Rise From Eight Hundred

Compared to Ushijima Mitsuru, who was in a mess but had a little excitement about getting what he wanted, Ushijima Sadao, the lieutenant general of the 18th Division, who was still drinking tea more than 20 kilometers away, was much more relaxed.

The headquarters of the 18th Division was located six kilometers away from the front line. It was built of logs. Although it was a bit simple and rough, there was a low table in the all-wood room, incense was lit, and a pot of tea was boiled. There was actually a sense of leisure and tranquility.

The Japanese Army Lieutenant General, wearing a neat lieutenant general uniform, sat beside the low table and drank tea. He was not anxious at all about the deadlock on the front line.

"Your Excellency the Division Commander, the 36th Infantry Brigade called back and they will continue to pursue the Chinese and thank you for your help and my division!" An army colonel respectfully reported to Ushijima Sadao, who was drinking tea and looking at the map on the table.

"Oh? So humble! It seems that Ushijima Mitsuru is also anxious!" Ushijima Sadao, whose face was originally calm and leisurely, smiled and said with a slight smile. "Come, Koto-kun, sit down and try the chrysanthemum tea I brewed from Kyushu, which is most suitable for drinking in this late autumn season."

"Mr. Division Commander" The Japanese colonel sitting opposite the low table obviously did not have the demeanor of his division commander, and his face was a little anxious.

After six consecutive days of attacking, with huge casualties, but only advancing four kilometers, as the colonel chief of staff of the 18th Division, how could Koto-kun remain calm?

If Ushijima Sadao's official rank was not much higher than his, he would probably have asked a soul-searching question: "Do you have a bag on your head? It's hard for us to fight the Chinese ourselves, so why are we going to help those idiots of the 6th Division!"

"Haha, it seems that Koto-kun is quite dissatisfied with me for sending the Omura Regiment to help the 36th Infantry Brigade!" Ushijima Sadao looked at his colonel chief of staff who was hesitant to speak, and a smile appeared on his face again.

"Yes, Mr. Commander, our division has been fighting with the enemy on the Jiashan defense line for six days, and the infantry casualties have exceeded 3,000, which is the highest since the start of the war. In the past two days, our division has also used all its strength to attack the Chinese defense line. The Omura Regiment is the elite of our division and is indispensable.

I really don't understand why at this critical moment, the elite of the division was drawn to assist the 36th Infantry Brigade, when the enemy they faced was only a few thousand." Xiao Teng Hui did not hide her doubts and said directly.

"Xiao Teng Jun, let me ask you, why has my division been a reserve team every time since the start of the war? In the Kwantung Army, my division is a reserve team, and in the Tenth Army, my division is also a reserve team." Ushijima Sadao did not directly answer the question of his chief of staff, but asked back.

"That may be because my division is a newly established army!" Hearing Ushijima Sadao's question, Xiao Teng Hui's face also showed indignation, but she could only answer honestly.

In the war, it is of course unwilling to always be a reserve team.

If you know the history of the development of the Japanese Army, you may understand the reluctance of the two senior officers of the 18th Division of the Japanese Army.

After the Meiji Restoration, the modern Japanese Army began to take shape. The first four garrisons were established, and they were quickly expanded to six under Japan's policy of enriching the country and strengthening the army.

These six garrisons were reorganized into divisions in 1888, and together with the Imperial Guard Division, there were a total of seven divisions, which were the first strategic units of the Japanese Army.

As a result, Japan's national policy of "enriching the country and strengthening the army" was overturned one by one, and became "strengthening the army and enriching the country", and it quickly embarked on the road of expansion, especially after defeating the corrupt feudal dynasty of China in 1895, it received huge compensation to continue to expand, and added another six divisions (7th to 12th divisions) and three brigades.

In 1903, the Russo-Japanese War brought Japan the trouble that the soldiers were still not enough, and it was forced to take out the only two reserve divisions.

After the war, Japan desperately expanded its army. By 1915, Japan had formed 21 divisions including the Imperial Guard Division and several independent brigades and regiments, with a total force far exceeding 300,000.

Such a large army put great pressure on Japan, which was not rich. In 1922, the Minister of War Yamanashi reduced the battalion structure of each division from 4 squadrons to 3 squadrons; in 1925, General Ugaki advocated the disbanding of 4 divisions, namely the 13th, 15th, 17th, and 18th divisions.

After these two rounds of disarmament, there were still 17 divisions left in the Japanese army, and these 17 divisions were called permanent divisions.

Unfortunately, the 18th Division, which did not have a very long history, was one of the ones that were disbanded and was not qualified to be called a permanent division.

However, the four divisions that were cut all had a large number of garrison troops and reserve soldiers, as well as a large number of trained NCO school students and reserve officers. Once Japan needed to expand the scale of the war, each division could quickly form a new division, which could double the number of divisions and expand the number of soldiers several times in a very short period of time.

Especially the 18th Division, which took on the title of a permanent division after its "resurrection", was actually just a special division, and a special division of the 12th Division, and had little to do with the original 18th Division.

The so-called "Empire Double 13" was also earned by the former 18th Division, and had nothing to do with the 18th Division led by Ushijima Sadao, and would naturally be looked down upon by the commanders of the various expeditionary forces.

This was naturally unacceptable to Ushijima Sadao, who was ambitious and intended to make achievements.

"Yes! Because our division is a new division, we did not go to Kunshan where there are more Chinese troops. When we came here, Commander Yanagawa Heisuke ordered us to open this road to the Chinese capital. In fact, We just hope that we can threaten the rear flank of the Chinese army to contain the forces. All the main attacks are still in the direction of Kunshan, even if they are really approaching Jinling City." Ushijima Sadao's eyes showed chills for the first time.

"If we want to change this situation, our army can only sweep away all resistance along the way and reach the hinterland of the Chinese with overwhelming force. And this is very difficult to achieve with the strength of our division alone. If we join the 36th Infantry Brigade , then maybe it’s different.”

"What you, the division commander, mean is that Mitsuru Ushijima agrees to assist our division as a deputy? He is a notoriously stubborn guy." Kofuji Megumi was slightly surprised.

"He was unable to defeat the enemy for several days in a row and lost several important officers as a result. Without the assistance of our division, the Chinese he was chasing might have been able to join their main force and escape. How dare he want to be the commander of the Sixth Division? Don’t agree?” A confident look appeared on Ushijima Sadao’s face. "Speaking of which, I have to thank the Chinese for forcing a dignified Imperial Army Major General to ask me for help in such a humble manner."

"If we get the help of the 36th Infantry Brigade, our division will definitely be able to create brilliant achievements under the leadership of the division commander." Koto Megumi was so tempted by the pie drawn by his lieutenant general division commander, and he was so excited that he A little concerned.

"But an infantry brigade of the Omura Infantry Regiment is still responsible for guarding the Sixth Heavy Artillery Brigade. Now that they have all been transferred, the Sixth Heavy Artillery Brigade is protected only by their own infantry. If there is an enemy attack, the infantry of our division will be protected." The main force is all on the front line, I’m afraid”

"Xiao Tengjun, you are thinking too much. The Chinese only have three infantry divisions available in this area. How can there be any troops that pose a threat to the artillery positions behind our division? Besides, the heavy artillery brigade itself still has two infantry divisions. Squadron, even if a few Chinese attack them, are they just a bunch of pigs?

If they are really pigs, then pigs are meant to be killed and have no need to exist in this world anymore. "The cold light flashed in Ushijima Sadao's eyes again.

"Hi, I understand what you mean by the division commander." Seeing that Ushijima Sadao had made up his mind, Xiaofuji Megumi no longer worried.

"In this way, the empire's military fortune will last forever!" Ushijima Sadao raised his tea cup.

"Empire, martial arts will last forever!" Xiaofuji Megumi also raised his tea cup.

The Japanese generals who were enjoying the moment when the reserve force was about to transform into the main force did not know that in the woods more than 20 kilometers away from them, a young Chinese soldier also pointed to a certain place on the map: "Here is a threat to our defense line. The largest Japanese army’s Sixth Heavy Artillery Brigade is located”