Looking at the ruins of the Aershan Railway Station, and the tragic situation in the entire Aershan area even above the 23rd Division. Lieutenant General Nishihara Kanji went to the Aershan line to replenish supplies, and then took a train along the Bai'a
The hope of the railway moving southward to Wangye Temple was completely shattered.
Even the idea of replenishing supplies in the Aershan region was out of reach. Nearly 10,000 tons of grain reserves in two large Japanese military grain storage warehouses in the Aershan region were sent to the sky together with the storage warehouses. Of course, the sorghum that the Manchus and workers ate
There are still some grains such as rice and acorn noodles. But these pig foods, which are only suitable for low-class Chinese people, are the foods that the Japanese emperor should eat?
When he saw the seriously injured Aershan garrison captain wrapped like a rice dumpling, Nishihara Kanji learned that not only the Aershan Railway Station was destroyed in the air raid, but even the north of the Bai'a Railway Wangye Temple was seriously damaged.
.Almost all railway lines have been paralyzed. Even the Nanxing'an Tunnel, an important hub of the Bai-A Railway, was collapsed.
The hope of railway transportation was dashed, and the hope of getting some supplies was also in vain. Although there are fortifications in the so-called border fortification area of Aershan to rely on, and the surrounding Aershan is surrounded by the mountains of the Greater Khingan Mountains and has dense vegetation.
Compared with the endless Hulunbuir Prairie, which is bare and endless, at least it doesn't have to be exposed to broad daylight and bombed.
But what Aershan saw in front of them was undoubtedly a bigger blow to the morale of the 23rd Division, which had already dropped to the bottom. The supplies had been completely cut off, and the little food on hand was almost impossible to support their retreat.
When we arrived at Wangye Temple, the 23rd Division, which had very little ammunition left, was truly in a desperate situation.
Although under normal combat conditions, even if food is cut off, it is not a problem that is difficult to solve for the Japanese army, which has always been robbing. To requisition the surrounding people on the spot is to rob. But that is
Refers to fighting in densely populated areas.
The problem now is that to the west of the Aershan line is the sparsely populated Mongolian grassland, and to the west is the so-called Mongolian territory. To the east is the vast Xing'an Mountains. There are not many living people outside the railway line, let alone other people.
Even if the 23rd Division wanted to collect food on the spot, it could not collect food.
Without food, how can we walk the remaining hundreds of kilometers? Even if the Japanese soldiers can endure the hardships, whether they can sustain their physical strength without food supplements is an unsolvable problem. Especially from Aershan to
South, almost all marching in the mountains.
Although the dilapidated condition of Aershan made Nishihara Kanji and Chida Sadao quite disappointed. However, the dilapidated Aershan brought an unexpected benefit to Kanji Nishihara, which was to use the wired communication lines here to
After struggling until the early morning of the next day, Nishihara Kanji finally contacted the Kwantung Army headquarters.
The person who answered the phone was Kwantung Army Chief of Staff Kimura Hyōtaro, who was preparing for the handover. Hearing the number of casualties reported by Nishihara Kanji on the phone, Kimura Hyōtaro was also surprised. Including the attached troops, the number of troops reached 27,000.
The remaining 23rd Division, in addition to the 3,000 people who were wiped out in the battle of Yakeshi, actually suffered casualties and nearly 10,000 people were missing during the hundreds of kilometers of retreat.
In other words, only half of the current 23rd Division, including the 8th Border Guard Corps and other miscellaneous attached troops, are left. And for the 23rd Division's retreat journey, this is
It's only less than half way. If we continue at this rate of casualties, how many people will be left in the 23rd Division by the time we reach Wangye Temple?
As for the Aershan area that is now covered by dense vegetation and a considerable part of permanent fortifications, although it is temporarily out of danger, supplies are close to being cut off. The interruption of the Baia-A railway line makes it impossible for the Kwantung Army headquarters, which lacks trucks, to provide it
supply.
Although the Kwantung Army urgently mobilized several railway squadrons on the first day it was bombed to repair the Bai-A Railway, which was damaged in many places by the bombing. However, there are more than 200 kilometers of railway lines north of the Guiliu River that are almost completely paralyzed.
It's so easy to repair, not to mention that almost all the bridges and tunnels were blown up.
In particular, the Nanxing'an Tunnel, which is more than 3,000 meters long, was blown up. It will take at least half a month to complete the repair just by rushing to transport the earth and stone. Besides, you have just repaired a section here after working hard all night, and the anti-league aircraft over there
The next day, all the efforts of these railway squadrons overnight were in vain.
Under repeated air raids by the Anti-Japanese Alliance, three days have passed, and the Kwantung Army has not been able to repair even one kilometer of its railway that was destroyed. Not only is the progress slow, but several railway squadrons have been injured or killed in the air raids by the Anti-Japanese Alliance.
It's not that bad. If we had just waited for the Bai-A Railway to be fully repaired and reopened to traffic, I'm afraid the entire 23rd Division would have starved to death in the high mountains of the Greater Khingan Mountains.
Hyōtaro Kimura, who was helpless in the face of the current situation, could only encourage Kanji Nishihara on the phone. He asked him to carry forward the hard-working spirit of the imperial army in the so-called Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, and insist on seizing the time to pay tribute to the prince.
A front-line retreat. At the same time, it was stated that the Kwantung Army would go all out and use all necessary means to replenish supplies for the 23rd Division.
However, Kimura Hyōtaro also tactfully told Lieutenant General Nishihara Kanji during the phone call that since the air control is currently in the hands of the Anti-Japanese Alliance, the supplies that the Kwantung Army can provide to the 23rd Division are extremely high before all railway repairs are completed.
Limited. Mainly, the 23rd Division still needs to find ways to raise funds locally.
In addition, Kimura Hyōtaro also told Nishihara Kanji on the phone that if the 23rd Division currently wants to withdraw to the Wangye Temple front line, then I'm sorry to have to rely on your own two legs. As for railway transportation, don't stop
I'm counting on it. Maybe when you all evacuate to Xinjing, the Bai-A Railway, which is currently severely damaged, may not be repairable.
Kimura Hyōtaro's answer made Kanji Nishihara, who was relieved because he finally got in touch with the Kwantung Army headquarters, as if a basin of cold water had been poured from his head to his feet in 39 days. From Aershan to Wangye Temple,
There are still nearly 200 kilometers to go. Without railway transportation and no supplies, how will the 23rd Division go the rest of the way?
Putting down the phone, Nishihara Kanji looked at the mountains around Aershan with a wry smile, but could only shake his head and sigh. To raise money on the spot, the Kwantung Army Headquarters really stood up and talked without pain. This place is vast and sparsely populated, and the surrounding area is dozens of kilometers away.
Apart from the mountains and forests, there is not even a soul to be seen, so how can we raise money on the spot?
Do they think that sparsely populated Western Manchuria is the same as the densely populated battlefield in China? Even if they can't get rice and flour, there is still no problem if they can get enough food for these people for a few days. There are mountains and forests everywhere around here.
Where can we raise money on the spot?
If the grain reserves in the Aershan region had not been blown up, Lieutenant General Kanji Nishihara would naturally not have to worry about the supplies of these more than 10,000 people. Aershan is less than 200 kilometers away from the Nomonhan area where the Japanese-Soviet conflict last broke out. Yes.
It was an important material reserve for the Kwantung Army preparing to fight against the Soviet Union and Mongolia.
Not only did a border fortification area with a large number of permanent and semi-permanent fortifications be built here, but also a large number of secret warehouses were built to supplement food, ammunition and other materials for the front line during wartime. The food reserves and light weapons and ammunition in its stockpile, although cannot be
Compared with other large and small warehouses that were originally densely populated in the northern Manchuria area, they can sustain the consumption of two divisions for one month of combat.
Naturally, the average Japanese officers and soldiers did not know about these situations. But as the commander of the 23rd Division responsible for the defense of the entire Western Manchuria from Manchuria in the north to Linxi in the south against the Soviet Union, Nishihara Kanji knew it well. This is why he agreed with Chida
Major Generals Sadao and Kawagoe Xiongzuo ignored the Anti-Japanese Air Raid and rushed to the Aershan front line by force.
In addition to the fortification area here, which allows the 23rd Division to temporarily rest and recuperate, there is also a large amount of food reserves here, which allows the 23rd Division to replenish its already empty supplies. But now everything here
It has become a bubble. Except for some ammunition warehouses that survived because they were built in caves, there is nothing left. Everything was blown up.
But what's the use of just having ammunition? Without supplies, those bullets can be used as food to fill the hungry soldiers' bellies? Without supplies, what's the use of having more ammunition? If the supplies can't be replenished within two days, two
The whole 13th Division was out of food. Without food, once the Anti-Japanese Alliance pursued them, what else would the soldiers do to maintain their combat effectiveness?
In a house that was temporarily requisitioned as the division headquarters by Kanji Nishihara in the Aershan mining area, because the Kwantung Army headquarters did nothing to alleviate its current situation and was cursing his mother, for the twenty-three who were currently short of food and clothing.
An even more unfortunate news came for the division.
Less than a day after they arrived in Aershan, and before the 23rd Division could recover, traces of the activities of the anti-alliance forward troops were discovered outside Aershan. These small reconnaissance troops had already penetrated into Aershan.
The outer line of Bailang and Suhu River.
After receiving the report from the peripheral security forces, Nishihara Kanji couldn't help but take a breath of cold air, shook his head and said to Chida Sadao: "These people came so fast. Their deployment is equivalent to cutting off our army's eastward and southward march.
The passage is clearly meant to trap us in the Aershan front line."
"The imperial soldiers are not afraid of fighting a siege. Moreover, there are ready-made fortifications in the Aershan area that can be used. But for us now, the most difficult thing is supplies. Without food, we will starve to death even if we don't fight.
Here we are. Even if we want to break out of the encirclement, the Imperial soldiers will be so hungry that they won’t even have the strength to stand up, and they won’t be able to run away even if they want to.”
After hearing Kanji Nishihara's words, compared to Kanji Nishihara who had just been transferred to the Kwantung Army for two months, Sadao Chida, who was obviously more familiar with the Kwantung Army's fight against the Allied Qing Dynasty in recent years, could only shake his head and smile bitterly. He really responded to this sentence.
One moment, another moment in China is an old saying.
In these years, the Kwantung Army has been chasing the Anti-Japanese Alliance. They are hungry and cold every day. Those who are worried about food and clothing are those who are forced by the Kwantung Army to hide in the mountains and old forests. Now it happens that everything is reversed. Now it is the turn of the Imperial soldiers to fight for