At an artillery position on the Yingkou front, Zhang Zuolin drove over. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 After the info car stopped, Zhang Zuolin got out of the car, and the artillery commander trotted to report, "Report to Commander Zhang, his subordinates can shell at any time, please give an order." "Mom, I'm going to open up today. The target is the forward position of the Japanese army, and it is very good for me. "On the artillery position, there are various artillery arrangements, there are 60-mm rapid-fire guns, 70-mm mountain guns, and even 20-mm machine guns, almost all of which are old-fashioned artillery."

The order was given, accompanied by the artillery bombardment, Zhang Zuolin stood at a high point, holding a telescope with great interest to observe. The smoke of the explosion in front of him continued to rise, but the impact point was extremely off. Zhang Zuolin looked depressed, he knew in his heart that it was useless to be anxious. Due to the poor performance of these old guns, coupled with the unprofessional training of artillery, the shelling effect was naturally unsatisfactory. Chief of Staff Zhang Zuoxiang saw him with an ugly face and said: "Commander, no wonder they are all old-fashioned artillery, plus our training is not professional, it is not bad to be able to fight to this extent." ”

"It's not better than not knowing how to be frightened, looking at Ge Yunfei's artillery, not to mention advanced artillery, the professional quality of artillery is simply incomparable." "Commander, I heard from General Ge's subordinates that half a month later, the headquarters requisitioned the 2nd Artillery Division to belong to our department, and I heard that the artillery division is already on the way." "I know about this, but at the moment, it is difficult to quench the thirst of the distant water." Zhang Zuolin put down the binoculars and didn't have the heart to look any further. The artillery commander stood on the side a little apprehensive, worried about Zhang Zuolin's reprimand. "The commander-in-chief said that training is replaced by battle, and this artillery bombardment is even a live-fire drill, you kid don't be sloppy."

"Humble Order!" The artillery commander replied cautiously. Zhang Zuolin did not reprimand the artillery commander, and the bad shelling affected his mood. At this moment, a truck entered the artillery position with a cart of unarmed soldiers. When Zhang Zuolin was surprised, an officer of the guard unit ran over to report: "Report to the commander, the person who came claimed to have been sent by Chief Ge." Soon after, a young officer stepped forward and reported: "Report to Commander Zhang, his subordinate is the artillery training and combat staff officer of the headquarters, and he has come to support him on the order of General Ge. ”

"Haha, the chief knows me, welcome, welcome!" With the support of professional gunners, the accuracy of shelling was immediately improved, and the accuracy rate was greatly improved. Zhang Zuolin shouted loudly while watching the effect of the shelling. Zhang Zuoxiang said beside him: "Commander, it's not okay if you don't accept it, this foreign thing is not something that our earth leopards can master, and it is still from a strong professional background." I heard that Ge Yunfei's gunners were all trained by military schools. Zhang Zuolin put down the binoculars and said: "Yes, what General Ge said is reasonable, an army without culture is a stupid army, and I have a deep understanding this time." Now I announce an order, from now on, that the soldiers be literate and hyphenated, and that if they do not meet the standards, they will be deducted. ”

At the same time, at a certain forward artillery position in Haicheng, the heavy shelling was deafening. The 105-mm howitzer was fired, and the scene was particularly shocking. The gunners are skillful in operation, and the personnel in various positions are orderly, busy but not chaotic. The shells exploded on the Japanese defensive positions, and the smoke of the explosion filled the air and rose. Many former migrant workers sat on one side, covering their ears and looking at the shocking scene excitedly, with a proud expression on their faces. Soon the artillery commander gave the order to stop the shelling, and the roar suddenly stopped.

In the headquarters of the Japanese army in Dandong, the commander Yoshimasa Oshima's face was very ugly. The chief of staff said cautiously: "Your Excellency, the enemy army is very cunning, for 3 days of continuous air raids, colleagues launched large-scale artillery bombardment, several heavy artillery brigades were dealt heavy blows, and the artillery is currently forced to disperse and conceal. The soldiers stayed up in the trenches for three days, and for three days they were bombarded by enemy artillery and thunder, causing heavy casualties. "The enemy has hundreds of fighters, and we have no power to fight back. Concealed artillery positions, bombed precisely by enemy aircraft, what are our counterintelligence departments doing? ”

"Your Excellency General, this is in the enemy country, and it is very easy for enemy intelligence officers to infiltrate, and it is obvious that our hidden artillery positions are clearly understood by the enemy troops. Now it is cold and snowy, it is very difficult for artillery to carry out mobile operations, and at present the forward positions are simply unable to organize an effective artillery counterattack. Oshima Yoshimasa said: "The enemy took advantage of air superiority to strike at our transport lines and paralyze our artillery. And the enemy army uses fierce air strikes and heavy artillery fire to carry out fire strikes, and in the long run we will be dragged down without the enemy's attack. ”

Yoshimasa Oshima took a few steps on the ground and continued: "Report the situation to the base camp in detail, and in addition, order the defending troops of the front-line trench fortifications to enter the trench fortifications to conceal, and the enemy will attack and then enter the trenches to prevent unnecessary battle losses." In just 3 days, Oshima Yoshimasa tasted the strength of his opponents, and from this it was concluded that the defeat of the imperial army in Shandong was not accidental. The enemy in front of him has the upper hand regardless of the will to fight, the right time and place, and weapons and equipment. Oshima Yoshimasa felt that he couldn't use his strength at all, and a shadow was cast on his heart, and the idea of retreating came to him.

In the early morning of December 8, the ground forces launched a powerful offensive on the Yingkou line, Haicheng line, and Qingchengzi line. In the headquarters of the 2nd Corps in Anshan, Commander Wen Biao looked at the military map with a solemn face. An operational staff officer said: "Commander, the 1st Army has put in two brigades to launch an attack on the outer defense line of Haicheng respectively. The 2nd Army threw in a division and launched an attack on the outer defensive line of Qingchengzi. The chief of staff said: "Chief Ge asked us to take the periphery and give up immediately, what does this mean?" "The commander-in-chief's intention is very simple, the purpose is to drag down the Japanese army and try to kill and injure the living forces of the Japanese army!"

"The commander-in-chief's battle plan is wonderful, attack or stop the offensive, the initiative is in our hands, once upon a time we could fight like this, it was really hearty!" The chief of staff was excited. "The commander-in-chief said: War is a contest of wisdom, and we must not only fight wits and courage with the Japanese army, but also win the greatest victory at the lowest cost." Wen Biao looked very excited, and while sorting out his clothes, he continued: "Let's go, let's go to the front line!" ”

In the forward position of Qingchengzi, after the artillery fire of his own side was extended, the loud charge horn sounded, and the soldiers jumped out of the trenches and launched an attack with agility. Japanese soldiers poured out of the tunnel fortifications and quickly entered the trench formation. However, the charging soldiers suddenly stopped advancing, and the extended shells smashed on the Japanese defensive positions. The Japanese soldiers fled in a hurry, killed and wounded. After repeated several times, the Japanese army could not bear heavy casualties and was forced to retreat to the core defense line of Qingchengzi. When the Japanese army was fully consolidating the defense, Ge Yunfei took the opportunity to order a truce for 5 days.

The infantry truce did not mean a truce in the air, and on this day in the underground fortifications of the Japanese headquarters in Dandong, the commander Yoshimasa Oshima endured a deafening explosion and looked sluggish. Since the beginning of the war, air strikes have been continuous on the Dandong and Yalu River transportation lines, and the Japanese army was forced to switch to night transportation. However, at night, he was frequently attacked by guerrillas, which made Oshima Yoshimasa mentally confused. "Your Excellency General, the enemy army is on the front line of Yingkou, and it is basically a feint, but the main attack direction is the line of Haicheng and Qingchengzi, and the enemy army does not seem to be eager to attack."

The chief of staff continued: "It has been 10 days since the enemy launched an offensive before taking the outlying positions. "This is precisely the cunning of the enemy, the front-line troops have frostbite on a large scale, and more and more soldiers are killed and wounded by enemy planes and enemy artillery fire every day, and the enemy's purpose is this, but we really have no good way." "The base camp asked us to report in detail every day, but there were no instructions. said that it was for the honor of the empire, and it was difficult to take the corpses of soldiers as child's play, just to take care of face. Although the enemy attack was slow, their casualties were minimal. ”

"Report, the military attache of the Imperial Legation in Beijing, Okamura Ninji Nakasa, arrives!" A subordinate reported. "Let him in!" Soon, an officer about 30 years old with glasses walked in, "Report to the general, Nakasaoka Village Ninji has come to report!" "Welcome, you've had a hard time along the way. Now that the war situation is erosive, I'm not welcome. Chief of Staff, you give him a briefing on the situation at the front! After the chief of staff reluctantly explained the current passive situation, Yoshimasa Oshima asked, "Okamura Nakasa, your letter confirms your judgment, and I appreciate your sober judgment." ”

Yoshimasa Oshima continued: "Okamura Nakasa, the enemy has used lethal means and has repeatedly succeeded, and we are very passive at present. Suffering from the lack of solutions, do you have any good suggestions? "Your Excellency General, my subordinates have the courage to speak out, and only then did they hear the chief of staff briefing on the situation, and their subordinates believe that the wise choice is to abandon the Liaodong Peninsula, retreat to the Korean Peninsula, and rely on the natural hazards of the Yalu River and the excellent terrain of the northern mountains of the Korean Peninsula to build a solid defense line, so as to turn the tide of the war." Oshima Yoshimasa's eyes lit up when he heard this, but he didn't immediately say anything. "Your Excellency, General, you should continue to suffer from it. While appealing to the base camp, it is necessary to make preparations for retreat. ”

"Your suggestion is very pertinent, please elaborate!" "Your Excellency General, Ge Yunfei's armistice conditions are that we unconditionally return the island of Taiwan and demand the independence of the Korean Peninsula and the Ryukyu Islands. This condition is absolutely impossible for the empire to agree. As far as I know, our preparations for war are simply not able to support the attrition of the war, and at present domestic public opinion is taking great responsibility for the failure of sending troops to the Shandong Peninsula. Our naval spending has been cut by 60 percent, plans for the construction of several large warships have been aborted, and the economic situation of the empire is getting worse and worse, so we have to adopt a full-scale defense strategy. ”

"Ge Yunfei is an iron-blooded man, this person has led his troops to win many battles, and he will never give up with kindness. The real goal of his next attack on the Korean Peninsula was to launch an attack. The chief of staff said that the enemy's attack was very slow, and that was an illusion, and that Ge Yunfei's purpose was to drag us to the Liaodong Peninsula and create conditions for launching a large-scale attack on the Korean Peninsula. How important the Korean Peninsula is to the empire, I think the military knows better than me. "You immediately write a detailed report, and I'll report to the base camp!"

Okamura Ninji's analysis of the strategic strategic position made Yoshimasa Oshima make up his mind. If the Korean Peninsula is held, the empire will be out of trouble after the end of the European war, which is the only hope for the Japanese Empire.