Vanguards of the War of Resistance! Let's travel back in time together, classmates!

369 Volume 8, "The Great Warlords": Preparing for Battle

New Year, new beginnings. With New Year's Day over, the day is getting closer and closer. Shangguan Yun is waiting for news every day, and it should be in the next few days.

Sure enough, just as expected, an urgent telegram from the guerrilla regiment broke the busy schedule of the staff office right after lunch.

Qi Chunlin strode excitedly into the command room, causing Shangguan Yun, who was studying a map, to stop.

"Heh, did they start fighting...?"

A hint of excitement flashed in Qi Chunlin's small eyes. "That's right, the Japanese devils really couldn't hold back. Our appearance did not completely change the course of history."

Intelligence indicates that last night, the Japanese army provoked the South Gate of S Customs, and under the pretext of troop mobilization, launched a surprise attack, occupying the South Gate Station at 10:00 AM this morning.

With the support of armored trains and aircraft, a part of the main force of the Japanese 8th Division launched an attack on the Nationalist 9th Brigade, and the Battle of Shanhaiguan had fully broken out.

"Hahahaha... You little devils, what's your zodiac sign? You never learn from your mistakes! Do you think our Tiger Guard Army doesn't exist?"

Shangguan Yun was overjoyed, like a shark smelling blood, and stuck out his tongue to lick his lips.

Qi Chunlin shook his head. "No, actually the Japanese army has been quite active these days. There have been obvious troop movements right next to our defense line, and our army has been aware of it for a while."

However, at most they are just wary of us stabbing them in the back; they don't dare to provoke us, after all, they've been hurt badly once.

Shangguan Yun punched the wall with a loud "bang!" Good that it hurts. Tell the Second and Third Division Commanders that there's no need to rush. There's plenty of fighting to come. Keep your composure.

"Hmph... Now is not the time for us to make our move. When the Tiger Guard acts, it is either swift and decisive, leaving the enemy no chance to breathe."

On January 3, 1933, under the overwhelming firepower and overwhelming troop superiority of aircraft, armored trains, and battleships, the Japanese army finally broke through the National Army's defenses and occupied Shanhaiguan City, causing the defending troops to collapse.

On January 4, the Japanese army continued its northward advance and occupied Wulitai.

On January 10, the Nationalist/Army forces continued to fall along the S-Customs defense line, and Jiuguan Pass was lost.

From then on, the Japanese army occupied all the important access routes, both inside and outside, near Shanhaiguan.

Aside from reinforcing the defenses, the Tiger Guard Army did not engage in any substantial military operations. The most important order issued by the General Staff to all units was to pay attention to infiltration into major and medium-sized cities in the surrounding areas, including the three northeastern provinces and places like Rehe and Chahar.

Therefore, during this period, the busiest people were probably the Tiger Guard Army's intelligence department, advance team, and guerrilla regiment, as the entire four northeastern provinces were under their sphere of influence.

In Jinling Weiyuan's office, the president was furious. He overturned all the breakfast brought by the servants, rubbed his bloodshot eyes, and sat weakly on the sofa.

"Commander W, you should take a rest. You've been working too hard these past few days," He YQ sighed helplessly, not immediately handing the telegram to General JS.

The old general waved his hand, opened his eyes, and said, "Jingzhi, it's alright, bring it here. Is there any worse news than the fall of Shanhaiguan?"

"This... President, it's better not to look at it yet, it'll be bad for your health..." H Ying Q's expression was not good.

JJS frowned, picked up the telegram, read it for less than ten seconds, and then slammed his hand on the table.

"Damn it... Tang Yulin, that old bastard is causing trouble too. Does he really think I'm some kind of benevolent patriot? Tell Zhang Hanqi to immediately send troops to take over Rehe, and bring Tang Yulin under control. If he dares to betray the country and defect to the enemy, execute him on the spot..."

At this moment, Zhang Xiaolang was already in a state of collapse. With the fall of Shanhaiguan, the border defense forces had no defensible positions, and the Japanese army could advance unimpeded and reach Beiping. At this moment, Rehe was also in imminent danger. He was truly at his wit's end.

There's nothing I can do about it; I can't travel during this stressful time. Otherwise, it would be nice to escape to Europe for some peace and quiet. This is really unlucky.

That afternoon, the Marshal's Office in Beiping issued a series of military orders, including the establishment of two army groups to be stationed in Rehe and Shanhaiguan from the north and south, respectively, in order to contain and slow down the Japanese offensive.

On January 21, Japanese Foreign Minister Yasuya Uchida delivered a speech at the Academy of Nobles, stating that according to the provisions of the "Manchukuo" Declaration of Establishment, Rehe Province belonged to the territory of "Manchukuo", and the Chinese government should withdraw its government agencies and troops as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, according to the relevant clauses of the Japan-Manchukuo Treaty, the Japanese military has the responsibility and obligation to demand the aforementioned areas from the HX government on behalf of Manchukuo. If the HX government does not agree, Japan will resort to force to resolve the territorial dispute.

This news shocked the world. The government immediately issued a public statement and appealed to the international community and people from all walks of life to oppose Japan's brutal behavior and vow to fight the Japanese army to the end.

Large-scale demonstrations broke out simultaneously in major cities such as Beijing and Nanjing, and stones were thrown at the embassy of the island nation, causing the situation to become tense again.

However, in order not to provoke Japan, the Japanese government blocked the marchers, which aroused dissatisfaction among many people and disheartened many insightful individuals.

In an instant, calls for support for the Northeast and defection to the Tiger Guard Army arose again, and Shangguan Yun once again became the object of the people's high hopes.