When the Chinese artillery bombardment began, Lieutenant General Ugaki Kazunari was still nervously dispatching troops, and since yesterday afternoon, his 0th Division headquarters has been busy with this matter, but not many troops have been mobilized in one night. This kind of large-scale troop movement is not something that can be moved in the first place. When there was a faint sound like thunder in the distance, the officers in the entire division headquarters suddenly put down their work at the same time, turned their heads and went to the sky outside the glass window. I saw a sky-high red light in the northwest sky. The chief of staff of the division, Ryosuke Isotani, stared at the bloodshot eyes, as if in a nightmare. He had already anticipated the Chinese army attacking yesterday, and he had worked out a way to deal with it as best he could, but he was still surprised by the scale of the Chinese artillery bombardment.

In the twin cities, which are more than 0 kilometers away from the battlefield, you can faintly feel the earth trembling, what a powerful artillery group it must be! The Chinese army that came to attack was by no means two or three armies, but concentrated the main forces of the Northeast Front! I wonder if there are six or seven armies and more than 500 cannons! Such a force firepower is not at all something that a mere division can withstand!

Lieutenant General Ugaki Kazunari howled like a pig. "Immediately report to the command of the Far Eastern Army, the main force of the Manchurian Army of China has been found in the direction of Shuangcheng! It's an absolute workhorse! The 0th Division asks for tactical guidance! ”

His voice fell, and there was already a cacophony of telephones ringing in the headquarters. The commander of the brigade, which was on the front line, had already called. Report that the communication between the brigade headquarters and the front line has been interrupted! Including the frontal defense line of the Middle East Road, which is being shelled, and most of the outposts on the north and south sides are not connected! The former should have destroyed the communication lines by the Chinese artillery bombardment, while the latter was probably wiped out by the Chinese army that broke through in a big way. The artillerymen assigned to the 1st Brigade did not dare to fire back at all. Not only was it deterred by the powerful long-range heavy artillery of the Chinese army, but it was also the Chinese army aircraft hovering in the sky. I also know what the consequences of firing are.

Ryosuke Isoya's face was pale. Almost subconsciously, he asked the staff officers in the division headquarters who seemed to be more panicked than him: "Did the infantry of the Chinese army start to charge?" "With the lines of communication already destroyed, they can't answer his questions anymore. Lieutenant General Ugaki Kazunari was almost roaring: "Order the 1st Brigade to hold out for 72 hours no matter what!" Even if I fight to the last man, I must hold on -- we must not let the main force of the Chinese army rush along the Middle East Road! The 1st Brigade, the Railway Garrison, and the Independent 7th Artillery Wing all retreated into the Twin Cities Fortress and prepared to defend to the end! The pioneers around the twin cities are all mobilized, and those who can take up arms, regardless of men, women, and children, will participate in the battle! This is the decisive battle that will decide the fate of the Empire! ”

Ryosuke Isoya was stunned. Asked: "Your Excellency, Lieutenant General!" We don't have enough weapons to arm the pioneers! ”

"Eight grids!" Ugaki Kazunari probably had red eyes, picked up two ear scrapers and fanned them, and jumped to his feet and shouted after the fight: "If you don't have a rifle, use a bamboo gun, and if you don't have a cannon, use grenades and explosives bags to die with the Chinese army!" When the twin cities fall, these pioneers will also be killed by the Chinese army, and they will die the same, it is better to die vigorously! ”

Wu Shi and Qian Dajun. and their German adviser Hoffman was guarding a forward observation post of the Third Army at this time, and all three of them were close to observe this unprecedented offensive campaign of the Chinese Wehrmacht in wartime. No sooner had the than the artillery bombardment of unprecedented scale ended, and there was a loud cheer from the officers and soldiers on the forward positions, all of whom had witnessed the miraculous rise of their country from a fragmented semi-colonial state! Doesn't such a powerful artillery fire mean that China has become a great power? At this time, everyone shouted from the bottom of their hearts: "Long live the Standing Chairman!" slogan. The two Chinese generals were also stunned by such a scene in front of them, it turned out that this is how world-class offensive tactics are fought! It is to flood the enemy's positions with a sea of fire, and to ravage the opposing garrison with incomparably powerful firepower. There is such fire support. If the attacking infantry can't win again, they can really buy a piece of tofu and kill it!

In the artillery observation post on another high ground, General Cai Zhonghu was also using an artillery team to look at the sky not far away. He was the commander-in-chief of the artillery of the Wehrmacht, and the commander-in-chief of this shelling! The staff officers around him were constantly in contact with the commanders of the various artillery groups, asking about the progress of the shelling. An hour of artillery preparation had already knocked out two bases of ammunition. And the next assault on the Twin Cities Fortress will use more shells. For this offensive. The entire Middle East and South Manchurian railways have been in full operation for ten days, and together with the huge amount of materials that had been hoarded at the Suifenhe fortress and the Mudanjiang military station before the war, it was possible to support such an offensive campaign with unprecedented firepower. Of course, behind this qiē, there is also a new Republic of China, which was completely unified more than three years ago, regained all sovereignty, and embarked on the road of national socialism. And their opponent, Japan, although it also has a strong national strength to support it, but in recent years, the focus of development has been on the construction of the Far East and the navy, and the army's military expenditure is stretched, and there is not much heavy equipment at all, and even the weapons in reserve are only enough to equip five divisions and regiments! If it weren't for the fact that China didn't have a strong navy, after the end of the Far East Campaign, China could even launch an attack on the Japanese mainland, which was empty of troops!

……

"Second Assault Group! Second Assault Group on! Mortar group, hit smoke grenades! ”

Sun Liren almost gritted his teeth and named the first assault group. Twenty sturdy men with submachine guns rushed towards the broken iron bridge. On the deck of the broken bridge near the north bank, there were more than a dozen corpses in Wehrmacht uniforms! There were also a few Wehrmacht soldiers who were firing desperately across the river with their submachine guns - they were the only remaining members of the 2nd Assault Group! A wooden raft made of two trunks the size of a bowl was thrown not far behind them.

And in the woods on the north bank of the Little River, more Wehrmacht infantry was suppressing the Japanese fire on the opposite bank with rifles, machine guns, and mortars. Judging from the sparse gunfire of the Japanese army, their number is not large. There may be less than one squad. But among them there are a few snipers with excellent marksmanship. Just now, when the 1st Assault Group dragged the wooden platoon to the bridge deck, it was planted on their accurate shots.

"Smack-hook! Smack-hook! "The rifles in the hands of the Japanese army have fired again! Two charging sappers fell to the ground! But the rest of the guys are still charging with their heads covered. Almost at the same time, the rifles of the snipers of the Chinese infantry on the north bank of the river were fired. It is also a well-made (the standard name of the squadron should be the Minqi style rifle), and it is also a well-trained sharpshooter, and after the gunshot, I saw something rolling down from the branch on the opposite bank! The Defence officers and soldiers on the north shore cheered.

However, before their cheers fell, two more sappers were knocked to the ground by Japanese snipers! Then there was a counterattack by Chinese snipers and mortars! The two sides went back and forth and killed each other until the twenty guys of the second assault group were killed and wounded!

"Third Assault Group, follow me!" Sun Liren, who was red-eyed, picked up the submachine gun and wanted to rush forward, but was pushed to the ground by a company commander next to him. This is a veteran who is almost thirty years old. I didn't go to military school, but I rose up from the ranks. He shouted at Sun Liren: "You are an engineer, you can't rush according to the regulations, I'll lead the team!" ”

As he spoke, he waved vigorously and rushed forward with 20 guys. Sun Liren gritted his teeth and scolded: "Damn, the old engineer still reads badly." Don't even let the charge! "It turns out that the Wehrmacht Engineer Command has such a rule that all officers with engineer licenses are the key protection objects, and they cannot take the lead in the charge!

"Rush up! Rush up! The sappers beside Sun Liren were already cheering. The snipers who came to the Japanese army have been exhausted, and there is no such surprise

The accurate shooting, of course, could not stop the Chinese sappers from rushing up the broken bridge to lay the wooden platoon. Although a few guys were knocked to the ground, the bridge was finally built. Immediately after that, a round of charges by the Wehrmacht infantry broke through the Japanese defenses on the opposite bank. The passage of the Second Army to the south was opened.

……

"Drive out the Japanese and return my rivers and mountains! Come on! ”

From the ears of the commander of the 6th Infantry Wing of the Japanese Army, Miji Tsukikawa, it was all the slogans of the squadron. He couldn't understand Chinese, and he didn't have the heart to think about what the slogan would mean. Now the only thing he cares about is the wing flag of the 6th Infantry Wing! Just now, the staff officer of the wing came to report that the bunker where the flag guard team was hiding had been hit by a 7-inch shell! The whole thing collapsed. Bury the flag guard team and the flag of the wing given by His Majesty the Emperor! This is a very troublesome matter, and it is not something that can be dug up after the battle. Because his 6th Infantry Wing is already on the verge of shattering!

Inside the trenches. The pits and valleys are full of corpses of Japanese officers and soldiers! Most of them were killed by the artillery fire of the Chinese army. As the captain of the wing, Jianchuan has personally led the staff officers of the wing headquarters to the front line, stepping on the pile of corpses to shoot and drop bombs desperately. But the Chinese officers and soldiers still rushed up like a tide! They used their submachine guns to strafe, and those who were not equipped with submachine guns threw grenades desperately, blowing up the Japanese soldiers in the trenches. This shape, Jianchuan also knows that he is going to become a god, the only thing he is worried about is the precious wing flag, don't let the Chinese army who cleaned up the battlefield find out, otherwise his soul will be rejected by the Yasukuni Shrine!

While they were thinking wildly, the Chinese officers and soldiers had already rushed into the trenches, and hand-to-hand combat began. Miji Kenkawa also picked up a bayonet-mounted rifle and screamed and rushed towards a tall Chinese soldier. Now attacking the 6th Wing of the Japanese Army is the troops of the Third Army of the Chinese Army, and the current source of this army is Shandong, the Shandong Han of Yishui, and the young man who fought against Mijiro Jianchuan is about 1.77 meters tall. And Jianchuan Dazuo's height is only 1.47 meters, with small arms and legs, and a little fat, he is still in his forties, his legs and feet have long been unstable, and he dances a 1.7-meter-long rifle, how funny. I couldn't beat the Shandong man, and after a few blows, the opponent stabbed the thigh and arm with the tip of a bayonet, and screamed in pain, and finally the chubby head like a meat ball hit the butt of a gun again, and fell down in a daze. Fortunately, he was wearing a military uniform and hung with the rank of Dazuo, and he knew that he was a big official, so he didn't kill him, but tied it with a small rope and carried it away like a chicken.

Jianchuan's immediate boss, the commander of the Japanese 1st Brigade, Honjo Shigeru, was at the headquarters on the hill at this time, like a nightmare, his subordinates were being slaughtered by the superior forces and firepower of the Chinese army. The bigger and smaller his officers and soldiers, and he also watched Jianchuan Miji, a small big man, being carried off the battlefield by a Chinese infantryman!

He grabbed the phone. Ryosuke Isoya, the chief of staff of the division on the other end of the phone, yelled like crazy: "I can't hold it!" The first brigade requests tactical guidance! We are fighting against the elite with strong firepower and numerical superiority, and the 1st Brigade will soon be shattered! ”

I heard the howl of Shigeru Honjo in the phone headset like killing a pig. Ryosuke Isoya was also a little stunned for a while, the strength of an entire brigade was just gone? Originally, it was expected that Honjo Shigeru would resist for 72 hours to gain time for the adjustment and deployment of the Far Eastern Army! I didn't expect that after only two hours, I couldn't hold on, and if it continued like this, tomorrow morning at the latest, the Chinese army would start attacking Shuangcheng! Can the Twin Cities hold on? If the twin cities can't be defended, can Yanpu, which is almost an empty city, be able to hold it? If Yanpu loses. I'm afraid that most of the Far Eastern states will be seized by the Chinese army! Thinking of this, Ryosuke Isoya subconsciously yelled at the division commander Ugaki Issei, who was already in a hurry.

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, I'm afraid the twin cities won't be able to hold it! Let's ask to retreat to Yanpu! Yanpu must not be lost! ”

……

"Your Excellency! The commander of the 0th Division, Ugaki Kazunari, personally called and said that the jade of the 1st Brigade was about to be shattered! The 0th Division is afraid that it will not be able to defend the twin cities, so it asks to retreat to Yanpu! ”

Shouichi Terauchi put down the phone and reported to Kawai Cao in a trembling voice. Hearing his words, Kawai Cao didn't say anything yet. A staff officer in the war room of the Far Eastern Army headquarters roared.

"No! Twin Cities must not give up! "The Twin Cities are the lifeblood of the main force of the Far Eastern Army, and once you give up, you will lose everything!" "You must defend the twin cities, and if you can't do it, you can fill in all the troops in Yanpu!"

Listening to the tone of these guys, it's like a bunch of red-eyed gamblers who want to put up every bit of chips at the last of their chips.

Kawai looked at Shouichi in the temple steadily, and he also looked like he had no claim at all. Terauchi gritted his teeth and said, "Xiaguan agrees with Lieutenant General Ugaki's construction." If the twin cities can't be defended, it is better to retreat to Yanpu. Yanpo must not be lost! ”

"Your Excellency the Marquis (Shouichi Terauchi inherited the title of Daddy Terauchi Masata)!" The head of the operations section over there, Nagata Tetsuyama, was already screaming urgently. "Is it possible that the main forces of the 0 divisions of the Far Eastern Army will be abandoned? The main force of 0 divisions is gone, what is the use of one Yanpu? ”

The temple sighed and said with a wry smile: "Nagada-kun, if the twin cities can be defended." Will Lieutenant General Ugaki still mention such a building? ”

Nagata Tetsuyama was stunned for a moment, this Nagata Daisa's level in strategy and military politics is of course very high. However, there is a great lack of actual combat experience, and there is no experience in commanding a large army in battle. If there is no problem in fighting a tailwind battle, if you really encounter a heavy setback, it is still better to be as level-headed as Shouichi Terauchi.

"Your Excellency, General!" Terauchi Shouichi also ignored Nagata, and then proposed to Kawai Cao that he should build yì and say: "Now the shape is critical, so I can only ask Your Excellency to visit the Twin Cities Fortress in person to boost morale!" ”

The meaning of this sentence is probably to ask Kawai Cao to go to the front line, can the two cities be defended? If you can't defend it, then give up quickly, and save yourself from putting the Yanpu Fortress together in the end.

He Hecao nodded slowly: "Okay, this official will leave for Shuangcheng now." Terauchi-kun, you are in charge of Yanpu here for the time being...... Also, report the current situation to the base camp and ask them to try their best to find a solution to the incident. ”

……

"The solution to the incident......" The urgent telegram sent by the Far East Army Headquarters was immediately transmitted to the conference room of the Prime Minister's official residence in Tokyo. After Yoshiichi Tanaka, who was holding a meeting on the production of armaments and materials, finished the telegram, he blushed and repeated the last sentence of the telegram. He knew that this was the commander of the Far Eastern Army, Kawai Cao, hinting that the war was likely to be lost, and it was time to consider peace! While the Twin Cities Fortress has not yet fallen, and the Far Eastern Army has not yet collapsed, hurry up and sue for peace! Even a $100 million reparation is a good deal. If you wait until the two cities are lost and the Far Eastern Army collapses, it will not be a question of reparations, and you will have to cut a large area of land!

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, isn't it because the war on the front line is unfavorable?" Foreign Minister Kita Kazuki guessed the contents of the message with a thought on his heels, and looking at Tanaka's face, he was about to lose the battle.

"Although the war can be maintained, the empire should still consider ending the incident, which is also in the common interests of Japan and China." Tanaka's words were in ventriloquism, and everyone here could understand the meaning. He looked at Kita Kazuki. "Beijun, does Anglo-American France still want to mediate the war between Japan and China?"

"Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister." Kitaikki Road. "The ambassadors of Britain and the United States also offered to mediate the war not long ago."

Tanaka nodded, and just as he wanted to speak, Yusaku Uehara, the Minister of War in the conference room, jumped up and asked loudly, "Your Excellency the Prime Minister!" Now is not the time to make peace, the key now is to keep the twin cities! Only by winning the Battle of the Two Cities can the Empire achieve a decent peace! ”