The Imjin River splits the smaller mountains between Afeihu Ridge and Masik Ridge, washes away the stubborn rocks blocking the river water, and flows from northeast to southwest, becoming even more turbulent in the midsummer.
Fadong is located at the eastern foot of Afeihu Ridge, only a straight line distance of more than 80 miles from Yuanshan Mountain. The terrain in this area is rugged, with crisscrossing ravines and dense vegetation. There is only one mountain path leading north along the river valley. That is to say, this road can bypass the Afeihuling Pass to reach the southern foot of Dafeng Mountain, and then bypass Dafeng Mountain to reach Yongxingli, the side of Yuanshan Mountain. .
Lieutenant Li Hao, a former Mountain Marten instructor who is now the commander of the reconnaissance company directly under the legion, was lying side by side in the grass on the hillside with the sharpshooter Wang Chang, witnessing groups of Japanese troops in black uniforms coming from under their noses. Go north. The Japanese light infantry did not detect the second platoon of the reconnaissance company. Even though the Japanese outposts and flankers passed by no more than ten meters away from the more than 20 officers and soldiers of the second platoon, they even stood on a rock beside Li Hao for about 10 seconds. For three minutes, there were no Chinese scouts lurking here.
Complex terrain, dense vegetation, proper camouflage, good training and strict discipline make latent reconnaissance operations safe.
At noon, the sun's rays came from the southeast above his head. In order to prevent the reflected light from the telescope film from being discovered by the Japanese army, Li Hao did not use a telescope. Relying on Wang Chang's natural farsightedness, he could detect the enemy's situation at a distance of 30-500 meters. See clearly.
"Company commander, a Japanese major general."
Wang Chang's voice was spinning in his throat. Li Hao looked in the direction indicated by the slow movement of Wang Chang's gun, but he only saw the marching queue of Japanese troops, just like the queue of thousands of people passing by, lightly armed and solemn. , advancing almost silently amidst the rushing sound of the river in the mountains. Gradually, in the direction pointed by Wang Chang's gun, the mountain road and the people on the mountain road came closer to Li Hao, and he saw that there was indeed a group of officers without long guns. There was a person vaguely surrounding him, but he still couldn't clearly see the person's attire and appearance.
"Hey, comparing people to each other makes people angry. What about the company commander? In terms of eyesight, can it be compared to Wang Chang, who is farsighted?
The group of Japanese soldiers were almost out of sight after turning around the col. Li Hao looked at the sun slightly to the southwest, then looked at the enemy group turning to the northeast. He quickly raised his telescope to adjust his field of vision, and happened to see the collar of the Japanese officer surrounded by them. A star on the top.
Five thousand Japanese light infantry, no mules and horses. There were no heavy weapons or even signs of carrying large amounts of rations. If converted according to China's new army drill, this Japanese brigade-level regiment only has seven days of ration supply and limited combat capabilities. However, once this force appeared on the Russian army's flank, it turned out to be far more effective than a salvo of hundreds of heavy artillery. The Russians are not yet accustomed to new types of warfare under "modern conditions", and their ability to adapt to new tactics can only be described as "poor". The Russians have suffered losses in border conflicts, but they still have some superstition about "absolute superiority in strength and weapons." Fight with the large army."
A battle? What a fart!
Li Hao looked around. Among them were two Japanese flanker service posts that had been demarcated. The Japanese sentries withdrew and they needed to catch up with the brigade. Perform missions in the special terrain that the next march passes through.
"Withdraw! Our mission is accomplished."
"What? Not a single shot was fired" Wang Chang muttered, but still obeyed the order obediently. However, the company commander quickly gave the answer to his doubts.
Reconnaissance, as a reconnaissance company directly under the corps, the task is not to conduct tactical reconnaissance, but strategic. The purpose of reconnaissance is to confirm several possibilities in our combat plan against the enemy. For example, the Japanese army may cross the central mountains from the direction of Seoul and flank Wonsan. This possibility was confirmed by the second platoon of the reconnaissance company lurking here in advance. , then, the combat plan formulated by the headquarters can exclude other scenarios against the enemy. Specializing in the Japanese army's roundabout attack on the Russian army's flank north of Wonsan, deploying troops and generals, properly responding to the Japanese army's strategic attempts and even using them to achieve our strategic victory.
This is called active strategic reconnaissance.
Passive tactical reconnaissance is to blindly search for enemy troops and report to the headquarters after the enemy troops appear. However, the headquarters often delays getting the news for two to three days due to factors such as spatial distance and communication methods, and the response from one's side will be delayed for four to five days. . If so, this battle will be unwinnable!
The completion of the reconnaissance mission in Phadong by the second platoon of the reconnaissance company is the guarantee of victory, while the first platoon monitors the Russian army and the third platoon monitors the enemy situation in Pyongyang. All are strategic reconnaissance missions and rarely have direct conflicts with frontline military officers. connect.
????????????????
Hikura is located between Wonsan and Pyongyang, almost in the middle of the two places.
The purpose of setting up the headquarters here by Army General Yamagata Aritomo, the commander-in-chief of the Japanese Korean Army, is to coordinate the two battlefields of Pyongyang and Wonsan, and to effectively command in Wonsan.The Eastern Route Army (2nd, 3rd, and 6th Divisions) and the West Route Army (4th and 5th Divisions) in the opposite direction implemented his western front to lure the Qing army to attack Seoul, and the eastern front severely attacked the Russian army. Thus, the strategic concept of making peace with Russia and focusing on dealing with the Qing army was achieved.
The plan was implemented smoothly. The Fifth Division began to "retreat step by step" from the Daning River and adopted the posture of "withdrawing from Pyongyang and waiting for help"; the Third Brigade of the Second Division (Sendai Brigade) has already After smoothly going up the Linjin River, it is expected that the Russian army will appear on the flank of Yongxingli three days later, that is, on August 4th; the 15th Brigade of the Second Division is covering the very prominent headquarters. And served as a guard in the direction of Pyongyang; the 3rd and 6th Divisions were ready to launch a general attack on the Russian army in Yongxingli.
General Youtomo of Shanxian County was no longer too worried about fighting on the east road, and instead focused the entire campaign on the direction of Pyongyang. Should he order the 10th Brigade of the Fifth Division to stick to Pyongyang and be surrounded and annihilated by the Qing army, or should he abandon Pyongyang and retreat to Seoul? So far, he has not made a final decision! The general must consider his opponent's possible thoughts and reactions in various situations. He cannot expose his strategic intentions to the young and cunning opponent prematurely. If the Qing army easily gets Pyongyang, will Yang Ge find that the focus of the Japanese campaign is Wonsan? definitely will! Is it possible to speculate that the Japanese army may negotiate for peace with the Russians after a heavy attack on the Russian army? definitely will! Then, Yange can respond to this. The fact is that the Qing army may arrive at Xuanwumen, the north gate of Pyongyang's outer city, at any time, but it will take three days for the Japanese army to bypass the Third Brigade behind the Russian army.
Time, how to buy time for the roundabout detachment? How could Yang Ge be unable to determine the strategic intentions of the imperial army and the Korean army within three days?
Shanxian Youpeng's eyes stayed on the map for a long time, but his thoughts were guided by the map, wandering mistyly beyond the clouds in the sky. It seems that there is something in the mist that can be felt but cannot be grasped. what is it?
Lieutenant Colonel Akashi Genjiro, the deputy intelligence staff officer, walked quickly behind the general, bowed to Aritomo Yamagata, whose thoughts were interrupted and looked displeased, and handed over the telegram copy: "Your Excellency, Chief of Staff Kodama and Commander Ogawa Division. urgent telegram."
Youpeng from Shanxian County took the telegram and looked at it, then quickly turned to look at the map. Shaking his head and sighing: "Oh the King of Joseon proclaimed himself emperor? Kodama-kun and Ogawa-kun are well-organized and sharp-eyed! However, the 10th Brigade's ineffective blocking operations caused the Qing army to pass through Suchuan too quickly. , then the 10th Brigade should pay the price for this! But Akashi-kun, have you ever found out the numbers of the Qing army's Anzhou, Suchuan, and Sunchuan front-line units?"
"It has been confirmed that they are the 1st, 7th and 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th brigades of the New Army, the most elite of the Qing army. In Mayongli, Nanpu, there was also a landing of the 1st Marine Brigade. Among them, the 1st, 7th, and 1st Marine Brigades are powerful and are elites dispatched from Wu Yi's vanguard army. Dai Chao, Qin Zhensheng, and Yang Muchi are all generals that Yang Ge values ????very highly "
"No, Yang Ge's real strong generals have not yet appeared. However, what we are facing is actually Yang Ge himself. Akashi-kun, I have a question. I want to know your answer. If the 10th Brigade holds Pyongyang for three days, Do you think the 10th Brigade is up to the task?"
Akashi Genjiro is not good at arranging troops, so he dare not answer hastily.
Youpeng in Shanxian County doesn't seem to need the answer from Lieutenant Colonel. He looked at the map and waited for a while, then said to himself: "Three days, three days, if the 10th Brigade wants to hold on to Pyongyang for three days, the 9th Brigade on the flanks will inevitably be captured in Mayong-ri-Nampo. If the Qing Army's Marine Brigade bites, then the entire Fifth Division will be dragged on the front line in Pyongyangone brigade, one divisionone division!"
In the general's soliloquy, Akashi Genjiro understood that the general was prepared to spend a division or a brigade to be annihilated by the Qing army. In exchange for a strategic victory on the east road! No, no, that's not right!
"Your Excellency, General! I have an idea."
"explain."
"I thought that Yang would never cross the Imjin River when the event planned by Chief of Staff Kodama of the King of Korea proclaiming himself emperor happened!" Genjiro Akashi stepped forward and crossed North Korea along the 38th parallel. Cut in half. He also drew a dotted line from top to bottom in the middle of the north and said: "Our army landed in Incheon and quickly occupied Seoul. After taking control of the North Korean royal family and government, the initiative is in the hands of our army. The evolution of North Korea's political structure will also be in the hands of General Your Excellency's strategy of advancing eastward and retreating westward is developing in a direction more conducive to our army. At this time, the King of Korea proclaimed himself emperor, which was tantamount to rejecting the Qing army's intervention in the Russo-Japanese War and adjusting the war. From an international moral perspective, the Qing army had already Loss of external conditions to continue moving south. Judging from the political situation of the Qing Dynasty and the New Deal situation in the past two years, Yang Ge does not have the strength to compete with Japan and Russia for hegemony in Korea. He caused a shooting incident to trigger a dispute between Japan and Russia, and took the opportunity to send troops into Korea for a limited purpose. Your Excellency , military issues can often be interpreted completely differently from economic and political perspectives.?The King of Korea proclaimed himself emperor, and the Qing's plan to regain suzerainty over Korea failed. So, with the Qing, Japan, and Russia competing for hegemony in the Far East, how would Yang control Korea and use it to contain the rise of the Japanese Empire? I believe that military means are secondary, and political and economic interests will be the main factors that determine the success or failure of the Far East hegemony. "
"Be direct, what would Yang Ge do?"
"Secure the Ping An Road and get a glimpse of the Yellow Sea Road. Unite with Russia and jointly suppress the Japanese Empire that is threatening the Korean royal family." Akashi Genjiro did not think too thoroughly before answering. An idea came to him during the answer, and he felt that he was thorough. After understanding the enemy's intentions, he spoke eloquently: "Your Excellency, Commander, the North Korean economy has always been self-sufficient. North and south are divided by the 30th latitude line, and east and west are divided by the central mountain range. Then, the following situation will occur. The southern plains are rich in rice. There are no industrial raw materials in the region; the northern and eastern regions, which are rich in industrial raw materials, have almost no food self-sufficiency; only Ping'an and the Yellow Sea, which are the areas that Yang attempts to encroach on and control, have relatively balanced industrial raw material resources and food output. What the Russians need It is a good port, an ice-free port on the west coast of the Korean peninsula near the Yellow Sea, rather than a seasonally frozen port on the east coast near the Sea of ??Japan; the Qing people needed to return to Korea to prevent our country from obtaining the minerals in northern Korea and gaining a foothold in Korea; our country What is needed is coal, iron ore, and food to control the political situation in North Korea. At present, Yang Ge does not have the ability to swallow up North Korea in one go, but he has the ability to occupy the northern and west coast areas and occupy the most advantageous position in the future three-country struggle for hegemony in the Far East. And he went south. Seoul will inevitably trigger a desperate fight by our army and suspicion from the Russians. He has limited strength and cannot cope with two battlefields. If one fails, he may end up withdrawing to the west of the Yalu River. Therefore, I infer that Yang Ge will not go south to Seoul. And will lend a helping hand and reinforce the Russian army when the Russian army suffers heavy losses. Of course, this is after Yang Ge was able to capture Pyongyang, march into the Yellow Sea Road, and achieve his strategic goals, so that Qing and Russia can jointly contain our country in North Korea in the future. Actions taken based on the strategic pattern. It can be seen from this that we cannot expect to negotiate a peace with Russia after severely defeating the Russian army, and holding on to Pyongyang is the only way to defeat Young's strategy!"
The words of Lieutenant Commander Akashi Genjiro completely subverted the strategic vision of General Aritomo Yamagata.
The dispute between Korea, Japan and Russia was caused by Yang Ge's plan to take advantage of Japan's desire for mineral resources. In this regard, Yamagata Aritomo made a judgment immediately after the incident, but he could not bring out the Qing people to attack Japan and Russia. It¡¯s just the evidence of businessmen and soldiers. None of this is important anymore. The Japanese Empire mobilized nearly 90,000 troops from five divisions and formed the current strategic layout on the Korean Peninsula. How to achieve the goal of "obtaining minerals and controlling the Korean royal family and government" on this basis? It depends on how Yamaxian Youto fights such a confusing war.
The previous strategic plan did have some wishful thinking. The Qing Dynasty stationed three brigades of 30,000 people in Maoshan. What was its intention? If the main force of the Qing army easily obtained Pyongyang, Huangzhou, and Haizhou but did not go south to Seoul, but instead used the three brigades in Musan and one of the west coast to reinforce the Russian army, it would at least ensure that the Russian army could securely defend the city, Sichuan and River lines, and it was even possible to "Reply to the enemy as he has done", use elite troops to cross the Central Mountains to flank Wonsan, cut off the rear path of the Japanese 3rd and 6th Divisions and part of the 2nd Division, and attack them from both front and rear with the Russian army. how? !
Possible changes in the situation have occurred, and General Yamaxian Youtomo only has a reserve team of one brigade, which is unable to cope with the changes!
"Order that all members of the Fifth Division retreat to Pyongyang and hold for five days; the Fourth Division immediately reinforces Pyongyang with no less than two infantry regiments, an artillery regiment and some brigade-level detachments of cavalry; the Second Division The 15th Brigade gathered urgently, and the security headquarters moved to Sariwon south of Pyongyang! The headquarters of the 3rd Division was ordered to serve as the headquarters of the East Route Army, with full authority to command the East Route operations! Urgent call to the base camp, please mobilize all personnel The Guards Division reinforces North Korea!"
When the order was issued, Akashi Genjiro who made the suggestion and Yamagata Aritomo who made the decision never thought that their thoughts at this time were exactly what the troublesome opponent Yang Ge expected!
{Piaotia Literature www.piaotia.com thanks all book friends for their support, your support is our greatest motivation}