Age of Rebirth

As the sun sets, thousands of rays of light shine on the sea surface of Liaodong Bay. From a distance, it is shimmering like dancing golden snakes. If there is no war, it is definitely a beautiful scene. Similarly, the surrounding area of ​​the Liaoxi battlefield The soldiers of the Kwantung Army were not in the mood to appreciate the evening scene in the setting sun on a foreign land, because they were a group of lonely ghosts abandoned by the Great Japanese Empire.

The breath of despair still pervades the hearts of the soldiers of the Kwantung Army, not just a few individuals, but the entire Kwantung Army troops. However, the increasingly thick twilight gave them a sense of security. Under the night, they can temporarily not see The surrounding black muzzles and the soldiers of the Independent Division were full of murderous eyes. Moreover, for so many days, the troops of the Independent Division had never launched an attack at night, and the tortured soldiers of the Kwantung Army could get a respite.

When the night completely enveloped the land of western Liaoning and everything was immersed in darkness, the rising tide of Liaodong Bay washed the delicate beach as always, and groups of soldiers of the Kwantung Army gathered what they could find, everything that could satisfy their hunger. Stuffing things into his stomach, and then lying listlessly on the bare ground, staring blankly, not knowing what kind of fate awaits him tomorrow?

Suddenly, bursts of thunder-like loud noises suddenly rolled in the night. In the sight of the soldiers of the Kwantung Army, an incomparably gorgeous meteor shower appeared, almost covering the sky above their heads. For the Kwantung Army soldiers hit by artillery fire, these gorgeous meteor showers are undoubtedly fatally beautiful. The screaming sound filled the night sky, followed by shells with elegant arcs.To the ground.

"Boom! Boom!...Boom!" Numerous groups of flames flashed, and the sound of huge explosions, with air waves, rolled and spread in the night sky.Independent Division Liaoxi theater troops.The final general attack on the Kwantung Army troops in the encirclement has begun!

Everything came so suddenly.Even the soldiers of the Kwantung Army who have experienced the powerful artillery of the Independent Division for so many days are terrified by the intensive artillery fire.The temporary field fortifications turned into piles of ruins in an instant under the huge explosion power of the rows of shells. The mud and fine sand, mixed with the remaining limbs and arms of the soldiers of the Kwantung Army, burst into the entire battlefield.It's like boiling a pot.

On the high ground where the First Brigade Headquarters of the Niangziguan Garrison Corps was located, Feng Jiwu and Han Tie did not return to the theater headquarters in Dongguo Town, watching the battlefield full of shells in the dim night.Feng Jiwu smiled and said to Han Tie: "Commander Han, your style of attack is definitely beyond the expectations of the commanders of the Kwantung Army. You peeled off layer by layer, advanced steadily, and finally concentrated to encircle and suppress!"

Han Tie shook his head and said, "Commander Feng, this is how we fight. Speaking of which, if the division commander hadn't ordered to capture as many Kwantung Army soldiers as possible, this battle would not have been so troublesome. The intensive shelling lasted for several hours. , on the battlefield, I'm afraid we won't see any living little devils!"

The flames of the shells exploding on the battlefield almost formed a sea of ​​flames, drowning all life in the darkness. Seeing everything in front of him, it seemed that Feng Jiwu recalled, "This is the Kwantung Army. Back then, we were still bloody soldiers." When I was in the regiment, when I fought against the Kwantung Army, I would fight and run away, afraid of being surrounded by the Kwantung Army. The Kwantung Army at that time was so arrogant and eager!"

"Today, we have surrounded more than 50 Kwantung Army soldiers in the western Liaoning battlefield. At that time, how dare we think of it now? It's like a dream. Commander Han, do you still remember the last battle before we entered the customs!"

Feng Jiwu's tone was full of emotion and vicissitudes. It seemed that the years of fighting in the Northeast with gold and iron horses were vividly flowing in front of his eyes. White mountains and black waters, wild virgin forests, and battlefields full of gunfire.

Han Tie smiled, narrowed his eyes, and said: "Why don't you remember, after the troops started to move to the west of Liaoning, they fought while walking, and then chased more than 30 Kwantung Army troops all day long, which meant to eat us up in one bite. , It was the division commander's ingenious plan to kill a carbine in Jinzhou, and then enter the pass in style. It is a coincidence that the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army at that time was Nanjiro, and he is still this old devil now.

On the battlefield full of artillery fire, the two top commanders of the Liaoxi Theater Command talked about the past with great interest. They had to say that they were a bit out of tune with the battlefield in front of them, but no one thought it was strange, except for the staff officer of the Niangziguan Garrison Corps. Except for the chief Zhang Hansheng, most of the young staff officers who followed them joined the team after the Bloody Hand Regiment entered the pass and was reorganized into the North China Independent Division.

I am very interested in the history of the predecessor of the Independent Division, the Bloody Hands, which galloped across the white mountains and black waters of the Northeast. Usually, apart from hearing a few words, this is the first time I heard two veteran commanders talk about it in person. In the past, a staff officer wearing glasses couldn't help asking: "The two commanders, the Bloody Hands, the predecessor of our independent division, fought those big battles in the Northeast?"

Feng Jiwu looked at the young staff officer, and scolded with a smile: "Hey, I'm pretty good at seeing stitches. I want to hear stories, but there is no way! After the Kwantung Army in the encirclement is solved, let's see how I feel!"

The staff officers burst into laughter. On the battlefield where thousands of guns were fired, the two generals talked and laughed happily. They didn't take the battle of annihilating more than 50 Kwantung Army before them as important. These young staff officers couldn't help thinking about it.

In order to maximize the morale of the Kwantung Army soldiers and end the battle as soon as possible, Feng Jiwu and Han Tie used all the artillery of the two regiments. According to the different calibers of the artillery, they adopted a method of echelon configuration, thousands of Cannons of various calibers, and the flames sprayed from the muzzles, almost made half of the sky red. The artillery group shelled the Kwantung Army soldiers in the encirclement from three directions, and the artillery fire was fierce and intensive.

At this time, Zhang Hansheng, Chief of Staff of the Liaoxi Theater, came over and said, "Report to the two commanders that the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh brigades of the Marine Corps of the Eastern Attack Group are advancing very smoothly. Part of the Kwantung Army troops were split from the whole and annihilated!"

"No!" Feng Jiwu said without hesitation, "Don't change the established tactics and style of play easily. Chief of Staff, you give all troops an order from the theater command. Follow the campaign plan, don't advance rashly, and don't cause unnecessary casualties to the troops because of the commander's eagerness to fight, and tell them that we are fighting a war of annihilation, but it is not about how many Kwantung Army soldiers we will kill!"

Han Tie went on to say: "In the order, add a point that all brigades of the participating troops must always pay attention to coordinate with friendly and neighboring troops, grasp the rhythm of the attack, and never stand out alone!"

The artillery fire ignited the night sky of the western Liaoning battlefield. After the bombardment by the artillery fire, nearly a million soldiers of the Independent Division, under the cover of tanks, occupied the outer positions of the Kwantung Army without any haste. The three directions, like three walls, were pushed up horizontally, continuously compressing the Kwantung Army troops in the encirclement, and the encirclement gradually narrowed down.

This style of play was also discovered by the soldiers of the Kwantung Army. After the initial chaos passed, they found that, except for the outer positions, which were constantly being bombarded, the closer they went to the inside, the safer they were, so they woke up after being bombarded The soldiers of the Kwantung Army retreated instinctively to the inside of the encirclement.

As for organizing resistance, it is almost impossible for the current Kwantung Army troops. The long-term siege, mental and physical exhaustion, and no hope of breaking through. I have witnessed the disillusionment of the last hope, facing a desperate situation, boundless fear and loss, The Bushido spirit of the Great Japanese Empire has long been obliterated, and the fierceness in the soldiers of the Kwantung Army has been destroyed. The soldiers have no fighting spirit, and the generals have no fighting spirit. The reputation and glory of the "Flower of the Imperial Army" have long since disappeared.

The sound of rumbling artillery rang almost all night. By dawn, hundreds of thousands of Kwantung Army soldiers on the battlefield in western Liaoning had been compressed into the vast Liaodong Bay on one side, and independent division troops on three sides. within a narrow range of square kilometers.

The offensive effect of the troops in the Liaoxi Theater of the Independent Division is by no means brilliant from the perspective of warfare. The resistance of the soldiers of the Kwantung Army was unexpectedly weak. In the area after the bombardment, after the infantry and tanks rushed up, the Kwantung Army was rarely found The corpses of the soldiers, according to common sense, such a violent and intensive shelling, the Kwantung Army's positions should be littered with corpses, stumps and broken arms can be seen everywhere.

However, the attacking infantry were disappointed. There were almost no scenes where the little devil suffered heavy losses. Almost all the brigades participating in the attack reported the situation to the theater headquarters. In a fit of anger, there was a big fight, thousands of guns were fired, tanks roared, and they fought overwhelmingly all night, but the effect is now, it's not fun!

But Feng Jiwu and Han Tie didn't see it that way, "Commander Han, is it almost time? If we fight again, it will be the master's prisoner!" Feng Jiwu, who hadn't closed his eyes all night, rolled his bloodshot eyes, half-jokingly. It seems to ask Han Railway.

Han Tie, who also hadn't slept all night, but was full of energy, nodded and said: "It's almost the same. The situation reported by the brigades just shows that the current soldiers of the Kwantung Army have been beaten by us. The fighting spirit and fighting will have been strengthened, and the attack has achieved the expected goal!"

Han Tie turned around and said to Zhang Hansheng: "Chief of Staff, order the troops to stop attacking and adopt a siege posture. The battlefield rests for two hours, and then send out the captured prisoners. By the way, we must choose a few high-ranking ones, preferably Those above the rank of major general should go to the highest commander of the Kwantung Army to persuade them to surrender!"

Feng Jiwu heaved a sigh of relief, and shouted to the guards: "Tell the cooking team to get some breakfast for Commander Han and me!"

(To be continued)