"In addition, Shinozuka-kun, the blockade you have deployed in Shanxi is too bloated." Okamura Neji looked at Shinozuka Yoshio and said.
Yoshio Shinozuka paused hurriedly.
In order to implement the cage policy, the First Army did add many strongholds, but this was all to expand the blockade and completely encircle the Eighth Route Army.
Okamura Neiji continued: "And you actually knew very little about our enemy before the war started.
Facts have proven that the Eighth Route Army has been growing, but you were not aware of it, and you actually dispersed your troops and established so many useless strongholds."
Yoshio Shinozuka kept his head lowered and did not dare to say anything.
At that time, Yoshio Shinozuka never thought that the Eighth Route Army would dare to take the initiative to counterattack, and naturally he never thought that they could really succeed in their counterattack.
At first, all he could think about was using a blockade to cut off the supply lines of the Eighth Route Army, trapping and starving the Eighth Route Army inside the blockade, and achieving the effect of defeating the enemy without fighting.
But the reality is not satisfactory.
The blockade in Shanxi was indeed long enough, and it caused a lot of trouble to the Eighth Route Army in the early stages.
However, the consequence of expanding the blockade is that the ropes are not strong enough, and the strongholds look numerous and deceptive, but the troops inside the strongholds are very weak.
The first army only has over 100,000 people when it is full.
County towns, strongholds, military depots and other places were diluted, and almost 100,000 people were dispersed.
Okamura Neiji said coldly: "I don't understand why you have always maintained that stereotyped memory of the Eighth Route Army. I doubt how you did the post-war review."
The heads of all the officers were lowered.
Tactical review?
They do do it, but most of them blame each other and blame each other, thinking that the other party does not have adequate support and has problems in obtaining intelligence.
To sum it up, it’s not that the opponent is too strong, but that our teammates are too stupid. We will definitely win next time.
Conducting a tactical review with a stereotype in mind will not yield any good results.
Okamura Neji was too lazy to see how Yoshio Shinozuka was doing, and said directly: "We should rethink our current enemies.
Let me reiterate once again, the Eighth Route Army is no longer the weak team it was before. It is some useless strongholds and we must abandon them in time.
There is no need to waste troops on such bloated and useless strongholds, especially in some remote areas. I don't understand what the purpose of building strongholds there is.
It’s an isolated stronghold with no support around it. It only has the strength of a small detachment and has no defensive capabilities. What’s the use of such a stronghold!”
"Hai!" Yoshio Shinozuka paused without explaining too much.
Failure is failure. No matter how many reasons you give, you can't change the result of failure. Okamura Neji is already very angry.
If you continue to defend yourself, it is no different from seeking death.
"The strength of your First Army is the one that has requested the most reinforcements. The military headquarters has successively added many soldiers to you."
Okamura Neiji snorted coldly and said: "And now, I finally know why your battle losses are so great.
With such a stupid commander commanding a group of stupid subordinates, it is strange that the situation in Shanxi can be good."
Being publicly humiliated by Neji Okamura, Yoshio Shinozuka did not dare to speak, and his attitude became more and more respectful.
It is estimated that even if Yoshio Shinozuka was slapped a few times on the left cheek, he would greet it with a smile and extend his right cheek.
"Thanks to your battle losses, the Eighth Route Army has grown rapidly. Some Eighth Route Army troops actually have heavy artillery. I will not go into details about the equipment losses.
The enemy has changed from a pile of scrap metal to sophisticated weapons, and their military quality has improved step by step, but you still maintain a stereotype about them."
Okamura Neji spoke louder and louder, and the people below him lowered their heads.
Even if they wanted to refute, they couldn't find any reason.
Looking at the officer who lowered his head below, Okamura Neji felt increasingly disappointed.
These guys in front of me are simply a bunch of idiots.
Although Okamura Neiji really wanted to give the First Army a major refresh, it was difficult to train officers, and it was not easy to replenish the army.
He can only try his best to change the current situation of the First Army and attract their attention to the Eighth Route Army.
The conference room has become a personal show for Okamura Neji.
"This defeat was entirely due to the stupidity of the command post and your lack of correct understanding of the current situation. The deployment of troops was even more of a mess."
Okamura Neiji said: "I repeat, get rid of some bloated strongholds and concentrate our troops. Some unimportant intersections can be completely abandoned."
"Deploy against the Eighth Route Army and concentrate our forces so that we can generate powerful explosive power."
"Although the Eighth Route Army has developed, they do not have many advantages because they do not have the ability to fully industrialize."
"They do not have the ability to manufacture or repair some weapons and equipment, but we have an arsenal and can replenish weapons and equipment at any time."
"As long as we completely encircle the enemy's main force, cut off their support routes, and tear apart the Eighth Route Army's base areas, these Eighth Route Army troops will be nothing but turtles in a jar!"
"Then we can gradually carry out raids on the enemy's base areas, clean up the enemies in the blockade area, and gradually eliminate the Eighth Route Army in the Shanxi area."
"Best regards, Your Excellency, General!" Yoshio Shinozuka said flatteringly.
Okamura Neji didn't take it seriously to Yoshio Shinozuka's compliment.
"On the way here, I have redeployed various strongholds!" Okamura Neji waved his hand.
Yoshio Shinozuka took two steps forward and picked up the folder on the table.
Open it and take a look.
The above is about the distribution of strongholds in various mountainous areas, excluding some bloated and remote locations.
Even so, the blockade seems to be even tighter.
After all, he is a general, Yoshio Shinozuka sighed inwardly, and his attitude became more and more respectful.
"Adjust the deployment of the imperial army as soon as possible, take advantage of this period to rest and reorganize the troops as soon as possible, expand equipment production capacity, and prepare for the next stage of mopping up operations."
"Hai, I understand!" Yoshio Shinozuka paused and said.
"Now we can talk about the issue of the 28th Regiment." Okamura Neji said solemnly.
On the way here, he carefully read the information about the 28th Regiment.
"Not counting the puppet troops in various places, after replenishment, the total strength of the First Army is only 120,000, but as far as I know, the number of the 28th Regiment of the Eighth Route Army is close to 10,000."
Okamura Neji slowly stretched out a finger.
"This is close to the strength of a brigade of ours, but it is just a regiment of the Eighth Route Army. None of us knows how many regiments like this there are.
This team dares to fight hard, and even defeated the imperial army several times in hand-to-hand combat, which the imperial army is proud of."
After a pause, Okamura Neiji said: "And they actually captured the Chief of Staff of the North China Front Army. I can be sure that this 28th Regiment will definitely be a serious problem for the Imperial Army in the future."
"Your Excellency, General Miyano, the capture of General Miyano was just an accident because there was a problem with the plane..." Yamamoto Kazuki couldn't help but defend.
They have been scolded from the beginning and have been almost demoted to the point of being worthless. As a result, the morale of the Eighth Route Army has now been improved.
"Humph, an accident?" Shinozuka Yoshio glanced at Yamamoto Kazuki and said, "If General Miyano was an accident, what about the fact that His Highness the Prince was shot to death?"
"Could this be an accident? Yamamoto-kun, I have said many times not to underestimate your enemies, why do you still not understand?"
Yamamoto Kazuki's breath was stagnant and he did not dare to say another word.
"We should now focus on how to solve the big trouble of the 28th Regiment. If we allow it to grow, the consequences will be disastrous." Okamura Neiji said solemnly.
"So we must destroy the 28th Regiment, let them understand the consequences of angering the imperial army, and avenge General Miyano!"
All the officers in the conference room fell into silence again.
Not long ago, they attacked the 28th Regiment once, but the result was a disastrous defeat, and they were almost beaten and fled.
"This unit is very good at positional warfare, especially in defense. Not only does the opposite side have solid fortifications, it can even lure the enemy deep through tunnels."
"There is a saying in China: divide and eat." Neiji Okamura said: "Since the enemy has already shown its fangs, there is no need for us to attack what the enemy is good at."
"Divide it and eat it?" Yoshio Shinozuka was puzzled.
Okamura Neji nodded and said: "Yes, the enemy has strong troops and horses, there is no need for us to send a large number of troops to fight them.
We should think of ways to disperse the enemy's forces, separate all the enemy's troops, and split their large troops into small units.
In this way, it will be very easy for the imperial army to deal with these small troops."
"Congratulations, Your Excellency, General!" Yoshio Shinozuka paused and said.
After Neji Okamura said this, he suddenly realized that his previous command was a complete mess.
The 28th Regiment as a whole has strong troops and well-equipped guns and artillery.
If we separate them, no matter how strong the troops are, they will become as weak as ants.
The officer sitting below also agreed with Okamura Neji's words.
By diluting the strength of the 28th Regiment, the pressure on them will be much less when they start fighting.
If a regiment cannot defeat it, what if it is a battalion, a company, or even a platoon?
There's no way they can't even defeat a platoon of Eighth Route Army soldiers.
"General, I have a different opinion." Yamamoto Kazuki suddenly said.
Okamura Neji frowned slightly and glanced at Yamamoto Kazuki, not understanding what this guy wanted to say.
After a pause, Okamura Neiji said: "I said, everyone can speak freely in this meeting, and you can express your opinions."
"I feel that launching a fatal blow against the enemy's headquarters may also bring different effects." Yamamoto Kazuki said solemnly.
He felt that Okamura Neji's attitude towards him was not good.
This made Kazuki Yamamoto feel a deep sense of crisis.
If Okamura Neji didn't like special operations, he would probably be marginalized.
This kind of veteran generals who graduated from military academies look down upon the new combat method of special operations. In their minds, the best results can be achieved on the frontal battlefield.
In particular, his special tactics did not shine, but he was defeated one after another. This was what worried Yamamoto Kazuki the most.
Okamura Neji frowned slightly: "Yamamoto, you want to talk about your special tactics again?"
In fact, Okamura Neji really despises this tactic.
What small-scale military force can make a difference on the battlefield?
There was a Takakura Hayabusa in the front, and now there is a Yamamoto Kazuki.
These two idiots are full of special tactics.
As a result, there was no achievement on the battlefield.
The empire spent a lot of money to send them to study in Germany.
It's okay for them to choose an unpopular subject, but there is no such thing as special operations that is so popular that it really flourishes on the battlefield.
As a result, even if he could boast, Okamura Neji would not believe in this tactic.
Okamura Neji did not hide the contempt in his eyes at all.
Yoshio Shinozuka signaled Kazuki Yamamoto not to continue talking.
But Yamamoto Kazuki was extremely insistent: "Yes, General, I believe that special operations will definitely shine on the battlefield in the future.
Fighting with large corps will one day be abandoned by the times. We should not be complacent and should find ways to appropriately change our tactics!"
"Nonsense!" Neji Okamura slammed the table and said angrily.
Yamamoto Kazuki paused and said: "General, you changed the deployment of the First Army when you first arrived in order to innovate. Why can't you accept special operations?"
"Special operations, Yamamoto, why didn't you save your ears during your special operations!" Neji Okamura said sharply.
"I was attacked by the enemy, causing an important prisoner of the imperial army to escape. I haven't been held accountable for this matter, but you actually dare to question me here!"
"Your Excellency, General, I dare not question you because of my humble position!" Yamamoto Kazuki paused: "Your Excellency, General, this is precisely because the enemy used special operations!"
"Since the enemy has already used this tactic, we should continue to carry out special operations to avoid not knowing our enemies at all.
General, didn’t you also say that we should know our opponents!”
"Asshole, Yamamoto, you are too presumptuous!" Neji Okamura snapped: "I have no interest in your special operations.
I think you are more familiar with it than anyone else. What is the use of your special operations? Successive failures have not disbanded you. Yamamoto and Shinozuka Yoshio must have helped you a lot!"
Hearing this, Yoshio Shinozuka trembled with fright.
Yamamoto Kazuki is his subordinate, so Yoshio Shinozuka is naturally very fond of him.
"General, please think carefully. General Miyano is still in the enemy's army. We need to rescue him as soon as possible." Yamamoto Kazuki said again.
"Besides, it is difficult for us to kill the commander of the 28th Regiment when a large corps is fighting. Don't you, General, want to see with your own eyes what the commander of the 28th Regiment looks like?"
"When fighting with a large army, the enemy will definitely be on guard, but at this time, if a small force sneaks in, unexpected results will be achieved."
Hearing this, Okamura Neji's expression softened a little.
Why was he so angry? It was not because his chief of staff was captured alive by the Eighth Route Army, which made him, the commander of the front army, disgraceful.
"Your Excellency, General, I am humble enough to issue a military order. I will definitely rescue General Miyano and deliver the commander of the 28th Regiment to you!" Kazuki Yamamoto paused.