Age of Rebirth

The big chess game on the Liaodong Peninsula battlefield has not yet reached the level of showing the horses and horses. At least from the appearance of the battlefield, General Umezu Yoshijiro, the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, has devoted his four main divisions of the Third Army, plus two Kwantung Army divisions. A brigade-level detachment was the main attack, and Tang Qiuli defended with the strength of seven main field brigades from two corps. It seemed that the Kwantung Army had the advantage.

But the two decisive figures in the chess match, Tang Qiuli, the commander of the Independent Division, and General Umezu Yoshijiro, the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, have completely different moods and judgments on the battlefield situation at the moment.

In the first battle of the Liaodong Peninsula, the three brigades of the Marine Corps were initially defeated and had to abandon the line of defense between Gaizhou and Andong. If the Japanese army did not continue to pursue and try to regain the entire Liaodong Peninsula in one fell swoop, but stationed troops here, Nan could contain the navy. The Marine Corps is facing the danger of Fengtian, and Dong Ke defends the six brigades under the command of Han Tie. Taking the opportunity to enter the Northeast, it is bound to form a stalemate on the line from Gaizhou to Andong.

However, General Umezu Yoshijiro, the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, had too much appetite. He tried to take advantage of the situation and took advantage of the empty strength of the independent division in the Liaodong Peninsula. Taking advantage of the prestige of winning the first battle, he wiped out the Liaodong Peninsula in one fell swoop. Threatening Fengtian and the hinterland of Northeast China.

From the moment the Japanese army began to pursue it quickly, Tang Qiuli seized the opportunity to retreat and ordered the air force to block and slow down the advance of the Japanese army. As far as the Bayuquan line, a solid blocking line was established, and the pursuing Japanese Third Army and Kwantung Army troops slammed into the iron plate.Repulsed across the board.

Tang Qiuli realized that it was time to reveal the hole card in the Liaodong Peninsula battlefield, and this hole card.It is the six brigades commanded by Han Tie, the commander of the Marine Corps in Dechuan, a mountain city in the northern part of the Korean peninsula. The moment when the situation becomes clear is also the beginning of the battle to recover the Northeast!

The icing on the cake, Tang Qiuli had just finished giving Han Tie's order.The division pointed to Colonel Chen Feng, the director of the communications department, and hurried into the temporary headquarters, "Report to the division commander. After receiving the information from the intelligence department, our Busan intelligence station learned that the Japanese army reinforced the troops on the Korean Peninsula battlefield. There are a total of four first-class divisions." Regiments. They have arrived at the port of Busan one after another. Among them, there are the 51st Division and 53rd Division of the Third Army, and the other two divisions are newly formed troops in Japan!"

"Good!" Tang Qiuli yelled happily. Ma Chaoyang, the commander of the Southeast Mobile Corps, had seen the results of his plan to fight a long-term war of attrition in the southern part of the Korean peninsula.I am afraid that the Japanese troops of these four divisions are the Japanese base camp in the shortest time.The limit of the troops that can be assembled, especially after the two main divisions of the third army are put into the Korean Peninsula battlefield, it is impossible to add reinforcements to Umezu Yoshijiro in a short time for the Northeast battlefield!

"The pattern of the Northeast battlefield has been fixed, at least within a month, there will be no fundamental changes, Yuhe, and the external interference factors of regaining the Northeast campaign have been ruled out!" Tang Qiuli said meaningfully to Chief of Staff Zhao Yuhe Said.

Zhao Yuhe was also very excited. He had prepared for such a long time to regain the Northeast Campaign, and the frequent mobilization of more than a million troops finally brought about the favorable situation. The troops commanded by Commander Hantie quickly occupied the Andong line of Gaizhou and cut off the retreat route of the Japanese Third Army. Can the division commander clarify the exact time when Commander Hantie's troops will reach the line from Anton to Gaizhou?" He offered his opinion and said.

Tang Qiuli pondered for a while, and said: "Yes, in the name of the teacher, I ordered Han Tie not to pester him when he broke through the third and fourth detachments of the Kwantung Army. Today is July [-]rd, give him four days , that is, before [-]:[-] p.m. on July [-]th, all the key points between Anton and Gaizhou must be captured to block the retreat of the Japanese Third Army!"

"Hehe! July 20th, a very meaningful day, Yuhe, in [-], I was also the vice chairman of the Jicha Political Affairs Committee, and the deputy commander of the No. [-] Ninth Army. I was a witness to the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in July [-]th, and I was also a participant in the war, Yuhe, I remember you at that time, you were the deputy director of the Division Command and Staff Office, and four years later, you are the chief of staff of a major general!"

"Time flies like an arrow. On July [-]th, the fate of the Japanese Third Army will be ended, and Emperor Hirohito will be reminded, so that the Japanese will not forget the memorable day of July [-]th!"

In Tang Qiuli's tone, there seemed to be infinite emotion. The iron-blooded years of fighting in North China four years ago suddenly seemed as fresh as yesterday. The independent division really stood firm in the pass. Even after the recovery of North China, it also took North China as a starting point. Grow and grow!

Zhao Yuhe quietly listened to the teacher's words, seeming to be immersed in memories, and smiled impressively, and said, "Master, when I just joined our independent teacher, I was full of scholarly spirit and wanted to beat the Japanese devils away. How could I expect to be the chief of staff of a major general today!"

"Hahaha!" Tang Qiuli laughed loudly, and said a saying that was widely circulated in later generations, "Yuhe, remember, everything is possible!"

Telegrams, one after another, flew from the front line to Liaoyang, commanding the Third Army and two detachments of the Kwantung Army, General Umezu Yoshijiro, the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army who regained the Liaodong Peninsula. All the telegrams, They all stated the fact that in the central part of the Liaodong Peninsula, from Zhuanghe to Bayuquan, on a front more than 170 kilometers long, the independent division troops assembled no less than twelve brigades.

The three attacking troops were blocked to varying degrees, and they all suffered heavy losses and were forced to stop. In all the telegrams, it was mentioned that "the blocking troops of the independent division are under heavy artillery fire. There are many troops!" Among them, There are telegrams from Lieutenant General Shinyuemon, the commander of the [-]th Division of the Third Army that is most valued by General Umezu, and the telegrams from the commanders of other troops. He completely believed the lieutenant general's telegram.

Flipping through the telegram, General Umezu Yoshijiro's heart sank. The sudden appearance of the independent division in the middle of the Liaodong Peninsula was definitely not a good sign for him. It meant that he would quickly go south to Lushunkou and regain the entire Liaodong Peninsula He was worried that if the battle of the Liaodong Peninsula could not be resolved quickly, then the threat from the rear would become fatal. This threat was the six independent divisions in the northern part of the Korean peninsula. Main brigade troops.

As for the frontline generals, it was said that Tang Qiuli, the devil of China, mobilized as many as twelve brigades of troops just to prevent the third army from going south. A main force field brigade, with a full strength of 6000 to [-] people, doesn't that mean that the strength of the independent divisions blocking the Third Army and the first and second detachments of the Kwantung Army reached more than [-]?

"If that devil of China, Tang Qiuli, had more than twice as many troops as he had on the Liaodong Peninsula battlefield, why should he take a defensive position? Excluding water, there should be five to six brigades of troops, but that's about 10 people. Such a large-scale mobilization of troops for reinforcements will not be small, but why didn't the intelligence department get any information in advance?"

General Meijin raised his eyebrows and pondered, that is, the independent division only has nearly 10 troops. If it stops the third army from advancing, it can completely achieve its goal. when?

Retreat?It is easier said than done, it has penetrated several hundred kilometers into the central part of the Liaodong Peninsula. If the troops retreat here, once the independent division troops on the line from Zhuanghe to Bayuquan pursue them, the six brigades of the independent division in the northern part of the Korean peninsula will outflank the rear, and the Third Army and The first and second detachments of the Kwantung Army were in danger of being flanked and cut off their retreat, and they did not have any mobile troops in their hands to rescue them!

General Meijin was startled, "The intelligence department's response is so slow, and 10,000+ troops of the independent division suddenly appeared on the battlefield of the Liaodong Peninsula, and they didn't know anything about it. Then, the movement of the independent division troops in the northern part of the Korean peninsula means that, Intelligence agencies are like blind and deaf people who don’t know anything?” Thinking of this, cold sweat rolled down his forehead.

Now, what General Meijin is most worried about is not the 10,000+ independent division troops lying in the middle of the Liaodong Peninsula, but the independent division troops behind him with unknown actions. That is the most deadly danger. The venomous snake inside will bite the third army's back at any time.

"Immediately send a telegram to Major General Kimura, the head of the intelligence headquarters at the headquarters, focusing on the latest movements of the independent division in the northern part of the Korean peninsula. The military situation is urgent, and Kimura is limited to give me an answer within an hour!" General Meijin called over to a The staff officer ordered in a hasty tone.

The intelligence headquarters of the Kwantung Army returned the telegram very quickly. Within 10 minutes, the telegram came. General Meijin snatched it without waiting for the staff to read the content of the telegram. After reading the content of the telegram, he was so angry that he almost fainted.

"Masao Kimura, the Head of the Intelligence Headquarters, reported to the Commander-in-Chief that there is nothing the Ministry can do about the intelligence collection work on the Korean Peninsula, because that is the jurisdiction of the Imperial Korean Garrison. According to regulations, the Kwantung Army Intelligence Headquarters is not under its jurisdiction. Within the scope, establish an intelligence network, but you can get this information by contacting the Imperial Korean Garrison Intelligence Department through the General Directorate of Military Intelligence in the base camp!"

"Baga! It's another damn faction dispute!" General Meijin cursed angrily. The faction dispute in the imperial world is a persistent disease. Each faction has its own sphere of influence, and I can't do anything about it. "Tell Kimura, no matter what. What method does he use, after an hour, I want to see the information, otherwise..." General Meijin said to the staff in a gloomy manner.

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