After listening to Yoshimoto Seiichi's analysis, Tanaka Shinichi did not rush to answer, but showed an imperceptible smile at the corner of his mouth. After a long time, he said: "Will things be as simple as the Kwantung Army imagined? There is no benefit, and this is China.
Wise words of wisdom. If it were purely for these points judged by Lieutenant General Gibbon, would they spend such a large amount of money and concentrate so many elite troops in Western Manchuria?"
"But whether the enemy's ambition is what we imagined, I believe it will be exposed bit by bit as the battle progresses. I just hope that the Kwantung Army will not be too passive by then, and don't steal
Instead of losing the loser, he was caught off guard by his opponent."
"The base camp believes that what is important now is that the Kwantung Army's counterattack in Western Manchuria must be launched across the board within three days. As for when the counterattack north of Xinjing will begin, it is still up to the Kwantung Army to decide. But there is one thing I want to remind you of.
, this battle is related to the future strategic destiny of the empire, and the Emperor is also paying close attention to it in Tokyo."
"Since the 23rd Division has taken the lead in counterattack, the main force of the Kwantung Army should not delay or hesitate at all. I think you two should know better than me about the 23rd Division's daily request for help telegrams.
The blood of the Third Division was almost dry. The Kwantung Army still ordered the 23rd Division to launch a counterattack first without giving any reinforcements. I think there must be an important reason."
"As for the reason why the Kwantung Army allowed a division that was almost bleeding to fight this forward, I don't want to know yet. But if the Kwantung Army delayed or even changed the original battle for some reason,
If the plan results in the total destruction of the 23rd Division, I think the Kwantung Army should consider how to deliver the message to the base camp."
Tanaka Shinichi's tough attitude made Umezu Meijiro and Yoshimoto Teiichi frown slightly, looking very dissatisfied. Although Tanaka Shinichi came here on behalf of the base camp, there is no doubt that it can be said for the Kwantung Army
The one above was the Imperial Envoy. But being pointed at the nose and reprimanded by a major general made the two of them very dissatisfied.
In particular, Major General Tanaka Shinichi's request that the Kwantung Army's counterattack in Northern Manchuria can wait until the weather permits, but the counterattack in Western Manchuria must be carried out in advance and cannot be carried out at the same time as the operation to the north, made the two
I personally feel a little angry.
He, Tanaka Shinichi, is also an Army Major General and a top student at Army University. It is not that he does not understand the principle that all actions on the battlefield must be a well-coordinated whole. In the Kwantung Army's plan, the relationship between Northern Manchuria and Western Manchuria
Actions are complementary to each other. They must be used as a whole to achieve the best results.
As for the action of the 23rd Division, it was just a tentative action in the Kwantung Army's overall counterattack plan. Of course, it can also be said to be a prelude to the entire Kwantung Army's counterattack in Western Manchuria. But the 23rd Division's counterattack was successful.
Whether it is or not does not affect the development of the entire Kwantung Army's combat plan.
The Kwantung Army's operations have almost been planned long ago and must be launched simultaneously in Northern Manchuria and Western Manchuria. It is impossible to make sudden changes due to the combat progress and casualties of a 23rd Division. Moreover, there is a sudden change in the weather.
, which no one could predict.
The 23rd Division is indeed important. If the entire army is really destroyed, the Kwantung Army will indeed be unable to explain to the base camp. But in the view of General Umezu Yoshijiro, if this counterattack can succeed, then the sacrifice of the 23rd Division is still worth it.
.And since you are a member of the Empire, you should be prepared to sacrifice for the Empire.
The Kwantung Army has already abandoned the 71st Division, so they don't care how many people are left in the 23rd Division after this battle. For them, as long as the 23rd Division can capture Sunjiaying
If you use the front line to separate Lin Xi's anti-alliance forces, you will achieve your own goal.
In fact, for Lieutenant General Umezu Yoshijiro and Yoshimoto Teiichi, the number of casualties is just a number. As long as the goal is achieved, the loss is also just a number. For them, as long as the goal is achieved, no matter how many casualties there are
All can be ignored.
They are not the only ones who uphold this concept. For every senior Japanese military officer, the lower-level officers and soldiers are nothing more than consumables to them. It’s just that some people say it more nicely, and some people do it in action.
It will be more direct. Apart from this subtle difference, there is no difference between all the senior Japanese military leaders, whether they are the second-generation Lu who were born with a silver spoon in their mouths or those who climbed up from the lowest level.
Although they were very dissatisfied, facing the aggressive Major General Tanaka Shinichi, as well as Lieutenant General Okabe Naosaburo who was also exerting pressure on behalf of the base camp, Umezu Meijiro and Yoshimoto Teiichi all chose to remain silent.
.They don’t want to have a direct conflict with these two guys who currently represent the headquarters and even the emperor on this matter.
They chose to remain silent, but that does not mean that Okabe Naosaburo and Tanaka Shinichi would also choose to remain silent. Among the two, Lieutenant General Okabe Naosaburo asked the Kwantung Army to carry out the orders of the base camp to the letter, while Tanaka Shinichi
A major general asked the Kwantung Army to launch a counterattack on the western front. They themselves had not yet reached an agreement, but they were all desperately asking the Kwantung Army to do what they asked for.
Looking at the scene in front of them, Umezu Yoshijiro and Yoshimoto Sadao looked at each other, but they were both laughing and crying. However, they were both laughing and crying, but the problem still had to be solved. These two were imperial envoys, and the identities they represented could not help but make Umezu Yoshijiro somewhat
Some taboos.
Since I took office, I have been most opposed to the behavior of the lower ranks in the Army overcoming the superiors. Since I took office, I have carried out a large-scale rectification of the traditional bad habits of the Japanese Army, which not only brought Japan such a huge dividend in Manchuria, but also brought countless troubles to Japan, and basically got rid of it.
For Yoshijiro Umezu, who had the most prominent and serious problem with the Kwantung Army, he had to consider the opinions of the base camp.
After a long silence, Umezu Yoshijiro said: "I can change the original plan of linking Western Manchuria and the north of Xinjing according to Major General Tanaka's request. However, the Second Division and the Fifth Division are currently on standby in the Luda area, preparing to go south.
The division must stay within the Kwantung Army's organizational structure to participate in this counterattack."
"Lieutenant General Okabe and Major General Tanaka should be aware that our opponents are no longer what they used to be. According to the current strength of the Kwantung Army, four divisions can now be officially declassified. In addition to the ones that have been transferred to
In addition to the 9th Division in Xinjing, as well as the 57th Division and the 51st Division fighting in Eastern Manchuria, the 7th, 11th, 12th, and 18th Divisions are currently fully formed.
"
"As for the 24th and 25th divisions, they will still serve as security guards in southern Manchuria. The reorganized 8th division will also remain as the general reserve team of the entire division. The current opponent is not Wu Xia Amen.
, there are hundreds of tanks alone in Western Manchuria. Currently, the Ninth Division and the Fifty-seventh Division around Xinjing must not move."
"Excluding these divisions, the Kwantung Army currently only dispatches four divisions, which is not enough in any case. It is absolutely impossible not to leave a reserve team with sufficient strength. The several reserve divisions promised by the base camp before
, but it has yet to arrive.”
"Not only did these two divisions fail to arrive, but the 10th and 14th Divisions already in Manchuria were transferred away from the Kwantung Army. The Second Division, which was reorganized in China, and the 3rd Division, which was assigned to the Kwantung Army,
The Fifth Division, after arriving in Manchuria, has been waiting in Kanto Prefecture and has been unable to join the battlefield."
"The base camp is unwilling to give up a penny of its capital, but requires the Kwantung Army to do this and that with the current limited strength. I want to ask, does the base camp not know that the current so-called resistance alliance, with the full support of the United States and the Soviet Union,
In addition to the number of soldiers, it has actually surpassed the Kwantung Army in terms of heavy weapons."
"The number of its tanks has exceeded the number currently equipped by the Kwantung Army. The number of large-caliber artillery is no less than that of the Kwantung Army. The number of new fighter jets is far higher than that of the Kwantung Army. In addition, its fierceness is far from
The combat effectiveness of the Chinese government forces is comparable to that of the Kwantung Army, and it can be said to be the Kwantung Army's number one enemy since the Manchurian Incident."
"To deal with such a powerful enemy, the base camp can't just save a dime and still cause trouble in disguise? The Kwantung Army's original plan was to create a man-made flood to block the follow-up offensive of the anti-Japanese armed forces north of Xinjing and in the direction of Jilin, and concentrate on dealing with it first
Anti-Japanese armed forces in Western Manchuria.”
"But now the base camp requires the Kwantung Army to act separately. This has undoubtedly disrupted the entire deployment of the Kwantung Army's forces and caused extreme tension in the use of troops. Unless Xinjing is abandoned, the Ninth and Fifty-seventh Divisions are transferred
The main force must return to defense, otherwise the current strength of the Kwantung Army will be difficult to meet the needs of Southern Manchuria."
"This does not include the gaps in heavy weapons and ammunition. Since the beginning of the year, the base camp has mobilized how much ammunition from Manchuria to Taiwan, Hainan Island, and Vietnam, especially the artillery shells that the Kwantung Army is in urgent need of. I think
You two are clear. Nearly 70% of the output of the Fengtian Arsenal has been allocated to the Southern Front Army and the China Expeditionary Force."
"By the time this battle broke out, the Kwantung Army's ammunition reserve was less than 70% of the standard. The reserve of large-caliber artillery shells was less than 100,000 rounds. Even the largest reserve of 75mm mountain artillery shells was not enough to meet the demand.
There is a standard 60%. Do you know how many artillery shells our opponents poured into us on the first day of the battle?"
"Let me tell you two, there were more than 80,000 artillery shells over 75 millimeters alone that fell on the front-line divisions that day. The density of its firepower is far beyond what the Chinese government forces can compare with.
.However, the Kwantung Army could only fire back more than 30,000 artillery shells on the first day of the battle."
"What kind of ratio is this? When did the empire and the Chinese army receive such unequal treatment? Why did the 23rd Division suffer such huge losses on the Linxi battlefield? It was because the anti-Japanese armed forces used heavy artillery and tanks to kill them.
They were blown to pieces. The enemy's shells on their heads in one day were more than twice as many as they fired back. Facing the enemy's firepower, the Kwantung Army no longer even has the ability to fight back reciprocally."
"There are also anti-tank guns that are urgently needed to deal with the large number of tanks currently equipped by the enemy, and the anti-aircraft guns required for air defense operations. The Kwantung Army is almost inexhaustible. Lieutenant General Okabe, Major General Tanaka, you have seen the overwhelming tanks and tanks rushing over.
Is there a plane? If not, don't stand there and talk without hurting your back."
"Not to mention the equipment necessary for combat, even cars and gasoline, the current quantity and reserves of the Kwantung Army are far from being able to meet the needs of the battle. The originally abundant gasoline reserves are constantly helping in the base camp.
Under the circumstances, it is already less than 50% of the minimum standard required by the Kwantung Army. All the fuel reserves of the entire Kwantung Army, except for the relatively sufficient aviation fuel, can only be used for one month."