These two were stubborn and refused to change the original plan. Even if the air strike plan could not be implemented temporarily due to weather reasons, they would rather wait for the weather to improve and the aviation force to be dispatched before launching a counterattack. They resolutely opposed the base camp's request for three days.
The order to counterattack must be transferred within a short period of time.
A man came with the intention of doing everything he could to change his mind and urge the Kwantung Army to take action as soon as possible. Over and over again, these words had the flavor of a needle. Although Lieutenant General Okabe Naosaburo was right
General Umezu Yoshijiro respects him very much, but this respect is based on obeying the orders of the base camp.
Facing the conversation between General Yoshijiro Umezu and Lieutenant General Naosaburo Okabe, which seemed calm on the surface but was actually already turbulent, the Kwantung Army Chief of Staff Yoshimoto Teiichi who was accompanying him wanted to persuade him, but he hesitated for a long time.
In the end, he didn't say anything because the Kwantung Army chief of staff didn't know how to speak.
As the chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, he still agrees with Umezu Yoshijiro's opinion. Because as the chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, Yoshimoto Teichi's views on the current Manchuria war situation are no different from Umezu Yoshijiro. And as the powerful Kwantung Army,
Chief of Staff, he must also ensure that he is consistent with the commander's attitude on this point. What's more, this plan was formulated only after he and General Yoshijiro Umezu discussed it together.
But for Yoshimoto Teiichi, what he needs to consider is not only the interests of the Kwantung Army. What is more important to consider is the attitude of the base camp and the possible thoughts of the emperor behind it. In other words, in view of the current changes in the entire Japanese military situation, he
The chief of staff of the Kwantung Army could no longer act as boldly as his predecessors.
In the current Kwantung Army, the kind of approach that can completely ignore Tokyo's ideas and attitudes and completely do its own thing no longer works. Everything must still obey Tokyo's instructions. So all his current considerations,
We can no longer just start from the Kwantung Army itself.
The status of the two men in front of them is not that important at the moment. It is still difficult for them to shake the status of General Umezu and himself. But behind them are the Tokyo Base Camp and the Army Ministry, and behind them may be the Emperor. The Chief of Staff
His attitude doesn't matter, and the Kwantung Army doesn't care what Prime Minister Lu thinks.
General Umezu Yoshijiro is the old superior of the Prime Minister. When he was promoted from the post of Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army to Army Undersecretary, he was also strongly recommended by General Umezu Yoshijiro. He still respects General Umezu Yoshijiro. Even if General Umezu Yoshijiro does not
He may not be happy if he takes his orders seriously, but at least he can't do anything about it in a short period of time. Because the position of commander of the Kwantung Army requires the emperor's decision. As a land minister, he has nothing to do.
Therefore, even if General Umezu Yoshijiro is controversial, as long as the Emperor has no objections, the Prime Minister cannot go too far. But if the Emperor's intention is really behind it, the Kwantung Army has to consider it. For someone who is already a senior officer of the Japanese army
For Yoshimoto Teiichi, he was well aware of the emperor's influence in the military.
Any senior general, even if he sits in the positions of Prime Minister, Chief of Staff, and Director of Army Education, without the support of the Emperor, he will not be able to sit still. If the Emperor's intention is really mixed in, he, the Kwantung Army
The chief of staff must carefully consider the consequences.
If the emperor is angered, he will not only face the Kwantung Army. The two major military officers, commander and chief of staff, may be replaced. He and General Umezu may be transferred to the reserve and return home to retire. This is one of the reasons why he
So I want to persuade, but I am hesitant.
Umezu Yoshijiro and Okabe Naosaburo were living together. Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Teiichi wanted to persuade him but he had doubts. On the contrary, Major General Tanaka Shinichi, the chief of operations at the base camp, was drinking tea leisurely.
, while playing with an automatic rifle captured by the Kwantung Army from the Anti-Japanese Alliance, he did not take the things in front of him as the same thing at all. It was as if his thoughts were attracted by the new rifle in front of him.
Regarding what Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Teiichi handed over, asking him to persuade his old boss in the Military Affairs Bureau of the Army Province, General Umezu Yoshijiro, and Lieutenant General Okabe Naosaburo, who is stationed in the Mongolian Xinjiang garrison and is now his immediate boss, his eyes were completely treated as such.
I haven’t seen anything like that. In Yoshimoto Seiichi’s view, if you want to solve the current dilemma, this guy is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.
General Umezu was his old superior when he was a military instructor and military section chief in the Army Ministry. Lieutenant General Okabe was his immediate boss when he served as chief of staff in the Mongolian garrison, and he is still his immediate superior now.
As a middleman, he is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate to make adjustments.
It's just that this guy seemed to have made up his mind and didn't speak. He was just sipping tea and playing with the enemy's weapons. His leisurely appearance made it difficult for people to see that this guy was the same one who had been killed last year.
He strongly advocated war against the United States and Britain, and openly fought with Akira Muto, the military chief who advocated caution, in a war meeting.
After many attempts to no avail, Yoshimoto Seiichi, who was really unable to sit still, simply tore off his reserve and said directly: "Tanaka-kun, as the chief of operations of the base camp, I believe you should have a clear understanding of the current war situation in Manchuria.
and accurate judgment. As the chief of operations of the base camp, I would like to ask Tanaka-kun what his attitude is on this matter."
Yoshimoto was ashamed to ask, but he did not expect that the chief of operations of the base camp would answer, which was beyond everyone's expectations: "How the Kwantung Army fights in this battle is the Kwantung Army's business. As long as it does not affect the empire's next operations.
There is no need for the base camp to interfere too much with the plan."
"In my opinion, as long as the Kwantung Army can complete the combat plan within the scheduled time and meet the requirements of the base camp, it will be fine. As for other aspects, it is better for the Kwantung Army to do its own thing. As for the Emperor, as long as the explanation is clear, I want to say that His Majesty the Emperor
The high regard for Commander Umezu is not a big problem."
Tanaka Shinichi's words made Yoshimoto Sadashi slightly relieved. He did not expect that this difficult guy who could muddy the water wherever he went could actually speak for the Kwantung Army this time. This Wufeng Dusan
In order to implement his own ideas, Tsunami was able to even shake his fist with the moderate Major General Akira Muto at the imperial war meeting. What he did this time was really rare.
However, Yoshimoto Teiichi also knows that this guy must have something to say behind him. This guy with a strong personality is not the kind of grasshopper who falls in love with the wind. He will never stand on the Kwantung Army's territory and speak for the Kwantung Army. This guy
Saying these words should be just the beginning but definitely not the end.
Sure enough, after Tanaka Shinichi put down the rifle in his hand, he stood in front of the large picture of the entire Manchuria combat situation hanging on the wall of the conference room. After being silent for a long time, he said: "Several officers, this so-called
Why did the Anti-Japanese Alliance open a front in Western Manchuria at the risk of being cut off by the Kwantung Army when its military strength was obviously insufficient to swallow up the entire Manchuria? Have you considered the reason?"
"Is their offensive in Linxi and Tongliao just to threaten Xinjing from the west? Or is it for the grain-producing areas south of the Songhua River? Is the ongoing battle their entire intention? At least judging from the current situation
, I’m afraid their determination will not be this small.”
"Don't forget, the number of tanks they currently deploy in Western Manchuria accounts for most of all the tanks currently on the battlefield. And judging from the current intelligence, their most powerful divisions are currently deployed.
On the battlefield in Western Manchuria. I think this is not an isolated incident."
"You must know that compared with the relatively complex terrain in Western Manchuria, the Songliao Plain where Xinjing is located is more suitable for tank group operations. And it is not just the anti-alliance forces that are concentrated in Western Manchuria. Now the communist army in the pass has also joined the heat.
On the river battlefield. What does this mean? It shows that the Communist forces inside and outside the pass have reached consensus on at least some aspects."
"The combat effectiveness of the North China Communist Army, the North China Front Army has been dealing with them for many years since the July 7th Incident. These troops are tenacious, but their equipment is extremely poor, and their combat level is still far behind that of the Central Army of the China government.
.What they are better at is mountain warfare and so-called guerrilla warfare."
"And except for the so-called Hundred Regiment War last year, the Communist Army in North China has always avoided frontal combat with our army. They usually focus on the so-called mountain guerrilla warfare, that is, harassment warfare. This time they can be
The so-called two largest base areas in North China have brought out all their elites and adopted tactics that they were least willing to use against us before. The purpose of this is definitely not simple."
"Now that the communist forces in the pass have joined in, it is difficult to see what we see on the surface. How big is their appetite? Is the fact that they took the initiative to initiate this battle really what it seems on the surface?
So simple? I wonder if the Kwantung Army has conducted any research?"
"You must know that although the Western Manchuria battlefield can exert a certain amount of pressure on the direction of Xinjing, it is far from being as great as they imagined. If there is, it means that the grain-producing area west of Xinjing can be captured. But this time the communist troops inside and outside the pass
In a joint operation, in addition to their so-called Shandong base area, the other two major base areas in North China are mobilized. Their goal is only to seize a few grain-producing counties. Is this possible?"
"General Umezu, Chief of Staff Yoshimoto, it is not a problem when to counterattack, it is not a problem how the counterattack will be fought, it is not even a problem what the outcome of this battle will be. The question now is whether they are actually fighting.
What is the intention? What is the real reason why the Communist troops in Guan Nei entered the Jehol battlefield this time? What is their next goal after this battle, and whether they will stop, these are the most critical questions."
"Is it possible that the reason why the Communist Army in the Pass has been heavily raided by the North China Front since last winter and suffered heavy losses? Almost all its elite troops left the Pass to fight and even gave up some of their so-called base areas. This is the Jehol Independent Guards
According to the interrogation of the prisoners, after completing the Jehol operation, these so-called advancing troops will be allocated to the Anti-Japanese Alliance in an organized manner?"
"Also, on the Western Manchuria battlefield, nearly 80% of the Anti-Japanese Alliance's tank force, which is actually not very large, has been concentrated. How could their purpose be so simple? From my analysis of the battle situation from the outbreak of this battle until now,
This anti-Japanese armed force, which has become a tough opponent of the Kwantung Army, will definitely not have such a small appetite this time."
"If we simply judge the situation on paper, it is not enough to explain or prove the reason why they have deployed all their elites in the two largest so-called base areas of the Communist Army in North China. Your position in Ximan is not only a threat.
It’s as simple as getting to Xinjing and the communication line between the Kwantung Army and the North China Front Army.”