On the battlefield of Liaodong, the bloody battle between the Jilin Army and the Japanese army has indeed reached the most critical moment. Both the Jilin Army and the Japanese Army were exhausted after more than a month of fierce fighting.

For the Jilin Army, although the casualties were much smaller than those of the Japanese army, and they always had the upper hand. However, the consumption of weapons and ammunition has put extremely pressure on the logistics of the Jilin Army. The Changchun Arsenal has already implemented three shifts of production, and there is a steady stream of munitions from the United States, which supports the consumption of the front. However, the officers and men are already physically and mentally exhausted, and it is estimated that it is unlikely that they will be able to persist any longer.

The same was true for the Japanese army. The casualties of the Japanese army were much greater than those of the Jilin Army. By now, three entire divisions have been completely annihilated, and the other 6th and 8th divisions are also in danger. What's more, Japan's finances are on the verge of collapse, and even if they tighten their belts, they will only be able to sustain the war until the end of the month. Therefore, for the Japanese army, the last half a month of less than half a month is also very critical.

At present, the bloody battle between the Jilin Army and the Japanese army is mainly concentrated in Qingshiling. The remaining two divisions of the Japanese Kwantung Army, totaling more than 30,000 people, gathered here and resisted stubbornly, wanting to support until reinforcements arrived. The Jilin Army besieged it with the 1st Infantry Division, the 3rd Infantry Division, the 8th Infantry Division and instructors. Although, the battle was fought hard. But on the whole, the situation of the war is developing in a direction favorable to the Jilin Army. With the development of the war situation, it was only a matter of time before the Jilin Army encircled and annihilated the Japanese Kwantung Army at Qingshiling.

Of course, the Japanese army will definitely not sit idly by and watch the remaining two divisions of the Kwantung Army be surrounded and annihilated. A large number of Japanese troops arriving in Liaodong from the sea will change the tide of the war. However, the same. The Jilin Army was not unguarded. After the Battle of Longbow Ridge, the 2nd Infantry Division, the 4th Infantry Division, the 5th Infantry Division, the 6th Infantry Division, and the 7th Infantry Division were replenishing and resting. Although they were deployed to the front, they were not engaged in the offensive. In order to guard against the reinforcements of the Japanese army. After all, in the information obtained by the Jilin Army, the Japanese army also has the 1st Division, the 5th Division, the 7th Division, the 4th Division, and the 9th Division will be put into operation one after another, which is a full five divisions and more than 110,000 people!

On September 17, the new commander of the Japanese Manchurian Dispatch Army, Marshal Oyama Yan, arrived in Dalian. Here, he and Prince Jaehion, the commander of the 1st Division, who arrived here in advance, exchanged views on the battle situation at the front and discussed how to fight this battle.

"Your Excellency, General Oshima is now in a very critical situation, he is under siege by the people of China, who are twice as young as himself. Moreover, the firepower of the Chinese is very strong, using a large number of automatic weapons and rapid artillery. The firepower was much more powerful than that of the Imperial Army. In the heat of battle, the Imperial Army was completely at a disadvantage. If we can't support General Oshima in time. I am afraid that the 6th and 8th Divisions will follow in the footsteps of the 2nd Division and the Korean Army, and all of them will be shattered. Prince Zairen's face was solemn.

Marshal Dashanyan nodded: "The Jilin Army is indeed very strong, but, compared to the Empire, they are much weaker. It is a pity that the current empire is suffering from internal and external troubles, and its finances have reached the point of near collapse. This is the greatest crisis of the Empire. Without money, we will not be able to mobilize our troops, nor will we be able to get weapons and ammunition, and we will not be able to fight at all! ”

In terms of Japan's strength, if they can fully exert their combat power. If the 25 standing divisions are thrown into the northeast in one fell swoop, no matter how strong the Jilin Army is, it will only be crushed! It's a pity that the bad battle of the Russo-Japanese War was fought and Japan was completely miserable.

"Your Excellency, what shall we do now?" Prince Jaehito asked with a dark face.

"For now, the only way to do this is to fight first and see if we can rescue the Kwantung Army. If all our troops are engaged in the battle and cannot turn the tide of the war, then the battle will only be over. Dashan Yan said.

Prince Jaehito nodded, though he didn't want to believe it. But he also knew that what Oyama Rock said was right. Japan, the key is that there is no money, otherwise, they will not be afraid of a small Jilin army. Since there was no money to fight down, and the domestic and international situation was very unfavorable to Japan, finding a step down and armistice with Jilin became the only choice. Of course, this will certainly be a little unpleasant for Japan, which has just become a great power. As soon as he became one of the world's great powers, he was slapped in the face, and it was unacceptable to anyone.

"Damn the Anglo-American ghost animals, they are the ones who have harmed the empire and let the empire send them to death, and now they are unwilling to help the empire. These guys have not been at ease all along. Prince Jaehito couldn't help but scold.

"Alas, Your Royal Highness, this is the true face of those Westerners. Through this time, we can be regarded as realizing their true colors. In the future, they don't want the empire to be fooled easily. Oyama Rock sighed.

"Your Excellency, how should we fight this battle? The 1st Division is ready for battle and ready to go to the battlefield at any time. Prince Jaehito said. Although, he is a prince. But on the battlefield, he was only the commander of the 1st Division, and he still had to obey the orders of Marshal Oyama Yan, the commander of the dispatch army.

"The Fifth and Seventh Divisions have arrived, but I am not prepared to let them disembark in Dalian. In this case, it is just a war of attrition with the Chinese people. That's not what we need. So, the place where they disembarked, it should be here! Marshal Oyamaiwa's finger clicked heavily on the map.

"Yingkou? Let the Fifth and Seventh Divisions go to copy the back path of the people? And then we will cooperate with the Kwantung Army to launch a counteroffensive and defeat the main force of the Jilin Army in one fell swoop? Prince Jaehito said. A flash of excitement flashed in his eyes, Dashan Yan's plan was undoubtedly feasible. If it succeeds, it may be able to break the deadlock and turn the tide of the war once and for all.

Da Shanyan shook his head: "It's not so easy to copy that person's back path." The people of China are not unprepared. After the battle of Longbow Ridge, weren't the infantry divisions that annihilated the Korean army still not dispatched? ”

Prince Jaehion's face sank suddenly: "Then what should we do?" ”

"Land at Yingkou and test it. If the Kwantung Army can be rescued because of this, it will undoubtedly be the best. If we really can't, we won't lose too much. With our containment, the people of China will definitely not launch a more fierce attack on the Kwantung Army, and with the strength of the Kwantung Army, it may not be impossible to hold out. Not only will the 5th and 7th Divisions be engaged in the Yingkou operation, but the 4th and 9th Divisions, which will arrive at Yingkou immediately. There we will throw four divisions at once, a total of 90,000 people. Whether the deadlock can be broken or not depends on this blow! A hint of determination flashed in Dashan Yan's eyes.

"What about the First Division?" Prince Jaehito asked. As one of the main divisions of the Japanese Army, the First Division is obviously impossible to be just a spectator, which is too wasteful.

"The 1st Division left one wing to defend the Kwantung Prefecture, and the rest of the troops went north to attack the China, threaten the Shina from the south, and rescue the Kwantung Army. However, no matter what, Kanto Prefecture must not be lost, and this is our back road. Dashan Yan said.

"Don't worry, Your Excellency. After leaving a wing, plus the marines stationed here, there were already five thousand people in the entire Kwantung state. The main force of the Shina people is pinned down by us on the front line, and it is impossible to threaten the Kanto Prefecture at all. Prince Jaihito swore an oath.

Dashan Yan nodded, with a wing of the First Division, plus the marines who stayed here, there would definitely be no problem in holding the Kwantung Prefecture. What he is really worried about is the battle on the front line.

For Dashanyan, this time he can be regarded as gambling his political life. After leading the Japanese Army to victory in the Russo-Japanese War, his prestige was unmatched for a while, and he was only a little short of being promoted to the rank of senator. If he can win again this time, then he will become a veteran, which can almost be said to be an ironclad thing.

But if he fails this time, it will undoubtedly be a major blow to his reputation. Not to mention that there is no chance of becoming a veteran at all, but this will be more tortuous and difficult.

This is also the Japanese Army's helplessness, otherwise, it would not have pushed him out to take command.

"Your Excellency Marshal, will the navy fully support us?" Prince Jaehito asked. Whether it was the landing of the Japanese Army at Yingkou, the provision of artillery support to the Japanese during the battle, or the evacuation by sea when the war did not go well, all of these required the support of the Japanese Navy. And the contradictions and differences between the Navy and the Army are so great. This time, the Japanese cabinet was almost overthrown by the navy.

"The Navy will fully support us. After all, if we fail, it will not do the Navy any good. When I came, I had already met with Heihachiro Togo. The Combined Fleet will give our full support in this operation. Marshal Oyama said with a smile.

Prince Jaehito nodded and said no more.

On the afternoon of September 18, the Combined Fleet of the Japanese Navy covered the landing of the 5th and 7th Divisions of the Japanese Army at Yingkou. At the same time, the 1st Division of the Japanese Army left the 57th Infantry Wing to defend the Kwantung Prefecture, and the remaining 20,000 men attacked north from the Kanto Prefecture.

For a time, the offensive and defensive situation of the entire Liaodong immediately changed dramatically. (To be continued......)