Chapter 234: Prepare to fight back

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On May 6, the Western Sichuan Army and the Japanese army had been fighting fiercely at Shanhaiguan for four days, and a thick layer of Japanese soldiers' corpses had been piled up under Shanhaiguan and Jiaoshan, but both Shanhaiguan and Jiaoshan were still under the control of the Western Sichuan Army. The Japanese suffered heavy losses, losing more than 30,000 men in four days of fighting, but the Japanese attacks became more and more frenzied, and they seemed to realize that they were not far from defeat.

On the night of the 6th, Chengdu, inside the staff headquarters. After Wang Yuze finished handling his official duties, he came here again. Since the Battle of Shanhaiguan, he would come to the General Staff Headquarters once a day to listen to the latest battle reports.

Now, all of China, except for some remote mountainous areas, has been occupied by the Western Sichuan Army. The Manchu forces were wiped out. Officials dispatched by the government in western Sichuan are rushing to various places to take up their posts, and with the close cooperation of the army, they will stabilize the localities and carry out reforms of the western Sichuan model, so as to win the hearts and minds of the people in western Sichuan. In this process, naturally many Manchu loyalists resisted, but they were all ruthlessly suppressed by the western Sichuan army. The vast majority of Han Chinese are optimistic about the overthrow of the Manchus in western Sichuan, and after years of propaganda, they already know what kind of life the people of western Sichuan live, and they are also full of envy, hoping that one day they will also be able to become the people of western Sichuan. Peasants, who make up the vast majority of the Chinese population, are eager to get a share of land. Chinese farmers have an extremely deep affection for the land, and it is undoubtedly a dream for them to be able to own a piece of land of their own. The land in the hands of the landlords was forcibly redeemed and distributed to the landless and landless peasants, so that they could quickly gain their support. This qiē has been carried out in an orderly manner under the leadership of the cabinet, and the whole of China is gradually moving towards stability again. The only thing that involved Sure Fruit's gaze was undoubtedly the Battle of Shanhaiguan.

"How's the battle going on the front?" As soon as Wang Yuze walked into the war room of the staff headquarters, he asked.

"The Japanese attack is still very fierce, but Shanhaiguan and Jiaoshan are still under our control." Xiong Wu replied.

"What about our casualties?" Wang Yuze asked. The main force guarding Shanhaiguan had only four divisions, and compared with the Japanese army, it was at an absolute disadvantage. In particular, the 23rd Division, which defended the Jiujiang River, was almost disabled when it withdrew, which made Wang Yuze very distressed.

"The casualties were not very large, in the four-day offensive and defensive battle, our army suffered less than four thousand casualties, and the Japanese casualties were at least ten times that of ours. However, even with such huge casualties, the Japanese still did not frighten them, but attacked more and more fiercely! Xiong Wu said. According to the information obtained by the General Staff Headquarters, the entire Shanhaiguan Customs, except for the city wall, was almost blown into ruins. Fortunately, a lot of Japanese artillery was destroyed in the battle, otherwise there would have been no tiles left in Shanhaiguan City.

"When will reinforcements arrive?" Wang Yuze asked. After all, the war is being fought on Chinese soil, and the longer it drags on, the more unfavorable it will be for China, and it is in China's interests to end the war at an early date or to burn the flames of war abroad.

"Reinforcements from the four divisions are rushing to Shanhaiguan quickly, but it will take some time. Mainly because of the transportation, the artillery prepared by the troops, especially the heavy artillery, traveled at a particularly slow pace. At the current rate, it will take at least a week to reach Shanhaiguan! Xiong Wu replied. The roads in the area under the rule of the Manchu Qing were simply too bad, and Yan zhòng affected the mobility. Moreover, the railway was not completed, which made it very difficult for the personnel and equipment of the four divisions of the Western Sichuan Army to rush to Shanhaiguan.

"A week? No way! This is too long. Wang Yuze shook his head. Although Kawanishi is now victorious, the pressure is also very high. After the reunification of the country, a large amount of money will be needed to carry out construction, and the cabinet has already asked the army to end the war as soon as possible. In addition, the foreign powers also continued to put pressure on western Sichuan, demanding that peace be restored to the Far East as soon as possible.

Xiong Wu didn't say much, the objective factors were there, and he had no choice. The heavy cannon can't fly to Shanhaiguan by itself, right?

"In this way, let the four divisions of the reinforcements temporarily abandon all heavy weapons and rush to Shanhaiguan with only light and medium mortars and heavy machine guns! Be sure to arrive at Shanhaiguan within four days. On May 2, a counteroffensive against the Japanese army must be launched! Wang Yuze said.

"Handsome! The Japanese suffered heavy casualties, but the main force remained. If we don't have enough fire support, even if we can defeat the Japanese army, we will suffer heavy losses! Xiong Wu hurriedly said. He did not want to trade the lives of a large number of soldiers for victory, and the Chinese were not as mad as the Japanese after all.

"Don't worry! In terms of fire support, I'll figure out a way to not let our soldiers suffer! Wang Yuze said.

"Oh? Is there any good way to do it? Xiong Wu asked.

"Shanhaiguan is close to the sea. Our naval fleet has been wreaking havoc in Japan for a long time, capturing hundreds of merchant ships. The merchant ships had to be sent home, and the fleet needed to rest. When the time comes, let the warships escorting the merchant ships return to China go to Shanhaiguan to provide fire support for the army. The power of naval artillery is much more powerful than that of army heavy artillery. Enough to clear the way for the army's offensive! Wang Yuze said with a smile. He seems to have reached the tragic situation of the Japanese army under the ravages of the naval guns of the western Sichuan navy.

Xiong Wu's eyes lit up, he was very happy, and said, "This is indeed a good method, it can be implemented!" "In this way, the four divisions supporting Shanhaiguan can advance lightly and arrive at Shanhaiguan quickly. The reinforcements of four divisions, plus two cavalry corps and the defenders stationed at Shanhaiguan, were enough to launch a decisive counterattack against the Japanese.

"I'll contact the Admiralty side, and the General Staff Headquarters will give orders to the troops supporting Shanhaiguan!" Wang Yuze said.

"Yes, Dashuai!" Xiong Wu nodded. Immediately ordered the communications staff officers to send a telegram to the 1st, 2nd, 14th, and 15th Divisions, which were marching towards Shanhaiguan, telling them to speed up their march and to Shanhaiguan by 20 May.

After Wang Yuze left the General Staff Headquarters, he returned to inspect the embassy, and at the same time, he sent someone to call Zhang Cheng, Minister of the Navy, to meet him. This time, Shanhaiguan's counterattack requires the full cooperation of the navy.

When Zhang Cheng arrived to inspect the embassy, it was already 0:00 in the evening. The navy has made great achievements, and Zhang Cheng is also very happy, and his whole face is red. Now the Kawanishi Navy is wreaking havoc along the coast of Japan, destroying Japanese cities, ports, and even fishing villages, and the whole of Japan has fallen into panic. It is estimated that it is not far from admitting defeat, and in this war, the navy has undoubtedly made great achievements, and this huge glory and post-war promotion have made many people in the western Sichuan Navy very excited.

"Dashuai!" After Zhang Cheng came to Wang Yuze's study, he was led in by Wang Wei. Wang Yuze was standing next to a map of China and its surroundings in the study, and said quickly.

"Here? Have a seat. The Navy has gained a lot during this time, right? Wang Yuze asked with a smile.

"Report to the commander, the navy has destroyed all the Japanese cities and ports in the Seto Inland Sea, and is now preparing to carry Tokyo Bay on its back to teach little Japan a painful lesson. If they don't surrender, then we'll bombard Tokyo! Bombard their Emperor's Palace and blow that bullshit Emperor to death! Zhang Cheng said. The current West Sichuan Navy has become the first fleet in the Far East and Asia, and he has the confidence to do so.

"Hmmm! That's good. However, for the time being, there is a task that the Navy needs to carry out. Leave some of the warships to continue destroying the coastal cities of Japan, and the other fleet, get ready for the mission! Wang Yuze said.

"Dashuai, what is the task? How many warships need to be deployed to carry it out? Zhang Cheng asked.

"The army is now fighting fiercely with the Japanese at Shanhaiguan and plans to launch a counterattack in four days. However, because of the road, the army's artillery could not reach the battlefield four days later. Therefore, only let the Navy come forward. The battlefields of Shanhaiguan are all by the sea, and it just so happens that the navy can come in handy. As for the battleships, just send one battleship, two heavy cruisers and two light cruisers, and four destroyers in one formation! Wang Yuze said.

a battleship with three twin 05-mm 50-caliber naval guns and six 05-mm single-mounted guns; Door mm single-mounted gun. Its firepower intensity and artillery projectile delivery ability far exceeded that of an artillery battalion of the Western Sichuan Army. And the power of naval guns, even at the same level, is much more powerful than the artillery used by the army. The guns of one battleship, two heavy cruisers and two light cruisers, and four destroyers were enough to provide fire support for the counterattack of the Western Sichuan Army.

"Yes, Dashuai, I'll arrange it." Zhang Cheng nodded. He knew that now the eyes of the whole country were focused on Shanhaiguan, where the battle was the most important, and the navy should naturally provide support. In addition, even if one battleship, two heavy cruisers, two light cruisers and four destroyers were transferred, the impact on the navy would not be very large, the Japanese navy had been almost completely destroyed, and the remaining few old warships and dozens of torpedo boats were all gathered in Tokyo Bay, ready to defend their capital, and the Kawanishi Navy could operate unscrupulously in the coastal waters of Japan.

On the morning of May 7, the 1st, 2nd, 14th, and 15th Divisions of the Western Sichuan Army abandoned their heavy equipment and rushed to Shanhaiguan with all their might. At the same time, after the Kawanishi Navy left the Seto Inland Sea from the Kii Suido, a formation consisting of the battleship "Xikang", the heavy cruisers "Lhasa" and "Kangding", the light cruisers "Bazhong" and "Zigong", and the four destroyers Beihai 5, Beihai 6, Beihai 7 and Beihai 8 quickly left the main force of the fleet and sailed south.

(I'm sorry, the time of the first few chapters is wrong, the battle of Shanhaiguan started in May, not April, I hope you understand!) ）

PS: The second update is here! From now on, it's going to run naked.,Mu has a recommendation.,Ask for comfort! (To be continued.)