Rise from eight hundred.

Chapter 423 There Are Little Ninety-Nines!
Compared to Man Ushishima, who is in a state of embarrassment, there is a hint of excitement about getting what he wants. Lieutenant General Ushishima Sadao, head of the 20th Division, who can still drink tea more than 18 kilometers away, can It will be much easier.

The headquarters of the No.18 Division is located six kilometers away from the front line. It is built of logs. Although it is a bit rough and rough, put a low table in the all-wooden room, light incense, and burn a pot of tea. There is still a little bit of leisure and tranquility.

The lieutenant general of the Japanese Army, dressed in a uniform of the lieutenant general, sat on the side of the low table and sipped tea, completely free of the anxiety of the stalemate on the front line.

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, the 36th Infantry Brigade called back. They will continue to pursue the Chinese and express their gratitude to Division Commander and our division for their help!" An army officer respectfully watched while drinking tea. Ushishima Sadao reports from the map on the table.

"Oh? Such a low profile! It seems that Mitsuru Ushijima is also in a hurry!" Ushishima Sadao, who had a calm and relaxed expression on his face, said with a slight smile. "Come on, Xiao Teng-kun, sit down and try the chrysanthemum tea from Kyushu that I made. It is most suitable for drinking in this late autumn."

"Your Excellency, Division Commander" The Japanese Colonel, who sat across from him, obviously didn't have the spirit of the Division Commander, and his face showed a bit of anxiety.

Attacked continuously for 6 days and suffered huge casualties, but only advanced four kilometers. As the Chief of Staff of the 18th Division, how could Kei Koto remain calm?
If it weren't for the fact that Ushishima Sadao's official rank is much higher than him, he might have questioned his soul long ago: "Do you have a bag in your head? We struggle to beat the Chinese by ourselves, so go help the idiots of the Sixth Division." Wool!"

"Hehe, it seems that Koto-kun has some complaints about me sending the Omura Regiment to help the 36th Infantry Brigade!" Ushishima Sadao looked at the chief of staff who was hesitant to speak, and smiled again on his face.

"Yes, Your Excellency, Division Commander, our division fought fiercely with the enemy on Jiashan's defense line for six days, and the infantry suffered more than 3000 casualties, which is the worst in the war. In the past two days, our division has also used all its strength to attack the Chinese. For the defense line, the Omura United Team is the elite of our division and indispensable.

I really don't understand why at this critical moment, the elite divisions were dispatched to assist the 36th Infantry Brigade. They faced only a few thousand enemies. "Xiao Tenghui didn't hide his doubts, and said directly.

"Xiao Teng-kun, let me ask you, why does our division have to be a reserve team every time since the start of the war? In the Kwantung Army, our division is a reserve team, and in the Tenth Army, our division is also a reserve team." Ushishima Sadao did not He answered the question of his chief of staff head-on, but asked rhetorically.

"Maybe it's because our division is a new army!" Hearing Ushijima Sadao's question, Xiao Tenghui also showed resentment on his face, but he could only answer honestly.

In the war, always as a reserve team, of course, will not be reconciled.

And if you know the history of the development of the Japanese Army, you may understand the unwillingness of the two senior officers of the No.18 Division of the Japanese Army better.

After the Meiji Restoration, the modern Japanese army began. The first four towns were established, and under Japan’s policy of enriching the country and strengthening the military, it quickly expanded to six.

These 6 towns were reorganized into divisions in 1888, and together with the guard divisions, there were 7 in total. This was the first batch of strategic units of the Japanese Army.

As a result, Japan's national policy of "enriching the country and strengthening the army" was reversed one by one, and became "strengthening the army and enriching the country", and quickly embarked on the road of expansion, especially after defeating China's decadent feudal dynasty in 1895, it gained a huge Compensation can continue to expand, adding 6 divisions (7th to 12th divisions) and another three brigades.

However, in 1903, the Russo-Japanese War brought Japan a distress because it was still not enough soldiers, and it was forced to take out the only two reserve divisions.

After the war, Japan desperately expanded its army. By 1915, Japan had formed 21 divisions including the Guards Division and several independent brigades and regiments, with a total strength of far more than 30.

如此庞大的军队对并不富裕的日本形成了极大压力，大正11年（1922年），山梨陆相将每个师团下属的大队建制由4个中队减为3个中队；1925年宇垣大将又力主裁撤了4个师团，分别是13、15、17、18师团。

After these two rounds of disarmament, there are still 17 divisions left in the Japanese military system, and these 17 divisions are called permanent divisions.

Unfortunately, the 18th Division, which does not have a long history, belongs to the one that was cut, and is not qualified to be called a permanent division.

However, the four divisions that have been reduced have a large number of left-behind troops and reserve soldiers, as well as a large number of trained non-commissioned officer school students and reserve officers. Once Japan needs to expand the scale of the war, each division can quickly form a new division. In the future, the number of divisions can be doubled in a short period of time, and the number of soldiers can be expanded several times.

Especially the 18th Division, which took the name of the permanent division after the "resurrection", is actually just a special division, or the special division of the 12th Division, and has no relationship with the original 18th Division. not big.

The so-called "Imperial Double 13" title was also won by the former 18th Division. It has nothing to do with the 18th Division led by Ushishima Sadao, and will naturally be looked down upon by the commanders of the dispatched troops.

This is naturally unacceptable to Ushijima Sadao, who is ambitious and trying to make contributions.

"That's right! Because our division is a new division, we didn't go to Kunshan, where there are more Chinese troops. When we came here, Commander Yanagawa Hirasuke ordered us to open up the road to the Chinese capital. It is just that we hope that we can threaten the rear flank of the Chinese army to contain the troops, and all the main attacks are still in the direction of Kunshan, even if they are really approaching the city of Jinling." Ushishima Sadao's eyes showed a chill for the first time.

"If we want to change this situation, our army can only wipe out all the resistance along the way and reach the hinterland of the Chinese. This is very difficult to do with the strength of our division alone. If we join the 36th Infantry Brigade , that might be different."

"Your Excellency, division commander, you mean that Mitsuru Ushijima agreed to assist our division as a deputy? He is notoriously stubborn." Xiao Tenghui was slightly surprised.

"He was unable to defeat the enemy for several days in a row, and lost several important officers because of it. Without the assistance of our division, the Chinese he was chasing might be able to join his main force and escape. How could he dare to be the commander of the Sixth Division?" Disagree?" Ushishima Sadao's face showed a well-thought-out complacency. "Speaking of which, I have to thank those Chinese! They actually forced a majestic major general of the Imperial Army to ask me for help in such a low voice."

"With the help of the 36th Infantry Brigade, our division will definitely be able to create brilliant achievements under the leadership of your Excellency the division commander." Xiao Tenghui was tempted by the big pie drawn by his lieutenant general division commander. I have some concerns.

"But an infantry brigade of the Omura Infantry Regiment is also responsible for guarding the Sixth Heavy Artillery Brigade. Now they are all transferred away. The Sixth Heavy Artillery Brigade can only be protected by their own infantry. If there is an enemy attack, the infantry of our division will The main force is all on the front line again, I'm afraid."

"Xiao Teng-kun, you think too much. The Chinese only have three infantry divisions available in this area. How can there be any troops that pose a threat to the artillery positions behind my division? Besides, the [-]st Heavy Artillery Brigade still has two infantry divisions. Squadron, even if a few Chinese attacked them, could it be that they are a bunch of pigs?
If they are really pigs, then pigs are meant to be killed, and there is no need to exist in this world anymore. "The cold light in Ushishima Sadao's eyes flashed again.

"Hey, I understand what your Excellency the division commander means." Seeing that Ushishima Sadao had made up his mind, Xiao Tenghui no longer worried.

"So, the empire's martial arts will last forever!" Ushishima Sadao raised his teacup.

"Empire, long-lasting martial arts!" Xiao Tenghui also raised his teacup.

The Japanese general who was enjoying the reserve team's transformation into the main force did not know that in the woods more than 20 kilometers away from them, a young Chinese soldier also pointed to a certain place on the map: "Here is a threat to our army's defense line." The largest Japanese Sixth Heavy Artillery Brigade is located."

(End of this chapter)