On January 6, at dawn, after receiving the news that the 47th Division had captured Tianmo Mountain, Cao Kun, whose eyes were red, suddenly became energetic.

This battle has entered a critical period, and now as long as the Japanese army in the Jinchuan area can be swept away, then there will be no main Japanese force between the entire Yanbai Plain and the Jianghan Plain, and the entire 16th Army will be able to rush into Seoul in one go. Therefore, at that moment, Cao Kun did not hesitate to issue an order to counterattack.

For a while, in the darkness before dawn, suddenly the sound of killing shook the sky, and the sound of artillery was everywhere.

Whether it is a 155mm caliber howitzer, a 130mm caliber cannon, a 105mm caliber howitzer, or even a 75mm caliber mountain artillery and field artillery, the Chinese army accurately hit the Japanese positions in the barrel in the shortest possible time.

Although, after the Japanese artillery reacted, they reacted almost immediately and counterattacked; Although the Japanese infantry was also ready to evade the artillery in the first time, they still suffered heavy losses in the entire Japanese position, which was shrouded in steel fragments and scorching heat, under the intensive artillery fire that the Chinese side did its best to output.

The shelling continued from 5:37 a.m. to nearly 7 o'clock.

In the col filled with gunsmoke, in the underground command post built by the Japanese army, with another violent shaking, among the many officers, except for Lieutenant General Anton Sadami, who was standing in front of the map with a blue face and did not move at all, the rest of the people involuntarily closed their eyes.

For a long time, it wasn't until the violent shaking slowed down a little that the officer cursed angrily: "Yaga, the shelling of the people of China is so fierce, are they going to launch a counterattack again?" ”

"These damn Chinese troops will launch artillery bombardments!" There was also an officer next to him who echoed in a low voice.

Obviously, bad news has reached the battlefield everywhere, and they are in a bad mood.

The commander of the 18th Division, Lieutenant General Mitsutomi Kamio, had an ugly face, and after he glanced at the two officers, he walked up to Anton Sadami's side, and said in a gloomy tone: "Anton Jun, we have completely lost contact with the 24th Wing of Tianmo Mountain, and they are already more than lucky. In addition, Mei Zejun's 6th Division was also encircled by the Chinese Army in the Tushan area, and he telegraphed to claim that the intensity of the Chinese offensive was unprecedented, and that the 6th Division was now suffering heavy losses and could no longer break out of the encirclement alone. ”

"Also, the 4th Army of China, under the command of its commander Yin Changheng, has continuously carried out strikes against the 2nd Division, and now they are constantly starting to retreat." This is the voice of the division commander of the 9th Division, Lieutenant General Sogoro Kawamura, and his voice sounds a little sad.

The belief in the invincibility of the Imperial Army and the spirit of bushido have always sustained them with the only courage, and the faith and glory of fighting for His Majesty the Emperor have given them the determination to die. Now, however, in the face of the outrageous combat strength of the Chinese army, their courage and determination have all been shattered.

As soon as the words fell, there was another violent shaking of the command post over there. Sogoro Kawamura saw the falling dirt in front of him, and looked up at the top of the headquarters with some concern, the previous solid top floor had already appeared a little cracked at this time, but the artillery fire of the Shina Army showed signs of becoming more and more fierce.

When he turned around again and saw Lieutenant General Anton Sadami who still didn't say a word, Kawamura's heart couldn't help but feel a little anxious, and he hurriedly shouted: "Anton-kun? Anton-kun, please make a decision as soon as possible! ”

Anton Zhenmei turned around and looked at the generals in front of him with anxious expressions and gloomy faces, and couldn't help but feel a burst of self-blame in her heart. In fact, just yesterday, the Chinese army on the other side had already shown an attitude of eagerness, but he was too hesitant to make a decision in time. waited until now, the 6th Division was surrounded, and Tianmo Mountain was also lost, and he suddenly realized that his side had also fallen into the encirclement of the opponent's four divisions. Yes, that's right, it's four divisions, and in addition to the three divisions of the 16th Army, the Chinese army on the opposite side also has the 52nd Division of the 18th Army, and the reinforcements sent to Tianmo Mountain by themselves were beaten back by this division.

Thinking of these things in her heart, Anton Zhenmei was stunned for seven or eight minutes before she seemed to come back to her senses suddenly, and in the eyes of everyone's hope, she said: "Gentlemen, my troops are now suffering from an unprecedented predicament, and now I order you, as the chief of staff of the front army, to immediately gather your troops and prepare to organize and implement the plan to move to Seoul!" ”

"Hay!" The generals responded, and then rushed out, although their faces were still melancholy, but their hearts were undoubtedly much firmer.

It's just that at the end, Kamio Guangchen stopped, with a hesitant look on his face, looked at Anton Zhenmei's back, and asked half-loudly: "Anton Jun, the battle is so far, the imperial army is difficult to win, and it is really the best choice for our department to transfer to Seoul." However, Mei Zejun's 6th Division is still under siege, and we ......"

"Everyone, including the senior general of the temple, no one can save the 6th Division, and now the only one who can bless them is Amaterasu!" Anton didn't hesitate to interrupt Kamio Mitsutomi's questioning, his heart was extremely bitter.

The Sino-Japanese war, which has developed to the way it is now, was not expected by anyone, including the Tokyo War Department. At the beginning of the war, everyone thought that this was a war without suspense, and more than 100,000 imperial soldiers would defeat the Chinese army like a thunderbolt and successfully obtain the interests of the empire, but today, the Chinese army was not only not defeated, but the imperial army was defeated one after another, so that now, the empire is going to lose this war.

At this moment, Anton Sadami stood silently in front of the huge military map, he did not worry about Commander Terauchi Masatsuki, who had previously launched this battle in a desperate manner, he was only worried about the future of the empire that he had fought for half his life.

……

Anton is not worried about the future of the temple, but the temple itself has to face the situation of sitting in the lonely city next.

The battle was initiated by himself, and he had never left the war room since learning that the war had suddenly turned upside down. He knew the siege of Umezawa's division, the transfer of Andong's troops, and the retreat of the 2nd Division, but he had no troops in his hands, so he had no other way to deal with it. At this moment, the original dream of making a contribution has long since vanished, and the first thing he must face is how to protect the remaining half of North Korea for the empire.

Fortunately, although the person in the temple is arrogant, he is also responsible. After calming down and realizing the huge disparity in strength between the two armies, he sat down at his desk and personally drafted a telegram to send to the country.

The telegram was not very long, but it said three things: first, he confessed his mistake in launching the campaign and expressed his willingness to accept any punishment, including dishonorable compulsory active duty and trial by a military court; Second, it pointed out that the prediction of the Sino-Japanese war by the War Department and the top leaders of the army was wrong, and that the strength of the Chinese army far exceeded its own estimates, and the combat strength of one division was comparable to one and a half divisions of the Imperial Army. Third, in terms of the strategy of diplomacy with China, we should no longer go against the government and refuse to negotiate, and it is the top priority at the moment to achieve an armistice between the two sides as soon as possible.

The temple is sober and has begun to face up to the gap between the two armies, but the others may not be like this. Therefore, when he took out the telegram, the entire command room, with the exception of one person, all the officers did not support his approach.

"I support the Commander." After Kuminomiya Kunihiko expressed his opinion calmly, he continued: "I suggest that the commander can add such a sentence, which can be based on the terms of peace talks between the Chinese, as long as it can keep Korea for the empire." ”

"Bastard, how can such a suggestion be made?" Looking at the defeated general in front of him, the anger in the heart of Lieutenant General Fujii Shigeta, the commander of the 12th Division, rose spontaneously, although he also knew that the current situation was not conducive to his own side, but he could not see this kind of remarks that would increase the morale of others and destroy his own prestige. So, he angrily rebuked: "How can we have such cowardice? Our attitude should be to tell the country that we have the confidence to win! ”

"Your Excellency, General, we must face up to the gap between the Chinese and Japanese armies. You see, excessive, intense faith will only ruin the Great Japanese Empire. In the face of Fujii's reprimand, King Kunihiko Kumiya retorted without fear. He has fought against the Chinese army many times, and now he is very disgusted with these guys who raise the problem infinitely at every turn.

"Bastard!" If it weren't for the presence of the temple, if it weren't for the identity of the other party's royal family, Fujii Shigta almost slapped this unscrupulous Dazuo twice: "The front-line soldiers are still fighting bravely, but you are making a lot of nonsense here, you are simply a pessimistic traitor." ”

"One force is a patriot?" King Kunihiko Kuminomiya was extremely calm, and the telegram drafted by the temple surprised him greatly, from the Double 11 incident to the current Sino-Japanese war, it has always been the radicals in the army who are pushing, if they are shaken now, then the government can achieve a truce with China as soon as possible, and win precious recovery time for the empire. Therefore, he said unceremoniously: "In the case of insufficient national strength, rashly starting a war is gambling with the fate of the empire." Such a person is not a true patriot at all, but a destroyer of the country. ”

Shigeta Fujii angrily waved the telegram in his hand and said, "Then do you know what this is?" This telegram is likely to ruin the future of the commander. ”

"I admire the Commander's actions." King Kunihiko Kuminomiya remained calm: "However, the commander has a heavy responsibility for the country, so it is all the more important to report the actual situation to the country and to His Majesty the Emperor." ”

"That's it!" Masaki Terauchi interrupted their argument and said, "Fujii-kun, that's it! Kuya Gongjun is right, when the Double 11 incident happened, our judgment was wrong, so what we have to do now is to end the war as soon as possible, and the empire must not lose Korea. ”

"But, General Terauchi, our warriors are still ......"

Shigeta Fujii opened his mouth, and thought about arguing a few more words, but a piece of news came suddenly: The 6th Division, General Umezawa sent a farewell message!

"Fujii-kun, let's send a telegram!"

The straight waist pole of the temple suddenly fell down.