Age of Rebirth

A difficult day finally passed, and night fell on the Nuluerhu mountain area in Ximan. Without the bombers and fighter jets of the independent division constantly pouring bombs and bullets overhead, more than 40 Kwantung Army soldiers were surrounded by the mountains. , I also breathed a sigh of relief. At night, it brought a little sense of security to them who were physically and mentally exhausted.

Countless shells and tens of thousands of heavy aerial bombs have ravaged the mountainous land, everything has changed its original appearance, the earth and rocks have been turned up, and the bushes and trees that were originally lush have become some embellishments, scattered all over the place. The huge craters are like big ferocious mouths. On the battlefield where gunpowder smoke and embers are still burning, there are still little flames and wisps of blue smoke. Haggard, empty-eyed Kwantung Army soldier.

The interim supreme commander of the Ximan Kwantung Army, Lieutenant General Tosa, the commander of the Third Army, was lucky. The hiding place for him and his headquarters was a relatively spacious cave, which was probably within the encirclement, one of the few safe place.

The sound of rumbling guns and explosions had already subsided. A few faint candlelights, flickering dim flames, distorted the figure in the cave into a ghostly illusion. A layer of gauze, the Lieutenant General was not spared during the shelling and bombing during the day, a piece of shrapnel took away the flesh on his left arm, on such a cruel battlefield, probably a big Imperial Japanese Army The life of a lieutenant general is no more precious than that of an ordinary soldier.

A shell or bomb fell, the lieutenant general's body.It was still falling apart, but the physical pain was far less severe than the psychological pain.At this point, Lieutenant General Tosa already knew that the fate of the more than 40 Kwantung Army soldiers in Ximan was that all jade pieces would be buried in this mountainous area of ​​Manchuria.

He sent two telegrams to Commander-in-Chief Nanjiro in succession, not only explaining the situation of the Ximan Kwantung Army, but also venting his strong inner dissatisfaction.However, the Kwantung Army headquarters did not reply a single telegram, it seems.Are the more than 40 Imperial Japanese soldiers who are facing a desperate situation in the Ximan mountain area forgotten?

"Is there finally nothing to say? This old guy who plays politics far better than military skills is probably thinking. How to justify himself with clever words?" Severe pain.Lieutenant General Tosa couldn't help moaning, but he thought viciously in his heart.

Major General Akutagawa, Chief of Staff of the Army, appeared in front of Lieutenant General Tosa like a ghost. Looking at the commander's pale face, Major General Akutagawa said with difficulty: "Commander, it's just a day's fierce battle. A rough count. The casualties of our troops , more than [-] people!"

"Especially the avant-garde [-]th Division. The casualties were the heaviest. They were responsible for breaking through the blocking position of the Independent Division troops in the southern part of the Nuluerhu Mountain. Because they took the initiative to attack, they were the most seriously injured by the artillery of the Independent Division. The current difficulties Yes, there is a serious shortage of medicines and military doctors, and it is difficult to treat so many wounded soldiers, Commander..." Major General Akutagawa didn't say anything about it, but Lieutenant General Tosa understood.

Lieutenant General Tosa changed his posture and leaned against the cold and damp rock wall to relieve the pain from the wound on his arm. "Mr. Akutagawa, have you reported all the casualties of the other armies?" He asked Instead of directly answering what Chief of Staff Akutagawa said, he asked another question.

The wrinkles on the face of Chief of Staff Akutagawa deepened, and he replied: "A general report has come up. Among them, the Fifth Army had about [-] casualties. The main casualties were because the Fifth Army was the rear guard. The attack on the Independent Division is the most violent, and the casualties are also the largest!"

"The fourth and sixth armies on the left had a combined casualty of more than 1, and the seventh army on the right had more than [-] casualties. All casualties were caused by artillery fire and aerial bombardment from the independent division. What's frightening is that these Chinese commanders haven't used their infantry on a large scale yet!"

"However, even though the imperial soldiers have paid such a heavy price for casualties, our battlefield space is still being continuously compressed by the independent division troops. Commander, if this continues, we will not even have room to turn around!"

Lieutenant General Tosa was so painful that the muscles on his cheeks were trembling non-stop. From the beginning of the breakout to the present, in just over ten hours of fighting, the casualties of the Ximan Kwantung Army reached an astonishing nearly 10 people. One-fourth of the total strength of the army, according to the number of casualties, five days later, the more than 40 Kwantung Army soldiers in Ximan will no longer exist.

Although he knew that the entire division was wiped out in the end, Lieutenant General Tosa was still so heavy that he suffered so heavy casualties. He took a heavy breath and ordered in a hoarse voice: "Mr. Akutagawa, notify the other officers immediately. Four army commanders, come here for a meeting, we should make some preparations for the last moment!"

Chief of Staff Akutagawa's lips moved a few times, and his throat felt dry. He understood what Lieutenant General Tosa meant by "the last moment", but he didn't say a word, and walked toward the depths of the cave with a somewhat vain footstep. go.

On a mountain outside the encirclement circle of Nuluerhu Mountain, the two commanders of the Independent Division's Ximan War Zone, Sun Zhenbang and Yuan Jinghao, shoulder to shoulder, eating their marching rations with relish. It seems that after fighting all day, the two The appetite of a corps commander is quite good.

Sun Zhenbang chewed a piece of braised beef in his mouth, and said somewhat vaguely: "Commander Yuan, according to your experience, how many little devils can you estimate that you can kill after fighting for a whole day? How many casualties are there?"

Yuan Jinghao was concentrating on dealing with a box of canned meat, and replied without raising his head: "The specific statistics are at Chief of Staff Jing's place. I estimate that more than [-] shells were dropped, not counting the bombing of the air force. What's the matter?" , can also kill [-] to [-] Kwantung Army!"

At this moment, the Chief of Staff of the Ximan Theater Command, Major General Jing Zhanqi, the commander of the First Brigade of the No. 20 Ninth Corps, opened the curtain of the tent and came in. As if I had been hungry for a few days, I couldn't help being happy, and greeted with a smile: "Both commanders, you have a good appetite! I'm getting hungry!"

Yuan Jinghao raised his head, "Well, Chief of Staff Jing, you came just in time. Just now Commander Sun asked about the results of today's battle, tell me!"

Jing Zhanqi took out a stack of papers from his folder and said, "The number of enemies wiped out by each brigade has been calculated by the staff office. Thanks to the aviation, the Kwantung Army killed and wounded about 380 soldiers, and our army suffered 940 casualties, of which [-] were killed and the rest were wounded!"

"Okay!" Sun Zhenbang stood up, jumped off the shell box, and shouted excitedly, "It was a good fight, with a casualty ratio of more than ten to one. By the way, Chief of Staff Jing, which brigade has the most casualties?"

Jing Zhanqi replied: "Deputy Chief of Staff Han Guangqi sent a telegram from the front to say that it is the Wang Qingshan Division of the First Brigade of the Outer Mongolian Field Corps, which is guarding the southern part of the Nuluerhu Mountains and the main passage. In one day of fierce fighting, the brigade suffered [-] casualties. More than three hundred people accounted for about one-third of all casualties in our army!"

"Wang Qingshan brigade!" Sun Zhenbang's face turned ugly, and he roared, "What did Wang Qingshan do? The main brigade of more than 6000 people guards the favorable terrain, builds fortifications in advance, and has powerful artillery. Intermittent fire support, the loss is still so great? I think Wang Qingshan, the brigade commander, is not going to do it!"

Sun Zhenbang was quite annoyed. Wang Qingshan's first brigade was the number one brigade of the Outer Mongolian Field Corps. The brigade commander Wang Qingshan was also a fierce general. The two regiments fought together. Yuan Jinghao's troops also had two brigades in the south The mountainous area is responsible for blocking missions, so why are there not many casualties?

Yuan Jinghao knew why Sun Zhenbang was angry, and he couldn't hold back his face, so he hurriedly persuaded him: "Commander Sun, after listening to Chief of Staff Jing, it's not too late to get angry again!"

Jing Zhanqi explained: "Commander Sun, it is normal for Wang Qingshan's brigade to suffer such casualties. The blocking position held by the brigade is the only main channel for the Kwantung Army in Ximan to break through to the south. More than 40 Kwantung troops are eager to open it. Passage, flee for your life, it is inevitable, dispatched two divisions, and continued to attack for a whole day, the battle was very fierce, more than any direction!"

"The number of annihilated enemies reported by the first brigade was more than 3000, which basically disabled a first-class division of the Kwantung Army. Commander Sun and Wang Qingshan's brigade wiped out the enemy with less than [-] casualties. There are more than [-] people, such a record is unique among all the troops and brigades participating in the war!"

Yuan Jinghao also said: "Commander Sun, Wang Qingshan is the number one under your command. With one brigade against two first-class divisions of the Kwantung Army, you can achieve such a record. If it is my brigade commander, it is too late to praise him!"

After thinking about it, Sun Zhenbang laughed happily, "Chief of Staff Jing, what is the biggest difficulty facing the blocking forces on the southern front?"

Jing Zhanqi replied: "According to the telegram of Deputy Chief of Staff Han, the consumption of various types of shells is too high, and I am afraid that they cannot last for two days of fighting. In addition, after a day of fighting, Deputy Chief of Staff Han observed that, The blocking line in the southern mountainous area is the key offensive direction of the Kwantung Army. Now there are only six brigades blocking the attack, which is a bit weak. He suggested that the theater command consider adding four more brigades to the blocking troops on the southern line to increase Thick blocking depth!"

Sun Zhenbang looked at Yuan Jinghao and asked for his opinion: "Commander Yuan, what's your opinion?"

Yuan Jinghao thought for a while, then shook his head and said: "No, the battlefield pattern has been formed now, and the transfer of four brigades will involve adjusting the overall deployment of the southern blockade line and dividing the blockage area. The Kwantung Army is now desperate. When the troops are adjusting their deployment, if they suddenly launch an attack, there is no guarantee that they will not be breached!"

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