A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

Song Hongfei continued, "In fact, the Japanese army's operation this time was indeed meticulously planned and carefully deployed. They had been plotting this for a long time before the incident. The Japanese army frequently used the guise of military exercises to mobilize troops and conduct drills simulating sieges, urban battles, mountain artillery training, and infantry-artillery coordination. This not only practiced future offensive operations but also covered their troop movements and lulled the Fengtian Army into a false sense of security!"

"It must be said that the Japanese army's strategic and tactical deception before the war was very successful. This deserves our further study and vigilance!"

Zhang Yi said with regret, "The Japanese army's many movements cannot be kept secret. Their intentions are already obvious to anyone with eyes to see! The Fengtian Army is too careless and has failed to respond properly, and is on the defensive at every turn!"

Song Hongfei smiled wryly and said, "It can't be said that the Fengtian Army didn't have a contingency plan. Before the incident, the 7th Brigade of Beidaying had conducted many drills. However, they didn't practice how to defend, but rather how to evacuate from the walls of Beidaying to the small hill on the east side!"

Wang Zhi nodded and said, "In the face of a sudden attack, with no leader, it would be impossible for a large force of several thousand people to retreat so quickly and in an orderly manner without falling apart. This could only be achieved through well-organized and skilled drills."

Zhang Yi nodded thoughtfully.

Wang Zhi continued, "Of the three regiments of the 7th Brigade at Beidaying, only Wang Tiehan arrived at the troops that night to lead the 620th Regiment in a self-defense counterattack. The commanders of the other two regiments and the brigade commander of their 7th Brigade were not in the camp! Was the timing of the Japanese attack carefully planned, or just too coincidental?"

Song Hongfei said, "It's definitely not a coincidence! Analyzing the Japanese army's battle plan, they had already infiltrated the area meticulously; their intelligence was very successful!"

"On September 18th, the Commander-in-Chief of the Fengtian Army, Zhang Shaoshuai, was watching a play at the Yancheng Theater, while the Acting Commander, Zhang Zuoxiang, was handling his father's funeral in his hometown of Jincheng. Rong Zhen, the Chief of Staff of the Fengtian Army in Shenyang, was holding a grand birthday celebration for his father at his residence!" Song Hongfei said with a wry smile. "And the Seventh Brigade stationed at Beidaying, its brigade commander and three regimental commanders were not in the camp at the time! The Japanese chose the perfect moment to strike, hitting the nail on the head!"

"However, the Fengtian Army has no will to fight!" Song Hongfei sighed and said.

Zhang Yi said, "When the Japanese army attacked Shenyang, the Fengtian Army retreated one after another, and the Japanese army only encountered organized resistance from the police force led by Huang Jingzhong, the director of the Shenyang Public Security Bureau. The Japanese army fought hard for a while without success, until armored vehicles were brought in. The Shenyang police had no heavy weapons and were forced to retreat. This was actually the most intense battle in the Japanese army's occupation of Shenyang!"

"In a sense, it can be said that Huang Jingzhong led a police force of more than 6000 people to launch the first battle of armed resistance against the Japanese!" Wang Zhi continued.

Huang Jingzhong graduated from the third class of the Artillery Department of the Kwantung Army Military Academy in 22. In 28, he became the brigade commander of the 1st Brigade of the Fengtian Army. This 1st Brigade was the guard brigade of Zhang Xueliang and was also responsible for guarding the Shenyang area.

During the 30th year of the reign of Emperor Wen of Han, Huang Jingzhong served as the Director of the Liaoning Provincial Police Department and concurrently as the Director of the Shenyang Public Security Bureau. Faced with the increasing pressure from Japan, Zhang Xueliang, the Young Marshal, tried his best to avoid direct armed confrontation. He hoped that the police force could act as a buffer between the Fengtian Army and the Japanese army and control the situation to the greatest extent possible.

Before the incident, the ambitions of the Eastern Kingdom were obvious. Huang Jingzhong obtained various intelligence reports about the Eastern Kingdom's impending actions and kept reporting them to Zang Shiyi and Rong Zhen. However, Zang Shiyi and Rong Zhen were cunning and unwilling to get involved. They passed the buck, sending Huang Jingzhong directly to Yancheng to report to Marshal Zhang.

Faced with the superiors' policy of non-resistance, Huang Jingzhong did not sit idly by. He distributed weapons to the police forces of various branches, stations, and teams, and intensified training and increased vigilance. Starting in September, he insisted on staying in the police station office day and night to direct responses to emergencies.

After the incident broke out, Huang Jingzhong led the Shenyang police force in a tenacious resistance, and the Japanese army was unable to break through for a time. It was not until September 20 that the Japanese army deployed armored vehicles, and the police force, which was only equipped with light weapons, was unable to resist and had to withdraw from Shenyang.

After withdrawing from Shenyang, Huang Jingzhong organized the Liaoning Provincial Volunteer Army, based on the police force, to carry out anti-enemy activities in western and southern Liaoning Province, which greatly dealt a blow to the arrogance of the Japanese.

"Huang Jingzhong is indeed a valiant general!" This thought arose in the minds of all three.

The intelligence data obtained by the three men indicated that the Japanese army was extremely short of ammunition at the time. A company had less than 200 grenades, which averaged out to one grenade per person. According to the Japanese army's operational regulations, this number of grenades was not even enough for a regular battle.

Song Hongfei said, "Judging from the ammunition preparation, the Japanese army was indeed 'inferior to superiors.' Itagaki, Ishihara, and other fanatical junior officers in the Japanese army launched the incident without the knowledge of their superiors. The Japanese army was extremely unprepared in terms of logistics and supplies!"

If the Fengtian Army puts up a strong resistance, the Japanese army, with only one grenade per person and 100-200 shells per cannon, will not be able to sustain high-intensity combat.

The Fengtian Army in the Kwantung region numbered nearly 20, making the ratio of troops between the two sides almost 10:1. The Japanese army was at a disadvantage in terms of both troop strength and equipment.

In terms of subsequent reinforcements, the Eastern Army stationed in Korea could reinforce the Eastern Army, and the Fengtian Army stationed in the interior of China could also reinforce the interior of China.

If a full-scale war breaks out between the two sides, Japan can massively deploy troops from its homeland to reinforce China. China can also mobilize on a large scale, and its most elite Central Army can quickly march out of the pass to reinforce China. With land routes against sea routes, China has the advantage of timing and terrain.

In any case, the Fengtian Army was not at a disadvantage.

In reality, the Japanese themselves were unsure of their chances. After achieving their initial objectives, they hesitated to reinforce their troops in the Kwantung region for a considerable period, fearing a strong reaction from China and sanctions from the League of Nations. It wasn't until the League of Nations' intervention failed on November 16th that they began to gradually reinforce their troops from the mainland.

If the Fengtian Army had put up a strong resistance during the incident, the Japanese army, with its weak forces and equipment, and its inadequate logistical support, would not have been able to succeed.

Furthermore, given the severe economic crisis facing Japan at the time, the cabinet and military leadership remained relatively rational. If the Japanese military's surprise attack failed, Japan would be forced to the negotiating table.

According to Zhang Yi, "You've all been in fights, right? It's like two people fighting. After a fight, you can sit down and negotiate. There's a way to negotiate if you win, and there's a way to negotiate if you lose! But if you're beaten and don't dare to fight back, and just run away with your tail between your legs, the only outcome will be that you'll be beaten every time someone sees you!"

"At this critical juncture of life and death, why did the Fengtian Army not rise up in resistance? Faced with national and personal grievances, why did Marshal Zhang retreat again and again?"

These two huge questions lingered in the minds of the three of them for a long time.