Age of Conquest Reborn

In the temporary meeting room of the Ninth Brigade of the Southeast Mobile Corps, Colonel Qi Guodong, the commander of the Second Regiment, said this. After saying this, the room fell into silence. No one among the officers present spoke, they just smoked cigarettes one after another.

, the room was filled with light blue smoke and heavy breathing.

Major General Hao Jiasheng, the brigade commander, threw the cigarette butt that was burning to his lips to the ground, took a deep breath of the choking air, and said with a gloomy face: "What Qi Guodong said is true, and I will not evade my responsibility.

The order given to the Ninth Brigade by the Corps is to seize the Japanese beachhead as quickly as possible at any cost. Regarding the incident of heavy casualties in the Second Regiment, I have made the following handling opinions."

"Qi Guodong, the commander of the second regiment, as the direct commander, has an unshirkable responsibility. In about an hour, all officers above the chief of staff of the brigade will go to the Corps Headquarters for a meeting. I will report the incident to the Corps Headquarters truthfully. As for

I won’t speculate on how the Corps will handle it. Whether it’s beheading or imprisonment, the Corps will have its own opinion on how to deal with it.”

"Hao Jiasheng, the commander of the 9th Brigade, even though he knew that the 2nd Regiment had suffered a lot of casualties from the remaining Japanese troops and relied on underground fortifications, he still forced the 2nd Regiment to continue the assault. He was responsible for the unclear command. Regarding the other three members of the 9th Brigade,

If there are casualties of varying degrees in the regiment, as the brigade commander, I have direct command responsibility, and I request the Corps Headquarters to deal with it!"

"The commanders of each regiment and the chief of staff should settle down the troops. An hour later, they will follow me to the corps headquarters to attend a military meeting. The chief of staff will be responsible for writing down the incident of casualties and taking it to the corps headquarters.

Okay, let’s break up the meeting!”

Hao Jiasheng's words shocked the officers who attended the meeting. The four regiment commanders looked at each other. No one expected that the brigade commander would take the responsibility on himself. Qi Guodong stood up with a roar and said excitedly: "Brigadier Commander,

This is unfair to you. The casualties of the Second Regiment only occurred because you followed the orders of the regiment's commander. The person directly responsible is Qi Guodong, not you, the brigade commander!"

Hao Jiasheng suddenly became furious and shouted: "Qi Guodong, what do you want to do? You are a hero from Liangshan? Are we all in trouble? Whose responsibility is responsible for such heavy casualties in the Ninth Brigade? The first one to bear the brunt is me, the brigade commander.

! If you want to be beheaded, it’s not your turn yet, Qi Guodong! Don’t talk about those useless things, get ready to go!”

Outside the door, the sea breeze was blowing strongly, and Ma Chaoyang stood motionless in the dark night. Inside the house, he could hear the words of Hao Jiasheng and Qi Guodong clearly, which gave him a strong shock, and reminded him of the commander of the First Brigade of the Marine Corps.

From Chen Mengqiao's words, he realized that the responsibility for the heavy casualties suffered by the 9th and 10th brigades was not with the people below, but with himself. When he issued the assault order, he only wanted to capture the Japanese beachhead as soon as possible.

Ma Chaoyang admitted that he did not expect that under the sweeping bombardment of the bomber group and the intensive bombardment of dozens of large-caliber naval guns, some Japanese soldiers would survive. What's even more terrible is that the attacking troops would dispatch two at a time.

The eight regiments of the brigade are so dense that they are almost shoulder to shoulder. Qi Guodong is right. The Mokpo Beach battlefield is such a big space. With more than 30,000 soldiers crowded together, a bullet from a Japanese soldier will cause a

Two casualties.

Who is responsible? Is it on me that I am too eager to win or underestimate the enemy, or am I too superstitious about bomber groups and naval gunfire? When the commander of the guard battalion next to him saw that the meeting was about to be dismissed, he raised his feet and walked in. He wanted to

Inform Hao Jiasheng that the commander is here.

Ma Chaoyang stretched out his hand to stop him and shook his head silently. The group quietly left the Ninth Brigade station and returned to the Corps Headquarters station without disturbing any of the officers of the Ninth Brigade who were attending the meeting. After Ma Chaoyang left for twenty minutes,

, Hao

Jiasheng just received a call from Captain Li Jiaxin, the commander of the second regiment's security company. After putting down the phone, Hao Jiasheng stood blankly for a long time, with mixed feelings and many speculations in his heart. He didn't know why the commander had arrived at the brigade headquarters but didn't come in to see anyone.

people?

One thing is certain, according to the time reported by Li Jiaxin, the commander was standing outside the room at the beginning of the meeting. The commander must have heard what Qi Guodong said, and he didn’t know what the commander would do.

think?

Qi Guodong's excited words were a bit extreme. The responsibility did not lie with the brigade headquarters or the second regiment, but with the regiment. But after all, it was his ninth brigade that suffered more casualties than any other unit. This is a fact that cannot be shied away from.

The fate of the corps front finger

The order was not wrong. Hao Jiasheng felt a little confused and stood by the phone in a daze. It was not until the chief of staff urged him that it was time to go to the Corps Headquarters for a meeting. Then he got into a military jeep with a complicated mood and headed to the Corps Headquarters.

Go in the direction of the headquarters.

At exactly nine-thirty at night, a military meeting attended by the troops of the Southeast Mobile Corps, as well as the three attached Marine Corps brigades, and officers above the regimental chief of staff, started on time. Several hundred officers gathered in a huge tent.

It was packed to the brim, and there was no pomp and circumstance on the battlefield. Regardless of whether you were a major general, brigade commander, or lieutenant colonel, chief of staff, everyone held a canvas marching chair and sat shoulder to shoulder.

Originally, it took only one day to destroy the Japanese defense system at the beachhead, wipe out more than 10,000 enemy troops, and all the troops landed ashore, gaining a solid foothold. It could be said to be a victory in the first battle, which is something to be happy about. However,

Because the huge casualties suffered by the 9th and 10th brigades of the main attack force put a little weight on everyone's hearts, these officers did not laugh or talk loudly like they usually did before the meeting, but were silent.

Ma Chaoyang walked into the venue, surrounded by Xu Guangqi, chief of staff of the Corps, and more than a dozen staff officers. The officers stood up and saluted. After returning the salute, he waved his hand and ordered the officers to sit down. Without any preamble, he said straightforwardly: "

The content of today's meeting mainly addresses two issues. The first issue is about the Ninth Brigade. During today's landing battle, there were any issues with heavy casualties. The second issue is to discuss the Corps.

Command the newly formulated combat plan!"

After saying this, Ma Chaoyang paused and picked up the enamel jar to drink water. Hao Jiasheng and Qi Guodong, who were sitting below, couldn't help but trembled. Especially Qi Guodong, his face suddenly turned pale. Neither of them expected that on the first day of the meeting,

One of the contents is to decide this matter. What's terrible is that the report on today's battle has not yet been submitted to the commander!

Ma Chaoyang put down the water glass and continued: "As for the first question, what I want to say is that on the battlefield, casualties are inevitable. In a war, there are no casualties! However, if the casualties of the troops exceed the normal range,

Then we need to delve deeper into the reasons for the casualties and the way the commander directs the battle!"

"Judging from the effect of the attack launched today, it has achieved the expected goal. We have obtained several solid footholds, which is conducive to the next attack. However, the casualties are huge, with a total of more than 8,700 casualties, including

, 1,992 people were killed, and the combat attrition exceeded the strength of the two main regiments, equal to half a brigade, especially the ninth brigade, which suffered the most heavy casualties. Who is responsible?"

Ma Chaoyang glanced at the officers below, and the hearts of Hao Jiasheng and Qi Guodong suddenly tightened. The faces of the officers of other regiments of the Ninth Brigade also turned pale. After all, at the general meeting of the regiment, the commander

The name of the Ninth Brigade was highlighted, making them feel guilty and ashamed, and somewhat unable to hold their heads up. The eyes of the officers of the other brigade were also focused on the officers of the Ninth Brigade.

Ma Chaoyang saw the reactions of the officers. He stood up, walked back and forth a few steps, turned around suddenly, his voice suddenly rose, and said: "If the responsibility is to be held, first of all, I, the commander, must be held accountable! My responsibility is

As follows, there is no estimate of the survivability of the Japanese army.

After the attack began, the troops were too intensive and eager for success. Therefore, in today's battle, the responsibility for the casualties in each brigade lies with the front of the corps, and with me as the commander! With the following

The senior commander has nothing to do with it!”

There was silence in the meeting place, and the officers widened their eyes in surprise. They did not expect that the commander would handle the heavy casualties in today's battle in this way and bear all the responsibilities, especially the Hao family and Qi Guodong, and even more so.

They were so surprised that they opened their mouths. Originally, the two of them were already ready to receive punishment.

"Don't be surprised. Just before the meeting started, I went to the Ninth Brigade's station. Just in time, they held a combat review meeting. I am very pleased that our officers dare to tell the truth and question the orders of their superiors.

Qi Guodong, commander of the second regiment of the Ninth Brigade, said it well. It was Qi Guodong's regiment that suffered the most casualties. The responsibilities I just summarized were all mentioned by Qi Guodong. Therefore, I, Ma Chaoyang, bear all the responsibilities.

I will submit a request to the teacher for punishment!"

Qi Guodong's head was dizzy. When he heard the commander mention his name, he stood up suddenly like a conditioned reflex and said loudly: "Here! Report to the commander, Qi Guodong, commander of the second regiment of the 9th Brigade, listen to the instructions!"

This sudden move stunned the officers participating in the meeting, and then a burst of laughter broke out, which diluted the somewhat heavy atmosphere at the meeting. Ma Chaoyang smiled and said: "Qi Guodong, sit down, as a regiment member

Commander, you are very smart. You can think of suspending the attack and adjusting tactics when the troops suffer casualties. This is not easy!"

Qi Guodong sat down at a loss. He did not expect that when he attended the meeting, the headquarters not only did not punish him, but also praised him in front of so many officers. He was originally prepared to be beheaded or imprisoned.

Major General Hao Jiasheng, commander of the 9th Brigade, felt that he could no longer remain silent. The commander's words were meaningful, so he stood up.

(To be continued)