my bright sword career

Chapter 744
Thousands of pairs of military boots made a fine rustle on the snow, the rhythmic clatter of soaked horses, and the heavy breathing of the heavy draft horses pulling the field artillery, all merged into a monotonous, dizzying sound. A sleepy tone.

Under the blue sky, several long marching teams ran through the entire wilderness. Both soldiers and horses were covered with white cloth. Even the cannons and machine guns were painted white. Even the dazzling red flag disappeared without a trace. , which allows them to fully integrate into the ice sheet, all in order to effectively avoid the reconnaissance and bombing of Chinese aircraft.

The 41st Division marched silently on the snowy and uninhabited wilderness hills more than 100 kilometers away from Taiyuan. There were few villages and no rest. They had to rush to the city of Taiyuan within two days to reinforce the 28th and 37th who were already in a bitter battle. Two divisions.

These soldiers just moved forward mechanically, their clothes soaked with sweat.

The heavy snow shone in the sun, causing the soldiers' eyes to hurt and shed tears. From time to time, some soldiers fell on the snow.

Severe frostbite caused by long marches in the snow tortured all Japanese soldiers. Whenever someone fell down and saw the medical soldiers shaking their heads, the Japanese officers on the side would wave their hands, and then the soldiers would be carried away from the marching team. The wasteland dozens of meters away, and when they come back, there will be one less person among them.

In the snow, a combat staff officer asked Colonel Tokuo Takeda with tears in his eyes, "Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, the troops have reached their limit. Do we really want to continue marching?"

Since the death of Nori Shimizu, the commander of the 41st Division, Tokuo Takeda, who has taken over the command, has become the de facto supreme commander of the 41st Division.

At this time, just one day had passed since the train was bombed and the division commander was killed. The entire division was still in chaos. According to normal circumstances, the troops should rest and recuperate immediately to treat the wounded and replenish supplies.

However, instead of allowing the 41st Division to rest, Yoshimoto Teiichi ordered the troops to immediately abandon the railway and move closer to Taiyuan on foot.

This order not only greatly exceeded everyone's expectations, but also made the officers complain.

"Of course I know that the current situation in the army is very difficult, but this is an order from the headquarters, what can I do?" Takeda Tokuo said helplessly.

"This is a random order, we shouldn't obey it!" the combat staff shouted loudly.

"Ono-kun, don't forget, we are imperial soldiers.

It is our mission to serve the Emperor. How can we give up our mission just because of a few casualties? " Takeda Tokuo's tone became stern.

"But..." The combat staff wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Tokuo Takeda.

"Okay, you don't need to say any more, just go do something quickly."

Just after the combat staff had no choice but to leave, a senior officer hurried over and said, "Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, the weather is too cold. From yesterday to now, more than 200 of our wounded have frozen to death. We must immediately request the headquarters to urgently transport cold-proof materials." and medicines, otherwise our non-combat casualties will be too great."

The colonel who arrived was named Jiro Nakagawa, captain of the 133rd Infantry Regiment and an old man of the 41st Division.

Three years ago, he was just a captain, and he once led his troops in a fierce battle with the fledgling Liantai Militia at Qixia Pass.

In that battle, the 41st Division was severely beaten, and the division commander, Lieutenant General Yukio Koizumi, was forced to return home sadly, and then transferred to the reserve force.

And this battle also taught all the officers of the 41st Division a lesson. It turned out that the Imperial Japanese Army was not invincible, and not all Chinese armies were defeated at the first touch.

As long as the Chinese army is equipped with the same equipment as the Japanese army, it is still unclear who will win.

Time flies, two and a half years have passed, and Jiro Nakagawa has been promoted from a battalion captain to a joint captain.

The 41st Division is about to fight against the Liantai Militia under Taiyuan City again. Can they really avenge their disgrace this time?At the thought of facing that well-equipped army in Shanxi again, Nakagawa Jiro couldn't help but feel frightened.

Takeda Tokuo stared at Nakagawa Jiro for a long time, and then said quietly: "Nakagawa-kun, you are scared."

Nakagawa Jiro's face turned white and red for a while, and he took a deep breath before saying: "Yes... Chief of Staff, I am scared.

Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, it’s not that I let others’ ambitions destroy my own prestige, but that you have never directly fought against the Liantai Militia, and you don’t know how terrifying they are. They…”

"Snapped!"

Before Jiro Nakagawa finished speaking, he received a loud slap on the face.

I heard Takeda Tokuo sternly say: "You have to remember that you are a warrior of the Japanese Empire and you are going to expand the territory for His Majesty the Emperor. How can you be afraid?

I know that the Liantai Militia in the battle at Qixiaguan three years ago did cause great losses to the 41st Division, but this is not a reason for you to be afraid.

If you still consider yourself a subject of His Majesty the Emperor, you must cheer up and use the blood of the Chinese and Liantai militia soldiers to wash away the shame of the past. Do you understand? "

"Hay!"

Seeing Takeda Tokuo's stern expression, Nakagawa Jiro knew that whatever he said was useless, he responded in a low voice and turned around to leave.

But before he took two steps, he heard Takeda Tokuo's voice coming from behind,

"Nakagawa-kun, you are one of the most senior captains of our division. Now that the commander of the Qingshui Division has died in battle, the atmosphere in the 41st Division has become very tense. I hope you can play your role.

Boost everyone's morale. After this battle is over, I will personally ask Commander Yoshimoto for your credit, and I will also recommend you to serve as the chief of staff of our division. "

"chief of staff?"

Nakagawa Jiro looked at Takeda Tokuo in surprise, "Then, Your Excellency..."

Takeda Tokuno smiled bitterly and said: "Do you think I can still stay in this position after such a big thing happened this time?
Someone must be responsible for the death of Commander Qingshui Division. Is there anyone in the entire division who has a higher position than me now? "

Nakagawa Jiro stopped talking, yes...

An air raid by the Chinese resulted in the loss of thousands of people in the 41st Division. Even the division commander was embarrassed. Someone must be responsible for such a big thing. As the chief of staff, Tokuo Takeda is not responsible. Is it possible? Should we find a private in charge?
It’s just that I don’t really want to eat the pie painted by Takeda Tokuo and Nakagawa Jiro.

There is a huge threshold from colonel to major general, and I don’t know how many colonels have been stuck here their entire lives.

He is neither a nobleman nor a plutocrat, so becoming a general is not easy.

"That's all, let's think about how to get through this difficult time, right?"

(End of this chapter)