“The infantry division organization of the Beiyang Army is relatively small. Compared to the Imperial Army's infantry divisions, they are short by ten thousand men. On top of that, their formation time was too short, and their individual combat skills cannot compare to the Imperial Army.
I believe that this battle will be a sure win for the Imperial Army!”
General Yamagata Aritomo said to several division commanders.
“Please rest assured, Commander-in-Chief, the 2nd Infantry Division will completely annihilate the Beiyang Army's 13th Infantry Division!”
Lieutenant General Sakuma Zomata, commander of the 2nd Infantry Division, guaranteed.
“Yōshi! Very good. Now, it's all up to you!” General Yamagata Aritomo nodded repeatedly.
After General Yamagata Aritomo issued the order, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Infantry Divisions of the Japanese Army immediately sprang into action.
In particular, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Infantry Divisions departed from Tianjin and headed straight for Qingxian, Dacheng, and Wen'an.
The Beiyang Army had already strengthened its intelligence gathering on the Japanese Army.
This resulted in the Beiyang Army receiving news shortly after the Japanese Army left Tianjin.
In the absence of wireless communication, and with wired telegraphs not being widespread in the Qing Dynasty, battlefield communication often relied on manpower.
The Beiyang Army's communication units also relied on manpower to relay orders.
Fortunately, the communication units had a relatively large number of horses, basically guaranteeing the timely transmission of orders.
Hejian, Beiyang Army Northern Front Command.
“Commander, the Japanese have moved. All four infantry divisions deployed in Tianjin have moved out. The troops stationed in Qingxian, Dacheng, and Wen'an are likely to face a massive attack from the Japanese.” Lieutenant General Wang Shizheng looked solemn.
The Beiyang Army's three infantry divisions totaled only 55,000 men.
Meanwhile, the four Japanese infantry divisions had a combined strength of over 110,000 men, twice that of the Beiyang Army.
“The Japanese are eager to defeat us and gain benefits from the Qing government.” Li Jingyuan said coldly.
“Commander, I am not concerned about the 5th and 7th Infantry Divisions. We can defend our city and have a significant advantage in firepower. These two infantry divisions have seen combat before. However, the 13th Infantry Division is seeing its first battle. They may struggle to withstand the Japanese onslaught.” Lieutenant General Wang Shizheng was somewhat concerned.
“Order the three infantry divisions on the front lines to strengthen their defenses. Also, promptly dispatch reinforcements. If there's an opportunity, we can completely eliminate the main force of the Japanese army here.
If we can achieve that, our victory in this battle will be much easier.”
Li Jingyuan still had great confidence in the Beiyang Army.
“Yes, Commander-in-Chief!” Lieutenant General Wang Shizheng replied.
Following that, Lieutenant General Wang Shizheng ordered the 1st and 14th Infantry Divisions to depart from Hejian and reinforce the 13th Infantry Division in Dacheng.
Furthermore, he ordered the 19th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd Infantry Divisions to be mobilized from the rear and dispatched to the front lines.
This would bring the Beiyang Army's forces concentrated in the Tianjin direction to 9 infantry divisions, with a total strength exceeding 166,000 men.
In terms of manpower, they now had an absolute advantage.
Combined with the Beiyang Army's firepower advantage, if everything goes smoothly, they can completely defeat the Japanese.
With some luck, they could even inflict heavy losses on the Japanese here, perhaps even completely annihilate them.
Simultaneously, Lieutenant General Wang Shizheng also issued orders to the 5th, 13th, and 7th Infantry Divisions stationed in Qingxian, Dacheng, and Wen'an, demanding that they defend their lines to the death and absolutely not be broken by the Japanese.
The decisive battle between the Beiyang Army and the Qing government, or rather, the Beiyang Army and the Qing army and the Japanese, officially began.
The two sides would engage in a massive battle involving hundreds of thousands of troops in the central Hebei region.
This battle would not only determine the ownership of power in this ancient country but also the fate of the entire nation.
Whether they could escape the tragic fate of another timeline depended on this battle.
The 5th, 13th, and 7th Infantry Divisions of the Beiyang Army, having received orders, immediately entered a state of emergency preparedness.
All soldiers were ready for battle.
Whether they had seen combat before or were newly formed units, everyone dared not slack off.
Li Jingyuan had personally reminded them that they were not facing the feeble Qing army this time but the ferocious Japanese.
If they lost the war due to underestimation, they would surely be severely punished!
This naturally led to a heightened sense of vigilance among the commanders and officers of these infantry divisions.
In particular, the 13th Infantry Division of the Beiyang Army was actively preparing for battle across the entire division. Major General Lei Zhenchun, the division commander, and Brigadier General Li Jingcheng, the chief of staff, personally inspected the defenses on the city walls and directed combat, determined to make the Japanese taste their might.