Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 106 Urgent Request for Help

"Clap clap..."

Two resounding slaps echoed in the command post of the 10th Regiment.

Seya Kei glared at Colonel Akashiba Yaezo with eyes blazing with fury, and asked, word by word, "Tell me, in less than three hours, you've lost more than half of the position at Taierzhuang. How did you become a regimental commander?"

Akashiba Yaezo lowered his head, his eyes filled with resentment and anger: "Brigade Commander, the loss of this position is my responsibility, it has nothing to do with the officers and soldiers below. Please punish me!"

“Punish you… what good would it do to make you commit seppuku right now? Would it bring back the dead warriors and the lost ground?” Seya Kei rebuked, and slapped him again with his backhand.

After being slapped several times, Akashiba Yaezo became anxious and glared at him without backing down, shouting, "Sir... it was my fault for losing the position, but what I want to know is that the Chinese have heavy artillery, tanks, and countless machine guns. The American-made rifles that the Chinese are equipped with fire as fast as machine guns."

What do we have? Type 38 rifles or those pitiful grenade launchers?

"Baka!" Seya Kei raised his hand and slapped him again: "We have invincible imperial warriors, and the spirit of Bushido!"

"General Nogi Maresuke once took Port Arthur by treading on mountains of corpses and seas of blood when facing the Russian machine guns and heavy artillery. Why can't you do the same today?"

Akashiba Yaezo also angrily said, "General Nogi Maresuke has 130,000 troops to squander, but I only have 3,000 men. How can I compare to him!"

"you……"

Kei Seya was so angry he almost vomited blood. As a fervent admirer of Nogi Maresuke, he would never tolerate anyone slandering his idol.

However, he was also aware that many officers and scholars in the Japanese military held a negative view of Nogi Maresuke.

In the battle for Port Arthur with the Russians, Nogi Maresuke commanded 130,000 Japanese troops and attacked Port Arthur, which was defended by 50,000 Russian troops. After six months of fighting, 60,000 Japanese soldiers were killed and 15,000 Russian soldiers were eliminated before Port Arthur was finally captured.

Japan's so-called victory can be aptly described as "killing eight hundred enemies while losing eight thousand of their own."

Therefore, some people have given Nogi Maresuke the nickname "Foolish General".

Seeing that Seya Kei remained silent, Akashiba Yaezo said in a deep voice: "Brigade Commander... my regiment suffered heavy losses in the Chinese artillery bombardment, and lost most of its position under the combined attack of Chinese tanks and heavy artillery. Now the 10th Regiment only has a little over a thousand men left."

"If you wish me to retake the position, I will immediately return to gather the remaining soldiers and personally lead them in a charge of annihilation, raising the banner high. Whether we succeed or not, I will have done my duty to His Majesty the Emperor."

"Baka Yalu..."

Seya Kei was so angry that his body was trembling. If he really allowed Akashiba Yaezo to do this, the entire army would be wiped out in less than half an hour. Once the regimental flag was captured by the enemy, the 10th Regiment would have to be removed from the Japanese Army.

If such a thing were to happen, his position as brigade commander would not be as simple as being transferred back to the mainland for duty and then reassigned to the reserves; he would probably have to commit seppuku.

Akashiba Yaezo is really putting him on the hot seat.

For a moment, Kei Seya even considered drawing his katana and chopping the guy down.

But his years of military service taught him that getting angry at this point wouldn't solve anything.

He took several deep breaths to calm his rage.

"I won't pursue the matter from before, but you must guarantee that we absolutely cannot lose any more positions. Once we are driven out of Taierzhuang, the 33rd Brigade will become a laughing stock of the Imperial Japanese Army. Do you understand?" "Understood." Akashiba Yaezo knew when to stop and quickly bowed, saying, "Sir, I was too rude just now. Please forgive me!"

"Never mind..." Looking at his subordinate bowing to him, Seya Kei couldn't help but feel a little disheartened and waved his hand listlessly.

He summoned the communications officer and instructed him, "Send a telegram to the division commander immediately, requesting emergency support!"

Soon, an urgent telegram arrived at the 10th Division headquarters.

"Commander Rensuke Isogai of the 10th Division:"
Our brigade is currently under fierce attack by elite Chinese troops. The situation is critical. We request urgent tactical support!
Starting at 7:00 AM this morning, Chinese artillery suddenly launched a half-hour bombardment of our troops.

Subsequently, its armored units suddenly broke into our army's right flank, launching a pincer attack in conjunction with thousands of infantry. The Chinese army deployed an astonishing number of American-made tanks and 105mm howitzers, carrying out a saturation bombardment of our positions northeast of Taierzhuang, followed by an armored group assault.

Current battle situation:

The forward positions of the 10th and 63rd Infantry Regiments were completely destroyed, two battalion commanders were killed in action, and more than 2,000 people were killed or wounded.

The observation post of the 10th Field Artillery Regiment was destroyed, and two Type 92 infantry guns were crushed by tanks.

Chinese tanks broke through to Fankou Village (3 kilometers north of Taierzhuang), threatening the flank and rear of our brigade command post.

Urgent request:
Immediately dispatch air force (at least 6 Type 97 heavy bombers) to bomb the Chinese army's artillery positions (coordinates: X-32/Y-15).

The division's heavy artillery units (especially 150mm cannons) need to suppress enemy armored forces within 2 hours.

If reinforcements are not forthcoming, please allow my unit to temporarily withdraw to the Yixian defense line for reorganization.

(Note in the telegram: Captured documents show that the Chinese army was designated as the Nanjing Security Regiment, and its equipment was even better than the Imperial Army had expected!)
Commander of the 33rd Brigade, Seya Keidan, bowed.
"Baka yarou! What is Seya Kei doing? In just a few hours, is the defense line of a brigade about to collapse?"

At the headquarters of the 10th Division in Zaozhuang, about 50 kilometers northeast of Taierzhuang, Isoya Rensuke could hardly believe his eyes as he looked at the telegram in his hand, which still smelled of ink.

He couldn't believe that an infantry brigade of the empire's most elite Class A division, after being ambushed by the Chinese army, was forced to request tactical guidance from its superiors after only a few hours of fighting.

At this moment, Chief of Staff Colonel Atsuro Umemura reminded him: "Division Commander, have you noticed that the one who launched the attack on the 33rd Brigade this time is none other than that man named Su Yaoyang and the Nanjing Security Regiment he leads!"

"Su Yaoyang...it's him again!" Only then did Isoya Rensuke notice the small print at the end of the telegram, and he was instantly furious.

That idiot Seya Kei suffered a great loss at Su Yaoyang's hands in Tengxian last time, and now he's been beaten so badly he's running away with his tail between his legs. It seems that the decision to transfer this guy back to the mainland was the right one.

As the division commander, Rensuke Isogai naturally knew more information than Kei Seya.

Headquarters had already punished him, but now is a critical period in the Battle of Xuzhou. If a senior brigade commander were rashly recalled to China, it would likely affect the 33rd Brigade's upcoming battles.

So they planned to wait until the Battle of Xuzhou ended, or until they captured Taierzhuang, before finding someone to replace him. They never expected that something like this would happen.

Without hesitation, he said, "Immediately order the air force to dispatch no fewer than twelve heavy bombers to bomb the Chinese troops in Taierzhuang. Also, order the 10th Field Artillery Regiment and the 39th Field Artillery Regiment to go to Taierzhuang to provide emergency support to the 33rd Brigade."

"Hai..."

(End of this chapter)