Chapter 99

Zhang Xinghai sat on the truck, somewhat bored, smoking a cigarette with his steel helmet tilted to one side and an MP18 slung over his shoulder, his face showing signs of annoyance.

As an officer, he had been demoted to a squad deputy! He reached out to gently touch the Iron Cross medal, feeling a headache about what to do next. Should he stay with a thick face or retire? His colleagues in the military were looking at him with strange eyes.

With a bitter expression, Zhang Xinghai sighed deeply, looking at the long line of trucks on the simple road. Thinking of his wife and children at home and the ancestral property in his hometown, he gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind to turn the tide and achieve merit in this campaign. Success or death!

A huge roar echoed in the sky, and he looked up to see dozens of red-painted triplanes roaring past at a few hundred meters above.

During the last campaign when the 6th Division's air force attacked Jiangyin, they were severely reprimanded by Gao Yang because the Changzhou airfield had no reserve of aviation bombs. The logistics officers in charge of the air force were all dismissed from the military.

During the last campaign, the air force had no outstanding performance except for reconnaissance photography, and they were basically not involved in the post-war commendations and awards.

Major Miller was very angry about this. The enemy had no air force, and the main task of the air force was ground support. This simple and safe mission was botched due to logistical errors, and by the time they were ready with the bombs, the campaign was already over!

Except for a few who received the Second-Class Iron Cross, the entire air force gained nothing.

The air force, which was seething with anger, immediately loaded various supplies onto trucks and ships upon receiving the order to move south, and sent officers to follow and deliver the supplies to the Wenzhou forward airfield as quickly as possible.

Wenzhou had no airfield, only vast wilderness. The local garrison received the order and found a large, flat area, which they leveled overnight with civilian labor to create a field airfield. What Zhang Xinghai saw were the planes of the air force in transit.

At that moment, in the Shanghai Garrison Command, Gao Yang was meeting with Sir Markley, the British envoy.

Sir Markley put down his teacup and said to Gao Yang, "The British, American, French, and Italian governments have decided to hold a supplementary conference of the Washington Naval Treaty in Shanghai! This conference will be at the envoy level, but the Japanese government has indicated that it will send Foreign Minister Hara Yoshitaka to attend."

Gao Yang nodded slightly and said, "The level doesn't matter; I just want to know if they can make decisions."

"They are all plenipotentiary envoys," Sir Markley said with a light smile.

"When will it start?" Gao Yang asked.

"The envoys from various countries set out a few days ago and will arrive in Shanghai at the latest by tomorrow. The venue is set at the Peace Hotel in the British Concession. Your government in the North has also sent Acting Cabinet Premier Gu Weijun as the representative, and Mr. Gu will arrive tomorrow evening," Sir Markley explained.

"En. I look forward to it," Gao Yang said with a smile.

The next evening, Gao Yang invited Acting State Premier Gu Weijun to dinner.

"Zi Hou, the reconstruction of the naval fleet and the enhancement of national prestige abroad are all your achievements. I toast you," Premier Gu said with a smile, drinking the wine in one gulp.

Gao Yang smiled, raised his glass, and drank it down, then said with a light laugh, "Premier Gu, I invited you today to discuss how we should handle the talks tomorrow."

Premier Gu put down his glass and said, "What do you mean, Zi Hou?"

"I don't have any special ideas. The bottom line is that we can accept a reduction in the tonnage of the main battleships, but we must increase the tonnage of the aircraft carriers. The rest is not important!" Gao Yang said calmly.

"En, everything will be led by you, Zi Hou. I am just here to sign," Premier Gu said with a smile.

The next morning, in the conference room of the Peace Hotel in Shanghai, the supplementary conference of the Washington Naval Treaty officially began.

Regarding Gao Yang's military procurement contract, the British and Americans were clearly supportive. The French and Italians were indifferent. Only the Japanese were hysterically opposed!

Japanese Foreign Minister Hara Yoshitaka was emotionally agitated from the start, shouting and yelling, full of opposition and disagreement, and talking about the Great Japanese Empire.

Gao Yang sat in his chair, watching the red-faced Foreign Minister's performance, a faint smile on his lips, his eyes half-closed, and he even dozed off.

After half an hour, when the envoys from various countries were all annoyed by the Foreign Minister, the Foreign Minister, who was already hoarse, finally stopped and drank half a cup of tea.

Premier Gu Weijun gently touched Gao Yang, who was already lightly sleeping, and he immediately woke up. Looking at the Foreign Minister, who still had tea leaves on his lips, Gao Yang smiled and said, "The Japanese government has finished expressing its opinion, so let me say a few words."

Standing up, he looked at the diplomats in the conference room and said with a smile, "I can understand the Foreign Minister's venting of anger, but some things cannot be stopped."

Pausing, he continued, "The Foreign Minister knows that with the agreement of the British and American governments, any opposition is ineffective. Well, the venting of anger is over. Let's talk about the specific conditions."

Gao Yang's straightforward approach made the diplomats feel uncomfortable. They were used to various probing, networking, subtle language, and insincere flattery. Gao Yang's direct approach was not the style of the diplomatic world.

"Indeed, a military style," the diplomats thought.

As Gao Yang said, with the support of the British and Americans and the neutrality of the French, the Japanese government was powerless. The only thing the Foreign Minister could do was to try to get better conditions for the Japanese government.

The diplomats began to argue, quarrel, and eventually engage in personal attacks. It started between the Foreign Minister and Premier Gu Weijun, then the Italian envoy said a good word for the Foreign Minister, and the American envoy immediately mocked the Italians for having no right to interfere. The two envoys immediately got entangled.

The British envoy, Sir Markley, who was watching the show, was also mocked by his old rival, the French envoy. The two lost their gentlemanly demeanor and immediately started bickering.

Gao Yang stood quietly in the corner, smoking a cigarette, and couldn't help but laugh at the amusing scene. After watching for a while and seeing that there was no end in sight, he stepped forward to end the farce. Suddenly, he turned to dodge a shoe thrown by the Foreign Minister, his face darkened, and he slammed the table hard.

With a loud "Bang!" the noisy negotiation site instantly quieted down. The diplomats quickly tidied their clothes and hair, and their faces resumed their professional smiles.

Gao Yang walked to the main seat, his face stern, and said, "I don't have time to watch a play here! Gentlemen, this world is about strength! This matter is already decided. Foreign Minister, is your government prepared to fight against Britain and America simultaneously?"

The Foreign Minister's eyes twitched, but he said nothing. The British and American envoys had smug expressions, as no country on this planet, except for the Soviet Union, dared to fight against Britain and America simultaneously.

Gao Yang nodded slightly and continued, "I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave. The specific conditions will be negotiated by Mr. Gu Weijun." He put on his military cap, nodded to the diplomats, and left the conference room.

After leaving the Peace Hotel, Gao Yang did not return to the garrison command but went directly to the temporary command post of the 6th Division outside the city. Gao Yang was the division commander of the 6th Division!

At this time, most of the participating units had already set out, and the temporary command post was also packing up to move forward to the front lines.

Gao Yang entered the command post, changed into combat gear, put on sunglasses, and got into a high-end car, which then proceeded with the command post.

In Weix's battle plan, the 6th Division did not choose to advance directly through Quzhou and Jiangshan to the Xianxia Ridge. Instead, they chose to move along the coast from Wenzhou, through Fuding and Ningde, to Sun Chuanfang's headquarters in Fuzhou.

This route was chosen because the 6th Division had absolute sea and air superiority. Moving along the coast allowed the navy to provide supplies, greatly reducing logistical pressure. After all, this was a military operation involving tens of thousands of troops, and without railways and poor roads, sea transport was the only option.

Wenzhou, which was close to Fujian, was designated as the front-line logistics center and command post. At this time, the vanguard units of the 6th Division had already entered Wenzhou.

The air force, which felt disgraced after the last campaign, was particularly active this time. After arriving in Wenzhou at noon, they did not rest but immediately inspected and refueled their planes and took off to conduct aerial reconnaissance over Fuding.

At this moment, most of Sun Chuanfang's subordinates had not yet received the news that they would be fighting against the northern governor Gao Yang. Therefore, they were shocked to see the planes in the sky!

When the news reached Fuzhou, Sun Chuanfang's heart sank. How long had it been! The spies in Shanghai said that the follow-up units of the 6th Division had already left, and the spies in Wenzhou had just reported that 6th Division units had entered Wenzhou. Before the words had even finished, the planes were already overhead! The speed of the march was unmatched in the country!

Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his inner panic and began to issue orders to mobilize troops to resist Gao Yang's attack. He also sent trusted subordinates to seek help from various forces around Gao Yang, and even the foreigners, regardless of which country they were from, as long as they were willing to help, he would agree to any conditions!

After dismissing his subordinates