What Lieutenant General Anda 23 means is that the North China Front Army is now ready. It has already transferred some of its troops to the Pingjin area. The railway line can be relied on at any time to quickly reach any direction. Moreover, the North China Front Army has mobilized ten troops.
The two automobile squadrons are respectively deployed in Peiping and northern Shanxi to ensure that reinforcements can move quickly away from the railway line at any time.
Not only the troops stationed in Hebei and Shanxi are ready to be dispatched at any time, but also part of the 12th Army stationed in Shandong and the 17th Division stationed in Xuzhou under the direct control of the 13th Army of the China Expedition Army have also begun to concentrate their forces.
Stationed at major stations along Jinpu Road.
The 15th Division stationed in Nanjing has also begun to shrink its troops. The independent mixed 9th Brigade stationed in Hankou has also begun to move from Hankou to Hebei. The two advance infantry brigades, artillery team and engineering team have landed at Tanggu Port.
The Fourth Cavalry Brigade, which originally belonged to the Mongolian garrison cavalry group and is now under the command of the Twelfth Army, is also on the way to return to the formation. This means that not only the North China Front Army, but also the entire China Expedition Army is ready.
No matter what the strong opponent in front of them wants to do next, it will require the Kwantung Army and the North China Front Army to cooperate with each other and coordinate operations. If the Anti-Japanese Alliance really chooses to go south, the North China Front Army hopes that the Kwantung Army can fight against it during the battle.
Manchuria launched a full-scale counterattack in an effort to recapture Tongliao and cut off the supply line for their troops heading south.
And if the Anti-Japanese Alliance's move south is just a bluff and the focus is still on southern Manchuria, then the North China Front Army will draw out its forces to take over the pressure from the Kwantung Army in the direction of Western Manchuria and ensure the safety of the Beining Railway. In other words, the two provinces of Rehe and Jinzhou will be controlled by the North China Army.
The front army took over the role of defense from the Kwantung Army, and the two strategic groups cooperated with each other to deal a devastating blow to the anti-Japanese armed forces facing them.
Regarding the suggestion of Lieutenant General Adachi 23rd, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadichi was very cautious. The rationing of the two armies was not a problem, but Manchuria has always been the territory of the Kwantung Army and has never allowed other parties to intervene, let alone him.
The North China Front and even the Navy have never been able to intervene. Except for the Port Arthur military port, the Navy does not have any naval bases in Manchuria.
If the North China Front Army is allowed to enter Jehol and Jinzhou, it will be equivalent to letting the North China Front Army extend its hands into the territory of the Kwantung Army. This has never happened since the establishment of the China Garrison Army. It has always been from the Kwantung Army.
This was the first time that the army mobilized troops to the China Pass, penetrated into the China Pass area, and in turn extended its reach from the North China Front Army to the Kwantung Army's sphere of influence.
Regarding the North China Front Army's suggestion, Yoshimoto Teiichi had to be cautious. As the chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, he had to consider the emotions and interests within the Kwantung Army. Although he had suffered many defeats, the arrogance of the flower of the Imperial Army was still there.
, many people still cannot accept the idea of letting people extend their hands into their own territory, and once the North China Front extends its hands into Rehe, it will be difficult for them to withdraw.
The Army is naturally integrated when facing the outside world, especially when facing its biggest enemy, the Navy. However, the Army itself is still divided into many interest groups. If the North China Front Army can take over the Kwantung Army's defense in Jehol during wartime, it will naturally be
A good thing, this can greatly reduce the pressure on the Kwantung Army on the entire battlefield.
However, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadichi was afraid that it would be easier to ask the gods than to send them away. It would be easy to allow them to enter Manchuria, but it would be difficult for them to withdraw after the incident was over, especially since the entire China battlefield was currently in a period of relative calm. The same principle of allowing others to sleep soundly applies within the Army.
It’s just that whether it’s Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadichi, the Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army, or Adachi Twenty-san, the Chief of Staff of the North China Front, or even Lieutenant General Harem Jun, the Chief of Staff of the China Expeditionary Army who is also silent, what is the starting point of all the arguments? How to resist the proactive attack of the Anti-Japanese Alliance.
As for the Japanese army, which has always advocated offensives, they took the initiative to launch an attack in order to deal a heavy blow to the Anti-Japanese Alliance who were in the period of recovery, and nip the very possible follow-up offensive in the bud to cooperate with the empire's offensive in Nanyang. No one mentioned it.
Manchuria has always been the territory of the Kwantung Army. It is difficult for others to reach in and interfere, but the Kwantung Army itself does not have this idea, which makes people feel somewhat surprised. What is the Kwantung Army? It is the flower of the Imperial Army. , I was so proud and arrogant that I didn’t even mention a word. I don’t know if it’s because I don’t have the strength right now or I was defeated.
Yoshimoto Teiichi was silent, but General Okamura Neiji, who rarely spoke, suddenly spoke: "You just judged that they would go south to attack Chanan or Nanman, but you are not them. Based on what they have done so far, Judging from the overall situation of the country, it is a bit taken for granted to draw this conclusion.
"Judging from their combat experience with the Kwantung Army, every time the Kwantung Army judged their strategic intentions, they basically failed. What does this mean? It shows that their ideas cannot be judged in a conventional way. The Empire I still believe in the judgment of the army staff and their ability to collect intelligence."
"Mr. Anda, the Kwantung Army has fought against them for many years, whether successful or failed. But one thing, you have to remember that the Kwantung Army has accumulated enough experience in fighting them, so we must treat the Kwantung Army's suggestions carefully. , remember that an army never adheres to traditional tactics, we cannot treat it with a conventional perspective, and the lessons of the Kwantung Army are also a wake-up call for us."
After that, General Okamura Neiji walked to the wall of the conference room and said in front of the large operational map specially prepared for this meeting: "The basis of all your judgments is based on whether their target is the Pingjin and Chanan lines, or whether they are targeting the Pingjin and Chanan lines. Based on Southern Manchuria, but for an army that can never be judged by common sense, I think your judgments are a bit too taken for granted."
"I would like to ask you, if their target is not Pingjin or Southern Manchuria, what other direction do you think they can use as the main direction of attack? For an army that advocates offense, but is prone to deviating from the direction of attack. For them, the place where it is easiest to make a breakthrough or obtain the greatest results is not their choice."
"Here I can tell you clearly that judging from their entire deployment and experience in previous battles, my judgment is exactly opposite to yours. I think their next main target is not Chanan and Nanman. From this direction, they are at best a bluff or a diversionary attack. I think their real targets should be Chaxi, northern Shanxi and Suidong."
"Don't forget, if they open up the connection with the mainland of China, they can not only rely on attacking the Pingjin area, but they can also go west to capture Chaxi and Suidong, and open up the connection with northern Shanxi. And it’s closer to their central location, the so-called Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region.”
"If they open up this route and reach northern Shanxi and Suidong, which are closer to the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, it will not only play a military role, but also open a channel for their next development to absorb the population of mainland China to settle in Manchuria. One thing you have never thought about is the huge political role it plays."
"A well-equipped and powerful army is placed there, which can play a considerable role in the current complex political situation in China. At least Chongqing wants to perform in northern Shaanxi what they did in southern Anhui. I’m afraid I have to think twice before doing this.”
"At the same time, compared with the complex terrain of Chanan and Northern Hebei, the defensive forces deployed by the empire there, and the surrounding forces that can be reinforced at any time, the strength of the entire Mongolian garrison is the highest among all the combat groups of our North China Front Army. The least one."
"Even if the 4th Cavalry Brigade returns the structure of the Mongolian Army, the total strength of the Mongolian Army is still the weakest among the several strategic groups of the North China Front Army, and they have a large number of tanks in their hands. Compared with Chanan and Ji The mountains in the north and the grassland terrain in Suidong and Chabei are more suitable for tank corps operations."
"If they choose this direction to launch an attack, they are likely to catch us off guard. They will use the rapid advance of the tanks to break through the defenses of the 26th Division and head west. Once they get ahead of our reinforcements arriving in northern Shanxi, , seizing the flags on the right wing of Chahar can cut our Mongolian garrison in two in a short period of time."
"At the same time, a force was launched to attack the front line of the Great Wall in Duolun, Chengde, Zhangjiakou, etc., occupying the mountain passes of Dama Mountains and Yanshan Mountains to contain and block our Chanan garrison, which was unable to reinforce. In the direction of northern Shanxi, as long as they seize Fengzhen As well as several passes along the Great Wall, we can block my reinforcements within the Great Wall."
"You are all experts in infantry warfare or artillery warfare, but there are almost no people who are good at commanding tank swarms. Here I can responsibly tell you that if they concentrate on the hundreds of tanks they currently have, they will be able to start from Hun. We made an all-out assault to the west from the east of the Shanda Ke Desert. When we arrived at the Ulanqab front line, our troops split into two groups and went straight to Guisui and Fengzhen respectively. So what should we do?"
"According to the experience gained by the German army on the Soviet-German battlefield, their move is not without the possibility of success. They concentrated the tank clusters and used their advantages in mobility, firepower, and protection to break through our army's blockade and move westward with all their strength. A small force was used to besiege our blocking troops to protect the rear of the assault group. The Germans' use of this tactic on the Soviet-German battlefield has proven the possibility of success."
"In the battle between the Kwantung Army and the Kwantung Army that just ended, the Anti-Japanese Alliance had already used this tactic in actual combat. Judging from the results of their fight with the Kwantung Army, the outcome seemed to be very favorable to them. As a general of the Imperial Army, I have to say that they concentrated their tanks and used their rapid mobility to carry out long-distance attacks from the weakest link in the Kwantung Army's entire defensive zone, and they fought beautifully in that battle."
"Using the opportunity that the main force of the Kwantung Army had been attracted by the offensive launched by its central and eastern fronts, concentrated a large number of tanks and cavalry groups, and quickly hit the Kwantung Army's weak point with a beautiful left hook, attacking the entire Western Manchuria. The rapid changes in the war situation played a decisive role."
"Although their breakthrough this time took advantage of the special situation in Outer Mongolia, we have to be prepared for the tactics they used and be on guard against the next possible attack they may launch. Once again, the defeat of the Kwantung Army in the Western Manchuria War is a lesson for us."
After all, he was the first person among the Japanese army to concentrate tanks in a breakthrough battle. In the Battle of Nanchang, he concentrated a large amount of artillery fire and tanks to implement a rapid breakthrough of tanks under fire cover, and achieved considerable success. The general, relying only on the current limited intelligence and the characteristics of the forces used by the Anti-Japanese Alliance in the previous battle, can accurately judge the possible main attack direction of the Anti-Japanese Alliance in the next step, as well as the possible tactics.