Chapter six hundred and seventeenth reinforcements
Umezu Yoshijiro was feeling complacent when a telegram signed by Tojo Hideki arrived. After reading the contents of the telegram, Umezu couldn't help but smile bitterly and was speechless, secretly sighing, is his military career going to end here? Umezu Yoshijiro and Gakushu Kazuo
Although there were not many direct interactions with the soldiers, they almost witnessed the entire process of the rise of the Xuebing Army in Renqiu. Later, although the Xuebing Army fled far away from Guangdong, its popularity continued to increase, and it also hindered Japan's ability to resolve the domestic incident.
It is getting bigger and bigger, and Umezu pays great attention to it even in North Korea. Of course, this process is destined not to be pleasant. Many times, when Umezu organized his men to conduct tactical deductions based on the intelligence he had before the war, he felt that this time
The imperial army was certain to win. However, the battle report came not long after, and the result was completely different. Once or twice, Meijin could deceive himself, saying that the Chinese were just unlucky, or that the commanders on the front line were too incompetent. However,
As this situation gradually became the norm, he could no longer deceive himself.
"Perhaps, when we were in Renqiu, we should have dealt with the student army at all costs, otherwise how could the current situation have happened?!" Umezu said to his confidants more than once. He was not the only one who had this idea, Okamura Neji,
Takashi Sakai, including Tojo Hideki and Yamamoto Isoroku, no one has ever touched it. However, there is no regret medicine in the world. Therefore, after the second New Year's strategy failed and the situation in South China reversed, they could only
I can sigh in vain, but I can't come up with an effective method.
After the Xuebing Army formed an expeditionary force and entered the Southern Peninsula, Meijin gained a new understanding of the Xuebing Army. He was horrified to find that the Xuebing Army was like a natural enemy specially arranged by God for the imperial army. As long as they appeared wherever
, then the empire will inevitably encounter misfortune there. Moreover, not only the army, but also the pride of the empire, the combined fleet of the empire's meritorious fleets that have been able to rise in the east - this powerful ocean-going fleet with a history of more than a hundred years can actually be formed into history.
The Pacific Fleet of the Xuebing Army, which lasted just over two years, was completely defeated.
All of the above made Umezu increasingly fearful of the Xuebing Army, and he also became more aware of the strategic significance of an expedition to the Far East and a flanking attack on Soviet Russia by the German army. He felt that "the only way to completely resolve the China Incident is to rely on the power of the Germans and send troops first
Helping the German army defeat Soviet Russia can speed up the process to prevent the war in China from getting out of hand. Even if the Germans can be invited, the overall situation may be decided..." - This is what he wrote to Neiji Okamura
From what he said in a letter, it can be seen that he was not prepared to fight against the Xuebing Army at all.
Tojo Hideki didn't know this, so how could he have expected that Umezu Yoshijiro, a dignified general, had actually been frightened by the cadet army? So on the one hand, he asked Umezu in a serious tone of command as "prime minister"
Within a week, he led his army to Zhangjiakou. On the one hand, he expressed his gratitude to him in a private name, claiming that "this will be a key battle that determines the direction of the China incident. If the northwest of the China army can be successfully eliminated,
Legion, then he can convince His Majesty to shift the strategic focus to China again"...and so on.
Tojo used both soft and hard tactics, and Umezu had no room for objection. However, he did not just obey the order as Tojo expected. While ordering the 12th Division of the vanguard to take a train to Zhangjiakou, he
Contacted Okamura Neiji to discuss countermeasures. The two talked on the phone for nearly two hours, and finally came up with a sound strategy.
Because of his experiences in Jiangxi, Okamura Neiji was more afraid of the cadet army than Umezu Yoshijiro, so he was also a firm supporter of the strategy of asking German power to solve the China incident. In his opinion, during the expedition to Soviet Russia
Letting the Far East Army move to Inner Mongolia when the combat plan has been approved is simply a strategic mistake and putting the cart before the horse - "Tojo-kun is really only suitable to be a superior soldier." Of course, having worked with Tojo Hideki, I am familiar with him during the period.
He is temperamental and knows that when Tojo has made a decision, if he openly opposes it, he will only bring humiliation to himself, and he may be forced to retire from active service like Ishihara Kanji. Since the opposition is ineffective, then he can only
He can strive to win this battle. Tojo Hideki's sudden decision to invest the Far East Army in the defensive battle of Inner Mongolia was not a whim, but he felt that the current domestic battlefield, at least in North China and Northwest China, the two sides were still in a state of balance, so
, the investment of 300,000 Far East Legions armed to the teeth will be the winning force that can determine the direction of victory or defeat, and will definitely give the Xuebing Army a head-on blow. Then, not only will the war situation in China undergo a qualitative change, but also a crucial
Yes, his position as Prime Minister will definitely be as stable as Mount Tai. Tojo Hideki has high hopes for the Far East Army, but Okamura Neji and Umezu Yoshijiro feel that it is not enough. Regarding the comparison of the combat power of the two sides in Japan, Okamura and Umezu both have an account. If
When talking about the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the Japanese army still had the ability to fight one against three. Now, as the veterans of its standing elite divisions are dying and dying, although in terms of weapons and equipment, the Japanese army seems to have kept up with the cadet army.
However, Okamura felt that it would be good if the Imperial Army could now maintain an enemy force of two against the Cadet Army. As for Umezu, he felt that the artillery unit in the aviation force and tank force was enough to resist the same arms of the Cadet Army.
Before the formation of technical troops, the imperial army could at most outnumber the cadet army with three enemies to one. At this stage, the awareness of the combat power ratio between the Japanese and Japanese troops was almost the same. Okamura and Umezu felt that the 300,000 Far East Legion alone was not enough.
In order to win this battle, for the sake of safety, at least 150,000 more troops must be added.
"Tojo-kun believes that if the Far Eastern Army is thrown into Inner Mongolia, the Northwest Army of the China Army will be able to be annihilated. This inference is basically correct, but there is a premise, that is, the Qinling Army of Tadamichi Ribayashi can stop the China Army before the Far East Army annihilates the Northwest Army.
South of Xi'an. But is this possible? The Chinese tiger general Xue Yue was responsible for the counterattack of the Qinling Army. When he was in Hunan, the equipment of the Chinese Central Army was not as good as it is now, and there were many factions and it was difficult to coordinate. Even so, Xue Yue's troops
It caused quite a lot of trouble for the Imperial Army. And now, Ouyang Yun has changed all their equipment. I heard that the Qinling Army already has a problem of insufficient ammunition supply, and our aviation units are simply unable to fly over the Qinling Mountains to provide supplies.
, Under such a severe situation, we must calculate such a disadvantageous factor. Perhaps, the Qinling Army may lose Xi'an tomorrow..." Okamura Neiji said when he mentioned that the North China Front Army should also participate in this war.