Xuzhou, with the arrival of Kenji Doihara, other senior Japanese military officials appeared in Xuzhou one after another.
Not to mention the lurking personnel of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, even ordinary people can clearly sense that the entire atmosphere in Xuzhou has become depressed.
Groups of heavily armed Japanese soldiers were stationed in the barracks outside the train station. Trucks hauling weapons and ammunition and tanks emitting black smoke were as far as the eye could see.
In a tea shop outside Xuzhou City, merchants passing by were hiding from the sun. They were chatting and laughing.
Suddenly, pedestrians on the road hurriedly rushed towards the roadside. A large group of Japanese cavalry roared over, waving their riding whips. Some pedestrians who could not dodge were immediately whipped by the riding whips, and some were even knocked away by Japanese war horses.
Perhaps seeing a crowd gathering at the tea shop, the leading Japanese officer waved his hand, and several Japanese cavalry stopped in front of the tea shop.
This scene made everyone in the tea shop turn pale with fright. They did not dare to move or sit down. Several pedestrians who were knocked down by the Japanese cavalry on the road were howling in pain.
One of the Japanese second lieutenants had a childish face, and the hair on the corners of his mouth had not yet faded. It looked like he had just joined the army, and he pointed at the pedestrians on the road.
"You guys, drag them over here!"
Everyone in the teahouse looked at me and I looked at you, but no one dared to move. Seeing this, another Japanese cavalryman made a gesture of pulling the gun bolt: "Hurry up, or you will die!"
"Taijun, let's go now, let's go now!" The shopkeeper of the tea shop didn't dare to raise his head and waved his hands to the guests around him.
Several of the pedestrians were trampled by the horses and had lost their breath after being trampled by the war horses. After some pulling, they even lost their breath. The blood stains remaining on the ground were extremely dazzling.
The shopkeeper rubbed the loose soil on the ground with the soles of his feet, trying to bury the blood stains, and looked at the little devil's actions from time to time, with a forced smile on his face.
"Yo Xi, you are very good!" the Japanese second lieutenant who was still riding on the horse praised, and then said to several other Japanese cavalry: "Everyone, come down and have a rest, there is no need to be too nervous!"
Without waiting for the other Japanese soldiers to reply, he immediately dismounted and sat on a stool in the tea shop, untied the buckle around his neck, and placed an extremely exquisite command knife on the table.
These Japanese cavalry were the reconnaissance force of the chariot brigade and were responsible for guarding along the way. However, the Japanese troops coming from outside the customs were used to being arrogant. In addition, this place was not far from Xuzhou City, so they did not pay attention to the pedestrians along the way.
The Japanese second lieutenant asked the injured pedestrian to be pulled aside not out of kindness, but because he did not want the passing tank to be contaminated with dirt.
One of the Japanese army sergeants, who was about thirty years old, hesitated slightly after hearing this, but due to the commander's order, he could only respond: "Hey, hurry up, follow the command of the commander Yamashita!"
Several Japanese soldiers sat around two tables. The shopkeeper on the side served two pots of herbal tea and several plates of snacks with a wink without waiting for the Japanese to speak.
The Japanese second lieutenant drank a cup of herbal tea, and the expression on his face was obviously very satisfied: "The weather in northern China is too hot, and it is far less comfortable than staying in Manchuria!"
"I really don't know why we chose to fight at this time. Many soldiers in the tank unit are showing signs of heatstroke!"
Facing the commander's rants, several other Japanese soldiers remained silent. The Japanese sergeant was worried about refuting the commander's face and causing the commander's displeasure, so he had to agree: "The weather in Manchuria is indeed cool, but I heard that the weather in Southeast Asia is even worse.
!”
The sergeant paused after speaking, and then mentioned seemingly unintentionally: "I just don't know if my brigade will need to follow the infantry division to continue fighting in Southeast Asia after the battle in North China is over!"
As soon as these words came out, they immediately resonated with the Japanese soldiers present, and they immediately turned their attention to the Japanese second lieutenant.
The Japanese base camp still insisted on sending more troops to the Southern Army, but ordinary Japanese soldiers did not think so, especially the soldiers of the Kwantung Army. Most of them were veterans who had been in the war for many years and were not as easy to fool as young people.
The Kwantung Army exclusively owned the entire Manchukuo. Although it needed to guard against threats from the Soviet Union from the north, its living standards were extremely high, and it was a veritable emperor in the puppet Manchukuo.
Even an ordinary soldier can get whatever he wants in the defense zone. After living a comfortable life for too long, he naturally doesn't want to live a hard life anymore.
The Japanese second lieutenant felt the inquiring glances from the crowd. His self-esteem was unprecedentedly satisfied and he straightened up: "Gentlemen, our chariot brigade is the elite of the empire. Naturally, we will not be used like ordinary infantry divisions and can move easily.
No!"
"This time the situation of the Eighth Route Army in North China was extremely difficult to control, so our brigade was allowed to move south from the north. As for the specific post-war arrangements, I have not heard accurate news yet!"
"But as long as you make more contributions in this battle, your promotion after the war will be just as it should be!"
Although I didn't hear the exact answer, when I heard what the second lieutenant said, the other little devils immediately started to flatter me.
"Under the leadership of Commander Yamashita, we will definitely make more military exploits. The Eighth Route Army will be vulnerable to a single blow!"
"Hey, Commander Yamashita is young and promising, and he can command well. He will win this battle. Long live the Empire of Japan, and long live Commander Yamashita!"
The Japanese second lieutenant is named Yamashita Tomita. He is a cavalryman directly affiliated with the headquarters of the 4th Japanese Tank Brigade. His true identity is the third son of the 2nd Area Commander Yamashita Tomibumi.
He just graduated from the tank school in Siping later that year, and Yamashita Tomita once led an observation group to Germany for inspection after the Battle of Nomonkan. He can be called the founder of the Japanese tank force, so after Yamashita Tomita graduated, he was assigned to the tank unit.
force.
Yamashita Tomita originally joined the 4th Chariot Brigade for gold-plating. Before the war, the brigade commander of his brigade intended to transfer him to the brigade headquarters for protection. However, this guy has always been arrogant and arrogant, and insisted on joining the front-line troops.
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Not long after, the roar of a chariot was heard in the distance, and the herbal tea in the tea bowl even overflowed. Seeing this, several other Japanese soldiers hurriedly got up and came to the outside of the tea shop to greet them. On the other hand, Tomita did not move at all.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! At this time, the guests in the tea shop were hiding in a corner and huddled together. The vibration caused by the chariot actually caused them to get into a mess.
Rows of tanks emitted billowing black smoke, and a large number of trucks carried Japanese soldiers, weapons and ammunition, and artillery was dragged behind the trucks, which fully demonstrated the power of the tank brigade.
One of the tanks with the regimental flag was heavily protected by the Japanese army. The Japanese brigade commander Hideo Yamaji in the car noticed Yamashita Tomita's actions through the observation hole and couldn't help but shake his head.
"With great ambition and limited talent, he is not as generous as his father!" Hideo Yamaji thought to himself.
The chief of staff on the side observed the situation and immediately said: "Brigade commander, would you like to transfer Yamashita Tomita back to the brigade headquarters? If something goes wrong, I'm afraid..."
"What are you afraid of? This is his own choice. I think this is the model that imperial soldiers should have. Commander Yamashita also supports it. Your worries are a bit unnecessary!"
"Hey, brigade commander, you are right!"
A large army of Japanese tanks slowly passed by the tea shop. Yamashita Tomita was about to get up and mount his horse. Unexpectedly, the hatch cover of a tank lifted up and a little Japanese poked his head out.
"Hey, Mr. Yamashita is so relaxed and relaxed. We are all marching hard, but you are drinking herbal tea!"
"But I won't let you, just watch from behind as I massacre the Eighth Route Army!"
This ridicule made Yamashita Tomita's expression suddenly change, but before he could retort, the person who came hid back in the chariot: "Baga, Tojo Toshio, how dare you insult me like this!"
Yamashita Tomita pulled out his ancestral saber, split the stool in front of him into two pieces, and then directed his fierce eyes at the people in the tea shop who were watching all this.
"Taijun, spare my life, spare your life!"
One of the guests, dressed as a porter, saw something was wrong and hurriedly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I wish you great success!"
After hearing this, Yamashita Tomita put his sword back into its scabbard. After all the little devils left, the tea shop owner and the guests got up.
One of them ventured out of the tea shop and looked in the direction of the Japanese army until he was sure that there was no trace of the Japanese army. He said to that side: "Damn you, you idiot, let the Eighth Route Army suddenly kill you!"
When the customer dressed as a porter saw this, he said to the shopkeeper: "Shopkeeper, do you have many little devils passing by you these days?"
The shopkeeper glanced at the porter suspiciously: "Last night there was a group heading west in a truck. There was movement for more than ten minutes. Today this is the second group!"
"I heard from guests coming and going that these little devils all came by train. They were all at the train station in the north of Xuzhou. It seems they are going to attack the Eighth Route Army!"
Others also echoed: "Isn't that right? A few days ago, there was a lot of movement in Shangqiu. I heard that the Eighth Route Army Wuyang Wuyang dispatched hundreds of thousands of people!"
"Everyone, everyone was lucky today and saved his life. I think it's better to close down my tea shop first and let everyone go!"
The guests hurried home with their belongings, but the porter took out a few cents from his pocket and pointed to the dead people on the ground: "Shopkeeper, do you know these people? Bring them home."
If you don’t recognize me, please bury it!”
"Hey, what do you think you are doing? They are all Chinese, and they are also frequent visitors. I can't ignore them!" Before the shopkeeper could finish his words, the porter forced the money into his hand.
"No, you didn't take anything!"
"Give it to you!"
At the Japanese Army Headquarters in Xuzhou, many Japanese generals were sitting together. A quick glance revealed that there were two Japanese generals, several lieutenant generals, and the following officers were not eligible to participate.
Xuzhou was originally the home court of Tanaka Kuichi, the commander of the 21st Division, but at this time, the commander of the Second Front, Yamashita Fengwen, took over the throne and sat directly on the main seat.
Deputy Commander and Commander of the 14th Division, Kenji Doihara, Commander of the 57th Division, Nobuhiro Okayama, Commander of the 12th Division, Masaichi Kawabe, Commander of the 71st Division, Hitomi
Hidezo, Akira Muto, commander of the Guards Division.
These old devils sat on both sides of the conference table.
"Gentlemen, preparations for the Battle of the Central Plains have been going on for nearly a month. Now the war has finally begun. The headquarters has ordered me to take full command of the Battle of the Central Plains. Do you have any doubts?"
Yamashita Nobumi was not only a military general, but judging from his tenure, he was involved in many political aspects. At this time, since the power game behind him had already been completed, he got straight to the point.
How could anyone else have any problems? The combat meeting was originally supposed to be held in Peiping, but due to a dispute between Yamashita Fengfumi and Ishihara Wanji, the venue was eventually changed to Xuzhou.
Even the two division commanders who were preparing to fight on both sides of the Ping-Han Railway were not allowed to temporarily leave their troops and rush to Xuzhou to show their obedience to Yamashita Fengwen.
Nobuhiro Okayama, the commander of the 57th Division, was an old subordinate of Yamashita Fengfumi. He immediately stood up and responded: "If you are willing to obey the orders of Commander Yamashita, long live the Empire of Japan and long live His Majesty the Emperor!"
The other people all agreed. Kenji Doihara, who was sitting on the left hand side, had a clear understanding of the situation at the scene. This move was nothing more than a show of force against him.
"What effect can it achieve? A mantis' arm is like a chariot!" Kenji Doihara sneered in his heart, but he was the only one who did not stand up to express his attitude.
"Whether Yamashita Fengwen can secure his position is still a matter of debate!" Zhou Weihan said.
"Isn't it possible? He is the commander after all, but the leader can't speak well? The kid doesn't even have a political commissar?"
The Japanese army was having a meeting, and the Eighth Route Army was not idle either. Zhou Weihan heard Li Yunlong's doubts and scolded: "You are the only one who talks nonsense!"
"According to reliable information, this group of Kwantung Army was originally going to reinforce Southeast Asia, and the Guards Division that was docked in Haizhou Bay was transferred back from Southeast Asia. What do you think is going on?"
Li Yunlong opened his mouth and said: "Damn it, didn't the little devil take off his pants and fart? Isn't it unnecessary?"
"Old Li, don't you understand? There are factions within the Japanese army. I'm thinking that we must let our own people come back first and let other troops go to the front to take the lead!"
Although Ding Wei's guess was just a joke, it also told part of the truth.
Zhou Weihan said: "Since we heard that the Kwantung Army went south, we have been preparing. As a result, the 35th Division was crippled, but the Kwantung Army has not made any move. Now I know that the Japanese army has made a series of personnel adjustments.
Look at the Japanese army coming in force, but there are great internal contradictions!"
Doihara Kenji dared to refute Yamashita Fengfumi's reputation in public, so he naturally had something to rely on. His transfer from military counselor to front army deputy commander before the war is the best proof of this.
Yamashita Nobumi is a general of the Kodo faction and the current prime minister, while Prime Minister Hideki Tojo is the core of the ruling faction. The two have always been competitors, but Hideki Tojo has always been able to control Yamashita Nobumi and even usurped the position of Prime Minister.
Feeling that the power of the Kodo faction, which had been suppressed, was showing signs of rising, Tojo responded to the Southern Army's request for additional reinforcements and transferred Yamashita Fengfumi from the puppet Manchukuo.
For Yamashita Tomofumi, who had been sitting on the bench as the commander of the Kwantung Army Defense Forces, this was naturally an opportunity to regain power, but Tojo Hideki was not so kind.
Except for the 57th Division, which was an old subordinate of the National Defense Force, the other divisions successively changed their division commanders before the war.
Kenji Doihara was a proper opportunist. In order to show his loyalty to Hideki Tojo, he not only served as his deputy, but also returned to his old army, the 14th Division, as the division commander, in order to form a counterweight to Yamashita Hideki.
It can be seen that the factional strife within the Japanese army has become increasingly serious.