The sun never sets

He personally carried his rifle and luggage, and marched hard in the snow with 20,000 troops. After returning from the expedition to Irkutsk last year, Lin Yongchang vowed never to march and fight in the snow again, unless it was absolutely necessary. Now was the last resort.

After the Imperial Guard Division of the First Army of the Japanese Army was defeated, Commander Kuroki Tamemasa urgently dispatched the Second Division and the Twelfth Division to fill the gap and block the People's Army's front. The Second Army also dispatched the Third Division, the First Cavalry Brigade and the Field Artillery Regiment to provide support.

As the density of Japanese troops in Tokugawa, Kusong, and Wulao-ri increased, it became increasingly difficult to break through from the front, so it was better to attack from the side. The People's Army built trenches on the front just to paralyze the Japanese army, not really wanting to fight the Japanese in Korea for another three years. Lin Yongchang had already thought of slogans, "Fight to Busan to celebrate the New Year!" "End the war before New Year's Eve!"

Well, actually, this is all fake. The real target is still the hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops in Outer Manchuria. There are not only hundreds of thousands of elite Japanese troops, but also most of the technical weapons of the Japanese Army.

The draft horses dragged the cannons and shells across the ice field, and the soldiers shouted slogans and pushed the cannons and carts forward. Except for the soldiers who were accidentally injured, everyone was walking, including the cavalry. Marshal Lin, with a Mauser rifle on his shoulder, stood on the mound and shouted to the soldiers, "Hello, comrades!"

When the soldiers passed by this hill, they saw Marshal Lin standing on the mound and cheered loudly.

“Long live the People’s Party!”

"Long live Chairman Lin!"

Lin Yongchang laughed loudly, "What do you mean by long live? Who can live long? It would be great if we can be healthy forever while we are alive!"

"Chairman Lin will always be healthy!"

The People's Army advanced to the southernmost part of Tokugawa, which was the most prominent place on the entire front line and also the place with the largest number of troops and artillery. The Japanese army responded by accumulating a large number of troops near Tokugawa and launched a fierce counterattack, and then was killed by heavy machine guns and field artillery.

In just one attack, the Japanese army suffered more than 2,000 casualties. Kuroki Tameshige was already accustomed to heavy casualties. The Imperial Guard Division under his command was directly defeated, and the First Army lost several thousand people. The commander of the Second Army, General Oku Yasuo, who rushed over, suffered such a defeat for the first time. Holding the casualty report, his body and voice trembled.

"How could there be so many casualties? Was there an extra zero at the end?"

Kuroki Weizhen shook his head.

He opened the door curtain and pointed at Tokugawa in the distance in the howling cold wind, "General, those guarding there are the People's Army, not the Beiyang Army!"

Chapter 317 Imjin War

In the ice and snow of Korea, Chinese and Japanese soldiers confronted each other on a long front. The People's Army had stronger heavy firepower, with five times the number of heavy machine guns and three times the number of artillery as the Japanese army. It had firepower advantages in both offense and defense, but because the railway was only built to Panjin and the temporary railway night attack group: ⑥九④⑨,３六①三五 was only built to Dandong, the heavy firepower advantage of the People's Army could not be fully utilized.

In addition to insufficient transportation capabilities, the People’s Government’s lack of ability to produce heavy grenades and super-caliber artillery shells is also one of the reasons.

War is a game of burning money, but it also has a very obvious role in promoting the development of the military industry. Over the past few years, the People's Government's arms production capacity has been greatly improved. In addition to the Taiyuan Arsenal, Marshal Lin also set up arsenals in Beiping, Gongxian, Kaifeng, Luoyang and other places. The production capacity of these arsenals varies, and most of them can only produce Mauser rifles and grenades. There are also some small arsenals that can only produce a dozen rifles a day, and their main function is to repair firearms.

In the past few years, the People's Government has focused on the production of rifles, grenades, heavy machine guns, infantry guns and mortars. This year, two production lines for field guns and mountain guns were established, but there is no capacity to produce heavy howitzers, large-caliber fortress guns and naval guns. Because a lot of heavy artillery was captured, three artillery production lines were opened, but the production capacity is still insufficient. Even though the arsenal has implemented a three-shift work mode, the artillery shells produced are far from enough, and many heavy grenades need to be imported from Germany, Britain and France.

The Japanese army was similar. Japan's production capacity was limited, and it could only produce some rifles, grenades, etc. Yamagata Aritomo and others once planned to equip the army with more heavy machine guns, but because Japan could not produce them itself and it was too expensive to buy them from abroad, they finally gave up.

In general, the People's Army has overwhelmed the Japanese Army in firepower and has an advantage in the Korean battlefield, but if they want to win, they still need to go through a series of difficult battles. The Japanese Army's equipment is not as good as the People's Army, but their morale is not low. Although they are not good at attacking, they still have some defensive capabilities.

Even though the Japanese army had far fewer heavy machine guns and artillery than the People's Army, as long as they had a firm will, they could achieve a nearly one-to-one casualty ratio in defensive operations. Kuroki Tamemasa withdrew his troops in time and dug trenches in the rear, preventing the Japanese army from suffering greater losses.

Kuroki Tameshige said to General Oku Yasuo who was leading his army to help: "The Chinese are too numerous, and the number of artillery and heavy machine guns is too large. All we can do now is to hold on and wait for help."

Ao Baogong shook his head repeatedly, "No, we can't just wait here. The Marshal and his men are still on their way back to Korea. If we don't find a solution, hundreds of thousands of soldiers will be blocked in Outer Manchuria."

The "United Nations Army" was divided into two lines, the northern line was the Siberian Army led by Archduke Nicholas, and the southern line was mainly the People's Army, supplemented by the Mongolian Army, and the Korean People's Army and the Ryukyu Restoration Army were just soy sauce. The People's Army was divided into two routes, the Western Route Army pushed the front line to Gucheng, Tokugawa, and Wulaoli; the Eastern Route Army started from Hunchun and fought eastward all the way to the seaside, cutting off the retreat of the Japanese army led by Oyama Iwao.

After the Sino-Japanese War broke out, Oyama Iwao was shocked and immediately sent the only troops he had to advance to Rajin City, intending to open up a road back to Korea, or at least use the ice-free port of Rajin City to provide supplies to the Japanese troops in Outer Manchuria. However, because the main forces were scattered across the vast land of Outer Manchuria and had not yet been gathered, Oyama Iwao was short of troops and was unable to repel the People's Army in front of him.

After capturing Vladivostok, the Japanese army could have used the port of Vladivostok to retreat, but Vladivostok was not an ice-free port and would freeze in winter. It was not impossible to use the port to transport the soldiers away by force, as the ice would break and the soldiers would fall into the water, and only a few people would freeze to death, but the equipment such as cannons and machine guns would probably have to be thrown away.

The Japanese army was not short of men, but money and equipment. The Japanese army in Outer Manchuria was not the British and French troops trapped on the beach. It was impossible for Oyama Iwa to throw away all the heavy equipment to save the Japanese army. Those weapons and equipment were much more precious than the lives of soldiers. Soldiers were so cheap. A postcard of 5 cents could recruit a young man from the countryside.

In order to open up the road back to Korea, the Japanese troops in Outer Manchuria launched wave after wave of attacks. Oyama Iwao gathered a regiment and threw it onto the battlefield, and continuously sent telegrams to the troops in Korea, requesting Kuroki Tameshige and Oku Yasutao to launch an attack from the west and advance against the Japanese troops in Outer Manchuria from the east and west.

Kuroki Tameshige said they could only hold on and wait for help, while Okuyasu said it would take some time for the reinforcements to arrive, and it would take several months for the weapons and equipment purchased from foreign countries to arrive, and Marshal Oyama Iwao and his men could not wait that long. A few months would be enough for all the people in Vladivostok to starve to death.

"We have to find a way, Kuroki. We can't just watch that happen."

Kuroki Weizhen was silent for a while, then said, "Then attack from Unsan and Hamhung. I will block the Tokugawa side, and you can take the other troops over."

Okubo Gong shook his head again, "Then you only have two divisions left, and you can't hold such a long front."

Kuroki Tameshige's First Army originally had three divisions

As the emperor's personal guard, the Imperial Guards Division had the best equipment but the worst combat effectiveness. It was defeated within a few days after the war began, and it has not recovered yet. Can they only rely on two divisions to stop the Chinese attack? Okuyasu was very worried that there would be another major defeat here.

"Just transfer a few of the reserve brigades in the country to me."

"The Reserve Brigade...they are using equipment from ten years ago, so their combat effectiveness is very poor."

Kuroki Tameharu said: "Equipment from ten years ago is better than nothing. I can also recruit Koreans to defend."

"North Koreans are unreliable. Haven't you heard about what happened in the Korean People's Republic?"

Ahn Jung-geun, Kim Jae-hee and others followed the real king's army back to Korea. After occupying a small piece of land, they announced the establishment of the Korean People's Republic, and then started the action of fighting against the local tyrants and dividing the land on such a small piece of land. Many Korean people's army escaped from the killing of the Japanese. After returning, they behaved very radically and carried out a large-scale purge of "traitors". Many Koreans who cooperated with the Japanese were shot, most of whom were nobles, big businessmen, and big landlords, and these identities sometimes overlapped.

Although the Korean People's Army killed many people, there are still many Koreans who support this army of their own. Anyway, it is better than the Japanese, right? Compared with the Japanese, the Korean People's Army looks like a king's teacher. The real king's teacher is of course the Chinese army. Every time Korea was bullied by the Japanese, it was the Celestial Empire that came to save Korea from the water and fire.

Many Koreans saw the attack by the People's Army this time as a replica of the Imjin War, forgetting that it was the Koreans themselves who invited the Japanese in ten years ago. The Imjin War refers to the Wanli Korean War of the Ming Dynasty, also known as the Wanli Aid Korea War. It is really similar to the current situation, but I don't know where the Koreans' Yi Sun-sin is now.

Chapter 318: The Advantage is in Me

The extremely cold weather was a disaster for both the Chinese and Japanese armies. The winter of 1903 was colder than a hundred years later. In such weather, marching alone would result in a large number of non-combat casualties.

The Japanese army's march in the snow on Mount Hakko caused more than 90% of the deaths, and they also learned some coping skills in extreme cold conditions, such as applying grease to the hands, face and other parts, which can effectively prevent cracks. However, these skills can only be said to be of some use, not to make the soldiers not afraid of the cold.

The People's Army made more preparations for war, including cotton clothes and a large amount of food, but the preparations were still insufficient. The People's Army had more than 150,000 troops entering North Korea, and nearly twice as many logistics personnel. These people alone had to eat dozens of carloads of food every day.

The Grand Duchy of Siberia lost major cities such as Vladivostok and Shuangchengzi, and the Primorsky Province was looted by the Japanese army, but it still had an army of 200,000 to feed. Grand Duke Nicholas sent telegrams every few days to complain and asked the United Nations Command to allocate more food to them, including bread, flour, rice, butter, wheat, barley, oats, whatever it was, even alfalfa for livestock.

The Japanese army acted like civilized people in Beijing, but that was just a show for the foreigners. Most of the time, the Japanese army was very brutal and barbaric. In places like Outer Manchuria, the Japanese army used violence without scruples. Nogi Maresuke's Third Army carried out organized looting and massacres.

The Russians in the Grand Duchy of Siberia were able to flee when the Japanese army attacked, but they could not take away much food. They could probably feed themselves, but they really could not supply the 200,000 Siberian troops. Vladivostok was occupied by the Japanese army. Even if it had not been occupied, Vladivostok could not be used after it was frozen.

There was a revolution going on in Tsarist Russia. Nicholas II agreed to the establishment of the Grand Duchy of Siberia in order to get rid of the burden of the Far East. Naturally, he would not transport materials to the Far East. Grand Duke Nicholas sent telegrams to St. Petersburg several times, but they said they could not help. Railways and factories in many places were paralyzed. Even if Nicholas II was kind-hearted and wanted to save the Russians in the Far East, he did not have the ability to do so.

So Grand Duke Nicholas could only turn to the People's Government for help. Princess Olga also received many letters from the Grand Duchy of Siberia, begging her to save her starving army and people for God's sake. The People's Government was in a difficult situation, but it could not ignore the starving Grand Duchy of Siberia.

The morale of the Siberian army was not very high, and the combat efficiency was not very high, but at least there were 200,000 people, which could more or less contain some Japanese troops, so that Oyama Iwao could not withdraw all the troops to fight. Originally, Lin Yongchang released all the Russian prisoners of war so readily just to save some food, but who knew that things would turn around in the end? However, the Grand Duchy of Siberia still solved some supply problems, not much, barely half of them.

In order to distribute more food to the Siberian Army, the Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations allocated a large amount of transportation capacity, which even affected the People's Army's plan to send troops to North Korea. Originally, 200,000 troops were to be sent to North Korea to fight, but only 150,000 went. Among them, 50,000 were almost unable to move due to lack of food and could only build roads and bridges in the liberated areas of North Korea.

In addition to providing some food to the Siberian Army, the Koreans in the Korean Liberated Areas were also short of food and clothing and needed relief from the People's Government. When Kuroki Tamemoto retreated, he took away all the food in the town. His purpose was not to clear the countryside, but to

Japan itself is also short of food.

The biggest problems facing the People's Army, the Japanese Army, the Siberian Army and the Koreans were cold and hunger, which were even more tormenting than war. Being killed by bullets or bombs only took a moment, but hunger and cold were around all the time, without a moment's rest.

The People's Government had enough food in the granaries of Shanxi, Henan, Hebei and other places to feed one million people for a year, but there was not enough transportation capacity to transport the food to the Korean front. The Japanese army controlled the Bohai Bay, and the People's Army could only transport food by land. After leaving the railway, the loss would increase a lot for every additional ten kilometers of transportation. Whether it was transported by carts or cattle and horses, they would consume food themselves.

In order to transport more food, the UN headquarters had to reduce the proportion of ammunition, which weakened the combat effectiveness of the frontline troops. Why did Marshal Lin take 20,000 people to fight? It was because there was no other way. If conditions allowed, of course it would be the most satisfying to use cannons to blow up all the Japanese.

The situation of the People's Army is very bad now. Premier Wang and many senior generals in the army are worried about this. Only Marshal Lin is still optimistic. Yes, the situation of the People's Army is not good now, but it depends on who it is compared with. Compared with the Japanese army, the situation of the People's Army can be called very good. If compared with the Volunteer Army in another time and space, the difficulties encountered by the People's Army are acceptable.

Before setting off with 20,000 men, Marshal Lin made an enthusiastic speech at the UN headquarters, "We have 800,000 troops (including logistics), and the Japanese have only 600,000. 800,000 versus 600,000. The advantage is on my side!"

The Japanese army never paid much attention to logistics, and the ratio of logistics personnel to combat troops was about 1:1, while the People's Army was 2:1. If we really talk about it, the Japanese army still has an advantage in manpower, but its firepower is too poor.

Lin Yongchang also said: "Korea has always been a battlefield for Sino-Japanese wars. The victory or defeat in the Korean battlefield determines the rise and fall of China and Japan. The fight against Japanese aggression and aid to Korea was not only for the liberation of the Korean people, but also for the safety of the Chinese people! Ten years ago, the Beiyang Army was defeated in Korea, and ten years later, the Chinese are back!"

"We came to liberate Korea in order to stabilize our rear and prepare for the future liberation of all of China! Although we have only liberated a small area of Korea, everyone should have seen the vigorous vitality and the state of all things competing. Resisting Japan and aiding Korea is the righteous cause and what the people want!"

"I have said that the war against Russia cannot be rushed, and the war to liberate Korea cannot be delayed. Now it seems that this is true. According to general rules, if the total force and equipment do not exceed that of the enemy, we must never enter into a strategic decisive battle. After more than three years of war against Russia, we have grown bigger, we have become more skilled, and we have accumulated favorable conditions for a decisive battle. It is like a convex mirror facing the scorching sun, with a hundred or a thousand times the brightness converging on one point, becoming white-hot, smoking, and cannot but burn!"

"No matter what, this time the War to Resist Japanese Aggression and Aid Korea is 800,000 versus 600,000, and the advantage is on my side!"

Chapter 319: A sharp turn for the worse

When the 280 mm howitzers were transported to the outskirts of Vladivostok, all the Japanese soldiers cheered as they looked at the thick gun barrels, excited and rejoicing for the prosperity of Japan's military fortune. Oyama Iwao smiled and whispered to Gentaro: "With these cannons, the advantage is on our side!"

Kodama Gentaro covered his mouth and coughed forcefully a few times, his face flushed with sickness, "Then... ahem... let's get started as soon as possible."

"I'm sorry, but it will take some time before these cannons can be put into use," said Toyoshima Yozo, commander of the siege artillery. "We must first level the land, then pour cement on the chassis, build the firing positions, and then..."

"I know...I....ahem...know, I mean, try to be quick."

Kodama Gentaro was two wheels younger than Oyama Iwao, but his health was much worse. He was the fire chief of the Japanese army, and he went wherever there was a problem. When he was suppressing the resistance of local people in Taiwan, he had already contracted a disease. After the war with Russia, as Oyama Iwao's chief of staff, Kodama Gentaro led his staff to formulate a detailed combat plan, including the route of advance, logistics supply, distribution of ammunition and food, etc., and he was often busy until two or three in the morning.

The heavy workload and harsh environment have worn down Kodama Gentaro's body, and his condition is getting worse. Oyama Iwao is considering letting Kodama Gentaro return to Japan for recuperation. But it's not possible now, we have to wait until Vladivostok is captured. Oyama Iwao is the commander-in-chief of the Japanese army and the courage of the entire army. As long as he is there, the morale of the Japanese army is guaranteed. Kodama Gentaro is the brain of the army. Others can also make combat plans, but which of those plans is the best choice? Only Kodama Gentaro can reassure everyone.

The arrival of 280mm caliber howitzers changed the balance of artillery power between Japan and Russia. Kodama suggested concentrating artillery fire to destroy the artillery positions in the southwest corner, and then moving their own artillery positions forward and destroying the Russian granaries with artillery fire. Then hunger would force the Russian army to surrender.

Oyama Iwao followed Kodama's advice and successfully defeated the fighting spirit of the Russian army in Vladivostok. Seeing that the morale of the Russian army was getting lower and lower, it was only a matter of time before they surrendered. Then a problem arose. Because of the weak national strength, the Japanese army's 280mm howitzer shells had too little charge, and

The Russian buildings in the city were covered with thick ice and snow, and some of the grenades did not explode after they were dropped.

It would have been fine if they didn't explode, the Russians picked up the unexploded shells and fired them back. The Russian 280mm mortars and the Japanese 280mm howitzers were of the same caliber, so the ammunition was interchangeable. The Russians had already used up all their shells, so they received the shells "sent" by the Japanese, and in turn used their mortars to destroy two of the Japanese 280mm howitzers.

Each super-caliber howitzer was imported from Germany at a high price. The loss of two cannons made Major General Toyoshima Yozo heartbroken. But this is just a small problem. Soldiers and cannons are just consumables in war. The Russian counterattack caused some trouble, but it was just trouble. What worried Oyama Iwao was the news from home.

The navy actually went to Bohai and bombarded Dagukou and Lushun at this time!

Kodama Gentaro was lying in a tent to recuperate. When he heard that the navy had fought with the Chinese, he sat up in shock and said that the navy had harmed the country. After that, the People's Government asked Japan to pay compensation and apologize, and did not immediately go to war, which made Kodama Gentaro, Oyama Iwao and others feel a little relieved.

When the Russian army failed to break out of Vladivostok and the Japanese army took the opportunity to seize the largest city of Tsarist Russia in the Far East, the bad news suddenly came. The People's Government issued a "letter of condolence" to Japan, and after a deadline of 24 hours, announced that China and Japan had automatically entered a state of war.

In addition, the Grand Duchy of Siberia, Mongolia, the People's Republic of Korea, and the Ryukyu Government-in-Exile all declared war on Japan. Suddenly, Japan was being beaten up in East Asia. The situation was so bad that even the good news of the capture of Vladivostok became insignificant.

Before the war, the Meiji government of Japan wanted to force Russia to withdraw from the war, get war reparations from Russia, and then fight China. Japan had no shortage of soldiers. The countryside was full of poor young people, and a five-cent postcard could recruit a soldier. What Japan lacked was money and weapons and equipment. As long as it got the reparations from the Russian Empire, Japan could continue to fight.

What if Russia refused to pay the indemnity? The Japanese never considered this possibility.

Before the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the Japanese army had provoked wars many times, and suffered heavy defeats in Korea and Taiwan. After winning the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, they made back all the profits. They made so much money in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 that the Japanese formed a mindset that the Russians would also pay a large sum of war reparations like the Jurchens.

Now the Russian Empire was no longer able to continue its expansion in the Far East, but it did not withdraw from the war, which put the Meiji government of Japan in a difficult position. What should they do with all the debts they owed without receiving war reparations? They had no choice but to continue to borrow money from Britain. To this end, the Meiji government mortgaged more sovereignty. Japan had hoped to recover its tariffs within a few years, but now it was no longer possible. Not only did the British continue to control the tariffs, but they also mortgaged other taxes such as salt tax and tea tax, just to get money to continue.

Borrowing money does not mean that the crisis can be turned into safety. The Chinese, who have no moral principles, would not have taken action if they had not taken action, but once they did, they violently bombarded North Korea and cut off the retreat of the Japanese troops in Outer Manchuria. It was freezing cold, and the ports were frozen, so the Japanese troops could not retreat from the ports even if they wanted to.

It's not completely impossible, but when facing the Siberian Army and the People's Army, a forced retreat would result in great losses, and all heavy equipment would have to be thrown away. Most of the Japanese heavy firepower was in Outer Manchuria, including those precious 280mm howitzers, how could they be thrown away?

Japan's financial groups are second to none in East Asia, and they are extremely rich, but Japan is a poor country, and the Japanese army is a poor and destitute army. In order to save up those equipment, many young girls went to Southeast Asia to sell their bodies. When many Japanese women died in a foreign country, they would say, "Let my tombstone face away from Japan. Even after I die, I don't want to look at it again."

Without the heavy machine guns and artillery that they had worked so hard to accumulate, the Japanese army's combat effectiveness would be reduced by at least half. In order to keep the heavy equipment, Oyama Iwao chose to break through the Chinese blockade from the land and fight back to Korea. When Kodama Gentaro heard that his retreat was cut off, he was so anxious that he vomited blood, but he had no other choice but to support Oyama Iwao's choice. What else could he do?

Chapter 320 Dumpling Skin

After taking down Vladivostok, the Japanese army seized a large number of guns and artillery. The Russian army had used up all its 280mm caliber shells, but there were still a lot of other small-caliber shells and bullets. But there was not much food left in the city. There were not many people in the Russian Far East, and the food production was not much. To supply hundreds of thousands of troops, many people had been starving. When the Japanese army attacked the city, they deliberately bombarded the Russian granaries with heavy artillery, hoping to force the Russian army to surrender with hunger.

The Japanese achieved their goal. The defenders of Vladivostok were so hungry that they couldn't help but break out and run away. Most of them were annihilated or captured by the Japanese army, and only about one-third escaped.

Destroying the Russian granary was a stroke of genius, and Oyama Iwao proudly claimed that he had "defeated the enemy without fighting." When the retreat was cut off, the starving people immediately changed from the Russians to the Japanese. When the supply roads were unobstructed, the Japanese rations were somewhat insufficient, and sometimes the lower-level soldiers could only get two rice balls a day. When the retreat was cut off, the Japanese army immediately fell into a dilemma of hunger.

"We must open up the road back to North Korea!"

"If we don't repel the Chinese in front of us, we will all starve to death in a foreign country!"

In order to return home and avoid being frozen or starved to death in the desolate land of Outer Northeast, the Japanese army burst out with powerful fighting power. They launched continuous attacks in the hail of bullets, fighting from morning to evening, breaking through the two lines of defense of the Chinese, from the harbor opposite Neilek Road to the outskirts of Khasansky.

The harbor was usable in the summer, but in the winter, just like Vladivostok, it was frozen. The Japanese army fought their way through, and all they saw was heavy snow and a frozen sea. Although they fought their way through, the supply line was still not open.

"We have to keep attacking."

"The Chinese have entered the city, and without heavy artillery support, the battle will be difficult."

"We must attack no matter how difficult it is! We are running out of food!"

Oyama Iwao asked Lieutenant General Tsuchiya Mitsuharu's 11th Division to take over the exhausted Japanese army and continue the attack. He had some unspoken reasons in his mind. There were as many as Japanese troops in Outer Manchuria, plus the logistics and baggage troops, there were almost . If more people died, the food could last a few more days.

Outer Northeast is vast and sparsely populated, with many places uninhabited and only one road barely usable. The snowy forest looks beautiful, but it is difficult for a large number of troops to pass through. It is not impossible to take a detour, but just be prepared to lose half of the heavy equipment and soldiers.

Mitsutsuharu Tsuchiya is a veteran in the Japanese army. Like other old men in the Japanese army, he has decades of military career and is very experienced in combat. After receiving the order, he did not waste any words and immediately commanded his troops to deploy and then launched a fierce attack on Khasansky.

The People's Army is a young army, with regimental commanders, brigade commanders, division commanders, and even corps commanders in their twenties. The Japanese army is different, with division commanders in their fifties and sixties, brigade commanders, and regiment commanders all older, which is completely different from the People's Army.

Young people are full of vigor, while old people are experienced. It is hard to say which one is better. But sometimes, being experienced is not necessarily a good thing. Outdated experience may bring disaster.

It is true that Mitsuru Tsuchiya had rich war experience, but his experience was gained in the Anti-Qing Dynasty War, the Southwest War, and the Sino-Japanese War. The 11th Division did not adapt well to the era of increasing heavy machine guns and rapid-fire cannons. Most of the technical weapons of the Russian Far East were piled up in Liaoyang, and they still used heavy machine guns to cause a large number of casualties to the Japanese army. Mitsuru Tsuchiya saw the increase in Japanese casualties, but apart from a few words of emotion, he did not make any improvements to the army's tactics.

This was not a problem of Tsuchiya Mitsuharu alone, but a problem of the backwardness of the equipment and tactics of the entire Japanese army, and also a problem of Japan's weak national strength. The Japanese army was still using intensive charge tactics, and for the Japanese army that lacked supporting firepower and heavy firepower, they had no better solution.

"Kill him!"

"It's dark and the card is on board!"

"Onboard! Onboard!"

The Japanese army shouted and charged, they were in a tight formation, more dense than the Russian army's charge formation. The city of Khasansky was not big, but Tsuchiya Mitsuharu sent out an entire regiment in the first wave of attack, and thousands of bayonets flashed cold light in the howling north wind.

Xu Wuji watched the Japanese charge through a telescope in the observation post, and then said to the officers and staff beside him: "If we had enough machine guns and cannons, we could easily kill all these devils."

Without waiting for others to respond, he sighed and continued, "But we don't have enough machine guns and cannons, and even if we did, we wouldn't have enough ammunition." The troops not only had difficulty in supplying ammunition, but also in replenishing manpower. Because it was too cold, sometimes the soldiers couldn't even pull the bolt of their guns, and could only fight the Japanese with bayonets.

The Japanese army lacked heavy weapons and ammunition. The situation of the People's Army was better, but it was also lacking. The extremely cold weather made it very difficult to transport ammunition. When they spent the night in the wild, a large number of cattle and horses froze to death. Sometimes when they woke up in the morning, they would find ice sculptures of several animals in the camp.