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In a state where the army is superior and the navy is almost completely annihilated, if Japan wants to fight, what is the best way to do it? Undoubtedly, when the minefield in the Korean Strait was still effective, it did its best to send the army and supplies to North Korea, and gave full play to the superiority of the army to launch an offensive against the Qing State. Although this wave has some meaning of returning to the past, it is the best and the most backward way for Japan, which is already on the verge of collapse.

Therefore, when Genji and Nozu Michikan joined forces to besiege the defenders of Pyongyang, the Japanese base camp did not stop doing two things, and sent the Japanese 3rd Division to Korea. Don't look at it as a division in name, but in consideration of the fact that it may be difficult to transport supplies in the future, in order to improve the combat effectiveness of the Third Division, the Japanese base camp specially strengthened the elite troops and weapons of other divisions and regiments that have not yet participated in the battle to the Third Division. In addition, in order to improve the sustained combat capability of the Third Division, a large number of logistical support units were also assigned to the Third Division, for example, the Third Division had a special ammunition brigade, which was specially responsible for transporting ammunition and was separate from the Japanese army's baggage brigade.

At the same time, the 3rd Division also has a special health team and a field hospital! Therefore, whether it is equipment, numbers or continuous combat capability, the 3rd Division is outstanding! Perhaps the number of people is not as large as the 1st Division and the 12th Brigade of the Mountain Genji. But the firepower and supply capacity of Katsura Taro's 3rd Division is definitely not inferior to the Toyama Group, and the 5th Division, which has been memorizing, is even worse.

What is the purpose of spending so much effort at the base camp in Japan? It is not to reinforce the Pyongyang battlefield, but to break through the defense line of the Yalu River as soon as possible and burn the flames of war to the northeast of the Qing country, and only in this way can we take the initiative in future negotiations, and only in this way. In order to force the Qing State to admit defeat by threatening Sheng Jing. Of course, attacking Lushunkou, the base camp of the Beiyang Fleet, was also one of the strategic goals. Since the Beiyang Fleet cannot be defeated at sea. Then copy the nest of the Beiyang Fleet from land!

At the same time, according to intelligence. The main force of the Beiyang Army was divided into two parts, one part was the Nie Shicheng Division in Korea, which was under the attack of the two main forces of the First Division and the Third Division in the eyes of the Japanese base camp. Like a walnut placed under the tongs, it is a matter of time before it ends. So ignore it. The other force is the Beiyang Army, the Taiwan Training Army and the Liangguang Training Army, which are concentrated on the Liaodong Peninsula. Defend the area from Golden State to Lushun. Ensure the security of the military port of the Beiyang Fleet.

And who are the defending forces along the Yalu River? It is mainly composed of two groups, one is the Northeast Training Army led by Heilongjiang General Yi Ketang'a, the Jingbian Army and some temporarily conscripted troops. This force is about 30,000 people. In the eyes of the Japanese army, neither the training army nor the combat effectiveness of the Eight Banners will be very high, at least it will definitely not be able to compare with the Beiyang Army, which is so strong in infantry equipment that it is perverted. As for those temporarily conscripted troops, not to mention. A few days ago, it was a battle between the peasants and the Orion's troops!

The other unit is Rong Lu's Northwest Training Army. Little is known about this unit. Why? Rong Lu has been training in Xi'an. Japanese spies didn't pay much attention to it at all. And when this army appeared in Naoli and moved to the northeast, the Japanese base camp paid attention. After unremitting efforts, the Japanese finally got a general understanding of this unit. The predecessor of this army was left behind after Zuo Zongtang entered Xinjiang to quell the rebellion. After Zuo Zongtang went west, this army was held by Rong Lu, and it was expanded several times to its current scale.

This force has a total of nearly 40,000 people, and in terms of scale, it is no less than the original Beiyang Army. The equipment is also not bad, there are a lot of various camp guns and fast guns, and it is said that some machine guns and grenadier mortars were purchased from Li Hongzhang's Tianjin Machinery Bureau. In terms of establishment, the old battalion establishment of the Qing army was also abandoned, but it was enlarged, with about 1,000 people per battalion, and there were special artillery, engineering and logistics units. And there was also a certain amount of cavalry. In short, it is a relatively modern force. The combat effectiveness is stronger than that of ordinary military training. …,

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, the Qing army on the opposite side is already prepared." Standing on a high ground on the south bank of the Yalu River, a staff officer pointed to the opposite bank and said. "If the intelligence is correct, there will be nearly 60,000 Qing troops on the other side."

"Scared? Shaozo? Katsura Taro asked, with a smile on the corner of his mouth.

"These full-man troops will not be as difficult as the Beiyang Army. Without systematic and modern training, many soldiers were temporarily expanded, and their commanders were also a group of guys who had never seen the world. Don't look at the other side, there are 60,000 people, but the real fight is far inferior to Nie Shicheng's troops in Pyongyang. Katsura Taro put down the binoculars and said lightly.

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, what is the next operational plan for our army once it breaks through the defense line of the Yalu River?" Hisashi Oshima, commander of the 6th Brigade, asked.

"Wait for the Wonsan Group and the 5th Division, and then launch an attack in the direction of Shengjing. If the 2nd Division and the 6th Division can be in place, our division and the 2nd Jianghe Division will attack the Liaodong Peninsula together. Katsura Taro said.

"It is a very good plan to attack Shengjing, the political center of the northeast, with three divisions, to attack Lushun with two divisions, and to destroy the base of the Beiyang Naval Division." Hisashi Oshima said.

"Not bad, the two main forces of the Yuanshan Group and the Fifth Division add up to the strength of two divisions plus one brigade, plus the heavy artillery units directly under the army, they are all fighting so hard. You arrived at the gate of the fortress first, and the troops were more and the fortress was stronger. The artillery advantage will also be offset by the opponent's fortress artillery and naval guns, why did you defeat Lushun? And even if Lushun is defeated, what about it? People can also go to Weihai, Shandong. What's wrong? You still swam over and knocked Weihai down by yourself? Or just knock down Naoli? Katsura Taro said in his heart.

Although the information from the base camp was vague, Katsura Taro had a rough judgment on the settlement of the naval battle off the Datong River, and the Combined Fleet must have suffered a big loss. Judging from the consistent performance of the base camp, if you suffer a loss, you will definitely try your best to cover it up, such as the Battle of Toshima and the Battle off the coast of Izu. If you take advantage, even if it is a tie, you will make a lot of publicity. For example, the Battle of Gunsan Bay. And after the naval battle off the Datong River this time, the base camp didn't even say anything about the basic battle damage, but only said that both sides were defeated. There's clearly something wrong with this!

If the supply at sea is not smooth, the army still wants to continue fighting, in Katsura Taro's view, the first thing to do is not to go to the Beiyang Naval Base on the Liaodong Peninsula, but to concentrate forces to conquer Shengjing and other core cities, on the one hand, you can use the food and armaments there to arm yourself (Shengjing Machinery Bureau is still very large). On the other hand, the determination to fight against the Qing State was also a heavy blow! As for the Lushun base of the Beiyang Fleet, in Katsurataro's opinion, without the strength of 3 or 4 divisions, don't even think about it! Don't forget, the tens of thousands of new troops and a large number of fortress guns in the Lushun Fortress and the rapid-fire guns of the Beiyang Naval Division are not decorations!

"Your Excellency the division commander, is our army launching an attack tomorrow according to the established plan?" Hisashi Oshima asked.

"According to the established plan, we will launch an offensive tomorrow, and after a breakthrough is formed, we will quickly expand the results of the battle and concentrate our forces to attack Ronglu's northwest training army, and the Eight Banners will not be left alone for the time being. After gaining a foothold on the northern shore, we will attack important places such as Jiulian City. Let's get ready. After Katsura Taro finished speaking, he turned around and left, and since then, the battle of the Yalu River has entered the countdown