The 12th Division, which had narrowly escaped death, had already lost its troops and vitality when it landed in Taiwan. The territory occupied by the division was only a quarter of that of the 9th Division. Of course, Hidezo was not happy when he saw that the 9th Division Lieutenant General Tasaka of the division not only failed to express comfort, but also often made remarks in public to ridicule Lieutenant General Hitomi and his 12th Division. Over time, the contradiction between the two divisions became deeper and deeper. .
The difference in the numbers of the 12th Division was too big, and it could no longer guarantee the normal operation of a division-level unit. The commander of the division opened up new ideas and began to recruit a large number of Taiwanese soldiers. Young, but this fighting ability is really not flattering.
Before the 12th Division came to Taiwan, other Japanese troops had also recruited soldiers in Taiwan. However, those Taiwanese soldiers were all dragged to fight in Southeast Asian countries. Even the Japanese army did not dare to let them fight on the battlefield in mainland China. We are afraid that these Taiwanese soldiers will rebel on the battlefield, but today these Taiwanese Japanese soldiers not only have to fight in Taiwan, but also fight against [***]. It is surprising that such a battle can be fought well.
The 500th Division led by Wang Dazhu received all the fine weapons and equipment in Myanmar, and its firepower is not a little stronger than before. The two brigades of the 500th Division, the 201st Brigade and the 322nd Brigade, were all originally deployed in Myanmar. The two armies were rebuilt after the entire brigade was killed in the Battle of Songhu. From the first day of reconstruction, these two armies formed an incomprehensible blood feud with the Japanese invaders.
In the past, when they were on the mainland, whenever the Five Hundred Division and the Japanese fought, it would be an endless fight. Every time, Gao Quan, the commander, would personally give the order before they would stop attacking. If there was no order, the Five Hundred Division would keep fighting. , until there is no living Japanese on the battlefield.
What would it be like for such a unit to be equipped with advanced weapons and equipment on the battlefield? Since the first shot of the battle between the 500th Division and the 12th Division was fired, the gunfire on the battlefield has not stopped. The 500th Division The division's artillery never rested, and the charging troops came one after another, and they did not stop for a while.
Lieutenant General Renjian's battlefield command is not incompetent, but the weapons in his hands are not. The superior weapons and equipment that the Japanese army relied on in the past cannot take any advantage in front of the 500 Division that has been replaced with all-American equipment. Without weapons, Advantage, then you have to fight for morale. Anyway, things like bushido and Yamato spirit are more popular in the Japanese army. The only way Hidezo can improve the combat effectiveness of soldiers is to use spiritual power.
"Samurai, you are the subjects of the Emperor, you are unnecessary warriors, fight for honor for the 12th Infantry Division of the Empire of Japan, defeat your enemies, defeat those Chinese soldiers, draw your katana, and move forward with the awareness of death. , we are officers and soldiers."
"We are officers and soldiers, and the enemy is the enemy of the imperial court who cannot be tolerated by heaven and earth" The officer in the front row first drew his command sword and sang the "March of the Sword" loudly, followed by the soldiers behind the officer, and in an instant the loud military song It echoed throughout the sky, as if even the fierce sound of gunfire had been suppressed.
This is the reinforcement force of the 12th Division. The 24th Regiment was defeated in the front. Colonel Kikuchi and his troops could no longer bear it. Although several small-scale reinforcements had been sent, they could not hold on. However, he was unable to turn the tide of the battle. He saw Hidezo gritting his teeth and pulling his men together, reluctantly gathering another unit to support Saburo Kikuchi. Now the division commander was doing pre-war mobilization before the troops set off.
This kind of pre-war mobilization is actually rare in the Japanese army. The Japanese have always regarded themselves as a regular army with strict disciplines. It is normal to go to war after receiving orders, and there is no need to mobilize at all. However, the current situation of the division is really a bit strange. Wonderful, in order to boost the morale of the soldiers before the battle so that the reinforcements sent this time can be effective, Renjian Hidezo came out to the front of the crowd and took the lead in singing military songs.
It should be said that this military song handed down from the Meiji period is still very popular among the Japs. The faces of the Japs officers and soldiers sang red, and some of the fragile ones even shed tears of excitement. When people saw the Lieutenant General, they felt blood all over their bodies. All boiling.
"Let's go." Following the order from the lieutenant general, Colonel Tanaka Ryokichi at the front of the team pulled out his command sword, looked up to the sky and howled, and led the troops singing war songs and striding towards the battlefield.
Colonel Tanaka Ryoukichi led the Japanese military officers to the front, followed by nearly 3,000 Japanese troops. The Japanese troops in the front half of the team sang loudly and energetically. These Japanese soldiers passed by and sang military songs together with the division commander just now. , the fighting spirit has been completely aroused, and now they just want to fight on the battlefield and die heroically. As for the soldiers in the second half of the team, they are talking in low voices and showing panic expressions. Basically, these people are Taiwan soldiers.
The opponent that is about to fight is [***], and the 24th Regiment on the battlefield ahead is no longer viable. Let us fight [***]. The Taiwanese soldiers were talking to each other in low voices. Everyone was talking. What to do after going to the battlefield and how to ensure thatSurvive, the military song sung by the Japanese army not only had no effect on them, but also aroused the resentment of these Taiwanese soldiers. In recent years, the Japanese have often sung this song when they did bad things on the island, and the Taiwanese people became annoyed when they heard it.
Seeing the reinforcements striding towards the front line singing military songs, Renjian Xiuzan nodded with satisfaction. Only in this way can we have the military might of the Imperial Army of Japan.
"Ogura-kun, please increase your support and provide sufficient firepower to the Chinese army. Please." Lieutenant General Hitomi nodded heavily to the fat Japanese colonel next to him to express his emphasis.
"Hey, the division's field artillery wing will definitely fight with all its strength. However, Your Majesty General, my artillery wing doesn't have enough artillery shells. Can you please ask Lieutenant General Tasaka and Governor Ando for some support? We don't need cannons, just Just artillery shells," Artillery Chief Saburo Ogura asked the general carefully.
"Okura-kun, you know the difficulties of our division. There is no way that guy Tasaka Hachiba will give us artillery shells. As for General Ando, ??how many artillery shells do you think he can support us? If he can support us, your The artillery wing has long since returned to full strength.¡±
"In its heyday, when it was in Manchuria in the 12th year of Showa, the 12th Division had seven artillery regiments, flying regiments, and tank regiments. What a powerful combat force the division was at that time." Saburo Ogura had a look of confusion on his face. The artillery captain always liked to recall the past prosperity, even though he was just a small artilleryman at that time.
"Yes, the 12th Division was too powerful in the past."
The two Japanese soldiers were imagining what the division had been like in the past when it was strong. The main force left, but there were still many Japanese security forces and left-behind officers at the scene. The division commander had not left, and it was difficult for the Japanese soldiers to leave. Everyone was looking at the division commander eagerly, waiting for the lieutenant general to go back and rest quickly so that they could find a place to rest.
Although there were two people in the crowd looking at Renjian Xiuzan, their eyes were always a little different from those of the Japanese around them.