Many of the Japanese gunboats are still steam-powered, and they require large amounts of coal for navigation and combat.
To facilitate replenishment, they hid the coal in Whittle's warehouse in advance. As soon as the war broke out, they could replenish a large amount of high-quality coal nearby and drive gunboats to blockade the Huangpu River.
Because the warehouse had a British sign, we did not clear the Whittle warehouse at the beginning of the war, and therefore did not discover these high-quality coals. As a result, at the start of the war, the Japanese attempted to land at Takahashi, but we repelled them in time.
It wasn't until by chance that we discovered their true intention was to acquire these high-quality coals. After several struggles with the Japanese, we finally emptied the entire warehouse, which gave the Japanese the confidence to give up their attempt to land in the Takahashi area.
The Whittle warehouse was then forgotten and is now completely empty. It's unbelievable that plainclothes Japanese officers would dare to hide there.
After hearing Zhang Zhengkui's account, Ning Zhiheng realized that the Whittle Warehouse had once been a key military location contested by both sides, but it had lost its value and was therefore abandoned.
However, the most dangerous place is also the safest place, and the Japanese understand this principle very well!
At this moment, Zhang Zhengkui was staring blankly at the map, as if he had thought of something!
Suddenly his expression changed, and he said thoughtfully, "Could it be that they want to repeat the same thing as before and land at Takahashi again?"
Ning Zhiheng was not familiar with the overall situation of the war, nor did he have the keen insight into the dynamics of the battlefield like Zhang Zhengkui, a veteran who had been through many battles. However, he still understood what Zhang Zhengkui meant.
"You mean they might land again in the Gaoqiao area, repeating the landing operation at Lujiazui?" Ning Zhiheng asked doubtfully.
Ning Zhiheng knew about the Lujiazui landing battle. When the Japanese army landed at Lujiazui, they were blocked by the Chinese army. At this time, plainclothes soldiers hidden in warehouses along the nearby coast suddenly attacked the flank of the Chinese army. The Chinese army was caught off guard and almost let the Japanese succeed. Later, it took a huge price to repel the Japanese army.
Are they now trying to repeat their old tricks, landing in the Takahashi area and then having plainclothes teams attack the flank from the Whittle warehouse in an attempt to complete the landing operation?
Zhang Zhengkui's eyes flashed, and he took a deep breath, saying in a deep voice, "Very likely! It's just that the Gaoqiao area only has one relatively suitable landing point, so it's not really suitable for amphibious operations. Therefore, our focus of defense will be on the middle reaches of the Huangpu River, which is densely populated with docks. Now it seems we have no choice but to be on guard!"
Zhang Zhengkui turned to Ning Zhiheng and said solemnly, "I will adjust the battle plan immediately. Originally, we planned to set up defenses at Wusongkou, and the command post would also be moved to Wangjiaji at Wusongkou. But now it seems that Gaoqiao needs to be guarded against more. Zhiheng, if the enemy really launches a surprise attack on Gaoqiao this time, then you will have made another great contribution!"
Ning Zhiheng said somewhat ashamedly, "I did nothing, how dare I accept such a great credit? Besides, it's still unknown whether the Japanese army will actually land at Takahashi!"
Zhang Zhengkui said solemnly, "We must be prepared for this. I will allocate some troops to strengthen the defense of the Takahashi area. The landing point there is singular. As long as we are prepared, it will be very difficult for the Japanese to succeed."
Ning Zhiheng knew that Zhang Zhengkui had extremely rich battlefield experience and a strong ability to control the battle situation; otherwise, he would not have been entrusted with such an important task by the leader to preside over the military affairs of the right-wing war zone.
He pleaded again, "Just to be on the safe side, I should eliminate this Noguchi plainclothes squad first to prevent future trouble!"
Zhang Zhengkui shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Now that we know where they are hiding, there is no threat. A small force of a hundred men is insignificant unless they are caught off guard at a crucial moment. I will keep them to lure the Japanese into a trap."
After saying that, he sighed, feeling that Ning Zhiheng should be prepared in advance, and then said, "Besides, you don't have time to wipe out the plainclothes team!"
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