Seitaro Takei ignored everyone present and looked surprised after hearing his judgment. He continued as if he was giving his last words: "Why did the empire, despite having an absolute advantage on the battlefield in China, lose its power?" It was never possible to capture all of China."
"I think everyone here is very clear about the reason. There is actually only one real reason, and that is that the current front line is already the limit for the empire. China is too large an area for the empire, and only the empire's We are unable to invest too many troops in China at once due to our strength.”
"Even in the current occupied area, the military strength is not enough to cover the entire area. This is why the communist army is becoming increasingly rampant on the battlefield in China. The empire has not fully mobilized its strength to control the current occupied area. We have tried our best, but if we want to occupy all of China, the empire may not be able to afford this huge consumption, especially the consumption of soldiers."
"The empire has a complete modern industrial system, as well as the industrial and food production base of South Manchuria, supported by the resources of Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula, and its population base far exceeds the area controlled by the Anti-Japanese Alliance. Facing the huge territory of China, it can only maintain the status quo. Manchuria Although the area of the country is not as large as that of China, the strength of the Anti-Japanese Alliance cannot be compared with that of the empire."
"Then the Resistance Alliance in front of us is far from being able to compare with the empire in terms of strength, and the population base is completely different. They want to maintain enough strength to control their current occupation while ensuring quality. area, they need to make full use of the troops and materials they have."
"As a result, over time, they will have internal problems. All the young and middle-aged people have been conscripted. Then who will cultivate their land? Without anyone to cultivate the land, they can only go hungry. If they want to ensure food production, the army's The scale must be reduced, and this can become an opportunity that we can take advantage of in the future.”
"Of course, there are no benefits at all. Jiutai, Yushu, Fuyu, Dehui, Nong'an, Taonan, and Tongliao counties are all the main grain-producing areas of the Manchu Empire. With so many places captured, their grain production capacity It has been significantly enhanced, but that's all the benefit they got."
"But although their current actions are just a feint to confuse us and cover up their real situation, I think it is better for the Kwantung Army to stop the counterattack completely. First, we have to deal with them There is no information at all on how long our material reserves can last."
"Once its material reserves can at least sustain one or two small and medium-sized battles, then for the Kwantung Army, even if we can defeat them, the price will definitely not be small. And the current Kwantung Army, It is difficult to withstand too many casualties, at least it will be very detrimental to the empire's future strategy."
"Especially on the Linxi battlefield, the troops we can invest can no longer meet the needs of continuing the attack. Unless within forty-eight hours, we simultaneously invest at least four more divisions on the Linxi battlefield and the Tongliao battlefield. , can we change the current unfavorable situation.”
"At the same time, behind them, where the 18th Division is currently located, at least one more division's troops must be invested. On the eastern front, that is, on the battlefield in the direction of Jilin, the troops of two divisions must be concentrated. Counterattack on the line from Jilin to Huadian can completely solve the problems in Linxi and Tongliao, the two major battlefields."
"For the Kwantung Army, these forces, at least for now, are simply a fantasy. If there were, we would not have missed the best fighter opportunities again and again, causing the entire battle to be passive. If the Kwantung Army could not raise If there are more than four divisions, then the two divisions on the Linxi battlefield must retreat immediately."
"Even if the enemy's supplies are in trouble, I think judging from the current battlefield situation, they still have the ability to ensure the supply of a battlefield in the short term, and the Kwantung Army on the Linxi battlefield can no longer continue to provide a large amount of supplies. Due to the lack of reinforcements, it has reached the point where it is necessary to retreat, otherwise, the two divisions on the Linxi battlefield will be in crisis."
"From the current point of view, this anti-Manchurian anti-Japanese armed force is well-equipped and well-trained. Its will to fight to the death in battle is no less than that of the Imperial Army. Whether it is the sophisticated equipment, the strong will to fight, and the strategy, The tactics used are far beyond what the Chinese government forces can compare with."
"Furthermore, they are unusually united, almost monolithic, without any factional disputes. It would be a major mistake for the empire to look at them the same way it looks at the Chinese government forces, and we are always turning over this." The mistake is to look at different enemies with the same eyes."
"Judging from the results of the war last year and this year, it is already very difficult to completely eliminate them on the battlefield by relying solely on military means. The empire must use a variety of means to attack both internally and externally, taking advantage of its insurmountable weaknesses. Use various methods to defeat them bit by bit."
Having said this, Seitaro Takei stood up, bowed deeply to General Umezu Yoshijiro and Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Teiichi, and then said: "Your Excellency, Commander, I hope that you can implement Lieutenant General Yoshimoto's plan and immediately terminate your stay. Counterattack on the Linxi battlefield and withdraw the 18th Division."
"As for the defeat of the Kwantung Army, as the Chief Operations Staff Officer of the Kwantung Army, I really can't bear the blame. Later, I will give an explanation to everyone in the base camp and the Kwantung Army. For the current Kwantung Army, the situation can no longer change the situation of the war. Under this situation, you commanders still need to make careful choices, and do not let the empire suffer greater losses just for the sake of stubbornness."
Although Lieutenant Colonel Seitaro Takei does not have a high position, as Yang Zhen said, he is far more far-sighted than his predecessors or even his superiors in terms of means and vision, and he also sees problems quite thoroughly. Judging from the daily material consumption of the Anti-Japanese Alliance in this battle, we can accurately judge that the current various mobilizations of the Anti-Japanese Alliance are not for the purpose of launching a new decisive battle.
Its real purpose was to use fighting to promote a cessation, to cover up its own weaknesses through a series of strategic deceptions, and to force the Kwantung Army to actively stop counterattack and terminate the battle. If it were not for his previous series of suggestions, the new leader would The deputy chief of staff in charge of operations refused. I am afraid that this time it will really become a very difficult opponent as Yang Zhen judged.
Before this battle, perhaps taking into account the needs of the future war situation, the Japanese base camp strengthened the Kwantung Army's senior management to a certain extent, dividing the original deputy chief of staff's responsibilities into two, and adding a new one specifically in charge of operations. Deputy Chief of Staff, and a new Supply Supervision Department.
It's just a pity that the newly appointed deputy chief of staff, Major General Ayabe Tachibana, who once served as the chief combat staff of the Kwantung Army, does not trust the chief combat staff transferred from the First Army by General Umezu Yoshijiro. Relatively speaking, What he believed even more was Yoshitomi Tamura, the head of the first section in charge of operations, and his own actions.
Before the war, the 51st Division was suddenly sent to the edge of the Anti-Japanese Alliance. It was Deputy Chief of Staff Ayabe who took action personally. It was also the battle where Du Kaishan's troops surrounded and annihilated the 51st Division, completely This eliminated the threat behind Wang Guangyu and laid the foundation for the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in Western Manchuria.
If everything goes according to plan, he will open a gap on the western front with complex terrain, let the Anti-Japanese Alliance enter Western Manchuria, rely on the southern Daxinganling Mountains, concentrate the strength of two to three divisions, adopt frontal blocking and flanking detours, and create new frontal areas. With the suggestions and plans to concentrate troops on the northern battlefield of Beijing to fight against the Anti-Japanese Alliance, the war in Western Manchuria will not go so smoothly.
The Chief Operations Staff Officer of the Kwantung Army is clear-headed, decisive, and has a long-term vision. It is a pity that since he was transferred to the Kwantung Army, he has been ostracized in various ways, and it is difficult for various suggestions to be adopted, especially that of Deputy Staff Officer Ayabe. After the chief took office, he has been secretly ostracizing him.
And his old superior, General Umezu Yoshijiro, is the kind of person who trains people and just throws you into the wolves. You have to struggle on your own. If you train yourself, you will be a talent. If you can't train yourself, then you will be a loser. After the whole process. No matter how big the problem is, he will never help you.
For his closest direct subordinates, he will provide a corresponding stage for you to perform, but how to do it is your own business. He will not make any intervention. Major General Ayabe Tachibana was transferred to the Kwantung Army Deputy Chief of Staff Umezu Yoshijiro was very clear about what he would do next.
But the mentor in Seitaro Takei's eyes did not take any action. He never even said a word for him. He just watched him being squeezed out and ignored until the plans of Major General Ayabe Tachibana and Tamura Yoshitomi were repeated. After being severely damaged and unable to recover, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadichi came forward and asked him to take charge of formulating a new combat plan.
This man has never been married since his first wife died of illness. He has never visited the geisha pavilion frequented by senior Japanese army generals, and he has never supported any women. He and the man who wanted to move his office to a geisha Compared with his predecessors, the army general whose private life was like boiled water was indeed an alternative among the Japanese army who had always been indulgent.
It is indeed a training to follow such an old superior, but he did suffer before he became a useful person. After being transferred to the Kwantung Army, he, as the chief combat staff officer, could not touch the edge of the combat plan for a long time. If it were not for the start of this battle, After successive defeats, Deputy Chief of Staff Ayabe gave up power in desperation. I am afraid he will continue to sit on his bench.
But this guy does have a trick. Even though he was originally supposed to be the one who took over, but had been excluded due to human factors, his working hours were very short, but according to the development of the entire battle, he successively came up with a series of quite considerable Sharp battle plan.
If Naosaburo Okabe, the representative of the Kwantung Army who came to supervise the war on behalf of the base camp, had repeatedly prohibited the Kwantung Army from using the two newly transferred army divisions, resulting in insufficient strength of the Kwantung Army, then there might not be any danger in the Linxi battlefield, but Chen Hanzhang will encounter great difficulties there.
As Yang Zhen commented, Seijiro Takei will be a difficult opponent for the Anti-Japanese Alliance. It's just a pity that this guy, in the first stage of the battle, has been blocked because of the obstruction and dislike of some people. Although he was in the position, he failed to seek political power. If he had formulated a rectification battle plan from the beginning, the Anti-Japanese Federation would have had a very difficult time fighting this battle.
After Seitaro Takei's words fell, Mizujiro Umezu, who was quite familiar with the ins and outs of some things, looked at his beloved general with a gloomy face and finally made up his mind. He would not listen to some people's words, and he did not have to listen, but as a staff officer However, he had to listen to the words of Lieutenant General Nagayoshimoto Sadichi and the beloved general in front of him who he valued very much.
Because he never makes an aim without aim, let alone chattering like other staff officers. With an extremely stable personality, every conclusion he makes is carefully considered. Since his conclusion is that a general retreat is necessary, then the current situation may be really serious. It was irreparable. Umezu Mijiro still had great trust in Seitaro Takei's abilities.