Hisao Tani, commander of the Japanese Twelfth Army, was giving orders in Jinan, and Juichi Terauchi, commander of the North China Front Army, was not idle in Peiping either.
When Terauchi got off the plane, he took the North China Front Chief of Staff Naosaburo Okabe, the Secret Service Chief Seiichi Kita, and the Commander of the Aviation Group Toshiro Kinoshita, who went to greet him, and went directly back to the headquarters.
When Naosaburo Okabe received a telegram from Juichi Terauchi about returning to Peiping, he felt a little regretful. The days of this carefree emperor were over. The real emperor of North China was coming back, and he had to return his power. Fortunately, Naosaburo Okabe
Known for his self-awareness, he soon felt relieved. His prestige, qualifications, and knowledge were not enough to control the situation in North China. When he encountered a guy like Liu Yimin who didn't follow common sense, he was helpless. He had to come back and take charge of the situation.
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After thinking about it, Naosaburo Okabe, although he was distressed by one piece of bad news after another, still told the guards to clean the Commander's office and living room spotlessly. Including the furniture in Miss Masako's living room, Naosaburo Okabe
We sent people to wipe them all clean, and bought new women's clothes with new styles, waiting for the Commander to return to the headquarters for work.
After returning to the headquarters, Juichi Terauchi simply washed up, asked Naosaburo Okabe, Seiichi Kita, and Satoshi Kinoshita to accompany him. He had a simple meal and then came to the war room of the headquarters.
After reading the situation map of the North China region marked on the map, Naosaburo Teuchi, the commander of Touichi Temple, briefly reported on the progress of the war in the North China region.
Gangbe Naosaburo had already been prepared. After hearing this, he briefly reported the battle situation in Shanxi, Hebei, Henan, Suiyuan, Chahar and other places, and then began to report on the battle situation in Shandong.
According to the situation grasped by Naosaburo Gangbe, the Eighth Route Army in Shandong Province in the previous stage mainly engaged in small-scale ambushes and raids, and battles occurred every day. Attacks by small units of the Imperial Army without exception resulted in heavy casualties, and it was difficult to find large units when they attacked.
Traces of the Tubal Road. Especially in the west of Shandong and on the border of Shandong and Hebei, the Tubal Road dug tunnels and set up minefields to fight against the imperial army. Many villages and towns have become unassailable fortresses. In addition, in order to support the Zhengzhou frontline operations, the west of Shandong and southern Hebei
, all the garrison divisions in central Hebei and the Hebei-Shandong border mobilized regiment-sized troops to go south to participate in the war. The troops were relatively weak and lost the ability to conduct offensive operations. They could only stick to key points and communication lines, resulting in a situation where they were passively beaten everywhere.
The reason why Wei Gao Guizang wanted to organize and launch the Jiaoji Road mopping-up operation was to reverse the passive situation. As a result, before the Jiaoji Road mopping-up operation could be launched, he encountered an assault from the Liu Yimin Department of the Eighth Route Army, resulting in the loss of the 108th Division and the 30th
The tragedy of the Third Division.
When Naosaburo Okabe wanted to say more, Juichi Terauchi interrupted him and asked when the 14th Division would be able to return to Xuzhou? When would the Kwantung Army's First Division and Second Division be able to complete their assembly?
Naosaburo Gangbe reported that a report from the 14th Division had been received. After receiving the order, the division was handing over the defense and planned to return eastward tomorrow. The Kwantung Army sent the 1st Division and the 2nd Division seemed to be entering the border to fight.
Not too positive, they called back and said that it would take two days for the two divisions to assemble. However, the Second Flying Regiment they deployed has been transferred to the customs today and will be put on combat duty in the afternoon.
Juichi Terauchi knew that the commander of the Kwantung Army was afraid of the First Division, and that the Second Division suffered heavy losses in the battle. After all, there was the tragedy of the Eighth Division ahead. It is normal for Ueda Kenkichi to be a little worried. But now that the Shandong war situation is corrupt, there is an urgent need
The backbone divisions stabilize the battle situation. If the First Division and the Second Division do not enter the pass to support, if Liu Yimin's troops really attack Jinan, the current third-rate and fourth-rate troops of the North China Front will not be able to stop their arrogance.
of the Eighth Route Army instructor.
Temple Touhou calmed down and said to Naosaburo Okabe: "Kangbe-kun, order the 14th Division to return eastward tonight. Tell them, don't worry, Chiang Kai-shek's troops don't have the guts to pursue them. The main force of the Eighth Route Army is on Longhai Road.
To the north, they are safe. They can turn on their headlights and head east quickly. Send a message to General Ueda Kenkichi and tell him that I have returned to Peiping. Under the strict order of His Majesty the Emperor, the First Division and the Second Division will arrive at the latest.
The mobilization and assembly will be completed tonight, and he must go south to enter the customs and join the war tomorrow morning. Otherwise, if the war situation in North China deteriorates, he will be responsible to the base camp."
As soon as Naosaburo Okabe heard the tone of Terauichi Juichi's order, he knew in his heart that the commander-in-chief was the commander-in-chief, not something he, the lieutenant-general and chief of staff, could compare to. If the commander-in-chief was here, General Hata Shunroku would not be able to bully him like that.
The North China Front Army did not spare even three independent mixed brigades with strong combat effectiveness, and moved them all to Jiangsu. As a result, all the troops remaining in Shandong became ad hoc divisions and garrison divisions with low combat effectiveness, allowing Liu Yimin to seize them.
Opportunity took advantage of it.
Okabe Naosaburo immediately said "Hai" and walked quickly to send the report.
Kinoshita Satoshi had been anxious ever since he met Juichi Terauchi, fearing that Juichi Terauchi would hold him responsible for the defeat in the battle. Therefore, he rarely spoke on the way back from the airport, appearing very responsible and docile.
Terauchi Shouichi still did not let him go: "Kinoshita-kun, can you tell me, are all your aviation groups pigs? Even pigs are better than you, and they won't lose as miserably as you did."
Kinoshita murmured: "Your Excellency, Commander, it's not that we are worse than pigs, it's that the Eighth Route Army is too cunning and vicious, and it's cunning and vicious and a bit evil. They can even get into a heavily guarded airport and still explain it, so it's their fault
The troops are elite and have taken advantage of the loopholes of the imperial army. But I don't understand, how could they think of using birds, kites, balloons, and smoke to deal with the imperial army's fleet? I can't understand it at all!"
When Terauchi Shouichi heard this, his mind was shaken and he asked Kinoshita Toshi to report in detail.
Kinoshita Toshi first reported the Xuzhou Ma Toushan Airport inspected by the 114th Division. He narrated the tragic situation after the loss of Luotuoshan Airport and insisted that it was the 114th Division and the Xuzhou Guard’s failure to guard the two airports.
The airport was attacked by a sneak attack, resulting in valuable fighter planes falling into the hands of the Eighth Route Army, and the excellent pilots were shattered.
Seeing that Touichi Terauchi listened very seriously and had no intention of reprimanding him any more, Kinoshita Toshicai reported that two teams from Jinan Airport and Qingdao Airport went to Ershilibao Airport to investigate and search for the situation of encountering birds and balloon sneak attacks. He had two pieces of information.
It can be proved that the Eighth Route Army used flocks of birds and balloons to deal with the Imperial Army fighter planes. One was at Jinan Airport, Qingdao Airport received the last call from the pilots, and the other was the report when the 104th Brigade arrived at Shilipu Airport.
As for the shattered condition of the First Flying Regiment, there was a report from Major General Moritaka Nakamoto, the commander of the First Flying Regiment who had a chance to escape. Kinoshita Toshita carried a paper report with him and submitted it directly to Juichi Terauchi.
After listening to Kinoshita Toshi's report and reading the report written by Nakamoto Moritaka, Terauchi Juichi felt that the tactics of the Eighth Route Army were getting more and more weird. The smoke was okay, but it was used to block the pilot's sight and cover the ground targets. Liu Yimin could think of this.
Normal. The strange thing is, how could he think of using flocks of birds, kites, and balloons to deal with imperial fighter planes?
Juichi Terauchi asked Kinoshita Toshi if such tactics were taught in aviation school tutorials.
Kinoshita Satoshi answered firmly no.
Juichi Terauchi asked again if there had been any similar battles when the Central China Dispatch Army aviation troops fought against Chiang Kai-shek's troops.
Kinoshita Satoshi replied that not only did the Central China Dispatch Army Air Force have no such combat experience, but no other country in the world had such combat experience.
Terauchi Shouichi originally wanted to ask if there were any such battles in the Shanxi battlefield. When Kinoshita Toshi said that there were no such battles in any country in the world, he stopped asking and just murmured to himself: "It seems that Liu Yimin's troops have very smart people."
What a talented person in air combat!"
When Kinoshita Toshi heard this, he knew that the Commander had accepted his point of view, that is, the fundamental reason why the aviation force suffered such heavy losses was that the Eighth Route Army was too cunning. That was good, as he no longer had to worry about the Commander holding him accountable.
Terauchi Juichi did not look carefully at Kinoshita's expression, nor did he expect that this guy would be complacent about not being held accountable. After pondering for a while, Terauchi told Kinoshita that the fighter flight group that escorted him back was temporarily under the command of the North China Front Army Aviation Group, and the Kwantung Army
The transferred Second Flying Regiment is also under the command of the North China Front Army Aviation Group. Together with the existing aviation force of the North China Front Army, it is enough to launch an air battle that completely eliminates the Eighth Route Army Air Force. The top priority is to formulate a perfect combat plan based on both sides.
One point is to find the hidden lair of the Eighth Route Army Air Force and destroy it in one fell swoop. The other is to try to set up a trap to trick the Eighth Route Army Air Force into bombing the airport or bombing ground troops and annihilating them in an air battle.
Kinoshita Satoshi dreamed of destroying the Eighth Route Army Air Force, because the Eighth Route Army Air Force had brought him too much shame, so much that it gave him a headache whenever he mentioned the word Eighth Route Army Air Force. Fortunately, he was patient enough and thick-skinned enough.
, if it were a younger, lower-level officer who dreamed of filling the ravines and seas with corpses, he would have committed seppuku long ago.
After hearing what Terauchi Shouichi said about setting up traps to lure out the Eighth Route Army Air Force, Kinoshita Toshi seemed to have some vague idea in his mind, but it was very vague. He stood there in a daze, speechless for a long time.
Toshiro Kinoshita, who was stunned by Juichi Terauchi's silence, turned to Seiichi Kita and asked him if he had any important information.
Kita Seiichi reported that the work in the previous period had certain results. He found a female Eighth Route Army whose home is in Tianjin. This female Eighth Route Army turned out to be a student in Tianjin. Liu Yimin joined the Eighth Route Army when his troops occupied Tianjin. Her family was engaged in small business. It has been confirmed that
It is known that this female Eighth Route Army is a local worker in the Hebei-Shandong border area, and a high-level Communist Party cadre is pursuing her. Unfortunately, the senior Communist Party official pursuing her is a local cadre and cannot grasp the accurate dynamics of the Hebei-Shandong Border Road.
However, it has been clarified that the Eighth Route Army on the Hebei-Shandong border is part of the Sixth Brigade under the command of Liu Yimin, with three regiments as the main force, and the highest commander is Fu Zhuting.
Before Kita Makoto could say anything more, Terauchi Juichi interrupted him: "Kita-kun, your intelligence work is very effective. Immediately send the most capable agents to the Hebei and Lu border. Yes, it is best to go to a few more, with men.
There are women among them. Find this female Eighth Route Army and try to break into the Eighth Route Army and grasp the accurate dynamics of the Eighth Route Army on the Hebei-Shandong border. We need a victory so much!"
Kita Cheng said with a haha, and then said: "Your Excellency, Commander, there is another piece of information. It is that Lieutenant Commander Ohashi Xiong of the Jinan Secret Service has achieved results in instigating rebellion by the remaining Kuomintang armed forces. One of their agents successfully infiltrated Li Wenli of the Eighth Prefecture.
In the army, he currently serves as the commander of a regiment under Tongli Wenli."
Temple Shouyi raised his eyebrows: "Li Wenli?"
Seiichi Kita guessed that Touichi Terauchi must not know who Li Wenli was, so he immediately walked to the map, found the location of the mountainous area southwest of Anqiu, pointed at the map and briefly introduced the origins of Li Wenli and his militia, and then said that on the night of November 7
The reason why the Twelfth Army was able to determine that Anqiu County was lost was because this agent obtained information about the Eighth Route Army's complete annihilation of Kondo's brigade.
At this time, Naosaburo Okabe had already sent the telegram and returned to Juichi Terauchi's office. Juichi Terauchi immediately instructed Naosaburo Okabe to grant a special amount of funds to the front army's secret service agency to meet the needs of intelligence work.
This is true whether it is as small as a family or as large as a political power. It requires a strong core of power. When Touichi Terauchi is away, the North China Front Army is basically a mess, fighting on its own, and the orders of the Front Army Headquarters are often not resolutely implemented.
Execution. When Touichi Terauchi came back, the situation was different. Old devils like Kita Seiichi seemed to have a backbone all of a sudden, and even the voices calling Hay were filled with trembling.
After Terauchi Touichi explained the funds allocated by Naosaburo of the Post Office to Kita Seiichi, he instructed Kita Seiichi to focus on persuading Li Wenli to surrender and instigating the relationship between Li Wenli and the Eighth Route Army, and to try to instigate those who stayed.
The local armed forces of the Kuomintang in Shandong were fighting with the Eighth Route Army, adding fuel to the flames, inciting the entire Chiang Kai-shek regime to fight with the Communist Party, allowing the Chinese to fight the Chinese, and the imperial army profiting from it. In the future, the work of the front army's secret service will be centered around this point, like Yan Xishan in Shanxi
The Ministry must intensify efforts to instigate rebellion. At the very least, let them fight less with the imperial army and compete more with the Communist Party for territory. Let Yan Xishan understand that opposing, containing, and eliminating communism is fundamental, and the Sino-Japanese conflict is secondary.
It can be resolved through negotiation. As long as Yan Xishan opposes the Communists, the Japanese Army can provide him with military support and economic support to help him restore his rule over Shanxi.
After pondering for a while, Terauchi Juichi told Kita Seiichi that if Yan Xishan could cooperate with the Empire of Japan, he could be considered to form a new central government.
What Terauchi Juichi said was simple, but it was actually a harbinger of a change in the Japanese military's strategy. You must know that at this time, Konoe Fumima had not issued a statement to induce the Nationalist Government to surrender. The Japanese government's policy was still not to use the Nationalist Government of Chiang Kai-shek as its negotiating opponent.
The Japanese army was still shouting and shouting, advocating the use of force to destroy China.
Terauchi Juichi was one of the architects of Japan's policy of invading China, and he was the commander of the army. If he could think like this, it was because he was beaten too hard by the Eighth Route Army and his mind was turned upside down. In North China, only Terauchi could change such a policy.
Shou Yi can say that Naosaburo of the Shougang Department and others are not qualified to say it, and they dare not say it nonsense.
After hearing this, Kita Makoto felt a stir in his heart, knowing that his spring was coming. Fighting was a matter for the combat troops. To win over, divide and disintegrate the Chinese army was the specialty of his secret service. It was his turn to show off his talents!
Perhaps because the North China Front Army Aviation Group's reconnaissance methods for the Eighth Route Army Air Force were too simple, Terauchi Juichi asked Kita Seiichi to take the lead and Kinoshita Toshi to cooperate in studying the reconnaissance and combat plans against the Eighth Route Army Air Force to find this ghost.
Air Force, completely destroyed.
In view of the fact that Jinan is likely to face a fierce battle and the consequences of the battle are unpredictable, and the Eighth Route Army pays special attention to destroying the Japanese intelligence agency, and the role of the intelligence agency in large-scale battles is limited, Juichi Terauchi instructed Seiichi Kita to immediately send a message to Jinan's secret service agency Ohashi Xiongxiong.
report, quickly and secretly evacuated to Jinan to hide, and secretly collected intelligence on the Eighth Route Army instructors.
Kita Seiichi was so moved that he shed tears. He wished he could hold Juichi Terauchi's thigh and kiss him twice, promising again and again that he would fulfill his duties and never let down the trust of the Commander.
Terauchi Juichi once again turned to Kinoshita Toshi and ordered him to formulate a battle plan around the defense of Jinan and Qingdao. He will take it out tonight and he will look at it early tomorrow morning. There are two key points. One is to bomb the troops of Liu Yimin's department and cover the ground troops in combat.
The cover must not be interrupted for a moment. Another is to send multiple reconnaissance planes to conduct non-stop reconnaissance in the southern Shandong, southeastern Shandong, and Yimeng mountainous areas to search for traces of the Eighth Route Army Air Force. At the very least, the Eighth Route Army Air Force should be frightened into hiding in its lair and not dare to come out.
Ensure the operational safety of all units.
After Seiichi Kita and Toshiro Kinoshita left, Juichi Terauchi ordered the First Army, the Twelfth Army and the North China divisions to immediately report to him the troop situation and combat plans for his decision-making reference.
After Hisao Tani's telegram arrived, Touichi Terauchi saw it and was filled with admiration. He repeatedly praised Hisao Tani for being the commander of the Sixth Division. The whole plan was bold and novel. The only flaw was that Lunan's 35th Division was
The 14th Division is not the 2nd Division, the 5th Division, or the 6th Division. Otherwise, according to Hisao Tani's plan, Liu Yimin's lair can be wiped out in one fell swoop, and Liu Yimin's forces can be gathered and annihilated under Jinan City.
After thinking about it, Temple Shouichi felt that it was better to be cautious when fighting Liu Yimin. It was good for the 35th Division to advance northward and attack the Eighth Route Army, which was formed into an independent 13th Brigade.
The main force pursued. The 35th Division was no match for instructor Liu Yimin, and they must not steal a chicken without losing a handful of rice. Therefore, Shouichi in the temple called Hisao Tani back, saying that Jinan city defense must be strengthened to prevent Liu Yimin from taking risks and attacking Jinan rashly.
After the 35th Division receives the independent 13th Brigade, it should immediately rely on Tai'an to set up defenses, maintain strict vigilance, and strictly prohibit lone troops from protruding.
After handling the urgent military affairs, Juichi Terauchi remembered that Miss Masako was waiting for him, clean and white, and asked Naosaburo of the post to arrange the headquarters duty. After reporting any situation immediately, Juichi Terauchi moved his two shorts.
Chapter completed!