December 20, 1910, Surabaya.

Surabaya has a special status in Nanhua. In addition to being the place where Nanhua started, it is also a commercial center, automobile industry center, military industry center, and pharmaceutical R&D and production center.

Different from other industries, the establishment of pharmaceutical production lines is more troublesome, and if you are not careful during the transfer, it may cause pollution—not the pharmaceuticals, but the environment.

Taking into account efficiency and safety factors, Surabaya Pharmaceutical Enterprises did not move.

December 20, the dock at the east end of Surabaya Bay.

"It's gone!"

"Fire!"

"Call the fire department!"

"Sound the alarm, set up isolation belts, what kind of goods are placed in the fire area?"

Woo~~

On the night of December 20, a fire broke out at the East End Pier.

The fire burned down four large warehouses, nearly a thousand tons of pharmaceutical raw materials, finished medicines ready for export were burned, the pharmaceutical factory's newly ordered production lines were also stored in the warehouses, and the equipment was completely burned.

There are also some miscellaneous supplies, such as sisal, spices, grain, wood, etc., but the loss is far less than that of the pharmaceutical factory.

As soon as the news came out, there was an international rush for medicine. The original price of basic sulfa anti-inflammatory tablets was seventy cents. In just one day, the black market price reached one dollar and twenty cents.

It’s not over yet. A week later, the Ministry of Health of the South China Empire announced:

"Because a large amount of raw materials were destroyed in the fire, it will take three months to re-produce raw materials, so in the next three months, Nanhua's corresponding pharmaceutical production will be reduced by 60%."

"The fire destroyed the new production line that was originally used to replace the old equipment. The old production line is now overwhelmed and the original production plan must be changed."

"It is expected that Nanhua's comprehensive output of various pharmaceuticals will decrease by 40% in the next year..."

A spokesman for the Ministry of Health claimed that this was a "disaster that no one wants to see" and "Nanhua will do its best to ensure the medication needs of its citizens and other countries."

Anyway, it’s how it sounds. Anyway, it doesn’t cost money to say nice things. If the price of medicine increases, you can really get money.

The demand is there, and American workers will not lose their life-saving medicine just because it changes from three to five dollars to eighty ten dollars.

As for the Chinese? Sorry, the Chinese have mutual medical insurance, which is a different system.

When the popularity drops slightly, someone will come forward again and talk about arson, conspiracy theories, etc. Anyway, they are just to maintain the popularity and make a wave of hot money.

This money was earned not only by Nan Hua, but also by the international capital, and also by the smuggling gangs. The two of them earned it, which is equivalent to the fact that senior government officials of various countries also earned it, and everyone was happy.

The only people who feel uncomfortable are some countries with welfare and civilians.

…………

On December 24, the Intelligence Department received news that the Japanese Third Division had set off and planned to land in Jiangsu Province.

The 7th, 8th, and 9th Divisions departed from North Korea and boarded the train in Fengtian heading south.

The Japanese army entered the Qing Empire in full force and substantially interfered in the internal affairs of the Qing Empire. The Nanhua government immediately... said nothing.

On January 2, 1911, the army assembled in Marchen boarded a transport ship and sailed north.

"Your Majesty, the transport fleet has left the port, and they will sail directly to Shanghai." Xie Hui came to report.

"The staff will conduct rehearsals to prepare for all possible enemies and strengthen military strength in weak areas, such as Sumatra." Liu Yiming did not believe that the United Kingdom would simply sit on the sidelines.

Of course, Britain will not take action directly, as this is not in line with their style. The increase in troops in Sumatra is just to express its attitude to Britain.

Even if something were to happen, it couldn't be in this place - it's too sensitive and the British presence is not strong.

"The staff discussed that we need to moderately strengthen our military presence in the Arab region to deal with possible threats." Xie Hui looked at Liu Yiming.

The Army General Staff and Liu Yiming have similar ideas. Of course, this is not just the idea of ​​the General Staff, but also the Ministry of National Defense and others.

They believe that there are two places where the problem is most likely to occur, one is Arabia and the other is Hawaii.

The Ministry of National Defense excluded Hawaii not because it believed in Japan and the United States, but because South China originally planned to have friction with Japan, and the United States... did not have the conditions to join the war.

The relationship between Nanhua and Britain has not broken down. The two are still in a state of cooperation that requires each other, but there is a slight flaw in the actual operation.

If Nanhua and the United States started fighting, Britain would not be happy.

Because no matter who wins or loses, it is not what the UK wants to see. As for a draw in which both sides suffer? It would like to, but does not dare to gamble.

No matter who wins, South China or the United States, whoever will become the dominant power in the Pacific will become the dominant power in the Pacific. This is something the UK does not want to see during this period of time when the UK cannot spare its energy.

"There is no need to strengthen it. It will irritate many people and cause trouble out of thin air." Liu Yiming shook his head and decided on a plan to increase Arab troops.

"The Italians are in trouble and as friends we should help them."

"Allow them to sell 5,000 various vehicles to them while they are in arrears, so that they can deliver pasta and red wine to the hungry Italian men."

Xie Hui's eyes lit up and he nodded, thinking whether those cars could be sold so that they could be replaced with new cars.

Italy's military operations in North Africa encountered obstacles. The Italian army was relatively well prepared in the early stage (compared to the Ottoman Army) and was invincible.

However, when Italy left the coast, the intensity of the attack was much reduced. Especially after entering the hilly and mountainous areas, the harsh climate further reduced the combat effectiveness of the Italian army.

The Ottoman Army built fortifications in mountains, valleys and other places to conduct blocking operations, and used cavalry to harass Italy's logistics lines.

The war suddenly came to a stalemate, and spontaneous guerrilla groups appeared in the occupied areas, targeting Italian logistics supplies, horses, camels, even feed, and most importantly - water wells.

Under this situation, Italy was forced to continue to increase its troops to stabilize the occupied areas and organize a military-level offensive.

But the Ottoman Empire's defense line made them suffer a lot. Without enough artillery, they were simply destined to die.

Therefore, they needed more efficient means of transportation, and because the money was used to fight the war, they could not afford cash.

Nanhua has been very ambiguous on this matter because of its relationship with France. Anyway, military vehicles are not sold, while civilian vehicles require cash.

Now, because of the unknown fire, the French have made a fortune. The important thing is to consider the possibility of winning over Italy and acquiesce in this matter.

"What kind of car do you want?" Xie Hui was still thinking about this when he left.

If done well, it can replace at least two to three thousand trucks and save a lot of money.

It's not that he doesn't want to replace them all, it's mainly because some vehicles are quite different from exported vehicles, and people from several systems have to watch them before they are scrapped.

(Five thousand vehicles of all kinds are not just trucks, so it’s not a lot.)

…………

From January 7th to 9th, 5,000 vehicles, including trucks, water tankers, warrior cars, sidecar motorcycles, etc., were loaded on ships in various places in South China and sent to Naples one after another.

Italy originally wanted to pay more to have the transport ship shipped directly to Tripoli, but Nanhua refused on the grounds that it was civilian equipment.

January 12, Shanghai.

Toot~~

A huge transport ship docked at the port, a cargo ship with a tonnage of more than 20,000 tons. At this time, the dock only had two berths to meet its loading and unloading requirements.

Outside the pier, several warships flying the flag of the sun, moon and stars were moored on the shipping lane, their gun barrels facing north, and their gun jackets had been removed.

"Zhengfang, is this Nanhua's army?" Li Songqing stood at the dock and looked at the soldiers who were disembarking.

"Yes, although...it's nothing." Huang Zhengfang was about to say that this was just a light outfitter, but after thinking about what he needed to explain, he stopped talking.

When the soldiers disembarked, their faces were visibly tired, but no one complained. They each found their own teams, formed a square formation, and under the guidance of the revolutionary army, carried their own equipment and walked to the camp in an orderly manner.

Even because the entire dock is under martial law, apart from the noise of machines, there are only the sounds of officers "standing at attention, counting, and walking in unison" and soldiers counting.

He was still some distance away from the dock and could hear the officer's orders.

Li Songqing was known for his love for soldiers as much as his son He, and the soldiers all obeyed him. The 21st Huncheng Association could also be said to have strict military discipline, but it was far from it.

"Great! With more than 36,000 soldiers like this, what can the Japanese pirates do to fight us?" Li Songqing felt much better.

Recently, the Japanese Third Division has launched a tentative attack on Jinling. It tried a field battle in the Jinling direction and lost more than a hundred people each. The battle loss ratio was 1:1.2, and the Japanese army was 1.

The ground in the field was muddy, it was difficult for the Revolutionary Army's heavy artillery to maneuver, and the army was filled with a large number of new soldiers or new army habits. This battle loss ratio was good.

In order to preserve their effective strength and take advantage of their firepower, the revolutionary army gradually abandoned its strongholds in Jiangbei. At present, Jiangbei is completely within the sphere of influence of the Beiyang or Japanese troops.

It is worth mentioning that, for some unknown reason, Japan's military discipline was strictly controlled and its performance was much stronger than that of Zaifeng's new army.

As for the three towns, they have not yet been attacked by the Japanese army. Lin Pingzhi built the three passes into permanent fortifications, with layers of barbed wire and trenches, which are not easy to break through.

Seeing this situation, Beiyang and the Japanese army began to think of ways to cross the river. The first thing they had to solve was the issue of control of the Yangtze River.

To solve this problem, we must dispatch ships, we must pass through the estuary, and we must capture Shanghai.

Therefore, the first part of the Japanese Third Division, together with the Beiyang Association, was galloping towards Shanghai.

Behind them was the Japanese 7th Division, which had just completed its rest.

A total of more than 20,000 people rushed towards him, and Li Songqing had to panic.

"Don't worry, there is an artillery division here this time, and there are some good things." Huang Zhengfang looked at the rocket launcher truck coming off the rollers, a little surprised.

The level of confidentiality of this thing is not high. In fact, many people know that it exists, but how to use it, that is, the level of confidentiality of tactics is very high.

Rockets range from Hamas rockets to certain export models with a range of 300 kilometers. If the counterweight is removed, they can go further.

Mainly tactics. At this time, there were no key breakthrough tactics. For example, in the Battle of Verdun, the German army used 1,200 artillery pieces to bombard a 40-kilometer-long front for eight and a half hours before attacking, firing 1 million rounds.

Cannonballs.

Although this was used by the Germans for tactical deception and not to reveal the target of the attack.

But if we concentrate these 1,200 rounds of artillery, carry out concentrated bombing for fifteen minutes within an attack area one kilometer wide and five to ten kilometers deep, and then quickly assault the infantry, it is difficult to say whether the victory or defeat of Verdun will be achieved.

The outcome may also change.

"Zhengfang, there is a call from the front line and the Beiyang Army has been discovered."

"I understand, Governor Li, I'll leave this to you."

Huang Zhengfang accompanied Li Songqing from the time the Japanese troops landed to the time the Nanhua troops landed, fearing that he would secretly surrender.
Chapter completed!