Chapter 27: Height 430

Hisachika Oshima sat back down. "I trust your capability, but there is one matter I must make clear to you concerning Yang the Ghost-Beater."

Matsubara Naoshi said, "Please give me your instructions, Commander!"

Hisachika Oshima paused for a moment, appearing hesitant about how to phrase his words. After a while, he looked at Matsubara. "What is your opinion of this bandit?"

Matsubara did not conceal his thoughts and replied directly, "If the Commander pleases, I believe Yang the Ghost-Beater can still be of use to us, so there is no need for us to deal with him in the near future. According to my original plan, politically, I hope to cooperate with Yang through Sun Yat-sen, who enjoys good relations with our Japanese government, in order to keep his political inclinations in check. Furthermore, I intend to send Feng Delin to assist Yang, so that they can make life even more difficult for the Russians. I guarantee that within half a year—not just three months—Russian communications will be completely paralyzed."

Oshima seemed to understand. "Feng Delin can also serve as a military check against Yang Xiaolin, is that correct?"

Matsubara nodded. "Precisely."

Political containment and military suppression—by assigning these two partners to Yang Xiaolin, Matsubara believed Yang could be controlled. This was also a prevailing view within the Japanese military command, yet Hisachika Oshima did not share this perspective.

He shifted his weight in his chair. "Matsubara-kun, allow me to express my view. Personally, I believe this man Yang the Ghost-Beater must be eliminated. You surely have not forgotten that when he was in Beijing, he personally killed our Minister Uchida. This proves that the man is deeply hostile to the Great Japanese Empire!"

Matsubara was momentarily startled, then bowed slightly. "Hai!"

Oshima smiled. "This is merely my personal opinion, offered for your consideration. Any action will be a matter for the future, at the very least, waiting until the Empire and Russia have fought their decisive battle."

Oshima knew that once Matsubara assumed the post of brigade commander, should Japan achieve victory, this brigade would inevitably become the primary Japanese military force stationed in Northeast Qing. In other words, how to handle the issue of these Chinese bandits would fall directly upon Matsubara to execute.

Judging by Matsubara's attitude, he had already consented. There were certain matters he had not discussed with Matsubara, such as the situation regarding Yang Xiaolin, which was far from simple.

The current Japanese military command held two conflicting views regarding the future development of the Imperial Japanese Army. One faction believed the army should cooperate with the navy to move south and contend for the Philippines and Malaysia; as for China, other means could be employed to force the Qing court into submission. Another faction argued that Japan should first conquer China and then march north to vie with Russia for hegemony in Asia, driving the Russians out of the continent.

If the first strategy were adopted, Japan's future development would lean heavily toward the navy, a prospect the Army General Staff was unwilling to see. If the second approach were chosen, the Northeast of China must be forged into a Japanese base. A representative figure with strong Chinese national sentiment who fiercely resisted invading forces, such as Yang Xiaolin, could absolutely not be allowed to exist.

These two approaches were currently only at the stage of preliminary debate. Because the Russo-Japanese War was about to break out, these arguments were drowned out by the clamor of Japanese nationalism. Moreover, the Japanese who historically defeated Russia would suffer heavy casualties, losing the capacity for further expansion, and this topic would not be raised again until after the Great War, when Japan had recovered its vitality.

Hisachika Oshima had always insisted that China should be conquered first, which was why he was giving Matsubara a heads-up in advance. After the war, he hoped Matsubara could shape a favorable situation in the Northeast, providing their Army Ministry with more leverage in debates with the Navy Ministry.

Having said enough for now, and mindful that the most critical enemy was still Russia rather than Yang the Ghost-Beater, Oshima did not pursue the topic further. "How are the Russian military operations to encircle and suppress Changbai Mountain progressing?"

This was the other crucial factor for the Russians in resolving the current crisis. Yang the Ghost-Beater's forces had been divided into two parts: Yang Xiaolin had slipped out of the encirclement with the brothers of the First Regiment and was currently sabotaging Russian supply lines, while the other faction remained trapped in Changbai Mountain.

According to intelligence gathered by the Japanese, the bandits in Changbai Mountain had been further split into two groups by the Russians. Jin the Great Sabre and many brothers were holding out stubbornly on Gulu Mountain, while another faction of bandits, failing to escape into Changbai Mountain, appeared to be waging guerrilla warfare. Guerrilla warfare was a polite term; bluntly put, they were being chased around in panic by the Russians without any way out.

One could imagine that had Yang Xiaolin not happened to be in Qingyuan when the Russians launched their offensive, regardless of which of these two groups he had been trapped with, Yang the Ghost-Beater would have been finished.

Therefore, the Russians still had a chance to salvage their reputation: to annihilate the bandits inside Changbai Mountain within half a month. If they achieved that, Yang Xiaolin's outside forces would cease to be an organized army, counting at best as mere fish that slipped through the net.

Matsubara had been closely monitoring the battle at Changbai Mountain. Even though the Russians exercised strict censorship over news, he still found ways to acquire information.

"Your Excellency the Commander, the Russians are advancing steadily, step by step. The territory Yang Xiaolin developed previously has been completely occupied by the Russians. As of yesterday, they began launching attacks on the outer ridges of Changbai Mountain, and progress is reportedly very smooth."

As he listened, Oshima tapped his fingers irregularly on the table, evidently deep in thought. Matsubara continued, "However, in the opinion of this subordinate, it will be very difficult for the Russians to pacify the combat within half a month. I have been to Gulu Mountain; the terrain there is extremely treacherous. When I visited last time, I discovered they had constructed tunnels, trenches, and even blockhouses at strategic choke points. Furthermore, the bandits under his command are truly ferocious. I am certain that with sufficient supplies, they can hold out for half a year—at least three months!"

Oshima let out a long breath. "The question is, how long can these bandits' supplies last?"

At this, Matsubara fell silent. Supplies were indeed the most critical issue.

Up on Gulu Mountain, Major General Grigorievich had just fired the opening shot of the drive into Changbai Mountain. It was a combat experience that deeply shocked him!

The battle was not particularly fierce. Only seven bandits were holding out on the ridge at the very edge of Changbai Mountain; they did not even meet Yang Xiaolin's standard for a platoon, constituting at best a combat squad.

When four to five thousand Russians surged up the ridge, a single charge overran them. What shocked Major General Grigorievich was the fighting spirit of these bandits. Seven men, seven corpses—they had had the chance to flee! When the Russians fired their first shots, they had every opportunity to retreat down the back of the mountain!

Yet these seven bandits had not left. Not a single one!

As the Russians charged upward, they mounted a final resistance. Those seven corpses now lay at Major General Grigorievich's feet. He slowly squatted down to examine the Chinese bandit lying before him. The youth was at most eighteen or nineteen years old, his eyes still wide open, traces of tears still wet at the corners of his eyes, his entire chest mangled and bloody from explosions.

He still gripped his German-made rifle as if about to pull the trigger. He was the last bandit killed. Major General Grigorievich had not wanted to kill him; once the other bandits had fallen, he had seen this youth crying. The youth had wept, cursed, and called out for his mother intermittently.

The general had ordered his men to cease firing and urged the young bandit to surrender, promising that if he laid down his arms, he would be spared and allowed to leave to find his mother. The bandit had genuinely hesitated for a long time before finally hurling a grenade at the Russians.

He was shot dead. The general crouched beside him, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the grime from his face with meticulous care, as if handling a fragile work of art. Once the face was clean, Major General Grigorievich stood up. "Bury them with respect. I believe everyone understands now why the Commander was so cautious this time. We are not merely suppressing bandits; we are fighting a group of soldiers! They will never surrender to the death, and the battles ahead will inevitably be even more brutal."

An officer ran over. "General, there appear to be bandits moving on the opposite ridge. Should we launch an attack now?"

Major General Grigorievich raised his binoculars and looked toward the facing ridge. Sure enough, he saw figures darting about. He realized that perhaps the reason these bandits refused to retreat unto death was to buy time for their comrades behind them.

He lowered his binoculars. "Altitude four hundred and thirty meters. Let us call it Hill 430. Take it."

On Hill 430, as the Russians called it, Erganzi squatted deep inside the trench, raised his rifle, and watched the squad of over fifty Russian soldiers charging up the mountain. He sniffed back a trailing stream of mucus and muttered quietly, "Damn it, looking down on me? Not even using artillery!"

A nearby bandit named Wang Xian asked, "Squad leader, should we give them a taste of real trouble?"

Though Erganzi was a bit eccentric, he was no fool. His eccentricity meant he occasionally did things others found pointless, quite different from being stupid. He slowly pulled his head back into the fortification. The field works on this hill had been dug long ago; besides the fortifications, there was a tunnel at the summit leading directly to the foot of the mountain.

Erganzi cocked his rifle bolt and told his brothers, "Tell the brothers in the pillboxes below not to fire. The heavy machine guns are not allowed to expose their firing positions. I reckon these few dozen fellows are just here to draw our fire!"

He had never attended military academy and barely knew how to read, but Yang Xiaolin's veteran fighters had fought countless battles and exchanged experiences after every engagement. They lacked nothing now except systematic instruction to integrate everything they knew into a cohesive whole.

The concealed firing positions on the mountainside remained utterly silent. The brothers hiding within watched the Russians march past them until they were only fifty meters from the summit, when Erganzi shouted the command: "Fire!"