Age of Rebirth

General Tanaka Shinichi, the commander of Japan’s Korean garrison, did not participate in the heated debate among the generals. He admitted that no matter which point of view it is, whether it is the all-round defense of the west coast or the defense of key ports, it is reasonable. However, Tanaka One of the most annoying things for the general is the same as that of General Nanjiro, the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army-shortage of troops!

It is not just a general shortage. Prince Zairen, the commander of the Far East Campaign Headquarters, ordered that the Korean garrison troops return from the Far East battlefield to their original places. Except for the losses on the battlefield, General Tanaka only brought back troops that exceeded one-half of the original strength. The North Korean garrison has shrunk from more than 20 troops in the period of full victory to barely more than 20 troops now. With this 10,000 troops, in addition to the necessary local garrison troops, [-]+ troops are scattered all over the Korean peninsula , to wipe out the militants who resisted.

Therefore, the troops that General Tanaka can mobilize within twelve hours are only one and a half divisions and the Seoul garrison. Adding up, there are only more than [-] troops. With such a small force, it is not enough to defend two important ports. Talking about the defense system of the entire west coast, thinking of this, General Tanaka hated the bullying Prince Zairen from the bottom of his heart. If he hadn't transferred one-third of the elite divisions of the North Korean garrison at once, why would he Painful as it is now?

Especially after the loss of aviation power, it will become more difficult to counterattack the landing of the independent division troops. There are too many key areas that need to be defended due to the lack of troops. His heart was convulsed, his eyes were straight, it was just that in his mind, he hadn't figured out the current crisis.

Dispute among the officers.It gradually calmed down, because the generals found that although a serious military meeting had turned into a place for quarrels, the mind of His Excellency the Commander was always at odds with the atmosphere of the meeting. They are also discouraged, why are you still arguing, the commander's thoughts.It's not about this at all, no matter how much I argue, the final decision is made by General Tanaka.

General Tanaka finally sensed the atmosphere of the venue that had started to fall silent.As if the three souls and six souls had just returned to their positions, he said in surprise: "Misters, why don't you discuss it? By the way. Regarding the fact that the China Independent Division will attack the Korean Peninsula, do you have any suggestions?"

The generals of the North Korean garrison army looked at each other in blank dismay, all feeling dumbfounded and daring.We are such a large group of people, the roof is about to be lifted from the quarrel, but your Excellency the Commander doesn't feel anything at all, everyone finds it very boring.At the same time, I didn't know what to say, so I just kept silent.

General Tanaka raised his eyebrows, and the flames in his heart surged upwards, "The meeting has been going on for more than two hours, so many senior officers gathered together, and they didn't even come up with a feasible plan. What a shame! The work of the idiot! It's like a pig's head!" He thought angrily in his heart.

Major General Toshihiko Kamiya, Chief of Staff of the North Korean Garrison Army, saw that the Commander's eyebrows were raised, and he was about to lose his temper. He hurriedly leaned into his ear, and briefly explained the different opinions and differences of the officers at the meeting. , General Tanaka nodded while listening, his raised eyebrows began to droop, and his face looked better.

General Tanaka understood the attitude of the generals, and said: "Gentlemen, in fact, the differences between you are not differences at all. It is nothing more than a question of the direction of using troops. However, the most important thing right now is that our troops are insufficient. Most of them are scattered all over the Korean peninsula, and they will not be able to gather in a short period of time to wipe out the resistance forces. This is the biggest problem we face!"

Some senior generals couldn't help curling their lips inwardly, disapproving of General Tanaka's words, "Do you still use your nonsense? If there are no practical problems that cannot be avoided, what are we arguing about here? ——Morning Let’s lead the Imperial Japanese Army troops, set up defenses on the west coast, and fight to the death with the Chinese!”

The senior generals of the Japanese and Korean garrison troops kept silent with complicated thoughts, and wanted to see what kind of tricks your Excellency Commander-in-Chief can come up with in the face of the current crisis and practical difficulties?

General Tanaka stood up, with a fierce expression on his face, and raised his voice and said: "Masters, don't waste time on unnecessary arguments, there is not much time left for us, maybe, when the sun rises tomorrow, The fleet transporting the China Independent Division has already sailed on the Yellow Sea, arguing will not solve the practical problems we face!"

General Tanaka's tone was depressing and gloomy. Maybe he didn't have any outstanding military commanding skills, but his prediction was very accurate. Tomorrow morning, that is, at dawn on June [-], it will be the Southeast Mobile Corps of the Independent Division crossing the river. When the battle started, of course, General Tanaka has absolutely no ability to foretell. He said this, to a large extent, to emphasize a sense of crisis.

The senior officers of the North Korean Garrison Army who attended the meeting were covered in hairs all over by Commander Tanaka's gloomy tone and description of the situation, "Gentlemen, we have wasted too much time on meaningless arguments. Now, I order , Distributed all over the Korean Peninsula, wiped out all the troops of the resistance, disrupted the original divisions and organizational systems at all levels, and took the five key ports of Haeju, Incheon, Gunsan, Hampyeong, and Mokpo as assembly points. Gather in the above five areas within the time limit!"

"It should be noted that the imperial army troops in various places determine their own assembly locations based on their current locations. The only principle is that the assembled troops must be at the port closest to their location, and newly formed as a port defense In the headquarters, the officer with the highest military rank and position in the army will serve as the commander and command all the troops in a unified manner. In addition, the No.13 Division and the Seoul Garrison will immediately go to Incheon Port to deploy defenses!"

"Hai!" The Japanese officers stood up in unison and agreed loudly. However, they were still full of doubts. Although Commander Tanaka's order was a correct response, it was scattered all over the Korean peninsula. Even if the troops of the imperial army were assembled based on the principle of being nearby and quickly, they would not be able to reach these five assembly points in less than a week. The problem of lack of troops is still not resolved?

General Tanaka grinned, and his cold eyes seemed to see through the doubts in the officers' hearts. "Masters, are you worried about the shortage of troops?" He asked fiercely.

These senior Japanese military officers nodded almost subconsciously, "Okay, since it is the common concern of all of you, then I will give you a solution. From now on, all citizens of the Great Japanese Empire in the Korean Peninsula, Males aged 55 to [-] and females aged [-] to [-] will be incorporated into the Imperial People’s Combat Team, take up arms, and shoulder the responsibility of defending the Korean peninsula!"

"I roughly calculated that at least 20 reserve soldiers can be recruited. The place where the Empire's desperate combat team gathers is the same as the regular army of the Imperial Army. Based on the principle of proximity and convenience, the logistics department of the garrison army will be immediately deployed in various places. The recruiting point distributes weapons centrally, gentlemen, with the addition of the Imperial Civilian Combat Team, even in the face of the large-scale cross-sea attack of the China Independent Division, we can persist for a long time!"

"In addition, I have already sent an emergency call for help to the base camp, requesting that the base camp immediately increase its troops to the Korean peninsula and increase the imperial air force. As long as we can block the landing troops of the China Independent Division on the beach for five days, the imperial reinforcements and aircraft will be ready The meeting will arrive, and at that time, the war situation on the Korean peninsula will be changed. Well, the military affairs are urgent, and the headquarters has not prepared meals for you. After the meeting is over, you will rush back to your respective defense areas immediately, and implement according to my order! — The meeting is over!"

After finishing speaking, General Tanaka left without looking back. Chief of Staff Major General Toshihiko Kamiya took a look. The generals who were still in shock shook their heads slightly and followed closely. In the venue, nearly a hundred senior Japanese generals were still standing Commander Tanaka, he was shocked by the earth-shattering method just now, but after a while, many officers reacted with excitement on their faces.

High!It's an excellent strategy. Commander Tanaka has strategy in mind, right? The citizens of the Imperial Japanese Empire in the Korean peninsula are all warriors of His Majesty the Emperor. They are natural fighters. They can fight with weapons. In this way, Wouldn't the problem of lack of troops be easily solved!

The Japanese officers became excited, hurried back to their respective defense areas one by one, and began to arm the civilians overnight. They felt more at ease. Facing the upcoming attack by the independent division, General Tanaka, the commander of the Japanese and Korean Garrison, took the The same method as General Nanjiro, the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, armed civilians. Although the two fanatical militarists did not communicate in advance, the methods they adopted were surprisingly consistent!

Chief of Staff Kamiya Toshihiko, looking at Commander Tanaka who was walking briskly in front of him, took a few steps forward and said: "Your Excellency Commander, although your countermeasures just now can greatly alleviate the problem of the imperial army's shortage of troops, they have not been tested by the military. How many days can the trained armed civilians hold back the Chinese Independent Division's attack?"

Seeing that General Tanaka did not speak, but did not show any impatient expression, Chief of Staff Kamiya continued: "Commander, this is just a stopgap measure. We must think about how to deal with it later!"

General Tanaka sighed, completely lost the momentum of the meeting just now, and said: "Mr. Kamiya, how can I not know that this is just a stopgap measure and a helpless move. The situation that the Korean Peninsula was bombed by the Air Force of the Independent Division immediately As well as the decision made at today's meeting, report it to the Far East Campaign Headquarters, and at the same time, request Commander-in-Chief Zairen to return the transferred North Korean garrison troops to the organizational system!"

(to be continued) (to be continued..)