Cold air from Siberia swept southward across the Far East. Harbin, Shenyang, Tieling, Pyongyang, Seoul, Tokyo, Osaka—cities under the dark clouds were dim. In the gloomy cloud layer, snowflakes drifted down. It had just turned midnight. Many cities and suburbs were already a vast expanse of white.

The melodious bells ringing over the cities reminded those who could hear them that the beginning of the year 1923, January 1st, had arrived.

In the Northeast Army controlled zone north of Seoul, the 2nd Army Group with four armies was on the western front facing the Japanese army. The 3rd Army Group with four armies held the flank on the west coast of northern Korea and served as the frontline reserve. The 4th Army Group with four armies held the east coast of northern Korea.

Three army groups, twelve fully equipped and staffed armies, 480,000 officers and soldiers had withdrawn from civil engineering work and were sleeping with their weapons, ready to meet the Japanese counterattack at any time.

Behind the western front forces, there were 100,000 troops. These troops were ready to provide supplementary manpower to the frontline forces at any time to maintain the combat strength of the frontline units intact.

Further south than these troops were six armies on the second line of defense, 240,000 troops. If the frontline forces could successfully complete their mission and withdraw here, they would immediately shoulder the combat duties.

If the frontline forces encountered a crisis and needed reinforcements to turn the tide of battle, these troops would leave the defense line to reinforce the frontline units.

If the frontline forces suffered a devastating blow, these troops would gather the scattered units while executing the mission of defending against the Japanese attack.

Between these three lines of forces, 250,000 logistics troops were ready for transport on the railway lines and highways. Depending on orders at any time, they would deliver weapons, ammunition, and personnel to the front line, or transport the wounded and troops from the front line to the rear.

The Air Force had already constructed 20 airfields in northern Korea. Although the snowy weather was greatly affecting the Air Force's sortie rate now, the Air Force ground crews were rapidly clearing the runways. When the weather cleared, planes could take off at any time.

The maximum troop strength the Northeast Government could support in Korea was these 1.08 million men. Even though the Northeast Army's transportation capacity was like a bowstring ready to snap at any moment, emitting a silent creaking sound, the frontline deployment was still completed to the maximum extent.

Every army of the Northeast Army was equipped with 120 120mm artillery pieces. Among them, every regiment had its own four 120mm mortars, three 120mm infantry guns, and six 75mm infantry guns. Every battalion was equipped with 80mm mortars.

Every squad was equipped with a squad machine gun, as well as 60mm mortars.

Although from the perspective of the overall campaign, the Northeast Army did not intend to defend Korea to the death. However, the operational determination of the Korean Front Command was very firm. Even if they were to abandon Korea, if the Japanese army could not break through the Northeast Army's defense line, there was absolutely no reason to abandon the defense line.

In Seoul and southern Korea south of Seoul, Japan's performance in conscription and army building even surpassed that of the Northeast Army. Even as the side that was sneak-attacked, Japan still transported a total of 25 divisions, 700,000 troops, in over two months.

These 700,000 Japanese troops were either active-duty units or composed of reserves. Since the Sino-Japanese War, Japan's thirty years of military accumulation allowed them to quickly make up for their losses, pulling the combat power of both sides back to a level of parity.

Among the logistics troops providing material support for these 700,000 troops were 200,000 Japanese soldiers, as well as a powerful logistics transport force composed of 300,000 Koreans conscripted at this stage.

In the Japanese homeland, four well-organized divisions were under the command of the 2nd Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army Headquarters. 20 newly formed divisions were rapidly completing their organization.

On the Northeast land, a similar number of troops were also being rapidly completed.

One million men on the front line, one million men ready to go to the front line.

In the wind and snow, although the air was cold, it was fresh and moist, without the smell of gunpowder smoke, without the smell of blood.

Braving the wind and snow, the car Ishiwara Kanji was riding in arrived at the Imperial General Headquarters in Tokyo. As soon as he entered the conference room, Ishiwara Kanji was choked by the strong smell of smoke. Although the high-ranking military officers sat straight, they were all smoking.

Major General Ishiwara Kanji hurriedly said to the Commander: "Commander, it is completed."

The Commander of the Imperial General Headquarters just nodded, and immediately ordered the adjutant: "Circulate the plan to everyone."

Not long after Ishiwara Kanji sat down, a document was passed over from the hand of Ugaki Kazushige, the Vice Commander of the 2nd Expeditionary Army, who was next to him. Ishiwara saw the campaign launch time. January 10th.