I am Jiang Weiguo in World War II

A few years ago, two or three thousand Japanese troops were not to be underestimated and needed attention, but now, two or three thousand Japanese troops are not even qualified to delay Wu Wenjie's chess game.

"Kill it!" Groups of Japanese soldiers howled hysterically and rushed towards the Nanjing Army. Many Japanese soldiers had just escaped from the sea of ​​smoke and smoke, and were burnt to ashes, like a group of little ghosts released from the underworld.

What greeted the Japanese army were shells, rocket shells, and stormy bullets, which made those veterans in the Japanese army who had dealt with the US military on the Pacific battlefield feel as if they had returned to the Pacific battlefield.

On the field defense line of the Nanjing Army, there are rifles, assault rifles, submachine guns, mortars, grenade launchers, infantry artillery, mountain rocket launchers as dense as a forest... circles of dazzling and almost airtight arcs are soaring like electric welding arcs. The firepower net easily drowned the Japanese army in batches in screams, blood mist and pools of blood, and stumped limbs flying all over the sky.

After defeating the Japanese army's counterattack like moths flying into the flame, the Nanjing Army's defense line remained unchanged.

"Abandon the original battle plan! All retreat!" Lieutenant General Okazaki, who was so regretful that his intestines were turning green, jumped his feet anxiously and gave the order to retreat.

The 2nd Division's first confrontation with the Nanjing Army on the Korean battlefield achieved a record of killing and wounding 1 Nanjing Army at the cost of more than 400 people. Later Lieutenant General Okazaki almost vomited blood in shame and indignation.

The Nanjing Army was fighting in a foreign country at this time, and they didn't care about the damage caused by the war at all. Even if the entire Korean Peninsula was turned into ruins, the Nanjing Army didn't feel sorry for it.

The artificial mountain fire formed by more than 2000 tons of incendiary bombs and gasoline bombs almost burned the Heiniuling, Baicao Mountain and other mountain forests where the Japanese army was ambushing into scorched earth covered with ashes. Hundreds of thousands of trees burned to death seven to 2 people from the 8000nd Division. If it hadn’t been for moderate to heavy rain not long after the fire broke out, the degree of destruction of the local ecology and the number of casualties of the Japanese army would have increased.

However, everything has two sides, and it is precisely because of the "shelter" of the fire that the 2nd Division was not pursued by the Nanjing Army. The reason is obvious: the Japanese army is in the south, and the Nanjing Army is in the north. Sweeping all the way to the south, chasing after the Japanese army, the Nanjing army must not be able to chase the Japanese army through the flames.

The 77th Brigade, which got off to a good start after entering the war, did not take advantage of the victory to pursue it, because the Nanjing Army "was not in a hurry to win" when it entered the war.

After the night and the rain fell together, the whole brigade set up camp on the spot calmly. Within ten minutes, hundreds of field tents and countless bonfires bloomed all over the place. Immediately afterwards, the smell of food and meat wafted around in the army camp. The cooking soldiers prepared dinner for the officers and soldiers in full swing. The meal was very rich. Fresh pork, mutton and beef were stewed thoroughly in a large pot with seasonings and spices. Rice, steamed buns, noodles, meaty meat, melons and vegetables, and canned fruits ...Everything is available, and the officers and soldiers talk and laugh happily while feasting.

The strength of the Nanjing Army is not only reflected in combat effectiveness and weapons and equipment, but also in logistics. Although the troops are fighting in foreign countries, the officers and soldiers still eat well and are full.

Hu Lian, Zhao Zhihua and other senior brigade officers gathered around a big pot of stewed pork vermicelli, discussing the war while eating.

Hu Lian picked up a piece of fat but not greasy pork belly, and swallowed it in one gulp: "We have killed one-third of the Second Division. Tell me, what will the devil do next?"

Zhao Zhihua shrugged: "What else can I do? Attack at night! The devil only has a few brushes.

First, the devil suffered such a big loss at the beginning, so he must be eager to take revenge and reverse the situation, and that old devil Okazaki must also be eager to make amends; The rain is very suitable for the devils to attack us at night. It is impossible for the devils not to carry out this kind of attack with the most chance of winning; third, we are now in the devil's territory. 'There are foreign troops, and the situation forces them to launch an active attack!"

Hu Lian laughed: "You think the same as me.

Tsk tsk, it's not entirely because you and I have a good understanding, but that the devil really has only a few tricks, and we have already seen through it.

But, to be honest, it's getting dark and it's raining again, so we can't give full play to our air superiority. If the devils don't attack at night, the sun will really come out from the west.

Alright, tell the brothers, after dinner, we will be on duty in two shifts, half of them will sleep to recharge their batteries, and the other half will be ready to fight with guns at any time!" After he gave the order, he continued to concentrate on the pot of stewed pork and vermicelli in front of him.

Sure enough, in the second half of the night, the 2nd Division launched a desperate night attack against the 77th Brigade.

Sneak attack at night can be said to be the "magic weapon" of the 2nd Division, because the 2nd Division fought in the battle of Gongchangling in the Russo-Japanese War by relying on large-scale night attacks and hand-to-hand combat with tens of thousands of people famous.

However, as soon as the battle broke out, hundreds of flares rose one after another from the position of the 77th Brigade. The bright white light almost illuminated the Japanese soldiers who had sneaked in, and then roared out from the position of the Nanjing Army. The overwhelming firestorm sent the 2nd Division into hell at once.

One night later, the 2nd Division, which had lost one-third of its strength, lost another third of its strength, and the 77th Brigade suffered just over 1000 casualties.

The terrain of the Korean Peninsula is dominated by mountains, hills, and plateaus. Mountainous areas account for about 80% of the entire peninsula, and there are more mountainous areas in the northern part of the peninsula than in the southern part. The total area of ​​plains and waters is less than 20%.

In the northern part of the Korean peninsula (later Korean region), the central and eastern parts are almost all mountains, only some plains in the west, and the largest plain is the Pyongyang Plain with Pyongyang as its core.

After the Nanjing Army entered North Korea to fight, two-thirds of the troops advanced from north to south along the plains in the west of the peninsula, thus giving full play to the advantages of mechanization, and one-third of the troops advanced in the middle and east of the peninsula from north to south across mountains and mountains.

When the 77th Division successfully broke through the blocking of the 2nd Division in the central and eastern banners, the 88th Division, 99th Division and other troops were also unstoppable on the western plain and quickly approached the city of Pyongyang.

From the Yalu River to Pyongyang, there are only two large cities along the way, one is Sinuiju on the south bank of the Yalu River, and the other is Sunchon, about [-] kilometers east of Pyongyang.

When the 88th Division and part of the 99th Division of the Nanjing Army jointly launched an attack on Sunchon, the Japanese troops in Sunchon were the 3rd Division and the 102nd and 103rd Divisions (these two divisions were mainly composed of Korean Japanese troops). Among them, the 3rd Division has been resisting the Nanjing Army all the way from Sinuiju, retreating steadily all the way, and has lost a lot of troops.

When the Nanjing Army officially attacked the city, the troops had been in place for more than two days, but Du Yuming, the commander of the 88th Division and the commander-in-chief of the siege, did not rush to attack. He let the troops rest on the spot and urged the rear to transport more Large-caliber heavy artillery, rocket launchers, and artillery shells were sent to the front line, and the Air Force was scheduled in advance to dispatch no less than a thousand bombers into combat on the day of the attack.

"More than 2000 large-caliber heavy artillery and rocket launchers, plus a thousand bombers!" Du Yuming was full of confidence, "Even if Shunchuan is made of steel, I can turn it into molten iron!"

Deputy Division Commander Sun Liren said next to him: "Currently, there are about 5 Japanese troops in Suncheon, including Korean Japanese soldiers.

老”

Du Yuming nodded: "I know.

The reason why Zizi dawdled for more than two days was that one was waiting for more cannons to arrive from the rear, and the other was waiting for the Japanese army to send more troops to Suncheon!"

Sun Liren added: "At the same time, there are about 15 local civilians in Suncheon!"

Du Yuming shrugged: "I don't know!"

Sun Liren was dumbfounded.

It took only one day for Shun Chuan to change masters.

After launching the offensive, the Nanjing Army launched a "sea of ​​fire attack" on the urban area of ​​Sunchon and the Japanese positions with a group of artillery and bombers that lasted for more than an hour, firing more than 2 large-caliber artillery shells and dropping more than 2000 tons of bombs. The whole city was almost razed to the ground in the monstrous sea of ​​flames.

More than half of the Japanese army had been killed or injured before they fought against the Nanjing army. All the Korean Japanese soldiers were frightened and fled or surrendered. On the one hand, the 3rd Division suffered heavy casualties and was helpless. Pyongyang.

Without much effort, the Nanjing Army occupied Sunchon triumphantly and opened the gate to Pyongyang.

"The fight can't go on like this!" Okamura Ningji looked at the map worriedly in the headquarters of the Korean and Japanese Army. "The enemy has too many advantages! The Imperial Army must completely change its tactics! Otherwise, the Imperial Army will not only suffer heavy casualties, Sooner or later, the Korean Peninsula will also be lost!" He eagerly turned his brain, thinking about countermeasures.

Chapter 750 The Battle of the Peninsula (4)

Neiji Okamura is one of the few tacticians with outstanding abilities in the Japanese military circle full of samurai. In addition, he also has a strategic mind and can be regarded as a "half strategist".

When China and Japan went to war for the first time, Neiji Okamura was the commander of the 2nd Division. One of the outstanding military strategists with the ability of the army", plus he was originally a "China Hand" (Since 1917, Okamura Ningji has been dealing with China, first he studied Chinese intelligence all the year round and came to China many times to spy and collect intelligence , and later directly led the army to participate in the war of aggression against China), so it was classified as the "anti-China faction" by the Japanese Army Headquarters.

After the alliance between China and Japan and the war between the United States and Japan, the Japanese Army Headquarters believed that it had two major missions: one was to fight against the United States, and the other was to defend against China. There are two teams, some of them are going to the battlefield against the United States, and some of them are guarding the Japanese mainland, that is, guarding against China.

For example, "American experts" like Kuribayashi Tadao naturally belong to the "War America School" and are sent to the battlefield against the United States. "China Hands" like Okamura Neji belong to the "China Defense School" and are sent to the Korean Peninsula or stay behind. The Japanese mainland is responsible for defending against China.

At this time, most of the Japanese troops who were fighting against the Nanjing Army on the Korean battlefield were not only old troops from the Japanese invasion of China, but also most of their senior generals were "old faces" and "old acquaintances" who participated in the war of aggression against China. ", after all, they have the experience of fighting the Chinese army, and they are naturally familiar with "returning to the old business".

The commander-in-chief of the Korean and Japanese armies is undoubtedly a crucial position, because the Korean peninsula is Japan's first and only land barrier against China. The Korean peninsula is lost, and the lips of Japan are dead and teeth cold. Okamura Ningji takes on this important task in the Japanese army. The world is considered to be what everyone expects, and high hopes are placed on it.

Neiji Okamura certainly knew how important the responsibility he was shouldering at this time, and "His Majesty's high trust in him" made him even more grateful, making him secretly swear that even if he was smashed to pieces in North Korea, he must ensure that " The Holy Land of the Empire is safe, and His Majesty the Emperor can rest easy."

However, the fact is cruel. The strength of the Nanjing Army is so strong that Okamura Ningjikong's full-fledged strategy and strategy are deeply powerless.

On the first day after being strongly recommended by the military and approved and encouraged by Emperor Hirohito, Okamura Neiji hung a scroll in his office on the first day he served as the commander-in-chief of the Korean and Japanese Army. Famous saying: Do your best and die only after you die.

Okamura Ningji originally planned to use this to spur and urge himself to "dedicate himself to the Empire of Japan and die" in order to repay His Majesty the Emperor's great grace.

But right now, when looking at these eight characters, Okamura Ningji felt a kind of powerless sadness in his heart. He felt that he was like Zhuge Liang, the master of these eight characters, full of blood and ambition of loyalty and patriotism However, God's will is hard to disobey, and the destiny has been determined. In the end, there will only be a tragic ending of "death before leaving the teacher, which will make the hero burst into tears".

In order to help the Han Dynasty and repay Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang knew that the national power of the Shu Han was not as strong as that of Cao Wei. "Empire" is also knowing that it can't be done.

In the face of absolute strength, any strategy is meaningless.

Neiji Okamura is certainly not ignorant of this truth, but he is definitely not someone who gives up lightly.

Speaking of which, Neiji Okamura was mentally prepared for the war between the Chinese and Japanese armies on the Korean Peninsula. Like Ishihara Wanji, he did not believe that "China and Japan really shook hands and made peace." In order to resist China on the Korean Peninsula, The army, who was originally engaged in intelligence, sent people to do everything possible to collect intelligence on the Chinese army before the war, trying to "know yourself and the enemy, and win a hundred battles without danger", but with little success.

Neiji Okamura is very eager to know how many aircraft, tanks, and artillery China can produce in a year, and how many aircraft, tanks, and artillery the Chinese army already has. Feeling in the cloud, there is no other reason. Jiang Weiguo's Maritime Statistics Bureau is the largest, most efficient, and most technologically advanced intelligence agency in the world at this time. The Maritime Statistics Bureau keeps China's secrets in Chinese territory. In addition, China now has many aircraft factories, tank factories, and artillery factories. The production data of each factory is reported to Jiang Weiguo and a very small number of high-level Chinese officials in a single line. Each factory has no knowledge of the output of other factories. Jiang Weiguo and a very small number of high-level hands gathered together to get the total output.

If the Japanese want to know this information, it is as difficult as climbing the sky.

In addition, within four years of China's truce, there was indeed an atmosphere of "singing and dancing, enjoying peace" from top to bottom in China. The Chinese military sold arms to Germany, Japan and other countries in order to make a fortune. The idea of ​​"arrogance and contempt for China" made most of the top Japanese army greatly underestimate the strength of the Chinese army, thinking that "China's weapons production should be similar to that of the empire, and the Chinese no longer want to fight wars and only want to take advantage of the opportunity to make war fortunes." , so that most of the weapons they produced were sold to the Empire, Germany and other countries, so the Chinese army's weapons inventory should not be particularly large."

As a result, after the outbreak of the Korean War, the Nanjing Army's sea-of-fire tactics that were not inferior to the US military made the Japanese army stunned from top to bottom.

Not knowing the strength of his opponent, Neiji Okamura had no choice but to devote more effort and energy to strengthening himself and trying to consolidate the defense of the Korean peninsula. After he took office, he spent several months repeatedly studying North Korea's local and Chinese He then submitted his combat readiness plan to Tokyo. He believed that the Korean peninsula is not big, but it is not small. After all, the area is more than 22 square kilometers, and 80% of the peninsula is covered by Mountains, hills, and plateaus are more conducive to the Japanese defense in terms of terrain. On this basis, the Japanese army should adopt "stepped multiple defensive tactics" on the Korean Peninsula, making full use of the mountainous characteristics of the Korean Peninsula, and using the mountains to As a natural front, build a four-line defense system from the north to the center of the Korean peninsula, and distribute troops evenly on these four lines of defense. Once the Chinese army invades the Korean peninsula on a large scale, the Japanese army will launch defenses one line after another, losing the first line of defense. One will retreat into the second, and so on, retreating while fighting, thus slowly consuming the vitality and vigor of the Chinese army, and at the same time prolonging the logistics supply line of the Chinese army. When retreating to the central part of the Korean peninsula, the Chinese army was also exhausted. The Japanese army accumulated strength and launched a counterattack. With the cooperation of the navy, some Japanese troops launched an amphibious landing near the sea in the Chinese army-occupied area in the northern part of the Korean peninsula. The Chinese army retreated to the north and disturbed the morale and organizational integrity of the Chinese army. The main force of the Japanese ground forces launched a comprehensive two-wing counterattack from south to north.

Objectively speaking, although Neiji Okamura's plan is somewhat divorced from the actual situation (underestimating the strength of the Nanjing Army and at the same time overestimating the strength of the Japanese Army itself), it is still reasonable and remarkable. However, the Japanese Army's The real "head", Prince Zairen of Xianyuan Palace, after reading the plan, gave two words of instruction: Ridiculous!

When Neiji Okamura came to Tokyo in person to "point out the maze to His Royal Highness", Prince Zaihito said angrily: "When has the Imperial Army been reduced to the point where even the Chinese Army can ride on the Imperial Army and let the Imperial Army be beaten passively?" How far? Yes, the imperial army did suffer some setbacks on the battlefield against the United States, but it is not so intimidating! It is right for the imperial army to be cautious when fighting the American army. Is it the same as when we were at war with the U.S. military? That is the Chinese army! Not the U.S. military! In addition, the Korean peninsula is the territory of the empire! It is the holy land of the imperial kingdom! How can even a single Chinese soldier trample and defile it! No enemy is allowed on the holy land of the empire It is absolutely not allowed to start a battle between the enemy army and the imperial army on the mainland of the empire! The flames of war will never be allowed to burn on the mainland of the empire!" (Note: Although Japan has continued to Lost battles and territories, but what was lost was occupied areas or colonies. It was not until the end of the Battle of Iwo Jima in March 1945 that Japan really lost its first piece of land.

Iwo Jima was the first piece of Japan's homeland captured by other countries' troops during World War II. Before that, Japan had never lost a piece of homeland.

From a psychological point of view, the loss of an occupied area or colony of 100 million square kilometers is not a particularly serious matter for the Japanese, but it is unacceptable for the Japanese to lose even a small island in the Japanese mainland, because that The small island is the "sacred and inviolable holy land of the empire", and its nature is completely different.

）

Neiji Okamura defended with difficulty: "However, the real strength of the Chinese army today may exceed our expectations. In order to prevent the worst from happening, we must adopt a more prudent tactic..."

"The safest tactic is to keep the enemy out of the country!" Prince Zairen interrupted Neiji Okamura unceremoniously, "The Yalu River is the national border and the country's gate! The Korean Imperial Army must gather heavy troops on the south bank of the Yalu River. At least half of the troops should be placed on the banks of the Yalu River! Keep the Chinese Army at the gate of the Empire! If the Chinese Army dares to cross the Yalu River, the Imperial Army will make them never return! Even, the Imperial Army will have to re-enter Manchuria! Turn Manchuria into a colony of the empire again! Let the Chinese people know that even if the Great Japanese Empire suffered some setbacks in the war with the United States, it is definitely not something that the Chinese people can take advantage of to bully and underestimate! Don't let a monkey ride on its neck! Commander Okamura, do you understand?"

Neiji Okamura pursed his lips, but in the end he didn't dare to refute.

When he was leaving, Okamura Ningji, who was outside the office door, clearly heard Prince Zairen say inside the door with lingering anger: "This bunch of useless things! Didn't they just lose a few battles? One by one. They were all frightened to the point of cowardice! Where did all the previous ambitions and vigor go? It’s okay to be afraid of the Americans, but they’re even afraid of the Chinese people! It’s just unreasonable!”

Since the original plan did not get the consent of the Tokyo headquarters, Okamura Ningji had to adopt the strategy of "defending the enemy from outside the country" of the Tokyo headquarters, but he knew that according to the intention of Prince Zairen and others, North Korea Half of the Japanese army concentrated on the south bank of the Yalu River. After the war, they would defeat the Chinese army that came across the river in one fell swoop, and then take advantage of the victory to pursue and enter the northeast of China. The Japanese army concentrated a large number of troops on the front line, so when the war broke out, the Japanese army would suffer heavy losses at once, wasting their vitality in vain, and the most absurd thing was that when Neiji Okamura ordered the troops to build fortifications on the south bank of the Yalu River, they were met with dissatisfaction. A small number of subordinates and many high-level officials in Tokyo objected. The logic of these people's opposition was this: What is the purpose of building fortifications?Fortifications are for defense, not for offense. Building fortifications can only be used for defense, and can only be passively beaten. How can the Imperial Japanese Army be passively beaten?At the very least, how could it have been reduced to the point of being passively beaten in front of the Chinese army?The Imperial Japanese Army should attack, attack, and attack again!Therefore, there is no need to build any fortifications at all, because as soon as the war breaks out, the Imperial Japanese Army will immediately launch a counterattack and enter China. So, is it meaningful to build fortifications on the south bank of the Yalu River?It's just superfluous, and I have nothing to do when I'm full.

The helpless Neiji Okamura adopted Tokyo's strategy on the surface, and on the other hand tried his best to discount it, concentrating only one-third of his troops on the south bank of the Yalu River and scattered them within a range of [-] kilometers in depth.

Later, facts proved that Neiji Okamura's approach was extremely correct, otherwise, the losses of the Japanese army at the beginning of the outbreak of the Korean War would have at least tripled.

After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese and Korean War, the sky on the south bank of the Yalu River was covered with Chinese Air Force fleets and raindrops of bombs, and the artillery unit of the Nanjing Army on the north bank was bombarded with overwhelming artillery fire that was far stronger than that of the Japanese army. There was no grass on the south bank of the Yalu River. Then, hundreds of destroyers, gunboats, gunboats, torpedo boats, transport ships, and motorboats of the Chinese Navy crossed the Yalu River, carrying the Nanjing Army armed to the teeth. Shelling blasted the South Bank into scorched earth.

Facing the powerful avalanche attack of the Nanjing Army, the Japanese troops on the south bank of the Yalu River were beaten so hard that they couldn't even raise their heads, let alone counterattack.

In just half a month, relying on the advantages of aircraft bombing and artillery bombardment, the Nanjing Army that entered the North Korea was invincible. Advance along the Taedong River to the Pyongyang Plain, repelling or breaking the interception of the Japanese 2nd, 7th, and 8th Divisions along the way; compared with the Eastern Front troops fighting in the mountains, the Western Front troops with thousands of tanks and armored vehicles Thunderous, mechanized torrents flowed from north to south along the western plains of North Korea, flying sand and rocks, wind and thunder billowing, easily repelling or breaking the Japanese 3rd, 9th, and 11th Divisions, and approaching the city of Pyongyang.

The Battle of Pyongyang was already imminent, but the Nanjing Army was not in a hurry to attack the city, but was preparing for the battle with a fishing mentality. First, more heavy weapons, ammunition, and supplies could be brought in from the rear. "Wait" for the Japanese army to transfer more troops to Pyongyang for burial.

More than 50 kilometers south of Pyongyang, Nampo, the frontline headquarters of the Korean and Japanese troops.

"The previous battle has been proved by ironclad facts. Your Excellency Commander-in-Chief's pre-war judgment is completely correct, but it is a pity..." Jiang Weiguo and even countless Chinese soldiers, countless Chinese people, especially people from the Northeast, are deeply familiar with the words. An "old acquaintance", the main planner and implementer of the September 5th Incident, and the commander of the [-]th Division of the Japanese Army Seishiro Itagaki during the Sino-Japanese War. Originally, there were no deputies, such as deputy commander, deputy division head, and deputy brigade head. The "beheading" action made the Japanese army follow the example of the Chinese and German troops and began to set up deputy posts).

Seishiro Itagaki has very old qualifications. As early as the Sino-Japanese War, he was already selected as one of the candidates for the next Minister of Army, but things went against his wishes. He did not perform well in the Chinese battlefield. Repeated defeats have seriously affected his promotion path. Since he is also a "China hand" and has a close relationship with Ishihara Wanji, he was still reused to a certain extent and was sent to North Korea as Neiji Okamura's deputy.

"Before the war, if we really wanted to gather half of our troops on the front line on the south bank of the Yalu River according to the intention of the Tokyo headquarters, then, at this moment, we probably have no troops that can be used for the defense of Pyongyang!" To sigh, there is also a bit of admiration for Neiji Okamura.

Rensuke Isoya, Chief of Staff of the Korean and Japanese Army and another "old acquaintance" of the Chinese military and civilians, concluded: "It must be admitted that the Chinese army is already stronger than the imperial army in terms of modernization, mechanization, aviation, and heavy weapons. A head-to-head contest by the Chinese army is tantamount to attacking the enemy's strengths with its own weaknesses.

Many major battles such as the Yalu River, Langlin Mountain, and Shunchuan have proved that if you fight hard, even if the imperial soldiers regard death as home, they will only become the targets of the superior firepower of the Nanjing Army!" He paused for a while, and added , "Just like the Imperial Army fought the U.S. Army on the Pacific battlefield!"

Deputy Chief of Staff Asaburo Kobayashi said: "Therefore, the Imperial Army must completely change its tactics.

Tokyo asked us to gather troops immediately and launch a full-scale counterattack to expel the Chinese army from the Korean peninsula and across the Yalu River as soon as possible. Obviously, this cannot be done in the short term.

This war, as the commander-in-chief predicted, will be a protracted war, a war of attrition!"

Okamura Ningji said: "The enemy army is strong, do you have any countermeasures?"

Anan Yuji, the commander of the 1st Army of the Korean and Japanese Army, said: "It is really difficult to fight head-on. In my opinion, we must make use of our strengths and avoid weaknesses. The imperial army is indeed somewhat weak in terms of land and air firepower, but it is unmatched by the Chinese army at sea.