The first thing that caught their eye was the green mountains. And in the clear inland sea, you can see schools of small fish and transparent jellyfish cruising in the sea, and even sand grains 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 their hometown of Shikoku Island, their father and brother went to greet the mother and daughter after returning from the battlefield.

After being separated for such a long time, the reunion of father and daughter who know each other and go on a blind date gives people a feeling of surprise. Especially when the father saw his granddaughter Fumiko Nakayama who was safe and sound, the ecstatic look made Haruko Yoshida extremely moved.

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

Her father told Yoshida that the Chinese navy was blockading the empire's coastline, and that their warships were regularly shelling merchant and fishing boats, as well as coastal ports and towns, causing heavy casualties among the civilian population. It is said that the Imperial Navy is trying to seek a decisive battle with the Chinese Navy in order to break the blockade of the Chinese Navy.

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

Haruko Yoshida doesn't know now that a larger-scale war is still to come.

June 10, 1921, Liaodong Peninsula, Zhuanghe County.

The commander of the fourth wing of the 9th Division of the Army, Kazuki Qingji, was ordered to lead his troops to hold the county seat of Zhuanghe.

Born in Saga Prefecture, Kazuki was a graduate of the 14th class of the Saimoto Non-commissioned Officer School and the second class of the Army University, and was 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 army, the Wing Commander is an important threshold that marks the successful transition from the rank of junior officer to the rank of senior officer 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 becoming more and more enticing: to become a 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 fierce battles broke out with the Chinese 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 that they were determined to eliminate the tyrannical squadron and defend the "lifeline" of the 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. As soon as the more than 2,000 officers and men of the Fourth Wing arrived at Zhuanghe, they built fortifications overnight and made preparations for battle.

In the early hours of the morning, as soon as the sky was dark, the heavy shelling suddenly woke up the soldiers who were waiting in the trenches. Kazuki Kiyoji saw from the telescope that more than a dozen [***] ships were in a long formation, like a movable battery connected from end to end, spitting flames while driving towards the shore with great momentum.

At the same time, more than 20 Chinese planes that flew in from nowhere also roared in, dropping bombs and strafing at the same time, and at once bombed the positions of the Japanese army into flames and darkness.

At 9 o'clock in the morning, the squadron began to land, and dozens of assault boats loaded with infantry slowly lowered from the big boat. The new type of charge used by the Chinese army did not rely on manual paddles, but had thrusters, so it was extremely fast, and although it seemed difficult to toss and turn in rough waters, it still quickly approached the shore.

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

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

The current situation is like the samurai of the Yumoto Imperial Family, who has fought 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 soldiers built many fortifications and anti-aircraft bunkers that were not strong enough in advance, it was not until the enemy's artillery fire extended and covered that Wing Captain Xiangyue 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 Wing Captain Kazuki fell to the ground and concretely and realistically endured the enemy's heavy artillery fire, his bold words and empty Yamato 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 to the division commander! The enemy is attacking us! Our department has suffered dozens of casualties! ”

"Xiangyue-kun, it's all up to you! Please! I'll 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.

It is said that this soldier is an animal who values obedience above life. In the creed of this soldier, on the battlefield, the individual has no place, and the order is above all else. However, after all, people are the best animals, such as the wing captain wants to be a general, the soldier is eager 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 your soldiers is often judged by two people, both 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. Kiyoji Kazuki gave the order to let the enemy assault boat 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 exposed sea, so when their rifles and machine guns were fired together, the Chinese fell from the boat into the rough water. Several boats were directly destroyed by artillery fire, and some were shot and sank.

To my surprise, the stubborn Chinese refused to retreat despite the head-on attack, and they continued to hold high the battle flag, firing 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 soldiers who had won the first battle cheered loudly.

The officers and men who had won the victory had their confidence greatly increased, and their enthusiasm for fighting was unprecedentedly high, and they asked one after another to take the initiative to attack and wipe out 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 people live for half a day, and at night, clean them up again!" With them on the shore, the enemy's warships would not dare to open fire. ”

Just as Kiyoji Kazuki had predicted, the Naka[***] 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 touched the front but pounced, and the cunning Chinese took advantage of the cover of night and quietly fled along the beach.

In the two days that followed, the Chinese army only bombarded the positions of the Yue army with artillery and used aircraft to continuously drop bombs and strafe them, so that the Chinese army could not raise its head, and the Chinese infantry never showed up. It was not until noon on the third day that a group of unsightly flat-headed boats like coffins appeared on the sea, and such boats were covered in steel armor, and were not afraid of machine-gun fire or shells, and they rushed up to the beach. The bow of the ship opened with a clatter, and many ironclad chariots with the rolling sound of infantry immediately drove out of the belly of the ship!

It turned out that the Chinese actually used the most advanced landing craft tactics in the world at that time!

Undoubtedly, for the first time, the stunned 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 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 the 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. It is said that the officers and soldiers were so badly injured that they had no choice but to shrink their forces and flee into the county town, preparing to rely on the dilapidated 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. It was said that the officers and men were besieged in this small county town, communications were cut off, and the reinforcements promised by the division commander had not arrived for a long time. 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.

“…… Great work, everyone! All of you are the best Emperor [***] people! Captain Xiangyue couldn't help but reddened his eyes when he was wrapped in this tragic battle atmosphere, and he said movingly, "We have always been together and share life and death together!" But today, many comrades-in-arms have already taken the lead! , they walked uprightly, worthy of His Majesty the Emperor, and worthy of their hometown fathers! The enemy will attack early tomorrow morning, and we must fight to the death 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 using tanks and armored vehicles to fight us, and we can't resist it by relying on our flesh and blood!" Someone went on to say, "Why don't you equip us with tanks?" ”

Hearing this rebuke full of resentment, Kazuki Kiyoji's face suddenly turned the color of pig liver, although no one could see clearly in the darkness.

In this 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 army is notoriously conservative, and despite their great power, wing commanders are less likely to like 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 army, the navy is the upper level (such as the "Siemens incident" of ordering warships), while the army is from the middle level.

And now, on the Chinese battlefield, 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 intense 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. Kiyoji Kazuki looked around at his subordinates again, and the 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, the fierce and brutal battle went on for another day, and the county town of Zhuanghe became a 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 of the heroic "jade shattering" of the Kazuki Seiji and the Fourth Wing spread to the country, and it had a great impact for a time, and the newspapers of the whole country hyped up their deeds, and the vast number of people in the country were greatly encouraged, and they used the power of example to inspire all the soldiers. It is said that this political axe is to make up for the loss, and he made an exception to pursue Jin Xiangyue Qingsi as a major general of the army, and there is also a family that writes his deeds into a famous book. 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 lifted, and the observation balloon of the [***] team rose into the air. Only a quarter of an hour later, the ships that appeared on the surface of the sea began to bombard 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 most advanced howitzers of the squadron are armed 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 at Lushunkou, with more than 120 ships of various types and nearly 3,000 naval guns, and the artillery fire could cover most of the brigade and urban areas. The total strength of the defense was only 50,000 men, and the fortified guns and other artillery guns in their possession were much inferior to those of the Chinese navy in terms of caliber and quantity. The problem is that the infantry's engagement with the enemy's warships is a completely new topic, so the army's combat will, combat skills, and tactical thinking will be tested more severely than ever before.

Soon, as the first shell fell, a huge column of smoke rose in the direction of the army's position. The Chinese fleet was targeting 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 screech smashed into the woods that might have hidden the Japanese ambush. The woods soon burst into flames, and the fireworks grew larger and larger, becoming a significant target for the firing of the [***] ship in the guidance. 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 army had been hidden, and the shells wiped the verdant woods from the ground along with the ambushes there.

It was a terrible scene that stunned all the people themselves.

(To be continued)