Travel through the Qing Dynasty and become emperor

Chapter 552 Crazy Pyongyang

It can be judged that at least 4 heavy machine guns of the enemy were attacked at the same time. After everyone stopped for a while, someone shouted: "Disperse the formation, find a good cover, and fight back, otherwise we will only die!"

The commandos gritted their teeth, stood up, and raised their guns to fight back against the trees and boulders. Several grenades just exploded under the cars. After a series of intensive explosions, the powerful convoy immediately Dumb.

At this time, in front of the approaching Northeast Army, the atmosphere in Pyongyang became more and more tense.Just as the Northeast Army was concentrating its forces on the Northwest Line of Defense in Pyongyang, North Korea had decided to withdraw some of its administrative agencies and diplomatic missions to Seoul. Kim Yun-sik, a senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Korea, notified the diplomatic corps of various countries that he would temporarily organize North Korea in Seoul. daily work.In the middle of the night, North Korean Prime Minister Rhee Seung-man also lied that a special meeting was held under the order of King Gojong Lee Hee.The following instructions from Emperor Gaozong were conveyed: "In case of necessity, all those who defend Pyongyang with force must retreat, all food in the store is distributed to the people, and nothing is left, not a piece of bread is left for the Chinese .”

Then, they began to organize a difficult migration. They planned to move 20 large and medium-sized light and heavy industry factories southward from Pyongyang, 5 skilled workers, engineering technicians, and scientific researchers, as well as a large number of institutions, theaters, and museums. Once the plan is completed, the thousand-year-old city of Pyongyang will become a dead city.

From the moment the cannon fired outside the city, the Pyongyang Railway Station was already crowded with people, causing an unprecedented traffic jam.

At the same time, the Pyongyang defenders also received secret instructions from Syngman Rhee that once the Chinese break through Pyongyang City, they must blow up all factories, warehouses, institutions and electrical equipment in the city that cannot be moved, a total of 1119 targets.Even Emperor Gaozong's palace was planted with mines and explosives.

Layers of paper ashes fell from the windows of every North Korean government office, which were the ashes of documents burned by personnel in a hurry.

Meanwhile, in the prisons on the outskirts of the city, prisoners were being executed. At this time, no matter what degree of crime they committed, they were all sentenced to capital punishment.

In the face of the chaotic scene of the collapsed building, the foreigners in the city are already convinced that the fall of the North Korean capital is imminent, and with the fall of Pyongyang, the whole of North Korea will soon collapse.

Moreover, there were rumors everywhere among the residents that Chinese tanks might enter the city at any moment, and there were also rumors that Syngman Rhee had fled and that Emperor Gojong and the women in the palace had committed suicide.

Some lawbreakers began to take advantage of the fire.Stores, food trucks and even embassies have been looted.In residential areas where some residents have left, thieves, guided by certain money-grubbing administrators, began stealing openly.

Facing Pyongyang, which is close to being out of control, the new commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, Honjo Fan, ordered the Kwantung Army in the city to dispatch to restore order in the city with a strong iron fist, and forced Syngman Rhee to publicize to the people of Pyongyang through broadcasting that he still remained in the city. In the capital of North Korea.

On the morning of April 4, at the request of Fan Zhuang, Syngman Rhee convened a special meeting attended by the North Korean cabinet and senior officials of the Kwantung Army.At the beginning of the meeting, the solemn Honjo Shige made a series of decisions quickly: Pyongyang will immediately implement martial law, impose a curfew at night, and execute lawbreakers on the spot without trial.At the same time, he also re-adjusted Pyongyang's defense: all the front-line defense tasks in the area 26 kilometers west of Pyongyang were handed over to Okamura Neiji, and once the front line was broken through, the commander of the Pyongyang garrison area Akira Muto Take charge.

In order to prepare for this final battle, 25 workers, collective farm workers, employees, housewives, and the elderly, were urgently recruited from the city to build fortifications under the wind, rain, mud, and severe cold.In the city, it also began to step up the mobilization of four divisions, making the direct defense force of Pyongyang City reach more than 4.

By 10 o'clock in the morning of the same day, the scramble around the Datong River Ferry was still going on, and the Japanese army invested another elite preparatory reorganization division here.The unit has a variety of styles of play in combat, and its combat literacy is high, and its fighting will is relatively tenacious.

With the increase of the enemy's defensive force, when the third wave of the Northeast Army landed, they encountered great trouble. Cheng Mingyuan, the commander of this wave of landing, was preparing to drive his own rubber inflatable raft to cross the river. A mortar shell exploded not far from him, and the fragments mercilessly punctured his artery, and he died soon after.Affected by this situation, the third wave of crossing the river was forced to be postponed.

Although the Northeast Army temporarily stopped crossing the river, the people on the other side took the opportunity to attack.Their shells fell on the banks of the Datong River again and again.The target of these shells is obviously the crossing point on both sides of the river.Although the operation of crossing the river was temporarily suspended, the operation of building the bridge could not be interrupted.More and more pontoon bridge frames appear on the Datong River, and the bridgeheads that landed on the north bank have gradually grown.At first, the commandos only had rifles and machine guns shooting. With the arrival of some heavy weapons, the situation has been greatly improved, and the bridge-building engineers also began to jump out of the trenches.Once the artificial bridge is born, it means that the main force crossing the river has gained a firm foothold on the south bank, and all equipment, including tanks and howitzers, can be comfortably transported to the other bank.

Just after noon, new troops have continuously arrived at the ferry, including the 11th Pontoon Bridge Brigade directly under the Northeast Army Command, the engineering battalion of the 27th Division, and the mechanized chemical battalion of the 30th Division. to the battlefield.Their task is to protect the two wings of the troops crossing the river and try to attract the firepower from the opposite bank.On the other side, after unremitting efforts, the commandos of the third wave were finally transported to the opposite bank.This force is mainly composed of the 3rd and 29th regiments of the 3th Division.

With the increasing number of Northeast troops crossing the river, the resistance of the Japanese army on the south bank is gradually weakening, while the bridgehead established by the commandos on the south bank continues to grow. The second line of defense began to advance towards the forest area ahead.

At 1:20 p.m., the third wave of commandos repaired the fortifications and began to attack the Japanese army. The main target of their attack revolved around an inconspicuous small village nearby, where the Northeast Army and the Japanese army launched a series of battles. In just a few hours, the area has changed hands several times.

An officer of the Northeast Army participated in the battle. Afterwards, he wrote in his diary: "I feel that my legs seem to bear a heavy weight, and fatigue and hunger are also entangled with everyone around me. Comrades. Our target is a small village not far ahead. It is reported that the fourth and fifth waves of troops have already crossed the river. I believe they will soon be involved in the war as quickly as us. Passed After a while, we received an order to attack. The soldiers all jumped out of their trenches and crossed the tall bushes ahead. Many houses in front of us were still billowing with smoke. Before we came, the place had already been on fire. It took us about half an hour to take the entire village, and hundreds of people and North Koreans became our prisoners of war."

The fighting progressed decisively that evening, and the bridge-building work finally broke through.Engineers successfully completed the first pontoon bridge before nightfall. A minute later, the first military truck loaded with soldiers drove across the bridge, followed by the second, and the third, accompanied by a large number of reinforcements and infantry.

Now, the Northeast Army has finally broken through the Datong River, and the scale of victory has begun to tilt towards them.

Although the troops drove to the other side continuously, their progress was not very smooth.The resistance of the Japanese army will always come suddenly like a volcanic eruption.But in this case, the Northeast Army still took several crucial strongholds within an hour.After the Northeast Army broke through the first position, a group of remaining North Korean soldiers suddenly appeared near the artillery position. Fortunately, the Northeast Army responded in time. Withdrew from the battlefield.The current situation has become very favorable for the Northeast Army, and they have completely controlled the Datong River landing field.

From the time when the Northeast Army crossed the Taedong River to the present, in just one day, the fierce battle finally broke into the last major stronghold on the south bank, Suzaku Gate in Pyongyang, and there are Pyongyang North District Railway Station and the Kwantung Army Command .After the Japanese army lost almost half of their artillery, they finally couldn't stand it anymore. The remaining resistance forces began to retreat, and the Northeast Army rushed into Suzaku Gate like a tide.

The 27th Division of the Northeast Army, which was at the forefront, established the first foothold of Pyongyang City in an old residential area after launching a round of assault.Other assault teams infiltrated the North District Railway Station, and after an hour of intense shooting, they finally captured this important stronghold.Now the 27th Division can reach the first target Kwantung Army headquarters in only 10 minutes!
With all hope of rescue shattered and ammunition supplies exhausted, Kwantung Army Commander Shigeru Honjo, Chief of Staff Miyake Mitsuji and a group of senior officers had to leave the headquarters in grief and retreat to the south. The resistance of the northern fortress in Pyongyang is on its way. period.

At [-] o'clock in the evening, the officers stationed at the Kwantung Army Headquarters sent a desperate telegram to Ben Zhuangfan: "Our supplies have been exhausted to the last magazine, and the question now is whether to be captured or try to fight desperately to escape. Encirclement. Therefore, we will command those who are still able to fight to launch an assault. But it seems too late at this moment. Nevertheless, the remaining troops are carefully making preparations before breaking out. In order to travel lightly and avoid resources Enemy, all heavy weapons that have run out of ammunition have been destroyed. Hope to meet you again, otherwise we will fight to the last drop of blood."

(End of this chapter)