Chapter 91: The Invincible Phantom on the Battlefield!

The corps commander’s words made Wang Mu, the commander of the 211th Brigade, beam with excitement.

“If this weapon is mass-issued to our troops, the enemy’s charges will become utterly useless!”

“I can hardly wait to see these mortars unleash their power on the battlefield!”

Jiang Bai smiled and nodded.

“These mortars were indeed designed to counter infantry assaults.”

“They can fill the fire gap between fifty and three hundred meters.”

“With a rate of fire of thirty rounds a minute, their firepower is terrifying.”

“The enemy loves to charge. I’d like to see whether they can endure this kind of concentrated barrage!”

As he spoke, a faint, savage smile touched Jiang Bai’s face.

At the sight of that bloodthirsty expression, all the generals present felt a chill rise from their bones.

Even Li Jian, who had seen countless battles and fought against the Japanese, could not help but feel a trace of coldness.

Cruel.

Whether it was the corps commander’s attitude or this firepower arrangement, the word that best described it was cruel.

In an instant, all the generals found themselves filled with anticipation for the future.

They were intensely curious, eager to see what expressions the enemy troops would wear when faced with such overwhelming artillery fire.

It was worth noting that, in Jiang Bai’s former life, this mortar had once been a major pillar of the enemy army.

Even in that era, the Germans had widely issued it to various units as a formidable support weapon.

But Jiang Bai’s arrival had brought this powerful armament onto the battlefield ahead of schedule, creating a temporal advantage in firepower.

Just as Jiang Bai was preparing to leave, a staff officer suddenly rushed over and told him, unable to contain his excitement:

“Corps commander, good news! The first batch of U-boat submarines promised by Germany has now arrived at Clear Island!”

On hearing this, Jiang Bai was instantly invigorated.

“Where are they? Take me there at once!”

At present, a large private shipyard on Clear Island had been successfully converted.

At Jiang Bai’s explicit direction, this expanded shipbuilding facility was not intended to produce heavy capital ships.

Its sole purpose was to build submarines.

Thus, after the first round of improvements, the facility had already met the requirements for submarine construction.

“Corps commander, we have already obtained the design blueprints for the U-35 diesel-electric submarine, along with all the other technical documents.”

“At the same time, those ten semi-finished submarines and all the completed parts are now en route here.”

“Based on the current pace, those components should arrive within a few days.”

“Once we begin participating in the assembly, we will be able to rapidly accumulate the technical experience needed for submarine construction!”

Shen Honglie’s voice was full of excitement.

Although the U-35 was a submarine produced in 1915, its performance remained excellent to this day, its design a triumph, a formidable weapon beneath the waves.

Throughout the war, it sank ships totaling five hundred and forty thousand tons.

As a classic double-hulled submarine, the U-35 possessed outstanding seakeeping and surface-running performance.

Its submerged displacement was eight hundred seventy-eight tons, with a maximum speed of sixteen point four knots on the surface and nine point seven knots underwater.

At a surface speed of eight knots, its range could reach eight thousand seven hundred ninety nautical miles.

It was armed with four torpedo tubes of fifty-centimeter caliber and could carry six torpedoes.

Its crew consisted of four officers and thirty-one sailors.

After Jiang Bai learned the details of the U-35, he nodded and said:

“Purely in terms of performance, this submarine is already extremely powerful. Using it to fight the enemy will be as easy as turning one’s hand.”

“This year, all of you must redouble your efforts. Submarine assembly should begin at once.”

“We need to forge, in the shortest possible time, a powerful wolf pack beneath the sea!”

At the same time, Jiang Bai was also considering the design of the U-42 submarine.

Although the Type 42 submarine would not enter production until 1935, its blueprints had long since been completed.

It was only because two major purges had swept through the bureaucracy, causing many research documents to be buried in storage, that they were not rediscovered until years later.

Otherwise, such an outstanding submarine, one capable of dominating the underwater battlefield, might already have been unveiled long ago.

“It seems I’ll need to find time to contact Count Tirpitz again.”

Jiang Bai wanted to help realize the design of this submarine through experimental construction.

That would bring tangible benefits to both sides.

If, in a year’s time, the navy could be equipped with dozens of submarines, then one could foresee that the entire coastal sea, and even enemy waters, would become hunting grounds for the submarine force.

To the Japanese, it would be a dead sea.

“Commander, this batch of submarines was secured personally by you, so please give them a name!”

Faced with Shen Honglie’s kindness, Jiang Bai did not refuse.

After some thought, he spoke slowly.

“We shall call them Ghost-class submarines.”

“Once they sail into the deep sea, we become invincible specters.”

“Our goal is to draw every inch of the deep ocean into our sphere of influence.”

“And with the ten already completed, I look forward to seeing the mighty formation of twenty Ghost-class submarines on this day next year.”

Jiang Bai’s ringing, forceful words stirred Shen Honglie to his core.

“So long as we sail into the deep sea, we become invincible specters on the battlefield!”

“Indeed, brilliantly said!”

Shen Honglie straightened his back and answered Jiang Bai with a shout of confidence:

“Rest assured, Corps commander. I will complete the mission ahead of schedule!”

“Very good. Seeing this resolve in you, I am reassured as well.”

Jiang Bai handed Shen Honglie a small booklet, which contained submarine tactics he had collected in his previous life, along with key points on submarine operations.

Though these materials seemed simple, they were in truth precious experience gained through the repeated testing, and even the sacrifice of lives, by submarine crews across the ages.

Their value was beyond question.

“Corps commander, this booklet is truly priceless!”

Shen Honglie’s lips trembled with excitement as he looked at the detailed materials in his hands.

“With this booklet, our naval cause can advance by at least ten years!”

At the same time, within the intelligence bureau of the South Manchuria Railway Company, what appeared on the surface to be an employee support department was in truth one of the most famous large intelligence agencies, second only to the Tongwen Academy established by the Japanese.

These were the two most renowned intelligence organizations the Japanese maintained in Manchuria, not to mention the countless private detective agencies as well.

Though they were nominally private institutions, in substance they served the Japanese military.

Through commercial, military, and political channels, they gathered intelligence to support Japan’s invasion plans.

Naturally, there were also official agencies dedicated to intelligence collection, such as the units under the Army Second Department and the Navy Third Department.

Meanwhile, in the intelligence division of the South Manchuria Railway Company, director Tanahara Junji was speaking with senior intelligence officer Ono Koshi. In a tidy office, Tanahara turned to Ono and said:

“At present, the Army has issued operational directives, requiring us to obtain a detailed understanding of the training status of the Seventh Front Army within a short period.”

“In less than two months, Jiang Bai’s Seventh Front Army has rapidly expanded to a strength of one hundred fifty thousand!”

“Among them, at least fifty thousand are well-trained soldiers.”

“By combat effectiveness, that fifty-thousand-strong force can even rival an A-class division from our homeland!”

“If the other units also become combat-ready, then it will pose a tremendous threat to our garrisons.”