Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Former Defense Army Commander Tatsumi Kusaba was placed in the reserve due to his poor performance in suppressing the Eighth Route Army and his advanced age. However, due to Japan's massive military expansion and the Kwantung Army's lack of officers, he was re-enlisted to serve as the commander of the Kwantung Army's Third Area Army's Continental Railway Corps.

Yoshio Hongo served as the commander of the defense army.

Yoshio Hongo did not want to be the commander of the so-called defense army because the current situation in Northeast China was too difficult.

"Not long ago, two brigades of the Manchurian National Defense Army from the First and Second Military Regions surrendered to the Eighth Route Army. Previously, many local garrisons and police forces also frequently surrendered to the Eighth Route Army. If we don't defeat the Eighth Route Army now, they will cut off our transportation in the Northeast."

Yoshio Hongo was very troubled.

The Northeast Bureau was now conducting a powerful political offensive against the puppet troops, while the Northeast Field Army was conducting a powerful military offensive against them. Many puppet troops, puppet guards, and puppet police began to surrender.

This situation was unacceptable to Yoshio Hongo.

The Kwantung Army was currently focused on defending against the Soviets, so it was short of troops in the heart of Northeast China. In order to maintain their rule over Northeast China, the Kwantung Army not only expanded its own army on a large scale, but also expanded the Manchukuo Army on a large scale.

Originally, the puppet Manchukuo army had only 40,000 to 50,000 people in Northeast China

However, after the Kwantung Army's massive expansion, the current puppet Manchukuo army has expanded to 15 people.

What kind of combat effectiveness could a force expanded in such a short time have? But the Kwantung Army had no other options. Even if these people couldn't fight, at least they could be deployed to intimidate people. However, this situation was only effective against small-scale guerrillas.

It was of no use facing the newly established Northeast Field Army.

Of course, Hongo Yoshio's biggest concern was the transportation lines in Northeast China. To control Northeast China, Japan had built numerous railways, connecting nearly every major city there. However, if the Eighth Route Army were allowed to continue its expansion, the situation would be uncertain. Currently, the Eighth Route Army was only attacking a few county towns, but what if they disrupted Northeast China's transportation lines after a while?

"Qin Yanjun, what do you think?"

Kwantung Army Commander Otozo Yamada asked his chief of staff, Hata Hikosaburo.

Qin Yansaburo frowned and said, "Commander, what Hong Xiangjun said is correct. We can't continue to leave the Eighth Route Army alone. Otherwise, when the Eighth Route Army becomes powerful, it will be very disadvantageous to us.

"Then what do you mean?"

"A division was withdrawn from Mudanjiang to cooperate with the independent garrisons around Changchun and Harbin to defeat the Eighth Route Army units operating in the vicinity of Changchun and Harbin. This unit has been continuously attacking cities and threatening the security of Harbin and Mudanjiang.

Qin Yanzabulang pointed to the second column.

The Kwantung Army's current deployment, except for the heavy troops deployed in Harbin, Changchun, Siping, and Shenyang, the rest of the troops are on the border. One of the important defense lines is on the Mudanjiang side of Jiamusi.

The Kwantung Army deployed 8 divisions on the Mudanjiang side of Jiamusi.

It was the most important point in the Kwantung Army's defense deployment because the Soviet Primorsky Front was operating just opposite.

But the activity of the second column directly affected the security of this side.

Yamada Otsuzo nodded.

The Eighth Route Army is currently too active in Northeast China and should be suppressed. Previously, action was refrained because its activities did not affect the core interests of the Kwantung Army. However, the activities of the Eighth Route Army over the past month have directly affected the security of the Kwantung Army.

Yamada Otozo thought for a moment and said, "Hongo-kun, transfer the 126th Division to your defense command. We must annihilate the Eighth Route Army forces operating in Changchun and Harbin.

"Hai."

Yoshio Hongo accepted the order.

Yoshio Hongo is still very confident.

He could mobilize some independent guards and some puppet Manchukuo troops, and together with the 126th Division, he should be able to annihilate the Eighth Route Army troops between Changchun and Harbin.

Chapter 610 Head-on confrontation

Yoshio Hongo immediately began to prepare to mobilize troops to eliminate the Eighth Route Army troops operating in the line from Changchun to Harbin.

The Kwantung Army Headquarters dispatched the 126th Division from Mudanjiang, a regiment from the 119th Division from Baicheng, a regiment from the 138th Division from Changchun, and the 79th Independent Mixed Brigade from Harbin.

The defense forces also dispatched an independent guard team, as well as the puppet Manchukuo army and puppet police battalion.

The Kwantung Army still made a great determination.

The Eighth Route Army troops must be annihilated.

The Northeast Military Region had certainly received news of the Japanese army's massive move, so they immediately convened a meeting to discuss how to deal with the current situation.

"You have fought against the Kwantung Army before. Tell us about it." Xiao Jinguang, deputy commander of the Northeast Military Region and deputy commander and chief of staff of the Northeast Field Army, looked at Cai Debao.

Because among so many military cadres, Cai Debao was the only one who had actually fought head-on with the Kwantung Army.

The Northeast Detachment dispatched by the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region was reorganized into the Second Brigade of the Northeast Military Region, which later developed into the First, Second, and Third Independent Divisions, as well as the First Cavalry Division. The Second Independent Division accompanied Wu Xiuquan to develop the Eastern Manchuria Military Region. The remaining units remained with the Western Manchuria Military Region. Cai Debao was not only the commander of the newly formed First Independent Division, but also the deputy commander of the Western Manchuria Military Region.

Cai Debao said, "Commander, we have fought the Kwantung Army's 138th Division before, not just once or twice. But most of them were small-scale encounters. The only time when both sides had a larger number of people was the battle at Lishu. At that time, a battalion of the 138th Division encountered a battalion of ours. The two sides fought for half a day, and in the end, the Japanese battalion failed to capture our position and left in disgrace.

"Tell me more specifically about the combat effectiveness of the 138th Division."

"From our several battles with the 138th Division, we can see that we are no less powerful than the Japanese in terms of firepower. In the past, the Japanese troops we encountered in North China generally had a squadron equipped with 9 light machine guns and 9 grenade launchers. But when we fought the 138th Division, we found that the Japanese squadrons of the 138th Division were equipped with only 6 light machine guns, and some even had only 4. The number of grenade launchers was also the same, roughly 4 to 6.

Compared to the Japanese forces we had previously fought in North China, their light weapons were significantly inferior. Their battalions were also poorly equipped with heavy weapons. Previously, we encountered Japanese battalions equipped with six to twelve heavy machine guns, and some battalions even had two to four infantry guns. However, during our several engagements with the 6th Division, we discovered that their battalions were equipped with a maximum of six heavy machine guns, with some battalions having only four. They also lacked any supporting firepower, such as infantry artillery. Artillery units were only available when their regiments provided support.

Cai Debao immediately introduced the 138th Division he was familiar with to everyone.

The decline of the Kwantung Army was visible to the naked eye.

Or perhaps the myth of the Kwantung Army has been shattered. Previously, the Eighth Route Army had always been wary of the Kwantung Army, believing it to be incredibly powerful. Even though the headquarters had withdrawn elite Kwantung Army troops, everyone still had a "filter" around them, and no one believed the Kwantung Army was truly defeated.

But after several battles, the strength of the Kwantung Army was greatly reduced.

From the weapon configuration, it can be seen that the Kwantung Army has declined a lot. The weapon configuration of the Kwantung Army's general troops can only be compared with some security divisions.

"Commander, our intelligence shows that the Kwantung Army's howitzers and heavy artillery are currently on the Sino-Soviet border, guarding against the Soviet Red Army.

The Kwantung Army's general divisions were generally not equipped with heavy artillery. At most, they were equipped with infantry guns, flat-fire guns, and rapid-fire guns, and even a few heavy mortars.

Xia Houwen added.

After Xia Houwen and Cai Debao finished speaking, Xu Luomin, Chief of Staff of the Second Column, spoke up: "Commander, ever since our Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region accepted the task of developing a base in the Northeast, the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region has fully supported our troops entering the Northeast. Therefore, a large number of weapons from the Shanxi-Chahar-West Arsenal were equipped to our troops. The light and heavy weapons seized by the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region during the suppression of the Japanese and puppet troops in Rehe were also first equipped to the troops entering the Northeast. When equipping the troops entering the Northeast, our standard was to equip each company with 6 light machine guns and 10 Type 8 small cannons. Each battalion was equipped with a heavy machine gun company equipped with 12 heavy machine guns. Each regiment was equipped with a mortar company equipped with mortars."

After introducing the deployment of the main force of the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region, Xu Luomin concluded, "In terms of the light and heavy weaponry of the various units below, our main force is already comparable to those of the Kwantung Army. More importantly, many of our troops are veterans with many years of experience. Even if there are some new recruits, they are all recruited from local units and have a certain level of training and combat experience. In comparison, the Kwantung Army's troops are mostly new recruits, some of whom are even barely trained. Due to insufficient manpower, the Kwantung Army twice in March and May of this year recruited approximately 3 villagers to join the Kwantung Army. These people have no training, poor combat effectiveness, and little fighting spirit. Given equal manpower, we are already capable of going head-to-head with the Kwantung Army and not being outmatched."

Marshal Lin remained silent.

Just listening to everyone talking.

Xiao Jinguang said, "In other words, excluding the Kwantung Army's flying units and just fighting on the ground, we can definitely fight the Kwantung Army directly."

"Yes."

Xu Luomin nodded.

"If we were to clash head-on with the Kwantung Army, we would only have one thing to worry about, and that would be the Kwantung Army's flying corps.

"The Kwantung Army doesn't have many combat-ready aircraft right now.

Marshal Lin, who had been silent all this time, spoke.

Marshal Lin placed his pen on the map and said, "Since 1943, the Japanese headquarters has been constantly withdrawing troops from the Kwantung Army. The Kwantung Army has completely lost its strength. The elite troops are gone, as are the years of weapons, ammunition, and logistical supplies. The flying units don't have many aircraft capable of fighting."

Marshal Lin has been analyzing intelligence from all aspects during this period.

Especially intelligence about the Kwantung Army.

Since the establishment of the Northeast Bureau, underground workers from the Eighth Route Army have been constantly entering the Northeast. Moreover, the Party already has organizations in the Northeast, and there is a large amount of underground Party activity even among the children of high-ranking officials in the puppet Manchukuo government.

Especially those so-called Manchu princes.

Among their descendants, there is a complete underground party organization.

Leveraging their fathers' connections, they provided the Eighth Route Army with a wealth of intelligence. The Kwantung Army expanded rapidly in March and May 1945, adding 3 troops in a short period of time. Unfortunately, the Kwantung Army's warehouses lacked sufficient weapons and ammunition to equip this large force. Coupled with the addition of so many puppet Manchukuo troops, the Kwantung Army suddenly began to run out of weapons and ammunition.

Even light and heavy machine guns and horse rifles are not enough.

As a result, the Kwantung Army began to seize the weapons of the puppet Manchukuo Army and equipped the expanded Kwantung Army troops. The puppet Manchukuo Army, on the other hand, collected a large number of guns from the police force.

Some people later said that it was impossible for the Kwantung Army to have 700,000 or 800,000 rifles. The Kwantung Army's warehouses were now empty.

The Kwantung Army was once wealthy, with a wealth of valuables stored in its warehouses. However, the headquarters dispatched hundreds of thousands of Kwantung Army troops southward, taking with them a large amount of weapons, ammunition, and logistical supplies. To maintain sufficient size, the Kwantung Army had no choice but to continue using the warehouses to expand.

Now the Kwantung Army’s warehouses are really almost empty.

Even if there are good things, they are all on the Sino-Soviet border.

The same goes for airplanes.

The Kwantung Army once possessed a powerful air corps. However, while supporting the battlefields in the interior of the country, it also received orders from the headquarters to move south. Currently, the Kwantung Army still possesses over a thousand aircraft, which seems like a lot.

But more than half of them cannot fly, and most of them are trainer aircraft.

There are less than a hundred aircraft that can actually participate in combat.

Of course, even Commander Lin did not know the exact data. He analyzed it based on the intelligence he had.

"Commander, what do you mean?"

"beat."

Marshal Lin drew a few circles on the map and said, "Stop the 126th Division coming from Mudanjiang, stop the Japanese regiments coming from Baicheng and Changchun, and concentrate our forces to annihilate the 79th Independent Mixed Brigade coming from Harbin.

We must quickly eliminate the 79th Brigade and deny the Kwantung Army any opportunity to react. The Northeast Field Army has only been established for a month, and we haven't yet engaged the main Kwantung Army. Without such experience, everyone is uncertain. Similarly, the Kwantung Army has no idea of ​​our strength, still regarding us as ragtag bands fighting in the mountains. We must strike them hard and show them our strength. The Kwantung Army has so many new recruits, and their fighting spirit is weak. Only by delivering a crushing blow can we make them realize our strength. When our army strikes them in the future, these weak-willed units will surrender.

Coach Lin doesn't talk much usually.

He looks like a purely military general.

But not.

Marshal Lin was able to stand out among the many generals of the Central Red Army because he was a cadre with both military and political excellence. He usually looked like a purely military general because he was always accompanied by smart and capable political cadres.

During the month since the establishment of the Northeast Field Army, Marshal Lin has been considering how to take action.

This time, it was the Kwantung Army that took the initiative, giving Marshal Lin an opportunity. Marshal Lin wanted to use this battle to make the Northeast Field Army famous. After making a decision, Marshal Lin said to Chen Yun beside him: "Comrade Chen Yun, what do you think?

Chen Yun nodded.

This was the first battle Marshal Lin commanded after entering Northeast China, and Chen Yun wouldn't object. If he did, how could the two of them work together in the future? So Chen Yun said, "I agree with Comrade Lin Sui's idea. We need to fight a war of annihilation to expand the influence of our Eighth Route Army in Northeast China and slow down those wavering puppet Manchukuo troops, puppet guards, and puppet police. At the same time, we must destroy the will to resist of the weak-willed new recruits in the Kwantung Army."

Seeing that Chen Yun agreed, Lin Shuai said, "Li Tianyou."

"arrive."

"The Japanese regiments coming from Baicheng and Changchun are under the jurisdiction of the Ximan Military Region. Can you stop them?"

"Make sure to complete the mission."

Li Tianyou has extensive experience and strong abilities.

This time, he came to the Northeast with the intention of leading a field force. Unfortunately, the three columns formed this time were all independent and independent. They were all organized troops entering the Northeast. Although Marshal Lin admired Li Tianyou, he could not let you be the commander of a column as soon as you arrived.

But he is equally capable and it is impossible for him not to use it.

Therefore, he served as the commander of the Ximan Military Region.