Rise From Eight Hundred

Could it be that this 4th Division has a different temperament from other Japanese divisions?

Seeing Tang Dao's serious look, he aroused the interest of the generals present.

To be honest, the Chinese intelligence system did not fail to conduct intelligence reconnaissance on the Japanese Army before the war, but it was far less meticulous than the Japanese who were scheming hard. Instead, they put more attention on the country.

This also led to the fact that many times the Chinese commanders only knew the Japanese army numbers and even the commanders' names, not to mention the personality and tactical deployment habits of their opponents. As the saying goes, knowing yourself and the enemy can win every battle. If you don't even know how the opponent will fight, it is already a step away from victory.

In the past year or so, as the two major Japanese fronts continued to advance on the Chinese battlefield, the Chinese army that actually fought against them basically knew the characteristics of the opponents through bloody lessons, such as the strength of the 5th Division and the brutality and tenacity of its commander Itagaki Shiro, and the cunning and multi-strategic tactics of the 11th Army of the Central China Front of Japan, Okamura Koji, etc.

But for the 4th Division that had just been transferred from the Kwantung Army, everyone only knew that this Type A Division from Osaka was an old division, ranked above the 5th Division, and subconsciously regarded it as a strong enemy. It was much stronger than the second-line division of the 37th Division that had just been established.

When making tactical arrangements a few days ago, even the white-haired general placed a full-Japanese infantry brigade of the 17th Division, the main division of the 38th Army, on the line defense line approaching the 4th Division, and the independent 46th Brigade was located on their flank ready to support at any time. It can be said that he was very cautious about it.

"Hehe! Please forgive me, Tang Dao, for keeping you in suspense here. After the war, you will know the characteristics of this cute little 4th Division." Tang Dao smiled slightly.

The "cheap" intention that erupted from the inside out like a volcano made everyone present want to draw the general's sword at his waist and chop him.

Speak halfway, no companion in the future! Really, this sentence is particularly suitable for a certain regiment commander who is about to be chopped into sashimi by the "sword energy" at this time.

"Tang Dao dares to ask the commander for an order. The defense line of the infantry brigade of the 4th Division will be handed over to our Four-line Regiment's baggage company and the Sichuan Army's new recruits. They say these guys are the elite of the Japanese army, so we, Tang Dao, are fighting against the elite!" But Tang Dao's next words surprised the white-haired general.

To deal with the 8,000 people of this old division, the 38th Army used two elite infantry brigades plus an infantry brigade of the 96th Army of the group army to support. Tang Dao actually had to use more than 4,000 new recruits plus more than a thousand baggage soldiers, only 5,000 people, to deal with it. Isn't this crazy?

Everyone heard clearly that the organization Tang Dao mentioned did not include the two main infantry battalions of the Four-line Regiment that were coming from afar to the Zhongtiaoshan war zone. If they were included, it might be a stretch, but obviously, at such a military meeting, a commander like Tang Dao would never make such a stupid mistake of forgetfulness.

"Tang Dao is willing to sign a military order. If my Sichuan Army soldiers let the 4th Division advance one step in front of my defense line, Tang Dao can establish military law without waiting until after the war!" Tang Dao stood at attention and said to the white-haired general with a solemn face.

"There is no joking in the army! Commander Tang, you have to think about it, no matter how glorious your military exploits against the enemy in the past.

But that is already in the past. This battle against the enemy is related to the lives and safety of more than 200,000 soldiers in Zhongtiao Mountain. Once something goes wrong with you and leads to a total loss, let alone I, Zhao, can't protect you, even the commander of the 80th Army Group and the joint theater commander will probably find it difficult to protect you." The white-haired general pondered for a moment and finally answered.

"Please rest assured, sir. When Tang Dao returned home to visit his parents, he promised his father-in-law that he would get married in the New Year. His wife has not married yet and has not given birth yet. Tang Dao is reluctant to part with this good head. My Sichuan Army soldiers will definitely be able to stop the attack of the hawker division. If we really can't defeat them, there are still people in my Four Lines Regiment, right?" Tang Dao promised again.

This sentence made the serious-looking white-haired general and the generals couldn't help but smile slightly!

Yes! The three great pleasures in life: meeting old friends in a foreign land, the wedding night, and being on the list of successful candidates! How beautiful is the face of the great reporter Tan Tai Ming Yue? Although not all the old-timers present have seen it, they can glimpse the writer's dignified and heroic appearance from his words. Who would be willing to die easily before marrying a beautiful wife? This is human nature.

Not to mention people like Tang Dao. Even the three generals of the 55th Division who are not familiar with Tang Dao, even if they think Tang Dao is too high-profile in private, they have never regarded him as a fool.

Those who can defeat the Japanese army can be said to be blessed by God once, and God's favor twice, but if they can do it every time, it is pure strength.

How can such a person take the initiative to seek death?

"Haha! Well, since you have such lofty ambitions and confidence, I will report to Commander Sun after the meeting. You will lead your army to resist the 4th Division alone. My 38th Army can gather the strength of two divisions to deal with the main force of the 5th Division. Let's see how strong the so-called "Steel Army" is!" The white-haired general smiled.

"But if you really want to get married at the end of the year, don't forget to inform me. If the military situation is urgent, the people of my 38th Army cannot be present, but the ceremony must be followed. Isn't it, everyone?"

"That's for sure. As long as I am still alive in this battle, the gold medals for the protection of future nephews and nieces will be mine, old Kong." Brigade Commander Kong answered loudly.

"Then I will give the newlyweds a gold bracelet and a jade bracelet each!" Another brigade commander of the 17th Division also responded.

"Wow, you are all very generous. What should I give? My monthly military salary should be enough."

If Tang Dao's new Sichuan army can hold off the 4th Division, the 38th Army can mobilize the entire army to deal with the 5th Division. On the flanks, there are more than 10,000 people from the 96th Army to support them, and there are also oncoming troops. For the main force of the Four Elements Regiment, the odds of winning were already much higher than previously expected. Naturally, the generals were in a good mood and worked hard to support their commanders.

The promises were all heavy gifts, and Tang Dao and the white-haired general each had half the respect.

Good guy, the 200,000 troops nestled in the Zhongtiao Mountains are almost out of food, but these brigade commanders and division commanders are not blinking an eye to take out either gold or silver. As expected, they are the 'poor temple and rich abbot'.

Of course, such thoughts flashed through Tang Dao's mind. No one is perfect, and saints should not be in this world.

"Then, sirs, can you make an advance? Tang Dao is from a poor family and has never seen so many precious things. He is about to die. Please open my eyes first." Tang Dao said with a smile.

There was a lot of laughter!

No one took this obvious joke from a certain regiment to heart. It had to be a joke. The equipment the Four Lines Regiment sent to the 17th Division alone was enough to equip an infantry brigade. This little gold and silver is just a drop in the bucket compared to that. .

The third division of 55 will have a much better impression of Tang Dao than before. Not only was Tang Dao’s previous analysis impeccable, not only was Tang Dao brave enough to shoulder the heavy burden, but also because of his existence. Previously, because of the Fifth Division, The atmosphere of the extremely solemn meeting became cheerful with the arrival of the meeting.

The confidence of victory is quietly spreading in the hearts of everyone present because of joy and laughter. This is the most important thing.

Being timid before fighting is not a taboo for military strategists! How could three battle-hardened veterans not understand the truth?

The only thing I'm a little dissatisfied about is that Tang Dao is talking about things and just doesn't want to talk about what's going on with the 4th Division.

The generals present here will think that the opponent they are about to face is a unique existence among the many oddities in the entire history of World War II.

There have been many strange things in the history of World War II. There was a young man with a mustache who was unable to carry away 130,000 soldiers who were captured by the other party after gathering 400,000 heavy troops to fight against 50,000 remaining soldiers. There was also a boy who was just opened by a few tanks of the Japanese army. The small third-level infantry army was frightened and collapsed in charge mode; there was also the American cowboy who was defeated by a group of albatross and had to withdraw from the island.

But compared with the weird operations of the Hawker Division, perhaps only the first-ranked Italian brother can compare with them. Both brothers will feel that it is an insult to the word "weird" if the other is ranked second.

In his article "The Japanese Army's First Useless Division", Japanese historian Mitsuki Yusuke once described in detail the various shocking operations of the Hawker Division.

The Fourth Division, also known as the 'Osaka Division' and 'Trader Division', was founded in 1888. An extremely auspicious year number brought wealth to this one of the 17 standing divisions formed by the Japanese army before the war, but it did not. Bring resilience and courage.

Each division of the Japanese army has a code name. For example, the 2nd Division is "Yong" and the 9th Division is "Martial". They are basically symbols of martial spirit, but when it comes to the 4th Division, it becomes "Yong". precipitate'.

This code name comes from the fact that there is a Yodogawa River running through the most prosperous Umeda business district in Osaka. Using this code name is really both human and auspicious for attracting wealth.

Perhaps from the moment the code name was chosen, this Japanese standing division had been destined to adopt unconventional tactics.

Don't think that the 4th Division's strange name is due to its poor combat effectiveness. On the contrary, the 4th Division's equipment is extremely sophisticated. In addition to the standard equipment allocated by the Japanese Army Ministry, the 'Hawker Division' with sufficient financial resources also has a large number of Some artillery and heavy weapons were purchased. In terms of equipment alone, they can be regarded as the elite of the Japanese army.

Moreover, not only did their performance in some tough battles not be bad, but on the contrary, because their shrewd minds were very good at analysis, they had many highlight moments.

For example, when the Fourth Division, which was disliked by several major front armies and had to be transferred directly under the control of the base camp, was transferred to the Pacific battlefield to fight the American cowboys, in order to change the "stereotype" of the commander's department towards him, the "strengthening" Fourth Division was deployed in Denmark. In the first battle of Pakistan, the American cowboys were completely defeated. The 16th Division attacked the well-equipped American cowboys for a month but had nothing to do. They switched to the 4th Division and conquered the position in a week. This record is He even got personal praise from the little boy sitting on the throne.

Otherwise, how could the Japan Self-Defense Forces still retain the designation of the 4th Division decades into the future.

It is true that the "Pedlar Division" relies on its sophisticated equipment and proficiency in tactical analysis to have strong combat effectiveness, but their various bizarre and showy operations are not just jokes.

Let’s just say that the Battle of Nomenkan broke out in time and space in 1939. Mao Xiong and the Japanese army fought fiercely. The Kwantung Army headquarters urgently ordered the two master regiments of Sendai and Osaka to dispatch, vowing to gather 60,000 troops to fight Mao Xiong to the death.

The Second Division is quite capable of execution. It rushed from Hailar to Nomenkan in 4 days and went into battle on the day of arrival. There is no doubt that a strong army that can rampage on the Chinese battlefield will encounter hundreds of furry bears. In front of a mechanical army composed of tanks, his head was bruised and bloody, but the army was defeated in just two days.

And what is their friendly 4th Division doing?

The spring in northern China was still too cold, and the young men of the 4th Division unfortunately fell ill. After the mobilization order was issued, the number of patients in the 4th Division surged. Looking around, the camp was full of soldiers who asked to stay for various reasons.

The excited colonel commander was furious and personally sat in the infirmary to participate in the diagnosis of the disease. Only then did he barely organize the troops to start marching towards Nomonhan. The joke of "the commander changed his career to become a doctor" spread in the Kwantung Army.

However, the matter did not end there. Seeing that they could not escape, the soldiers of the 4th Division played another trick. From Hailar to Nomonhan, the 2nd Division took 4 days, but the young men of the 4th Division walked for a full 8 days, and a large number of people fell behind due to physical reasons.

Coincidentally, on the day when the 4th Division's advance team arrived at the front line, both sides announced a ceasefire. When the news came, the follow-up troops quickly caught up with the front team as if they had taken a powerful pill.

Even the soldiers who stayed in the camp went to the front line generously while being sick, complaining with great regret: "I didn't have the opportunity to fight bravely for the empire, which is unforgivable. Why can't the damn bears hold on for a few more days!"

Faced with so many officers and soldiers who joined later, Sawada Shigeru, the commander of the 4th Division at the time, told the military reporters very calmly: "My 4th Division is stationed too scattered, but the spirit of the division officers and soldiers to participate in the war is still worthy of praise."

Wow! The Japanese military reporters wanted to answer this majestic army lieutenant general with a Goryeo dialect.

And when it was time to return, the highlight moment of the 4th Division came!

It would be fine if the 4th Division was fully equipped and full of people, with their heads held high and their spirits full, but the key is that there is also the 2nd Division with its armor and wounded soldiers in the camp for comparison, which is definitely a mighty division.

No one knows what the military reporter felt when he wrote the article titled "My invincible Imperial Army Fourth Division returns with great power", but the officer in charge of propaganda in the Kwantung Army finally couldn't bear it anymore and changed it to "My uninjured Imperial Army Fourth Division returns with great power"!

No injuries, so be it! Face to face with the Mao bears, our uninjured is equivalent to invincibility. The 4th Division did not feel ridiculed at all, but was proud of it.

Staying alive is the most important thing. Those country bumpkins in the Sendai Division don't know a thing!

Look at their miserable appearance, it's really pitiful!

Brains are good things, but some people really don't have them!

The sarcasm from the 4th Division almost made the lieutenant general of the 2nd Division angry.

After being transferred to the Central China battlefield and affiliated with the Central China Expeditionary Army, the 4th Division also adhered to its own spirit of "sitting and watching the wind and clouds roll if you can avoid fighting".

It is said that during the Battle of Xuzhou, a Chinese army was in the process of breaking out. At this time, they were exhausted and had no heavy equipment. When crossing a road, they discovered that a well-equipped Japanese army with thousands of troops appeared in front of them.

It is easy to know how panicked the Chinese soldiers were at that time. Naturally, they hid in the mountains and forests by the roadside, and they were naturally prepared to die here.

As a result, they found that the Japanese army had no intention of pursuing them. On the contrary, they were cooking on both sides of the road.

When it was late, they knew that if they continued to endure, they would probably be trapped by the Japanese army in this mountain, so they had to bite the bullet and cross the road at night. As a result, they were safe all the way.

And this Japanese army unit was the Southward Detachment formed by the Fourth Division, which arrived at the East China battlefield in early 1938.

What's even more amazing is that the major general commander of the 4th Division's Southward Detachment later explained to his superiors: "Our unit has always strictly abided by combat discipline and has not received any order to intercept!"

This reason, not to mention the silence of the Japanese commander, the Chinese side also felt powerless to refute it.

After all, it is a bit mechanical, but isn't it the duty of soldiers to obey orders? On the battlefield, you can't just fight recklessly, which may destroy the entire strategy. All actions are under command. If they are not elite, who are the elite?

Do you think this is over?

No, no, as the capital of merchants, Osaka people can't just be good at tactics, making money is their main business.

Napoleon once said: "There is no waste in the world, it's just put in the wrong place!"

When the 4th Division was stationed in southern Anhui, everyone from the brigade commander to the soldiers often sent money home.

However, they were not as barbaric and brutal as the 3rd and 5th Divisions, who directly started the armed looting mode. Merchants also have their own moral bottom line and will never do the kind of business without capital. They exchange money and goods at the same time. Honesty is the right way for business to last.

Therefore, Chinese soldiers in the southern Anhui area had a kind of guns that they could grab without risking their lives to fight the enemy.

The damage rate of the 4th Division's weapons increased sharply during that period.

The attendance rate is high! There are big battles with the Chinese every three days and small battles every two days. If you don't believe it, come and fight it yourself?

The reason of the 4th Division has always been to occupy the moral high ground. How can a bunch of scum in the logistics department have the strength to fight with them?

Don't forget that they don't know how much yen they have earned from the vendors all over Osaka on the Japanese island. That is almost a suppression of talent.

Even though Japan was defeated, the 4th Division never lost heart. Not only did they surrender cleanly, but they also ran to the barracks of American cowboys the next day after returning home, set up stalls neatly, and started selling war souvenirs.

Americans: Of all the Japanese, you are the ones I like the most!

For the officers and soldiers of the 4th Division, the joy of making money is so simple and pure!

And it’s not that Tang Dao doesn’t want to say these things, but even if he said them, the generals present would probably think he was telling a story, so it would be better to let those little cuties show their talents themselves. ()