Regarding Shigeru Sawada's evaluation of Kenji Dohihara's tactical vision, Major General Asaburo Kobayashi smiled and did not comment. Since Lieutenant General Dohihara was promoted to lieutenant general commander, it has not been a matter of a day or two that Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada has seen others unpleasantly. Since Lieutenant General Dohihara was transferred to the post of commander of the Fifth Army of the Kwantung Army, the two of them have begun to fight each other.

In fact, this matter is not to be complained about Sawada Shigeru looking at Lieutenant General Tsuchihara, and the cause of the incident is still Lieutenant General Tsuchihara. As soon as this guy took office, he asked the Kwantung Army Command to transfer his subordinate Fourth Division and replace it with other units. He also threatened: "The troops of the Kwantung Army that are loyal to the emperor are troops that have dedicated their lives to the emperor's expansion of territory, and they are not here to make a fortune." The Kwantung Army did not need a bunch of vendors. ”

It was this sentence that made the two of them officially tie the knot. Although Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada was no longer satisfied with Lieutenant General Dohihara's words, he had to admit in private that what he said was not wrong. It's just that these words are just said in private, but Lieutenant General Dohihara publicly proclaimed them, isn't this a slap in the face of Sawada Shigeru?

If Sawada Shigeru has already left office, he naturally doesn't care. Since the formation of the Fourth Division, there have been many successive division commanders. If all the outgoing division commanders were angry because of outsiders' evaluation of the Fourth Division, then at least half of the previous division commanders of the Fourth Division would be angry to death.

But when Lieutenant General Dohihara said these words, he was in office, and he could accept these remarks. So the two officially got married, and they ridiculed each other every once in a while. It's just that because of the face of the Imperial Japanese Army, most of them were in front of their own henchmen, and they didn't make trouble in the city anymore.

With this Liangzi, for the short-sighted behavior of Kenji Dohihara, Sawada Shigeru rarely seized this opportunity and naturally wanted to ridicule it. It's just that this matter involves a lieutenant general commander and a lieutenant general division commander, but Major General Kobayashi Asaburo doesn't want to get involved, so as not to be affected by the pond fish.

Regarding Kobayashi Asaburo's silence, Sawada Shigeru didn't care. Shigeru Sawada, who was also a farmer's son with Major General Kobayashi Asaburo, knew that in an army where nepotism was rife, it was difficult for a farmer's child with no background to get ahead. He is just a division commander, and he has no prominent background. In the backstage of the army, he can't compare with Kenji Dohihara, who was born in a military family. Major General Kobayashi did not help Lieutenant General Tohihara to refute himself, which is already good.

However, although Sawada Shigeru doesn't care about Kobayashi Asaburo's appearance, the things that should be solved still have to be solved. Regarding Kenji Dohihara's order, although Sawada Shigeru is very dissatisfied, what should be carried out still has to be carried out. On the lower gram, on the lower layer is OK. But for officers at the division level, that would be a fatal mistake. What's more, he is the commander-in-chief of this attack, and if something happens, the board will still hit him.

Looking at the map, Lieutenant General Sawada Shigeru was silent for a long time and said to Major General Kobayashi Asaburo: "Order that one infantry brigade will be transferred from the sixty-first team, two infantry squadrons from the thirty-seventh wing, and two squadrons from the mountain artillery will be formed into a detachment under the command of Major General Kuroiwa Yoshikatsu." ”

"Order the 3rd Cavalry Brigade to reinforce the 2 cavalry squadrons of the 4th Cavalry Wing, and to attach a cavalry regiment of the Manchukuo Army, and immediately spread out in a northwesterly direction along the line from Miaoling Mountain to Yuanbao Mountain from the current defensive area. You tell him to protect his flanks, especially on the southern front, and he must take precautions. ”

Speaking of this, Sawada Shigeru pondered for a moment and then said, "I won't say these words directly, you can just explain it to Kuroiwa-kun when the handover is over." Tell him to shrink his front and strengthen his flanks. Don't invest too much in the attack. Once you find that something cannot be violated, withdraw it immediately and do not be reckless. ”

"I have done my best to disobey the order of the army commander and transfer him a detachment of troops, and the rest can only be left on his own. What kind of virtue is the Fourth Division, Heiyan-kun should know, the defense of the southern front made him pay more attention. But there's only so much I can do, and let him bless himself for the rest. ”

Hearing Sawada Shigeru's words, Major General Kobayashi Asaburo was slightly stunned. The Imperial Army has always advocated attack, not to mention these rabble, even against the government army in China. What is the matter with Your Excellency the Lieutenant General today, dealing with just a group of bandits, how can you be so pessimistic? He even did not hesitate to expose the old bottom of the Fourth Division in front of Heiyan Yoshikatsu, an outsider?

Regarding Kobayashi Asaburo's doubts, Sawada Shigeru, who knew that he had committed the problem that the Japanese army had always despised the Chinese, shook his head and said, "Kobayashi-kun, do you really think that this opponent of ours is a rabble?" Do you really think that their troops who attacked Jiamusi would honestly stay where they were and wait for us to join us? ”

"We reinforced a wing of the imposing regular division of the Imperial Army, with the cooperation of a large number of Manchukuo troops, under the cover of aviation on top and heavy artillery on top, and after several days of fierce fighting, we were unable to destroy their will to resist and make them abandon the battle. Can you consider these people a rabble? You should be able to see the so-called breakthroughs that have been made these days. It's not so much our attack as the opponent's conscious abandonment. ”

"The rhythm of the entire battlefield is always in their hands, and our attacks these days have paid a lot of price, but they have never been able to disrupt the opponent's footsteps. Although we have reached its core fortifications, we have not been able to convince our opponents to give up resistance. It also made the roundabout troops of the family take our base camp. ”

"Although this army is still very immature on the battlefield, the military qualities of its soldiers are not very high. But its tactical use is extremely ingenious. The deficiencies of the soldier were greatly compensated for by the rational and effective tactics he employed. ”

"It takes a multi-layered, echelon-configured defense. and a small number, but extremely hot, and extremely sharp counterattacks. All of them show that this army has a very high tactical literacy compared with other anti-Manchu forces. Its commander's ability to grasp the battlefield is also above first-class. ”

"The battle has come to this point, and this clean-up operation can actually be said to have failed so far. Whether it's Commander Kenkichi Ueda or Lieutenant General Kenji Dohihara, they just don't want to admit the reality. I now have a feeling that the forces that attacked Jiamusi have withdrawn, and are hiding in some unknown corner watching our every move. ”

"The reason why they haven't made a move yet may be that they are still looking for our weak spots. But more perhaps, waiting for us to retreat. No matter how good their appetite is, they have not swallowed one of us in one gulp, and they have strengthened the divisional capacity of a wing. Their sneak attack on Jiamusi was to lead us to divide our troops and find favorable fighters for their next battle. I can say with certainty that once our Fourth Division withdraws to Jiamusi, it will be the time for them to counterattack on all fronts. ”

As for Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada's analysis, in the eyes of Major General Asaburo Kobayashi, who had served as chief of staff of the 12th Army of the Japanese Army for a long time, it is still very reasonable. It's not that he can't see the problem. These days, the opponent has fought and retreated, and although he has abandoned his peripheral positions, the initiative in the battle has always been in his own hands.

Within a few days, the Fourth Division attacked countless times, and the casualties were not small, but the results were not large. Now it seems that the opponent has no intention of fighting to the death with himself at all, but uses the strong fortifications on the front line of Qunce Mountain to delay the main force of the division. He divided his troops and adopted a large-scale detour tactic to attack Jiamusi in order to attract himself to divide his troops.

However, since Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada has tried to reason without results, and he is only a small major general brigade commander, how can he change the deployment of the army commander? At this time, Major General Kobayashi Asaburo finally understood why Lieutenant General Sawada Shigeru violated Lieutenant General Dohihara's order and left a detachment of troops for Major General Kuroiwa Yoshikatsu.

Despite Sawada Shigeru's reluctance, under the urging of Lieutenant General Kenji Dohihara almost every half an hour, Major General Yoshikatsu Kuroiwa was handed over overnight, and the main force of the division was concentrated to return to Jiamusi, who had actually been abandoned by Yang Zhen, as quickly as possible.

It was different from the previous procrastination when assembling to attack the front line of Qunce Mountain, and it took a lot of time to gather troops. This time, when they heard about the rescue of Jiamusi, the fourth division was like taking an aphrodisiac, and they mustered up their strength to gallop towards Jiamusi almost day and night. Even the order of the division headquarters to rest was not willing to carry out, but strongly demanded to continue on the road.

Regarding the reason why his subordinates who seemed to have been beaten with chicken blood changed so dramatically, both Sawada Shigeru and Kobayashi Asaburo could only shake their heads and smile bitterly. In fact, Sawada Shigeru also knew that after learning that there were anti-Manchu anti-Japanese forces attacking Jiamusi, if he did not obey Kenji Dohihara's order, he would immediately return to the division to rescue. Not only did Lieutenant General Kenji Dohihara not agree, but even his subordinates, who had stayed in Jiamusi since they were stationed in North Manchuria, would not agree to him. This time, I am afraid that they really experienced the feeling of rescuing soldiers like fighting fires.

However, although he understood that his subordinates were in a hurry to go back to rescue his property, Sawada Shigeru, who still remembered the tragic scene when the 12th Division entered the suppression not long ago, did not dare to be careless. The 8th Wing, which was assigned to protect the supply line, took the lead with the cooperation of the main force of the 4th Cavalry Wing.

The reason why the 8th Wing, the worst of the 4th Division, was chosen as the advance force this time was because Sawada Shigeru knew that if it was to rescue other places, this wing would not only not be able to do anything to save it, but I was afraid that it would even do something to the death if necessary. But to rescue Jiamusi, who is their base camp, this wing will definitely show abnormal combat effectiveness. Because almost all of their possessions are in Jiamusi. Jiamusi is lost, and these people will be beaten back to their original shape.

He commanded the main force of the Fourth Division with great caution, but he hurried slowly. Although the speed of the march slowed down because of his prudence. But Sawada Shigeru didn't care. For the sake of safety, Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada even did not hesitate to forcibly suppress the extremely rare enthusiasm of the middle and lower-ranking officers of the Fourth Division.

As for the commander of the eighth wing, Xingxian Yizuo, who led the leading troops, Lieutenant General Sawada Shigeru also repeatedly explained: "Xingxian Yizuo, you must be steady when you take the leading troops to set off in a car, and you must be careful not to be instigated by your subordinates to do anything reckless." You know better than I do in the Eighth Wing, so you have to hold on. ”

Speaking of this, Lieutenant General Sawada Shigeru glanced at Xingxian Ichisa, and after being silent for a while, he said, "Major General Kobayashi is a qualified staff officer, but he is not suitable to be the chief officer of the unit. His transfer to the 4th Division was only a transition, and after some time he would be transferred back to China. ”

"I have already recommended you to the Tokyo base camp for promotion to the rank of major general, and the Tokyo base camp has already approved it, just waiting for the emperor to decide. At this juncture, I want you to never do anything. There's only so much to say, but I think you get the idea. ”

Shigeru Sawada's meaning is very clear, you, Xingxian Ichisa, are about to be promoted to major general, and will soon take over as the commander of the Fourth Brigade. If your troops suffer heavy losses because of your rash advance, whether the rank of major general and the position of brigade commander will be your turn is another matter.

However, the latter paragraph, Lieutenant General Sawada Shigeru did not say it. The reason why Major General Kobayashi Asaburo was temporarily transferred from chief of staff of the 12th Army of the North China Front to the first director of the Army's Education Directorate Department was because no one was willing to take this hot potato.

After the 70th Wing, which had the strongest combat effectiveness and the best obedience in the Fourth Division, was transferred, everyone understood what the remaining three wings were. Except for the barely fierce style of the 63rd Wing, the other two wings were simply rotten to scum. These people don't think about anything other than trying to make money.

Originally, this position had been set as the only one among the three wing commanders who had not been pulled into the water, although his eighth wing was the worst of the entire fourth division's subordinate wings, but he still had the ability, and he was not pulled into the water by his subordinates. It's just that this guy is really unlucky, and he was already a sure thing, but because of his subordinates' clumsy appearance in Dunhua, he was pulled down again.

When the military department wanted to find another replacement to take over as the commander of the reorganized 4th Brigade, it found that no one wanted to come. Those who were predetermined to be candidates even preferred to go to Guannai in China to be the commander of an independent brigade with a garrison character, and even stood still, and no one was willing to come to this regular field division as a brigade commander.

Just kidding, at this time, the Sino-Japanese war was in full swing, and the Japanese army was constantly expanding its troops. For those who dream of becoming generals, the position of the 4th Division can be described as a fire kang. Because no one could have imagined that this division would be transferred to the front to fight. And the elimination of guerrillas all day long will not establish meritorious deeds.

What's more, although no one would think that this Fourth Division would be transferred to the battlefield, no one dared to guarantee that this regular veteran Division A would not be transferred to the battlefield when there was a shortage of troops. Based on these people's understanding of the Fourth Division and the current situation of the Fourth Division, it is not to mention that they are unlucky to be implicated in the defeat. If the Fourth Division was really unfortunate to be transferred to the battlefield one day, when the situation was critical, these people would definitely do something to abandon their commanders and escape by themselves.

Therefore, the people who are scheduled are reluctant to come, and the military department of those who want to come really can't look down on them. However, when there was a slight situation in the selection of candidates within the Fourth Division, Major General Asaburo Kobayashi, who had served as a staff officer for a long time and had excellent obedience, became a temporary replacement. And he, the brigade commander, is only a temporary candidate, and the position of the director of people's education is still reserved for him.

Of course, Sawada Shigeru would never say these words in front of Xing Xian Ichisa. For Xing Kenichi's personality and ability, Sawada Shigeru still appreciates it. Otherwise, he would not have been recommended for promotion to the rank of brigade commander among the four wing commanders. That's why he didn't want he, the wing commander he admired the most after taking up his post in the Fourth Division, to have something happen at this critical time.

Obviously, Lieutenant General Sawada Shigeru understood what he meant, and although he set off first with his Eighth Wing and Cavalry Wing, as the vanguard of the whole division, the speed of the march was not fast. The distance between the main forces of the division and the regiment has never been opened by fifteen kilometers. It was only after leaving the mountains that the pace of the march began to increase.

It's just that when he arrived at the Songhua River Bridge, which had been blown up together with the bridge piers and had not been repaired in a short period of time, Xing Xianyi, who had been slightly relieved, was dumbfounded. The Songhua River Bridge, which connects Jiangbei and Jiamusi, was completely blown up, and even a ferry boat was owed along the bare river. Only in the middle of the river are the wreckage of dozens of ferries floating faintly.

Even Xingxian Yizuo, who did not carry a boat bridge and did not have any tools to cross the river, had no choice but to stop, waiting for the arrival of the main force of the division on the one hand, and trying to collect tools that could cross the river on the spot. Just when Xingxian Yizuo had just given the order to rest and recuperate, with the sudden sound of dense artillery in the north, a dense burst of shells smashed on the bodies of the Eighth Wing and the Fourth Cavalry Wing assembled by the river.

Although the distance between the places where the cannon sound was heard was not close, even Xingxian Ichiosa could clearly tell that these cannons that were firing at him were firing at the maximum range. However, the landing point of the shell hit on his head was very accurate, the obvious shooting area was carefully measured, and the landing point of the shell was also carefully calculated.

There was no harassment all the way, and Xingxian, who was somewhat lax, didn't expect to be beaten up when he arrived at the door. Kyoken Osa, who was saved by being kicked off the truck by a quick-eyed guard, looked at the troops who had been killed and injured by the shrapnel flying everywhere, and almost didn't bite his teeth.

When Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada led the main force of the division to the Songhua River, he looked at the Eighth Wing in front of him who was busy collecting the corpses, but he did not show any surprise on his face. Looking at Xingxian Yizuo, who came to ask for sin, Sawada Shigeru sighed and said, "They are still unwilling to let us withdraw to Jiamusi peacefully. Although there was no resistance to us along the way, it did give us this hand here. What a cunning opponent. ”

Xingxian Yizuo heard the plain and unreproachful tone of His Excellency the division commander, and said with some shame: "The subordinates are incompetent, they forgot the teachings of the division commander, and relaxed their vigilance, I didn't expect them to dare to launch a sneak attack on our army in the plain area." Not only did the troops suffer great losses, but they were also run away by those despicable sneak attackers, and I ask His Excellency the division commander to punish them. ”

Regarding Xingxian's words of pleading, Sawada Shigeru waved his hand and said, "I can't blame you for this, it's our opponent who is too difficult this time." He has been calculating us since we entered the mountain. Plans are almost interlocked, targeting our weakest link, and where we least expect it. Sooner or later, this person will be a big problem for the Kwantung Army. ”

"I have sent a telegram to Lieutenant General Tohihara asking him to mobilize a batch of ferries from Yuhara as quickly as possible. Tell the wings to strengthen their vigilance and not to repeat the incident at the ferry. The Fourth Division really couldn't afford to lose that person anymore. ”

If it is said that when the ferry was attacked, Sawada Shigeru was still very calm. But when he withdrew to Jiamusi and saw the military and political facilities that had become ruins, as well as the corpses of a large number of high-ranking officials of the Japanese puppet army who had been executed, he could no longer calm down. There was almost no knife to chop Kitano Takatsu, who came to report, alive.

Before the furious Sawada Shigeru could calm down, a telegram sent back from the front line of Qunce Mountain immediately made him fall into petrification. I have withdrawn from Qunce Mountain to Jiamusi until now, but in less than thirty-six hours, the front line of Qunce Mountain has undergone drastic changes.

Major General Kuroiwa was killed in the opponent's night attack, and the 44th Wing was encircled. The northern defensive line consisting of the 3rd Cavalry Brigade and the attached 4th Cavalry Wing was breached in just two hours. The detachment he left behind was also separated from the main force, and was fighting and retreating towards the front line of Miaoling Mountain.