Republic of China game

Page 245

Inside the building on Yuling Mountain, the forward headquarters of the Tenth Division of the Japanese Army is located here.Shigeru Honjo witnessed the entire shelling with a binoculars.Although the Kuomintang army position on the opposite side seems to have been submerged by rows of fireballs rising one after another, it seems that it has become a hell on earth... There should be no life left to survive.

However, Shigeru Honjo, who has done a lot of research on positional warfare in World War I, understands that a mere three thousand rounds of 75mm caliber shells is basically scratching an itch for a trench that was truly built according to the European standard for positional warfare. .And the National Revolutionary Army currently stationed on the opposite high ground was precisely taught by the German guy who started the First World War!And they should have been stationed there for nine days. I really don't know what the position will be like?It seems that only rely on the heroic spirit of the imperial army...

"Bage!" Benzhuang Fan put down the binoculars in his hand, and cursed heavily, but he didn't know who he was scolding?Is it not worth the loss that this war has almost caused Japan to collapse its front teeth?

Flares rose into the air one after another, illuminating the night sky, the earth, the Kuomintang line of defense, and the Japanese infantry attacking.Thousands of Japanese soldiers formed waves of khaki skirmishers, led by junior officers holding sabers, shouting the slogan "on board! on board!", walking at a brisk pace. Approaching the forward position of the Kuomintang army.

The promenade line of the Japanese attack has not advanced a few steps, and suddenly there are clusters of smoke columns. This is the artillery battalion of the No. 30 Fifth Brigade of the National Revolutionary Army and the artillery companies of the 70 and 71 regiments. The Type 75 [-]mm mountain artillery fired back.This kind of "Extremely Easy Artillery" designed by the Japanese is not difficult to produce and operate, so it has been imitated in large numbers in South China, and it has become an "anti-Japanese weapon"!

The bombardment of the Kuomintang army was very violent and accurate, and the Japanese army's not-so-dense assault line was blown out of large and small gaps in an instant.For a while, the screams of wounded Japanese soldiers one after another, the shouts of Japanese soldiers who were still charging, and the thunderous roar of shell explosions all mixed together, as if playing a symphony from hell.However, the Japanese army's charge did not slow down because of this. Instead, they sped up their pace, as if they wanted to rush through this death zone...

"Attention! Attention! Prepare to fight!"

At the forward position of the Kuomintang defenders in Lianhuashan, all the voices of the subordinate officers were the passwords.Hundreds of officers and soldiers wearing German-style infantry helmets and holding various weapons poured out from the artillery holes in every corner of the trench, and rushed to their respective combat positions along the traffic trench.These pale-faced and somewhat nervous young people belonged to the 71st Battalion of the [-]st Regiment of the National Revolutionary Army, and their battalion commander was Major Xie Jinyuan, who was not a few years older than them!Er, also a historical figure.In this time and space, he is still a graduate of Whampoa's fourth class, and now he has become a major battalion commander, which is much better than the official luck in history.

blah blah blah...

More than a dozen heavy machine guns of the Japanese army have already moved up and set up on both sides of the Japanese assault infantry. A string of bullets shining dark red light flew towards the Kuomintang army's position very quickly.For a while, clusters of smoke columns rose in front of the trench, and from time to time there were screams from wounded soldiers who were shot by bullets.However, the Japanese machine gun didn't take long to be proud, and it probably just knocked out a feeder.The 80mm, 60mm mortars and 70mm infantry guns assigned to the battalion and company level, as well as the 50mm grenade launchers deployed at the platoon level, fired back one after another... Soon, the fireballs continued to hit the Japanese assault infantry. As the sun rose, the Japanese machine guns misfired one after another.At the same time, the machine guns on the Kuomintang army's position began to fire, bursts of flames swept across, and the charging Japanese soldiers were knocked down row by row like cutting wheat.The rest of the Japanese army did not rush forward regardless of life and death, but each found a terrain to lie down.Slowly crawling forward, when they approached the front of the Kuomintang army's position, the rifles of the two sides also began to shoot at each other.

Such scenes were repeatedly staged throughout the entire Jinan East Front Line of Defense.The three divisions of the Japanese army's westward march were deployed in sequence from north to south, and at the same time launched a full-line fierce attack on the entire defense line held by the Kuomintang army.However, in the face of the strong positions and powerful firepower of the Fifth Division and the No.18 Division of the National Revolutionary Army, the Japanese offensive quickly reached a stalemate, which had no meaning other than increasing casualties.The best result is that the fierce attack only advanced a few hundred meters in one night, and did not even capture a position held by the Kuomintang army.

……

Jinan city.Early morning of April [-]th.

The sound of guns and guns rang out sporadically, never stopping.Throughout the night yesterday, there was fierce fighting across the board in Jinan City.The three divisions trapped here launched eight rounds of onslaught against the eastern section of Jinan Outer City, each round involving at least one brigade of infantry.A night of hard fighting, except for dropping thousands of corpses in front of the impregnable defense line of the Kuomintang army, also seemed to have no meaning.

"Your Excellency, the Second Division lost 11 people last night, and more than 200 people were seriously injured. The Fifth Division lost 420 people and seriously injured [-] people. The Sixth Division..."

Muto Nobuyoshi, Maki Tatsuyuki, Akai Haruhi, and Fukuda Hikosuke, who hadn't closed their eyes for days or nights, all had bloodshot eyes, and they were sitting weakly in the headquarters of Wanzhutang, listening to the staff officers report yesterday. A night of loss.

"Where are the three divisions in the east? Where did they go?" Nobuyoshi Muto asked calmly.

"There is no progress. The defense of the Chinese army is also tight, and it seems to be indestructible..." The voice of the staff officer trembled slightly, and tears glistened in his eyes.Uh, it's not that I'm afraid of death, but I have a premonition of the end of the defeat.

"Oh." Nobuyoshi Muto nodded lightly, and said with a wry smile, "Is there any news about the peace talks?"

"Not yet..." The staff officer shook his head.

Nobuyoshi Muto took a deep breath, waved his hand, and motioned the staff to back down.I saw that there were only three lieutenant general division heads and himself left in the room.Muto smiled bitterly: "It seems that the Chinese army is much more powerful than we imagined, and if we want to get out of this battle... we can only rely on our own efforts."

"Your Excellency, General, why don't we continue to hold on until the First Division, No.16 Division and the Westward Army join forces, then five divisions will come to rescue us."

It was Akai Haruhi, the head of the second division who spoke. He blinked tiredly and glanced at Muto: "Your Excellency, the staff headquarters... hope we can stick to it and wait for help."

Nobuyoshi Muto sneered twice: "If we stand firm and wait for help, then the sacrifices of the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Divisions will be worthless! Do you think the Chinese are just trying to stop them?"

Chapter 0440 of the battle to fight aid (two)

"Your Excellency, General..." Akai Haruhi slowly lowered his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the military map spread out on the table, as if he wanted to find some turning point.

Nobuyoshi Muto half-closed his eyes, leaned lazily on a large mahogany Taishi chair, and sighed softly: "The Kuomintang army outside the city has at least five divisions, probably six, and the artillery and aircraft are all Absolute advantage. Last night we attacked their position in the eastern section of the outer city. We can roughly judge that there is a brigade deployed there. The four infantry divisions should be on the line from Lianhua Mountain to the Xiaoqing River, which is [-] kilometers to the east. Do you think...the eighth, ninth, and tenth divisions are their opponents?"

There was a dead silence in the room.The three commanders of the lieutenant generals couldn't help but gasp, and there was a trace of panic in the six red eyes.

Are the three Japanese army divisions the opponents of the four Kuomintang reorganized divisions?If this question had been raised half a month ago, everyone would have felt absurd, but now the answer seems to be beyond doubt - no!The three Japanese Army divisions were no match for the four Kuomintang reorganized divisions with air superiority.Therefore, this so-called "relief" operation, no matter how you look at it, looks like a self-inflicted trap.

If the three divisions that came to rescue the siege on the eastern front were defeated by the Kuomintang army, how should Japan deal with this unprecedented situation?Accept the "harsh conditions" proposed by China in exchange for the lives of [-] Japanese soldiers in Jinan?Or continue to send reinforcements to do this kind of loss-making business of meat buns beating dogs?Or simply order the second, fifth, and sixth divisions to launch a vigorous suicide attack on the six winning Chinese divisions, and knock them all down!

After walking for a while, I heard Nobuyoshi Muto mutter twice, and then slowly said: "Masters, we actually still have a chance in this battle. That is...to take advantage of the main force of the Chinese Nationalist Army to destroy the Eighth Army of the Imperial Army." , Ninth, and Tenth Divisions, go all out to break through to the north!"

Speaking of this, Nobuyoshi Muto suddenly stood up, feeling sluggish and tired, and disappeared for a while, his eyes suddenly radiated a fierce light!

"The focus of the defense of the Chinese Kuomintang army besieging us must be the east! The north must be empty. We will use all [-] elites in our hands to launch a decisive assault, kill a bloody road, and then cross the Yellow River north...then retreat along Jinpu Road Go to Tianjin and join forces with the Fourth Division. Then we will have the strength of four divisions in Zhili. After the replenishment is completed, we will either go north to Manchuria or west to Beijing, so that the initiative in the war will return to the In the hands of the empire!"

"Your Excellency! Then... will the Chinese Kuomintang Army also..." Mu Dazhi took a deep breath and asked with a bit of worry in his tone.

"Hehe... then we will defeat them in Zhili or Manchuria!" Nobuyoshi Muto sneered twice, glanced at the three division heads with puzzled faces, and said with a smile:

"The coastline of the southern branch is long, but there is no defense by the sea. It depends on their powerful army to guard the coastline. Therefore, the farther the front lines of the two sides are to the north, the more coastline the Chinese Kuomintang army has to defend. Right now they are at most in Shandong. Six reorganized divisions... This should be the upper line they can use. If we hand over Shandong to the Kuomintang, they will have to use at least three divisions to defend it. Then there will be only three divisions at most fighting us in Zhili If we choose Manchuria as the battlefield...the Kuomintang army may not have a single soldier! This time the empire has fallen into the trap of the British and American powers. Favorable Shandong, those civil servants in Tokyo are so stupid! They clearly don’t understand war and still want to command blindly.”

"But... what about the eighth, ninth, and tenth divisions? Once we leave, they will face six Kuomintang divisions. Will the whole army be wiped out?"

The person who asked the question was Lieutenant General Akai Harumi, the head of the Second Division. Seeing his worried face, he seemed to be really worried about the friendly forces.There is really no way for the Kuomintang to compare with this. When the Second Red Army was fighting hard in the plains, those Kuomintang were desperate to save them...

Nobuyoshi Muto shook his head slightly, and said with a wry smile: "I have already figured this out. It is impossible for them to run back to Qingdao. But they can retreat to the northeast, to the seaside of Guangrao County. The navy can send a fleet to the Bohai Sea There is no port there, but you can still use a small boat to pick them up on the warship... As for the heavy weapons and luggage, it is estimated that there will be no more by then."

……

For the next few days, everything seemed to be looking good for the KMT.

First of all, the 15-year loan of US$[-] million, which has been delayed for a long time, was finally approved by the US Congress.In the eyes of those members of Congress, a Chinese national government that defeated Japan would definitely be able to repay the loan in the future.Moreover, Japan, which is defeated by China, will definitely be seriously injured and unable to threaten the interests of the United States, so this loan is definitely a symbol of the interests of the United States.At the same time, Morgan Bank also agreed to help the national government sell up to [-] million US dollars of [-]-year bonds.

Secondly, the situation on the battlefield in Shandong is also very good.The eighth, ninth, and tenth divisions of the Japanese army stormed the blocking defense lines of the fifth and No. 18 divisions of the Kuomintang army for several days, and they were bruised and swollen.And the [-] Japanese troops in Jinan City didn't seem to be as desperate as they had imagined. On the contrary, they seemed to have completely resigned to their fate, and even avoided routine battles.The entire city of Jinan has been quiet for days, and it looks like a big victory is just around the corner!

Inside the former enemy headquarters of the Shandong Front Army located on Qianfo Mountain in the south of Jinan City, today is also full of joy.Several high-ranking officers of the front army were sitting in a staggered pattern, and the room was filled with the fragrance of top-quality green tea, and a few strands of spring light fell from the open windows of the meditation room, making it extraordinarily bright.Bai Chongxi changed into a loose "training uniform" without a hat, and sat in the upper seat leisurely, with a confident smile on his face.

"In the past few days, Japan's so-called elite troops have been smashed in front of our impenetrable defense line. Yesterday's offensive has shown signs of failure. I think it's about time for us to fight back, otherwise we may be afraid Japan felt the smell and ran away!"

It was Li Zongren who spoke, and the city of Jinan has been quiet and peaceful these days.The blocking positions on the eastern front that he defended were indeed fighting for days. The Japanese troops of the three divisions even tried their best to organize seven or eight rounds of offensives every night, but they were all in vain.

Li Zongren is naturally indescribably proud at the moment, and while talking, he looked at the expressionless An Sihua with a smile: "Brother Sihua, we will see your armored troops perform next, and we are all looking forward to it." Another Zhalainuoer victory!"

"Brother Delin, don't worry, this battle will be a victory that will go down in history!" An Sihua straightened his back, smiled coldly, and said with indescribable arrogance: "Although the Japanese army is tenacious and brave, they are made of iron and steel." In front of the war machine, their samurai spirit is completely vulnerable!"

"Okay!" Bai Chongxi was overjoyed when he heard the words, stood up and clapped his hands: "Then let's not delay any longer, lest we have long nights and dreams. The counterattack will start at three o'clock tomorrow morning. With the armored corps as the vanguard, we will break through from the left flank of the Japanese front. The first 18. The No.[-] Division then launched a full-line counterattack from the front, and the Fourth Division left Yimeng Mountain and marched northward to Linzi, cutting off the Japanese army’s retreat. We must destroy the main force of the Japanese army in the shortest possible time and win the final victory for the party and the country in this war!”

"We want to prove with practical actions that China will always be the hegemon on the East Asian continent!"

……

The Kuomintang army in this time and space has learned to fight from the Germans for several years. It is hard to say whether they have learned the real skills, but the way of behavior is somewhat similar.For example, the counterattack this time was not the masterpiece of a genius military strategist, but a comprehensive plan that had been drawn up long ago.All the possibilities and unexpected factors are taken into consideration, and then everything is OK after step-by-step execution.Oh, the Shandong Front Army also imitated the Germans and named this plan, called the Guderian Plan!Because this plan was formulated under the leadership of Guderian... Moreover, the name sounds arrogant.

According to the "Guderian Plan", the Armored Teaching Brigade and the No.19 Division will form an armored group, which will be commanded by An Sihua and Guderian.The armored group will enter the Xiaoxinzhuang and Daxinzhuang lines on the north side of the Japanese front on the night of April 25, and spread out along the Xiaoqing River.The attack would begin at five o'clock the next morning.Under the cover of heavy artillery and aircraft, the armored group will forcibly cross the Xiaoqing River, which is not wide, break through the Japanese security positions, insert from the side and rear of the Japanese Eighth Division, and then quickly advance from north to south, sweeping across the preparations behind the future front. Troops, supplies, artillery and headquarters completely smashed the rear assembly area of ​​the three divisions of the Japanese army.

At the same time when the armored group launched an assault, the Fifth Division and the No.18 Division deployed on the front of the Japanese army would also launch a full-line counterattack as planned.According to the Japanese army's action rules for the past six days, five o'clock in the morning should be the end of the Japanese army's night attack.The Fifth Division and the No.18 Division will take advantage of the opportunity when the Japanese offensive troops, especially the artillery, move to a safe area to hide, catch them by surprise, and at the same time contain the frontal forces of the Japanese army to prevent them from quickly withdrawing from the battlefield.

In addition, the [-]th Division, which has been serving as the battle reserve team, has also marched into the edge of Yimeng Mountain recently. They will use a brigade to guard the mountains south of the Japanese front line to prevent the desperate Japanese army from entering the mountain to "fight guerrillas."The main force of the Fourth Division will attack Linzi behind the Japanese army from Laiwu County, completely cutting off the Japanese army's return to the east, and creating the possibility for the complete annihilation of the Japanese Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Divisions.

Finally, the first and sixth divisions outside Jinan City continued to encircle the 16 Japanese troops inside Jinan City, and also assigned the Sixth Artillery Regiment to the Li Zongren Group on the Eastern Front to strengthen the firepower of the frontal counterattack.Therefore... the Jinan siege forces will be the weakest during this time!But this is also helpless, the Kuomintang's troops in Shandong are actually insufficient at the moment, not counting the 14 security forces, that is [-] people, but there are as many as [-] Japanese troops to be eliminated!If it is not for the overwhelming air superiority, this task is almost a dream...

……

It was four thirty in the morning on April 26, [-].

On the frontal battlefield about eleven or twelve kilometers wide between Xiaoqing River and Lianhua Mountain, the sound of shouts and guns that had been ringing all night gradually subsided.As in the previous six days, the three elite divisions of the Japanese army still launched a fierce attack on the defense line guarded by the two Kuomintang reorganized divisions with the greatest force on the night that just ended.But the result is regrettable for them... Apart from adding more than 1000 "gods" to the Yasukuni Shrine in Kuduanzaka, there will be no other gains.

Just when most of the Japanese on this battlefield drooped their heads and walked off the battlefield dejectedly, they were going to go back to eat a few cold rice balls, and then go to sleep beautifully.