RPAGF Chapter 223 The Siege of Tokyo
Chapter 223 The Siege of Tokyo
On October 29th, the 5th Army Division of the Chinese Army suddenly landed in Otae, west of Tokyo, and after defeating a small number of defending troops, advanced directly towards Tokyo.
The Japanese troops, who were engaged in fierce fighting with the 1st Marine Division, were thrown into disarray, and Shen Daowu seized the opportunity. He dispatched armored divisions and marine brigades to launch a counterattack, which decisively defeated 100,000 Japanese troops on the front line.
The remaining Japanese troops retreated to Tokyo, and the Chinese pushed their battle lines to outside the city.
Meanwhile, Chinese troops landed in Hirado, Kyushu, and Kashiwazaki, Japan.
The atmosphere inside the Japanese Imperial Palace was extremely oppressive. Emperor Mutsuhito, his eyes bloodshot, stared at the assembled ministers below.
On a map on the wall, several red arrows pointed directly to Tokyo. The Chinese troops that landed in Osaka split into two groups. After combining their forces to capture Nagoya, one group had already reached Okayama from the central region.
Another force attacked along the coast and reached Shizuoka. Meanwhile, Chinese troops that had landed at Kashiwazaki in the north were advancing south. Tokyo was now surrounded on three sides.
There are no Chinese troops to the east, in the direction of Hokkaido.
The Chinese army was incredibly powerful, conquering city after city. Japanese local forces were utterly defeated. Many Japanese soldiers surrendered and joined the Chinese army, guiding the Chinese, transporting supplies, and even directly participating in battles against their own country's forces.
Unexpectedly, the battlefield had become like this after only a month of fighting. The Japanese high-ranking officials were thrown into a panic.
"Your Majesty, Tokyo is no longer safe! Please, Your Majesty, tour the north!" Yamagata Aritomo said, bowing deeply.
Although Yamagata Aritomo has now stepped down from all official positions, he still enjoys immense prestige in both Japanese politics and among the general public. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he is the most powerful person after the Emperor.
"I'm not going anywhere! My Yamato Dynasty has been a continuous line for ten thousand generations, and there has never been an emperor who has fled. I swear to live and die with Tokyo!" Mutsuhito said, his eyes red.
"Since that's the case, let's prepare for war! Let the Chinese see the fighting spirit of our Great Japanese Empire!" Yamagata Aritomo, though nearly seventy years old with white hair and beard, still stood tall and proud.
He knew that escaping was useless; Japan was such a small place, where could he possibly escape to?
The Japanese navy has been completely wiped out, and now the seas are filled with Chinese warships, so they can't even go to sea.
The further north you go in Japan, the sparser the population becomes. It simply cannot support a large army.
Why not just fight the Chinese to the death in Tokyo?
Three days later, troops from all sides arrived and surrounded Tokyo. Shen Lian also arrived in Tokyo Bay aboard a warship.
Upon hearing that the Japanese Emperor had not fled, Shen Lian breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that he hadn't run away; it saved him a lot of trouble.
To prevent him from escaping, Shen Lian changed the battle plan. The plan to land in Mutsu was canceled, and a landing in Kashiwazaki was chosen instead.
"General, General! Your Highness! Your Highness, greetings!" As Shen Lian stepped into the conference room, the officers greeted him one after another.
The troops gathered in Tokyo at this time included four army divisions, two armored divisions, more than 40,000 Russian mercenaries, and more than 30,000 Japanese auxiliary troops, totaling approximately 230,000 men.
Based on intelligence analysis from various sources, the garrison in Tokyo City consisted of approximately 200,000 regular troops, plus over 100,000 militia reservists.
However, although the Japanese army was numerous, it consisted mostly of defeated and remnant soldiers, and lacked weaponry. Shen Lian wasn't worried about winning this battle; his focus was on how to take Tokyo at the lowest possible cost.
"Please sit down!" Shen Lian nodded gently.
"The General Staff should first brief us on the enemy situation!"
"General, sir! The Japanese army has gathered about 300,000 troops in Tokyo and is holding the city to the death." A major general explained on the map with his baton.
"This Tokyo Castle, also known as Edo Castle, is 5,500 meters long from east to west and 4,000 meters wide from north to south. Its total area is 2.65 million square meters."
"The outer city wall is about eleven meters high, and there are a total of thirty-six city gates..."
"Furthermore, according to statistics, there are approximately two million people in Tokyo. If we provoke their resistance, it could cause a lot of trouble for our operations!" After the staff officer finished speaking, he bowed to Shen Lian and returned to his seat.
"Your Highness Prince Qi! I, Xie Congjun, am willing to lead the charge and be the first to break through Tokyo City for Your Highness." Before anyone else could speak, Matsushita Kosuke jumped out first.
Kosuke Matsushita's statement drew contempt from the generals; clearly, no one liked this traitor who betrayed his country.
Kosuke Matsushita seemed unfazed; he had now entrusted his life, his family's fate, to Shen Lian's hands. Only by destroying the Japanese Imperial Family and government could he truly be safe.
No one is more enthusiastic about attacking Tokyo than him!
"Your Highness, we are also willing to take the lead and help you conquer Tokyo!" Several Russian officers also stood up and volunteered for the mission.
These Russians fought several battles and discovered that the Japanese weren't as powerful as they seemed. They also plundered a great deal of wealth.
Tokyo is Japan's most prosperous and wealthy capital, undoubtedly filled with countless treasures of gold and silver. Naturally, they wanted to go in and plunder it.
With the strong support of the Chinese military, the danger shouldn't be too great!
“Very good! I accept your respect, and you will lead the charge. Whoever breaks through the city first will be richly rewarded.” Shen Lian waved his hand to stop his generals from volunteering for battle.
It would be best if the Japanese and Russians were willing to lead the charge. They wouldn't care how many died; it would only cost a little money.
"Treat ordinary people gently after entering the city, and don't kill innocent people indiscriminately. Of course, there's no need to be polite to those who resist!"
"Your Highness is merciful! On behalf of the people of Tokyo, we thank Your Highness for your grace." Several Japanese officers stood up and bowed.
"Hey! This time, I'm punishing the guilty and rescuing the people. I'm dealing with the Emperor and his lackeys. The common people are innocent, and they will be my subjects in the future. It's only right that I take care of them!" Shen Lian said hypocritically.
"Also, once you enter the city, do not cause widespread destruction, especially of the ancient buildings. Those are relics from the Tang Dynasty and are extremely valuable. Preserve them as much as possible, understand?"
"Yes!" the generals answered loudly.
Shen Lian left the battle arrangements to himself; the staff would naturally handle the division and command.
"Ito, I'll give you a chance! To reduce unnecessary casualties, go and persuade your Emperor to surrender!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Ito Hirobumi bowed to Shen Lian.
Having followed along the way, he witnessed the strength of the Chinese army and developed a deep admiration for Shen Lian's magnanimity and kindness.
Japan's defeat in this war was a foregone conclusion; it would be good if some of the civilian casualties could be reduced.
"General, do you think that damned Emperor will surrender?" Shen Xuewu asked curiously.
"Whatever! It doesn't matter whether he surrenders or not!" Shen Lian took a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled the smoke.
Regardless of the circumstances, the Japanese Imperial Family is already on his death list; whether they surrender or not, their fate will be the same.
I think every Chinese person thinks this way!