Age of Rebirth

Feng Jiwu's offensive intention was spotted by Admiral Morita, Commander of the Northwest Defense Zone Headquarters of Honshu Island, Japan. He concentrated his forces and broke through the second line of defense in order to expand the landing field. But there is a reality, the defensive force surpasses any of his own lines of defense, invisibly, forming a situation of concentrating the force and fighting more with less.

If you mobilize your own troops, carry out a large-scale counterattack, and block the breakthrough, you must deploy troops from the rear defense line. Chief of Staff Takashima's worry is not unreasonable. Although the second defense line is still in fierce battle, the final result Unpredictable.

"Takashima-kun, Suzuki-kun, let's not argue!" Lieutenant General Morita said after careful consideration, "I have decided to abandon the second line of defense and concentrate our forces on the third line of defense, but the counterattack must still be carried out! "

"Ah?" Chief of Staff Takashima, Major General Suzuki, and a group of senior staff were all confused by Lieutenant General Morita's words. They had to give up the second line of defense and counterattack. How to fight this battle?

"Don't get me wrong!" Morita said with confidence: "The third line of defense is defended by more than [-] Italian soldiers. With the performance of the Italians on the North American continent, we are not at ease. The third line of defense is for the Italians!"

"So, in the name of the commander of the defense zone headquarters, I will order Orozzo, the commander of the Italian Asia Expeditionary Force, to launch a full-line counterattack against the Chinese Independent Division troops, while the imperial troops on the second line of defense will immediately retreat. To the third line of defense!"

All the senior Japanese military officers were amazed.The commander's move was too extreme, letting the Italians block the attack of the China Independent Division troops.The imperial army took the opportunity to retreat, killing two birds with one stone.High is high!

However, Chief of Staff Takashima was still a little worried, and said: "Your Excellency, Commander, your decision is very wise, but what I am worried about is whether the Italians will accept the order from the headquarters in this battlefield situation?"

"They dare not accept the order!" Lieutenant General Morita said in a sinister tone: "The empire has entertained the Italians for several months with the best treatment. It is their turn to show sincerity, Mr. Takashima, on your behalf I set off immediately to find Orozzo to convey the orders of the headquarters and supervise their execution, remember not to truthfully explain the battle situation on the second line of defense to the Italians, you know how to say it specifically!"

"Please rest assured, Commander! I will live up to my mission!" Chief of Staff Takashima immediately beamed with joy.How could he not know Lieutenant General Morita's plan, threat and intimidation, deception and flicker, just get the Italians to the front line.It doesn't matter what method you use!

Major General Takashima took the lead, and Zhong Admiral Morita began to deploy, "Everyone rushed to each unit immediately. Arranged the withdrawal of the second line of defense on behalf of the headquarters. In addition, the headquarters of the defense area immediately evacuated Yamaguchi Castle and transferred to Okayama Castle!" "

Lieutenant General Morita decided.Concentrate the troops on the second and third lines of defense, build a strong barrier on the third line of defense, rely on a sound defense system, block the offensive momentum of the independent division troops, and never retreat an inch. His IQ is no worse than Lieutenant General Bai Chuan, of course I know that the China Independent Division, which is storming the second line of defense, will definitely have follow-up troops arriving. The battle that is being fought is just the beginning of the homeland defense war.

Lieutenant General Morita believes that it is correct not to counterattack on the second line of defense. In case the counterattack is not smooth, the attacking enemy cannot be repelled, and the breakthrough will be blocked, and the battle will become stalemate. The indeterminate counterattack troops are all stuck on the battlefield, leaving the follow-up defense line empty. At that time, the consequences will be disastrous!

In the early hours of the morning, on the battlefield in the northwest of Honshu Island, the attack of the Niangziguan Garrison Corps continued, but the brigade commanders who commanded the troops on the front line were keenly aware that the resistance of the Japanese army was getting weaker and weaker. We are retreating!" The dozen or so brigade commanders who had experienced hundreds of battles immediately came to surprisingly similar judgments.

"The frontline brigade commanders reported that the Japanese troops on the second line of defense are actively retreating?" Feng Jiwu asked the chief of the combat department of the Corps in surprise, "Is the situation true?"

The director of the Operations Department replied affirmatively: "Commander, the situation is true. The Operations Department specifically asked the commanders of the troops who were expanding the breakthroughs on the left and right wings. This has been confirmed. In addition, the Japanese troops who were counterattacking head-on were repelled. After that, no new attacks were launched!"

Feng Jiwu was silent, and the director of the Operations Department warmly suggested: "Commander, the Japanese army retreated across the board. It is a good time for us to attack. If we chase after the tail, maybe we can break through the Japanese army's third line of defense in one fell swoop? "

"It's a beautiful thing! The Japanese army's voluntary withdrawal must be to rely on the third line of defense to stick to it. It's a hard bone!" Feng Jiwu glared at the chief of the combat department, and said: "Order all brigades to continue to expand the results of the battle. Block the retreating Japanese army, fully occupy the second line of defense of the Japanese army, and consolidate the occupied area, order the ninth brigade, the tenth brigade, the No.11 brigade and the seventh tank brigade to go forward, besiege Yamaguchi Castle, and take Come down!"

The sound of the rumbling artillery is getting closer and closer. Even in the Yamaguchi Castle, you can still see the flashing flames of the shell explosion under the faint morning light. With infinite loss and melancholy, Morita led the defense area headquarters staff , When the tanks of the Independent Division approached the west of Yamaguchi Castle, they left in a hurry from the east, followed by the Yamaguchi Castle garrison, more than [-] officers and soldiers of the [-]th Division.

At 26 o'clock in the morning on May [-], after a day and night of fighting, the vanguard of the left-wing offensive group of the Independent Division, under the command of Feng Jiwu, broke through the two defense lines of the Japanese army in the northwest of Honshu Island and occupied them, annihilating the enemy More than [-] people took Yamaguchi Castle.

At the dawn of dawn, Feng Jiwu took an armored command vehicle, led the members of the Corps, and drove through the battlefield full of bomb craters and fragmented corpses of Japanese soldiers in the face of the gunpowder smoke, and entered Yamaguchi Castle. At this time, Yamaguchi Castle had been destroyed. The Ninth Brigade and Tenth Brigade took over, and the armored command vehicle was driving on the deathly quiet city streets. From time to time, only the soldiers of the Independent Division were still covered in dust.

The armored command vehicle was parked in front of a building, which used to be the headquarters of the defense zone in the northwestern part of Honshu Island, Japan. Now it has become the temporary headquarters of the left-wing attack group. Feng Jiwu jumped out of the vehicle and took a breath of the city air that he was not used to. , I saw two major generals running out of the building. It was Ma Weiran, commander of the Ninth Brigade, and He Changwu, commander of the Tenth Brigade. Two troops had just occupied the mountain pass.

Ma Weiran and He Changwu ran to Feng Jiwu, stood at attention and saluted, "Report to the commander, Ma Weiran, the commander of the [-]th Brigade, and He Changwu, the commander of the [-]th Brigade, have come to report. Our army has fully occupied the mountain pass. Please give instructions to the commander!"

"Is this the headquarters you two chose for me?" Feng Jiwu pointed at the building and said, "Is the location good? It's just that Feng Shui is not good, and the place where the little devil used it is bad luck!"

Ma Weiran, the brigade commander of the Ninth Brigade, replied cheerfully: "Commander, who are you? You are full of murderous intent and invulnerable to all evil, and you can keep this building in check!"

"Okay, stop flattering!" Feng Jiwu scolded with a smile: "After the troops entered the urban area of ​​Yamaguchi, did the local Japanese residents resist?"

Ma Weiran and He Changwu exchanged glances, and it was Ma Weiran who replied: "Commander, this is what is strange to Brigadier He and I. After the troops entered the city of Shankou, they did not encounter any resistance. These little devils and civilians stayed behind closed doors. Come out, there is a kind of evil energy, people can't figure it out, and they have no idea!"

"Don't care about him!" Feng Jiwu waved his hand and said, "Ma Weiran, I appointed you as the temporary security commander of Yamaguchi City. The Ninth Brigade will be changed into a temporary security force to take over the security of Yamaguchi. You are no stranger to taking over the city. It’s still the old rules, if you encounter resistance and attacks from local residents, shoot them to death, remember the commander’s order, don’t be soft-hearted, don’t be afraid of cruel methods, and turn the mountain pass into a stable rear for our left-wing attack group in the shortest possible time!”

"You go to work, just let He Changwu accompany me into the headquarters!" Feng Jiwu said to Ma Weiran, and then walked into the building first, and said to He Changwu as he walked: "Have you cleaned it? As a result, in my headquarters, the corpses of little devils can be seen everywhere!"

He Changwu laughed, and replied: "Commander, the little devil evacuated on his own initiative. When we entered the mountain pass, there was no battle at all. Where did the little devil's body come from?"

On the battlefield in the northern part of Kyushu Island, a night of fierce fighting, the first dawn of dawn, the sound of guns and guns on the battlefield subsided, and the smoke gradually dissipated in the morning wind. It ended in failure, with nearly 10 counterattack troops, less than 3 were finally withdrawn, and nearly [-] Japanese soldiers fell under the three-dimensional firepower of the independent division, sea, land and air.

Major General Zhang Hansheng, Chief of Staff of the Niangziguan Garrison Corps, put down the binoculars in his hand, shook his head and said, "It's not fun! Why did you retreat? Call the commander, I have occupied the northern part of Kyushu Island, and I have repelled the Japanese counterattack." , successfully gained a foothold!"

At 45 o'clock in the morning, Lieutenant General Ma Chaoyang, deputy commander of the left-wing offensive group of the Independent Division and commander of the Southeast Mobile Corps, set foot on the beach with traces of the battlefield left. The second echelon, with more than [-] troops, arrived on time at the battlefield in the northwest of Honshu Island .

Five brigades of more than 16 people from the second echelon of the Southeast Mobile Corps landed on the beach near Maguan in the northern part of Kyushu Island and joined the troops commanded by Zhang Hansheng, Chief of Staff of the Niangziguan Garrison Corps. The strength of the troops has reached about [-] troops in ten brigades.

Ma Chaoyang looked at the battlefield after the fierce battle, with a look of regret flashing in his eyes, and said to the chief of staff, Major General Xu Guangqi: "Chief of staff, call Commander Feng, the second echelon has already landed, should I lead the members of the second echelon headquarters, join you?"

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