Chapter 23: Prelude to War (Part 2)

  At the same time as the Chinese army's rapid deployment, the command of the Japanese 10th Division did not realize that its carefully planned concentration of forces to break through the Chinese 20th Corps had been exposed. (The pseudo-Manchurian Ninth Division's action this time was purely opportunistic in nature, and Liu Tiandong, the commander-in-chief with a beard, did not report to the Japanese 10th Division at all, nor dared he report it after the battle.)

  On the morning of May 7, the Japanese army simply completed the task of transferring the direction of the Hododa detachment (which had been reinforced by a Japanese regiment) and prepared to start attacking the main force of the Chinese 20th Army Corps in the Goubayshan area on the night of May 7. The Japanese army tried to first eliminate the worries of the Seiichi Detachment, which was fighting fiercely with the Chinese army in front of Taierzhuang, and then concentrate its forces to fight a decisive battle with the Chinese army on the Taierzhuang line.

  From a purely military perspective, this move is not bad. When facing an enemy with the upper hand, adopting tactics that concentrate superior forces to defeat the enemy one by one in a local area of the battlefield is also the traditional combat style of the Japanese army.

  In this tactical operation, the Japanese army also made meticulous preparations to secretly move the main force of the Botou Brigade to the flank and rear of the 20th Army Corps, hoping to win a decisive victory.

  It's just that heaven's plan is inferior to man's plan, simply because the bandit nature of the Puppet Manchukuo Army's Ninth Division cannot be changed. The Japanese army's wishful thinking has already been destined to come to nothing!

  The commander of the 20th Army, although not outstanding in military command, was extremely sensitive to the safety of the main force. Even during the fierce battle with Sakamoto's detachment, the 110th Division, which belonged to the 20th Army sequence, did not engage in combat but was responsible for defending the rear flank of the main force, showing how much the commander valued his troops' retreat route.

  After receiving the strengthened training order from the War Zone Commander's Headquarters about the Japanese army having a multi-division force with unknown movements, the Corps Commander allocated the 328th Brigade from the reserve to the command of the 110th Division and dispatched the 330th Brigade to secure the two wings of the Corps. The combat actions of the main force of the Corps, which was facing the Sakamoto detachment head-on, became even more cautious, trying to maintain a state where the entire army could immediately turn around and fight at any moment. He also ordered all units of the Corps that had not directly engaged with the Japanese army to quietly construct defensive fortifications. This approach, although making it more difficult for the 20th Corps to achieve the tactical goal set by the War Zone of defeating the Sakamoto detachment and linking up with the main force of the 2nd Group Army at Taierzhuang, undoubtedly made it less likely for the Japanese army to successfully launch a surprise attack from behind on the 20th Corps.

  At the same time, a strike force of more than 6,000 people composed of the Independent Hundred Regiments and the temporarily reorganized 174th Regiment launched a fierce attack on Guanhu Town.

  The Ninth Division of the Puppet Manchukuo Army in Guanhu Town had two brigades and one independent regiment under its jurisdiction, with a total strength of about seven regiments, approximately 6,000 people. In terms of troops, it was roughly equal to the strike detachment led by Cheng Jiaji.

  In the estimation of Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, commander of the 10th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army, even if a Chinese army corps attacked this puppet division, the Manchukuo Ninth Division could at least resist for about thirty hours. Within that time, the Japanese army's Hata unit should have completed its task of joining forces with Sakamoto detachment to attack and break through the 20th Corps from two sides. The Japanese army could then withdraw some troops from the Hata unit back to their original defensive position in Guanhu Town.

  Although this is just a one-sided wish of Isami Kondō, from the simple military strength comparison, there is still some reason to it. In the history of war, there are many examples where one side's division defends its position and the other side fails to break through with an army-sized force in two or three days.

  If only from the perspective of troop equipment and combat effectiveness, it is possible for the Ninth Division of the Puppet Manchukuo Army to hold off a Chinese army corps for more than two days. The advisor to the Ninth Division, Colonel Yamada Heihachiro, was not exaggerating.

  Unfortunately, they encountered Cheng Jiacheng who never played cards reasonably.

  At 3:00 pm on May 7th, a team of over 100 Japanese soldiers came from outside Guanhu Town and easily entered the town.

  Guanhu Town is currently the location of the 9th Division Headquarters of the Puppet Manchukuo Army. The town has a division headquarters and an independent regiment of about 1,120 people from the Puppet Manchukuo Army, and has built relatively solid field fortifications, which are the core fortifications of the Puppet Manchukuo Army.

  In a place like this, it should be heavily guarded, but this team of people did not receive too strict checks. The reason is simple: first, the Japanese are the masters of the puppet Manchurian army; second, the number of troops is not large; third, these Japanese soldiers have that unique arrogant taste from head to toe. This third point is especially important, as the officers and men of the Ninth Division of the Puppet Manchukuo Army had been slaves to the Japanese for four or five years, and they would never dare to mistake their masters' behavior.

  Marching among the troops, Tian Jiafu made an effort to put on a look of disdain and indifference that he used to have when facing these slaves, while also secretly worrying about his own fate.

  This time, he really came to fight for life and death. If this team of less than a hundred people is exposed, or if there are those who were formerly in the military among them, and one of them is overly loyal to the Emperor, then Tian Jiafu's life will be forfeit immediately, and he will have to fight for his life with these traitors. (In order to show his "loyalty" to China, Tian Jiafu's daily language had long been no different from that of Chinese patriotic youth, and was even more radical. This made Cheng Jiaji laugh, but also reminded him that some words could not be used casually in the National Army, otherwise the political training department would find trouble with him.)

  This is something that Tian Jiafu absolutely did not want to happen. He betrayed his own "country" just to survive, to continue enjoying the beauty of this world, not to risk his life time and again.

  He thought to himself that Tian Jiafu's mind was very clear that he had no way out, if he left the protection of General Cheng Jiaqi, the Japanese army's treatment of people like him, he didn't even dare to think about it. The only way to be loyal to General Cheng and have a bright future for himself. Moreover, this time as long as he could complete the military task, General Cheng not only promised to reward him with 2,000 yuan, (he had been a policeman in Northeast China for several years, so he knew what 2,000 yuan meant for a person's life in China), but also promote him one level of military rank, at that time he would be a lieutenant colonel.

  What most excited Tian Jiafu, however, was the plan to expand this "Guiyi" army composed of Japanese prisoners of war that Cheng Jie had told him before they set out today. Thinking that he might lead thousands or even tens of thousands of people in the future, Tian Jiafu's emotions were stirred up endlessly. He made up his mind that when he returned, he would formally declare to the general his hope to become a general's house slave, and it would be best if he could even change his surname to Cheng. At that time, he would have a prestigious reputation, and who would still dare to look down on him?

  The loud salute of the sentry in front of the gate of the Ninth Division of the Puppet Manchukuo Army broke into Tian Jiafu's reverie, reminding him that he had unknowingly arrived at the entrance of the division headquarters, the target of this operation.