Chapter 140 Pre-war Panic

After the rumbling cannon sound came from the land of Shanghai and the Huangpu River, it was declared that the battle between the Zhenguo army and the Japanese army had begun. The residents of Shanghai began to panic. They understood that the combat effectiveness of the Zhenguo army was not weaker than that of the Japanese army, but the powerful fleet of the Japanese navy made them very afraid. The artillery of the Japanese fleet could cover the entire Shanghai urban area in the estuary of the Yangtze River and other places. If the Japanese started a rush, they could immediately turn Shanghai into a sea of ​​fire.

After two Japanese gunboats were wiped out and the 500 militia of the Japanese Boxer Regiment were buried in the sea of ​​fire and shells, Shanghai citizens believed that the war would be expanded and escalated immediately, so citizens preparing to flee Shanghai were then seen in major ports, docks, stations and other places. The panic of the people gradually spread in the streets and alleys, and pedestrians were running around everywhere. People were spreading rumors with panic expressions, believing that the Japanese were about to land in Shanghai soon. They organized relatives and friends to flee Shanghai and go to the mainland to avoid war. The streets and alleys were in chaos, and production and life temporarily stagnated. Workers returned home from the factory, farmers stopped working in the fields, merchants closed their doors and counted their property.

However, the propaganda personnel of the Zhenguo Army had long been distributed all over Shanghai. These short-term chaos were expected. The propaganda personnel then carried speakers, propaganda slogans, announcements, etc. in the streets and alleys, and promoted to the people of Shanghai that the war would be limited to sea. The Japanese army did not have the ability to bomb Shanghai and landed in Shanghai. The Zhenguo Army had added 10,000 troops to Shanghai. Shanghai was safe. Please return to production positions, continue production operations, and ensure the stability of production and living order.

The streets and alleys were then covered with the announcement of the People's Security Council just issued by the Shanghai Military Government, indicating that the people do not need to panic too much. The Zhenguo Army has the ability to control the war outside the territory of Shanghai. After all publicity measures were implemented, the panic of the local people in Shanghai was gradually curbed. There were fewer people appearing at docks, stations and other places. However, some people did not listen to the advice and began to flee to the mainland with their families. However, the overall situation did not show any major panic, and social production and life were basically normal. Then, under the persuasion of government staff, the workers in the factory returned to the industrial zone one after another, and the production of the factory gradually recovered, especially the military factory. At this time, it was the time when people were needed. After the workers ran back in panic, the arsenal was temporarily suspended for a long time, and then the rumbling sound of machines sounded again.

"This time the Japanese are serious. I don't know when the war will end together. It will not cause a large-scale war like the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, and then have to pay compensation for land cedes. That would be a tragic thing."

Teahouses and wine shops are full of discussions, and almost all topics are temporarily put on hold. People are only concerned about this war and the possible consequences of it.

The people all had some doubts and tensions about this war. The memories of the defeat of the Sino-Japanese War by the Japanese were still deeply rooted in their hearts. After that shameful defeat, the following compensation for the land was ceded, and the ordinary people were in trouble. In order to repay the loan, the court had to increase a number of taxes, which were all distributed to the common people. This time, when the Nanjing military government took the initiative to provoke the Sino-Japanese War, they still had some doubts about whether the Zhenguo Army was able to achieve the final victory. Various bad emotions spread in the air of Shanghai, bringing tension and depression that the city had never experienced before.

"After losing to Japan in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, our country has fallen into a tragic situation of no return. I don't know what the outcome of this war will be. If the Japanese win again, we will all suffer."

"I hope that the Zhenguo Army can win this battle and wash away the shame of defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, so that we, the Chinese people can be proud."

"It's hard. The Japanese naval fleet is second only to the British and French powers, with hundreds of ships. Our fleet is a weak brigade formed by the former Qing army and is not an opponent of the Japanese at all. Even if the Japanese cannot gain much advantage on land, they can unscrupulously launch a bombardment on coastal areas at sea, and our coastal cities will all suffer."

"According to what you all said, we should make plans to escape from Shanghai as soon as possible. If it is too late, it will be too late."

"Let's take a look first. If the Japanese really start bombarding Shanghai, we must go to the mainland to hide. Perhaps what the government propagandists say is somewhat credible. The Japanese may not have the ability to land in Shanghai at all, and their naval guns cannot hit the city of Shanghai."

"You are in Sichuan and Jiangsu and have relatives who can surrender, but if I want to escape to the mainland, I can only live by renting a house, and life will be getting harder and harder."

"Hey, wait, let's see, I can only hope that Commander Sa can win and give the Japanese a warning. Maybe the Japanese will withdraw their troops in time."

Although the government has done a lot of work to appease the people's hearts, the war has caused great tension in various places. The clouds of war have enveloped the Chinese people, especially in several provinces within the Zhenguo Army-ruled region, people have fallen into an indescribable repression.

Perhaps because all the wars in modern China ended in failure, and every time they failed, they would cede land from foreign countries, causing huge loss of national wealth and extremely deteriorating people's lives. Therefore, this war also caused great concern for the Chinese people, and was worried about enduring the consequences of defeat, which is naturally inevitable.

Li Tiancheng discovered that when the Chinese people mentioned the word "war", the first thing they thought of was the two words "defeated". Today's Chinese people have long lost the confidence and confidence from the Han and Tang dynasties back then, and have completely placed themselves as civilians in a weak country. In front of a small country like Japan with a large territory and population that is much smaller than China, they have completely lost their confidence and dared not speak up easily.

Since the Opium War, the great power of the Celestial Empire, which thousands of people admire, has since fallen into an unprecedented low. The Chinese people seem to have become accustomed to being a man, and have formed a cowardly and cowardly personality. They want to be more low-key in everything, and advocate escaping when encountering wars, while Japan and other countries' arrogance and domineering arrogance are increasing day by day. When there is a dispute between the two countries, the power in the country and ordinary people in the country advocate solving by force.

Not only did Japan frequently use force against the weak Qing Dynasty, but it was also not afraid of fighting against the European powers, and achieved victory in the Russo-Japanese War. This is closely related to the self-confidence formed after Japan's complete victory in recent wars. Since the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the Japanese have won many war reparations and overseas benefits, which has made their confidence and courage stronger and they are not afraid of anyone's challenges.

During the Second World War in later generations, Japan dared to challenge the United States and took the initiative to launch the Battle of Pearl Harbor, which was also based on the transitional and inflated self-confidence generated by this mentality. Because Japan, which is many times larger than China, Russia, which is stronger than it, won the war. They also had the same mentality for the United States, believing that the United States would be defeated by Japan like China and Russia, but history will not continue in one pattern forever. The Japanese finally fell because they really encountered opponents, or perhaps it was a cause and effect, and they finally tasted the consequences of failure and becoming manipulated by other countries.

Therefore, what the Chinese people now lack is no longer the weapons, equipment, financial and material support required for war, but the courage and determination to go to war with Japan. They are timid and lack of confidence. Shortly after this war, they were fully demonstrated. Most people hope that the war will end as soon as possible, and very few people muster up the courage and determination to fight the Japanese to die.

Li Tiancheng realized that one of the problems he had come to solve was to inspire the national spirit, solve the long-lost self-confidence in people's hearts, and let them return to the mentality that a great country's subjects should have to dare to deal with challenges and face difficulties and obstacles.

Therefore, Li Tiancheng made a decision without hesitation about the Japanese war. At this time, he wanted to rely on this war to gradually restore the self-confidence of the Chinese people and let them understand that the Japanese and the great powers are not invincible.

Li Tiancheng and senior military officials analyzed Japan's current national strength in detail, the strength of the Japanese army and navy, and believed that if the Japanese army wants to go to war against China in an all-round way, they do not have the appropriate industrial production capacity and financial resources. Once they enter a protracted stalemate, they will be dragged down and defeated.

The Japanese navy can only obtain sea control and is not very helpful to land wars, so the Japanese did not have the ability to launch a full-scale war of aggression against China at this time. They just wanted to gradually extend their claws to the North China region while occupying Northeast China, and then slowly erode China's territory bit by bit.

Their method is to boil frogs in warm water, rather than eating a fat man in one bite. The Japanese also know that they can't eat the big Chinese cake in one bite and have to swallow it slowly. If they move too much and overheat the water, the frog will quickly jump out of the pot and escape from its claws.

After a comprehensive analysis, Li Tiancheng believed that Japan would not send troops to land along Shanghai. What was waiting for them would be the protracted war that the Chinese army dragged them into. They would not gain any advantage and would have to retreat in the end, which would also lead to excessive financial resources and the consequences of the gradual decline of national strength. The Japanese dare not take this risk. They pursued a steady progressive mainland policy, which would strengthen Japan step by step.

In addition, there are also forces of the great powers in the southern blockbusters. If Japan wants to use troops in these areas, it will definitely arouse strong opposition from these countries, or even send troops to interfere. Therefore, Japan will definitely not dare to expand the war to the vast mainland China. Making too many enemies is also a situation that Japan needs to avoid...
Chapter completed!