Shimonoseki, in the southern part of Japan's main island of Honshu, should be a Japanese city familiar to Chinese. Because another name for this city is Maguan. After the disastrous defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, Li Hongzhang negotiated with Japanese Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito and Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu here. In the end, the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed, which humiliated the country.

If the Opium War brought China to its knees. Then, the First Sino-Japanese War made China completely fall into the abyss. And this, the culprit of everything is the Japanese. The Japanese used China as a stepping stone to climb upward, tightened their belts, painstakingly developed for decades, and finally defeated China in one fell swoop in this war, stepped on China's body, and leapt into a regional power. It can be said that it was the Japanese who gained a lot of benefits from the Treaty of Shimonoseki that allowed them to take off. If they hadn't extorted huge war reparations from China, would they have been able to defeat the Russians in the Russo-Japanese War ten years later? That's simply not possible.

Therefore, for the Chinese, Xiaguan has always been a place of shame. However, soon the Imperial Army's vengeful boots will set foot on Japanese soil here.

On the morning of September 18, 4621 A.D., the Imperial Navy, consisting of three 'Five Emperor-class' battleships, accompanied by a fleet of heavy cruisers, inclined encounters, and destroyers, escorted the 14th Army of the Imperial Army to the sea near Shimonoseki. The 2nd Marine Division, which will assist them in their landing. Previously, the 2nd Marine Division was stationed in Kitakyushu, and there was only a strait between Shimonoseki and Shimonoseki, which was no more than a kilometer wide.

Vice Admiral Sun Baihu, commander of the 14th Group Army, was talking to Vice Admiral Li Dingxin, chief of staff of the Imperial Navy's Pacific Fleet. Major General Zhou Xiang, commander of the 2nd Marine Division.

"General Sun, it's only 6 o'clock in the morning, an hour later. We will launch an artillery bombardment on the coast of Hikoshima in Shimonoseki. After that, the 2nd Marine Division would land on Hikoshima, and after establishing a beachhead, the 14th Army would launch a landing operation. Lieutenant General Li Dingxin said.

"Hmmm! The Japanese army did not deploy many troops in Shimonoseki, and the 4th Army eliminated a full ten Japanese divisions in Ise Bay. In order to deal with the 4th Army, the Japanese army drew a large number of troops to the north. They are in the southern part of the state. There are not many troops left. Lieutenant General Sun Baihu said.

The 1st Army of the Imperial Army swept across the island of Kyushu and had basically pacified the place. A large number of Japanese troops were either killed or captured. Except for the sporadic troops who still resisted in the mountains and forests, there were basically no regular troops to resist the Imperial Army. The Imperial Army's 4th Army also won a great victory at Ise Bay, defeating and annihilating nearly ten divisions of Japanese troops in one fell swoop, which inflicted great heavy losses on the Japanese army. If you count the army lost on Kyushu Island, the Japanese Army has already lost twenty divisions. You know, even after another expansion. The total strength of the Japanese Army was only 80 divisions. After these two battles, they have already lost a quarter of their troops. In the southern part of the entire island, the Japanese army still had only a dozen divisions. Moreover, most of them are still newly formed divisions. If you want to confront the Imperial Army, it is simply impossible.

According to information received by the Imperial Army, the Japanese army deployed a total of the 5th Division and the 10th Division in Yamaguchi, Hiroshima, and Shimane Prefectures throughout the southern part of Honshu Island. The 39th, 64th and 70th Divisions. Thereinto. The main divisions were the Fifth and Tenth Divisions, and the 64th and 70th Divisions, all of which had just been formed and had little combat effectiveness. So, deployed in the rear. The 14th Army of the Imperial Army is currently dealing with mainly the Fifth Division. 10th and 39th Divisions. In addition to these infantry, there was also a 5th brigade of independent heavy artillery. Although the Japanese army was strong, it was undoubtedly much inferior to the Imperial Army, especially the Imperial Army, which was supported by naval firepower.

7 a.m. The Imperial Navy shelled the western coast of Hikoshima. Although, there is still a strait several tens of meters wide between Hikoshima and Shimonoseki. However, a few tens of meters was nothing at all for the Imperial sappers. It's easy to build a pontoon bridge. If it weren't for the fact that the Japanese army had deployed a large number of mines in the Guanmen Strait, making the strait impassable, the Imperial Navy could have even directly covered the landing of the 14th Army at Shimonoseki.

Heavy artillery bombardment by the Imperial Navy inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese Army deployed on the beach. The fortifications they painstakingly built were reduced to rubble in the shelling. After all, no matter how strong the army's fortifications are, when facing the navy's large-caliber naval guns, they are often no different from paper paste. Few shore fortifications were able to withstand the shelling of the main guns of 381-mm naval guns.

By the end of the half-hour shelling, the Japanese positions were in ruins. Everywhere there are bombed fortifications, stumps and broken arms, and even more everywhere, like hellish scenes.

After that, the 2nd Marine Division of the Imperial Corps launched a landing operation. Because the Japanese army had already suffered heavy losses in the shelling. Therefore, in the face of the landing of the Imperial Marines, the resistance of the Japanese army was very fragile. With just one attack, a solid beachhead was created on the beach. Subsequently, more and more Marines came ashore on landing craft. This allowed the Imperial Army to establish a solid position on the beach of Hikoshima.

On the morning of the same day, the 2nd Marine Division of the Imperial Corps, with the strength of two regiments and with the cooperation of the navy, attacked the pier of Hikoshima. Although, under the counterattack of the Japanese army, it caused partial damage to the dock. However, thanks to the efforts of the sappers, the pier was soon able to be used. Divisional units of the 2nd Marine Division, already infantry of the 14th Army of the Imperial Army, were able to quickly disembark through the docks.

In the afternoon of the same day, the 14th Infantry Division of the Imperial Army launched a fierce attack on the Japanese 5th Infantry Division stationed on Hikoshima. Although, the total strength of a fully manned Japanese division was as high as more than 25,000 people. However, after the early attrition, the Japanese Fifth Division had already suffered heavy losses. In the face of the attack of the 14th Infantry Division of the Imperial Army, they simply could not resist.

Before the sun went down, the Imperial Army had completely captured Hikoshima. The remnants of the Japanese Fifth Division were evacuated to Honshu Island through the bridge. In addition, the bridge connecting Hikoshima and Honshu Island was blown up.

The next day, even on September 19, the Imperial Navy launched a heavy artillery bombardment of the Japanese forces on the other side of Hikoshima. The three 'Five Emperor-class' battleships fired at least a thousand 381-mm shells at the Japanese positions. Shells of other calibers, even more numerous. The 14th Heavy Artillery Brigade of the Imperial Army, as well as other artillery units, also launched a fierce artillery bombardment, a terrifying artillery bombardment that directly broke down the Japanese defenses on the coast.

Subsequently, the 2nd Marine Division launched another landing operation. Relying on strong fire support, the 2nd Marine Division of the Imperial Marine Corps easily landed successfully. In addition, he repelled the Japanese counterattacks again and again, and successfully gained a foothold on the beaches in the southern part of Honshu Island.

The 14th Engineer Brigade of the Imperial Army immediately began to build pontoon bridges. The simple pontoon bridge for the infantry is very simple. From Hikoshima to Honshu Island, it's only a few dozen meters. In less than an hour, the pontoon bridge was erected. The 14th Infantry Division of the Imperial Army, which was the first to pass through pontoon bridges, strengthened the line of defense on the beaches south of the island of Honshu. Subsequently, a counterattack was launched and the battle line was directly advanced to the urban area of Shimonoseki.

At this moment, there are no civilians in the city of Shimonoseki for a long time. After Kitakyushu on the other side of the Kanmon Strait was captured by the Empire* army, the Japanese living in Shimonoseki feared that the Chinese* army would cross the sea and attack. So, they immediately fled the city and fled to the outskirts to avoid trouble.

In Shimonoseki Castle, all of them were the Japanese Army. The Imperial Navy launched a heavy artillery bombardment on Shimonoseki, directly turning the city into ruins. The Japanese troops stationed here suffered heavy losses.

From the afternoon of September 19, the 14th Army of the Imperial Army drew troops and began to attack Shimonoseki. Although, the remnants of the Japanese Fifth Division, the 10th Division and the 39th Division, a total of more than 50,000 troops, desperately resisted. However, under the attack of the Imperial Army, it was still defeated and retreated, and it was impossible to resist it at all.

On September 20, the 14th Armored Brigade of the Imperial Army entered the city of Shimonoseki to assist the Imperial Army in attacking the Japanese army. With the cover of armored forces, the attack speed of the Imperial Army suddenly went up a level. The Japanese army was defeated. In the following two days, he abandoned Shimonoseki City due to heavy losses and fled north.

However, these divisions of the Japanese army have almost been disabled. It would be almost impossible to fight the Imperial Army again.

The headquarters of the 14th Army of the Imperial Army was also set up in Shimonoseki City with great swagger. The first order issued by Lieutenant General Sun Baihu, commander of the group army, was to demolish the Chunfan Tower in Xiaguan City. Here, it symbolizes a period of shame in China. It was here that the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed. In the course of the negotiations, Japanese Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito and Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu went to great lengths to insult China's negotiator Li Hongzhang. All kinds of harsh conditions were put forward to the Chinese side, but whenever there was the slightest opposition from the Chinese side, they clamored to enter Yanjing. The cowardly Manchu government had no choice but to accept the Japanese conditions.

Twenty-eight years later, however, the Empire is already in disgrace. The entire Shimonoseki, including a large part of Japan, had fallen into the hands of the Empire. Next time, it will be time for the Japanese to kneel in front of the empire and negotiate peace with the empire. (To be continued.) )

PS: Twenty-sixth watch, brothers, is there still a monthly pass?