Chapter 1385: Dilemma

***Tokyo, Prime Minister’s Residence.

Fumima Konoe was watching his wives and concubines arrange flowers in the backyard. Flower arrangement is an elegant art. The powerful and wealthy ladies were bored and raised white and fat ladies, and were always obsessed with flower rituals, tea ceremony, and chores on cumbersome kimonos and meals to express their obedience to the cage-style family life and their respect for their husbands.

A guard officer quietly walked into the backyard gate and reported respectfully: "Prime Minister, the military headquarters called an emergency number and a serious incident occurred in Shanghai last night."

"Serious incident? Since the July Incident in North China, there has been no serious incident that happened. Now the family's fortunes are almost tossed by the prodigal sons in the army!"

Kome Fumima waved his hand impatiently: "Okay, I understand, tell them that it is rare for me to relax now, and tell them not to disturb me."

The attendant bowed and retreated. Kome Fumima continued to have fun with his woman, but the bad news that might come from Shanghai covered the sunshine in Kome Fumima's heart like dark clouds, and soon became in a bad mood and was in a bad mood. So Kome Fumima had a gloomy face, left the official residence, and went to the palace to convene a cabinet meeting.

Imperial Palace, Imperial Garden in Dongyuyuan.

The Japanese emperor Hirohito was breathing fresh air in the woods. The queen Ryoko was wearing a complicated kimono and followed with heavy makeup. In the morning, the ground was covered with dew, and the pebbled road surface was slippery. Hirohito fell on his back, and his deep myopia glasses fell into the grass. The expression on his face was both angry and embarrassed.

A palace servant quickly helped Hirohito up and carefully bowed down to ask for instructions: "Your Majesty, your close ministers are waiting for the emperor in the meeting hall of the Privy Council. Please tell me when will you see him?"

Hirohito was very unhappy and frowned: "Why go to the chamber? Recently, I have always heard bad news. A man named An Yi always brings trouble to the empire... Let them come in, I will meet them here."

The attendants looked at each other and it was not in line with the court's etiquette when meeting ministers in the woods, not to mention that Hirohito had a lot of mud on his face and body at this moment.

"Baga! Are you deaf?" Hirohito's goldfish eyes seemed to bulge out of his eye sockets, and he said angrily: "As for the order!"

"Hi!"

As the servant went to inform the minister, the queen and the female relatives bent down and retreated. A sun umbrella was set up in the woods, and felt was laid on the ground. Hirohito sat on the chair and met his confidant courtier.

Soon, the five prime ministers of the cabinet and the chief of staff, Miyazai Shin-in, and the military commander Fushimi-gami Hakukong came to the woods. They crawled in fear and were given a sedate.

Hirohito's goldfish eyes glanced over the faces of a group of confidant ministers, and finally fell on the face of the Army Minister Sugiyama Moto, who was born in a poor samurai family.

"Aoi Sugiyama, tell me, what bad news is there?"

Hirohito said, "Relatively speaking, Hirohito likes more soldiers, their loyalty, mighty and bravery, and he also likes the gratitude and fearful eyes of generals from grassroots classes. Because grassroots generals have all the status, military ranks, privileges, loftyness and wealth that are different from their humble origins, all of which are derived from their own gifts, and their worship of imperial power is far more than that of wealthy nobles.

"Your Majesty, the Army Division of the Imperial *** team suffered a shameful failure in North China yesterday. Sugiyama felt ashamed of His Majesty's trust, so I came to apologize!" Sugiyama Sora was buried in his body again.

"I already know this!"

Hirohito waved his hand: "Victory and defeat are common in military affairs. Sugiyama's dear minister doesn't have to do this, just keep your composure!"

Sugiyama's gratitude eyes allowed Hirohito to enjoy the joy of being above him again, and his eyes fell on Mitsumasa Mitsumasa, a poor family:

"Mineqing's family, what bad news did you bring?"

Minai Mitsumasa looked embarrassed and bowed: "Your Majesty, the third fleet encountered a bizarre ship theft last night. The cruiser of the 'Naitai', Yuri', and the 'Murayu', 'Yueli', 'Spring Rain', 'May Rain', 'May Rain', and the destroyer of the 'May Rain' were held hostage by the Chinese Navy and fled to the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

"In a furious general, General Hase sent a warship to pursue him, but was ambushed by the Chinese Navy. The cruiser "North" and "Aoi" and "Haki" destroyers sank. In addition, the gunboat of the Pigmu, which had an accident, continuously shelled the British and French concessions. In order to eliminate the pressure on imperial diplomacy, General Hase ordered the crew to abandon the ship and decisively sank it. Now the third fleet of the Imperial Navy has suffered heavy damage, and only 18 of the twenty-eight battleships remain in the fleet. General Hase specially apologized to His Majesty the Emperor."

Hirohito's face changed, he stood up angrily, and roared loudly: "Why are there such a serious mistake? Hasegawa Kiyoshi failed my expectations, it was hateful and annoying, and he was responsible for..."

"Ahem—"

Fushimi Miyaki Hirokyo's army ordered the Minister to cough slightly, and Hirohito immediately woke up and knew that the Third Fleet was trapped in the Huangpu River at this time and had to rely on Hasegawa Kiyo to support the situation. So he changed his words and said, "Let General Hasegawa make meritorious service when he is guilty. If he is careless, I will punish him severely!"

Mine Guangmasa crawled on the ground and apologized: "Mine failed His Majesty's expectations, please punish him!"

Hirohito saw the contemptuous look on Prime Minister Mitsumo's face, and his heart moved. He sat back and stretched out his right hand, comforting softly: "Mineqing's family is dedicated to the country, why is it a crime? Let's be calm!"

Mine Mitsumasa sat upright with gratitude.

Seeing that Hirohito was not calling him for a long time, Koewe couldn't help it: "Your Majesty, the fact is just as General Ishihara Kan'er said, going south to attack China is a huge mistake. Now the army and navy are frequently failing, and the country's manpower, financial and material resources are seriously damaged. It is time for us to end the war and correct the mistakes.

"If we throw out a peaceful olive branch at this time, I believe that the Chinese government will be ecstatic and will maintain the rights and interests of the empire before the Chinese incident. The empire worked hard to govern, and after conquering the Soviet Far East and Siberia, turning the *** Sea into the inland sea of ​​the empire, and then moving south with deep war potential, it will be twice the result with half the effort."

Hirohito felt a little frustrated. Didn’t this admit defeat in disguise? Since the Meiji Restoration came, when did there be an emperor who sought peace from the outside world?

"There is no need to say much about the King's family, I am determined. Didn't the Army and the Navy jointly formulate a Nanchina combat plan? Now it's time to implement it!" Hirohito said firmly.

Koewe Fumima is not afraid of Hirohito getting angry, and civilians are naturally afraid of the emperor. However, as a nobleman, he watched Hirohito grow up with his own eyes. Isn’t Koewe Fumima, who has always regarded Hirohito as his younger brother, comparable to ordinary people? He still insisted:

"Your Majesty, according to reliable information, the Soviet Union is colluding with Germany and Italy behind their backs, trying to attack Czech Republic, Poland and other countries in Eastern Europe. After the cabinet discussion, it is inevitable that European wars will be fought. At that time, if Germany and Italy turn against each other, we can take advantage of the situation to attack Germany and Italy and the east and west to capture the Far East and Siberia of the Soviet Union; if Germany and Italy fight with Britain and France together, then we can also attack Southeast Asia and other countries and obtain the huge British colonies in Asia. This is an opportunity for the rise of the empire, please do not mislead yourself!"

Hirohito completely ignored Kome Fumima's plea and asked directly to Chief Staff of the Immortal Miyasumiya:

"Now the headquarters of the Anjia Army, the largest opponent of the empire, have all gathered in the area south of the Yangtze River in China. Can the plan of the General Staff conquering China be implemented?"

Chief Staff of the Xianyuangong Zairen bowed and delivered a greeting: "Yes, Your Majesty, the plan is perfect. However, Manchuria is now in a row. If it is not wiped out as soon as possible, it may threaten the empire's food and energy supply. Therefore, the General Staff's opinion is to first quell the Manchurian rebellion and then implement the Nanchina combat plan."

Hirohito nodded and looked at the Minister of Military Order, Fushimi Miyaki Hirokyo: "We must hurry up the matters of the navy and continue to put pressure on the Chinese army. Now that the Yangtze River channel is blocked, why not try to launch a fierce attack on the Chinese army from the front line of Hangzhou Bay? The empire has received a lot of assistance from Britain, the United States and other countries, and the shipyard is starting to work at full speed. The loss of the imperial navy over the past ten months will be replenished soon. My dear friends, the Chinese strategy is a national policy that concerns the survival of the empire. Please treat it seriously!"

"Hi!"

Everyone agreed respectfully.

Seeing that Hirohito had made up his mind, even if he had different opinions, Fumima Koebe had to give up his point of view and once again raised funds and resources around the Chinese war to fill the bottomless pit of the military.

......

The sound of cannons roared and the smoke of gunpowder rose.

Taking advantage of the brief chaos that the Anjia Army Special Forces Brigade attacked the Japanese command system and the allocation of troops last night, the Ninth Army launched a fierce attack on the Japanese concession at 8 a.m.

At the beginning, the battle went very smoothly. Sun Yuanliang's 88th Division's Western Route Army captured the Sichuan North Road in one go and fought fiercely with the Japanese army on Wusong Road. The Northern Route Army of the 88th Division broke through the *** tomb and the Bazi Bridge and attacked the Tiantong'an Railway Station controlled by the Japanese army.

The location of Tiantong'an Railway Station is extremely important. Once the 88th Division takes it, it will face the Japanese Marine Corps Headquarters building. The Japanese army set up heavy defense at Tiantong'an Railway Station, and the battle has reached a fever pitch from the beginning.

Song Xilian's 36th Division was responsible for attacking the front lines of Lingzhi University and Patriotic Girls' School. Because the Japanese army was frequently attacked by the Anjia Army Special Forces last night, the defensive forces stationed there were greatly weakened. The 36th Division captured the place in one breath and attacked Hongkou Park.

Hongkou Park is also an important barrier for the Japanese Marine Corps Command Building. Once it falls, the consequences will be unimaginable. The commander of the Japanese Special Marine Corps, the commander of the Japanese Special Marine Corps, the seventh Major General Okawa, had to send his reserves again to support the crumbling defense line.

After that, Hongzhen and Yinxianggang Town were successively defeated by the 98th Division and the 87th Division of the China-*** team. The Hujiang University, which had high hopes in Dachuan, was also defeated by the Anjia Army Special Forces Brigade because its command system was completely destroyed by the Anjia Army Special Forces Brigade. The Japanese army stationed there were no barriers to advance and retreat. The defense line was soon taken down by the 87th Division, and the troops were directly aimed at the Gongda Spinning Mill where the Japanese army was heavily stationed.

Seeing the situation deteriorating rapidly, it was reported that the seventh major general in Okawa quickly asked for help from the 22nd Brigade.

*** Major General Yoshikazu Kuroi Iwai, the commander of the 22nd Brigade of the 11th Division of the Army, did not dare to neglect it, and immediately dispatched a corps force on the east and west sides, and at the same time sent out all the combat vehicle convoys and mortar units in his hand to strengthen defensive firepower.

Due to the addition of the Japanese new forces, the offensives of various units of the Ninth Army were severely curbed, and the battle situation once again turned into a dull tug-of-war state.

After leaving Nanxiang Temple, An Yi looked at his watch. It was almost noon and decided not to go back to Guyi Garden for a meeting and go to the front line to see the specific situation.

In order to cover up, An Yi took off his general's military uniform, changed into an ordinary gray cloth military uniform, drove into the Chinese border in Zhabei, and came to the downtown area of ​​Shanghai, filled with smoke. In order to avoid becoming a living target for Japanese naval guns, the convoy stopped at the field hospital of the 88th Division in Zhabei, and then the group followed the offensive troops and observed the entire battlefield from a distance.

Chen Fengdao and Lin Yaodong did not dare to be negligent, and followed An Yi tightly. More than ten guards watched from all directions and were cautious.

After passing the railway, the sound of gunfire in front became more and more harsh. An Yi looked around and led his people into a building that was burned to black. He came to a hole in the fourth-floor aisle that was blown up by more than one meter in width and height. He leaned over to the entrance of the cave, picked up the telescope and observed it carefully.

Chen Fengdao and Lin Yaodong also took out their telescopes and watched the battlefield from afar. The guards spread around, controlling all directions, and preventing emergencies.

In the telescope, about a thousand meters in front of it, about a company soldier was hunching his waist and jumping, crawling, or rushing in concealedly along the shops on both sides of the street.

Although more than ten warships were lost last night, the morale of the Navy was not greatly affected and was still supporting the front line without any effort. It seemed that it was holding its breath and was about to come out. The Japanese warship poured thousands of shells into Zhabei in one breath. Many residents' houses and street houses ignited raging fires, and thick smoke was rolling, covering the sky and the sun. Citizens who had not yet been transferred under the persuasion of Chinese officers and soldiers were killed and injured.

Suddenly, a burst of gunfire sounded loudly. An Yi saw from the telescope that at least one squad of Chinese soldiers were knocked down by enemy guns from a two-story building across the road. The other officers and soldiers shot against each other, and lost more than ten brothers' lives. They had to retreat to the building they had previously occupied and launched a fierce attack with the Japanese army.

An Yi shook his head in pain. It was too difficult for the officers and soldiers of the 88th Division to deal with such street fighting. If it were the An family army, it would never be possible to suffer such a secret loss.

From the telescope, An Yi clearly saw a soldier in gray uniform, with a spasm expression full of fear and pain when he was hit by a bullet and struggling desperately to fall. However, this was just an impression that appeared in his mind for a moment. A row of more violent screaming machine gun bullets, like a hideous hand of death, knocked the soldier's young face and his once vibrant flesh and blood off the ground, and the flesh flew across the ground until it was torn to pieces.

An Yi turned around and asked Chen Feng beside him and said, "Old Shen, guess how many Japanese are there in that building?"

"Depending on the firepower configuration, it should be a team!"

Chen Fengdao put down his telescope and said, "From the analysis of firepower intensity, there should be only one light machine gun in the building, and the rest are Type 38 rifles. However, because the opponent's soldiers' gun skills are very accurate, they cause extremely powerful visual errors in firepower!"

An Yi nodded, "I don't know how the grassroots commander of the 88th Division who was commanding the attack ahead fought this battle? I hope he can give a good answer." After that, he continued to take the telescope and observe carefully.

The Chinese team crawled along the walls on both sides of the street under the cover of several light and heavy machine guns. However, the Japanese gunman was accurate, and the bullets seemed to have all grown eyes. The gunshots fell down. The Chinese team had to leave more than ten bodies and retreat.

An Yi sighed: "The quality of the Japanese army is still far stronger than our Central Army... The gun is very accurate, and a hard attack is definitely not possible. You must find a way. In this case, if the marksmanship is not up to standard, it is best to use a war defense cannon to shoot directly. Of course, it would be easier if we have our bazooka! If it really doesn't work, just use a cannon to blow it down!"

Chen Fengdao looked painful: "Commander, I guess this order is difficult to issue. There are many residents in the building where the Japanese are located. Just now I saw a little girl looking out through the window on the second floor..."

An Yi was stunned for a moment, and quickly raised his telescope. He saw a window on the second floor of the building that was broken by gunfire. Sure enough, he saw a faint head shaking, and there was a little girl with small braids among them.

An Yi suddenly fell silent.

This is a difficult problem. Although the war has been burning for several days, there are always some people who are hard to leave their homeland and are reluctant to leave their homeland, thinking that if they endure the war, they will pass. In a densely populated city like Shanghai, the people will suffer!

However, An Yi observed the situation. If the Japanese army's firepower point in that building was not decisively destroyed, not only would the attack be blocked, and casualties would increase, but it would also be possible to be surrounded by the enemy's counterattack.

Fighting or not is a dilemma!
Chapter completed!