Age of Conquest Reborn

Telegrams, urgent telegrams from the front line, flew to the temporary headquarters of the Kwantung Army in Liaoyang one after another, and flew to the hands of the commander-in-chief General Yoshijiro Umezu. The commanders of the three offensive forces all expressed their urgency in the telegram, "From the independent division aviation,

The large-scale bombing of new bombs has caused heavy casualties to the troops. At present, the troops cannot continue the attack!"

In the telegrams, the Japanese frontline commanders all used the same words, "Fire! - overwhelming fire! Bomb! Covering all attack routes and areas, bomb! - new type of bomb used by independent division bombers!

The soldiers of the Imperial Army now are not fighting independent divisions, but fighting fires that have turned half the sky red! Casualties!——The casualties continue to increase!"

Putting down the telegram in his hand, General Umezu Yoshijiro's face turned livid, and then turned pale. Lieutenant General Matsuda Kenjiro, Chief of General Staff of the Kwantung Army, said worriedly: "Commander-in-Chief, the current war situation is very unfavorable for us. The troops have not yet been with us.

The independent division troops suffered such huge casualties during the battle, do they still have the strength to fight again?"

"Therefore, I suggest that the troops be immediately ordered to retreat and recuperate. Having lost air supremacy, the Imperial Army soldiers are in an extremely passive state in front of the independent division aviation. Commander-in-Chief, please seriously consider whether the battle to regain the Liaodong Peninsula is still necessary.

Is it necessary to continue?”

Chief of Staff Matsuda was the first to see these emergency telegrams. Those bloody words made him shudder. A fire covered the entire offensive area. Even if he was not on the front line, Chief of Staff Matsuda knew that the Third Army

The four divisions of the Kwantung Army and the two detachments of the Kwantung Army, hundreds of thousands of imperial soldiers, are suffering what kind of losses!

He also knew that without the order of Commander-in-Chief Umezu, these troops would not and would not dare to retreat. In an air battle, the Kwantung Army's First Air Force was almost completely destroyed. The fighter jets that flew back to the field airports around Fengtian were not enough.

Eighty. First Air Force

The commander, Lieutenant General Asada, is seriously ill and is being treated at the Kwantung Army General Hospital. Now, there is a fire, and hundreds of thousands of imperial soldiers are in a situation of increasing casualties. So, this battle to regain the Liaodong Peninsula is still capable

Is it necessary to continue fighting?

If the battle of the Liaodong Peninsula ends with the defeat of the Third Army and the First and Second Detachments of the Kwantung Army, then hundreds of thousands or even more than two hundred thousand independent division troops will flood into Fengtian and the hinterland of Manchuria like a tide.

It will also involve Liaoxi

In the confrontation situation in the corridor area, Western Manchuria and even the northwest border, the China devil, who has always been insidious and cunning, will not let go of such a good opportunity. As the chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, he must make his own suggestions at this time.

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What Chief of Staff Matsuda said makes sense and is very correct. If at this time, the troops attacking the Liaodong Peninsula are ordered to retreat and a solid defense system is established along the line from Andong to Gaizhou, the attack of the independent division can be blocked. Although it is

The remnant army suffered heavy casualties, but there were tens of thousands of troops, enough to cope with it for a while!

But Chief of Staff Matsuda could not understand. At this moment, General Umezu Yoshijiro's difficulties were that he regarded the battle to recover the Liaodong Peninsula as the basis for his foothold in the Kwantung Army. He had already placed all his bets on the opportunity to prove his ability to the base camp.

He invested hundreds of thousands of soldiers, used poison gas bombs, built an aviation team, and then stopped. How could he feel embarrassed? How to explain to all parties?

Moreover, he believed that the breakthrough point he chose and the timing of the attack were absolutely correct. However, the changes in the war situation brought about many unexpected factors. First of all, more than 200,000 independent division troops reinforced the Liaodong Peninsula, and the intelligence agency was not aware of it in advance.

, Secondly, the combat power that the independent division's aviation force could muster greatly exceeded the expectations of himself and the commander of the aviation force, Lieutenant General Mata. The near-annihilation of the Kwantung Army's first aviation force was something neither of them expected.

Then, when the Imperial Army Aviation lost its combat effectiveness, the bomber unit of the Independent Division Aviation suddenly appeared and used new bombs. Not only did it hinder the attacking troops, but it also devoured the lives of Imperial soldiers. A fire

Afterwards, the Imperial Army's troops were already exhausted and bruised, could they still hope to fight again?

General Umezu could ignore the telegrams from other front-line commanders, but he paid special attention to the telegrams from Lieutenant General Shinyuemon, the commander of the 107th Division. Even the commander of the Third Army

Among them, the most courageous and capable division commanders all had suggestions to retreat. It can be seen that the current situation on the front line is definitely not good. He is struggling fiercely in his heart, hesitating, making judgments, and making decisions.

trade off.

As Tang Qiuli analyzed, General Umezu Yoshijiro was unable to stop. He had just taken up his new post and was full of ambition. The first battle he planned, he lost troops and generals and returned in a disastrous defeat. He could not explain to any party, whether it was the base camp or His Majesty the Emperor.

, as well as the prestige and prestige in the Kwantung Army, did not allow him to give up. At this moment, he was already riding a tiger and was unable to get off!

Another point is that General Umezu Yoshijiro firmly believes that at the cost of nearly wiping out more than 200 bombers and more than 900 fighter planes, something should be gained. Those No. 1 special gas bombs should have worked, and they all fell on the independent division.

On the troop blocking line, and also along the China-North Korea border, the third and fourth detachments of the Kwantung Army, which are responsible for blocking the independent division troops in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, have not sent any telegrams so far, which means that there is a threat from the rear.

, will not appear yet.

New bombs, more than 200,000 independent division troops suddenly appeared, the Kwantung Army headquarters did not get any intelligence. General Umezu hated the head of the intelligence headquarters, Major General Ono, and even thought of killing him. Intelligence

The department has repeatedly lost points, and I have become extremely disappointed. I even have no hope that the Intelligence Headquarters will send elite espionage personnel deep into the northern part of the Korean Peninsula to conduct reconnaissance operations!

"The battle to regain the Liaodong Peninsula must continue. I have no way out!" General Umezu Yoshijiro sighed deeply in his heart. The effect of the poison gas bombs and the border line between China and North Korea are temporarily safe, and there is also the general of the Imperial Japanese Empire.

Pride and self-confidence are the three pillars that strengthen his confidence.

General Umezu Yoshijiro suddenly raised his head, his face became abnormally rosy, and a cold light appeared in his eyes. In the cold light, there was a desperate determination, which made Chief of Staff Matsuda feel suddenly tense. At the same time, a burst of sadness hit his heart.

"It seems that Commander-in-Chief Umezu insists on continuing the campaign to regain the Liaodong Peninsula!"

Sure enough, General Umezu's voice was so calm and hollow, he said: "Chief of Staff Matsuda, convey my order to the commander of the frontline troops. The reason why the Independent Division bombers used such a crazy new bomb is to prevent the Imperial Army from continuing to move forward.

The advance in the southern part of the Liaodong Peninsula is enough to prove that the previous special bombing by the Kwantung Army's First Air Force was effective!"

"In front of the imperial soldiers, there are no obstacles that can stop you from moving forward. Therefore, I order all units to regardless of casualties, overcome the current difficulties, and continue to tenaciously and tenaciously complete the set combat missions. Regarding the logistical supplies of each unit,

I will order the baggage troops to ensure supplies and emphasize that in the future, if anyone talks about retreating and shakes the morale of the army, he will be severely punished by military discipline!"

Chief of Staff Matsuda felt nervous. The last few words seemed to be spoken by the Commander-in-Chief specifically to him. After a few days of getting along with each other, he had roughly understood the temper of this new boss. The most stubborn and pretentious

If you don't understand, why should you get into trouble?

The order was given, and I looked at the soldiers under my command, who were still struggling in the sea of ​​​​fire, struggling in the hands of several Japanese commanders on the front line. Everyone had different reactions. Most of them complained secretly in their hearts, watching them being burned.

The battered soldiers, corpses burned into piles of charcoal, and trucks and artillery pieces burned to pieces, secretly cursed at General Umezu's order to continue the attack, "With the current situation of the troops, can we continue to fight?

"

Only the commander of the Shinyuemon Division sighed and said to his chief of staff: "I can understand the difficulties of Commander-in-Chief Umezu. This battle must be fought resolutely. Chief of Staff, this fire is about to burn out. Please convey

My order is to gather the troops, count the casualties, treat the wounded on the spot, and the troops continue to attack and advance!"

The military orders fell like a mountain, and the Japanese soldiers who attacked on three fronts were like ghosts who had just crawled out of purgatory. They were walking on the land that was still burning with embers, their feet were hot and burned like a desert, and they passed by piles of burned

The charred corpses of our compatriots, leaving countless wounded soldiers behind, began to advance.

This overwhelming fire caused by napalm bombs caused heavy casualties to the Japanese army. According to statistics from the 107th Division alone, more than 5,000 soldiers were burned to death. As for the soldiers who were burned and lost their combat effectiveness, even more

As many as 8,000 people. The casualties of the 107th Division have been more than half. The casualties of the other two groups of Japanese troops are roughly the same. An all-round bombing caused hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops to lose half of their combat effectiveness. Liu Cuigang's goal was achieved.

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Of course, that's not all. Field airports across the Shandong Peninsula, field airports in North China, and several field airports on the Korean Peninsula welcomed the first batch of returning bombers. The airports immediately became busy, with fuel trucks and ammunition trucks lighting up.

With the siren sounding, the ground crew began to quickly add fuel and bombs to the bombers, while the returning fighter jets were parked on the runway with enough fuel and bombs, ready to go.

Those soldiers with darkened faces, a large piece of skin here and a few shiny blisters there, shocked, ragged, and with no fighting spirit, became the main force of the battle. The Japanese commander of the three-pronged attack,

With about half of the tens of thousands of soldiers who had lost their energy, they embarked on a road where life and death were uncertain.

(To be continued)