On the evening of January 10, 1923, at 19:00, Deputy Regimental Commander Zhuang Pengyun received the order promoting him to Regimental Commander. The appointment arrived simultaneously with the order for Zhuang Pengyun's unit, the 1st Regiment of the 1st Division, 5th Army, to withdraw for rest and reorganization.

The unit relieving the 1st Regiment had already entered the position and arranged their defenses. Zhuang Pengyun walked at the very rear of the 1st Regiment. Just as he was about to cross the ridgeline of the high ground, he turned back to look. In front of the pitch-black positions, several teams of Japanese soldiers holding white flags were moving piles of Japanese corpses onto carts and transporting them back to the Japanese lines.

The firelight was very conspicuous in the darkness, and both sides, in accordance with the convention, did not open fire. Regimental Commander Zhuang Pengyun was no longer clear on what remained in his empty mind. After watching for a moment longer, he turned around blankly and withdrew along with the troops.

The troops walked for two or three kilometers along the road and temporarily stopped at an assembly point. No one spoke; no one even wept. Under Zhuang Pengyun's orders, the officers began to assemble their units and count off. Those low voices of counting finally broke the dead silence.

The statistics should have been simple and powerful, but now they became lengthy.

"Report to Commander, I took over the duties of the 1st Battalion Commander during the battle, so I do not know the actual number present before departure. The 1st Battalion originally had 3 infantry companies, 9 infantry platoons, 27 infantry squads, and 9 artillery squads. Now there remain 3 infantry companies, 9 infantry platoons, 21 infantry squads, 6 artillery squads..."

The new 1st Battalion Commander, who had taken charge during the fighting, suddenly choked up. It was only now that the pain brought by the casualties awakened his sorrow, and he choked, unable to continue.

The feeling of grief surged into Zhuang Pengyun's heart along with other sensations. The pain brought by the total annihilation of 6 infantry squads and 3 artillery squads was like a thin thread connecting him to reality, keeping his numb heart from being completely devoid of feeling. Zhuang Pengyun had to use this pain to urge himself to continue working; otherwise, he would not know what else he could do.

The 1st Battalion Commander overcame his brief grief, caught his breath, and continued reporting: "The whole battalion should have had over 390 men. Now there are 173 men capable of continuing to fight. The number of wounded is not yet clear."

The 2nd and 3rd Battalion Commanders reported subsequently. The final numbers impacted Zhuang Pengyun. The 1st Regiment's position, which had been used by the Japanese as a breakthrough point, should have had 1,311 men. Now, among the troops that had withdrawn, only 507 officers and soldiers remained uninjured and capable of fighting. How many died in battle, how many were wounded, how many were missing—there was only an estimated figure now.

As the Regimental Commander, Zhuang Pengyun discovered that he was unclear about the specific whereabouts of sixty percent of the officers and soldiers in his unit. This astonished him. Was he still fit to be a Regimental Commander like this? Why hadn't the division sent someone to execute him yet?

What puzzled Zhuang Pengyun the most was, having commanded troops in battle up to this point and having participated in several hand-to-hand combat engagements, why hadn't he been killed by the enemy? Why was he surprisingly still alive and well?

Perhaps... the person sent by the division to execute him was already on the way. Thinking of death, Zhuang Pengyun suddenly felt a wave of relief. That would truly end all troubles.

With such expectation, Zhuang Pengyun felt he should complete his final tasks before dying. That is, to lead the existing troops back to the designated position in the rear and ensure the safety of these officers and soldiers.

Thus, the three battalion commanders heard Regimental Commander Zhuang Pengyun's calm and powerful voice, "The ammunition has been handed over to the follow-up troops. Order the troops to check their equipment again. Report to me after the inspection is complete."

***

Further back in the Army Headquarters, three division commanders stood before Tang Yanming, Commander of the 5th Army. Every division commander had a face full of exhaustion, but even deeper than the exhaustion was the guilt in their expressions. Finally, the 1st Division Commander forced himself to speak, "Commander, I request punishment."

Tang Yanming shook his head bitterly. "Whether we should be punished is determined by our operational command. As for requesting punishment ourselves—with so many people dead, we are not worthy to say such words."

Hearing Tang Yanming say this, 1st Division Commander Sun Lianhu closed his eyes, his breathing unconsciously becoming heavy. 3rd Division Commander Zhao Guangming pursued his lips tightly, subconsciously clenching his fists in pain.

But the division commanders still forced themselves to break free temporarily from the immense pressure. 2nd Division Commander Li Yong forced himself to speak, "Then, please let me make a report on the 2nd Division's combat."

Tang Yanming nodded and signaled for the three to sit down. None of the division commanders sat. The location of the 2nd Division was not the main Japanese point of attack, and casualties were not heavy. Li Yong briefly introduced the situation of the 2nd Division and spoke no more.

The 1st Division's position was the direction of the main Japanese attack today. Division Commander Sun Lianhu suppressed his emotions and made himself report: "Today, the 1st Division lost approximately 4,000 men. The 1st Regiment, in particular, has basically lost combat effectiveness. The 2nd Regiment also suffered losses reaching thirty percent..."

After stating the casualties, 1st Division Commander Sun Lianhu recounted the process of today's battle. The Japanese chose the 1st Regiment's position as the breakthrough point and launched an attack involving tanks. The 1st Division engaged in close combat with the Japanese three times before finally repelling the Japanese and recovering the position.

"The 1st Regiment performed the best. They not only destroyed four Japanese tanks but also decisively withdrew when the Japanese broke into the position, forming a new defense line. When the reinforcements arrived, they merged with them and launched a very powerful counterattack, retaking the position. In the subsequent seesaw battles, the 1st Regiment participated with full force..."

Speaking to this point, 1st Division Commander Sun Lianhu suddenly could not hold back, and his voice began to tremble. "Commander, I used the 1st Regiment improperly. If I had been able to rapidly mobilize more troops for reinforcement..."

"Now is not the time to consider these things!" Tang Yanming interrupted 1st Division Commander Sun Lianhu with a rough tone.

Seeing that Sun Lianhu's mental state had not yet detached from the battle that had already occurred, Tang Yanming slammed the table in anger and shouted, "The battle isn't over yet! The battle is still being fought! Look at you, acting like cowards. Do you think so many comrades died just for you? What heavenly benefits did we give the comrades? What heavenly grace did we bestow upon them that so many comrades would die for us?! Who among you thinks this way? Tell me! I'll let him get out right now!"

Subjected to such angry scolding, the three division commanders all shook and involuntarily stood up straight.

Tang Yanming continued to scold furiously, "The sacrificed comrades have already shouldered the responsibility! What is this responsibility? They are not fighting for us; they shouldered this responsibility so that their families can live good lives and so that China will not be bullied! Look at your bear-like appearances, crying and sniffling one by one! What are you crying for! If crying could bring people back to life, I would lead you all in crying, and we would definitely cry every single dead comrade back to life!"

Provoked by these words, 1st Division Commander Sun Lianhu could not help but retort, "Report to Commander, we are not crying!"

Tang Yanming did not intend to curse at them, but simply wanted to rouse everyone's fighting spirit as quickly as possible. Since the division commander began to retort, Tang Yanming immediately asked, "Since you aren't crying, then what is your responsibility?"

Sun Lianhu failed to react immediately, but 3rd Division Commander Zhao Guangming already stood at attention. "Report to Commander, our responsibility is to win this battle together with the comrades."

Tang Yanming breathed a sigh of relief internally, but remained stern on the surface. "Correct! Then you all think carefully. In today's battle, the Japanese losses were far greater than ours, yet why do they still want to continue fighting?"

The three division commanders had actually thought about this on the battlefield. It was just that they had never experienced such tragic losses in their own troops, and their hearts could not bear it, leading to a psychological imbalance. Given a wake-up call by Army Commander Tang Yanming, the division commanders all recovered. Even though the sense of guilt still weighed heavily on their hearts, they could continue to fulfill their duties.

Tang Yanming asked the division commanders to come to the map. He pointed to a section of the continuous front line responsible by the 5th Army. "The Japanese have completed their probing; they've even used tanks. Now they are playing fancy tricks, wanting to determine the weaknesses in our defense line and also test their assault capabilities. Once the fancy tricks are used up, the real thing will come. Everyone, point out the weaknesses on the defense line and reinforce them quickly. For those that cannot be effectively reinforced, make targeted contingency plans. A hard battle is coming soon."

1st Division Commander Sun Lianhu felt that his former vanity was completely worthless, so he simply cast it aside. Even so, he asked a question with some shame, "Commander, what about the reserves?"

Commander Tang Yanming did not answer immediately. His gaze was placed on the rear of the position. The main force of the reserves was not in the rear at this moment, but on the coastline of the west coast of Korea.

***

At the Korean Front Command, Deputy Commander and 2nd Army Group Commander Hu Xiushan looked down at the map. Standing beside him was Commander Xu Chengfeng. Chief of Staff Cheng Ruofan was on the phone with Li Zhengqing, Commander of the 4th Army Group on the east coast. Cheng Ruofan could be heard saying, "Commander Li, I have already received intelligence on the enemy's harassment fleet. The current judgment is that the probability of the enemy attacking the east coast is 50%."

Xu Chengfeng couldn't help but turn his head to look. Cheng Ruofan could still speak in such a tone at this time; he didn't know whether to call his confidence firm or say he was heartless. Anyway, if it were Xu Chengfeng, he wouldn't speak like that.

At this moment, Cheng Ruofan was heard saying "Mhm" a few times; he should be listening to 4th Army Group Commander Li Zhengqing expressing his opinion. After listening to Li Zhengqing's opinion, Cheng Ruofan said, "I can confirm, the probability of the enemy conducting a probing attack is 100%. Commander Li, make preparations. Hmm... goodbye."

After speaking, Cheng Ruofan hung up the phone and walked to the map. Xu Chengfeng asked, "You are still this sure?"

Cheng Ruofan tapped the map. "If the east coast is attacked first, then the west coast is being used as the breakthrough point. If the west coast is attacked first, then the east coast is being used as the breakthrough point. However, my judgment hasn't changed. The Japanese will definitely attempt on the east coast, but will definitely break through on the west coast. Their combat power is insufficient to support them expanding their gains after breaking through on the east coast."

Seeing Cheng Ruofan remaining so straightforward and firm, Xu Chengfeng couldn't help but feel a trace of envy. As the Commander, betting the lives of a million troops on a judgment—Xu Chengfeng could not do this, and dared not do this.

Xu Chengfeng was just about to ask Hu Xiushan about his judgment on the Japanese breakthrough point when he saw Hu Xiushan look up and ask, "Chief of Staff, are you still worried about the operational transition?"

Cheng Ruofan nodded. "Our army doesn't have the ability to crush the Japanese frontally yet. The operational transition is our passive point. I am looking at it from this angle, which is why I am somewhat worried. We have already transferred two armies from the rear, but looking at the situation before us, they won't make it in time to plug the gap."

Hu Xiushan thought for a moment and asked, "You mean, the Japanese will launch an all-out attack tomorrow?"

Cheng Ruofan pondered for a moment before answering, "I hope not."

Xu Chengfeng wanted to join the discussion but didn't know what to say. The campaign had been fought to this point, and the chips in both hands were basically clear. There remained only one question, which was what Hu Xiushan and Cheng Ruofan were discussing: When exactly would the Japanese push their chips onto the table, and where would they place them?

The so-called offense-defense transition meant that after the Northeast Army consumed the Japanese to a certain extent relying on positions, they would retreat.

For example, in today's Japanese attack, according to the Northeast Army's rough estimate, Japanese casualties were over 50,000. Through interrogating captured Japanese soldiers, it was found that the Japanese divisions participating in the frontline attacks were not the previous six, but at least ten divisions. The Japanese had about twenty divisions in Korea, and the forces committed to the western line could reach at most eighteen divisions. If the Japanese breakthrough direction was on the west coast, after the Northeast Army fully utilized fortifications to inflict massive casualties on the Japanese, they would choose to retreat.

The first step of the retreat was not the withdrawal of frontline troops, but the mobilization of reserves to implement a powerful counterattack. After repelling the main Japanese attack force, the Northeast Army could retreat calmly.

Of course, the Northeast Army could also complete a phased retreat under high discipline while under constant Japanese pursuit, but the requirements for the troops would be too high. Not to mention the Northeast Army with only six years of army-building experience, even the Japanese Army with decades of experience likely couldn't do it.

But there were plenty of talented people within the Japanese military. Once the Northeast Army began a powerful counterattack, elite officers within the Japanese army would see the crux of the problem. Whether the Northeast Army would repel the Japanese frontally first, or whether the Japanese could seize the fleeting opportunity to launch an attack, Xu Chengfeng could not judge. And according to Cheng Ruofan's feeling, the probability of this happening was quite high.

Of course, the premise for this happening was that the Japanese would launch an all-out attack tomorrow, causing the two armies on the Northeast Army's second defense line to be unable to arrive in time. If another two armies reinforced the front line, the Japanese's last chance would also disappear. This battle would turn into a different kind of situation.

Before Xu Chengfeng could speak, Hu Xiushan picked up a red and blue pencil and drew large blue circles at two locations on the map. Red represented the Northeast Army, and blue represented the Japanese. Xu Chengfeng pressed his hands on the edge of the table, looking down at the two blue circles on the map. These were locations where the terrain was relatively flat. If the Japanese could punch through here, they could break through to the Northeast Army's rear completely without restriction. Precisely because of this, the Northeast Army had deployed very tight defenses here. If the Japanese were to break through from here, it would feel like hitting a wall with one's head.

Hu Xiushan put down the pen and explained, "This is the position where the Japanese are most adept at exerting their combat power. The Japanese should be very clear now that the tactic most favorable to them is the way that fully exerts Japanese combat power. When narrow paths meet, the brave win. Our army's advantage is the model of army building and the strategic advantage gained by striking first in this war, dragging the Japanese into the battlefield we have set up to fight. And our army's disadvantage is that the mid-to-high-level commanders lack experience. Once the burden of battle presses on the mid-to-high-level commanders, their judgment of the battlefield will be somewhat distorted, and they cannot immediately make the best judgment based on the changes in the battlefield. I believe the Japanese have the ability to realize this."

Xu Chengfeng did not answer. Because this was something Xu Chengfeng knew but had absolutely no way to change. Six years was enough to cultivate thousands of excellent battalion and company-level commanders, and many outstanding regimental commanders had also emerged. However, division-level and army-level commanders required time.

Even Xu Chengfeng himself did not consider himself an excellent Commander-in-Chief. As Hu Xiushan said, all the current strategic advantages of the Northeast Army were achieved by unexpected active attacks, not because the Northeast Army possessed such absolute strength.

Thinking of this, Xu Chengfeng said, "Then let us send a telegram to the Chairman."

Hu Xiushan nodded, and Cheng Ruofan also nodded. If He Rui agreed with their judgment, they could use this judgment as a basis to coordinate the subsequent troop arrangements.

The Northeast Army Korean Front Command was sleepless all night. The Japanese Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army Headquarters and the 2nd Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army Headquarters also worked through the night.

In the Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army Headquarters, Nagata Tetsuzan stood beside Commander Terauchi Hisaichi, handing order drafts one by one to Terauchi Hisaichi. Terauchi Hisaichi signed them one by one with a resolute expression, while Okamura Yasuji directed the staff officers to send out the numerous orders quickly.

And at Nagasaki Port in southern Kyushu, the 2nd Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army Headquarters was located within the naval port. Commander Suzuki Kantaro and Deputy Commander Ugaki Kazushige, two Lieutenant Generals, were smoking and had even stopped talking. Only when subordinates came with various sailing preparation documents would the two stub out their cigarettes and begin work.

The 2nd Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army Chief of Staff Ishiwara Kanji was standing in front of several blackboards, arms crossed, looking at the data and judgments on them one by one. Ishiwara Kanji no longer knew whether he was asleep or awake; anyway, even in his dreams, his mind was filled with various war scenes.

There was only one chance; this was Ishiwara Kanji's judgment. The biggest obstacle now was instead Commander Lieutenant General Suzuki Kantaro.

This Lieutenant General had been a torpedo boat captain during the First Sino-Japanese War and became famous for leading torpedo boats into the Weihaiwei anchorage to sink the ironclad *Dingyuan*. After graduating from the Naval War College, he served as an instructor at the school and a military attaché in Germany. During the Russo-Japanese War, he served as the Commander of the 2nd Fleet Destroyer Squadron. Since 1914, he had successively served as Vice Minister of the Navy in the Okuma Shigenobu Cabinet, Principal of the Naval Academy, and Military Councilor.

Undoubtedly, neither Ugaki Kazushige nor Ishiwara Kanji was qualified to speak loudly in front of this veteran. Ishiwara Kanji felt that Lieutenant General Suzuki still cared too much about the importance of the Navy, so he had considerable doubts about the amphibious landing that spared no cost. So when the moment for the desperate strike arrived, there was no guarantee whether this Lieutenant General, who seemed to have agreed with the operational plan, would pull some petty tricks.

But this was no longer important. Ishiwara Kanji had already experienced the panic and regret of missing the opportunity in his nightmares. When he woke up and found that it was just a new nightmare, he would feel an incomparable sense of rejoicing.

Since the nightmare had happened so many times, it was time to let the Great Japanese Empire have a good dream for once.

Time had unknowingly reached 4:00 AM on January 11. The two Lieutenant Generals were already drowsy. Their adjutant walked in at this moment. "Report, Your Excellencies, the scheduled time for the Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army's operation has arrived."

At this moment, on the Korean front, countless artillery shells tore through the sky, blasting from the Japanese side toward the Northeast Army's defense lines.