Age of Rebirth

As the sun sets, the gorgeous sunset is reflected on the land at the junction of the southeastern border of Outer Mongolia and the northeastern and northwest borders. The vast grasslands, like a green carpet, cover the field of vision, dotted with small lakes in between, reflecting With the colorful sunset glow and jewel-like light waves, a typical prairie river winds its way to the sky.

The undulating land stretches to the distance, the hot sun in the day fades away, and the evening breeze with the smell of pasture blows coolly. Undoubtedly, the summer grassland and the beauty of the sunset are the most intoxicating and intoxicating.

However, Lieutenant General Yoshinaga Jinchuan, the commander of the Kwantung Army's border guards in the northeast of Manchuria, did not have such a leisurely mood. He even had an instinctive fear and disgust for the gradually falling night. The orderly had already brought dinner to the general's tent, but , but he had no appetite at all, and stared at the sumptuous dinner in a daze.

Lieutenant General Jiyong, with an extremely heavy heart, walked out of the tent slowly, and cast his eyes on the prairie that was already dusk. In the north where I am located, there is a well-equipped, well-trained, and eagerly-eyed army of more than 30 people from the Outer Mongolian Field Corps of the Independent Division, ready to attack at any time.

Since entering the northeastern border of Manchuria, Sun Zhenbang, the commander of the Outer Mongolian Field Corps of the Independent Division, has been his opponent. The huge force under his command and his own pressure are undoubtedly huge. Therefore, in more than a year, Within the period, Lieutenant General Yoshinaga tried his best to restrain the troops and refrain from any provocative actions.Maintaining a delicate and fragile balance, he knew.Once this balance is broken, the border guards of the Kwantung Army will be fiercely attacked by the Outer Mongolian Field Corps.

However, the good times didn't last long, and this balance was still broken. The external force came from another independent division behind him-the most elite regiment under the Chinese devil Tang Qiuli. The current situation on the northeastern border of Manchuria is, There are more than 30 troops in the Outer Mongolian Field Corps of the Independent Division.There are nearly 40 elite soldiers and strong generals in the regiment directly under the independent division of Nanyou, while its own border guards are sandwiched between the opponent's nearly 80 troops, like meat stuffing!

Every time he thinks about it, Lieutenant General Yoshinaga shudders. He believes in the combat effectiveness of the soldiers of the Kwantung Army of the Empire of Japan and their loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor.I also believe in the bravery and fearlessness of the Yamato nation's Bushido spirit, but when the difference in military strength is too great, all of this is insignificant, not counting the difference in weapons and equipment.

In all fairness, Lieutenant General Yoshinaga is a qualified imperial general.He is also a seasoned commander. When he learned that the Independent Division was directly under the corps and appeared behind him, he completely understood that he was heading for the border guards of the Kwantung Army.Moreover, he immediately came to a conclusion.There is absolutely no possibility of victory in this battle. The reason is very simple. The Kwantung Army's Manchuria border guards are a lone army, and the headquarters will not have any reinforcements.

After reaching this conclusion, the first thing Lieutenant General Yoshinaga did was to warn General Umezu Yoshijiro, commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, and asked the headquarters to allow the border guards to withdraw immediately while the encirclement of the independent division was not yet closed. Go to the hinterland of Manchuria to avoid the ending of all jade pieces.

However, Commander-in-Chief Meijin's call back made Lieutenant General Yoshinaga's heart completely cold. General Meijin's reply was simple but cold, "I know all about the call. The only mission of the border guards is to prevent the Mongolian Field Corps outside the Independent Division from entering Manchuria. To join any battlefield, for this reason, even if it is 10,000+ imperial soldiers, all the jade will be broken, and as for the request to retreat, I don't want to hear it again!"

"Mr. Jiyong, at this critical moment in the Manchurian War, the soldiers of the Empire need to make fearless sacrifices. You should be very clear that once the Independent Division's Outer Mongolian Field Corps goes south and joins the battlefields in Western Liaoning or Western Manchuria, it will be very difficult for the soldiers in these two directions. What does it mean for the Kwantung Army? Once the independent division is directly under the corps and passes through the northeastern part of Manchuria unimpeded, will it affect the Far East battlefield?"

"At the cost of the lives of 10,000+ imperial soldiers, procrastinate, delay, and try to damage the two independent divisions as much as possible, to solve the Ximan and Liaoxi battles for the headquarters, and buy as much time as possible. The mission of the generals of the army! Don't let me down, Yoshinaga-kun! From then on, all the command of the Kwantung Army's border guards and the strategy against the enemy will be entrusted to Yoshinaga-kun, and you can do things cheaply without consulting the headquarters!"

In a word, General Meijin has delegated power. Lieutenant General Yoshinaga has the final say on how to fight. The headquarters will never interfere, but you can't retreat, and you will stare there. That is to say, even the border guards will be attacked by superior forces. The independent division of the army is attacking on both sides, knowing that they are invincible, but they will fight to the death, without the threat of "chi luo" naked, and there is no high-sounding reason, just tell Ji Yong, die here!

From the moment he received the telegram from the headquarters of the Kwantung Army, Lieutenant General Yoshinaga knew that the border guards of the Kwantung Army were ruthlessly abandoned and became an abandoned child. The only mission was to bury 10,000+ imperial soldiers in the desolation In the border area of ​​Manchuria, jade fragments are worthless, disappointment, boundless disappointment, not the disappointment of the Great Japanese Empire, but the disappointment of General Umezu Yoshijiro, the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army!

Lieutenant General Yoshinaga was even very angry. No supreme officer would ruthlessly abandon 10,000+ elite soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Empire to create so-called opportunities for the uncertain future of the Liaoxi and Ximan battlefields. General Meijin’s ruthlessness , Since he took office as the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, a series of stupid commands have led to the unmanageable corruption of the Manchurian war situation. The heartbroken Lieutenant General Yoshinaga turned his back and decided to disobey orders.

Disobedience does not mean raising the flag to rebel. Lieutenant General Yoshinaga’s actions are nothing more than looking for a way out for the border guards of the Kwantung Army and 10,000+ imperial soldiers. This has nothing to do with the integrity and dignity of the soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Empire. , To make a meaningless sacrifice for the uncertain future of the Manchuria War, at least, is a stupid act. It is a wise move to preserve part of the strength of the Imperial Kwantung Army. Yoshinaga will find himself a high-sounding excuse.

Retreating to the hinterland of Manchuria, it is obvious that this road is not going to work. The corps directly under the Independent Division opened its mouth, and it will definitely swallow the 10,000+ people of the border guards in one gulp. Even if the passage to the hinterland of Manchuria is opened, the final direction is there. ?

What's more, retreating all the way, can the independent division troops let the border guards escape? They will definitely surround them from all directions. Perhaps, the result will be worse than now, similar to throwing themselves into a trap. The general decided to do the opposite, to make a surprise, first enter the territory of Outer Mongolia, then pass through Chita, turn to the Far East, and go to the Far East dispatched army of Prince Zairen.

That is the only way out for the border guards of the Kwantung Army. Subconsciously, Lieutenant General Yoshinaga never wants to fight head-to-head with the corps directly under the Independent Division. This old-fashioned corps with the strongest combat effectiveness and the best equipment in the famous Independent Division is the Devil of China. The sharp sword in Tang Qiuli's hands, I don't know how many elite divisions of the empire are folded in his hands. In comparison, the Outer Mongolia Field Corps has been formed for a short time and has no bad reputation, so it is easier to deal with it !

This is in line with the general psychology of picking soft persimmons. If Major General Sun Zhenbang, the commander of the Outer Mongolia Field Corps, learned that his opponent regarded him as a soft persimmon, he might be furious and rush towards him immediately!

Breaking through the frontal positions of the Independent Division's Outer Mongolian Field Corps is not easy. In order to achieve the goal, Lieutenant General Yoshinaga prepared a suspicious strategy and ordered a brigade-sized independent garrison of more than 1 people under his command. After the battle began, Desperately broke out in the direction of Aershan, and captured the Aershan station, creating the illusion that the main force of the garrison was going to retreat south along the Bai-Aershan railway line.

Lieutenant General Jillong's order to the Major General Captain of the Independent Garrison was also cruel and ruthless, "At any cost, we must open the passage to Aershan and control the railway station for the main force of the garrison. I will spare no expense!" In fact, this order was exactly the same as the order given to him by General Meijin, the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army.

Everything is ready, the Kwantung Army Border Guard has 10,000+ soldiers, waiting for the independent division to attack from two opposite directions. Lieutenant General Yoshinaga wisely realized that the troops are at a disadvantage and must not take the initiative to attack. Only when the opponent's attack begins, will he have the opportunity to take advantage of the chaos on the battlefield to implement his plan to turn to the Far East!

10,000+ soldiers of the Kwantung Army squatted in the trenches scorched by the summer sun with tragic expressions, nervously waiting for the shells to fall, roaring the independent division tanks that appeared in the distance of the grassland, surging like a tide The soldiers who came over, however, after a day passed, there was no movement on the battlefield, and the soldiers of the Kwantung Army who had been tense all day continued to squat in the trenches exhausted and anxious, not daring to relax at all!

On the grassland under the night, darkness enveloped everything, and Lieutenant General Jiyong was even more restless. He didn't know why, but the independent division troops that had been prepared did not launch the expected attack, "Those Chinese commanders, they are here What are you doing? The unknown silence is more depressing than the rumbling cannon!" He thought irritably.

Candlelight was still shining in the tents of the independent division chief of staff and acting commander of the directly subordinate corps Zhao Yuhe and the major general. The division pointed to the deputy director of the staff office and directly subordinate corps chief of staff Wu Zhengmin sent a telegram, which was the directly subordinate corps No. Ren Zhaoquan, commander of the 11th brigade, and Chen Han, commander of the No.12 brigade, both sent over, with a simple sentence, "Our department has arrived at the designated location and deployed overnight!"

"Okay!" Zhao Yuhe exclaimed excitedly. With the right-wing detour troops in place, the encirclement of the Kwantung Army's border guards was officially closed, and the attack at dawn will start on time!

(To be continued)