newbobooks Chapter 294 The Arrogance of the Kwantung Army Headquarters
Chapter 294 The Arrogance of the Kwantung Army Headquarters
"Ding! System funds settlement complete. Current available balance for the host: £6,784,500!"
"Ding! The production line for the German-made Ju-87D Stuka dive bomber has been deployed to the Jiangnan Aircraft Manufacturing Plant and is operating at full speed!"
On the walls of Jinzhou in the early morning, the smoke of battle had not yet completely dissipated, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of sulfur and the acrid stench of molten steel.
Chen Zijun stood against the wind, the hem of his dark gray woolen military overcoat trembling slightly. He squinted at the red system panel that flashed in his mind, his fingertips lightly stroking a newly delivered telegram.
"Young Marshal, this is the nationwide telegram we just received."
Chief of Staff Shen Li, dressed in a crisp German major general's uniform, strode quickly up the city wall with his hand on his sidearm at his waist.
His expression was somewhat cold, and his tone carried an undisguised mockery:
"Zhang Jialiang has sent a telegram to the whole country. He declared that the Northeast Army is determined to defend its territory to the death and will resolutely obey the unified command and dispatch of the Nanjing National Government. Tsk tsk, what a brilliant move. He surrendered to Nanjing but not to us in Shanghai, thus preserving his Northeast Army organization and gaining himself a good reputation for being a staunch anti-Japanese fighter."
Chen Zijun turned his head slightly and took the telegram from Shen Li's hand.
He glanced at it twice, sneered, and casually crumpled the priceless electric card into a ball, throwing it into the charcoal brazier that the sentries used to keep warm.
The flames instantly erupted, burning the snow-white telegram into black ash.
"Suck up to someone powerful? He's being incredibly naive."
Chen Zijun spoke calmly, his voice so composed that no emotion could be detected.
"Chiang Kai-shek couldn't even manage his own small territory in Nanjing. How could he protect his Northeast Army? Zhang Jialiang thought that by finding a nominal monarch, he could play a political game between us and Japan. That's just wishful thinking. Chiang Kai-shek is not a ruler."
Shen Li snorted and spat out a mouthful of saliva:
"Young Marshal, how do we deal with the inquiries from Nanjing? After all, Chiang Kai-shek is still nominally the leader of the Nationalist government. What if he issues a troop mobilization order..."
"A troop mobilization order? Whose troops is he mobilizing? Did I eat his food or use his pay?" Chen Zijun glanced at Shen Li, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
"As long as Zhang Jialiang dares to stay on the front line and fight the Japanese to the death, I will tolerate him and even give him weapons and ammunition. But if he dares to run away, Chiang Kai-shek may spare him, but my armored vehicles will not! Tell all the regiments on the front line not to pay attention to the movements in Nanjing, we just need to keep an eye on the Japanese."
Meanwhile, in Lushun, the headquarters of the Japanese Kwantung Army.
"Baka yarou! This is absolutely impossible! This is a disgrace to the Empire! A disgrace!"
A beast-like roar suddenly shattered the deathly silence of the command building.
Honda Shigeru's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the battle report that had just been delivered to his desk. Veins bulged on his forehead like coiled venomous snakes. His face was pale and distorted with extreme anger, and he was breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently.
"The Kawamoto Brigade... a full six thousand warriors of the Great Japanese Empire! How could they have been completely wiped out outside Jinzhou City in just an hour and a half?!"
Honda Shigeru's voice trembled, not from fear, but from the spasms of extreme anger.
"Commander, this is true..."
A communications staff officer with the rank of major knelt on the ground, trembling like a leaf, and said in a trembling voice:
"Major General Kawamoto's mixed brigade encountered a large-scale minefield attack by Chen's army ten kilometers from Jinzhou. Subsequently, the enemy concentrated at least a hundred large-caliber heavy artillery pieces for a blanket bombardment. Kawamoto's brigade... was completely wiped out in the crossfire, with not a single survivor!"
"Bastard! You coward! You're undermining the morale of the Empire's army!"
Honda Shigeru let out a fierce roar, and he suddenly pulled out the samurai sword hanging on the wall. The cold blade flashed through the air with a dazzling light.
"Snap!"
With a muffled thud as flesh and bone separated, the kneeling communications officer, a major, didn't even have time to scream before his head shot into the air, and crimson blood gushed out like a fountain, staining the military map on his desk a deep crimson.
The headless corpse collapsed to the ground, and blood slowly spread across the floor.
Honda Shigeru roughly wiped the blood off the blade with a rag and shoved the katana back into its sheath. His eyes were ferocious and crazed as he stared intently at the two characters "Jinzhou" on the map, stained red with blood.
"Ishihara-kun, did you see that? This is Chen Zijun's answer!"
Honda Shigeru suddenly turned around and looked at Staff Officer Ishihara, who was sitting to the side watching coldly.
"He annihilated an entire mixed brigade of ours! This is a blatant declaration of war against the Empire of Japan! If the Kwantung Army does not deliver the most brutal retaliation, the Empire's dignity will be utterly destroyed!"
Staff Officer Ishihara, who had remained silent until now, frowned slightly. He looked at the still-flowing blood on the floor, sighed softly, and slowly stood up, saying:
"Commander Honda, I fully understand your anger. However, we must remain rational. The air defense network displayed by Chen's army in the suburbs of Beiping, the heavy artillery massing outside Jinzhou, and the armored vehicle formations photographed by our intelligence personnel all prove that they are not ordinary Chinese troops. They possess industrialized firepower far exceeding our imagination. Moreover, the Tokyo cabinet..."
"Shut up! Don't try to intimidate me with those cowardly politicians in Tokyo!"
"Those politicians in Tokyo only know how to compromise, only how to compromise! They only know the pressure from the British and American powers, they only know how to demand world peace, but they never think about East Asian peace, or the prosperity and peace of our Japanese Empire! Therefore, we, the Kwantung Army, must fight for the prosperity and peace of the Empire!"
Honda Shigeru angrily interrupted Ishihara, slamming his hand on the blood-stained desk.
"The interests of the three northeastern provinces were won by the Kwantung Army from Russia with bayonets, blood, and lives! If we back down in front of Chen Zijun, the Empire's foundation in Manchuria will completely collapse!"
A hint of worry flashed in Staff Officer Ishihara's eyes, but he also knew that Honda Shigeru had completely lost his mind, and the younger officers within the Kwantung Army were indignant over the annihilation of the Kawamoto Brigade. Without this battle, Honda Shigeru would be unable to quell the anger within the army.
"So, what does Commander-in-Chief intend to do?" Ishihara asked in a low voice.
"Forceful punishment! Thorough forceful punishment!"
Honda Shigeru's eyes flashed with a frenzied killing intent. He snatched the military order paper and signed the troop deployment order with swift, flowing strokes.
"Pass on my orders! Immediately mobilize the 2nd and 12th Divisions stationed along the Yalu River! These two fully-equipped Class A divisions, totaling 50,000 of the Empire's most elite warriors, along with their newly formed armored vehicle battalions—this formidable force is sufficient! Cross the border immediately and advance on Jinzhou at top speed!"
The 2nd Division and the 12th Division, two fully-staffed Class A divisions!
Fifty thousand elite soldiers from the Japanese Empire, plus two newly reinforced heavy armored vehicle battalions!
Crossing the Yalu River, they pressed towards Jinzhou!