Wu Keren stayed in Karachi for another four days, and then embarked on his way home with a letter from Ouyang Yun to Marshal Zhang. Considering that the military vehicles they were riding in were all old and might break down halfway at any time, Ouyang Yun instructed Jiang Huang to Yong They were all replaced with new vehicles from the Karachi military base, and riding in these brand-new off-road vehicles and military trucks, Wu Keren waved goodbye to Jiang Huangyong, Liu Dakai and others who were seeing him off.
The convoy drove about five kilometers away from the base. The engine sound of fighter planes in the east became louder and louder. Wu Keren looked up and saw the huge figures of more than 20 air fortresses. Knowing that these planes were transporting supplies from Guangzhou, he The adjutant behind him was quite emotional and said to him: "In just five years, the Xuebing Army has developed into a huge behemoth. Military Seat, I say we should just join the Xuebing Army."
"How dare you say such nonsense." Wu Keren scolded,
"Military seat, I'm just saying that, hehe."
"Don't say this kind of thing in the future. Why, I bought you off with just a few big meals of fish and meat."
"Military, it's unfair. I'm just saying it."
"Shut up, remember it all. If anyone asks about what you saw in Karachi after you go back, don't reveal a word."
"yes."
Guangxi, which belongs to the rear, refused to give it, and Zhejiang, which was raging in war, refused to give it. They just issued a series of empty promises. Ouyang Yun's approach made Wu Keren's trip to Karachi equal to returning empty-handed. The Northeast Army himself After living in Larong, things have gone from bad to worse, and now they can barely survive; as for the Xuebing Army, they captured Guangxi without a single blow, and easily captured Zhejiang, and also controlled French Indochina. , one is declining, and the other is like the rising sun. The situation of the two armies is so different that it makes the middle and lower-level officers and soldiers of the Northeast Army very jealous. At this time, if someone fanned the flames, there is no guarantee that a collective rebellion will not occur. Wu Keren has been in a high position for a long time. Knowing this, he took precautions and took great pains to remind his subordinates not to talk nonsense.
After more than half a month of turbulence, Wu Keren returned to Larong when the Japanese combined fleet started to use troops against Zhejiang. As soon as he returned to Larong, he happened to hear that the Xuebing Army had won another great victory. Both sides surrounded the Ningbo Airport. In that air battle, the Xuebing Army's air force and air defense forces were dispatched together. The Japanese army suffered heavy losses and had to withdraw from the coastal waters of Zhejiang. For the middle and lower-level officers and soldiers of the Northeast Army, this news was just "another great victory for the Xuebing Army." , but it has a special meaning for Wu Keren. If he still felt that many of Ouyang Yun's words were exaggerated when he was in Karachi, he is now 70% convinced, "Maybe he will stay in Southeast Asia to guard the South for the country." The gate is also a good choice." He thought like this, and after meeting Shaoshuai Zhang and others, he truthfully reported what he had seen and heard in Karachi and the contents of the meeting with Ouyang Yun.
Marshal Zhang was frowning as he read the letter from Ouyang Yun he brought back. Opposite Wu Keren, the commander of the 57th Army, Miao Zhengliu, squinted his eyes and said rudely: "He Ouyang What qualifications does Yun have to point fingers at us? If it weren't for Chen Jitang's legacy, their Xue Bing Army might have been wiped out by Little Japan long ago. What a toad yawning, what a loud tone, Young Marshal, since he didn't give , then let’s go get it ourselves, it’s what he owes us anyway.”
Marshal Zhang raised his head. He folded the letter and put it into the envelope. Then he looked at Miao Zhengliu and said, "Commander Miao, speaking from my heart, apart from this westward march, the Xuebing Army has not treated me badly." We can say this here, but we must not say it outside. We in the Northeast Army are not ungrateful people."
"Young Marshal, you are just too kind-hearted. Okay, I won't say nonsense below." Miao Zhengliu said, avoiding Marshal Zhang's eyes.
Marshal Zhang looked at Wu Keren: "Commander Wu, how trustworthy do you think my brother Ouyang's words are?"
"I think you can give it a try." Wu Keren said ambiguously,
When Miao Zhengliu heard this, he became anxious and said: "Old Wu, why don't we give it a try? Brothers are almost out of food, so we can't afford to give it a try."
Marshal Zhang looked at Liu Duoquan, Wan Fulin and He Zhuguo, and asked, "What are your opinions?"
Liu Duoquan thought for a while and said, "I think it's worth a try." He paused and then said, "If what Xiao Wu saw in Karachi is true, Ouyang Yun shouldn't have been aimless. In this case, we We should think further, everyone, by now we should see that no matter the final outcome of this war of the century, it will be very difficult for us to go back to the Northeast. We can't go back anyway, so we might as well take this opportunity. If we become bigger and stronger, with so many troops, we can completely take over the defense of Myanmar. Then, even if the British are responsible, we can also requisition food from the local government for war needs. If the Burmese people are ignorant, then We might as well learn from the Bingjun in building a new government. As long as the food problem is solved, the troops will have nothing to worry about. Ammunition supplies. If Ouyang Yun cannot fulfill his promise, we will have reason to go to Guangxi for food. Isn't that the focus of the Japanese army's strategy? Now in the southwest and south, we should not look eastward for the time being. If the scale of the war is not large, we can fully afford it."
"I agree with Commander Liu's opinion." Wan Fulin said,
He Zhuguo also expressed his agreement,
Marshal Zhang stood up and looked at the picture on the wall. After a few seconds, he exhaled and said, "Then try it."
Everyone else stood up and said in unison: "We listen to the commander-in-chief."
After Nagumo Chuichi's Yamato aircraft carrier fleet completed the mission of conquering Midway Island and returned to the Japanese mainland, Yamamoto Isoroku, who had been waiting in Sasebo for a long time, immediately issued an order and personally appointed the commander to lead the combined fleet to attack the southeastern coast of Zhejiang in a mighty manner. past,
On February 8, 1942, which was the Chinese Lunar New Year, pilot Yu Zhenghai of the reconnaissance aircraft group of the Zhejiang Southern Aviation Corps detected three Japanese small ships traveling together more than 300 kilometers southeast of Zhoushan Island. It had been a long time since a Japanese warship had appeared. Yu Zhenghai immediately sent back an alarm and then flew towards the Japanese warship, wanting to find out and see if there were any Japanese warships behind.
About twenty minutes later, he discovered a large formation of Japanese ships and two enemy planes approaching him. He was shocked and immediately turned around and returned. After using his speed to get rid of the enemy planes' pursuit, he quickly generated electricity. Report this latest discovery to the top,
A few minutes later, the information he sent back was passed to Wang Hai.
Since the Battle of Green Island, the top brass of the Xuebing Army had realized that it would definitely lead to retaliation from the Japanese army, so Wang Hai's trip to Karachi was delayed again.
When Wang Hai saw the words "large fleet fleet" in the telegram sent back by Yu Zhenghai, he immediately realized that the Japs might have dispatched the main force of the combined fleet. He did not dare to be careless and called Ye Zhao and the Guangzhou Headquarters respectively. Tell them: The little devil is coming,