Age of Conquest Reborn

Linghai is located more than 80 kilometers north of Jinzhou. It is another pass of the Liaoxi Corridor deep into the hinterland of Northeast China. Because it is backed by the Daling River and faces the Liaodong Bay, it is named Linghai. It is also the Kwantung Army unit in the western Liaoning region, and is connected with the Kwantung Army in the western Liaoning region.

The independent division troops occupying Jinzhou City have a tacit military demarcation line.

During the Battle of Western Liaoning, after occupying Jinzhou, Lieutenant General Liu Tiehan, deputy commander of the Independent Division and commander-in-chief of the East Point, once suggested that the division commander Tang Qiuli take advantage of the situation to seize Linghai City and push the front line from Panshan to Beining, creating a threat

The situation in Fengtian, according to the situation in Northeast China at that time

The layout of the battlefield indicated that the independent division troops were fully capable of this. However, Tang Qiuli considered that the time for a decisive battle with the Kwantung Army was far too mature. The troops entered too deeply into the hinterland of Northeast China, causing a massive rebound from the Kwantung Army. Therefore, they only occupied Jinzhou.

The city stopped moving forward.

The Daling River originates from Nuruerhu Mountain in northwest Liaoning, located between Jinzhou and Linghai. The current Daling River is far more ferocious than the Daling River in later generations. The river is several hundred meters wide.

, rough waves, rapid currents, whirlpools the size of pot lids, spinning on the river from time to time, rolling all the way south, into Liaodong Bay. There were originally several bridges on the Daling River to connect land transportation between Jinzhou and Linghai

.

However, after the Independent Division troops occupied Jinzhou City, all the bridges on the Daling River were destroyed by the Kwantung Army troops. It was precisely because of the Daling River as a natural barrier that the Kwantung Army troops in the western Liaoning area had some psychological stability.

To rely on and comfort, of course, the Kwantung Army's defensive deployment is also unambiguous. A strip of reinforced concrete fortifications extends along the north bank of the Daling River to the south to Liaodong Bay and to the north to Fuxin.

The fortifications are built like copper and iron walls, divided into two levels: above ground and underground. Bunkers and bunkers are densely covered, and various firepower points are dotted in the fortifications. From the front of the fortifications to the Daling River, there are minefields. Countless mines, this area is completely

, turned into a place of death. Ex

General Nanjiro, the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, devoted a lot of effort and materials to the Daling River defense line. The Kwantung Army troops guarding this place were on alert and on guard day and night. After all, the Kwantung Army did not dare to take the initiative in the face of the defeat.

Who dares to be careless among his opponents?

This is even more true tonight. Two days ago, all the Kwantung Army troops on the Daling River defense line, which was on the front line of defense against Jinzhou's independent division troops and the first line of attack, received orders from the headquarters to cover the retreat of the main force and entered

At the first level of combat readiness, the Kwantung Army soldiers were on the battlefield with food and accommodation, and their nerves were tense. In the dark night, countless pairs of nervous eyes stared at the south bank of the Daling River with blank eyes.

Responsible for covering the main force of the Kwantung Army and retreating to Fengtian is the Ninth Army of the Kwantung Army plus three attached independent mixed brigade troops, with a strength of more than 90,000 people. It starts from Xinzhuangzi on the north bank of the Daling River, close to Liaodong Bay.

, passing through Linghai to Yingpan, the line is lined up.

Linghai in the center is also the most important defensive support point. In the Linghai area, the Kwantung Army deployed an entire division of the 18th Division, plus two independent mixed brigades, attached to a tank regiment.

Several field artillery regiments, with a strength of more than 40,000 people.

Lieutenant General Shoji Watanabe, the commander of the 18th Division, just put down the phone. He was worried. He called the commanders of the various front-line regiments and the commanders of the independent mixed brigades to inquire about the situation of the troops and Daling Henan.

Are there any unusual behaviors among the independent division troops on the shore?

The answers they received were basically the same, "We found abnormalities on the front of our defense, and everything is normal!" This made Commander Watanabe a little relieved, but when he thought about the tasks of the 18th Division, his

My heart tightened again.

Ever since General Yoshijiro Umezu, the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, issued an order to the western Liaoning area for the main force of the Kwantung Army to withdraw to Fengtian and the Ninth Army to be responsible for covering it, there was an unspoken saying circulating within the Ninth Army, "In order for the main force to be able to

To successfully retreat to Fengtian, the entire Ninth Army must be crushed to pieces!"

The commander of the Watanabe Division believed this statement. He had been stationed north of the Daling River in the Western Liaoning Corridor for almost two years. He also had a good understanding of the independent division troops on the south bank. First, Liu Tiehan, deputy commander of the independent division, and the command post commander

More than 700,000 troops were watching eagerly on the other side. Liu Tiehan was the key target of the Kwantung Army's intelligence department, and he was no stranger to his information.

This person is the second-ranking figure in the Independent Division. He is the number one general under the Chinese devil Tang Qiuli. He holds a high position and commands the East Command troops. Their strength is second to none among all regiment-level combat groups in the Independent Division. He directs operations.

He has a brave and resolute style and is good at attacking enemies head-on. The East Point troops are well-equipped and the soldiers are well-trained.

Faced with such an opponent, Lieutenant General Watanabe did not have a good night's sleep for more than two years. More than half a year ago, Liu Tiehan's troops were transferred to Outer Mongolia. His replacement was the Niangziguan Garrison Corps of the Independent Division.

The army, and the commander of the corps, Major General Feng Jiwu, is not an unknown figure. There is also a thick pile of information about this person in the files of the Kwantung Army intelligence department.

The Niangziguan Garrison Corps under Feng Jiwu has nearly 500,000 troops. It is one of the few veteran field corps in the independent division. It has fought against the Imperial Army for many years in North China, Shanxi and other places. It is said that

, has fallen, the famous empire

General Okamura Neiji, the commander-in-chief of the North China Expeditionary Force, was in the hands of this man. His commanding style was cunning and changeable, but equally ferocious. He also served as the chief of staff of the China devil Tang Qiuli. I believe that,

You will learn a lot of tricks!

Whether it was Liu Tiehan before or Feng Jiwu now, the commander of the Watanabe Division was extremely frightened. Thinking of this, he sighed. There was nothing to doubt about the fate of the entire Ninth Army. First of all, it was huge.

The difference in military strength, 90,000 versus nearly 500,000, makes my scalp numb just thinking about it.

Secondly, there is the issue of air supremacy. Air supremacy is completely in the hands of the independent division aviation. That is to say, once the war begins, the Kwantung Army soldiers are always under the threat of independent division bombers. There is also the gap in equipment.

Although Commander Watanabe is unwilling to admit this, it is an unchangeable fact.

Many factors combined, Commander Watanabe was not optimistic about this cover mission, but it did not affect his determination, and he did not take any chances. The imperial soldiers on the second and third lines began to

As they retreated, the independent division troops in the direction of Jinzhou were not aware of it at all. Lieutenant General Watanabe sneered at the senior officers of the 18th Division who held such views and severely reprimanded them with two words: "Stupid! Childish!"

"Critical moment! As long as we fulfill our duties as emperors and soldiers, and serve His Majesty the Emperor and the Empire of Japan, even if all the members of the 18th Division die in pieces, they will die a worthy death!" Commander of the Shoji Watanabe Division, looking at the dark

Ye Tiankong thought to himself that although the commanders of the frontline troops at all levels reported that no abnormality was found, he could feel that the murderous aura gathering in the dark night was forming.

Lieutenant General Watanabe once again picked up the phone and said, "Convey my order to the frontline troops. All soldiers must maintain combat status at all times. A war may break out tonight!" Of course, the division commander cannot go to sleep. In fact,

He couldn't sleep at all, and the feeling of being upset always lingered in his mind.

The night got darker and the wind started to pick up. The sea breeze blowing from Liaodong Bay carried a strong salty smell, but it could not dissipate the sultry air of early summer in western Liaoning. Several black figures appeared on the south bank of the Daling River in the dark night.

Among them, the wide water surface of Daling River shone with a faint white color.

color, the river roared slightly and rolled southward. The black shadow came to the river bank and set up the instruments. The same scene was staged in many places on the south bank of the Daling River. This was the frontline observation of the Independent Division Artillery Headquarters.

Officer, responsible for instructing and correcting artillery targets for the artillery group.

Feng Jiwu, who had already rushed to the front line, set up a front-line headquarters on a hill covered with shrubs and pine trees less than ten kilometers away from the Daling River. Here, he could overlook the entire battlefield, with more than a dozen tents.

It was neatly hidden in the woods. At ten forty, the temporary headquarters became quiet. You couldn't hear the "ticking" of the keys or the rapid ringing of the phone. Beside all the radios and phones, sitting on the opposite side were the staff officers and communications officers.

soldiers.

Feng Jiwu sat relaxedly on the canvas marching chair with his eyes slightly closed, as if he was resting his mind. Colonel Zhang Hansheng, chief of staff of the Niangziguan Garrison Corps, was staring at the watch on his wrist.

Closer to the Daling River, the Independent Division Artillery Headquarters is located here. The commander, Major General Zheng Yong, does not have the self-cultivation skills of Feng Jiwu. In other words, he does not like the kind of command that makes the commander confused before the war.

There is a very depressing feeling in the department.

With his left foot on the empty shell box and holding the phone, Zheng Yong was shouting, "In more than ten minutes, the battle will begin. All artillery groups are ready. This is the most revealing time for our artillery."

, everyone cheered up, I won’t say anything unnecessary, the shells hit them hard, within twenty minutes, I have to finish a base, don’t think about consumption, the shells are enough!”

Backed by the Joint Service Department in the rear of Peiping, the roads were in good condition and supplies were convenient and quick. Zheng Yong had the confidence to put down the phone and shouted to a staff officer: "Bring me a glass of water, but I'm dying of thirst!"

On the south bank of the Daling River, Major General Battelle, commander of the armored forces, looked at the luminous watch on his wrist. The hour hand was already pointing to 10:45. He smiled softly. Battelle was no stranger to such a situation before a battle.

, when I was on the European battlefield, I don’t know how many times I was in such an atmosphere, with thousands of tanks behind me, as silent as beasts, squatting in the night, waiting for the moment when the battle broke out like thunder!

Battle stepped into his tank and opened the communication channel, "Attention all brigades, the battle is about to begin, and all tanks are in standby mode!"

(To be continued) (To be continued..)