Age of Rebirth

The cave, a cave that is not wide but relatively deep, is enough to isolate the flames and the war outside. Lieutenant General Shinyuemon of the 80th Division, some officers of the division headquarters, and radio personnel, about seven [-] people hid here. It was very lucky that when the flames just started, the guard captain of Lieutenant General Shinyuemon found this cave that could accommodate him and saved the life of the head of the division. Otherwise, the lieutenant general at this moment Your Excellency, Division Commander, I am afraid that like the soldiers outside, he is being swallowed by the flames of purgatory.

Compared with the screaming, flaming, and charred soldiers outside, the people hiding in the cave are undoubtedly happy. Although the air is scorching hot and the lungs are burning with pain, at least one life can be saved. All the officers of the Japanese army looked pale at the sea of ​​flames outside. An uncontrollable trembling moved through their bodies from the depths of their souls, dedicating themselves to His Majesty the Emperor and the Japanese Empire. , looks so small!

Lieutenant General Shinyouemon, with a pale face and empty eyes, leaned against the rock wall that had begun to warm up. It seemed that the screams of the soldiers outside and the burning flames had nothing to do with him. Seeing the majesty of the imperial general, but the trembling hand holding the command knife and the twitching corners of his mouth exposed the violent fluctuations in his heart.

Lieutenant General Shinyouemon knew that after this fire, the [-]th Division, the main force of the Third Army, would suffer at least half of the casualties, or even more. He did not expect that the battle with full confidence would evolve into what it is now , not the imperial soldiers to harvest the lives of the soldiers of the Independent Division.It was the lives of the soldiers of the Empire, who were harvested indiscriminately by the new bombs dropped by the bombers of the Independent Division, and their identities were reversed.The roles were reversed, giving him the urge to vomit blood.

"Is this the revenge of the Chinese people? They used poison gas bombs in retaliation against the imperial army? The victory that was clearly about to be achieved was wiped out in an instant. Also, did the poison gas bombs dropped by the imperial bombers really achieve their effect?" Lieutenant General Shinyuemon thought sadly.

After the flames were extinguished, the [-]th Division had lost its basic offensive capabilities.Outside the cave, in addition to the sound of burning flames, there was also the violent explosion of ammunition that was martyred at high temperature.Everything stimulated his nerves, "Communications staff officer!" Lieutenant General Shinyuemon shouted hoarsely.

The communications staff officer, who was still in shock, ran over from the other side of the cave almost scrambling, feeling uneasy and full of fear.Standing in front of Lieutenant General Shinyuemon.I couldn't help shivering all over my body. At this time, Your Excellency the division chief called me, I'm afraid there is nothing good to do, it wouldn't be an order to myself, braving a sea of ​​​​fire, but what order did you convey?

Lieutenant General Shinyouemon looked at him expressionlessly, and said: "Record. Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief Umezu, when our [-]th Division was advancing the Independent Division's blockade line, it was suddenly attacked by the Independent Division's bomber group. Bombing, the enemy plane used a new type of bomb, burned it after landing, and the imperial army's attack route was covered in a sea of ​​flames, forming an insurmountable gap. According to this situation, our division may suffer more than half of the casualties!"

"The supplies and ammunition were all destroyed in the fire, and they have no power to fight anymore. I am afraid that the other two attacking imperial army troops will also be in the current situation. In view of this, the Ministry of Staff suggests that all ministries should be ordered to retreat immediately. Take a break from Fengtian to Liaoyang, and cancel the campaign plan to recover the Liaodong Peninsula, otherwise, the Third Army will be in danger and will definitely endanger the safety of Manchuria as a whole!"

"In addition, it is not yet known whether the air force's air strikes will achieve the desired effect. If the imperial army's attack plan is continued with the loss of more than half of the imperial army, the outcome of the battle will be extremely unpredictable. At this moment, the headquarters is besieged by raging flames in a cave Here, it is unknown whether you can get away, and I ask the commander-in-chief to consider the suggestion of the ministry!"

After the communications staff officer finished recording the telegram, Lieutenant General Shinyouemon ordered: "Send it as an urgent telegram immediately, and receive the call back from Your Excellency the Commander-in-Chief at any time!"

In Jiuzhai Town in the middle of the Liaodong Peninsula, Tang Qiuli’s temporary headquarters, the officers, soldiers and special guards of the independent division who came in and out were all wearing gas masks, even Tang Qiuli was no exception. Obviously, he was very frustrated with this kind of stuffiness. I was very disgusted with it, and I wanted to pick it off several times, but was strictly stopped by Shanhu.

Although Le Yiqin deliberately avoided Jiuzhai Town, where the division commander’s temporary headquarters is located, when he was directing the air battle and shooting down the Japanese bomber carrying poison gas bombs. Come on, if even the teacher is poisoned, wouldn't it be a big joke, so Shanhu, who is worried, doesn't leave his side even an inch.

Chief of Staff Zhao Yuhe, who was standing by the radio station, was visibly relieved after reading a telegram he had just received, took off his gas mask, and came to Tang Qiuli. Before he could speak, Tang Qiuli Can't wait to take off the gas mask, muttered: "What the hell, it's almost suffocating, Yuhe, has the poison gas been properly disposed of?"

Zhao Yuhe replied: "Yes, division commander. I just received a telegram from the commander of the engineering unit in charge of disposing of the Japanese gas bombs. All the Japanese gas bombs have been properly disposed of and will not spread!"

"Thank God!" Tang Qiuli also breathed a sigh of relief, "Yuhe, how many casualties were there for troops and civilians?"

Zhao Yuhe's tone was a little heavy, and he replied: "According to the statistics of the engineering troops and the field hospital, there are almost no casualties in the troops. Our soldiers each have a gas mask, but the civilians in the area have suffered relatively heavy injuries. Fortunately, This area is a mountainous area, the population density is relatively small, and it has not caused widespread poisoning. Now, the military doctors from the field hospital are rescuing the poisoned civilians!"

Speaking of this, Zhao Yuhe paused, "Master, with such a large-scale spread of poisonous gas, civilian casualties are inevitable. Don't worry too much about it. Our military doctors will do their best!"

Tang Qiuli sighed inwardly, "So what's the point of being brooding, the fact has already been made, and it's ordinary people who suffer!" The hatred for the Japanese surged up like a sky!

At the same time, Tang Qiuli smelled a very faint smell of gasoline and the burnt smell of burnt things. His heart moved and he thought of a possibility. However, he immediately remembered an important thing and said, "Jade And, send a telegram to Deputy Commander Liu, the Joint Service Department of the theater, for the treatment of poisoned civilians, the troops will be responsible for all expenses. If there are too many people poisoned, medical teams can be dispatched from other areas. In short, enough personnel must be kept. Medical staff!"

"In addition, the local government departments will count the specific situation of poisoned families, register and make a list, and according to different situations, they can provide sufficient subsidies. This money will be paid by us. It can be regarded as compensation for the losses of the villagers. Deputy Commander Liu is in charge. The implementation and supervision of this matter!"

At this time, Chen Feng, the director of the division commander's communication department, came. Seeing that the division commander and the chief of staff had both taken off their gas masks, he hurriedly took them off as well, taking a breath of air, "Division commander, chief of staff, Commander Liu Cuigang of the Air Force Joint Air Command Call to report that our bomber unit has started to bomb the Japanese army across the board, covering all the Japanese attack routes, and Commander Liu said in the telegram that the bomber unit used napalm!”

Tang Qiu suddenly realized that it was no wonder that he could smell the smell of gasoline and burn things. He sneered and said, "Okay! Liu Cuigang did a good job. The Japanese army used poison gas bombs on a large scale twice, and I used napalm bombs to kill them." To pay back to these crazy bastards, Director Chen, tell Liu Cuigang that no weapon can be used too much on the Japanese, what I want is the bombing effect!"

After Chen Feng recorded the order, he took the order just now and hurried out. Zhao Yuhe thought about it and said: "Master, the large-scale bombing fleet of the aviation force will definitely cause great casualties to the Japanese army. I judge , the Japanese army is very likely to stop the attack and take measures to retreat. The heavy damage suffered by the Japanese army is not enough to support the attack! Do you want to order the troops in the blocking line to prepare for the pursuit?"

Tang Qiuli shook his head slightly. Based on his own two generations, he knew about Umezu Yoshijiro from historical data. This guy is a stubborn militarist. He regards himself as a traditional Japanese soldier and advocates force. The Japanese can't afford the war team with more than 1000 combat aircraft. If they wave their hands at this, how can he explain to the Japanese base camp?

He has just taken the position of commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, and he has built every inch of his achievements. The battle to regain the Liaodong Peninsula has ended in a bleak way. From the sky to the ground, he has lost troops and lost his generals. Umezu Yoshijiro, who is self-willed and self-important, will not end in this way. , otherwise, I am afraid that he will face the voices of killing in Japan. From the fact that he chose the Liaodong Peninsula as a breakthrough point, it can be seen that Umezu Yoshijiro is eager to open the passive situation of the Northeast War.

Moreover, even if more than half of the Japanese attacking casualties, there are still [-] to [-] troops left, which is enough to support Umezu Yoshijiro to launch an attack. Moreover, the power of napalm bombs may not be as great as expected. The central part of the Liaodong Peninsula is mountainous, The watery terrain conditions will weaken its power, and there may be more Japanese troops left!

The most important thing is that Umezu Yoshijiro should be convinced that the gas bombs have had a huge effect. On the blocking line from Zhuanghe to Bayuquan, the independent division's wounded soldiers may be everywhere, just like the effect of the three brigades of the Marine Corps in the first battle. Opportunity It's rare, and you have to fight no matter what. The combination of the above factors makes Umezu Yoshijiro have to continue fighting, and he has to fight!

"Yuhe, Umezu Yoshijiro is different from other Japanese generals. He is fierce and warlike, and he is eager to make contributions in the Northeast. He will order the Japanese army to continue to attack and send orders to the frontline troops. After the Japanese army begins to attack, don't stay behind. In the second hand, all the heavy weapons are used, bombs in the sky and artillery shells on the ground, let the Japanese army taste the bloody wind!" Tang Qiuli said murderously, gritting his teeth.

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