Chapter 498: Right and wrong, future generations will say
November 11, 1932, five o'clock in the morning.
The Third Group Army of the Fourth Field Army of the National Revolutionary Army concentrated 240 155mm-caliber field heavy howitzers, more than 300 105mm-caliber light howitzers, more than 400 multiple rocket launchers and more than 1,000 mortars of various calibers to attack the enemy outside Peiping City.
The Japanese military strongholds and fortresses carried out an unprecedented bombing campaign.
At about six o'clock in the morning, 43 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers and more than 800 P-51 Mustang fighter jets loaded with heavy aerial bombs and rockets flew over Peiping. As the fleet passed by, lumps of "iron shit" fell from the sky.
, and then there were continuous explosions outside Beiping. In an instant, the outside of Beiping City was completely enveloped in gunpowder smoke.
At eight o'clock in the morning, the Nationalist Army's artillery group began to extend its shelling into the city.
The 31st, 32nd, 33rd, 35th, 37th, 38th and Special Operations Divisions, which had already entered the attack position, launched attacks from seven directions simultaneously on the Japanese positions outside Peiping under the cover of armored formations and air forces.
During the general offensive, at this time, the Japanese fortifications outside Peiping had already been almost destroyed by the Chinese artillery group.
Under the overwhelming offensive of hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops, the peripheral Japanese troops quickly collapsed.
At 12:00 noon, Japanese strongholds such as Tongzhou, Daxing, Fangshan and Mentougou were successively breached, and the remaining Japanese troops retreated to the urban area of Beiping. At 2:00 pm, the 3rd Group Army launched an artillery bombardment of the urban area of Beiping. At 2:05, the Japanese troops loaded with aerial bombs
The bomber group once again flew over Peiping and bombed the city of Peiping.
In an instant, the entire city of Beiping became a sea of fire. At this moment, the thousand-year-old city was groaning.
The majestic city walls and majestic archery towers collapsed in the huge explosion. Rows of shops and tracts of private houses caught fire in the explosion. The splendid Forbidden City, which carried the accumulation of six hundred years of Han Yi civilization, was also bombed.
Sinochem was reduced to ruins, and the oriental treasure that represented the ultimate in civil and architectural art was ruined!
After four hours of indiscriminate bombing, the entire city of Peiping was almost razed to the ground.
Almost all military facilities in Peiping City, whether they were headquarters, arsenals, field hospitals or barracks, were completely destroyed. The hundreds of thousands of remaining Japanese troops who were huddled in Peiping City suffered severe casualties and died directly from the bombing.
The number of people exceeded 5,000, and there were countless serious and minor injuries.
At 6:05, the special operations division took the lead in breaking into the city and started a brutal street battle with the Japanese army.
Yangon, Four Fields Headquarters.
The sky outside the window was getting dark. Yue Weihan looked up at the clock on the wall. It was already five minutes past six o'clock.
After a while, hurried footsteps were heard outside the office, and soon Mr. Deng walked in with heavy steps and said: "Zhongshu, the special warfare division has broken into the city of Beiping."
Yue Weihan nodded and remained silent.
The special operations division has broken into the urban area of Beiping, which means that the bombing of Beiping has ended.
Although it was a hundred thousand miles away, Yue Weihan could still imagine that the city of Beiping at this time must be full of ruins, burning houses, scorched rubble, and occasionally dead people.
The broken limbs and broken bodies, the living and homeless citizens were crying helplessly on the streets, and the whole world was a hell on earth.
Yue Weihan suddenly closed his eyes, as if countless wronged souls were wailing in front of him.
Taking a deep breath, Yue Weihan tried his best to expel the wailing ghosts in front of him from his mind. Then he slowly opened his eyes and said to Deng Gong: "Old Deng, call the central government. The first unit of our 3rd Group Army has broken into the army."
In the urban area, Peiping will soon be under attack. As for...the merits and demerits of this battle, future generations will comment on it."
Xi'an, Military Commission Building.
Duke Zhou hurriedly walked into the conference room and reported to Chairman Mao with a solemn expression: "Chairman, all democratic parties and public opinion representatives from all walks of life gathered again to petition, asking the surrounding areas to abandon the plan to bomb Peiping, saying that such a thousand-year-old city, Six Dynasties
If the ancient capital is destroyed by war, it will be nothing less than a catastrophe in the history of Chinese civilization!"
"It's too late." Mr. Zhu shook his head and sighed, "Beiping has been razed to the ground."
After that, Mr. Zhu handed the telegram in his hand to Duke Zhou. After reading it, Duke Zhou's expression suddenly became more solemn, and he murmured: "The merits and demerits of right and wrong will be judged by future generations?"
Chairman Mao took a deep breath from his cigarette, feeling the acridity of the thick smoke billowing in his chest and lungs. He immediately put out the cigarette butt in the ashtray and said to Mr. Zhu and Duke Zhou: "Without sacrifice, there is no victory!
Sacrifice a city of Peiping, but save the whole of North China; sacrifice hundreds of thousands of people in Beiping, but save tens of millions of people in North China, it's worth it!"
After saying this, Chairman Mao said to Zhou Gong again: "En, please immediately arrange for the Central News Agency to broadcast the broadcast, saying that the bombing of Peking was the collective decision of the Central Military Commission! As the same saying goes, there is no victory without sacrifice, and I am not afraid of being infamy.
, Zhongshu said it well, the merits and demerits of right and wrong will be judged by future generations."
Duke Zhou nodded and left with a heavy expression.
Fengtian, Kwantung Army Headquarters.
Umezu Yoshijiro, with his hands behind his back, was standing on the "Long-lasting Peace and Peace" warning flag with his eyebrows contemplating.
Umezu Yoshijiro is short in stature and has a gentle appearance. He does not look like a soldier with the killing spirit. Without his military uniform, most people would never imagine that he is the general commander in charge of the 2 million Kwantung Army!
In Japan today, the Japanese army in Central China has been completely destroyed, and the Japanese army in North China and the Japanese army in Nanyang are also in dire straits. Only the Kwantung Army still maintains a strong combat effectiveness. Compared with the initial invasion of China, the Kwantung Army has been organized into a huge armored force.
The combat effectiveness of the troops and heavy artillery units has not only not declined, but has been greatly improved.
In the view of Yoshijiro Umezu, the key to the success of the "Holy War" and the establishment of a new order in Greater East Asia depends on the performance of the 2 million Kwantung Army. As for the newly formed local national defense army in the country, although more than 5 million people have been recruited
, but they are all old people, children and women, how much fighting power can they have?
Behind Umezu Yoshijiro is a huge simulated sand table.
More than a dozen combat staff are busy around the sand table. As the communications staff continue to transmit the latest news, the combat staff continue to push the miniature models of tanks, heavy artillery and soldiers on the sand table forward. From the sand table, most of them are
Most of the tanks, heavy artillery and soldier models have entered Northern Manchuria, and a few have even entered Southern Manchuria.
Judging from the colors of the tanks, heavy artillery and soldier models, the Kwantung Army seems to be divided into five parts.
In fact, the level of the Kwantung Army has been raised to the General Army. The General Army has five front armies, divided into the First, Second, Fourth, Seventh and Eighth Fronts.
Each front army has 20 infantry divisions, 2 flying squadrons, 3 tank divisions and 5 heavy artillery brigades, with a personnel strength of about 500,000, more than 400 combat aircraft of various types, 3 type tanks or T-
There are more than 900 34 tanks and more than 500 150mm caliber heavy howitzers or 120mm caliber field howitzers.
In addition to the Kwantung Army, there are more than a dozen mixed brigades, armed development groups or guard brigades in Manchuria. For the Japanese government, the Puppet Manchukuo Army is also a relatively reliable armed force. These armed forces add up to about 50 people.
More than ten thousand people are enough to maintain public security and homeland defense in Manchukuo.
In other words, the 2 million Kwantung Army will all be used to fight southward.
What Umezu Yoshijiro is most concerned about right now is whether the cold wave in Siberia will move south as expected. If the predictions of meteorological experts are wrong and the cold wave in Siberia no longer moves south, or the duration is too short, it is likely to cause the Kwantung Army's southward operation plan to be completely aborted.
It might even cause heavy damage to the Kwantung Army.
Amidst the rapid footsteps, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadichi, Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army, strode into the combat hall. He immediately stood upright and reported to Umezu Yoshijiro: "Your Excellency, General, Dr. Hidemoto has repeatedly promised that the Siberian cold current will definitely
Head south within five to eight days, and the duration will never be less than 30 days!”
"Yoshi." Umezu Meijiro nodded happily, "Yoshimoto-kun, thank you for your hard work."
"Hai." Yoshimoto Sadao suddenly lowered his head and was about to say a few words of humility when Major General Tamura Yoshitomi, the deputy chief of the general staff of the Kwantung Army, had already strode in. He immediately put his feet back and stood at attention and said: "Your Excellency, General, Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, I have just received
The North China Front Army urgently reported that the China Army concentrated hundreds of heavy artillery and hundreds of fighter planes to carry out a large-scale bombing of the urban area of Beiping. All the military facilities of the North China Front Army were basically destroyed, and personnel also suffered heavy casualties. The ground forces of the China Army
Troops have already broken into the city."
"What!?" Umezu Yoshijiro said in disbelief, "The Chinese army carried out a large-scale bombing of Peiping?"
"Hai." Tamura Yoshitomi suddenly lowered his head, and then said in a solemn tone, "Your Excellency, General, the China Army is obviously preparing to launch a general attack on Peiping. Mr. Hata called and said that the North China Front Army can hold on for at least half a month, but I think,
It is very likely that the North China Front will not hold out until dark tomorrow."
"Can't you hold on until it gets dark tomorrow?" Yoshimoto Teiichi said solemnly, "Tamura-kun, are you a little alarmist?"
"Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, if you had carefully analyzed the war situation in Taipei, Shanghai and Qingdao, you wouldn't think that I am just trying to scare you." Tamura Yoshitomi said rudely, "Whether it is Taipei, Qingdao or Shanghai, in
In the first wave of bombing by the Chinese Army, the heavy equipment and peripheral fortifications were basically destroyed. In other words, by the time the Chinese Army committed infantry to launch a general offensive, the Imperial Army had lost almost all its heavy firepower and solid ground.
Fortifications in Peiping are no exception."
Yoshimoto Teiichi's face suddenly became a little embarrassed. As the chief of the general staff, he was openly accused by the deputy chief of the general staff of not carefully analyzing the war cases in Taipei, Qingdao and Shanghai. His face was naturally dull. However, regarding Tamura Yoshitomi's judgment,
But he had no way to refute that the North China Front Army was probably doomed in the Battle of Peking.
At that moment, Umezu Yoshijiro, Yoshimoto Teiichi and Tamura Yoshitomi strode to the simulation sand table.
Yoshimoto Sadai explained worriedly to the sand table: "Your Excellency, once Peiping and Tianjin are lost, the China Army's armored clusters and mechanized corps will be able to leave Shanhaiguan within two days, and then use the Great Wall as a barrier to establish a defense line, completely
By locking the western Liaoning border, our Kwantung Army's opportunity to move south will basically be lost."
Umezu Meijiro remained silent, but the expression on his face gradually became ferocious.
"Your Excellency, General, without further ado, let the First Front Army enter the pass immediately!" Yoshimoto Sadao said.
The First Front Army of the Kwantung Army is based on the 1st Division. It can be said to be the elite of the Kwantung Army and the vanguard of the march south. Two days ago, the First Front Army took the lead near Jinzhou in Southern Manchuria.
After the assembly is completed, as long as the Kwantung Army headquarters gives an order, it can knock down the pass and move south at any time.
"No, this is too risky!" Tamura Yoshitomi objected without hesitation, "Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, I must remind you that the cold current in Siberia has not yet moved south, and the climate in Northeast Asia is still mainly sunny. Under such climate conditions
It would be extremely unwise to order the First Front Army to go south."
"Tamura-kun!" Although Yoshimoto Seiichi has a good temper, Tamura Yoshitomi repeatedly refuted his face, and the meeting finally broke out. He blushed and roared, "If the First Front Army does not go south immediately, Beiping and Tianjin will inevitably
If it is lost, the empire will forever lose the opportunity to move south, and the future of the Greater East Asia Holy War will be bleak!"
"I think that even if the First Front Army moves south, it will not help the problem!" Tamura Yoshitomi insisted.
Yoshimoto Sadichi then ignored Tamura Yoshitomi, turned to Umezu Yoshijiro and said: "Please make your decision, General!"
Umezu Yoshihiro was also caught in a huge contradiction.
Judging from the current situation, if the First Front Army does not move south, Peiping and Tianjin will definitely not be able to defend it.
Once Peiping and Tianjin are lost, then as Yoshimoto Teiichi said, the Kwantung Army is likely to completely lose the opportunity to move south. By then, China's aviation force will be able to use Peiping and Tianjin as bases to carry out attacks on Manchuria and even Japan.
Large-scale bombing, once this happens, Japan will be defeated before Germany can reach out.
But if the First Front Army is ordered to go south, just as Tamura Yoshitomi fears, under the indiscriminate bombing of the Chinese Air Force, the First Front Army's armored units and heavy artillery units will be destroyed without any suspense.
During the march, the armored troops and heavy artillery troops were lost. The fate of the First Front Army was probably even worse than that of the North China Front Army.
Of course, with the First Front Army in check, the North China Front Army should be able to hold on for a few more days.
But even with the assistance of the First Front Army, the North China Front Army may not be able to persist until the cold wave arrives. This is really difficult for Umezu Yoshijiro. After a long while, Umezu Yoshijiro gritted his teeth and said: "Order, the First Front Army immediately seizes the
Shanhaiguan, put pressure on the China Army from the flanks."