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Volume 1 On the Songhua River Chapter 2508 Unable to Stop

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    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 the 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! Bombs! Covering all attack routes and areas, bombs! - new bombs used by independent division bombers!  The soldiers of the Imperial Army are not fighting against the independent division, but fighting against the fire that is burning half the sky! The casualties are continuing 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 to recover the Liaodong Peninsula campaign.  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 Commander-in-Chief Umezu¡¯s order.  These troops would not and did not dare to retreat. In an air battle, the Kwantung Army's First Air Force was almost completely destroyed. Less than eighty fighter jets flew back to the field airports around Fengtian.  Lieutenant General Mata, the commander of the First Air Force, is seriously ill and is being treated at the Kwantung Army General Hospital. Now, due to a fire, hundreds of thousands of imperial soldiers are in a situation of increasing casualties.  So, is it still possible and necessary to continue this battle to regain the Liaodong Peninsula?

    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 there will be hundreds of thousands or even more than 200,000 independent division troops.  It will flow like a tide to Fengtian and the hinterland of Manchuria, and it will also involve the confrontation in the Western Liaoning Corridor, 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, at this time.  You must make your own suggestions.

    What Chief of Staff Matsuda said makes sense. If the troops attacking the Liaodong Peninsula are ordered to retreat at this time 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 also tens of thousands of troops, enough to cope with it for a while!

    But Chief of Staff Matsuda couldn¡¯t understand.  The dilemma of General Umezu Yoshijiro at this moment is that he regards the battle to regain the Liaodong Peninsula as the basis for his foothold in the Kwantung Army. He has already placed all his bets on the opportunity to prove his ability to the base camp.  How could he be embarrassed to invest hundreds of thousands of soldiers, use poison gas bombs, join an aviation team, and then call it a day?  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. It not only caused obstacles to the attacking troops, but also devoured the lives of Imperial soldiers. A fire  Afterwards, the Imperial Army's troops were already exhausted and bruised. Could they have the strength to fight again?

    If we say that General Umezu doesn¡¯t pay much attention to the telegrams from other frontline commanders, he pays special attention to the telegrams from Lieutenant General Shinyuemon, the commander of the 107th Division. Even this member 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 and making judgments.  trade off.

    As Tang Qiuli analyzed, General Umezu Yoshijiro could no longer 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 played a role, but they all fell  On the interception line of the independent division troops, and also on the border between China and North Korea, the third and fourth detachments of the Kwantung Army, which are responsible for intercepting the independent division troops in the northern part of the Korean peninsula, have not sent any telegrams so far, which means that from the rear  The threat will not appear for the time being.

    The headquarters of the Kwantung Army did not get any information about the new bombs and the sudden appearance of more than 200,000 independent divisions. General Umezu hated the head of the intelligence headquarters, Major General Ono, and even considered killing him. The 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 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 its confidence.

    General Umezu Yoshijiro suddenly raised his head, his face became abnormally rosy, and a cold light appeared in his eyes. There was a desperate determination in the cold light, 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 overcome the current difficulties regardless of casualties, 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 or 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 specifically to him by His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief. After getting along with him for a few days, 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 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, and their feet were hot and burned like a desert. They passed by piles of burned  The charred corpses of their 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 the hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops to lose half of their combat effectiveness. Liu Cuigang's goal was achieved.  .

    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 ushered in the first batch of returning bombers. The airports immediately started to get busy. Refueling trucks and ammunition trucks were lit up.  With the sirens blaring, 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 whose faces were darkened by smoke, with a large piece of skin missing 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)
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