latelenovela Chapter 212 Cutting off the head and tail, hitting the abdomen
Chapter 212 Cutting off the head and tail, hitting the abdomen
Military flags fluttered in the harbor of Lushun, where a sea of people gathered. Officials from all four northeastern provinces came to see them off.
Looking at Shen Lian, who was dressed in his Grand Marshal's uniform and looked dashing, Yi Kuang secretly admired him, while also feeling excited. After all, Shen Lian was a talent he had discovered, and his achievements in just a few years made him proud.
"King Qi! Drink this cup of farewell wine! On behalf of the court, I wish you a swift victory and a triumphant return!" Yi Kuang said, holding up a golden cup with a coiled dragon design.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Shen Lian reached out and took the wine cup, glancing at Shen Dong in the crowd. The other man nodded slightly.
Shen Lian then downed the drink in one gulp and placed the cup back on the tray. Although he believed the Qing court wouldn't harm him at this point, he still had to be careful.
All the people sent by the imperial court were given special accommodations. Everyone was under the surveillance of the Military Intelligence Bureau; even when they went to the toilet, they were watched.
"Your Highness, everyone! I'm setting off. Just wait for my good news!" He nodded, turned around, and led his guards toward the stepping stone!
"Respectfully bidding farewell to Prince Qi! May Your Highness achieve great success and spread your glory across foreign lands!" All the officials knelt down and shouted loudly.
"Your Highness!" Sa Zhenbing, along with officers from the command headquarters, stood guard at the ship's side to welcome Shen Lian aboard.
"Hello! You did a great job, you didn't disgrace the country!" Shen Lian laughed heartily.
"It's all thanks to Your Highness's strong support; otherwise, where would our navy be today? We couldn't have achieved such great feats. We, the navy officers and soldiers, swear to follow Your Highness to the death!" Sa Zhenbing stood at attention, his face full of excitement, and said.
"We swear to follow the Prince to the death!" the other naval officers shouted in unison!
"Okay, okay!" Shen Lian nodded, unable to resist glancing at Sa Zhenbing again! Had he heard something?
"Boom boom boom boom boom!" Eighteen cannon shots rang out, followed by all the warships sounding their horns in unison!
A hundred or so ships of various sizes slowly left the port and sailed into the distance!
For this expedition to Japan, Shen Lian prepared an army of 230,000 men, of which 150,000 were his own troops.
The army consisted of 50,000 Russian mercenaries and 30,000 Japanese auxiliary troops. They claimed to have a force of 300,000!
There were over 100,000 captured Japanese soldiers, and among them were undoubtedly many cowards who feared death. These men are now being forced to work on road construction and mining operations in Northeast China!
After suffering for a period of time, Shen Lian ordered the recruitment of auxiliary troops.
Although everyone knew they were being sent to attack their country, the promise of high-ranking positions, generous salaries, and substantial rewards after the conquest of Japan still spurred them to gather 30,000 men.
The Fourth Division alone contributed nearly 20,000 men, which was the main reason why Shen Lian decided to land in Osaka.
With the Japanese 4th Division leading the way, things should be a bit easier!
Due to limited transport capacity, the shipments departed from two ports.
The 50,000 troops of the 1st Army Division and the 2nd Armored Division, who had been prepared long ago, departed from Weihai Port two days prior. They will cross the Osumi Strait directly, planning to land in Tokyo Bay and attack Tokyo directly.
Shen Lian will lead an army of 100,000 to attack Osaka, while the second echelon plans to land in Kyushu and Mutsu.
Japan is like a long, straight snake formation; this is a simple way to cut off its head and tail and strike its belly. We must ensure that the Japanese can't defend both ends!
Based on current intelligence, Japan should still have approximately 500,000 reservists and regular troops.
Just in case, Shen Lian also established a reserve force of 200,000 in Shandong and Northeast China.
This battle must be won quickly; he cannot afford to drag it out. So far, he has already spent nearly two hundred million taels of military funds, having staked all his savings and fortune.
He wouldn't have dared to launch such a large-scale operation if it weren't for the support of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.
As Shandong has developed better and better in recent years, Shen Lian's military achievements and reputation have grown even higher. The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has also developed by leaps and bounds, with branches in most counties across the country and deposits exceeding 800 million taels of silver.
It was precisely because of this sum of money that Shen Lian dared to launch a strategic attack against Japan. If they could win, the rewards would be incredibly rich!
Most importantly, Shen Lian needs to have the merit of destroying a country in order to command respect from the world!
After boarding the ship, Shen Lian either stayed in the cabin to receive news from home or went to the deck to enjoy the sea view.
The order to fight has been issued; how to fight is the business of the lower-ranking officers, and he has never liked to interfere.
When it comes to fighting, these people are all more capable than him. All he needs to do is coordinate the various parties and manage logistics.
October 4, 1905, Tokyo Bay, Japan!
More than a dozen Chinese warships flying the yellow dragon flag were shelling the fortifications and gun emplacements on the shore, the booming sound of the cannons deafening.
Some small boats that had been sunk were burning on the shore, and many Japanese people were struggling in the water.
The Japanese also fiercely returned fire with a large number of coastal defense guns, and shells would occasionally land next to the warships and explode into columns of water.
The Japanese navy developed rapidly in recent years, consuming a large amount of funds. However, they also built numerous fortifications in key locations, although they didn't have many advanced cannons. Nevertheless, they still caused considerable trouble for the East China Sea Fleet.
Shen Daowu stood on the deck of the Huashan battleship, holding up his binoculars and watching this scene with a serious expression.
He is still a lieutenant general, while the three army group commanders in Northeast China have all been promoted to general based on their military achievements.
He also knew that Shen Lian had deliberately given him the opportunity to capture the Japanese capital, hoping that he would make a great contribution.
His 1st Division had always been the strongest in the army, and with the support of the 2nd Armored Division, he was not worried at all about land battles. Even if the Japanese came with 200,000 troops, he was confident that he could defeat them.
But first, we must ensure their safe landing and deployment of the battle lines.
Shen Lian has always disliked fighting battles with heavy casualties, a fact known to all the officers in the army. Even Shen Daowu, the most powerful man, wouldn't dare to act rashly.
Otherwise, even if he could win, Shen Lian wouldn't give him a friendly look.
After circling the bay, Shen Daowu selected a landing site. It was a flat sandy beach outside the river, marked on the map as Pu'an.
Although this place is a bit far from Tokyo, the terrain is flat, making it suitable for a large-scale troop landing. Moreover, the Japanese army did not have any permanent fortifications on the beach.
His battle plan was submitted and Shen Lian approved it immediately. He was only instructed to be well-prepared and to take care to avoid major casualties.
Having determined the landing site, Shen Daowu immediately ordered warships, accompanied by ground troops, to launch surprise attacks on some Japanese fishing villages along the coast, seizing supplies such as timber and planks.
In the Imperial Palace of Japan, Emperor Mutsuhito stared grimly at the high-ranking military and political officials kneeling below. Although the palace was twenty miles from the sea, the rumble of cannons could still be heard intermittently.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, our coastal defense forces are resisting with all their might. We are determined not to let Chinese warships approach and disturb Your Majesty!" Army Minister Terauchi Masatake bowed and said.
"Yes! The Chinese are coming in strong, so the safety of the Empire is in your hands!" Mutsuhito nodded.
"Hi!"