"The current chief of staff of the Japanese Kwantung Army, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadichi."
Zhao Gang on the side said:
"This person will fly from Beiping Xijiao Airport to Taiyuan in the middle of this month to take up the post of commander of the First Army. He will be accompanied by a major general of the Japanese Kwantung Army and several assistant officers and staff."
Kong Jie was slightly surprised: "Yoshio Iwamatsu has been dismissed?"
In terms of tactical command ability and strategic vision, the current commander of the First Army, Yoshio Iwamatsu, is obviously not as good as the previous commander of the First Army, Yoshio Shinozuka.
After Shinozuka Yoshio was killed, the reason why Okamura Neji promoted Iwamatsu Yoshio to the position of commander of the First Army was mainly because he wanted Iwamatsu Yoshio to lure Yan Xishan to surrender and change the situation in Shanxi.
However, Yan Xishan did not really want to defect to the Japanese. With Yan Xishan's shrewdness, he would not defect to the Japanese army now.
Li Yunlong wanted the Jinsui Army to join the Japanese army, so when he dealt with the Japanese army, he would also deal with the Jinsui Army together.
Zhao Gang nodded.
Kong Jie's tone was slightly cold: "After suffering such a huge defeat, the old devil Yoshio Iwamatsu didn't actually perform a caesarean section to apologize?"
The Japanese general's disembowelment to apologize for being defeated by Li Yunlong's troops was also counted in Li Yunlong's business.
"Officers at the level of Lieutenant General of the Japanese Army rarely have a caesarean section to apologize. At most, they will be dismissed from their posts," Chief of Staff Wang Dehou said.
"What about Yoshio Iwamatsu?" Ding Wei asked, "Let this old devil go?"
Li Yunlong said: "I originally wanted to kill the old devil Yoshio Iwamatsu first, but Boss Chen's latest information said that Yoshimoto Teiichi also brought a confidant major general. Killing Yoshimoto Teiichi is more cost-effective than killing Iwamatsu Yoshio, so
I changed my previous plan and planned to kill Yoshimoto Seiichi and this major general first."
After taking a sip of water, Li Yunlong continued: "After Yoshimoto Teichi is killed, Iwamatsu Yoshio will definitely continue to serve as the commander of the First Army."
"When the time comes, when we capture Taiyuan, Yoshio Iwamatsu will still die, but it will just be a little later."
Ding Wei asked again: "When will this old devil Yoshimoto Seiichi come?"
No need to guess, Ding Wei already knew how Li Yunlong would kill Yoshimoto Seiichi and the Kwantung Army major general.
Last time, Kohisao took two major generals to Peking Airport to observe the First Army.
Boss Chen received the information half a month in advance and then handed it over to Li Yunlong. Li Yunlong personally led the cavalry and air defense troops to shoot down Gu Hisao's plane on the way.
With the lessons learned from the shooting down of Gushoufu, Major General Ji Ziyun and Lieutenant General's planes flying from Peiping to Taiyuan will be more cautious.
It is impossible to shoot down the Japanese transport plane with anti-aircraft guns on the way like last time.
but……
Now the new regiment has radar and Sabre fighter jets.
As long as the intelligence is accurate, no matter which direction the plane Yoshimoto Seiichi takes to fly to Taiyuan, it will not escape the clutches of Li Yunlong.
"The middle of this month." Li Yunlong said calmly, "We are currently waiting for the information from Boss Chen."
Ding Wei nodded, not doubting Boss Chen's intelligence capabilities at all. Boss Chen's spies had already penetrated into the North China Front Army Headquarters.
It is estimated that as soon as Yoshimoto Seiichi took off from Manchuria, the flight information of Yoshimoto Seiichi and the Kwantung Army major general was placed on Li Yunlong's desk.
After a pause, Li Yunlong continued: "According to Boss Chen's information, the Japanese base camp allocated another flying team to the North China Front. This flying team is the 1st flying team of the 1st flying division of the Japanese army, equipped with 24 of the most advanced Japanese aircraft.
The fighter jet also flew from Manchuria to Peiping in the middle of this month, at the same time as Yoshimoto Seiichi arrived in Peiping."
"In this case," Kong Jie asked, "the North China Front must have 70 aircraft, right?"
"Almost!" Ding Wei nodded, stared at the map and analyzed, "Okamura Neji, this old devil, seems to want to cause a big wave!"
In the battle of Dagu Town, two flying regiments of the North China Front were directly destroyed, leaving only more than 30 aircraft.
Over the Taigu defense line in Taiyuan, eight more Japanese planes were shot down by Boss Chen's planes.
However, the Japanese added two more flying squadrons, so the Japanese now have almost 70 aircraft.
After a pause, Ding Wei looked at Li Yunlong and asked: "Old Li, have you obtained the distribution information of the Japanese planes?"
"Most of the Japanese planes are at Beiping Xijiao Airport."
Li Yunlong narrowed his eyes slightly and raised the corners of his mouth:
"A small number of reconnaissance aircraft and transport aircraft are at other airports."
"Kill one Japanese plane, and Boss Chen will give us one plane. Once we kill all the planes of the North China Front, we can get almost 70 planes!"
When Ding Wei and Kong Jie heard this, their eyes suddenly became a little hotter.
The more aircraft there are, the greater the intensity of air support.
"What a pity!" Kong Jie said, "It will be at least two months before the next batch of pilots graduate and return. Even if we add these 50 pilots, we don't have that many pilots at the moment."
"I suggest that the next batch of aircraft be exchanged for a batch of training aircraft."
Ding Wei said in a deep voice:
"We must also build our own aviation school as soon as possible."
"That's right!" Li Yunlong nodded, "That's what I thought. The head of the headquarters sent a telegram that YA is already building an airport and is preparing to build an aviation school."
Upon hearing this, the eyes of Ding Wei and Kong Jie were filled with expectation.
Once the aviation school is built, the Eighth Route Army's air force will definitely grow stronger.
Boss Chen will definitely provide strategic bombers in the future.
After the North China Front is eliminated, airports can be built along the coast and strategic bombers can be dispatched to bomb the Japanese mainland.
Bombing the Japanese mainland is no longer a dream.
It is even possible to counterattack the Japanese mainland in the future.
…
Peking.
Iron Lion Alley.
Japanese Army North China Front Headquarters.
Just as Ding Wei expected, Neji Okamura, Moritake Tanabe and Seizo Arisu are planning big moves.
"Your Excellency, General, this is the sweep plan formulated by the staff department. Please take a look at it."
Tanabe Moritake held a document in both hands and handed it respectfully to Okamura Neji, while Sue Seizo stood beside him with his hands behind his back.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Neji Okamura took the documents and opened the battle plan to read it.
The combat officers of the General Staff have been changed several times, and the only two who have not been changed are Tanabe Moritake and Arisu Seizo.
Although these two people are suspicious, they are very capable.
After testing by Okamura Neiji, neither of them were suspected to be senior agents of the Eighth Route Army lurking in the North China Front.
At least there is no evidence that the two are senior agents of the Eighth Route Army.
The battle plan formulated by Tanabe Shengwu this time was not to wipe out the Eighth Route Army in northwest Shanxi, but to wipe out the Eighth Route Army in the Central Hebei Military Region.
Although the base camp is already mobilizing combat supplies to the North China Front Army.
He also urged Okamura Neiji to assemble his troops as soon as possible and launch a mopping up operation against the new regiment of the Eighth Route Army in North Shanxi.
However, Okamura Neiji was very powerful and knew the gap between the North China Front Army and the Eighth Route Army. He might not be able to win in a field battle, let alone take the initiative to attack the base areas in northwestern Shanxi.
Once the North China Front gathers its main force to attack the Eighth Route Army in northwest Shanxi, the main force of more than 200,000 Eighth Route Army in southeastern Shanxi will definitely not sit idly by.
By then, I'm afraid the Japanese army will suffer heavy losses again.
Okamura Neiji really wanted to sweep northwestern Shanxi, but he calculated his costs and found that he couldn't defeat them.
Therefore, Okamura Neiji decided to attack the Eighth Route Army in the Jizhong Military Region first.
This is the annual key battle plan that Okamura Neiji originally formulated at the beginning of the year.
It was determined that this year "especially the focus will be on the security in the northern part of HEB Province and strive to complete the mission of the National Army General Depot Base."
After the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Japanese army was even more eager to restore public order in North China and turn North China into a military base for the war.
Moreover, the Jizhong Anti-Japanese Base Area posed a major threat to the operation of the Pinghan, Jinpu, Shide and Beining railways, the main transportation lines of the Japanese army.
More importantly, once the Japanese army gathers heavy troops for a decisive battle with the Eighth Route Army in Shanxi, the Eighth Route Army in the Jizhong Military Region will definitely attack the Japanese army or cut off the Japanese army's supply line.
And before that, Okamura Neiji launched a mopping up operation against the Central Hebei Military Region, that is, an iron rolling mopping up operation.
Although some results were achieved, the main force of the Eighth Route Army in the Jizhong Military Region slipped away.
The combat plan is mainly to use the 35th Division, the 110th Division, the 9th Composite Brigade, and the 4th Cavalry Brigade as the main force, with the 27th Division cooperating with the 1st and 2nd Flying Groups.
The Eighth Route Army carried out a sudden attack and encirclement operation on the main force of the Chinese Communist Army in the so-called Jizhong area to eliminate its base areas. At the same time, it used various political, economic and ideological strategies to achieve the goal of policing the area in one fell swoop.
The entire operation is expected to take one month.
"Yoshi!"
After reading the entire battle plan, Okamura Neji nodded expressionlessly and closed the documents in his hand:
"Just follow this plan, but it must be kept secret. Before launching an attack on the Eighth Route Army, frequently mobilize troops to confuse the Eighth Route Army headquarters."
"The time to launch the mopping up attack is set on May 1st!"
"In addition, the combat plan must be kept secret!"
Tanabe Moritake and Arisu Seizo were quite capable, and the combat plans they made were very detailed and very feasible.
Work steadily, step by step, and don't rush for success.
Of course, it was mainly a battle plan made under the guiding ideology of Okamura Neiji.
"Hi!"
Tanabe Moritake and Yumo Seisan both bowed their heads.
Looking at the back of the chief and deputy chief of staff leaving, Okamura Neiji pushed up his round glasses.
The Locust Army cannot deal with the Eighth Route Army in northwest Shanxi, so why can't it destroy the Eighth Route Army in your Central Hebei Military Region?
The Jizhong area and northwest Shanxi are separated by hundreds of kilometers. I, Okamura Neiji, don't believe that Li Yunlong can reach out to the Jizhong area!
Much more troops and combat materials were used in this sweep than in the last iron-rolling sweep.
Regarding this mopping up operation, Okamura Neiji was very confident.
…
but.
Even if the North China Front Army Headquarters keeps it secret.
That night, the Japanese army's May Day mopping-up battle plan was placed on Li Yunlong's desk.
"The Japanese are going to mobilize heavy troops to raid the Jizhong Military Region?"
Looking at the intelligence materials sent by Yan Shuangying sent by Boss Chen on the table in front of him, Li Yunlong looked thoughtful.
He thought that Okamura Nei was going to mobilize heavy troops to raid northwestern Shanxi.
Li Yunlong was already prepared for the Japanese mopping up. After defeating the Japanese mopping up troops, he would launch another counterattack to wipe out the Japanese.
Even if all the Japs cannot be eliminated, we must drive the Japs out of Shanxi and regain Shanxi.
"Interesting." Li Yunlong sneered in his heart, "Okamura Neji, this old devil, is so cowardly..."
"If the old Japanese don't plan to attack northwest Shanxi, then I, Li Yunlong, will attack!"
Now that the planes and pilots are in place, it's time to prepare to eliminate the Japs in Shanxi.
The main force of the Eighth Route Army in northwestern Shanxi and southeastern Shanxi has exceeded 300,000, and including the militia, the number has exceeded 500,000.
In terms of firepower, the Eighth Route Army completely crushed the Japanese army and had air support and air superiority.