Age of Rebirth

The independent division refers to the chief of staff Zhao Yu and the major general, who are also very excited. The two troops started to set off in the early morning of this morning, and the first battle report was not sent until after five o'clock in the afternoon. It would be a lie if they said that they were not worried. .

Just as Zhao Yuhe was about to read the telegram, Mei Ting winked at Mei Xue and Liu Xinlan, and the three greeted Zhao Yuhe politely, then turned and exited the room, Zhao Yuhe grinned and said, "Master, none of them are outsiders, Mei Director and the others listen, is there nothing wrong?"

But Tang Qiuli said seriously: "Regarding this point, the teacher has clear regulations. They are not high enough to break the rules. Now it's just the two of us, you read the telegram!"

Zhao Yuhe said: "Master, our troops on the northern line attacking the Liaodong Peninsula launched an attack on the Japanese army's Lushunkou front line position at [-] o'clock in the morning this morning. In the first round, we used the aviation bomber group to carry out all-round bombing. Afterwards, I was impressed by the defense system of the Japanese army. Although all the surface fortifications were destroyed, according to intelligence, the underground defense system was not completely destroyed!"

"Therefore, at about ten o'clock in the morning, the aviation bomber fleet carried out the second bombing. This bombing used the 'Buddha Light' napalm bomb. After the bombing began, the Japanese defense system was engulfed in a sea of ​​flames. By about three o'clock in the afternoon, I dispatched carrier-based reconnaissance planes and discovered that there were still a few Japanese soldiers active on the Japanese positions, and then I dispatched two brigades of fast gunboats to cover the Japanese positions with artillery fire. So far, all the Japanese troops on the front line of Lushunkou have been wiped out!"

"My landing troops started to land at about four o'clock. The landing process was very smooth. There were no casualties in the troops. In this landing operation, a total of No. 30 First Division and No. 30 Second Division of the Seventh Army of the Kwantung Army There are more than [-] people in the Ministry. Yoshihiko Yokoyama, the commander of the Seventh Army of the Kwantung Army, is missing. By the time the report was sent, the landing force was advancing in depth to the Japanese defense on the Liaodong Peninsula according to the scheduled combat plan. Our escort fleet began to return! Tang Qiuquan, commander-in-chief of the cross-sea campaign headquarters."

"Good! No one was killed or injured in the landing force! Brother Qiuquan must have wiped out more than [-] Japanese troops! It is really extraordinary!" Tang Qiuli applauded, "Yuhe, for the troops attacking the Liaodong Peninsula on the northern front, we have achieved Such a record. Have you seen any tricks?" He asked Zhao Yu and said excitedly.

Zhao Yuhe thought about it for a while and replied: "Commander Tang of the Fleet made it very clear that the Japanese army's defense system was completely destroyed by intensive bombing and triple firepower. The fast gunboat brigade. Thousands of rockets are indeed generous, but if you say my opinion, commander, you are too cautious. In fact, after the second bombing, the defense system of the Japanese army was basically destroyed. There is no need for a third strike, what should I say. Waste!"

Tang Qiuli glanced at Zhao Yuhe in surprise, "Yuhe, what do you think?" He continued to ask.

"Yes, sir, this is my true opinion!" Zhao Yuhe replied honestly.

Tang Qiuli opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something in response to Zhao Yuhe's words, but he didn't say anything. He changed the subject and said, "Yuhe, send a message to Han Tie, congratulating your department on the successful landing at Lushunkou. When the Japanese army advanced deep into the Liaodong Peninsula, there were no regular Japanese troops to stop it. The scale of the battle is expected to be small, but the enemy should not be underestimated. In particular, we must pay attention to the fact that the Japanese army armed civilians, Han Tie, you I must reiterate my previous order to all the officers and soldiers of the unit! ——Any enemy who dares to defy, regardless of their status, will be wiped out!"

Zhao Yuhe handed over the order to a staff officer. He thought for a while and said, "Master, the northern front is attacking smoothly, but the southern front is still fighting fiercely, especially the Japanese army in the direction of Mokpo. The resistance is particularly fierce. After gaining a foothold on the beach, the Southeast Mobile Corps continued to advance in depth to the Japanese defense, which was very difficult. Do you think it is possible to apply the tactics of the northern troops to the southern troops?"

Tang Qiuli shook his head and said: "It cannot be generalized. The terrain conditions of the Liaodong Peninsula and the Korean Peninsula are different. The length and width of the Japanese defensive positions on the Lushunkou line are limited, which is convenient for concentrated firepower and repeated strikes. This is why Commander Tang dared to use bombers. One of the reasons for the mass bombing!"

"The Korean peninsula on the southern front is different. The Japanese army's defense system is broad and deep. We adopted the northern line of attack, which has little effect. In addition, Ma Chaoyang fought fiercely with the Japanese army in the direction of Mokpo. The stalemate is temporarily weak. Breaking through the Japanese defense line, or have other plans? We don't know yet, in the name of the division commander, send a telegram asking about the progress of the battle, but don't interfere with Ma Chaoyang's command!"

Zhao Yuhe agreed and turned to leave, but was stopped by Tang Qiuli again, "Wait, Yuhe, I have a question in my mind, why did the Seventh Army of the Kwantung Army in the Liaodong Peninsula have two divisions as the main force?" Nearly 5 troops are concentrated in the narrow direction of Lushunkou, instead of deploying in-depth campaigns in the Liaodong Peninsula and setting up a few more lines of defense. Could it be that Yokoyama Yoshihiko, commander of the Seventh Army of the Kwantung Army, or even the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army Kannan Jiro, I don’t know, is it very easy to be killed by our army’s firepower in such a small area with a large number of troops? From the perspective of defensive warfare, it is unconventional!”

Zhao Yuhe thought about it carefully, and smiled wryly, "Master, I am also very strange. I know that Lushunkou is the focus of my landing force's attack. Although it has a solid and perfect defense system, it will definitely not be able to withstand it. The commander of the army still adopted such a deployment, I was wondering, did Yokoyama Yoshihiko, the commander of the Seventh Army of the Kwantung Army, think that with the strength of two divisions, the line of defense at Lushunkou can be defended completely?"

Tang Qiuli shook his head slowly, and changed the subject again, "Yuhe, the successful landing of the Marine Corps on the Liaodong Peninsula will inevitably have a huge impact on the war situation in the Northeast, so I ordered the Intelligence Department and the Special Operations Detachment to go to various places in the Northeast. The team, pay close attention to the movement of the Kwantung Army troops in western Liaoning and the western northeast, if Nanjiro doesn't want to be taken back by Han Tie's troops, he should take action!"

After saying this, Tang Qiuli fell into deep thought. Seeing this, Zhao Yuhe quietly withdrew. He really wanted to know what the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, General Nanjiro, thought about the defensive battle at Lushunkou.It is impossible for Nanjiro to make such an obvious mistake with his military skills!

Fengtian, Kwantung Army General Headquarters, Commander-in-Chief's Office, General Nanjiro frowned, walking back and forth restlessly in the room like a trapped animal. According to the general's report, after the independent division attacked the troops on the Liaodong Peninsula and began to bombard the front line of Lushunkou on a large scale, General Nanjiro focused all his attention on the direction of the Liaodong Peninsula.

General Nanjiro was concerned about whether the main forces of the two divisions of the Seventh Army could, according to their own deployment, retreat quickly after blocking the landing troops of the independent division for a while, and carry out successive blockades in the depths of the Liaodong Peninsula. , especially relying on the second line of defense, to block the landing troops of the independent division in the central part of the Liaodong Peninsula for at least two weeks.

It is easy to formulate a campaign plan, but there are many unexpected variables in its execution. He is worried that the two main divisions of the Seventh Army will be entangled by the landing troops of the independent division and will not be able to escape smoothly. General Nanjiro never even thought about the ground and underground fortifications to block the troops of the Independent Division from the beachhead.

The reason is very simple. Although the fortifications on the front line of Lushunkou are strong, they are too narrow. If a large number of troops are concentrated here, they will be severely damaged by the heavy firepower of the independent division. To put it bluntly, in the middle of the Liaodong Peninsula, the independent One shell from the division may kill five Kwantung Army soldiers, but it may kill thirty Kwantung Army soldiers in the defensive position at Lushunkou. The difference is that big!

Moreover, the defense system on the front line of Lushunkou was built with reference to the standards of the First World War. Although the Seventh Army has continued to improve and strengthen it since then, the old foundation is still a thing from the First World War. The current firepower standard is not known to be several times higher than that of World War I. General Nanjiro has no idea how many times the originally indestructible fortifications can withstand the artillery shells of the independent division artillery.

This is also the reason why he strictly ordered Lieutenant General Yokoyama Yoshihiko, the commander of the Seventh Army, not to concentrate all the troops of the Seventh Army on the front line of Lushunkou, and desperately block the landing troops of the Independent Division. The narrow battlefield, limited maneuvering space, and limited The line of defense at Lushunkou became a necessary condition for the iron gate at the southernmost tip of the Liaodong Peninsula.

And General Nanjiro did not think that the Liaodong Peninsula could be defended with only two and a half divisions of the Seventh Army and armed civilians. The role of the Seventh Army was to deploy the third army for himself. For the defense line, strive for more than two weeks, so the best tactic is to block every step and delay every step!

For this reason, after receiving Lieutenant General Yokoyama's report, General Nanjiro immediately called back, asking when he would start ordering the troops to retreat, and Lieutenant General Yokoyama's call back gave General Nanjiro a faint smell of something unknown.

"Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, at this moment, the bomber fleet of the Independent Division is carrying out large-scale bombing at the front line of Lushunkou, and its infantry has not yet started to land. Therefore, it is not the best policy to evacuate at this moment, and it is very easy to be attacked by the Independent Division after landing. Troops, chase after the tail, and, when our imperial army loses air supremacy, if we retreat rashly, we will definitely be seriously injured by the air force of the independent division!"

"Therefore, the Ministry of Staff decided to inflict some damage to the landing troops of the Independent Division on the front line of Lushunkou, and then begin to evacuate after [-] days and nights. In this way, it is possible to avoid being chased by the Independent Division troops, and it is also possible to prevent the Independent Division from attacking. The destruction of our naval forces by air power!"

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