giant warship "Yamato". They were swaying around their buoys, and most of the carrier-based aircraft pilots who had seen most naval battles called them "Pillar Island Fleet".

Now, the naval generals gathered in the vast secret room of the world's largest warship, finally learned that the fleet was about to head to the battlefield to participate in a large-scale naval battle.

Combining all aspects of Yamamoto's complex and huge plan together, this task was the result of his capable combat staff, the Navy Colonel Kuroshima, who had been pondering for many days.

Under the personal guidance of the commander-in-chief, the General Staff developed a strategy to extend the Japanese defense line for two thousand miles and extend it to the southeastern coast of China to threaten the lifeline of the Hualian.

Yamamoto intends to showdown with the Hualian Navy. During the four-day meeting, he proposed plans to the captains and senior officers of the fleet, demanding a series of chain offensives, eleven battleships, eight aircraft carriers, twenty-two cruisers, sixty-five destroyers, twenty-one submarines and more than two hundred naval aircraft to participate in the battle.

The entire fleet will be divided into six separate small fleets, deployed on the vast Pacific Ocean from the Mariana Islands to the Aleutian Islands. The battle will consist of a series of closely coordinated operations in time, with the targets concentrated in Shanghai.

A two thousand troops will attack this most prosperous large city in the East on the designated date, including the previous two Battles of Shanghai. This is the third time that the Japanese navy has launched a large-scale attack on Shanghai.

Before this, a restrained attack on the Hualian Air Force Base in the surrounding areas of Hangzhou will be carried out 72 hours. The Japanese Navy Headquarters decided to launch a naval battle, and on the second day after the naval battle, the Marine Corps and some Army units launched an invasion to Shanghai and Fujian. Just like in the past, China's north and south military forces were cut into two sections and defeated one by one.

Yamamoto Irosaki plans to set sail from the country. Nanyun's aircraft carrier assault forces must bomb and weaken Shanghai's shore-based fortifications before the attack, and it is best to suppress the Hualian Air Force. This is the key to the success or failure of the entire strategy.

Yamamoto ambushed between these two attack fleets far apart, and the Hualian East China Sea Fleet, waiting to leave the military port east, came up from the front to attack. The Japanese submarine troops could ambush behind and prepare to give it a sudden attack before the final surface battle.

Senior officers present on the Yamato were not without criticism of this complex plan.

Lieutenant General Kondo Nobusuke expressed doubts about whether the attack on Midway Island was wise. Because the heavy strategic bombers in Shanghai and Hangzhou could pose a powerful threat to warships.

The aircraft carrier commanders of Lieutenant General Nagamo expressed uneasy that the main fleet would be deployed more than three hundred miles away. The distance was too far and that they would not be able to rescue once they needed support. More potential shortcomings of the master plan were exposed when conducting naval combat simulation exercises in the flagship's spacious combat room.

Communications and liaisons are obviously a problem, as the commander-in-chief of the Joint Fleet will be at sea and must implement radio silence. Moreover, the northwest direction of the aircraft carrier is greatly exposed and vulnerable to attacks. However, Yamamoto flatly refused to consider postponing the deadline for February next year and did not allow further plans or major changes to the details of other strategic plans.

He also suffered from myopia with overconfident confidence. It is interesting that although he always emphasized the attack power of carrier-based aircraft, he formulated a ground tactical plan for "decisive naval battle", but ultimately emphasized the old-fashioned ground artillery battle between warships.

"Victory" seems to have dulled Yamamoto's strong strategic awareness.

He deliberately ignored one of the most serious flaws, which happened to be based on his grand plan to attack the offshore islands of Shanghai and Xiamen in China. He wanted to capture two targets far apart, forgetting Ma Han's principle of concentrating naval forces.

As six small fleets spread across thousands of miles of the Pacific Ocean, the Combined Fleet would lose its overwhelming advantage. In order to lure his opponents into a "decisive battle", Yamamoto's strategy required the commander of the Hualian Navy to act in accordance with his grand plans.

However, given that the senior management of the China League of China Navy deciphered Japan's radio in advance, they have enough understanding of the "Shanghai Campaign" plan and will be able to concentrate the forces of the East China Sea fleet to defeat the invasion of China's southeast coast, thereby destroying the entire complex arrangement.

History often repeats itself, and Yamamoto's decision to launch a large-scale offensive on China's southeast coast in the last few days of December is a ridiculous mockery of history.

Thirty-four years ago, the admiral Sir John Jelico also mistakenly believed that Germany would act according to his combat strategy. So he led the large fleet to the North Sea to show off with the German Emperor's high seas fleet, and Yamamoto's joint fleet would follow his mistake.

Japanese naval generals carefully studied the Battle of Jutland. But they obviously forgot the following lesson: how the speed and chaos of modern naval warfare prevented the Royal Navy from winning the expected second Battle of Trafalgar.

Nelson's traditional concept was that two rows of clumsy warships launched a fierce artillery battle, and the firepower and maneuverability of the dauntless warships had changed this concept. The aircraft, which played only a slight role in the Battle of Jutland in 1916, brought another great revolution to the naval battle in the era between the two wars.

This will be a huge change in which Yamamoto himself played a role in promoting it.

For the Japanese's main plan to achieve the second phase of the war, it is crucial to keep confidential, but the secret will be gradually stripped away. Its main goal is to target the Southeast coastal cities with a prosperous economic climate in Hualian.

The intercepted telegram of December 28, 1939 provided the first clue in this regard. The target mentioned in the telegram was temporarily determined to be Midway Island. The telegram mentioned Xiamen was also identified as a battle that will occur after the Taiwan Strait military operation.

The intelligence departments of Hualian and the underground palace controlled by Zhong Yang are probably sure of this. Therefore, on December 29, do not hurry to inspect the Marine Corps defending Shanghai and the land aircraft troops arranged in the surrounding areas.

But at that time, it seemed to be a bizarre foresight of the enemy's plan in the later stage, and at most it was a premonition. Because on the morning of the morning when the commander of the East China Sea Fleet, Xu Jiangwen, took off from Guangzhou Port, the intelligence department of the Navy headquarters estimated that the main attack was still being carried out elsewhere, and all the existing Hualian aircraft carriers and escort warships were concentrated there.

Just as the top leaders of the Navy headquarters believed, they were ready to show up with the Japanese.

It was not until December 31, two days after Xu Jiangwen returned to Shanghai Military Port from Guangzhou, that this was probably reconsidered. The Operational Intelligence Department of the East China Sea Fleet, directly led by the Ministry of National Defense, discovered that they had confused the call signs of battleships and submarines, which imply continued to advance south.

The Japanese navy will take action! The target is directed to Shanghai!

In January 1940, the Second Japanese Navy Fleet began its "Shanghai Operations" offensive plan against China. Chen Jiongming, who had just taken office as head of state, had to send the strongest East China Sea Fleet in his hands to fight.

It has two new "Dragon" class aircraft carriers, which harass and restrain the Japanese army. Both of them are heavy aircraft carriers with a displacement of 50,000 tons. They carry more than 120 aircraft and have nearly 3,000 crew members. The ship is fully equipped and has strong firepower.

As soon as they were dispatched, the fighter jets on the "Tianlong" and the "Qinglong" aircraft carrier had a war with the Japanese HNA fighter jets.

The East China Sea Fleet has two new heavy aircraft carriers, the "Tianlong" and the "Qinglong". There are also eight missile cruisers and thirteen missile destroyers. Leaded by Major General Liao Yi, they left Xiamen Harbor and sailed to Shanghai again. This time, many officers and soldiers will work with the aircraft carrier to achieve their reputation with the second Japanese fleet.

The Japanese Navy's plan to advance south was not safe, mainly because of the strength of the Hualian Air Force, and the Japanese Navy was not familiar with the Hualian East China Sea Fleet, and always felt the threat of the Hualian warships following each other. When choosing the timing of the attack, the Japanese commander of the South Pacific and commander of the Fourth Fleet, U.S. Admiral Inoue hesitated.

Inoue believes that the Hualian Fleet may be monitoring nearby. If it transports troops near the Taiwan Strait in order to attack Shanghai and Fujian, it will inevitably be plotted by the Hualian East China Sea Fleet. During the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the Chinese troops transport ship "Gaosheng" with weak escort force was sunk by the Japanese Navy in the Yellow Sea, and hundreds of soldiers were buried in the belly of fish. This tragedy is the most familiar to the Japanese Navy.

Therefore, Narimi Inoue was unwilling to take risks. He postponed the attack on Shanghai from January to February, waiting for the arrival of the 5th Air Force led by Rear Admiral Takagi Takeo to relieve his worries.

Takeo Takagi's 5th aviation fleet refers to a fleet composed of two sister aircraft carriers of the Japanese Navy, the "Shokawa" and "Sikawa" as the core. This fleet also includes 4 cruisers and 4 destroyers. The Shoki-class aircraft carrier is a new type of Japanese aircraft carrier with a displacement of 25,000 tons, 1,500 officers and soldiers on the ship, and is equipped with more than 60 fighter jets of various types.

The Japanese Navy is accustomed to referring to aircraft carrier battle groups as aviation teams. This fleet is ranked fifth in the Japanese Navy sequence, so it is called the "5th Aviation Team". The Japanese Navy is also accustomed to referring to the main fleet as "mobile fleet" or "assault fleet", so these names are the same thing, and they all refer to the main force that can engage in decisive battles at sea.

Just when General Takagi was ordered to lead the 5th aviation team to enter Shanghai, in order to balance the forces of Shanghai with the Japanese Navy, Chen Jiongming urgently sent a Nanhai Special Mixed Fleet commanded by Major General Peng Tao to Shanghai to join the Donghai Special Mixed Fleet that was already there to block the Japanese Navy's offensive operation.

The Nanhai Special Mixed Fleet is the core of the medium-sized aircraft carrier "Jinjiao" and includes three missile heavy cruisers and seven destroyers. The "Jinjiao" aircraft carrier is a relatively-class warship. It has a displacement of 32,000 tons, 1,800 officers and soldiers, and 80 aircraft carriers.

Xu Jiangwen, the young admiral, dispatched troops and was determined to win a victory to prove the strength of the navy. First, we should teach the arrogant Japanese a lesson, and at the same time we should also win honor for the navy and change the record of not having won the victory since he took office.

For this reason, before setting out from the Shanghai Military Port, Xu Jiangwen conducted in-depth research on many aspects of the campaign tactics and reached a consensus. When he boarded the "Golden Jiao" and left the base, he seemed very excited and had a strong desire to fight. He was determined to restore his reputation for the Chinese Navy and add glory to his naval career.

Although General Xu Jiangwen was very determined, the Hualian Navy still faced many difficulties in fighting on the ocean.

First of all, the troops are severely insufficient and they are stretched. Due to the shortage of large surface warships, he only has three aircraft carriers. Currently, two have been put into the East China Sea combat sea, leaving only one of them to cope with the threats from other directions in the entire Pacific region.

The powerful Japanese Navy will take advantage of the gap in the Central Pacific to attack the empty Hualian Base at any time. Therefore, Xu Jiangwen has to rely entirely on himself and cannot expect reinforcements from other fleets.

Secondly, the Chinese Navy was established late, and it was difficult for the troops to cooperate with each other and command unifiedly. Shanghai was originally in the war zone under General Wang Liwen, and the combat here should be commanded by Wang Liwen.

However, this battle is entirely naval combat. The command power can only be handed over to Xu Jiangwen, who owns the fleet. Lao Wang was very dissatisfied with the fact that the army generals could not command the fleet. If the Hualian Fleet, which was far away from the base, had land-based fighter jets in Shanghai, it would be very beneficial.

However, Wang Liwen, the commander of the Fifth Army who had great military achievements, even the head of state did not take it seriously. Xu Jiangwen was just a "small generation" in his opinion. He probably wouldn't pay attention to the commander Xu Jiangwen, who could not move any land-based aircraft here.

The situation of the Japanese Navy in conquering the sea was different from that of the Chinese Army. General Iroku Yamamoto, commander-in-chief of the joint fleet, controlled the overall situation of the entire battle. Inoue Narimi was in charge of Labaul's unified command, and the subordinate troops carried out mutually relevant and independent combat operations according to pre-deploy.

The specific deployment of the Japanese army was: General Fugang led more than 4,000 troops to land on Bailong Port in a fleet composed of transport ships, responsible for land operations. Major General Goto Ai-Kuang led the aircraft carrier "Xiangfeng" as the core, including 4 cruisers and 6 destroyers to form a cover and support fleet, responsible for protecting the safety of the transport fleet, performing shelling targets on the shore, and supporting the landing forces.

The Takeo Takagi fleet, the 5th Air Force, serves as a mobile assault force, is responsible for protecting all Japanese troops attacking Bailong Port and preventing them from attacking the Chinese Navy. The main task is to eliminate all Chinese fleets in Shanghai.

The Japanese army's deployment seemed orderly and the battle goals were clear. After the Hualian Navy fleet entered the Coral Sea, should we give priority to attacking Takagi Takeo aircraft carrier fleet or Fukuang's landing troops?

Or should I attack the escort support fleet of Houtou Aigong first? The goal seems to be very unclear, and the main attack direction is vague. The Hualian Navy seems to have not yet escaped the rough situation, so I can only count wherever I go. After all, from the establishment of the army to the present, the only naval battle that Xu Jiangwen has fought was against Sun Yixian's fleet back then.

However, the Hualian Navy is not useless. At least it has a new equipment that the Japanese army does not have yet - radar. The radar system can detect incoming targets at a long distance: for example, enemy aircraft or warships are hundreds of kilometers away, the Chinese army will know that they can immediately prepare for defense or launch preemptive strikes.

However, the Japanese disdained this. They believed that radar, which is neither eye-catching nor useful, is just a straw for Chinese people who have been defeated repeatedly to save their lives.

What Japanese soldiers believe in their own courage and decisiveness and believe in Bushido. This may not be the fault of Japanese soldiers, because the spirit of Bushido does make them full of self-sacrifice and move forward bravely, which makes many people admire them.

However, the Japanese superstitious Bushido was not their magic weapon for victory after all, and the science and technology in the Hua-Team alliance was a killer weapon. In this way, in Japan, both sides of China were busy dispatching troops until the end of February. The aircraft carriers were concentrated in Shanghai, and the naval battle was about to begin.

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