binnovel Chapter 181 Tsukada is in a state of panic
Chapter 181 Tsukada is in a state of panic
Looking at his watch, Ito Nagakura was getting anxious. He had clearly sent a telegram an hour and forty minutes ago saying they had entered the Yangtze River estuary. How far was it from there to Yangshu Wharf? Even if the freighter was running slowly, it wouldn't be there yet!
He was also a little worried that something had happened, so he immediately said to an officer beside him, "Go call the headquarters to report the intelligence, and ask them to send a message to the Sanyuan freighter to ask where it is!"
"Hi!"
Less than two minutes later, a sergeant in charge of the dock came running over to report, "Major, we just received a call from the Wusong Fort. They said there was machine gun fire on the river two kilometers away. We've notified the water police to send a patrol boat to investigate!"
After hearing this, Ito Nagisa wondered if the Mihara freighter had had an accident on the river. He immediately said, "Contact the Surface Patrol Battalion immediately, find out what's going on, and report to me at any time!"
"Hi!"
Fifteen minutes later, the officer who had made the call came back breathlessly, reporting, "Major, the headquarters called back and said they couldn't contact the Mihara anymore. We've sent several telegrams, but they haven't called back!"
"Can't contact the Sanyuan? What should we do now? Has the headquarters said what to do next?"
The officer took a breath and said, "Chief of Staff Tsukada Isao has ordered the Marine Police to prepare a patrol boat and has ordered us to rush to the Marine Police dock immediately and follow the patrol boat to the surface of the estuary to search for the Mihara!"
After hearing this, Ito Changjiu immediately gave the order: "Send the coolies and porters back to standby, leave one-third of the soldiers to continue guarding, and the others return to the camp to standby and take turns on duty. The rest of you, follow me to the Marine Police Wharf!"
"Hi!"
By the time Ito Nagisa and his officers arrived at the Water Police Wharf and boarded the boat, more than half an hour had passed. Another half hour had passed as the patrol boat carried these officers and soldiers through the Wusongkou and then eastward along the Yangtze River to the estuary. By then, the Sanyuan freighter abandoned by Zhang Yunhe had lost its cargo and, with its empty hold, had long been swept away by the current.
In addition, it was pitch dark at night, and the patrol boat's bow searchlight could only illuminate a distance of two to three hundred meters at most. Where could they search for the Sanyuan?
Expeditionary Force Headquarters.
The ocean-going freighter loaded with weapons and ammunition had clearly sent a telegram indicating that it had arrived at the mouth of the Yangtze River, but it had not yet arrived at Yangshu Wharf. It was already eleven o'clock in the evening, and Tsukada Kou, who was still in the headquarters office, was getting restless because of this matter, like an ant on hot pan.
That ship was loaded with 10,000 tons of weapons and ammunition, which was enough to supply all the imperial soldiers in the Jiangnan region for three months.
Of course, this shipload of weapons and ammunition would definitely not be enough for the imperial army in the war zone, but the Jiangnan region is relatively stable now, and there will be no major wars. This shipload of weapons and ammunition is enough for three months.
The loss of an entire shipload of ammunition had never happened before, but unexpectedly it happened tonight.
"Has this Mihara been here before?" Tsukada Ko asked the secretary.
The secretary replied, "General, the Mihara frequently sails this route. The crew makes a round trip almost every two months. There's no way they'd get lost simply because they're unfamiliar with the route!"
"I have two theories about the Sanyuan's current situation: First, it was hijacked by pirates or an unknown armed force; second, it suffered a devastating attack, the intensity of which sank before they even had time to send a telegram to report the situation!"
Tsukada Gong frowned and asked, "Which possibility do you prefer?"
The secretary said, "I think the second possibility is unlikely. They clearly sent a message to the Yangtze River estuary around 6:50, which is not far away. If they were attacked by heavy coastal artillery or large surface warship guns, the nearby coast guards and Wusong Fort would not have failed to notice it!"
Tsukada Kou thought for a moment and immediately ordered, "Call the Marine Police and the Navy, and have them dispatch all patrol boats and warships in the harbor to search the Yangtze River and the sea, centering on the waters of the estuary, especially the nearby coastline!"
"Hi!"
At this moment, there was a knock on the office door, and Tsukada Gong shouted, "Come in!"
A captain opened the door and came in, standing at attention. "Your Excellency, General, we've received a report from the Marine Police. One of their patrol boats lost contact at around 8:00 PM, and we haven't been able to get back in touch since!"
"This patrol boat's patrol area is from Wusongkou to the ferry bridge!"
Tsukada Gong was furious. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted angrily, "Baga, why do bad things keep happening one after another? Is this related to the loss of contact between the Marine Police patrol boat and the ocean-going freighter Mihara?"
The other people in the office were frightened by Tsukada Prince's angry look and dared not breathe.
The captain suddenly remembered something and reported, "Oh, right, the Wusong Fort reported a situation. After 8:30, there was machine gun fire on the Huangpu River two or three kilometers away from the fort. The fort's duty officer saw it and called the water police. The water police sent a patrol boat to investigate, but found nothing unusual. It was also at that time that they lost contact with the missing patrol boat!"
Tsukada Kou sensed something was amiss and immediately told the captain, "We must take this matter seriously. Have the marine police immediately investigate the missing patrol boat and report back to me with any results!"
"Hi!"
As soon as the two of them left, the phone on the desk rang again. Tsukada Gong answered the phone: "Moshimoshi?"
"I'm Matsui, Chief of Staff Tsukada. I heard something big happened at the headquarters. Was it bombarded again?" Matsui's voice came from the phone.
Tsukada Kou immediately stood at attention and said, "Commander, the cargo ship Mihara, which was transporting weapons and ammunition, has lost contact. At 6:30 a.m., it sent a telegram saying it had reached the Yangtze River estuary, but it hasn't reappeared yet. I've ordered the water police and all warships here to conduct a large-scale search centered on the surface of the estuary. I believe we should have news back soon!"
Matsui said on the other end of the phone: "This is a big deal. If that shipload of weapons and ammunition is obtained by the Jiangzhou Army or the underground party, it will cause great casualties and trouble to the Imperial Army. We must find it!"
"But this matter must be kept secret. We can't let the news leak out. Otherwise, the Western countries will be pessimistic about the outcome of our battle and might even try to hinder us and hinder us!"
"Hi!"
At seven o'clock the next morning, all the water police patrol boats and warships sent to search for the Sanyuan ocean-going freighter reported that they had not found the Sanyuan freighter.
After receiving several reports of finding nothing, Tsukada Koichi could no longer sit still. He ordered the search range to be expanded and asked the warships to search in the open sea, as if he would not give up until the Mihara was found.