Age of Rebirth

At around nine o'clock that night, after receiving another report from the attacking troops, Lieutenant General Shinyuemon, the head of the [-]th Division of the Japanese Army, ordered all the main forces outside Andong City to enter Andong City.

It has been more than six hours since the first troops arrived around Andong. The head of the Shinyouemon Division commanded more than [-] troops, and recaptured the important town of Liaodong Peninsula - Andong without firing a single shot or bloodshed. , achieved the initial goal of the counterattack on the Liaodong Peninsula, but at this moment, Anton is already an empty city.

Under the protection of a large number of guards, the head of the Xinyouweimen Division, riding on a tall horse, looked at the dark and dead city. There were no lights, no citizens, and the buildings and houses were so dark that there was no light shining through them. , only the soldiers of the [-]th Division walked in the streets and alleys of the city like ghosts, and the flashlights in their hands were bright, more like flickering will-o'-the-wisps.

The head of the Shinyuemon Division did not have the slightest excitement in his heart to recapture Andong. The severely injured independent division did not evacuate hastily, but made a leisurely arrangement. Even the residents of Andong City were evacuated together. To be more precise, how long will it take to evacuate a city by coercing residents to evacuate by force?

Lieutenant General Shinyuemon had done some understanding of Anton's situation in advance. There should be tens of thousands of Japanese expatriates living in the city. In his heart, the Manchurians might follow the independent division troops, whether it was love or forced, but He believed that the expatriates of the Great Japanese Empire would not follow the Chinese. This was a matter of national integrity. Then, there was no Japanese found in Andong City, and there was only one, who was massacred by soldiers of the Independent Division.

According to the habitual thinking logic of Japanese soldiers, it is not surprising to judge Anton's situation in this way.The Japanese army often does this, massacring cities and villages. On the front line of Phoenix Mountain, the independent division troops that were severely damaged by the imperial army will vent their inner anger on the Japanese expatriates in Andong City. This explains , why in the huge Anton City, there are tens of thousands of expatriates from the Japanese Empire, but there is no reason why there is no one.

The head of Shinyuemon Division reined in the horse's head.He ordered a staff officer beside him: "Convey my order, and the first detachment of the attached Kwantung Army will immediately conduct a search throughout the city, looking for imperial nationals, even corpses!"

Then.He said to the chief of staff of the division: "Order to go down and enter Anton's troops. Rest in place. Be ready to go at any time, and report the situation of my [-]th Division's occupation of Anton to the commander-in-chief of Meijin immediately. And report my thoughts, after the troops have rested in Anton for two hours, set off overnight and continue to pursue the retreating independent division troops, whether it is feasible, your Excellency Commander-in-Chief please approve!"

The difference between before and after is less than an hour.The [-]th Division of the Japanese army attacking on the west front also entered Gaizhou, which is also an empty city. The Japanese occupied towns and villages that were deserted.

On the first day of the Liaodong Peninsula ambush, the Japanese army achieved a huge victory in terms of the results of the battle. They severely damaged the three brigades of the Marine Corps of the Independent Division and occupied the important towns of Anton and Gaizhou, which guarded the northern exit of the Liaodong Peninsula. The first line of defense of the independent division has achieved the goal of launching the first stage of the counterattack. It stands to reason that the Japanese army should be ecstatic from top to bottom.

Since the outbreak of war in Manchuria, the troops of the Kwantung Army have suffered repeated defeats. Not only did they lose the Liaodong Peninsula, but they also lost tens of thousands of troops from the Seventh Army. The region, the front line of West Manchuria, and the northwestern border area were overwhelmed by the three main corps of the Independent Division, and could only be in a state of perseverance. General Yoshijiro Umezu had just taken up his new post, and he made extraordinary moves and broke the Manchuria War. The stalemate is a great event to celebrate!

Originally, Lieutenant General Kenjiro Matsuda, chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, and many senior staff at the headquarters thought so too. Once the plan achieves unexpected success, the previous opposition does not prevent the imperial army from being proud and proud of the great victory achieved in the Liaodong Peninsula!

Therefore, Chief of Staff Matsuda decided to hold a small-scale celebratory reception in the name of the General Staff, including the heads of several divisions and brigades fighting on the front lines, all of whom would be taken back to the temporary headquarters of the headquarters. The second is to boost morale, but this matter still needs the approval of the commander-in-chief, General Meijin.

Chief of Staff Matsuda and several senior staff members discussed with each other. When they walked into the temporary headquarters of General Umezu Yoshijiro, they were surprised to see that Commander-in-Chief Umezu was not as happy as expected. Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, frowned slightly. , Facing the large military map of the Liaodong Peninsula area, he pondered for a while, his face still a little dignified, and Chief of Staff Matsuda swallowed the words as they came to his lips.

The sound of footsteps alarmed General Umezu Yoshijiro. He raised his head in surprise, his eyes full of inquiries. Chief of Staff Matsuda hastily explained the thoughts of himself and the staff department, emphasizing that this is the troops from the Independent Division that suppressed Manchuria. As soon as the border came, the first victory won by the Kwantung Army was not fought by the Kwantung Army troops, but it also played a great role in encouraging all the Kwantung Army soldiers.

There was a faint, indescribable smile on the corner of General Meijin's mouth, which was unpredictable. He shook his head slowly, but said firmly: "Matsuda-kun, gentlemen, I understand your feelings very well, but , As far as the battle situation in the Liaodong Peninsula is concerned, it is far from the time for us to celebrate, the troops on the eastern and western fronts have sent telegrams and occupied Andong, Gaizhou and all the towns on this line!"

"However, they did not catch up with the retreating independent division troops. Moreover, wherever the imperial army troops went, they got empty areas. What does this mean? It shows that the three brigades of the independent division were hit hard, It was not a hasty retreat as we imagined, but a planned and prepared retreat. Mr. Matsuda and the gentlemen used the energy of the celebratory party to serve the [-]th and [-]th divisions, as well as the Kanto Three and a half brigades of the army, do a good job in logistics support!"

"The 69th and 71st Divisions of the Second Army will arrive in the Liaoyang area at around midnight, and then they will move closer to the front troops. Matsuda-kun, your staff has heavy tasks and you still have a few hours to prepare. You all return to your respective jobs!"

General Umezu Yoshijiro, some unsalty words made Chief of Staff Matsuda blush for a while, and he felt more and more that this is the difference between Commander-in-Chief Umezu and Commander-in-Chief Minamijiro. The official presided over the counterattack on the Liaodong Peninsula, and achieved such a record. I am afraid that even the local newspapers will report at length, exaggerating the big events, and making the trouble known to everyone!

Chief of Staff Matsuda blushed, bowed deeply, and said: "Commander-in-Chief, the department has been taught, but the department didn't think carefully. All officers of the staff department will immediately follow your Excellency's order and go to meet the second army. Go to the work of the next two divisions, and the staff department will leave!"

Seeing Chief of Staff Matsuda and a group of senior staff with general stars withdrawing in fear, General Umezu Yoshijiro shook his head helplessly, "Celebration? Thanks to Matsuda for thinking it out, it's just the beginning, the only one in my hand Mobile troops—all four divisions of the Second Army have been deployed on the battlefield of the Liaodong Peninsula. Judging from the situation in Manchuria, it is not a risky move for a single army to go deep!"

"Every step you take, you have to be extra cautious and cautious. If you walk on thin ice, there is no reason to celebrate. Really, it's all the fault left by that guy Nanjiro!" He shook his head while thinking slanderously.

After reading the telegram from the head of the Shinyouemon division, General Meijin thought for a while, called in a staff officer, and ordered: "Call back the head of the Shinyouemon division, and the headquarters has approved the [-]th division in Andong City. After a short rest, immediately plan to march south, and tell Mr. Xinyou that while the reinforcements from the Independent Division have not yet arrived, and its aviation planes cannot be dispatched at night, the pursuit action must be swift and fierce, and don't be afraid of fatigue of the soldiers!"

Two hours later, the soldiers of the [-]th Division of the Japanese Army in Andong City had just gnawed a few rice balls and drank a few sips of water before they even put down their backpacks. Soldiers, out of Andong City, into the boundless night.

The Japanese troops in Gaizhou and other places also left the current area one after another at the same time and rushed towards the southern part of the Liaodong Peninsula. City, with an indescribable feeling in his heart, the result of his order to find Japanese expatriates was very disappointing, not only did not find a living Japanese, even a dead body was not found.

The tens of thousands of people of the Yamato nation in Andong City disappeared as if they had disappeared into the air. The head of the Shinyuemon division wanted to use the corpses of their compatriots to arouse the bloody and murderous spirit in the soldiers. The idea was completely lost.

If the corpses of tens of thousands of Yamato people are placed in front of the officers and soldiers of the [-]th Division, the eyes of the soldiers will immediately turn red without any agitation, and when they face the soldiers of the Independent Division, they will explode With unprecedented courage and ferocity, such troops are often the most terrifying. Unfortunately, without props, Lieutenant General Shinyuemon's performance cannot continue.

The head of the Xinyouweimen Division sighed in disappointment, and he turned the horse's head, and the sound of the horse's hooves disappeared into the night. He always had a question in his mind, where did the tens of thousands of foreigners of the Yamato nationality in Andong City go?

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