NFBE Chapter 200 Osaka Division
Chapter 200 Osaka Division
The sudden battle at the city gate terrified the people, who scattered in all directions. Children cried, adults shouted, and chaos reigned.
"Bang! Bang!" Xie Yong fired two shots into the air!
"The imperial army has recaptured Liaoyang! Everyone, don't panic, hide well. Don't run on the road!"
While directing his soldiers to guard the city gate, Xie Yong quickly cleared away the roadblocks and debris such as horse-drawn carriages from the road.
"They're here!" A few minutes later, the sound of thunderous hooves rang out. A cavalry force charged in, kicking up a cloud of yellow dust. Without stopping, the cavalrymen rushed straight into the gate.
Inside the Japanese command post in Liaoyang, Lieutenant General Naotoshi Osako, commander of the 7th Division, walked into the operations room with a furious expression.
The first explosion at the south gate alerted him, but before he could even call to inquire, gunfire erupted from all four city gates. He knew something terrible had happened!
"Division Commander, the Chinese army has launched an attack from all sides. The enemy is numerous and has strong firepower. The south gate has been breached, and enemy cavalry has entered the city!"
Just as the chief of staff, who had just received the battle report, was about to report to him, Naotoshi Osako walked in.
"Baka! Why did the enemy break in so quickly?" Osako Naotoshi was furious upon hearing this.
Who is stationed at the South Gate?
"The 107th Regiment! Their regimental commander, Komura Kamishiro, has already died for the Emperor!"
Just as he was about to unleash a torrent of curses, Naotoshi Osako was stunned by what he heard. He hadn't expected that his regimental commander would die so soon after the start of the battle.
"It was Sun Haipeng. He led a surprise attack on the south gate and killed the village regimental commander. He then helped the Chinese cavalry storm the city!"
"Chinese people have terrible consciences!" Naotoshi Osako slammed his fist on the table.
"Immediately notify the brigades outside the city and tell them to send troops to support us!" Naotoshi Osako immediately gave the order.
Unfortunately, before he could give the order, two brigades outside the city and the regiment stationed at the train station called to report that they had been attacked by a large number of Chinese troops.
"Baka yarou! The Chinese are preparing to capture Liaoyang and cut off the rear of our frontline army. Report the situation to headquarters immediately and request reinforcements!"
At the Japanese Manchurian Army Headquarters in Jinzhou, Oyama Iwao looked at the telegram in his hand with a gloomy expression.
"The Chinese have great ambitions. They plan to capture Liaoyang and cut off the retreat of the Second and Third Armies. Then they will annihilate them in the Fengtian area!"
The more the Chinese army fought, the more it grew. To this day, Da Shanyan still doesn't understand where Shen Lian got so many troops.
The international powers, initially pessimistic, began to marvel at Shen Lian. The formidable fighting power and advanced weaponry displayed by the Shandong New Army secretly unsettled the international powers.
The fiercer the battle between Shen Lian and Japan, the better. Neither a powerful Japan nor a powerful China is something the Western powers want to see.
Ideally, both sides should fight to the death, and then they can step in to mediate.
"Telegram to Osako Naotoshi, instructing him to hold Liaoyang at all costs. Liaoyang is too important to lose. Headquarters should immediately dispatch troops to support him," said Oyama Iwao with a grim expression.
"Order the garrison in Haicheng to immediately depart and reinforce Liaoyang!"
"What troops can be mobilized now, including those at headquarters and in Lushun?" Oyama Iwao asked Chief of Staff Kodama Gentaro.
"Each division had a number of wounded soldiers who were withdrawn, and the 4th Division, which was the first to withdraw and recuperate, was the one with a complete organizational structure."
"Order the 4th Division to depart immediately for Liaoyang as reinforcements. Also, organize the lightly wounded and recovered soldiers in the rear hospitals and prepare them to support the front at any time."
"Marshal, is this really necessary?" Gentaro Nitama asked in a low voice.
"Let's prepare early! I have a feeling this battle might be even harder than fighting the Russians!" Oyama Iwao shook his head.
"Send the situation here back to the country and have headquarters immediately increase supplies, ammunition, and reserve personnel."
Da Shan Yan pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking that he was about to complete his mission and return home in glory!
Where did this Shen Lian come from? He's so difficult to deal with!
"Damn it!" Upon receiving the telegram again, Ogawa, the commander of the 4th Division, couldn't help but curse.
His 4th Division had already packed up and was ready to return home. Now, not only was he ordered to stay, but he was also ordered to continue fighting.
Although the 4th Division was one of the earliest standing divisions established by Japan, it was well-organized and equipped with various weapons.
Because it was formed in Osaka, it was also called the Osaka Division. The lower and middle-ranking officers and soldiers of the division were all from Osaka.
These soldiers were mostly from merchant families, and they joined the army only to gain seniority; their fighting spirit was extremely low.
The soldiers of the 4th Division preferred doing business to fighting. They were known within the Japanese army as the "merchant division".
When they were transferred to the Northeast ginseng station, they were reluctant to come. Finally, under strict orders from the military headquarters, they had no choice but to board the ship.
However, their procrastination allowed the 4th Division to successfully avoid the meat grinder that is Lushun.
After landing in Northeast China, the 4th Division followed the other divisions and fought several battles. Facing the demoralized Russian army, they achieved some minor victories, and their own casualties were not significant.
After the war ended, the soldiers clamored to return home immediately. They weren't enthusiastic about fighting, but they were very good at procuring all sorts of supplies.
When they retreated from Fengtian, each soldier carried a large amount of spoils of war, filling an entire train.
It's probably difficult to get them back to the battlefield now! Xiao Chuan couldn't help but shake his head again.
However, he dared not disobey the orders of the General Headquarters.
Sure enough, as soon as the order to deploy was given, more than half of the 4th Division immediately "fell ill".
"Baka yarou! Bastards, a bunch of bastards! You are a disgrace to the empire!" Ogawa shouted angrily again.
Under Ogawa Mataji's strict orders, the two brigade commanders personally led their guards to the field hospital to examine each soldier. Only then were the soldiers who were feigning illness forced to leave the hospital.
While the Japanese 4th Division was still dragging its feet, Osako Naotoshi in Liaoyang was already on the verge of collapse.
There were only the headquarters of the Japanese 7th Division and a military police battalion in Liaoyang, with a total strength of less than 4,000 men.
Meanwhile, the New Army deployed over 20,000 troops, whose weaponry far surpassed that of the Japanese. By afternoon, all four city gates had been breached. The New Army began its relentless advance towards the Japanese headquarters.
"Is there still no news of reinforcements?" As the sounds of gunfire grew closer, Naotoshi Osako gradually felt despair.
"Division Commander, the two brigades outside the city are completely surrounded by the Chinese and cannot spare any troops to defend them."
"The train station has been captured by the enemy. The reinforcements from Haicheng were stopped by a train launched by the Chinese twenty miles away and are now engaged in a fierce battle!" the chief of staff said with a bitter expression.
"It seems Liaoyang cannot be defended! For the honor of my family, I must not fall into the hands of the Chinese like Matsushima Mutomoto."
"Kojima-kun, I'll be counting on you then!" Osako Naotoshi said with a bow.
"Hey! Division Commander!"