Chapter 19

In the combat meeting room of the Beijing warship,

When Lin Yuan announced the next phase of the combat plan, Chen Fei and Han Mingguang both frowned, because Lin Yuan's next phase of the combat plan was: to completely annihilate the Japanese Army on the Korean Peninsula.

The others in the combat meeting room also felt that this plan was too crazy, as those attending the meeting were department heads of the Beijing warship, most of whom were technical officers and considered themselves amateurs in land warfare, so they did not voice their opinions.

Because everyone knew the number of the Beijing warship's land combat personnel, over a hundred, while the Japanese Army on the Korean Peninsula originally had 16,000 troops, minus the losses from the Chenghuan and Pyongyang battles, there would still be around 13,000 troops. How could 100 people fight 10,000 people?

Lin Yuan said, "Comrades, I know everyone is unsure about this plan. How can 100 people fight 10,000 people? Let's analyze the next situation of the Japanese Army. Due to our electromagnetic interference, communication between the Japanese headquarters and the Combined Fleet has been cut off. Without sea control, the Japanese Army will not rashly cross the Yalu River to attack our territory. Therefore, they will continue to hunker down in Pyongyang. A small part of the troops that reached Yizhou should also withdraw. They will rely on their land combat victory to force the Qing government to agree to Korea's separation from the Qing government. South of Pyongyang is the Dae Dong River, and to the north is Mount Mande, with a dangerous terrain. Moreover, the city is guarded by elite Japanese troops. If we launch a strong attack, it will definitely not work."

Lin Yuan paused here, then continued, "Inside Pyongyang, all the elite Japanese troops in Korea are gathered, mainly the Third and Fifth Divisions, as well as artillery, logistics, and telecommunications units. These units form the First Army, commanded by Yamagata Aritomo, who is the top figure in the Japanese Army. Think about it, if the highest echelons of the Japanese Army are eliminated simultaneously, what will happen to this force?"

Hearing Lin Yuan's words, everyone suddenly had a bright idea. Lin Yuan made a "cut" gesture and said, "So our first step is a decapitation operation, to simultaneously strike the command structures of the Japanese First Army and the two divisions."

Xu Feng, as the head of the carrier-based aircraft, also attended the meeting and added, "Yes, we not only need to strike the Japanese command structures but also their ammunition depots, granaries, and artillery."

Lin Yuan nodded and said, "Xu Feng is right. The Japanese Army's food and ammunition must be transported from the mainland to Incheon Port and then transferred overland. Therefore, we should strike Incheon Port. Once the Japanese Army's supplies are cut off, their morale will surely be disrupted."

Han Mingguang said, "I wonder if anyone has noticed a problem. Due to insufficient shipping capacity, the Japanese government has rented foreign merchant ships for transportation, mostly British ships. The British, to balance Russian influence in the Far East, have strongly supported Japan, and those ships are almost free for the Japanese to use."

Xu Feng then laughed and said, "Commissar, are you afraid of causing international disputes? In this era, our aircraft carrier fears no one!"

His words made many of the comrades present laugh, and Han Mingguang also laughed. He said, "The British are not good people either. They have looted countless artifacts from us and, together with the French, burned down the Summer Palace. So my idea is, we should not directly bomb British transport ships. Instead, we should lay mines in the port, making them suffer a significant silent loss."

Lin Yuan said, "Good, the first step of the plan is this: our carrier-based aircraft will carry out the decapitation operation, striking the enemy's command structures and then their logistics. However, even with this, our Marine Corps cannot completely annihilate the Japanese forces. So the second step of the plan is for me to visit the Qing Army's base at the Sino-Korean border and try to get them to join the fight. Then we can completely annihilate all the Japanese forces on the Korean Peninsula."

Han Mingguang hesitated and said, "Would it be dangerous for you to meet with the Qing Army's generals?"

Lin Yuan said nonchalantly, "No, the Japanese fleet couldn't do anything to me, and the Qing Army, after all, are our compatriots, so they won't harm me."

Lin Yuan then looked at the department heads present and said, "Alright, the plan is set. The collection of target intelligence and the specific air strike plan will be implemented by the relevant departments. That's all for today. Dismissed."

At 12:00 PM on September 19, one and a half hours after the combat meeting on the Beijing warship ended, in Pyongyang, Japanese Commander Yamagata Aritomo was troubled by the food supply issue.

The Japanese Army has always had a tradition of underestimating logistics, which was evident in the Russo-Japanese War, the Sino-Japanese War, and the Pacific War. The Japanese Army has a specialized unit responsible for logistics, the logistics troops, but there is a saying in the Japanese Army: "If logistics were also soldiers, a dragonfly could be an eagle." This shows how little this unit is valued. Therefore, wherever the Japanese Army goes, they loot, not just because they are cruel and ruthless, but also because they are starving.

Yamagata Aritomo originally planned to occupy Pyongyang to seize the Qing Army's food supplies, but when he saw the Qing Army commander Ye Zhichao abandon the city, he already knew this plan would fail. The city's food supplies were pitifully scarce.

Yamagata Aritomo then pinned his hopes on food supplies from Incheon, but although there was food in Incheon, there was no one to transport it. The Japanese Army's forces were already thin compared to the Qing Army across the Yalu River. Where could they find the troops to transport the food? Only the Koreans, but the Koreans were unwilling to work for the Japanese. The Japanese could not force the Koreans, as they had invaded under the pretext of helping Korea break free from Qing control. How could they coerce the Koreans?

What made Yamagata Aritomo even more depressed was that the Japanese Combined Fleet had disappeared, and there was no communication via telegraph. Even the headquarters did not know where the Combined Fleet had gone. The Korean Peninsula is so narrow, with three sides surrounded by sea. If the Qing Army, under the cover of the Beiyang Fleet, landed behind them and joined forces with the Qing Army across the Yalu River to encircle them, his entire force would be doomed to a glorious death.

Suddenly, Yamagata Aritomo saw a black dot flying in the distance. His first thought was: what a large bird. Then a black dot fell from it, and he realized it was heading for the Third Division's command post.

Then he saw a large cloud of white smoke rise from where the black dot landed. He naturally associated it with the smoke from an exploding shell, followed by a dull explosion. He was puzzled because the sound of the shell was not like this. Suddenly, the white smoke produced a loud explosion, and a huge, bright fireball rose into the air.

While he was puzzled, an explosion sounded behind him. An unknown object entered the room through the telegraph room window and exploded inside. A loud bang followed, and the roof was blown off. The huge fireball instantly engulfed him.

The carrier-based aircraft from the Beijing warship carried out the decapitation operation. According to Lin Yuan's orders, the early warning aircraft successfully locked onto the location of the Japanese command post based on the Japanese telegraph signals. A J-24 fighter jet launched a napalm bomb at the designated target. The huge fireball that Yamagata Aritomo saw was the result of the napalm bomb's combustion and explosion. This type of bomb is extremely lethal to personnel, especially as the napalm burns rapidly, consuming a large amount of oxygen and producing a large amount of carbon monoxide, making it impossible for personnel in shelters to survive.

In less than half an hour, the command posts of the Japanese Army's main combat forces, the Third and Fifth Divisions, were completely destroyed, and all division commanders were killed. The entire command structure of the Japanese forces in Korea, including Commander Yamagata Aritomo, was wiped out.

For the ordinary Japanese soldiers, losing command was not the most terrifying thing. Their supply base in Incheon Port soon turned to ashes, and the Japanese Army would soon be in a state of running out of ammunition and food.

At this moment, Lin Yuan was on a helicopter, flying to the Qing Army's base. He did not yet know that even more difficult battles were waiting for them.

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