Extract from a diary
April 22
"… The scale of the battle between the Meiji Army and the Hokkaido Army at the Baihekou continued to expand. By April 22nd, there were already three divisions of the Meiji Army gathered in the Baihekou area, trying to break through the Hokkaido Army's defensive line at the Baihekou. The military textbooks of the Liberation Army repeatedly emphasized the importance of gathering superior forces, fighting a major battle, and fighting a war of annihilation. Based on my observations, the Meiji government's army seems to be using a large number of troops to capture White River City. If the Liberation Army had such a large number of troops, they would have sent a small number of troops to restrain the enemy at the front and sent elite troops to attack the enemy from behind. Of course, the Hokkaido Army was prepared for this, but I didn't hear much information about the flank being attacked by the enemy … "
April 28
"… After several days of pointless confrontation, I feel very annoyed. The stubborn attitude of the Hokkaido Army was not in line with their needs. At least the Hokkaido Army had mastered the basic tactics of launching a column attack. The Meiji Army might be afraid of being attacked from the flank, so they paid more attention to the configuration of the camp. However, this configuration could not effectively defend against mobile warfare with a larger range of movement. If the Hokkaido Army carried enough canned food, it was entirely possible for them to carry out a large penetration maneuver with a regiment or even a division and launch an attack from the rear. I raised this question to the leader of the army, and he told me to stay calm … "
April 30
"… The leader knows more high-level intelligence than I do. The Hokkaido Army took advantage of their naval superiority to capture the port of Niigata. An army unit marched at a rapid speed to the southeast and circled behind the Meiji Army, then continued south, killed their way into the Gunma Mountains, and appeared behind the three Meiji Army at the mouth of the White River. The Meiji Army was confused by the slow movements of Baihekou's Hokkaido army. When they were about to flee in panic, they were suddenly surrounded. There must be people from the Liberation Army who made the battle plan for the Hokkaido Army … "
May 2
"… The battle of encirclement and annihilation has ended. Practically no one from the three Meiji Army Divisions managed to escape. However, according to what the other comrades saw, it seemed that the prisoners in the Choshu and Satsuma regions were all executed by the Hokkaido army. It's said that during the Bochen War more than ten years ago, the Hokkaido Army and the people of these two regions formed a deep hatred … "
May 4
"… The Hokkaido army was in high spirits, and many people shouted the slogan of burning Edo. Currently, there are seventy thousand troops at the frontline, and the largest caliber of artillery is 75mm. If they want to use this kind of military strength and firepower to defend Tokyo, which has at least fifty thousand people, I feel that it will be extremely difficult. If they were stopped at the gates of Tokyo, the reinforcements of the Meiji army would swarm in. All of their previous victories were for naught, but it was not a bad idea to surround them and attack the reinforcements. However, we must take into account the disadvantage of our military strength and the difficulty of fighting outside … "
May 6
"… The upper echelons of the Hokkaido Army are in chaos. It is said that the Meiji government in Tokyo arrested a group of the upper echelons of the old shogunate and executed the former Aizu Domain Lord, Matsudaira Rongbo. It seemed that public information said that this was revenge for the execution of the Choshu and Satsuma vassal officers and soldiers by the Hokkaido army. The effect of this action is that even the Hokkaido Army commander, who was originally more stable, began to clamor to burn Tokyo … "
May 8
"… The Hokkaido Army's Navy has begun to march towards Tokyo. It is said that they are going to shell Tokyo. After discussion, the Observer Group believed that if this was a military operation launched for revenge, it was not meaningless, but it was very limited. If this was to lure the Meiji Army's Navy to come and fight the Hokkaido Army, it was a good idea. The leader also asked us to reflect on one thing, whether the next development of the war was to control the northeast of Japan, or to follow the pre-war plan to destroy a large number of the Meiji government's troops in preparation for the future decisive battle. The most important quality of a commander in a war is determination. Before the war, my original idea was to control the northeast of Japan. As the war progressed, there were more and more new situations, and more and more favorable results. We wiped out four Meiji divisions and sank three Meiji warships. All the situations made me feel that it was easy to expand the results of the war … "
May 9
"… I went to the military hospital again, and my heart felt very uncomfortable. As a soldier, I repeatedly told myself that this was a scene I should get used to. But looking at the soldiers who were tortured by pain, I couldn't get used to it. My father said that it was actually easier to get hurt than to watch others get hurt. Because it was very materialistic to get hurt. Seeing others get hurt, the pain was imagined in our own minds. Things in the realm of idealism are often more terrible than things in the realm of materialism. Thinking of my father's teachings, I tried hard to eliminate the imagined feelings in my heart. Unexpectedly, I felt a lot better.
But every time I thought of my father, I felt very confused. It wasn't because of his great strength. My father would never deliberately mystify things. Just like how our army had a short period of time where we lined up and shot people, there was also a period of simple column attacks. The basic tactics of the current three-man combat team, I had learned and trained. Now that I saw a real battlefield, many of my previous puzzles were solved. After returning to the army, I already had a lot of new training ideas.
What confused me was my own attitude towards my father. There were many people in the army who relied on the army to make a living, but there were even more who were completely loyal to my father. I felt that I was the only one who didn't want to think about my father's existence. I only wanted to be loyal to the army, and only wanted to be loyal to the country. Compared to the real existence of the country and the army, my father's' existence 'seemed to be more real.
When I was in Nanjing, the city where my father lived, I felt that everyone was living a normal life. They scolded the pollution, complained about the crowding, worked at sunrise, and rested at sunset. But when I left Nanjing, the further away I was from Nanjing, the more I felt that my father was highlighted. Everything that happened on the battlefield proved that my father was right, right, right!
As his son, I didn't seem to be able to inherit this. The distance seemed to be just one step, but that step was like the end of the world that couldn't be crossed. Maybe, I should honestly ask him … "
May 11
"… The war situation has changed a lot. The four divisions of the Meiji government in the southwest of Japan have been mobilized to the plains south of Mount Gunma. There is also a fierce debate within the observation group. Whether they should suddenly attack the four divisions through Mount Gunma and annihilate them all. It would be best if they could do it. After the eight divisions of the Meiji government were annihilated, their strength was greatly damaged, and they no longer had the ability to launch an attack on the northeast of Japan.
If they chose to take the initiative to attack, there would be a weak area dozens of kilometers wide on the left flank of the Hokkaido army. If the Guards Division and the other three divisions in Tokyo rush in from here, they may cut off the Hokkaido army's retreat. Fighting in the mountains, the attacking side is at a natural disadvantage.
If they turn a blind eye to these four divisions, they will probably fall into a long-term confrontation. It's very annoying … "
May 15
"… The navy that shelled Tokyo did not encounter any resistance, and the Meiji government just let them bombard. After all, the Hokkaido army is not willing to do too much. The Meiji government has already publicized that the Hokkaido army is a traitor. If they really bombed the Emperor's Palace, it may not be politically advantageous. More importantly, the supply of shells is limited in the Hokkaido army. 125 shells can probably collapse dozens of decent buildings, not to mention Tokyo. The Meiji Navy warships suddenly appeared near the Tsugaru Strait. Although they only harassed them a little and then immediately chose to retreat, the psychological impact on the Hokkaido army is also very big.
The Hokkaido army claims to have mobilized 300,000 troops, but in fact, only 120,000 can be put into the real meaning of the field battle. Some troops are left in Hokkaido, and some troops are in the northeast of Japan. The 90,000 troops in the front line are all the elites. Not long after the war started, the military forces were already stretched to the point of being unable to make ends meet. I didn't think of this possibility at all … "
May 17
"… The Hokkaido army finally decided to annihilate the four divisions on the opposite side first, but everyone began to doubt whether the enemy will have more reinforcements after a few days of delay. I now suddenly understand a little where the gap between me and my father is. My father may be right, but before the final right result appears, he bravely took the responsibility of making a decision. And before I make any decision, I can't help but think that only the right result is right. This is the problem my father has repeatedly warned me, and I also think I understand. But when faced with the unknown future, I still fear … "
May 19
"… Similar to what everyone is worried about, the troops who tried to cross the Mount Gunma to attack the plains encountered fierce resistance. The known numbers are no longer four divisions, but seven divisions. At the same time, the surveillance system in the direction of Tokyo found that the Meiji Army Group in Tokyo is ready to take action, and it seems that they want to take the opportunity to move. The battle instantly changed from a battle to a decisive battle. But I feel that 'when the people die, the ball goes up, and if they don't die, they will wander around.' I have more confidence in the training and tactical level of the Hokkaido army.
The observation group convened a meeting. At the meeting, the leader asked us to calm down and specifically analyze the comparison between the enemy and us, as a hypothetical staff department to carry out paper deductions. We made a set of battle plans for the current situation.
Working and discussing with my comrades, I almost forgot to write in my diary. The reason why I hurriedly wrote a few strokes was because I remembered a sentence from my father. We must believe in the organization and rely on the organization. If I were to make a decision alone, my limit would probably be to summon up the 'courage of an ignorant person' who doesn't know anything, and issue an order that is narcissistic and 'I am willing to bear the consequences' … "
May 21
"… 40,000 reserve troops arrived at the front line and took on the task of monitoring the Tokyo Group and ensuring logistics.
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