The Commander Ishihara mentioned by Takashi Sakai was none other than Kanji Ishihara, who had suffered defeat at the hands of Fox Thirteen. Kanji Ishihara was able to continue to stay on the Chinese battlefield, and he was recalled to the country to submit a prospect analysis report on the China incident to the base camp.
Relatedly, in this report, he clearly pointed out that Japan's biggest enemy in China is the Xuebing Army, and predicted that in the near future and for a long time, the Imperial Army will not be the opponent of the Xuebing Army.
The Xuebing Army must adopt the method of retreating to advance, that is, using space for development time, using the resources obtained by the Japanese army in Southeast Asia to develop military technology, and after shortening the military technology gap with the Xuebing Army, it can then attempt to compete with the Xuebing Army.
In this report, he more clearly stated that focusing on the development of the navy is the top priority of the empire. Only by establishing a navy that sweeps across East Asia and even the world can Japan's vested interests in Southeast Asia and the Pacific be protected, and the sustainable development of the huge empire can be supported.
…
Ishihara Wanji was a man from the army, but he talked about the military at sea, and he also greatly improved the status of the navy. Naturally, it aroused strong dissatisfaction with Hideki Tojo. At one time, Ishihara was sent to a military court, and he was almost ordered to have a caesarean section to apologize. Fortunately, there was
Mitsumasa Yoneuchi and Isoroku Yamamoto fought hard to avoid being poisoned. The ink on Ishihara's report submitted to the base camp was not dry yet. The Xuebing Army launched a four-pronged counterattack. The Japanese army assembled heavy troops but was still defeated everywhere. This is indirect proof.
Ishihara's foresight in the China incident was recognized. At this time, Mitsumasa Yoneuchi and Isoroku Yamamoto took strong action. In order to maintain the Army's proactive position in the military headquarters, Tojo Hideki had to give in and let Ishihara serve as the commander of the newly established Central China Front.
To compromise...
After Ishihara came to China again, he did not rush to intervene in the frontline war, but waited for the opportunity while sorting out the troops. During the battle of Changsha, the Japanese army was defeated, and the defense battles of Nanjing and Shanghai were repeatedly defeated. The overall Japanese army in Central China
When morale was low, he put forward the concept of retreating to advance, and it immediately had miraculous effects.
"Your Excellency, absolutely not." Yamamoto stood up again, waved his fist and shouted at Takashi Sakai: "Nanjing is the capital of China. The imperial army made great sacrifices to capture it. We still have 200,000 people.
How can a large army give up so easily? If so, where is the dignity of the imperial army?"
"Of course the dignity of the Imperial Army cannot be desecrated, but Yamamoto-kun, how many people are left in the Fifth Division, and how many new recruits are among them? Yes, we still have an army of 200,000, but how many experienced veterans are left among them?
If you expect those student soldiers who have just learned how to shoot to deal with the wolf-like student soldiers, Yamamoto-kun, you are murdering the hope of the Yamato nation." Sakai Takashi responded tit for tat, not giving in at all.
The current situation of the Fifth Division was an untouchable weakness in Yamamoto's heart, and his arrogance was frustrated. However, he did not give in. He said loudly: "It is the duty of every Yamato to devote oneself to the common prosperity of Greater East Asia under His Majesty the Emperor."
People's pride, and besides, veterans have not grown up from recruits. You also said that they are the hope of the Yamato nation, so we should train them more rigorously and let them shoulder the heavy burden as soon as possible."
"More rigorous training is correct, but it shouldn't lead to death, Yamamoto-kun. This is Commander Ishihara's order."
"That coward Ishihara, what qualifications does he have to issue such an order? Nanjing was bought by the imperial army at the expense of flesh and blood..."
"Yamamoto-kun, please pay attention to your wording. Commander Ishihara is our commander after all. Is this the way your subordinates usually talk to you?"
Sakai Takashi and Yamamoto had a fierce quarrel, which made other people, especially the generals of the Korean Communist Army and the Peace Army, look at each other. They were self-aware and did not dare to join this level of quarrel, but it did not prevent them from beating themselves up. The generals of the Korean Communist Army were all worried, while some generals of the Peace Army began to consider whether to take the initiative to contact the cadet army. The Japanese army was declining, and they should also consider their own future.
Yamamoto didn't know that when Takashi Sakai had just received Ishihara's order asking him to abandon Nanjing, he reacted as loudly as he did, and even said that he wanted to confirm to the base camp whether this was his personal order or the instruction of the base camp. After Ishihara said this After saying this, he was silent for a moment and then accepted it silently.
Ishihara said this: "Sakai-kun, do you know the list of war criminals established by the Xuebing Army? It is an honor that you and I are included in it. And as far as I know, all our words and deeds in China are shared by the Chinese people." For the record, Mr. Sakai, I understand your loyalty to the Empire and His Majesty the Emperor, and I also understand your integrity as a soldier. However, as a famous general, if something happens to you, what will happen to the morale of the Imperial Army? You should know what kind of impact it had on the morale of our army when Mr. Gu Shou was imprisoned in Guangzhou. Mr. Sakai, for the sake of the overall situation, we must not be brave for a moment."
Sakai Takashi had anticipated how the generals below would react once the order to abandon Nanjing was issued, but Yamamotomo's violent reaction was beyond his expectation. In the end, the old Japanese was angry that Yamamotomo was unreasonable and made trouble regardless of the occasion, so that He lost face and became angry, so he declared that he would consider Yamamoto's determination to be loyal to His Majesty the Emperor, and would give priority to the Fifth Division when deploying the rear-end troops.
When he said these words, Yamamoto was furious at first, then dumbfounded, and blurted out: "This is naked revenge. I, I am not convinced." Obviously, what he said was that he would not hesitate to serve His Majesty the Emperor for the common prosperity of Greater East Asia. There is still a lot of water in the heroic words of devotion,
The fierce quarrel between Takashi Sakai and Yamamoto at the military meeting soon reached the ears of Li Tieshu through special channels. Li Tieshu smiled and said to Zhang Gongming and others: "If the generals are at odds, how can the Japanese army be invincible? Now we We need to carefully study how to retain Sakai Takabe warmly."
Sakai Takashi's judgment on the Xuebing army's encirclement of Sanque Yi was not accurate. Li Tieshu was not worried that the Japanese army's stubborn resistance would cause excessive casualties to the troops. His real consideration was actually from the perspective of protecting the ancient city of Nanjing, and he did not want artillery fire to damage Nanjing too much. It's just serious,
The loud quarrel between Takashi Sakai and Yamamoto at the military meeting not only caused bad blood between the two and affected the unity among the top Japanese troops in Nanjing, but also prompted the generals of the Peace Army who attended the meeting to have different aspirations. It was considered a big favor to Li Tieshu.
The first person who contacted Li Tieshu was Zhang Ronghuan, deputy commander of the Second Army of the Peace Army.
After Li Tieshu gave Zhang Rong a positive reply, it was as if a floodgate had been opened. Officers above the rank of commander of the Peace Corps held out white flags one after another, and a wave of opposition quietly emerged in the Peace Corps.