At about one o'clock in the afternoon, in a small temple about four kilometers away from Jiangshang Township, Hengshan Yong and others who were trekking on the mountain road met up with the search team of the 10th Division. "Quick, go see your division commander for me immediately." After confirming the identities of those soldiers, Yokoyama Isamu said to them,
These soldiers did not dare to neglect, and immediately took him to Shinozuka Yoshio. Ever since Shinozuka Yoshio was attacked by artillery from the Eighth School Division, his thoughts on rescuing the 11th Army had faded away. He did not They are even more stupid. The Xuebing Army can ignore the existence of the 11th Army and concentrate its superior artillery to attack them. This at least shows that they have completely gained the upper hand. They know things well. The tradition of the Imperial Army is to conceal the number of casualties. , So, what are the casualties of the 11th Army? If it is as reported by the 11th Army, only the 33rd Division was surrounded and annihilated, and several other divisions only suffered minor losses, then how can the Xuebing Army be organized with such density? The more I thought about it, the more I thought there was something fishy about it. The more I thought about it, the more difficult the road ahead was. Yoshio Shinozuka ordered to strengthen reconnaissance and search. As a result, the march of the entire army slowed down.
Yoshio Shinozuka naturally knew Isamu Yokoyama, and because they were both from the Army Sergeant School, if we had to trace their origins, Yoshio Shinozuka would still call Isamu Yokoyama his senior. When he was in school, Isamu Yokoyama He is also a romantic figure. To Yoshio Shinozuka, he is a "famous name that has been admired for a long time." However, now that they have met, he can't connect the person in front of him with the academic friend in his imagination. It’s okay to be sloppy, but the key is that his energy and spirit are completely different. When Yoshio Shinozuka was in a daze, looking very rude, Yokoyama Isamu had already reached out his hand enthusiastically: "Shinozuka-kun, I have admired you for a long time. .”
"Oh, Yokoyama-kun, I have admired you for a long time." After the greetings, Shinozuka still couldn't help but ask the question in his heart: "Yokoyama-kun, how did it end up like this? It was Commander Okamura who asked you to pick up our horses."
"No, Shinozuka-kun, stop your troops' advance immediately."
"Um."
"There is a Chinese trap ahead. Now in the Jing'an and Fengxin areas, the Xuebing Army has concentrated at least five divisions. You only have two divisions."
"But, isn't there your main force?"
Yokoyama Isamu blushed, smiled bitterly, and said: "Forget it, the main force, our 11th Army has been completely disabled."
"Ah, then, how many people are there in Fengxin County now?"
"No more than ten thousand people."
"Ah, there are no more than 10,000 people, which means that your casualties have exceeded 130,000," Shinozuka Yoshio said, almost unable to believe his ears. Looking at each other, there was a look of shock in their eyes. No wonder they were like this. The battle lasted only ten days, and the 11th Army still had the upper hand. How could it lead to such a result? The 10th Division and the 108th Division There are only more than 50,000 people in total. If the Xuebing Army is really so sharp, then how can these few people be enough? They can't solve the problem at all.
It was too painful for Yokoyama Isamu to explain the number of casualties of his troops in front of friendly forces, highlighting the ineffectiveness of his troops at every turn. However, even if it was just to prevent the imperial army from losing some troops, he felt that, It is my duty to do this,
Completely shocked, Shinozuka Yoshio and Tsubuta Takaki whispered a few words and asked him to invite the division commander and chief of staff of the 108th Division, Taniguchi Motojiro and Yazaki Kanju, and said to Yokoyama Isamu: "It's incredible. Well, then, Yokoyama-kun, what are you doing?" Yoshio Shinozuka suspected that Yokoyama-san escaped from the battlefield, but for the sake of face, he did not ask directly.
He was overly worried. After this life-and-death test, Yokoyama Isamu had not improved in other aspects, but his face had been thoroughly tempered. Without blinking, he blurted out: "Commander Okamura is worried that Ouyang Yun is using him as bait." Lure you into a trap and let us break out with a small number of troops to intercept you. Fortunately, I am not too late."
"Then according to your wishes, we will not go to rescue Fengxin."
"No, although Commander Okamura means this, I think that even if there is only a glimmer of hope, we cannot give up." Yokoyama Isamu said in an awe-inspiring manner, which made Yoshio Shinozuka difficult to judge. He thought for a while and asked : "Then please tell me your suggestions."
Hengshan Yong nodded: "If we continue on this path, we will inevitably fall into the trap of the Xuebing Army. When we broke out, we found that Ouyang Yun had transferred all the main forces of the army to the Jing'an and Fengxin areas. The Xuebing Army The general offensive only has the strength of six divisions. If this is the case, then we can simply go to Yongxiu County, capture Yongxiu first, and then go south to surprise Nanchang. As long as Nanchang is captured, then we can rescue Fengxin to the west and cooperate with Hata to the east. Lord Junroku is attacking Shangrao and Yingtan from both sides. Not only that, if the 5th Army can send a force to bypass Yingtan and come to Nanchang, we can also go west and cut off the student army's way back south, Shinozuka-kun, what do you think?"
Yoshio Shinozuka ordered someone to take out a map, and first asked a combat staff officer to draw the new troop deployment of the Academy Army. Then he looked at it carefully, looked up at Isamu Yokoyama, and couldn't help but wonder: "Could it be said that Okamura Ningji really wants to take risks and simply play the game bigger, but how long can they hold on under the siege of the Xuebing army's superior force?"
At this time, Taniguchi Motojiro and Yazaki Kanju came over under the leadership of Tsubuzaki. After a few people exchanged greetings, Taniguchi Motojiro listened to Yokoyama Isamu's suggestion and said: "This combat plan is excellent, but there is a problem. , the Xuebing Army has a division in Yongxiu, and it is a Jewish division with extremely advanced weapons. The key to this battle plan is to work quickly, but can we capture Yongxiu in a very short time?"
Yokoyama Isamu: "Okay, gentlemen, we have already fought a battle with the Jews at Lion Gate. The Jews have very advanced weapons, but they have extremely poor fighting will and lack of actual combat experience, so they have nothing to fear. Commander of the 11th Division Yamamuro Munemu has returned to Madang Fortress. Our 11th Army still has about 20,000 troops in Madang Fortress, and they are all independent brigades with relatively advanced weapons and equipment. As long as Yamamuro-kun brings 10,000 troops to attack from the northeast Yongxiu, when we attack from two sides, the Jews will definitely not be able to resist. In fact, as long as we attack more fiercely and send people to invite us to surrender, we might even be able to recruit this Jewish army to surrender."
Shinozuka Yoshio and Taniguchi Motojiro looked at each other, and the former said: "If the facts are as introduced by Yokoyama-kun, then it is really a good move. Taniguchi-kun, should we ask Mr. Nishio for instructions."
Taniguchi Motojiro nodded in agreement, so Tsubuzaki immediately drafted a telegram himself and sent it to Nishio Hisou.