Chapter 51: Soul Sacrifice Battle Plan (2)

  Ankō Masatane was from Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. He graduated from the 26th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in November 1914. After graduation, he served as a clerk in the Military Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of War, commander of the 51st Infantry Battalion, staff officer of the 9th Division, deputy commander of the 29th Infantry Brigade, staff officer of the 16th Division, commander of the 49th Infantry Brigade and chief of staff of the 5th Division. He was promoted to lieutenant general in March 1935.

  When the Japanese army launched a full-scale invasion of China, Anami Korechika was serving as the principal of the Army Tank School in Tokyo. Later, an order from the Ministry of the Army transferred him to the combat roster of the Kwantung Army, where he served as chief of staff of the Chahar Expeditionary Force.

  Sakai Kōji was shot and killed, Tōjō Hideki reported to the Imperial General Headquarters, hoping that Ano Kiyomitsu would take over as the commander of the 1st Independent Mixed Brigade. The Imperial General Headquarters had no objection to this, and immediately agreed to Tōjō's request.

  As soon as Anghang Zhengchen took office, he went to the Independent Mixed First Brigade to inspect his subordinates. However, what made Anghang Zhengchen angry was that the previously renowned Chinese Garrison Army's Independent Mixed First Brigade now only had an empty shell left. More than 8,000 soldiers were reduced to less than 4,000, and five infantry battalions were reduced to two battered battalions, with all the others annihilated. The casualties among officers were even more severe. Except for the brigade commander being killed, the only army major in the Independent Mixed First Brigade was also killed in battle. Four out of nine captains died, and lieutenants and sergeants did not escape death either. The entire Independent Mixed First Brigade was considered to be crippled. If it weren't for the brigade's military flag still being intact, this brigade would have been removed from the combat roster of the Imperial Japanese Army.

  What made An Gongzheng even more uneasy was that the morale of the soldiers in the First Mixed Brigade was extremely low, and even he, an outsider, could feel the suffocating sadness and deep fear emanating from them.

  Those were still the Imperial Japanese Army he knew, or what was once the invincible Kwantung Army, but now just a defeated and demoralized remnant.

  So as the new commander of this army, his first task was not how to avenge this army, but to re-motivate these soldiers who had lost their confidence.

  This is a difficult task, it's not like a car tire, when it's deflated, just find an air pump and inflate it a few times to fill it up. No, a demoralized army is like a tiger that has lost its teeth and claws, seemingly powerful but actually just a soft-shelled shrimp. Only victory, a thrilling and satisfying victory can restore the morale of this troop.

  "General Angkang, the number of troops in this unit is not yet certain, but at least it can be confirmed that this unit has a complete infantry regiment, which is a regular trained force. In addition, we have also detected that this unit had captured a large number of Chinese bandits, with an estimated number of around 3,000 people, who are still unaccounted for and may have been incorporated into the unit. This would mean that the unit has at least around 6,000 people. The commander's name is Chen Feng, who did not receive systematic military education and only studied up to junior high school without obtaining a graduation certificate. The deputy commander's name is Li Wensheng, aged around 30 years old, other details are still unclear." Colonel Heiwa replied standing up.

  "No wonder the Imperial Army suffered a great loss this time. Not only were the weapons and equipment of this unit excellent, but also the number of people far exceeded the expectations of the Imperial Army. According to the organization of the Chinese Pacification Corps, a pacification corps would not exceed 1,000 people at most, but this unit had an additional 5,000 people. It was understandable that the Imperial Army was caught off guard and defeated by this unit." said Anzheng Zhongchen.

  "Yoshi, what Lieutenant General An Gwang said makes sense, but that's not the reason we lost this battle. Losing is losing, and it's our shame. If it's shame, then we have to wash it away with the enemy's blood." Lieutenant General Abe Kiyoshu said loudly.

  "Hai! I concur with Minister Abe's opinion, shame must be washed away with the enemy's blood and heads!" Ano Masamichi said loudly.

  "Gentlemen, according to the latest intelligence from our special high department, although Chiang Kai-shek and Yan Xishan of Taiyuan attach great importance to this Chinese army, they have not provided much material support. They have only allocated over a thousand rifles and tens of thousands of silver dollars in military pay. Although they also promised to provide some personnel reinforcements, there has been no movement so far. Therefore, the strength of this army is likely still less than 6,000," Pingyuan Rongyi said loudly.

  "Oh, there was such a thing, Tianzhen Battle, our Great Japanese Imperial Army suffered heavy losses, with more than 12,000 troops lost, including 6,000 imperial army and more than 5,000 imperial allied army were lost in the hands of Chen Feng's unit. Isn't there an old saying in China that killing one thousand enemies would cost eight thousand of our own? Even if Chen Feng's unit didn't suffer such heavy losses, but at least three to five thousand people were lost in Tianzhen Battle, so I judge that Chen Feng's unit won't exceed 3,000 people." said Lieutenant General Yu Gen'ichirō.

  "It's not necessarily the case, on one hand, this unit and other units have a big difference, they are much more cunning than what we know of other units, no need for me to say it, you generals should also have a deep understanding. Secondly, this unit has just been appointed as the garrison troops for Xinghe, Fengzhen, Shangdu, Jining and other places, originally these counties' defense troops were all assigned to the Independent 222 Division. So Chen Feng's current troop numbers should only be more than before, not less than before the Tianzhen battle." Pingyuan Rong said loudly.

  "Yohei, Heigen, have you ever understood the garrison troops of those several Chinese county towns?" said Tōjō Hideki.

  "Yes, sir. Although our Special High Department's mission is to gather information on Chinese military officers of the rank of lieutenant general or above, since the emergence of Chen Feng's troops, we have come to realize the ferocity of the Chinese people. Therefore, we have also included the local Chinese garrison forces in several nearby counties as targets for reconnaissance. The Shangdu County Security Regiment has only over 800 people, with extremely simple equipment and combat power that is not comparable to a single infantry company of the Imperial Army, so it's not worth worrying about. The Fengzhen Security Regiment has three complete infantry regiments, with approximately 1,500 people, although their equipment is simple, but the combat power of the troops is still acceptable. According to reliable intelligence, the regimental commander of this security regiment was once a regimental commander in the Chinese Northwestern Army. The Jining Security Regiment has about 1,000 people, with slightly better equipment than the other two security regiments, but their commander is not a qualified military officer, running a brothel and opium den locally, and also privately trafficking in opium, and there are many soldiers in the army who smoke opium. Therefore, this force does not pose a great threat to the Imperial Army either." Pingyuan Rongyi replied.

  "Yo, we've got the enemy's situation pretty much figured out. Think about it, our proud Kwantung Army elite was defeated by this ragtag Chinese army - what a humiliation! So we must quickly come up with a battle plan and thoroughly annihilate this Chinese force."

  "According to the latest order from Headquarters, our army corps does not need to recover its combat effectiveness within ten days. Then, we will take down Tianzhen at the end of September and capture Datong, a key city in northern Shanxi, at the beginning of October. What do you gentlemen think?"

  "Commander, I believe that in order to achieve the ultimate strategic goal, we must take down Tianzhen. Once Tianzhen is captured, Yanggao and Datong will be easily taken, as easy as turning one's hand over. However, Tianzhen not only has the 61st Army of China stationed there, but also has that despicable Security Regiment supporting from the flank, making it impossible for our army to focus on attacking the defenders of Tianzhen. Therefore, in order to capture Tianzhen, we must first eliminate Chen Feng's forces. So, I suggest that our army should launch an attack against Chen Feng's forces in late September, and after capturing Xinghe, march south to pincer the enemy at Tianzhen." Abe Kiyoshige said loudly.

  "I, Chahar, have dispatched a troop of over 30,000 men, plus the 7 cavalry divisions of the Imperial Guard, making our total strength exceed 50,000 men. It's somewhat excessive to attack a single Chinese local security regiment with such a large army. I suggest we divide our troops into two routes: one route departs from Wanquan, crosses the Dongyang River and Chaigou Fortress, and directly attacks Chen Feng's old nest in Xinghe. The other route will depart from Huai and attack Tianzhen County again. With the northern route army's distraction, Chen Feng's forces will definitely not be able to divide their troops to rescue the Tianzhen garrison. As long as one of our routes achieves a breakthrough, we can withdraw troops to support the other route, and this battle will be won." said Lieutenant General Ueda Shinichiro loudly.

  "Alright, this plan is good. In 7 days it will be the Memorial Day for the Dead, to mourn those who died for the Empire and to comfort the wronged spirits of the dead, I order the Chahar Army to launch an attack on China on that day. Listen to my orders: The Independent Mixed 15th Brigade, Artillery 2nd Battalion, Imperial Guard Cavalry 1st and 2nd Divisions will form the Northern Route Army, with Lieutenant General Yūgen Eiichirō as the highest commander of the Northern Route Army, starting today, head to Wanquan County, wait for ammunition replenishment from the North China Area Army, then advance to Zhāigōu Fortress on the 22nd, and arrive in Xīnghé territory before Memorial Day. The Independent Mixed 2nd Brigade, Tīzhī Detachment, Dàquán Detachment, Artillery 4th Battalion, Imperial Guard Cavalry 5th, 6th, and 8th Divisions will form the Southern Route Army, with Lieutenant General Abe Kiyoshi as the highest commander, after replenishment, the troops will immediately head to the Tiānzhèn line, and launch an attack on the 23rd simultaneously with the Northern Route Army. The Independent Mixed 1st Brigade has suffered heavy losses and has basically lost its combat effectiveness, so it will be left behind in Huáilái, on the one hand waiting for replenishment, on the other hand guarding the rear base of the Southern and Northern Route Armies." Tōjō Hideki ordered loudly.

  "After finishing speaking, Tōjō Hideki didn't stop at all and continued to say: 'The code name for this battle is Soul Festival Battle, whether we can wash away our past shame depends on you all, I'm counting on you!'"

  "Hi!"

  "Long live His Majesty the Emperor!"

  "Long live the Great Empire of Japan!"

  ........