radicalducati Page 56
Page 56
The artillery company no longer needed to launch observation balloons; they could simply set up telescopes on the high ground, making the Allied artillery positions, defensive nodes, troop concentration points, and even logistics warehouses clearly visible.
After the Allied forces slammed in shells without hesitation, this section of their defensive line was completely thrown into chaos.
Under artillery cover, the breakthrough troops moved through the enemy lines with impunity, breaking through the entire defensive line in one go. They then began to maneuver around Gaizhou, heading straight for the vital point of the Allied forces' retreat: the South Manchurian Railway!
After the war, Zhao Yan personally went to Hill 756 to survey the area and wondered why such a dangerous terrain would be given to the Dutch to garrison. Moreover, why didn't the Allied forces bring up artillery to build artillery positions on such a good hill?
In fact, the Japanese couldn't figure this out either. The Easterners would work themselves to death to build artillery positions on high ground, but the Europeans thought the terrain was too dangerous and unsuitable for building artillery positions, and that was the end of it. The Dutch didn't even bother to try!
After the Gaizhou defense line was breached, the fleeing Dutch dared not betray their British leader and quickly notified the British army. The British were not fools; they knew that once a point in the defense line was breached, the entire line would collapse rapidly.
Against other enemies, the British might have called in reserves to try and plug the gap, but against Zhao Yan, they didn't even consider trying and decisively retreated.
The Japanese army was tricked once again. They were still desperately resisting the offensive in front of them. General Oyama Iwao was still diligently deploying his troops when suddenly they heard an unusually dense burst of gunfire from the other side of the mountain defense line.
The intense gunfire came and went quickly, stopping after only an hour.
Oyama Iwao believed that the defenders of that section of the defensive line had successfully repelled the Chinese attack, and then asked who was so brave. His subordinates reported that it was the Dutch.
Oyama sensed something was wrong, but still chose to trust his allies. In terms of the fighting strength of European armies, the Netherlands was at least a major power, and shouldn't be...
But soon after, the Japanese troops were hit by shells falling from Hill 756. Oyama Iwao quickly contacted friendly forces to question why they were shelling their allies.
However, all the communications soldiers sent out returned empty-handed, reporting that the friendly forces' defenses had lost contact!
Before long, Chinese troops appeared behind the Japanese defense line!
Da Shanyan immediately understood everything. There was no need to ask anymore; it had been sold off again!
Da Shanyan decisively ordered all supplies to be abandoned and all units to withdraw to Lushun at all costs!
The Japanese army offered no further resistance, did not retreat in any orderly manner, and did not even arrange for anyone to hold them off; they simply retreated en masse.
At this point, it's all about who can run faster. What if you encounter a bear in the forest? Just run faster than your teammates!
Chapter 102 Sighing at the Vast Ocean
The collapse of the Gaizhou defense line caught Zhao Yan completely off guard. Could it be? He had only tested the weakness slightly, so how could the enemy's entire line have collapsed so suddenly?
The speed at which the allied forces collapsed and retreated was so fast that Zhao Yan didn't even have time to react; it was simply too fast.
The group turned and left as if they had made up their minds. Zhao Yan didn't even have time to say a word to stop them.
It should be noted that Zhao Yan still had two reserve divisions that he hadn't yet deployed! He only arranged for the Third Division to break through Hill 756, and whether they could succeed was entirely up to fate, since that place was too treacherous.
The Third Division was determined to suffer heavy casualties before going there, and the Party representative personally led the assault team with a light machine gun.
But no one expected that the Dutch, the supposedly great European coachmen and one of the world's great powers, would be so easily defeated. In just one charge, the assault team had barely gotten up when a round of artillery shells had already covered them.
The Dutch withdrew so easily. When the 3rd Division occupied the high ground, the division commander couldn't believe the news and only dared to send the main force in after repeatedly confirming it.
Upon receiving the battle report, Zhao Yan immediately suspected that this was a trap set by the Allied forces to lure the enemy deep into their territory. They were trying to use the enemy's own tactics against them, learning his line-filling tactics and now wanting to learn his mobile warfare, hoping to lure his elite divisions in and annihilate them.
Zhao Yan immediately tightened his grip on the last two division reserves and ordered the advance troops to proceed cautiously to prevent the Allied forces from luring the enemy deep into their territory and annihilating them.
But as the fighting progressed, the Third Division and the 27th Division, which had broken into the rear, all sensed something was wrong. Wherever they went, the enemy troops fled for their lives. If this was a trap to lure the enemy deep into their territory, it would be too convincing!
It wasn't until the Japanese army began to abandon their defenses and supplies and started to retreat that Zhao Yan was convinced that the enemy had collapsed, rather than being lured deeper into their territory!
Zhao Yan quickly deployed the last reserves and ordered a full-scale pursuit. Ignoring all advice, he led the presidential guard into the chase. All units received a direct order to do everything in their power to prevent the enemy from retreating into the Lushun Fortress!
After the order was issued, many troops were overwhelmed by the various supplies left behind by the Allied forces after their retreat, and the pursuing troops even stopped advancing in a frenzy to loot the supplies.
The Third Division, in particular, which was the first to storm Gaizhou City and occupy the railway station, was so impressed by the mountains of supplies and goods that they could hardly move.
After suffering a crushing defeat in the counterattack, the Allied forces abandoned their offensive plans and intended to wear down Zhao Yan through a protracted stalemate. After all, the Allied forces had Lushun and Dalian ports behind them, giving them control of the sea and advantages in sea transport. Furthermore, the South Manchurian Railway led directly to the front lines, giving them the conditions to wear down Zhao Yan. Therefore, they stockpiled a large amount of supplies and military equipment at the front lines.
The soldiers of the National Defense Army, who were terrified of poverty, were almost thrown into chaos when they saw such a large sum of money.
Zhao Yan was furious and ordered the head of state's guards to open fire, repeating the order over and over again, before he was able to keep the army from continuing the pursuit.
The allied forces advanced slowly and steadily, but their retreat was a full-blown invasion. Zhao Yan personally went to the front line to direct the pursuit, chasing and killing them one after another, but they could only catch up with them one bite at a time.
Even when the Third Division surrounded several thousand Allied troops, there was no sign of any rescue efforts from the Allied forces. The friendly troops who were running ahead did not care about the lives of their brothers who were surrounded behind them; they only cared about escaping first.
Two Japanese regiments escaped to the lower reaches of the Bilu River and were met by two cruisers from the Combined Fleet. The National Defense Army was unable to break through their defenses and had no choice but to give up and continue pursuing other enemy forces.
After receiving news of the major defeat at Gaizhou, the British and Japanese fleets rushed to the coastline to support their retreating allies.
These days, the navy's support for the army can only go this far. After all, this isn't decades from now, where you can just make a call on the radio, get a string of coordinates, and have a barrage of naval guns rain down on you.
Even if the army did have radios, you couldn't call naval ships because the two systems use different communication codes.
Even if a call is made, the navy's guns won't obey your army's orders to fire.
Even with artillery fire, can you believe the accuracy of naval guns these days? It's normal for a single shot to have an error of several hundred meters, and such an error is perfectly acceptable in naval warfare.
But in land warfare, with artillery shells falling with an error of several hundred meters, who knows whether you intend to bomb your own people or the enemy!
The allied forces, retreating along the coastline, could only stay close to the shore, reduce the range of their naval guns, and then have the navy determine the targets themselves.
In some places, they couldn't see anything at all, and the naval vessels were just firing blindly, taking a chance. Even so, the National Defense Force still dared not risk getting close, after all, those were shells that were one or two hundred millimeters high, and no one could withstand them.
The main force of the pursuing troops under Zhao Yan's command abandoned the enemy troops who were under the cover of naval guns and focused on pursuing the main force of the enemy in retreat. They chased and killed them all the way until nightfall, annihilating more than 40,000 people. However, the main force of the Allied forces still managed to escape back to the south of Pulandian and retreat into the Lushun Fortress area.
Zhao Yan dared not continue the pursuit. Going any further would put them within the range of the enemy's fortresses' artillery, and the enemy's naval fleet was concentrated along the coastline, so their naval guns could also reach them!
The pursuing forces dared not approach the eastern coastline, and instead tried to get as close as possible to the safe western coastline, for fear of being hit by naval gunfire.
On a hilltop, Zhao Yan reined in his horse and stopped, gazing at the distant ocean and the faint outline of the Lushun Fortress, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
He did everything he could, and he tried his best in everything he could, but in the end he still failed and could not achieve his core goal.
Zhao Yan wanted to annihilate this allied army corps, and then take advantage of the situation to move south swiftly and try to recapture the Lushun Fortress.
Zhao Yan himself knew in his heart that the hope for this was too slim, and could even be described as unrealistic wishful thinking, but Zhao Yan still couldn't help but want to try.
There was no other way; the location of Lushun Fortress was too crucial. If the Japanese army occupied it, the entire North China region would be unable to disarm, and the entire Northeast region would be unable to unload their troops!
Even as long as the Lushun Fortress remained in Japanese hands, the Bohai Bay would be an international free-flowing sea area, and the capital would have to keep a close eye on Lushun at all times.
The Japanese occupation of Kwantung Leased Territory was a geopolitical nightmare for the Chinese. The Japanese in Kwantung Leased Territory were not just like sleeping soundly next to someone else, but like sharing a pillow with you, and with a knife in their hand. No matter how strong your heart was, you couldn't sleep at night!
Attacking Lushun would have been impossible in less than ten years. You simply couldn't take this place without a navy. No matter how strong your army is, it can't withstand the combined firepower of fortress guns and naval guns.
This is Zhao Yan's only chance. If he misses it, he will have to wait ten or even several decades for the navy to be fully developed before he can possibly take back Lushun.
Only at this moment did Zhao Yan feel an overwhelming hatred for the Manchus. How could they sleep soundly in such a place, which had been occupied by the enemy for more than ten years? How could Beijing possibly sleep peacefully?
Growing increasingly angry, Zhao Yan could no longer contain himself: "Issue my order to relocate all the reform camps across the country to Liaodong to await orders!"
"The domestic campaign to hunt down and eliminate the remnants of the Qing dynasty must be intensified, deepened, and accelerated! It must be carried out strictly, severely, and tightly!"
"Yes, Führer!"
The generals under Zhao Yan's command were all puzzled by his gritted teeth. Why was their leader so angry when they had won such a glorious victory?
Zhao Yan turned to look at the generals, gritted his teeth, and asked, "Gentlemen, where is that place?"
The generals looked up, their expressions complicated. Everyone knew that place was Lushun, the core of the defense of the Bohai Sea, the most fatal loophole in the entire Beijing-Tianjin region and Northeast China, and also the "Kwantung Leased Territory" in the eyes of the Japanese!
The Japanese army took it from the Qing Dynasty at a very low cost. The Russians also briefly occupied the area, but the Japanese reclaimed it at a heavy cost after the Russo-Japanese War.
Of all the changes of hands, the Qing Dynasty suffered the most humiliating defeat, and now that Zhao Yan wants to take it back, the price he will have to pay will be unimaginable.
Zhao Yan, mounted on his horse, sighed at the vast ocean: "Alas, we repelled the allied forces once, but as long as Lushun and Dalian remain in enemy hands, they can launch a second and third attack at any time!"
There's always a saying: "You can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against thie
"If we can't take this place, Northeast China will forever remain an agricultural region, the capital will have no security whatsoever, North China will never be able to lay down its arms, and the capital will never be able to sleep peacefully!"
With his heart filled with pent-up emotions, a sea breeze blew by, and Zhao Yan's body, which had been tense for a month, could no longer withstand it. His body went limp, and he fell off his horse.
The generals were terrified, their faces turning ashen. They rushed forward, with Zhao Hao being the quickest, throwing himself on the ground to cushion Zhao Yan's fall from his horse.
A group of people hurriedly carried Zhao Yan into the tent, and the doctor was called over to treat him immediately.
After a series of examinations, the doctor accompanying the army diagnosed that the illness was caused by stress and emotional distress from working hard for days on end, and that all that was needed was rest.
The doctor was a royal physician from the palace, and his skills were excellent. After he took two doses of medicine, Zhao Yan woke up.
When Zhao Yan woke up, he was still too weak to move. He could only instruct his generals not to reveal that he had a health problem. He appointed Chen Mingqiu, the commander of the Third Division, as the commander-in-chief and promoted him to the rank of major general, and led the army to retreat.
Chapter 103 Zhang Mingqi's Painstaking Efforts
The capital city, inside the Forbidden City.
Just now, Zhang Mingqi received two documents from the front lines. After reading the first one, Zhang Mingqi's face turned red. After reading the second one, Zhang Mingqi's face immediately turned pale. Then, then, everything went black and he passed out!
The first document was a report of victory: a great victory at Gaizhou, with 80,000 enemy soldiers killed in battle, and the army approaching Lushun.
The second document states that the head of state has fallen ill due to overwork!
These days, getting sick is no joke. A common cold can be fatal, and if you collapse from overwork, who knows if you'll ever be able to get back up?
First came great joy, then great shock. Zhang Mingqi, at his age, couldn't withstand such a shock. He couldn't catch his breath and collapsed, just like Zhao Yan.
The ministers in the Prime Minister's Office were shocked. Fortunately, Vice Premier Lu Zhaoxuan dared to take drastic measures and directly pinched Zhang Mingqi's philtrum to turn him back on, pressing his fingernails into his flesh.
Upon waking up, Zhang Mingqi quickly and secretly put away the second document, only taking out the first report of victory to make it public and sending a report of victory to the entire capital city, while simultaneously sending a telegram to the whole country to announce the great victory at Gaizhou.
As for the news of the head of state's illness, Zhang Mingqi decisively chose to keep it a secret. This news absolutely could not be spread, otherwise even ten great victories at Gaizhou could not cover up the impact of the head of state's serious illness.
Zhang Mingqi simply wrote a letter, sealed it with his personal seal and wax, and instructed his trusted servant to send it by express courier to Wu Zifu, who was guarding Nanjing.
Others can keep the news from them, but Wu Zifu must know.
The next day, another urgent report came from the front lines, this time in the head of state's own handwriting. In the letter, Zhao Yan said that the two urgent reports sent back earlier were sent by Zhao Hao in his haste and by mistake. Zhao Yan said that he was just a little tired and that nothing serious had happened. He asked Premier Zhang Mingqi not to worry and to focus on taking care of the affairs at home.
Zhang Mingqi was skeptical, but ultimately chose to be optimistic. He really wanted to rush to the front line to see for himself what Zhao Yan's situation was.
The timing of these events is truly terrifying. If Zhao Yan were to perish on the front lines, then even if the battle is won, it would be a loss!
In his letter, Zhao Yan told him to focus on the home front and not worry too much, just to work hard and support the front lines. No matter how worried Zhang Mingqi was, he could only choose to remain optimistic and persevere.
In fact, Zhao Yan's health is still very good. He's in his early thirties, in the prime of his life. It's just that he's been commanding battles continuously and has been worrying too much and not getting enough rest, which has made him a little weak. He can recover, so it's not a big problem.
Once Zhang Mingqi came to his senses, he immediately remembered the letter he had sent to Nanjing. He was filled with regret and wanted to send someone to retrieve it, but this kind of secret letter was sent by express courier. Even if you sent a telegram to retrieve it, the recipient would not be able to receive it.
Zhang Mingqi could only send a second letter to explain the matter, praying in his heart that Wu Zifu, that hothead, wouldn't do anything irrational or impulsive after reading the letter.
After recovering from his shock, Zhang Mingqi continued to manage affairs in the rear. Outside the Forbidden City, there was already jubilation. The great victories in Korea and Gaizhou had resulted in the annihilation of more than 100,000 enemy troops in just three months since the leader of the country set out on his expedition.
The capital was filled with jubilation. All the previous worries and pessimism had vanished, and those who had been restless had all fallen silent and become obedient.
After the telegram was sent to the whole country, the great victory in Gaizhou once again injected a strong boost into the tense land of China, raising the already near limit to a higher level, and allowing for further exploitation.
The nation's financial support isn't for nothing; it's for a purpose. You see, everyone's spending money is what brings good news from the front lines.
Internationally, the Anglo-Japanese alliance was severely slapped in the face. The British lost face, and the Japanese were heartbroken. In this war, Zhao Yan almost exclusively fought against the Japanese.
The Japanese army annihilated four divisions in total, and the regimental flags were almost sold out in bulk by the National Defense Army. More than 80,000 Japanese soldiers were killed on the battlefield.
Although the British were quick enough to avoid having an entire division wiped out, a shadow was cast over the glory of the British Empire.
Zhao Yan's name resounded throughout the world. This time, foreigners no longer called Zhao Yan an ambitious revolutionary, but rather the Napoleon of the East, the mysterious war god of the Far East.
Previously, all countries thought Zhao Yan's line-filling tactics were novel, but they did not expect that Zhao Yan was also cunning in mobile warfare. The observation groups of various countries who accompanied the British and Japanese Allied Forces on the expedition watched as Zhao Yan gradually crushed the 270,000-strong Allied Army.
The Germans were stunned. They realized that war could be fought in this way: maneuvering the enemy in a dynamic manner, then finding a weakness and striking without hesitation. It was a contest of who could command more efficiently, who could find the weakness earlier, and who could strike more ruthlessly.
The allied forces now tremble at the mere mention of Zhao Yan's name. The area around Lushun Fortress is teeming with troops. Zhao Yan has retreated north, but no one dares to venture out again; they all remain obediently huddled in the Lushun-Dalian area.
In the Battle of Gaizhou, the Allied forces suffered more than 77,000 casualties, 8,500 were captured, and lost countless supplies, equipment, and ammunition.
The National Defense Forces also fared poorly, suffering over 21,400 deaths and 44,000 wounded. The heaviest casualties occurred during the attack on the Gaizhou defense line, where each division fought with sheer numbers. The Allied forces' defenses were no pushovers either, and it was only thanks to finding a weakness that they were able to break through.
The Battle of Gaizhou depleted the frontline's supplies and reserves once again. Fortunately, more than 17,000 tons of various military supplies, equipment, and ammunition were captured in Gaizhou, which barely restored some of their strength and allowed them to maintain their basic position.
However, Zhao Yan's desire to continue fighting large-scale battles became impossible. The rear could no longer supply additional military supplies, and the autumn harvest was approaching. The autumn grain in Northeast China was about to be harvested, and manpower would be stretched to the limit. The militia logistics teams in Northeast China would have to draw personnel to help with the autumn harvest.
In those days, China's autumn harvest was not like in later generations, where combine harvesters would go around the field a few times, whirr, and the grain would gush out.
The autumn harvest season is when China's unemployment rate is at its lowest and manpower is at its most strained. Every acre of farmland requires manpower to harvest and bundle the crops. After harvesting, the crops must be threshed, dried, and finally counted and stored.
That's not all. If it's military rations to be supplied to the front lines, they have to be hulled, ground, and processed further before finally being sent all the way to the front lines.
Each step in this process requires a massive investment of manpower, and at most, there are only some agricultural tools made of iron and wood. As for mechanized farming, that is still a distant dream.
The good news is that the reclamation work in Northeast China is progressing very well. This year, the three northeastern provinces have not been affected by large-scale wars, and agriculture is developing rapidly. Zhao Yan is fighting a war, and the battle lines are being pushed outwards. Apart from Liaoyang and other places being affected to some extent, the rest of the regions are experiencing good weather and peace.
Zhang Mingqi received a report from officials in Northeast China, which estimated that after this year's autumn harvest, the immigrant community would be able to achieve self-sufficiency. After deducting the needs of immigrants next year, the remaining amount of military rations that could be requisitioned to supply the front lines was estimated to reach about 330,000 tons.
After receiving this figure, Zhang Mingqi felt much relieved. If the Northeast region could supply 330,000 tons of grain, then the provinces within the Great Wall would be able to reduce the grain allocation by 2 million tons!
That's right, it's that exaggerated. Now, if one ton of grain is transported from the interior to the front line, half of it will be eaten by the laborers along the way if it originates from the north. If it is transported from the south, more than 70% of it will be eaten by the laborers along the way, and only the remaining amount will actually reach the front line.
Currently, food supplies mainly rely on manual transportation. Priority is given to waterways and railways for rapid transport, which are primarily used for supplying weapons, ammunition, clothing, and military necessities.