Chapter 498 is right and wrong, and the descendants say

November 11, 32 years of the Republic of China, five o'clock in the morning.

The 3rd Group Army of the Fourth Field Army of the National Revolutionary Army concentrated 240 mén 155mm caliber field heavy howitzers, more than 300 mén 105mm caliber light howitzers, more than 400 mén multiple rocket launchers, and more than 1,000 mén mortars of various calibers to carry out an unprecedented large-scale bombardment of Japanese strongholds and fortresses outside Beiping City.

At about 6 o'clock in the morning, 43 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers and more than 800 P-51 Mustang fighters loaded with heavy aerial bombs and rockets flew over Beiping.

At 8 o'clock in the morning, the ** artillery group began to extend the shelling into the city.

The 31st, 32nd, 33rd, 35th, 37th, 38th and special operations divisions of Siye, which had already entered the attack position, launched a general attack on the Japanese positions on the periphery of Beiping from seven directions at the same time under the cover of armored formations and the air force.

Under the overwhelming offensive of hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops, the Japanese troops on the periphery quickly collapsed.

At 12 o'clock in the afternoon, the Japanese strongholds of Tongzhou, Daxing, Fangshan, and Mén Tougou were broken one after another, and the remnants of the Japanese army completely retreated to the Beiping urban area; at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the 3rd Group Army carried out an artillery bombardment of the Beiping urban area, and at 2:05 p.m., a bomber group loaded with aerial bombs flew over Beiping again and bombed the Beiping urban area.

Suddenly, the entire urban area of Beiping became a sea of fire, and at this moment, the thousand-year-old city was groaning.

The majestic city walls and majestic arrow towers collapsed in the huge explosion, the rows of shops and the houses burned in the explosion, and the Forbidden City, which was resplendent and carried the precipitation of the Han Yi civilization for 600 years, was also reduced to ruins in the bombing, and the oriental treasure representing the ultimate in civil engineering and architectural art was abandoned!

After the four hours of indiscriminate bombardment, the entire city of Beiping was almost razed to the ground.

In Beiping City, almost all military installations, whether it was the headquarters, arsenals, field hospitals, or barracks, were completely destroyed, and the remnants of the 100,000 Japanese troops in Beiping City were seriously killed and wounded, and more than 5,000 people died directly in the bombing, and countless people were seriously injured or slightly injured.

At 6:05 a.m., the special operations division took the lead in breaking into the city and engaged in a brutal street battle with the Japanese army.

…………

Yangon, Siye Command.

The sky outside the window was getting dark, and Yue Weihan looked up at the clock on the wall, it was already six o'clock and five minutes.

After a while, the sound of hurried footsteps sounded outside the office, and then Deng Gong walked in with heavy steps and said, "Zhongshu, the special operations division has broken through into the urban area of Beiping. ”

Yue Weihan nodded and remained silent.

The special operations division has broken through into the urban area of Beiping, which means that the bombardment of Beiping has ended.

Although it was 100,000 miles away, Yue Weihan could still imagine that the city of Beiping at this time must be full of broken walls, burning houses, scorched rubble, and occasionally the severed limbs of the victims, and the living, homeless citizens were crying helplessly on the streets, and the whole hell on earth.

Yue Weihan suddenly closed his eyes, as if countless unjust souls were wailing in front of his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Yue Weihan tried his best to expel the unjust soul that was crying and wailing in front of him, and then slowly opened his eyes and said to Deng Gong: "Old Deng, call the Central Committee, the first part of my 3rd Group Army has broken through into the city, and Beiping will not be able to go down in a few days, as for ...... The merits and demerits of this battle have been commented on by posterity. ”

…………

Xi'an, Military Commission Building.

Zhou Gong hurriedly walked into the conference room and reported to Chairman Máo with a solemn expression: "Chairman, the democratic parties and representatives of the people from all walks of life have gathered again to petition and demand that Siye give up the plan to bomb Beiping, saying that if such a thousand-year-old city and the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties are destroyed in the war, it will be tantamount to a catastrophe in the history of Chinese civilization!" ”

"It's late." Mr. Zhu shook his head and sighed, "Beiping has been razed to the ground." ”

After that, Mr. Zhu handed the telegram in his hand to Zhou Gong, and after reading it, the expression on Zhou Gong's face suddenly became more and more solemn, and he muttered in a whisper: "Right and wrong, there are descendants to comment on?" ”

Chairman Máo took a deep puff of his cigarette, felt the pungency of the smoke churning in Xiōng's lungs, and then snuffed out the cigarette butt in the ashtray and said to Mr. Zhu and Zhou Gong: "Without sacrifice, there is no victory!" Sacrificing a Beiping, but preserving the entire North China, sacrificing hundreds of thousands of people in the city of Beiping, but preserving tens of millions of people in North China, it's worth it! ”

After saying this, Chairman Máo said to Zhou Gong again: "Come, immediately arrange for the Central News Agency to broadcast a radio release, saying that the bombing of Beiping is a collective decision of the Central Military Commission!" It's still the same sentence, there is no victory without sacrifice, I'm not afraid of infamy, Zhongshu said it well, right and wrong have their own posterity. ”

Zhou Gong nodded and walked away with a heavy expression.

…………

Mukden, General Headquarters of the Kwantung Army.

Umezu Mijiro folded his hands behind his back and stood on the "long-term peace" admonition banner with his eyebrows contemplative.

Umezu Mijiro is short in stature, looks like a haze, and doesn't look like a soldier, if he doesn't wear a military uniform, most people wouldn't think that he is the general commander of the 2 million Kwantung Army!

At present, the Japanese army in Central China has been completely wiped out, and the Japanese army in North China and the Japanese army in Nanyang have also been in turmoil, but the Eastern Army still maintains a strong combat effectiveness, and compared with the beginning of the full-scale invasion of China, the Kwantung Army has been organized into a huge armored force and heavy artillery unit, and its combat effectiveness has not only not declined, but has been greatly improved.

In Umezu Yoshijiro's view, the key to the success of the "holy war" and the establishment of a new order in Greater East Asia depends on the performance of the 2 million Kwantung Army.

Behind Umezu Mijiro is a huge mō sand table.

More than a dozen combat staff officers are busy around the sand table, as the communications staff officers continue to come to the latest news, the combat staff officers continue to push the combat vehicles, heavy artillery and soldiers on the sand table to the front, from the sand table, the vast majority of combat vehicles, heavy artillery and soldier models have entered North Manchuria, a few have even entered South Manchuria.

Judging from the appearance of chariots, heavy artillery, and soldier models, the Kwantung Army seems to be divided into five parts.

In fact, the rank of the Kwantung Army had been raised to the rank of the General Army, which was under the jurisdiction of the Fourth, Seventh, and Eighth Fronts.

Each front has 20 infantry divisions, 2 flying teams, 3 tank divisions and 5 heavy artillery brigades, with a personnel of about 500,000 people, more than 400 combat aircraft of various types, more than 900 Type III combat vehicles or T-34 tanks, and more than 500 150mm heavy howitzers or 120mm field howitzers.

In addition to the Kwantung Army, there are more than a dozen hún brigades, armed pioneer regiments or garrison brigades in Manchuria, and for the Japanese government, the puppet Manchuria** is also a relatively reliable armed force, with a total of about 500,000 people, which is enough to maintain the security and territorial defense of Manchukuo.

In other words, the 2 million Kwantung Army will be able to use all of it to fight in the south.

Umezu Mijiro is most concerned now about whether the cold snap in Siberia will move south as scheduled. If the forecasts of meteorologists were wrong and the cold snap in Siberia would no longer move south, or would last too short, it would likely cause a complete abortive of the Kwantung Army's southward battle plan, and it might even inflict heavy damage on the Kwantung Army.

In the sound of hurried footsteps, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadachi, chief of the General Staff of the Kwantung Army, strode into the battle hall, and immediately suddenly retracted his feet and reported to Umezu Mijiro: "Your Excellency, Dr. Hidemoto has repeatedly promised that the Siberian cold snap will definitely move south within five to eight days, and the duration will definitely not be less than 30 days!" ”

"Yo Si." Umezu Mijiro nodded happily and said, "Yoshimoto-kun, you've worked hard. ”

"Hello." Yoshimoto Sadachi bowed his head suddenly, and when he was saying a few words modestly, Major General Tamura Yoshitomi, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Kwantung Army, had already strode in, and immediately retracted his feet and said uprightly: "Your Excellency, Your Excellency the General Commander, I have just received an urgent report from the North China Front Army that the Chinese Army has concentrated hundreds of heavy artillery and hundreds of warplanes to carry out a large-scale bombardment of the Beiping City, all the military facilities of the North China Front Army have been basically destroyed, and the personnel have also suffered heavy casualties, and the ground troops of the Chinese Army have broken through into the city. ”

"What!?" Umezu Yoshijiro said in disbelief, "The Shina Army carried out a large-scale bombardment of Beiping? ”

"Hello." Tamura Yoshitomi bowed his head suddenly, and then said in a solemn tone, "Your Excellency General, the Chinese Army is obviously preparing to launch a general attack on Beiping, Your Excellency Hata called and said that the North China Front can hold out for at least half a month, but I think that the North China Front is likely to hold out until it gets dark tomorrow." ”

"Hold out until it gets dark tomorrow?" Yoshimoto Sadachi said awe-inspiringly, "Tamura-kun, it's a little alarmist, right?" ”

"Your Excellency, if you have carefully analyzed the battle situation in Taipei, Shanghai, and Qingdao, you will not think that I am listening to alarmist words." Tamura Yoshitomi said very politely, "Whether it is Taipei, Qingdao, or Shanghai, in the first bombardment of the Chinese army, the heavy equipment and peripheral fortifications have basically been destroyed, that is to say, by the time the Chinese army is put into the infantry to launch a general attack, the imperial army has lost almost all of its heavy firepower and strong fortifications, and Beiping will not be an exception." ”

Yoshimoto Sadachi's face suddenly became a little embarrassed, as the chief of the General Staff, but was openly accused by the deputy chief of the General Staff of not seriously analyzing the battle examples in Taipei, Qingdao and Shanghai, his face was naturally gloomy, but he had no way to refute Tamura Yoshitomi's judgment, the Battle of Beiping, the North China Front Army was afraid that it would be difficult to escape.

At that moment, Umezu Mijiro, Yoshimoto Sadachi, and Tamura Yoshitomi strode to the side of the mō sand table.

Yoshimoto Sadachi explained worriedly at the sand table: "Your Excellency, once Beiping and Tianjin are lost, the armored cluster and mechanized corps of the China Army will be able to leave Shanhaiguan within two days, and then use the Great Wall as a barrier to establish a defensive line and completely lock the western Liaoxi route, so that the opportunity for our Kwantung Army to go south will basically be lost." ”

Umezu Mijiro was silent, but the expression on his face gradually became hideous.

"Your Excellency, General, without further ado, let the First Front Army enter the customs immediately!" Yoshimoto Sada.

The First Front Army of the Kwantung Army was formed with the 1st Division as the backbone, and it can be said that it is the jīng Rui of the Kwantung Army, and it is also the vanguard of the southward movement.

"No, it's too risky!" Tamura Yoshitomi objected without hesitation, "Your Excellency, I must remind you that the cold snap in Siberia has not yet moved south, and the climate in Northeast Asia is still mainly sunny, and under such weather conditions, it is extremely unwise to order the First Front Army to go south. ”

"Tamura-kun!" Although Yoshimoto Sadachi had a good temper, but Tamura Yoshitomi repeatedly dismissed his face, this meeting finally broke out, and he blushed and roared angrily, "If the First Front Army does not immediately go south, Beiping and Tianjin will inevitably be lost, and in this way, the empire will forever lose the opportunity to go south, and the future of the Great East Asian Holy War will be bleak!" ”

"I don't think it will help even if the First Front Army goes south!" Yoshitomi Tamura insisted on his opinion.

Yoshimoto Sadachi then ignored Tamura Yoshitomi, turned to Umezu Mijiro and said, "Please make a decision, Your Excellency the General!" ”

Umezu Mijiro is also caught in a huge contradiction.

Judging from the current situation, if the First Front Army does not move south, Beiping and Tianjin will certainly not be able to hold on.

Once Beiping and Tianjin are lost, then, as Sadaichi Yoshimoto said, the Kwantung Army is likely to completely lose the opportunity to knock on the pass and move south, and at that time, China's air force will be able to use Beiping and Tianjin as bases to carry out large-scale bombing of Manchuria and even the Japanese mainland.

However, if the First Front Army is ordered to move south, just as Tamura Yoshitomi feared, under the indiscriminate bombardment of the Chinese Air Force, the armored units and heavy artillery units of the First Front Army will be destroyed without any suspense, and the armored troops and heavy artillery units will be lost on the march, and the fate of the First Front Army will be even worse than that of the North China Front.

Of course, with the containment of the First Front, the North China Front should be able to hold out for a few more days.

But even with the help of the First Front Army, the North China Front Army may not be able to hold out until the cold snap comes, which is really difficult for Umezu Mijiro, and after a long time, Umezu Mijiro gritted his teeth and said: "Order, the First Front Army immediately seize Shanhaiguan and put pressure on the Chinese Army from the flank." ”