The first thing that catches their eye is the green mountains of Japan.?? ⑤???? Read the latest chapter of the book while in the clear inland sea, you can see schools of small fish and transparent jellyfish cruising in the sea, and even see the sand particles on the bottom of the sea.

However, as the ship continued to sail eastward, the wreckage at sea showed the trauma of war, and the number of ruined walls and collapsed houses grew.

Returning to his hometown of Shikoku Island, his father and brother, who had returned from the battlefield first, went to meet their mother.

After being separated for such a long time, the reunion of the father who knows each other and goes on a blind date gives people a feeling of surprise. Especially when his father saw the safe and sound Sun NV Fumiko Nakayama, that ecstatic look made Yoshida Chūnko extremely moved.

Seeing that his father was missing an arm and his brother was on crutches, Yoshida Chūnko couldn't help but shed tears.

The father told Yoshida that the Chinese navy was blockading the empire's coastline, and that their warships were regularly shelling Japanese merchant and fishing boats, as well as coastal ports and villages, causing heavy casualties among Japanese civilians. The Imperial Japanese Navy was trying to find a decisive Chinese naval battle in order to break the blockade of the Chinese Navy.

After listening to her father's words, the figure of the "high-tech warlord" standing on the deck of a Chinese battlecruiser once again appeared in front of Yoshida Chūnko's eyes.

Yoshida Chūnko doesn't know now that a larger war is still to come.

June 10, 1921, Liaodong Peninsula, Zhuanghe County.

The commander of the 4th Wing of the 9th Division of the Japanese Army, Kiyoshi Kazuki, was ordered to lead his troops to hold the county seat of Zhuanghe.

Born in Saga Prefecture, Japan, Kiyoji Kazuki is a graduate of the 14th class of the Japanese Non-commissioned Officer School and the second class of the Army University, and is known for his research on "infantry tactics". Although he achieved great fame at a young age, Kiyoji Kazuki was not satisfied with this, and he desperately hoped that he would be able to make a career on the real battlefield.

In the Japanese army, the wing commander is an important threshold that marks the success of your transition from the ranks of junior officers to the ranks of senior officers in the hierarchical barracks. Senior officers have many privileges that junior officers do not have, such as taking on duty, taking family members, marching on horseback, not having to charge with soldiers, and so on. And the prospect of the future is more and more yòu people: to become the general of the empire. Didn't Napoleon say that a soldier who does not want to be a general is not a good soldier, and then a soldier who has become a wing commander has no reason to stop.

The 40-year-old Captain Kazuki still has enough time to fight for the grand goal of realizing his dream of becoming a general.

But now, he is feeling a lot of pressure.

At the end of May, reinforcements of the Chinese army arrived one after another, and fought Jī battles with the Japanese army in many places along the coast of the Liaodong Peninsula. According to intelligence, the Chinese army was probably planning a landing operation in the Liaodong Peninsula area, and the Xiangyue Wing, as the reserve of the Ninth Division, was ordered to rush to Zhuanghe County to resist the landing enemy there.

Before leaving, the entire Fourth Wing solemnly swore an oath determined to eliminate the tyrannical squadron and defend the "lifeline" of the Japanese Empire.

Zhuanghe County is located in the middle of the coastline along the North Korean side of the Liaodong Peninsula, and is an important fortress on the flank of the battlefield in Luda City. The latest and fastest update of this book comes from du58.As soon as the more than 2,000 officers and men of the Fourth Wing arrived at Zhuanghe, they built fortifications overnight and prepared for battle.

In the early hours of the morning, as soon as the sky was bright, the heavy shelling suddenly woke up the Japanese soldiers who were waiting in the trenches. Kazuki Kiyoji saw from the telescope that more than a dozen medium-** ships were lined up in a long formation, like an end-to-end mobile battery, spitting flames while driving towards the shore violently.

At the same time, more than 20 Chinese planes flew from nowhere, throwing bombs and sweeping shè, and at once the Japanese positions were blown up in flames and the sky was dark.

At 9 o'clock in the morning, the squadron began to land, and dozens of assault boats full of infantry slowly lowered from the big boat. Instead of paddling with human paddles, the Chinese army had thrusters and was extremely fast, and although it was difficult to toss and turn in the rough waters, it still made its way to the shore quickly.

For the Japanese officers and men, who were armed only with light and heavy machine guns and marine artillery, this was the first time in history that they had fought against an opponent who was more advanced and powerful than themselves.

Kiyoji Kazuki can be called a well-known infantry tactician in Japan, but now when he sees this scene, he feels a little dazed.

The current situation is like a Japanese samurai who is invincible all over the world, and suddenly encounters a group of foreign robbers with muskets in their hands, and the degree of dizziness and embarrassment can be imagined. Although the Japanese soldiers built many fortifications and anti-aircraft bunkers in advance, it was not until the enemy's artillery fire extended and covered them that Wing Captain Kazuki found that most of those fortifications and bunkers had been destroyed by artillery fire, and there were many casualties among officers and soldiers. ,

As a commander with a great reputation and experience in the country, when Captain Kazuki fell to the ground and concretely and realistically withstood the enemy's heavy artillery fire, his bold words and empty national pride were shattered. Rifles, machine guns, and a limited number of artillery pieces alone could not stop the attackers from the sea, armed to the teeth.

The phone rang suddenly, and Kiyoji Kazuki took the phone, and on the other end of the phone, it was the division commander who was asking about the battle situation.

"Report regiment commander, the enemy is attacking our unit, and our unit has suffered dozens of casualties"

"Xiangyue-kun, it's all up to you, the position is please, I will send reinforcements to reinforce you at any time," the division commander encouraged on the phone.

"Yes! We swear to live and die with the position," Captain Kazuki replied loudly.

The Japanese soldier is an animal who values obedience above life. In the creed of the Japanese soldiers, on the battlefield, the individual has no place, and the order is above all else. However, after all, people are animals with hopes, such as the captain of a wing who wants to be a general, a soldier who wants to be promoted to an officer, and so on, but once you are on the battlefield, you can't help yourself. Whether you want to or not, you must always be ready to give up everything, including what you have gained and what you will get, which is why the performance of Japanese soldiers is often judged on and off the battlefield.

After the officers and men of the Kazuki Wing initially underwent the baptism of fire from the enemy, everyone understood that a vicious battle was inevitable, and they were resurrected after death, and at this time the Kazuki Kiyoji and the officers and men all calmed down. The latest and fastest update of this book comes from du58.Kazuki Kiyoji ordered the enemy assault boat to be put in, and after the enemy assault boat entered within two hundred meters, he tore his throat and gave the order to open fire. Although the squadron was large in number and had great firepower, they were now floating on the stormy sea, so when the Japanese rifles and machine guns fired together, the Chinese fell from the boat into the rough water. Several boats were directly destroyed by Japanese artillery fire, and some of them were shot and sank.

To the surprise of the Japanese, the stubborn Chinese refused to retreat despite the head-on attack, and they continued to hold high the battle flag, shooting back while driving the assault boat with a firm will. The closer you get to the shore, the more dinghy you sink and the ten soldiers who fell into the water are constantly swept away by the turbulent whirlpool, while the living people relentlessly paddle towards the shore. The battle lasted for half a day, and the attack of the Chinese army was temporarily repulsed, and about 100 people swam ashore and lay behind the reef on the coast to resist stubbornly.

The Japanese soldiers, who had won the first battle, cheered loudly.

The confidence of the Japanese officers and men who had won the victory was greatly increased, and their enthusiasm for fighting was unprecedentedly high, and they asked one after another to take the initiative to attack and destroy the enemy who had come ashore. Kazuki Kiyoji took a sip fiercely, wiped the gunpowder smoke and oil sweat on his face with his hand, and said happily: "Let the damned Shina people live for half a day, and at night, take care of them and have them on the shore, the enemy's warships will not dare to open fire." ”

Just as Kiyoji Kazuki expected, the ** ship really stopped shelling. At night, the 4th Wing formed a commando team to attack in multiple directions, preparing to encircle and annihilate the landing enemy, but unexpectedly mō came to the front but pounced, and the cunning Chinese took advantage of the cover of night and quietly fled along the beach.

In the following two days, the Chinese army only bombarded the Japanese positions with artillery, and used aircraft to continuously drop bombs and sweep shè, so that the Japanese could not raise their heads, and the Chinese infantry never had a face. Until noon on the third day, a group of ugly flat-headed boats like coffins appeared on the sea, and such boats were covered in steel armor, and they were not afraid of machine-gun sweeps or shells, and they rushed all the way up to the beach. The bow of the ship opened with a clatter, and at once a number of ironclad chariots with the rolling sound of infantry came out of the belly of the ship

It turned out that the Chinese actually used what was the most advanced landing craft tactic in the world at that time

Undoubtedly, for the first time, the stunned Japanese officers and men learned this completely unheard of method of warfare: landing craft sent tanks and infantry directly to the beachhead, while those armored vehicles spewed tongues of fire and went on a rampage, while carrying and covering the infantry charge. From the completion of the landing to the capture of the opponent's position, it took less than an hour in total

Under the powerful offensive of the Chinese mechanized troops, the 4th Wing could not resist at all, and lost all positions outside the city on the same day.

There is no such thing as an army that doesn't want to win, the key is whether you have the strength to win. The Japanese officers and soldiers were so badly wounded that they had no choice but to shrink their forces and flee into the county town, preparing to rely on the ruined city walls and houses to engage in street battles with the Chinese army. ,

In the evening, it rained lightly, and the Chinese army set up camp outside Zhuanghe County, and the crisp gunfire and the distant roar of the Chinese soldiers rang out from time to time in the dark wilderness. Japanese officers and soldiers were besieged in this small county town, communications were cut off, and the reinforcements promised by the division commander were delayed. When Kiyoji Kazuki patrolled the small position, he found that his troops had less than six hundred men left, many of whom were wounded, and many of his familiar subordinates had died in the wilderness.

“…… Everyone has worked hard, you are all the best emperors" Captain Xiangyue was wrapped in this tragic battle atmosphere, and couldn't help but redden, he said movingly, "We have always been together, sharing life and death weal and woe, but today, many comrades-in-arms have taken the first step, they are upright, worthy of His Majesty the Emperor, worthy of their hometown, the enemy will attack early tomorrow morning, we must fight to the death, and hold on until reinforcements arrive." ”

A hoarse voice flew out of the darkness: "What if reinforcements don't come?" ”

This terrible question tormented everyone, and the battlefield was instantly covered with a deathly silence.

Captain Xiangyue's face was red and white, and he sighed and didn't speak.

There is no one who is not afraid of death, unless you have to. If the loss of positions is inevitable, why do you have to let everyone die?

"The squadron is fighting us with tanks and armored vehicles, and we can't resist it with our bloody bodies," someone continued, "why don't you equip us with tanks?" ”

Hearing this rebuke full of resentment, Kazuki Kiyoji's face suddenly swelled into a pig's liver, although no one could see it clearly in the dark.

In the Japanese Army, the strongest organization is the wing, and except for the Guards Division, the wings of the rest of the divisions can be said to be "local companies", and the wing commanders are often local "local tyrants and inferior gentry". Everyone in the team has to be honest with their tails between their legs, or they will fart and go home. The authority of the wing commander in the army and in his hometown is very great, and no matter how urgent the battle situation in front is, if you know the wing commander, the "call letter" will not be sent to your home. It can be said that it is extremely bullish.

The Japanese Army was notoriously conservative, and despite their great power, the Wing Commanders were less inclined to replace their men with advanced equipment, especially tanks and armored vehicles. The captains of the wing liked war horses. Because tanks and armored vehicles are not profitable for them, the construction of tanks is the business of factories, the ordering of tanks is the business of the General Staff Headquarters, and the fuel for tanks is also supplied uniformly - there is no cats. And for war horses, feed alone is a big deal, where to buy, how much to buy, the cat is too big to buy. There is no way unless you become a wing commander of a chariot unit, and ordinary wing commanders generally stay away from tanks and armored vehicles. For the Japanese army, the Japanese Navy is the upper level (such as the "Nishi Mén sub-incident" of ordering warships), while the Japanese Army is from the middle level.

And now, on the battlefield in China, the consequences of this ** have been manifested.

Facing the reproach of his subordinates, Kazuki Kiyoji felt indescribable remorse in his heart.

The awkward silence was broken by the sound of gunfire in the distance, and Kiyoji Kazuki knew that it was the enemy attacking. Soon, a correspondent sent a belated order from the division commander: hold your position, and no one is allowed to retreat without permission. Seiji Kazuki looked around at his men again, and the Japanese soldiers bowed their heads one by one. The wing commander slowly tore off the order with a blank face and gave the battle order.

The next day, another day of brutal fighting was fought, and the county town of Zhuanghe was reduced to scorched gravel. The reinforcements promised by the division commander never came, and the remaining officers and men of the Fourth Wing, under the leadership of Kazuki Kiyoji, fought desperately and hard, and finally the whole army was annihilated. Kiyoji Kazuki was wounded and continued to fight until he was torn apart by a tank shell.

The news that Kiyoji Kazuki and the Fourth Wing were all heroic and "broken" spread to Japan, and for a time it had a great impact, and newspapers throughout Japan publicized their deeds greatly, and the vast number of Japanese people were greatly encouraged, and they used the power of example to inspire all the soldiers. The Japanese government made amends for the loss of the sheep and made an exception to posthumously Jin Xiangyue Kiyoji as a major general of the army, and some writers wrote his deeds into famous works. The martyr of Xiangyue has been smiling since then, although he is still alive.

Until his death, Kiyoji Kazuki didn't understand why the reinforcements promised by the division commander never arrived.

If he understood that the division commander did not deliberately release his pigeons, he would not have complained. ,

At nine o'clock in the morning of that day, the morning fog cleared, and the observation balloon of the squadron was lifted into the air. Only a quarter of an hour later, the medium ** ship that appeared on the surface of the sea began to shell the port of Luda.

For the Army, a warship is a huge moving battery.

Compared to any other land artillery, the guns of warships are giants in the artillery family. For example, in World War I, the U.S. Army was generally equipped with 155 mm cannon howitzers, which was quite large in the field artillery at that time. And the squadron is armed with the most advanced howitzers, with a caliber of 180 mm. The main guns on the battleships and battlecruisers of the Chinese Navy have an unprecedented caliber of 406 mm and a range of tens of kilometers.

At this time, the Chinese fleet had gathered in Lushunkou, with more than 120 ships of various types and nearly 3,000 naval guns, which could cover most of the brigade and urban areas. The Japanese defended with a total strength of only 50,000 men, and their fortified guns and other artillery were much inferior to those of the Chinese navy in terms of caliber and number, and when the Japanese officers and men drove to the front with rifles, many of them were indeed determined to put their lives on the line. The problem is that the battle between the infantry and the enemy's warships is a completely new topic, so the Japanese army's combat will, combat skills and tactical thinking will be tested more severely than ever before.

Soon, as the first shells fell, a huge column of smoke rose from the direction of the Japanese position. The target of the Chinese fleet was the perimeter of the Japanese battery, and the Chinese ** ship quickly corrected the impact point, and then hundreds of large-caliber shells with a heart-rending scream smashed into the woods that might have hidden the Japanese ambush. The woods soon burst into flames, and the fireworks grew louder and louder, becoming a significant target for the of the leading ships. The shelling of the Chinese fleet lasted about 20 minutes. When the smoke from the explosion of the shells was gradually blown away by the sea breeze, some people who were bold enough to watch the battle were amazed; A number of shocking craters appeared on the flat ground where the Japanese troops were hidden, and the shells wiped the verdant woods from the ground along with the ambushes there.

It was a terrible spectacle that stunned all the Japanese.