A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

(This story takes place in a parallel universe, in another dimension. The Japanese army, the Fengtian army, and all the time, place, characters, and events in the story are purely fictional. Please do not try to connect them to the real world on Earth.)

After the Japanese army launched the Kwantung Incident, Wang Zhi, Song Hongfei, and Zhang Yi were filled with grief and indignation, and the three closely followed the development of the situation. Wang Zhi even applied to withdraw from school to return to China to fight, but was naturally dissuaded and rejected by the school and the office in charge of supervising Chinese students in the United States.

The three men collected a large amount of intelligence data on military, political, economic and social matters.

As a world-renowned military academy, West Point has a tradition of paying attention to international affairs, especially major military events. The school compiles various standardized reports and materials for students to consult, analyze, interpret, and discuss. Some of these internal materials are not available through ordinary channels, which greatly facilitates the three men's sources of information and intelligence.

Song Hongfei couldn't help but exclaim, "The United States is indeed a great power. Its intelligence work is virtually all-pervasive. The information it obtains is extremely abundant and detailed. Much of the intelligence is unknown even to the parties involved, and some of it has not been revealed in research and excavation over the decades since. Moreover, the intelligence analyzed and processed from the perspective of a great power allows people to observe the event from different angles and with more entry points, which is very enlightening."

That day, Wang Zhixing rushed back, carrying a large stack of maps in his arms, and said excitedly, "I finally got them! I have to thank Instructor Lao Mao for his help. The school finally gave me permission!"

He was holding a US military map of the Guandong region of China. With Lao Mao's help, the three of them applied to the school for permission to view it, and finally obtained permission after much difficulty.

"That's great!" Song Hongfei and Zhang Yi were overjoyed.

Song Hongfei carefully examined the pile of maps, his expression gradually becoming serious.

"Is there something wrong with the map?" Wang Zhi and Zhang Yi asked, puzzled.

Wang Zhidao: "The largest scale map is 1:25. More precise maps are classified as secret and we are not allowed to access them. What, not enough?"

“That’s enough. Our sand table exercise isn’t about commanding a platoon battle.” Song Hongfei smiled wryly. He spread out a map, which was marked with the words “U.S. Army Cartography Bureau, 30-year compilation.” “I just think—this map is too precise. How precise would a classified map be? 1:5? How could the U.S. military have such a detailed military map of China?”

Song Hongfei pointed to the map and said, "Look, the key towns, railways, highways, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, mountains, plains and other topographical features are all annotated with English place names in the Wade-Chiles Romanization system. Each element is very detailed. The drawing and labeling of these surface features requires a lot of field surveys and even needs to be corrected by referring to aerial photographs."

Wang Zhi and Zhang Yi both changed color upon hearing this, realizing the key point.

Wang Zhidao: "This is a big problem! We only know that the Japanese have been secretly surveying our country since the late Qing Dynasty, and their maps are even more accurate than those drawn by our own government. I never imagined that the United States would do the same—"

It goes without saying that the three of them exchanged glances, feeling a mix of emotions.

Song Hongfei sighed, “The country is in dire straits, the strong prey on the weak, and we are surrounded by tigers and wolves. The interests of the great powers are the same; they are all in cahoots and wish they could divide us up completely.”

The three of them immediately felt heavy-hearted.

They created a huge sand table and meticulously marked the Northeast map and sand table with the intelligence data they had collected. As the three of them continued to mark various symbols representing the two sides in the war, the ins and outs of the whole event, the battle situation and the development of the situation gradually became clear.

"It's been planned for a long time, meticulously crafted!" Faced with a mountain of intelligence data, maps, and a clear picture of the situation on the sand table, the three felt increasingly heavy-hearted.

For a period of time afterward, the three of them frequently conducted map-based exercises and sand table simulations. On the sand table, there were swords and spears, and the clouds of war were thick, with the silent battlefield often raging fiercely.

Various sources indicate that Japan had been plotting for many years, and the Kwantung Army had already occupied major strategic points and transportation routes. The Kwantung Army adopted a system of rotating divisions, with troop rotations occurring approximately every two years. Among the 14 standing divisions, many were very familiar with the geography and social environment of the Kwantung region.

What preparations and countermeasures did the Chinese nation, beset by internal and external troubles, especially the Fengtian Army which was the first to bear the brunt?

The three sighed sadly and remained silent.

At the time of the incident, the commander of the Kwantung Army was Lieutenant General Shigeru Honjo, and the chief of staff was Major General Mitsuharu Miyake. The main forces consisted of the 2nd Division, 6 independent garrison units, as well as the Ryūjō Fortress troops, the Ryūjō Heavy Artillery Battalion, the Kwantung Army Military Police, and other garrison forces, with a total strength of approximately 1.7 men.

The main forces were deployed along the strategic locations of the South Manchurian Railway, and its independent garrison units were stationed in sections, completely controlling the railway line and enabling rapid maneuverability.

The main force of the Kwantung Army was the 2nd Division, also known as the Sendai Division, whose code name was "Yo". The division commander at the time was Lieutenant General Tamon Jiro, and the chief of staff was Colonel Ueno Yoshitsugu.

The Kwantung Army was staffed by its divisions on a rotating basis, with some troops remaining in the country. Therefore, its size was smaller than that of the standing divisions in the country.

The 2nd Division comprised two brigades and four infantry regiments. Each regiment was short one infantry battalion, and each battalion was short one infantry company, totaling approximately 10,500 personnel. Its combat units included:

The 3rd Infantry Brigade consists of the 4th Infantry Regiment and the 29th Infantry Regiment.

The 15rd Infantry Brigade consists of the 16th Infantry Regiment and the 30th Infantry Regiment.

The 2nd Field Artillery Regiment consisted of two battalions, each with two companies, and a total of 16 field guns, with four guns in each company.

The 2nd Cavalry Regiment consisted of two companies.

The engineer regiment only had the 2nd Company.

In addition, there is one communications team and one supply team.

It consisted of a total of 8 infantry battalions, 2 cavalry companies, 4 field artillery companies, and 1 engineer company.

Each infantry regiment consists of two infantry battalions, each battalion has three infantry companies, one machine gun company, and one infantry artillery platoon. The regiment's main equipment includes: two mountain guns (each with only 100 rounds of ammunition), two surface-to-surface infantry guns, four indirect-fire infantry guns, 18 grenade launchers (three per company), and ten heavy machine guns per battalion.

In order to rapidly expand troop strength during wartime, the weapons and equipment of its infantry companies were over-standard, with each company equipped with as many as 15 light machine guns and each platoon with 5, while the normal organization was 2 machine guns per platoon.

In addition to the 2nd Division, the main force in the field, there was also an independent garrison responsible for railway defense, commanded by Lieutenant General Uemori Ren. It comprised six independent garrison battalions, stationed in sections at battalion or company level, controlling key points along the South Manchurian Railway. Each independent garrison infantry battalion consisted of four infantry companies, each with approximately 160 men, totaling over 4000 men including other personnel.

Its main weaponry included: 8 light mortars (200 rounds of ammunition per mortar), 16 old light mortars, 14 direct-fire guns, 8 indirect-fire guns, 7 sniper guns, 10 mountain guns (120 rounds of ammunition per gun), 8 heavy machine guns per battalion, 6 light machine guns per company, and 3 grenade launchers per company. Aside from a relative lack of field artillery, its overall equipment and combat capability were not inferior to a regular division.

Other garrison forces included fortress troops, a heavy artillery battalion, and the Kwantung Army military police, totaling over 3000 men. Among them, the field heavy artillery battalion comprised two companies, equipped with eight Type 38 150mm howitzers.

To bolster their heavy firepower, the Kwantung Army secretly transported two 240mm heavy howitzers from a field heavy artillery brigade on the mainland, equipped with 200 rounds of ammunition. At around 10:25 p.m. that night, these two heavy guns bombarded the Fengtian Army camp.

In addition to field divisions and garrison units, there are also auxiliary forces such as "military personnel residing in rural areas" and police, totaling more than 1 people. The so-called "military personnel residing in rural areas" are mainly veterans who transfer to the reserve or contingent after completing their active service. In wartime, they are conscripted and added to the army.

At the time of the incident, the Kwantung Army was short of troops, so it mobilized a large number of "military personnel in civilian life" to urgently supplement the 2nd Division and various garrison units, which quickly expanded its strength. Even so, the strength was still seriously insufficient, so the "Korean Army" stationed on the Korean Peninsula was also mobilized.

The "North Korean Army" consisted of the 19th and 20th Divisions, and four brigades, totaling approximately [number missing] personnel. The 19th Division was stationed in Ronam, commanded by Lieutenant General Mori Hisashi; the 20th Division was stationed in Ryongsan, commanded by Lieutenant General [name missing]; it also included the 6th Air Regiment, stationed at Mirim Airport in Pyongyang, commanded by Colonel Kamezumi Ryougi.

On September 19, without orders from the General Staff, the 20th Division quickly dispatched the 39th Mixed Brigade, led by Major General Tatsujiro Kamura, to cross the border and invade to reinforce the Kwantung Army. The brigade consisted of the 77th and 78th Infantry Regiments, the 26th Field Artillery Regiment, a cavalry company, and an engineer company.