Japanese Twelfth Army

The  was part of the Imperial Japanese Army engaged in China during World War II. After war broke out between Japan and China in July 1937, the Twelfth Army began advancing south from occupied Manchuria into neighbouring Shangdong province. By August, they controlled everything north of the mountain of T'ai Shan, although at this stage the Japanese were not planning an ambitious advance as they further consolidated Manchukuo. Hsien-Ko worried about the Army's proximity to the Jade Emperor temple where she was preparing to capture Magnus Greel. (PROSE: The Shadow of Weng-Chiang)

Behind the scenes
In real life, the Japanese 12th Army was formed in November 1938, over a year after The Shadow of Weng-Chiang takes place.