Dagupan, the temporary command of the 16th Army of the Imperial Army. www.biquge.info At present, the 76th Infantry Division, the 16th Armored Brigade, and the 16th Heavy Artillery Brigade under the 16th Army of the Imperial Army are disembarking on the dock. The follow-up 77th Infantry Division and the 16th Rocket Artillery Brigade were also waiting on board. Because of the limited size of Dagupan's port, it was impossible to provide so many troops to disembark at the same time at the first time.

In the headquarters, General Zhu Yimin, commander of the 16th Group Army, summoned Major General Hu Sancheng, commander of the 6th Marine Division, Major General Wang Jing, commander of the 7th Marine Division, Major General Shi Enshu, commander of the 76th Infantry Division of the Army, Major General Chen Jieshan, commander of the 16th Armored Brigade, and Major General Ma Gengyu, commander of the 16th Heavy Artillery Brigade. The U.S. 41st Infantry Division and the 42nd Infantry Division are advancing towards Dagupan, which is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for the Imperial Army. If these two infantry divisions of the US army can be eaten in one fell swoop, the Imperial Army will inflict heavy losses on the US army. After all, the U.S. military has only ten infantry divisions in the Philippines in total. Moreover, the 41st Infantry Division and the 42nd Infantry Division were still elite units in the hands of Lieutenant General MacArthur.

"When will the 77th Infantry Division, the 16th Armored Brigade and the 16th Heavy Artillery Brigade all be able to disembark?" Lieutenant General Zhu Yimin asked. The U.S. forces were getting closer and closer to Dagupan, but the main force of the 16th Army was still on board, which made him very calling. Although, with the defense of two Marine Divisions, plus the assistance of the Navy, it was impossible for the American forces to recapture Dagupan. However, if the U.S. military finds out that something is wrong and escapes, it will not be so easy to find another opportunity to encircle and annihilate them in the future.

"Commander, most of the troops and equipment of the 77th Infantry Division have disembarked. It is expected that all of them will be able to disembark by this evening. Major General Shi Enshu said.

"Commander, the 16th Armored Brigade needs more time, our tanks are heavier, and the professional lifting equipment in the port is so scarce. Therefore, it is expected that all of them will not be able to disembark until tomorrow morning. Major General Chen Jieshan said.

Major General Ma Gengyu also nodded again and again, his 16th Heavy Artillery Brigade will also take a long time. The 16th Heavy Artillery Brigade has 6 artillery battalions, each of which is equipped with 24 210-mm self-propelled guns, and the whole brigade is 144 210-mm self-propelled guns.

The Imperial Army has always attached great importance to firepower, and even when it was vigorously developing armored forces and air forces, it did not forget to develop more powerful artillery. The Russians were armed with 203-mm self-propelled guns, known as Stalin's hammer, in large quantities. The Imperial Army developed 210-mm self-propelled guns in a-for-tat manner. And, both in terms of power and range, it was above the 'Stalin's hammer' of the Soviet Russians.

Lieutenant General Zhu Yimin nodded, and the speed at which the troops disembarked was limited by the port equipment. Sappers are already figuring out how to install larger equipment, but it will take time. I am afraid that the current few troops will not be used, but the follow-up units of the 16th Army can be used, which will greatly speed up the disembarkation speed of the follow-up troops, so as to improve the efficiency of disembarkation and more quickly devote themselves to future wars.

"According to the information currently available, the enemy forces that are advancing towards Dagupan, in addition to the 41st and 42nd Infantry Divisions of the US Army, also have three Philippine Infantry Divisions, with a total strength of more than 100,000 troops. Of course, only the 41st Infantry Division and the 42nd Infantry Division of the US Army really have strong combat effectiveness. As for the three Philippine infantry divisions, there are big problems with combat effectiveness. If we can annihilate these two infantry divisions of the American army in one fell swoop. Well, it is unlikely that the US-Philippine coalition will pose a threat to us in the near future. We have more time to wait for the arrival of the follow-up troops. Lieutenant General Zhu Yimin said. The troops of the vassal states of the empire had already boarded the ships and set off, and the troops of the nearest kingdom of Annam would be able to arrive the morning after tomorrow. The army of the Fuso Kingdom, which is farther away, will have to wait for three or four days. Therefore, the Empire had to buy time for the build-up of these forces.

"Commander, then we will take the initiative and take out these two infantry divisions of the Americans in one fell swoop. I heard that the 42nd Infantry Division was still MacArthur's starting unit. If we had eliminated the 42nd Infantry Division, I believe the expression on MacArthur's face would have been very wonderful. Major General Shi Enshu said with a smile.

Lieutenant General Zhu Yimin nodded, he also thought so. And, from the current point of view, the Imperial Army and the Marine Corps together are fully capable of doing this.

"In that case, when the 76th Infantry Division, the 16th Armored Brigade and the 16th Heavy Artillery Brigade are disembarked, we will attack. Look, this is the Agno River, and the two infantry divisions of the U.S. Army are killing with great vigour, if we can ask the naval aviation to blow up the bridge over the Agnor River, and then send a powerful force to block the back road of the Americans. Then, it is entirely possible to encircle and annihilate them. Lieutenant General Zhu Yimin said.

"Commander, then let's just do a big deal, not only put in the two infantry divisions of the Americans, but also three infantry divisions of the Filipinos, and eat these 100,000 people in one fell swoop. We now have two Marine Divisions, an Infantry Division, an Armored Brigade and a Heavy Artillery Brigade, and although they are inferior in strength, they are far superior in combat effectiveness. Not to mention, we are also able to get support from the Navy and naval carrier-based aircraft. If this US-Philippine coalition is eaten, there will not be many troops left in the north of Manila. Major General Chen Jieshan suggested.

"Commander, I think it's possible. Anyway, the difficulty of annihilating 100,000 US-Philippine troops will not be much more difficult than the difficulty of annihilating tens of thousands of US troops. Major General Ma Gengyu also said.

"What do you think, two?" Lieutenant General Zhu Yimin looked at the two division commanders of the Marine Corps.

"Commander, it's up to you to arrange everything, we're only responsible for how to fight." Major General Hu Sancheng said.

"Okay, then do it. The 6th Marine Division closed its line to Dagupan and moved into defense with the 7th Marine Division, allowing the U.S.-Filipino forces to cross the Agno River. After the 76th Infantry Division and the 16th Armored Brigade of the Imperial Army disembarked, we took the initiative to attack and encircled the United States and the Philippines in one fell swoop. Lieutenant General Zhu Yimin said.

"Yes, Commander." Several major generals replied one after another.

This was the first battle of the Imperial Army's 16th Army after landing in the Philippines, and they naturally had to fight this battle with all their might. Otherwise, follow-up combat operations can be better carried out.

On the south bank of the Agno River, the 41st and 42nd Infantry Divisions of the US Army stopped here. At their temporary station, anti-aircraft machine guns and anti-aircraft guns were lined up, densely pointed at the sky. The U.S. 41st Infantry Division was attacked by the carrier-based aircraft of the Imperial Navy, and the tragic situation of heavy losses forced them to carefully prepare for air defense. Otherwise, they will pay a much greater price.

"Hey man, are we going any further? After the deterioration of the Agno River, it is not far from the Chinese-controlled Dagupan. Judging from the current intelligence, the Chinese have landed tens of thousands of troops there. In addition, they were able to receive support from naval warships and aircraft. I don't think it's a wise move to attack Dagupan at this time. Major General Davidson, commander of the 41st Infantry Division of the U.S. Army, said.

"However, General MacArthur's order is for us to go to Dagupan." Major General George, commander of the 42nd Infantry Division of the US Army, frowned, as the old subordinate of Lieutenant General MacArthur, his influence in the 42nd Infantry Division was very large.

"Oh God! Man, this can't let us die, you and your troops have not experienced Chinese air raids, they sent hundreds of planes to attack my troops, overwhelming the sky with machine gun fire, dropping aerial bombs, causing my troops to pay very heavy losses. If we continue to advance, I fear that the Chinese will attack again. Maj. Gen. Davidson said.

"We have so many anti-aircraft machine guns and anti-aircraft guns and are ready for them. If the Chinese dare to come again, we will definitely make them pay the price. Major General George said firmly.

"Well, you have the final say." Major General Davidson saw that Major General George was very stubborn, and he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.

However, in order to guard against a surprise attack by the Chinese Navy's carrier-based aircraft, the US military still marched cautiously. However, to their surprise, when they crossed the Agno River, they were not blocked by the Chinese* army, and it stands to reason that although the Agno River is not a big river, if they send troops to defend it, it will also give the Americans a headache.

After crossing the Agno River, the U.S. troops did not continue to advance, but camped here, while sending a telegram to the three infantry divisions of the Philippine Army to speed up.

Nothing happened overnight, and early the next morning, the American army continued to advance towards Dagupan. At the same time, the three infantry divisions of the Philippine Army also caught up, and after the total strength reached more than 100,000 troops, the confidence of the Americans also increased considerably. In their opinion, the Chinese* army would be very limited in a day's time, and it would be impossible to pose a mortal threat to them. As a result, the U.S. military began to attack boldly with confidence.

On the morning of September 5, the U.S. 42nd Infantry Division attacked San Carlos, while the 41st Infantry Division attacked Santa Barbara. The Philippine Army's 23rd, 24th, and 25th Infantry Divisions were defending the line between San Carlos and Santa Barbara, in preparation to stop the Chinese* attack. At this moment, Dagupan, the 16th Armored Brigade and the 16th Heavy Artillery Brigade under the 16th Army of the Imperial Army, are nervously loading and unloading, and tanks and self-propelled guns are being lifted from the transport ship to the dock with the help of lifting equipment. (To be continued.) )