The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 119 No.16 Wing: Requesting tactical guidance!

Yongxing Village, Infantry No. 16 Regiment Command Post, No. 16 Regiment Commander Goto Juro was pacing repeatedly in the command post, anxiously waiting for the news from ahead. Originally, he could still hear the sound of gunfire coming from the front. But the sound of gunfire stopped suddenly, and then there was no movement at all in front. After waiting for half an hour, there was still no movement. Goto Juro, who couldn't sit still, immediately sent people out to conduct reconnaissance. He was eager to know what was going on ahead. .

"Your Excellency, Captain."

The wing adjutant suddenly ran quickly into the command post, looking a little ugly.

"Your Excellency, Wing Commander, the reconnaissance team is back."

Goto Juro asked eagerly: "What's going on ahead?"

The wing adjutant shook his head sadly: "The battle ahead is over. The officers and soldiers of the death squads...the officers and soldiers of the death squads have all been smashed to pieces. The officers and soldiers who went out to conduct reconnaissance saw only the corpses of the warriors of the death squads. The battle It was over long ago. All the warriors of the death squads were in pieces. Those damn Chinese troops took away all the weapons, helmets and equipment left by the warriors of the death squads. In front of the position, there were only the remains of the warriors!"

Goto Juro closed his eyes in pain and punched the wall hard. A fully armed death squad with elite veterans still couldn't break through the Chinese army's bunker?No results were obtained, but an outstanding officer and a squad of elite soldiers were lost. Every soldier in this death squad was a veteran with rich combat experience. Any soldier picked out at random would have the qualities to serve as the captain of an infantry unit. .

Gotojuro sat on the chair without saying a word. After a moment, Gotojuro said to the wing adjutant in a low voice: "Report all the battles since the war began to the brigade commander and ask for tactical guidance from the brigade."

Hearing the words "tactical guidance", the wing adjutant's eyes widened and he was a little surprised. In the context of the Japanese army, tactical guidance actually meant that the unit could not defeat the place it faced on its own, or that it could not defeat or attack it. , cannot hold on, so it is necessary to request both tactical and material support from superior units. And it is different from simply applying for troops or firepower reinforcements. The hidden meaning of tactical guidance is that it cannot defeat the enemy and requires all-round assistance from superior units.

It's just that it's hard to save face by saying bluntly that you can't defeat them and need reinforcements, so the Japanese army uses the seemingly more respectable term tactical guidance to refer to it.

The wing adjutant tentatively said to Goto Juro: "Sir, I'm asking for tactical guidance. Would you like to think about it again?"

Unless it was a last resort, the Japanese army commander would not make such a request. After all, his face was really shameless. The regimental adjutant's inquiry did not shake Goto Juro's determination. Four infantrymen were lost in the first attack. The squadron's troops used intrusive blasting for the second time, and all the elite death squads sent were wiped out. Although he was reluctant in his heart, his reason told him that the Chinese army on the opposite side was extraordinary. If he continued to fight hard, Maybe the entire No. 16 Regiment will be depleted. It's better to lose some face than to be punished after the troops are reduced to nothing.

Having made up his mind, Goto Juro refused the dissuasion of the wing adjutant and said: "Send a telegram."

． ． ． ． ． ． ． ． ． ． ． ． ． ． ．

With Goto Juro's decision to request tactical guidance, the Japanese officers and soldiers of the No. 16 Regiment got a rare rest, and Goto Juro's battle report and message requesting tactical guidance were also sent to the brigade headquarters of the No. 15 Brigade.

Brigade commander Shinohara Seiichiro read the battle report submitted by No. 16 Regiment, and was equally shocked, surprised, and angry.

In the first attack, four infantry squadrons were lost at once, and all the officers of the four squadrons were killed. This was unprecedented. What shocked him even more was that Juro Goto actually requested tactical guidance. The company had always been fierce and good at fighting. The No. 16 Regiment made a request for tactical guidance. Shinohara Seiichiro really wanted to see for himself what happened to the No. 16 Regiment and what kind of Chinese army could achieve such results.

"Your Excellency, Head of the Brigade!"

A lieutenant colonel officer in his 40s walked into the command post and stood at attention and saluted Shinohara Seiichiro. This tall officer with a beard was the lieutenant colonel and staff officer Harada Jiro of the No. 15 Brigade. He had many years of military experience. The experience left a deep ravine on Harada Jiro's face. When Shinohara Seiichiro saw this young and talented young officer, he felt more at ease, suppressed the anger in his heart, and his face became brighter. Forced a smile.

From an ordinary person's point of view, a middle-aged man in his 40s may not be worthy of being called a junior officer, but he is so in the Japanese army. The Japanese army pays attention to the staff system and serves as the chief officer in all levels of the Japanese army. Officers may not necessarily be the best and most capable officers, because serving as a senior officer in a high-level unit of the Japanese army often depends on capital other than ability, such as connections, birth, royal blood, etc., and at all levels The chief of staff or chief staff officer of a unit has stricter selection criteria than the chief officer, and always adheres to the principle of putting ability and quality first. Capital beyond ability is included in the selection of the chief of staff and chief staff officer. The effect is almost zero.

In the Japanese military's combat system, it is not the chief officer of the unit that determines the success or failure of a unit, but the chief of staff of the unit. Combat orders issued by the chief officer of the unit must be based on on-site inspections by the chief of staff, etc. The explanations and suggestions on the battlefield conditions obtained were used to make decisions. Therefore, the chiefs of staff and staff supervisors in the Japanese army were all selected from the best.

If you want to receive systematic staff training and education, the only way out is to be admitted to the Army University. After graduating from the Army University with excellent results, Harada Jiro returned to the grassroots level and served diligently from the grassroots level. It took more than ten years of wasted time to become a soldier. He was promoted to the position of Lieutenant Colonel and Staff Officer, but this was already good enough among the Japanese army.

According to the establishment of the Japanese army, formal chiefs of staff were only established at the division level. Although the hybrid No. 15 brigade was only a brigade-level unit and did not have a dedicated chief of staff, the brigade headquarters also had multiple assistant officers. and lieutenants, captain-level staff officers, among the staff officers of the Shinohara brigade headquarters, the highest-ranking official is Harada Jiro. These officer staff officers actually serve as the staff, and the leader, Lieutenant Commander Harada Jiro, is essentially the entire brigade. The core of the regiment's staff work is naturally the role of the chief of staff.

A lieutenant general and staff officer is over forty years old. Many generals in the national army are only in their early thirties. This can only be attributed to the limited size of the Japanese army, which experienced two large-scale disarmament in the 40s. Therefore, The promotion speed of Japanese military officers can be said to be as fast as an old cow. Therefore, there is a saying that they are promoted to lieutenant colonel at the age of 50 and to senior colonel at the age of 40. If an officer can really achieve the promotion of lieutenant colonel at the age of 50 and senior colonel at the age of [-] on time, then among the Japanese army They can be called young officers, but almost all of these elite young officers of the Japanese army were born early!

The Japanese army has a complete all-round training system for staff talents. An officer who wants to enter the Army University must start with the rank of captain. Therefore, the officers of the Japanese army have grassroots experience before entering the Army University, and they have mastered the skills while studying at the Army University. After graduating from Army University, he had to return to the grassroots level again and start working hard!
Compared with Jiro Harada, a standard Japanese army staff officer, their opponent, the Chinese army, is far behind. The Chinese army also has an Army University, which was opened in the late Qing Dynasty. The school has been in operation for a short time, but regardless of whether it is The mechanism for training and recruiting students is much worse than that of Japan's Army University. Taking admissions as an example, the National Army's Army University recruits young officers from lieutenant to major level. Not only does it require academic performance, but it also has requirements for appearance. The requirements are very high, and those with physical problems, various diseases, and those who are too ugly are not allowed to enroll.

The grass-roots officers in the front-line field troops basically have some injuries, and their appearance is not as good as that of the officers in the rear troops. The famous national army general Hu Lian was shot through the mouth by a bullet. Needless to say, Zhang Lingfu, nicknamed Zhang Laizi, , has problems with his legs and feet, and Du Yuming also has a limp. These people are the epitome of front-line field force officers. They fight on the front line all year round, and the sanitary conditions in the army are not good, so how can their physical condition and health be improved? Go.

Moreover, as far as basic cultural courses are concerned, the daily training and management tasks of company and platoon leaders serving in the front-line field troops are already very heavy, so they do not have enough time to review complicated coursework. Even the platoon leader with the lowest official rank , on weekdays, he is also responsible for the food, drinking, toileting and discipline training of thirty or forty big soldiers, so it is almost impossible to calm down and study.

Most of those who can get into the Army University are often from the rear troops who live a comfortable life, non-front-line troops or even officers from government service units. Their student resources are inferior to those of the Japanese army.The appointment of students after graduation is even more shocking than that of the Japanese army. Since the Chinese army's combat units at all levels lack excellent chiefs of staff, these Army University students who have insufficient grassroots experience are often snapped up as soon as they graduate. Jumping over the dragon gate, he was directly appointed as chief of staff or chief of staff.

For example, the famous Guo Rugui is a graduate of the tenth batch of Army University. Before he was admitted to Army University, he only had the experience of being a captain and company commander. However, after graduating from Army University, he was promoted several levels in a row. He was directly appointed as the colonel chief of staff of the No. 14 Army Division, one of the ace units of the civil engineering department. At this time, Guo Rugui was not yet 30 years old. He was a battalion affiliate, battalion commander, regiment affiliate, regiment commander, staff officer, and officer in charge of departments. Without ever having held any position, he jumped up from captain to colonel and became the chief of staff of a German-style adjustment division with more than 1 people. His counterpart was the chief of staff of a Japanese division of the same level. , basically all old officers over 50 years old.

This method of appointment is far worse than that of the Japanese army, and the price to be paid for it will be the blood and tears of front-line officers and soldiers. During the Battle of Songhu, Guo Rugui formulated an attack plan for the two infantry regiments. The tactical plan was to use one infantry regiment for a frontal attack and another infantry regiment to outflank them. However, when formulating the battle plan, Guo Rugui missed the two rivers on the map. Naturally, the two attacking infantry regiments were behind the Japanese army. Heavy losses occurred under crossfire.

It can only be said that compared with the Japanese army’s staff system, the Chinese army is still far behind.

Harada Jiro received the telegram from Shinohara Seiichiro. After reading it, he was also shocked and surprised.

"Your Excellency, Brigade Commander, it seems that this Chinese army has a very strong combat effectiveness. It caused the Imperial Army to lose four infantry squadrons at once. It is so powerful. It is so powerful."

Shinohara Seiichiro nodded and said: "Indeed, it was the Tsutsumi detachment that initially attacked there. After the attack failed many times, it asked us for help. It was also reported that the enemy might be equipped with chemical weapons, so I sent all the No. 16 Regiment. The troops were allocated to a howitzer squadron of the [-]th Regiment. Unexpectedly, the enemy was so powerful. Now Goto-kun has actually issued a request for tactical guidance. Harada-kun is an excellent staff officer of the Imperial Army. I plan to let you see it. Look, formulate the next battle plan.”

Harada Jiro stood at attention, saluted, and said: "There is no shirking our responsibility."

"Just say whatever you need. You don't have to worry about the battle in the mountains on the Western Front. Your main task next is to assist the No. 16 Wing and take down this damn Yanzhuang. I want to see what it's like. The Chinese army is so capable of carrying it."

"Sir, based on my past experience, our army is actually sufficient in terms of strength. Our army in front of Yanzhuang, if I remember correctly, includes the entire No. 16 Regiment, as well as the Di Detachment and the Fourth Tank Brigade. All of them can be called a heavily-armed group. According to past combat experience, it is difficult for an infantry division of the Chinese army to block an attack with such strength. I think that the enemy must have a special position and deployment, and the number of troops may not be very large. , Of course, this is just my personal inference, and the characteristics and specific configuration of the enemy still require on-site reconnaissance operations to determine."

Shinohara Seiichiro graduated from the 17th undergraduate class of the Army Military Academy, but he did not enter the Army University afterwards. However, he also learned basic staff operations. He understood that Harada Jiro wanted to personally lead people to the front line. and reconnaissance in front of enemy positions.

"I understand that you want to take people to see the positions in person, so go ahead and do it. Just leave two staff officers with me at the brigade headquarters. You can take all the others with you."

"Thank you very much, Commander of the brigade. I will do my best in this humble position to assist the No. 16 Regiment in capturing Yanzhuang, avenge the warriors of Jade Sui, and be loyal to His Majesty the Emperor."

Harada Jiro saluted and resigned from Shinohara Seiichiro, and immediately began to prepare for the staff reconnaissance of the Yanzhuang position. There were many staff officers in the brigade headquarters of the fifteenth brigade, all of which were under the command of Harada Jiro In management, there are a total of one major staff officer, two captain staff officers, and four lieutenant staff officers. Like Harada Jiro, these staff officers are all top students who graduated from the Army Military Academy and the Army University.

Except for the two lieutenant staff officers who stayed behind, the rest were all packed away by Harada Jiro, carrying various staff work tools and maps, and rushed to Yongxing Village where the No. 16 Regiment was located.

. . . . . . . . .

In the Sixth Company's position, He Wei had two [-]-sized caps slung on his back and a blasting tube in his hand. He jumped into the trench gracefully. This battle of annihilation in front of the formation he decided on the spur of the moment was very successful. Beautiful and easy. Only eight people penetrated the waist of the Japanese army. Relying on the power of the Jinzo submachine gun, they wiped out all the Japanese troops in front of the position in a few minutes. No one on our side was injured. It can be said that the fight was very good. Of course , and thanks to the submachine gun gifted by Yan Laoxi, it can really be called a close combat weapon.

After the battle, He Wei led everyone to quickly clean the battlefield according to the old rules. The Japanese army did not have many troops. There was only one squad and there were not many weapons. It was the conventional configuration of an infantry squad. In addition to rifles, they were light machine guns and grenade launchers. The only thing that was newly captured was the explosive block. Each Japanese soldier carried more than ten kilograms of explosives on his back. Unfortunately, they didn't have time to detonate them. He Wei took advantage of them and brought the troops back to the position, asking Staff Sgt. After collecting the seized items, He Wei returned to the command post and drank half a bottle of water.

This battle was very easy. The Japanese army gave up the heavy attack and adopted the tactic of rushing in small groups. However, the Japanese army still underestimated the configuration of their positions. If a small group of troops wanted to blast such a strong position, it would be like hitting a stone with an egg. .

But what will the Japanese army do next?Doubts arose in He Wei's mind. The Japanese army obviously realized that the sixth company's position was difficult to attack, so they adopted the method of blasting. In fact, their layout was also becoming more and more perfect. The position was solid and the firepower configuration was complete. There were two more behind the position. There are a battalion of artillery, but sitting in the position and waiting for the Japanese army to attack seems not to be an option.

Suddenly, perhaps the constant victory gave He Wei enough courage. Proactive tactical terms such as proactive attack, advance reconnaissance, counterattack and harassment suddenly flashed in He Wei's mind.

Although there were constant victories, they were all defensive battles. He was always stuck in the position and fought. Although he was waiting for work, his fighting spirit was far from positive. Of course, He Wei also wanted to rush out and fight the Japanese army and take the initiative to attack. .

Reason finally defeated impulse. He Wei patted his head. Now, it was far from the time to launch a counterattack or take the initiative to attack the enemy. A small local victory could not cover up the overall strategic decline.

Moreover, launching a counterattack will affect the whole body. Once the overall strategy is involved, the commander may not need the Japanese to kill him, but the commander will collapse himself first.

However, if a small force is used to attack and do some reconnaissance and interference, it seems to be feasible. It will not affect the overall situation, and it can also prove the reality of the Japanese army, and it can be carried out.

He Wei looked through the shooting port at the endless plain ahead, pondered for a moment, and said in a low voice: "Damn it, sooner or later, rush out and fuck you."

(End of this chapter)