Age of Rebirth

Telegrams, urgent telegrams from the front, flew one after another to the temporary headquarters of the Kwantung Army in Liaoyang, and to the hands of General Umezu Yoshijiro, the commander-in-chief. The commanders of the three attacking forces all urgently sent telegrams, "From the Air Force of the Independent Division, The large-scale bombing of new bombs has caused heavy casualties to the troops, and at present, the troops cannot continue to attack!"

In the telegrams, the Japanese front-line commanders all used the same words, "Fire! - overwhelming fire! Bomb! Covering the entire attack route and area, bomb! - a new type of bomb used by bombers of the Independent Division! The current soldiers of the Imperial Army are not fighting the independent division, but the fire that has burned half the sky red! Casualties! — Casualties continue to increase!"

Putting down the telegram in his hand, General Umezu Yoshijiro turned pale, and then became pale. Lieutenant General Matsuda Kenjiro, chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, said worriedly: "Commander-in-Chief, the current battle situation is very unfavorable for us. The independent division suffered such huge casualties in the battle, do they still have the strength to fight again?"

"Therefore, I suggest that you immediately order the troops to retreat and rest. They have lost their air supremacy. The soldiers of the imperial army are in an extremely passive state in front of the air force of the independent division. Commander-in-Chief, please seriously consider whether to regain the Liaodong Peninsula campaign. Is it necessary to continue?"

Chief of Staff Matsuda was the first to see these urgent telegrams. Those bloody words made him shudder. A fire covered the entire offensive area. Even if he was not on the front line, Chief of Staff Matsuda knew that the Third Army The four divisions of the Kwantung Army and the two detachments of the Kwantung Army. What kind of losses are 10,000+ imperial soldiers suffering!

He also knew that without the order of Commander-in-Chief Umezu.These troops will not and dare not retreat. In an air battle, the Kwantung Army's First Aviation Squadron was almost completely destroyed. There were less than 10,000 fighter jets flying back to the field airports around Fengtian. The commander of the First Air Squadron, Lieutenant General Ma Tian , I can't afford to be seriously ill.He is being rescued at the Kwantung Army General Hospital, and now there is a big fire. The [-]+ imperial soldiers are in a situation of increasing casualties. So, is it still possible and necessary to continue this battle to recover the Liaodong Peninsula?

If the battle of Liaodong Peninsula.It ended with the defeat of the Third Army and the first and second detachments of the Kwantung Army.Then, hundreds of thousands or even two to 10,000+ independent divisions will flock to Fengtian and the hinterland of Manchuria like a tide, and will even involve the confrontation in the Liaoxi corridor area, Ximan area, and even the northwestern border. That has always been insidious and cunning The China Devil will not let go of such a good opportunity, as the chief of staff of the Kwantung Army.At this time, you must make your own suggestions.

What Chief of Staff Matsuda said makes sense.Quite right, if at this time, the troops attacking the Liaodong Peninsula are ordered to retreat, and a solid defense system is established on the line from Anton to Gaizhou, it can stop the attack of the independent division troops. Tens of thousands of troops are enough to deal with it for a while!

But Chief of Staff Matsuda couldn't understand. At this moment, General Umezu Yoshijiro's difficulty is that he regards the battle of regaining the Liaodong Peninsula as the foundation of his foothold in the Kwantung Army, an opportunity to prove his ability to the headquarters, and he has put all his bets on it. 10,000+ soldiers were invested, poison gas bombs were used, an aviation team was put in, and then he stopped, how embarrassing did he feel?How to explain to all aspects?

Moreover, he believed that the breakthrough point he chose and the timing of his attack were absolutely correct, but there were many unexpected factors in the changes in the battle situation. First, the intelligence agencies were unaware of the fact that more than [-] independent division troops reinforced the Liaodong Peninsula. Secondly, the combat power that the independent division's air force can assemble has greatly exceeded the expectations of myself and the commander of the air force, Lieutenant General Ma Tian.

Then, when the Imperial Army Aviation lost its combat power, the bomber unit of the Independent Division Aviation suddenly appeared and used new bombs, which not only hindered the attacking troops, but devoured the lives of the Imperial soldiers. Afterwards, the troops of the imperial army of the empire were already exhausted soldiers covered in bruises, could they have the power to fight again?

If we say that other front-line commanders' telegrams, General Umezu may not pay attention to them, but for the telegrams of Lieutenant General Shinyuemon, the commander of the [-]th Division, he pays special attention to them. Among them, the most valiant and most capable division commanders all have suggestions for retreating. It can be seen that the current situation on the front line is absolutely not good. His heart is struggling violently, hesitating, judging, and trade off.

Just as Tang Qiuli analyzed, General Umezu Yoshijiro could no longer stop. He had just taken up his new post and was full of ambition. In the first battle he planned, he lost his army and returned in a disastrous defeat. He could not explain to any party, whether it was the base camp or His Majesty the Emperor. , and the prestige and prestige in the Kwantung Army did not allow him to stop at this point. At this moment, he is already riding a tiger!

Another point is that General Umezu Yoshijiro firmly believes that paying the price of more than 900 bombers and more than [-] fighter jets almost wiped out the entire army should be rewarded. Those No. [-] special gas bombs should play a role, and they all fell on the independent division. On the blocking line, there is another, that is, the third and fourth detachments of the Kwantung Army responsible for blocking the independent divisions in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula along the border between China and North Korea. So far, no telegram has been sent, which means that threats from the rear, Not yet.

New bombs, more than 20 independent divisions that suddenly appeared, the Kwantung Army headquarters did not get any information. General Meijin hated Major General Ono, the head of the intelligence headquarters, and wanted to kill him. The intelligence department Losing points repeatedly, I was already extremely disappointed. I even had no hope for the Intelligence Headquarters to send elite espionage personnel to go deep into the northern part of the Korean peninsula for reconnaissance!

"The battle to regain the Liaodong Peninsula must continue. I have no way out!" General Meizu Meijiro sighed deeply in his heart. Pride and self-confidence are the three pillars to strengthen its confidence.

General Umezu Yoshijiro raised his head abruptly, with an abnormal rosiness on his face, and a gloomy cold light in his eyes. In the cold light, with desperate determination, Chief of Staff Matsuda's heart suddenly tightened, and at the same time, a burst of sadness came to his heart, "It seems that the commander-in-chief of Meijin is still insisting on continuing to regain the Liaodong Peninsula campaign!"

Sure enough, General Meijin's voice was calm and hollow, and he said: "Chief of Staff Matsuda, convey my order to the commander of the frontline troops. The reason why the bombers of the Independent Division used such a frenzied new bomb is to prevent the imperial army from continuing to go forward." The advance of the southern part of the Liaodong Peninsula is enough to prove that the previous special bombing by the Kwantung Army's First Aviation Squadron was effective!"

"In front of the imperial soldiers, there are no obstacles that can stop you from moving forward. Therefore, I order that all troops should overcome the current difficulties regardless of casualties, and continue to complete the set combat tasks tenaciously and tenaciously. Regarding the logistical supplies of the troops, I will order the supply troops to ensure the supply, and emphasize one point, in the future, if anyone talks about retreating and shakes the morale of the army, he will be severely punished with military discipline!"

Chief of Staff Matsuda's heart tightened. The last few words seemed to be directed at him by the Commander-in-Chief. After a few days of getting along with him, he had a general understanding of the new boss's temper. I just don't understand, so why should I get into trouble?

The order was delivered. Looking at the soldiers under his command, who were still in the sea of ​​flames with Yu Wei still in the hands of several commanders of the Japanese army struggling on the front line, everyone reacted differently. Most of them cried out inwardly. The battered soldiers, the charred corpses, the trucks and cannons that were burnt to pieces, secretly slandered General Meijin's order to continue the attack, "With the current situation of the troops, can we continue to fight? "

Only the head of the Shinyuemon division sighed, and said to his chief of staff: "I can understand the difficulties of Commander-in-Chief Umezu. This battle must be fought resolutely. Chief of Staff, this fire is about to burn out. My order is to gather the troops, count the casualties, treat the wounded on the spot, and the troops continue to attack and move forward!"

The military order fell like a mountain, and the Japanese soldiers who attacked in three directions, like ghosts who had just crawled out of purgatory, stepped on the still smoldering embers, scalding their feet, and burning like a desert, passing piles of burned land. The charred corpses of compatriots, leaving behind countless wounded soldiers, began to advance.

This overwhelming fire caused by napalm bombs brought heavy casualties to the Japanese army. According to the statistics of the 10,000th Division alone, more than [-] soldiers were burned to death. As many as [-] people, the casualties of the [-]th Division have already exceeded half, and the casualties of the Japanese troops in the other two routes are roughly the same. An all-round bombing caused the [-]+ Japanese troops to lose half of their combat effectiveness. Liu Cuigang's goal has been achieved .

Of course, that’s not all. The field airports in the Shandong Peninsula, the field airports in North China, and several field airports in the Korean Peninsula welcomed the first batch of returning bombers. Sounding the siren, the ground crew quickly refueled the bomber and replenished the bombs, while the fighter jets that had already returned were parked on the runway with full fuel and ammunition, ready to go.

Those soldiers with smoky faces, a large piece of skin missing here, and a few bright blisters there, still in shock, ragged, and completely lost their fighting spirit, became the main force of the battle, the commanders of the three-way attacking Japanese army, With about half of the tens of thousands of soldiers who lost their vigor, they embarked on the road of life and death.

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