nucmednet Chapter 750 Kikuchi Fortress
Chapter 750 Kikuchi Fortress
Yamashita Tomoyuki made a desperate move and deployed the five A-class divisions of the Kyushu Corps, namely Arauo, Miyamoto, Saga, Ryukata, and Kitano, and the three B-class divisions, namely Meiji and others, totaling 200,000 troops, in Kikuchi and Arauo areas as the last barrier in southern Fukuoka to hinder the advance of the Northwestern Army.
In the Kikuchi and Arao regions, Fuso spent six years and countless funds to build the Kumamoto Northern Fortress, which it thought would never be used in its lifetime. The Kumamoto Northern Defense Line is 217 kilometers long from north to south. It took Fuso six years and 27 billion yen to build it.
The entire defense line is built of reinforced concrete, and the wall thickness reaches 3.5 meters. Not to mention machine guns, even ordinary artillery would find it difficult to penetrate.
The internal tunnels are interconnected, with command posts, ammunition depots, power stations, hospitals, kitchens, and various living facilities between the tunnels. There are 6 military projects every kilometer, with a total of 208 large-caliber artillery pieces and 160 turrets deployed, as well as more than 1200 bunkers and trenches covering the entire line.
This place is known as the first fortress of Fuso Kyushu Island and even the entire Fuso. It is also an important barrier for Fuso to guard the core area of Kyushu Island.
The atmosphere inside the Northwest Army's headquarters was tense and solemn.
Commander-in-Chief Zheng Zeyu stood in front of a huge battle map, staring at the area marked as "Kumamoto Northern Fortress" on the map. Beside him, Chief of Staff Gu Chenghai and other senior generals sat in a circle, and everyone's eyes revealed deep thoughts about the upcoming challenges.
"Everyone, we are now standing on the brink of victory, but the natural barrier of Kumamoto Northern Fortress stands between us and final victory." Zheng Zeyu's voice was steady and powerful, penetrating every corner of the room.
Gu Chenghai took over the conversation and slid his finger across the defense diagram on the map: "The design of this fortress is exquisite. The concrete bunkers are extremely strong, and the underground defense system is intricate and stretches for more than 100 kilometers, enough to make any army that attempts a frontal attack pay a heavy price. Not to mention the dense air defense system, which poses a great threat to our air force support."
"As an island country surrounded by the sea, Fuso does not need to go to so much trouble to build such a fortress." A general asked with confusion on his face.
"This was the decision made by Fuso Prime Minister Tojo Takehide. Although it was controversial at the time, it is undeniable that this line of defense did slow down our army's advance to a certain extent." Gu Chenghai explained, "He may have foreseen that Fuso might face war in the future and hoped to use this line of defense as the last barrier for Kyushu."
"However, even the strongest defenses have their weaknesses." Zheng Zeyu interrupted everyone's thoughts with a calm tone, "What we need to do is to find these weaknesses and break them one by one."
He turned to face the battle map and began to plan in detail: "First, we need to conduct a comprehensive reconnaissance of the fortress, especially those nodes that seem inconspicuous but may be crucial. The Air Force and intelligence departments must work closely together to ensure that we obtain the most accurate and timely intelligence."
"Secondly, we must use our mobility and firepower advantages to carry out precise strikes on the weak links of the fortress. We can consider using special forces to conduct infiltration operations and destroy the enemy's defense system," Gu Chenghai added.
"At the same time, we cannot ignore the role of psychological warfare," said another general. "Through propaganda offensives, we can weaken the enemy's morale and cause them to collapse from within."
As the discussion gradually deepened, various tactical concepts and operational plans were proposed, discussed and improved one by one.
The lights in the conference room gradually dimmed, and with the departure of the last general, only Zheng Zeyu and Gu Chenghai were left in the room. They stood in front of the battle map, their eyes still fixed on the location of the Kumamoto Fortress, as if they wanted to see through the cold paper and see through every inch of the enemy's defense line.
"Brother Zeyu, this Kumamoto Fortress is indeed a tough nut to crack." Gu Chenghai was the first to break the silence, his voice carrying a bit of heaviness, "We have never encountered such a perfect defense system. It almost brings together all the essence of Fuso's military engineering."
Zheng Zeyu nodded, frowning: "This is not only the biggest obstacle we have encountered on Kyushu Island, but also a test for the entire Chinese Expeditionary Force. But no matter what, we cannot retreat, we must find a way to break through."
Gu Chenghai turned around, his eyes flashing with thought: "I've thought about it, maybe we can launch an attack from the flank. The Western Army has been advancing smoothly in the Saga area. If we can keep them under pressure and even increase their offensive, we may be able to force the enemy forces in the Fukuoka area to mobilize reinforcements."
Zheng Zeyu heard this and shook his head slightly, with a trace of worry on his face: "Your idea is good, but I'm afraid it won't work. You and I both know that the underground fortifications in the Fukuoka area are closely connected to the Kumamoto Fortress, forming an almost impeccable defense closed loop. This is Fuso's last hope on Kyushu Island, and they will definitely do their best to protect it. Moreover, their air defense system is extremely complete, and our air force's operations will be unprecedentedly hindered."
Gu Chenghai frowned upon hearing this and fell into deep thought. He knew that what Zheng Zeyu said was true. Every attack plan must be carefully considered. The slightest mistake could lead to a complete failure. But the deadlock before him made him feel extremely depressed, as if there was an invisible mountain in front of them that was difficult to cross.
"Indeed, this is an unprecedented problem." Gu Chenghai murmured to himself, "But we must find the key breakthrough point to break this deadlock."
The atmosphere in the expeditionary army headquarters was solemn and tense. Under the light, every general looked extremely serious. Senior generals headed by Su Zhengyang sat around a long table with detailed battle maps and enemy situation analysis reports spread out on the table. Their eyes kept wandering over these documents and charts, trying to find the key to solving the current dilemma.
Deputy Commander-in-Chief Guderian was the first to break the silence, revealing deep worry in his words: "At present, we are facing an unprecedented predicament. The enemy's tight deployment, solid fortresses, complex underground fortifications, and rolling mountain terrain have greatly restricted the mobility and firepower of our armored forces. And the air force, when faced with such dense and complete anti-aircraft firepower, is also difficult to exert its due power. This is precisely the reason why Fuso dared to withdraw large-scale troops to the Fukuoka area and abandon strategic locations such as Nagasaki and Saga."
Admiral Stein took over the conversation, his voice just as heavy: "We can't be dragged here. The supply line of the expeditionary force almost crosses the entire Fuso territorial waters, and we are under tremendous logistical pressure every day. A long stalemate will not only consume our combat effectiveness, but also put the entire Chinese finances under tremendous pressure. We must find a breakthrough as soon as possible to break this deadlock."