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Volume 1: Songhua River Chapter 1701: Assault on Manila (Part 1)

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    In the view of Major General Zhao Yuhe, chief of staff of the ** Division Headquarters, Ito Yanzaburo's move was very unconventional. He did not wait for the fighting in the Calais Mountains to end, and then pressed all the troops towards Manila.  Instead, they sent the Fourteenth Army southward in a hurry, which seemed a bit too hasty.

    On the front line in Manila, there are hundreds of thousands of U.S. and Philippine troops. The Japanese don't know this. Isn't it possible that Ito Yanzaburo is afraid that his Fourteenth Army will inflict heavy damage on MacArthur's superior strength?  The Calais Mountains and Manila are more than twelve hours' march away.

    This is what Zhao Yuhe couldn't figure out. With MacArthur's troops and morale on the front line in Manila, it was wishful thinking to surround and annihilate the Japanese 14th Army.  It is completely possible to take the initiative to attack when the foothold is not stable, and bite the Japanese hard on the outside of Manila. Attack quickly and retreat quickly, and then withdraw to the defense line.

    After all, the Fourteenth Army of the Japanese Army was a lonely and outstanding force on the local battlefield. In terms of tactical operations, MacArthur had no problems. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Zhao Yuhe did not believe it. Ito Yanzaburo was as cunning as a fox.  , could not fail to see this danger, so he was puzzled and hoped that the division commander could solve this mystery.

    Tang Qiuli finally stopped pacing. Zhao Yuhe was refreshed and looked at him expectantly. When Zhao Yuhe looked like this, Tang Qiuli smiled and said: "Yuhe, I can't judge either."  Come out, what is Ito Yanzaburo doing!"

    Zhao Yuhe couldn't help but feel discouraged. Even the division commander couldn't judge the Japanese army's actions.  It seems that the old devil Ito is getting more and more cunning.  Tang Qiuli asked, "Yuhe, if you were MacArthur, how would you deal with such a situation?"

    Zhao Yuhe replied without any delay: "It's very simple. Take advantage of the one-day lag of the main force of the Japanese army to make a time difference and use all the troops on the Manila defense line. To the Japanese 14th Army, which has come a long way and is exhausted,  With a severe blow, he quickly left the battlefield and retreated to the defensive line to hold on."

    "As long as you don't love fighting and don't get entangled by the Japanese army. If you continue this bite, you can kill at least thousands or even tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers. If the tactics are used properly, the troops and firepower are deployed tightly, and coupled with a sudden counterattack, the Japanese army will be able to kill the enemy for the first time."  It is very possible that the Fourteenth Army will be severely damaged!"

    Tang Qiuli nodded and said: "I also assumed this. Since you and I have thought of this, can that old fox Yanzaburo Ito not think of it?"

    Zhao Yuhe replied honestly: "No. Ito Yanzaburo would not make such a low-level mistake. This is also what puzzles me!"

    Tang Qiuli continued: "The question is, since Ito knew this, why did he still do it? Let's assume that the conditions for Ito to make such a decision are that the Third Army of the U.S. Army in the Calais Mountains is very  It will be wiped out soon. The distance between the main force of the Japanese army and the Fourteenth Army will not be too far. We are not afraid that MacArthur will jump out and give the Fourteenth Army a blow in the head! "

    "On the contrary, Ito also hoped that MacArthur would use all his troops in Manila and take the initiative to attack. As long as the U.S. and Philippine troops were entangled by the Fourteenth Army in the wild with no solid fortifications to rely on, the main force of the Japanese army that arrived later would destroy the U.S. and Philippine troops.  The army was surrounded and annihilated in the wild. It was another replica of the Battle of Calais Mountains. Only a crazy guy like Ito could do it without using an army as a bait!

    "Second, Ito was absolutely confident in the combat effectiveness and morale of the Japanese Fourteenth Army. Second, he was confident that MacArthur did not dare to take the initiative. In other words, he had a deep understanding of the American psychology and was timid and fearful of war. Third,  It¡¯s Ito Yanzaburo¡¯s move. It¡¯s another conspiracy or a trap. As for what it is, I can¡¯t tell! Tamawa, which one do you prefer?¡±

    This time, Zhao Yuhe answered more honestly, "Commander, all three possibilities are valid. I can't choose between them. Under your hands, Ito Yanzaburo, after suffering many losses, mastered some ancient Chinese military techniques.  If applied to MacArthur, he would be a good student!" The last sentence was obviously ridiculing.

    Tang Qiuli smiled and said: "Chinese culture has spanned five thousand years and is vast and profound. How can a mere Japanese pirate grasp its essence? Since you don't know what Ito Yanzaburo is going to do, don't waste your time. Tamawa orders the Intelligence Department.  , strictly monitor the movements of the Japanese and US troops in Luzon Island, the mystery will be revealed soon!¡±

    Lieutenant General Yoshihiko Haruta, the commander of the Japanese Fourteenth Army who is commanding his troops and advancing rapidly towards Manila, only sees Manila and the hundreds of thousands of American and Filipino troops.  There are not so many ideas in my mind.

    Lieutenant General Yoshihiko Haruta¡¯s advancement method was also extremely arrogant and arrogant. He ordered his subordinates to advance in total: 103, 104, 108, and 109.?? divisions, with more than 70,000 troops, adopted the method of advancing hand in hand and attacking on multiple routes. They ignored the obstruction and harassment of small groups of US troops along the way.  , arrived at the perimeter of the US military's Manila defense line.

    Furthermore, Commander Springfield¡¯s order also contained an item that stunned all Japanese commanders at all levels: ¡°All troops of the Fourteenth Army, after arriving at the U.S. Manila defense line, will immediately attack the U.S. defense line without stopping or making preparations!¡±

    Not to mention anything else, even the four division commanders of the Fourteenth Army broke out in white sweat after receiving the order. It was not that they doubted the combat effectiveness and morale of the samurai of the Imperial Japanese Army, but that of Commander Haruta.  Why does this order make me crazy and lose my mind just by looking at it? Why is it so mysterious?

    Commander Springfield doesn't know that around Manila, the U.S-Philippine Army has a total strength of more than 130,000 troops, which is about double the strength of the 14th Army. With 70,000 troops, it attacks the 130,000 defenders and hits more with less.  , this in itself is a huge risk. After marching for more than ten hours, the soldiers did not even take a breath. They were tired and exhausted. They immediately attacked the hundreds of thousands of American and Filipino troops who relied on solid fortifications for defense. It was almost like committing suicide!

    There are also artillery preparations before the attack, the deployment of troops, the choice of attack direction, the deployment of the US and Philippine troops, the configuration of firepower points, etc., all need to be prepared and figured out in advance, but Commander Springfield, put all these  All of them were omitted. He wouldn't think that the soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army were invulnerable gods of war, right?  If the Americans suddenly launch a counterattack, the Imperial Army, whose foothold is not stable, will only be beaten. It will not only lose the face of the 14th Army, but also the lives of the Imperial soldiers!

    After communicating with each other on the radio, the four division commanders felt that Commander Springfield could not be allowed to act so recklessly, otherwise it would cause unbearable casualties to the 14th Army. Several division commanders who also had the rank of lieutenant general,  The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. After muttering for a while, I reached an agreement and immediately met with Commander Springfield and asked him to change the order and give each division at least three to four hours of attack preparation time.

    If Commander Haruta insists on going his own way and refuses to listen to suggestions, they may even plan to report to the Commander-in-Chief General Ito. After the four Japanese division commanders settled the troops, they hurriedly arrived with the intention of launching an army to punish the perpetrators.  Go to the location of the military headquarters.

    Commander Yoshihiko Haruta, after listening to the Chief of Staff, Major General Hashimoto Ichiro, relayed the requests of the four division commanders, he was also unhappy. In his opinion, those four guys clearly lacked the generals of the Imperial Japanese Army.  , the kind of courage and heroism that goes forward in an unstoppable manner and crushes all the enemy forces that dare to resist!

    In other words, I am a little timid and overly cautious. Attacking a unit like the US-Philippine Army still requires several hours of preparation. Are you kidding me?  If everything goes well, he will be able to greet General Ito and his party in Manila tomorrow night. It is a waste of time to discuss the issue of attack now.

    Originally, Lieutenant General Haruta wanted to simply refuse. The war was about to begin, and I didn¡¯t have time to chat with the four of you guys. It was Chief of Staff Hashimoto who suggested that the commander should meet. Chief of Staff Hashimoto¡¯s reason for persuading him was very straightforward, "  A general, a front-line commander, has the right to make suggestions to his superiors. What's more, it's inappropriate for four people to come together and not see or listen to their suggestions. After all, they have to execute the orders. "

    Lieutenant General Haruta still respected himself as the chief of staff, so he was unhappy and agreed angrily. However, his expression was out of place and so gloomy that he was almost dripping with water. Chief of Staff Hashimoto couldn't help but  Holding a handful of sweat.

    Sure enough, before the four division commanders who hurried over could finish expressing their opinions, Commander Springfield exploded and became furious. He pulled his neck and roared: "That's enough! I don't want to listen to you anymore."  The excuses, the so-called reasons, are nothing more than covering up your inner fears when facing the enemy. As generals of the Imperial Japanese Army, you should be ashamed of having such thoughts!"

    "Commander-in-Chief Ito has given us the 14th Army the first glorious mission to invade Manila. This is a great trust and honor. Therefore, my request to you is to do it immediately, immediately, and as quickly as possible.  With the greatest speed and momentum, launch the most violent attack on the Americans and Filipinos on the opposite side. Everyone, take back your suggestions. My orders cannot be questioned! Return to your respective units immediately and execute my orders!  Order it!¡±

    Good guy, the four Japanese lieutenant general division commanders who thought they were full of reason didn't even finish their opinions before they were bombarded by Commander Springfield like a violent storm. The bombardment made them dizzy. Look.  The commander was waiting for the blood-red bull's eyes, with bulging veins on his face, as if he was going to draw his sword and kill someone immediately if he disagreed or disobeyed him.

    The four Japanese divisions suffered a volley of artillery fire from Lieutenant General Yoshihiko Haruta.The commander, not daring to let out a fart, returned to his respective troops wilted and groaned, and carried out what they considered to be a bastard and crazy order.

    (To be continued).
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