October 15th, 1874. Hakodate.
"Eliminate the traitors of Hokkaido, and you'll get a piece of land in Hokkaido. His Majesty the Emperor personally promised not to collect taxes for three years. For twenty years, only thirty percent of the rent would be collected. Everyone, for His Majesty, advance! "Miyashiro Ryota shouted to his subordinates. At this time, the British and Japanese navies were firing fiercely at the shore. The rumbling of the cannons made Miyashiro Ryota's voice even more alluring. The soldiers of the Meiji government, whose blood was boiling in the sound of the cannons, answered in unison. "Kill!"
The location of the mission could be chosen according to the requirements, and the target to be conquered after the mission had already been chosen. Hakodate is the target of the Japanese Meiji government army. The defensive positions on the shore had already been ravaged by the navy's cannons. Although there were still some scattered troops that continued to resist, this kind of resistance meant that they had to face an enemy that outnumbered them by hundreds of times. The defenders were merely carrying out their will to fight.
Lieutenant Miyashiro Ryota led his platoon forward. When they passed by the enemy's position, the troops paused for a moment. Under the leadership of the squad leader and squad leader, the soldiers searched the position and the corpses on the ground. It must be said that the core purpose of this search was not greed. Instead, he had to search for usable guns, ammunition, and equipment.
More than ten soldiers of the Republic of Prawn were killed by a 7-inch artillery shell. Their corpses were not complete. The rubber shoes on their feet were taken off by the Japanese, and a few pairs of intact shoes were distributed by the officers. They took off the straw sandals that had been soaked when they were in Tokyo 6, and put on the expensive shoes in the Japanese market. Most of the rifles were damaged, so they were collected and carried by the soldiers who were responsible for carrying the supplies. Miyashiro Ryota's cronies were in charge of managing the loot that the soldiers found. This was the Japanese army's rule. Only the bullets that they found were evenly distributed among the soldiers.
After cleaning up the battlefield, the troops continued to advance. The Republic of Prawn had only set up two thin layers of positions on the shore, so there were not many opportunities for the Meiji government to search. Miyagi Squadron was the vanguard. Their mission was to circle to the back of Hakodate and completely surround it. On the coast behind Miyagi Squadron, a large number of small boats were shuttling back and forth between the transport ships and the boarding area. More soldiers of the Meiji government were boarding the island. The Japanese army, who were eager to regroup and advance, hoped to catch up with the battlefield as soon as possible and get the spoils of war.
Colonel Zhou Xinhua, the Commander-in-Chief of the China Dispatch Army, strode into the Ministry of Defense in Sapporo, the capital of the Republic of Prawn. Reinforced concrete skeleton, brick walls, prefabricated floor. These industrialized products were different from the exquisite Japanese style. However, the Japanese were Japanese after all. They could still come up with tricks on such a straightforward and simple basis. The interior of the building was covered with wooden flooring. Walking on it immediately felt different from the outside. The intricate wood grain and the pure white walls set off each other beautifully. The white wall wasn't just a simple white wall either. Every now and then, there would be a picture frame hanging on the wall. Inside the picture frame was either the calligraphy of an important person or the paintings of an officer. The military headquarters, which was supposed to be strict and austere, immediately became cultured.
Every time Zhou Xinhua saw this, he would often think of the Ministry of National Defense building in Nanjing. The high floor space, the terrazzo floor, and the plain white walls only had various bulletin boards. On the door, there was a signboard with the same font and icon. That kind of uniformity, that kind of order, that kind of calmness and seriousness that put efficiency first. Zhou Xinhua felt the great power contained in it, as well as a kind of awe-inspiring feeling.
When the young Japanese soldiers saw Zhou Xinhua, they all saluted him. After some low-ranking female officers saluted Zhou Xinhua, they often blushed and bowed to him using Japanese etiquette to greet him. After Zhou Xinhua politely responded, the female soldiers still blushed and stood to the side to let Zhou Xinhua pass first.
Zhou Xinhua directly entered the conference room on the third floor. Even though the windows were wide open, the conference room was still filled with smoke. Almost all the officers of the Republic of Prawn National Defense Force had a cigarette in their hands. Everyone was fiercely discussing the future strategy.
"… Hakodate cannot be lost!" Commander Hijikata Suizo of the First Army said loudly.
Without waiting for the others to answer, Zhou Xinhua also said loudly, "Hakodate cannot be defended! We will fight them in the mountains behind. The main line of defense is set up between Otaru and Shiran. When the snow closes the road, we can prepare for next year's counterattack. "
At this time, everyone had already noticed that the commander of the China Dispatch Army, Zhou Xinhua, had come in. Hijikata Suizo was not angry because of Zhou Xinhua's objection. He said in surprise, "Zhou-kun, you are back from Hakodate?"
Zhou Xinhua nodded to Hijikata Suizo and then waved to the people in the conference room. He did not sit down, but directly pointed to the map and began to speak. "The British fleet is concentrated in the sea outside Hakodate. With the support of the British naval cannons, Hakodate will not last long."
The shape of the Japanese archipelago was very similar to a silkworm. Hokkaido was undoubtedly the silkworm's head, and the southern part of Hokkaido was the silkworm's neck. This neck was very thin, and from the perspective of the entire Hokkaido area, it was a bulge. The terrain here was narrow. If the Meiji government army attacked from behind, the defense force might be cut in half. The line from Otaru to Shiran that Zhou Xinhua mentioned was the whole part of the silkworm's head and neck. If the main line of defense was set up here, there was no need to worry about the enemy moving troops on the sea and the possibility of attacking from behind.
Otaru and Shiran were both ports, and Shiran was also the steel center of Hokkaido. Its importance determined that the two places could not be lost.
Hijikata Suizo said: "If we did not set up troops in Hakodate, how could we delay until the snow blocked the road? After all, there is still a month left! "
Zhou Xinhua calmly replied: "Letting the troops defend Hakodate will only lead to death. After setting up layers of defense in the mountainous area and the coastal area behind Hakodate, the soldiers knew that they did not have no way out. They were not abandoned in Hakodate to die. This is very beneficial for the battle. "
Hijikata Suizo was angered by Zhou Xinhua's words. "Haha! There is a way out? Where is there a way out? Zhou-kun, if we continue to retreat, only death awaits us. "
These words obviously received the support of the others. How can a small Hokkaido have a way out? If they retreat further, they can only go to the sea. However, Zhou Xinhua's identity was special. The Republic of Prawn's defense force was not willing to attack him together.
Zhou Xinhua solemnly said, "What I meant by a retreat route is a tactical retreat route. When Thijika-kun said there is no way out, it is a strategic way out. Everyone should not confuse these two things. We are all people who have been on the battlefield, and everyone on the battlefield is afraid of death. Why did we not run because we know that it is useless to be afraid of death, and we have no way out. But this does not mean that we have a reason to force the soldiers into a situation where there is no way out and only death awaits. Once this happens, the soldiers will feel that someone is after their lives. Is it the enemy? Or is it the Ministry of National Defense? Or are these two sides colluding to take their lives? "
This was the truth, and the truth has always been the most annoying. Hijikata Suizo's original expression was one of dispute, but now his expression was one of hostility. The faces of the other participants did not look any better.
Zhou Xinhua continued: "I can tell you a piece of information, and I think some of you know it. The Tobaku army on the other side has given land to the troops attacking the Republic of Prawn. This means that when they occupy the Republic of Prawn, all the land here will belong to them. Do you all think that after they occupy the Republic of Prawn, they will give us a way out? "
Some people knew about this, and some did not. Those who knew were the upper echelons, and they felt that this was just a form of encouragement. The middle-ranking officers who did not know about the situation turned ashen when they heard the news. These people did not consider the problem from the perspective of encouraging morale. Land was the most valuable asset, and they had been given land to settle down in the Republic of Prawn. They could live a better life than the three islands in Japan. Once their land was taken away, there was no way they would be able to return to their homeland alive. Even if they could return to their homeland, would they be able to live a life where they could not even live?
"Kill the Tobaku army!" A middle-ranking officer stood up angrily and yelled.
Without any special encouragement, the middle-ranking officers all stood up and yelled, "Kill the Tobaku army!"
By nightfall on the 17th of October, the troops stationed in Hakodate had already retreated to the inner fortress to resist. The Meiji government's army adopted a unique military system of detachments, squads, squadrons, brigades, wings, and divisions. The National Defense Force of the Republic of Prawn imitated China's system of squads, platoons, companies, battalions, regiments, divisions, and divisions.
The two divisions defending Hakodate had 10,000 soldiers, but now there were only 4,000 soldiers left, and they were reorganized into three regiments. The enemy knew that the government's army was extremely cruel. Every time they broke through a defensive position, they would strip the captives and push them to the front of the defensive position to be beheaded.
This kind of cruel action had aroused the hostility of the enemy, but it was also hard to avoid the shock. When the enemy shouted again, asking the Prawn Defense Force to surrender and that there would be no reinforcements coming, a group of regiment commanders and battalion commanders gathered at the division headquarters and asked when the reinforcements would arrive.
The two division commanders' faces turned ugly. Both of them were from the Shinsengumi, and Hikata Suisan had told them before the battle that they could only stand until the last soldier. The meaning behind this was that there would be no reinforcements for them. Originally, the two division commanders thought that with 10,000 soldiers and a sturdy fort, they would be able to hold out for a month.
However, the reality was completely different. Under the cover of the fierce fire from the British naval cannons, the Meiji government's army first transported the cannons ashore. Those cannons were used to attack the fortress, and the British naval cannons were used to destroy the outer defense line. The Meiji government's army was extremely fierce. In theory, the Republic of Prawn had millions of soldiers. Not to mention the female soldiers, most of these millions of soldiers were farmers who had only touched a hoe a few years ago. Compared to the enemy who had quite a bit of combat skills, the Republic of Prawn's army was at a disadvantage. The fortress that could hold out for a month might not be able to hold out for long.
Looking at the anxiety, uneasiness, and fear in the eyes of the regiment commanders, the division commanders also felt uncomfortable. They did not want to deceive their subordinates anymore. One of them took a deep breath and was about to say something like "loyalty to the country."
At this time, the instructor of the China Dispatch Army reached out and pressed on the division commander's shoulder. The division commander was stunned and could not say anything. The China instructor said loudly, "As long as our Dispatch Army is still here, when any army is besieged, there will be other troops coming to their rescue!"
The China instructor arranged for the troops from the division to the company. The Prawn Defense Force was indeed the army of the Republic of Prawn, but the one who really built this army was the China Liberation Army. During the battle, the China instructors of the various troops did not run away in the face of danger like they usually did. These China instructors had been with the troops all the time, and there were many casualties in the cruel battle.
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