The prelude to the Battle of Wuhan

The Wuhan Kwantung Army sent the headquarters of the southward dispatch.

After receiving the farewell telegram from Matsushita Daisa, chief of staff of the aircraft carrier fleet, all the officers of the entire command, including the commander, Senior General Mizu Umejiro, fell into a deep shock. Because they couldn't believe that the invincible Imperial Japanese Navy was defeated by an army that did not have any naval power. No, not just defeated, but miserable, utter fiasco.

After reading the farewell telegram that he had just received in his hand again, and confirming that nothing was missing, Admiral Umejiro's face immediately showed an indescribable look of despair. Then, facing the chief of staff in front of him, Lieutenant General Ichiro Sakai, he said with an incredible sigh of emotion.

"Sakai-kun, I really didn't expect that our old opponent Liu Hua, after several years of war training, would become more and more sharp. In the absence of superior artillery fire and naval forces, it was possible to use such a despicable and simple method to sink three warships of our Imperial Japanese Army. It seems that the methods of our old opponents are really endless..."

"Your Excellency, I feel the same way. According to Matsushita-kun's report, the cunning Shina people actually destroyed two destroyers and one cruiser of our army with only nearly a hundred small boats filled with explosives. To outsiders, this is almost impossible. And now, it is clearly happening in front of us, so that we have to believe....therefore, we can be sure that the East China Field Army we will face next will be a more difficult force than the Kuomintang army. An elite unit that is several times more powerful in combat power..."

"Well, Sakai-kun is right....Liu Hua and his troops are indeed the most difficult and admirable opponents I have encountered on the battlefield. I believe that after dealing with our fleet, which poses the greatest threat to it, the cunning Shina people will definitely put themselves on the next combat target. Put it on our Army. And we. It is necessary to prepare for the decisive battle in advance. Admiral Umejiro Mizu nodded approvingly.

Immediately behind, facing the chief of staff in front of him, he ordered in a deep voice.

"Sakai-kun, immediately issue an order to all combat units: all units must strictly abide by the combat plan issued by the headquarters half a month ago, and prohibit attacks. Defend the city. Through the strong defensive fortifications and ammunition reserves we have built, the vital forces of the attacking forces in China have been greatly depleted. In the end, they forced the cunning Shina to retreat after paying heavy casualties...."

"Order all intelligence officers in the territory of the Two Lakes. All activities should be carried out, and everything possible should be done to reconnoiter the specific troop deployment and equipment of the East China Field Army in China..."

"Send a telegram to Rear Admiral Sasaki, commander of the aircraft carrier squadron, and ask the aircraft carrier-based aircraft to immediately carry out sorties and conduct continuous aerial reconnaissance of the two lakes area. From now on, any changes in the Chinese troops must be reported immediately. In addition, it is necessary to telegraph to Major General Sasaki, all combat aircraft. Be prepared to reinforce the Two Lakes region at any time. ”

"Your Excellency Commander, will you do it immediately?" The Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Ichiro Sakai, replied very cheerfully.

With the issuance of the two orders, the entire Lianghu region, whether it was the Kwantung Army sent to the south, or the East China Field Army, which had experienced a month of bloody battles. All of them began to move like a high-speed fighting machine. Of course, this war machine is in the process of running. A strong smell of war gunpowder also began to slowly spread in the two lakes area.

It is also the location of Wuhan, the headquarters of the Kwantung Army's southward dispatch army. With the order of the command to prepare for battle. Hundreds of thousands of elite Japanese troops began to drive out of the city walls and into the continuous permanent fortifications outside the city, ready for a decisive battle.

The huge Lianghu region is evenly scattered in various parts of the main force of the East China Field Army. They also began to make an emergency build-up and set their own combat targets. The area around Wuhan advances....

A week passed in a blink of an eye, as a large number of elites of the East China Field Army began to gather in the surrounding areas of Wuhan. The entire city of Wuhan was immediately shrouded in the haze of war.

The all-pervasive gendarmerie and special service corps, in order to prevent the occurrence of infighting, have already put the entire city under martial law. For a long time, the streets of Wuhan Street, which have been very prosperous, at this moment, except for groups of heavily armed Japanese patrols passing by from time to time, there is no ordinary person to be seen. …,

There were many gendarmes and the Kwantung Army's southbound dispatch headquarters exuded a murderous aura, and at this moment, it was also shrouded in a solemn atmosphere.

Looking at the war room, there were hurried comings and goings, all of them were a group of combat staff officers with nervous faces. The commander General Mizu Meijiro's frowning brows had already been twisted into a deep 'Chuan' character, and he was silent at the combat sand table in front of him.

At this moment, the chief of staff, Lieutenant General Ichiro Sakai, walked in with a nervous face, and then spoke.

"Your Excellency, Commander, you have already made all the reconnaissances. Through both air and ground reconnaissance, it was shown that the Zhina troops assembled in the surrounding area of Wuhan had surpassed the establishment of four combat corps of the Zhina Army, totaling 450,000 troops. In terms of infantry, it mainly includes the sixth, seventh, and eighth field corps, the most elite of the East China Field Army, as well as a guard column, and the first, second, and third main columns of the New Fourth Army. ”

"Infantry, with the various permanent fortifications we have deployed outside the city, and with the sufficient ammunition in the city, there will be no problem in coming. However, if there is artillery, then in the sense, it is different. After all, artillery is the only weapon that can be relied upon in siege warfare. Is the scale of the artillery in the hands of the Chinese people large, and what is the specific establishment? In response to Ichiro Sakai's answer, General Mitsu Meijiro's face did not change at all, and a pair of eyes stared closely at the combat sand table in front of him and asked.

"According to the reconnaissance, the Shina artillery unit that appeared outside the city in recent days has a total of more than a dozen numbers. These include three artillery regiments of the New Fourth Army, six heavy artillery regiments of the artillery column directly under the East China Field Army, and one rocket artillery regiment. The howitzer regiments directly under the corps of the East China Field Army, the field artillery regiments directly under the armies, the mixed battalions of mountain artillery directly under the divisions, and the mountain artillery companies of each regiment... According to preliminary statistics, there are about 300 artillery pieces with a caliber of more than 100 millimeters and more than 500 artillery pieces with a caliber of 70 to 100 millimeters...," replied Lieutenant General Ichiro Sakai, chief of staff, with a worried expression.

"More than 800 artillery pieces of various calibers....I really didn't expect that the artillery unit of the Chinese people would develop to such an astonishing extent. Sakai-kun, what about our artillery, compared to the people of China, do you have an advantage..."After a brief shock, General Mizu Meijiro frowned and continued to ask.

"Your Excellency, I was worried about this just now. According to statistics, apart from one independent heavy artillery wing, we only have independent artillery wings directly under each division and regiment left. All the artillery guns combined, only about a hundred guns with a caliber of more than 100 millimeters were just over a hundred. Even artillery with a caliber of 70 to 100 mm has only about 200 guns. Therefore, both in terms of the caliber of artillery and the number of artillery, it is less than half of the people of Zhina....", the chief of staff, Lieutenant General Ichiro Sakai, replied with a worried expression.

"Less than half... It seems that the next battle we need to face is a very difficult battle....Sakai-kun, is it possible to order the carrier-based aviation to attack and destroy as much as possible the artillery units that are the greatest threat to our defenders?" asked Admiral Umejiro tentatively.

Lieutenant General Sakai Ichiro shook his head very helplessly, and then spoke: "Your Excellency, the actions of the artillery unit of the Shina people are really too strange, and they are all day and night. The information just mentioned by the lowly official was painstakingly detected by the intelligence officers on the ground. And our air force units were only able to attack during the day, and there was no trace of the Chinese artillery units at all ...."

"Yaga... The cunning Shina people..."In the face of the military contrast between the world and the earth, the only thing that General Mizu Meijiro can do at this moment is to stare at a pair of red eyes, scold loudly at the subordinates in front of him, and vent the anger in his heart.

"Hayi, please calm your anger, Commander. In the whole of Wuhan, there are still 150,000 troops in need of your command, please take care of your health, Your Excellency, commander..."Chief of Staff Ichiro Sakai reminded in a low voice. For a moment, the entire headquarters immediately fell into a deathly silence. Everyone, holding their breath, was afraid that the commander would pull the anger in his heart onto him...

However, at this moment, a deafening explosion sound, faintly, reached everyone's ears in a very timely manner. At the same time, huge fireballs began to rise from Hankou, the direction where Hanyang was located.

Seeing the faces of everyone here, they immediately became more solemn. Because everyone knows that the siege battle that the East China Field Army has been preparing for a long time has begun, and the entire battle of Wuhan has completely kicked off because of the sound of artillery. Sure enough, just when everyone's eyes once again converged on General Mizu Umejiro, waiting for the final order. An operations staff officer, panting, rushed in.

"Your Excellency, Commander, something has happened, something has happened... Hankou and Hanyang were attacked by the heavy artillery of the Chinese people, and the Chinese began to attack..."

"I really didn't expect that the attack of the people of China would be so sharp. Quick, contact the forward troops, I want to know the specific offensive situation of the Chinese people, be quick....Sakai-kun, order all departments, prepare for battle. All the personnel of the headquarters performed their duties to welcome the arrival of the Battle of Wuhan..."Holding back the anger in his heart, General Mizu Meijiro ordered with a gloomy face.

"Hayi, Your Excellency Commander..."

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