"Hmm?" Temple Shouichi changed his expression slightly, "Tens of thousands of armed men?"
"Hai." Sasaki lowered his head suddenly, and then said with doubts, "However, Kasai Yonezo added another sentence at the end of the telegram. This news has not yet been finally verified."
The so-called unverified means that it may be false information.
But Shouyi in the temple shook his head and said: "There is an old saying in China, it is better to believe that it is true than to believe that it is not true!"
After saying this, Juichi Terauchi asked again: "Has the Aviation Corps discovered anything in the past few days?"
"Your Excellency, General, are you worried about Yue Weihan's Baoshan Brigade?" Sasaki shook his head and replied, "According to the report of the Aviation Regiment's reconnaissance aircraft brigade, the Baoshan Brigade has been resting in Qinghe County in the past few days, and there has been nothing unusual.
Moreover, no suspicious signs have been found within two hundred miles of Qinghe County."
Temple Shouichi shook his head again and said in a deep voice: "Chinese people have always been cunning and like tricks best. Compared with other Chinese generals, Yue Weihan is especially cunning. What's more, this is Chinese territory. The Chinese army can get the protection of the local people.
It is difficult to detect them, so aerial reconnaissance by aviation forces cannot explain anything!"
"Hai." Sasaki suddenly lowered his head and said, "General, you are extremely wise, and I admire you for your humble position."
Terauchi Shouichi waved his hand and said: "Order, the 4th Independent Mixed Brigade will dispatch two infantry brigades to Shimen! The 20th Division immediately changed its marching route and diverted to Shimen! Then telegraphed to the base camp to recruit reserve soldiers from North Korea and Taiwan as soon as possible.
, reorganized into the 8th independent mixed brigade in Xinjing (Shenyang)."
"Hai." Sasaki suddenly lowered his head and followed the order.
As Kankan walked to the door, Sasaki suddenly turned back and said: "Your Excellency, General, there will be two special trains arriving at Shimen Station tonight, and they will be loaded with weapons and ammunition. Do you think... do you need to postpone going south?"
"No, it can't be done." Juichi Terauchi pondered for a moment, and finally shook his head and said, "The fighting on the front line is tight, and the consumption of weapons and ammunition is huge. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th field heavy artillery brigades now have no ammunition to fire, and they must be replenished as soon as possible.
, Therefore, these two special trains must not be delayed for a moment and must go south as scheduled!"
After saying this, Terauchi Juichi said again: "I'm calling Fujii Sueyoshi again. During the recent period, the 11th independent mixed brigade must strengthen the security of the Ping-Han Railway as much as possible, and there must be no mistakes!"
"Hai." Sasaki suddenly lowered his head and immediately took the order and left.
…………
The battlefield in southern Hebei is covered with clouds, but the land of Jingchu and Sanxiang has already shown an apocalyptic scene!
At the Hankou Pier, thousands of refugees came like a tide, crowding the entire terminal. The anxious shouts of men, the sad cries of women, and the helpless wails of children intertwined into one of the most upsetting songs in history.
The tragic music of internal and external destruction was performed on both sides of the mighty Yangtze River with bloodshed.
A ferry boat just arrived at the pier, and a huge crowd of people immediately swept over it.
"Children, let women and children get on the boat first!" The policeman responsible for maintaining order struggled to form a human wall in an attempt to block the surging crowd, but it was quickly dispersed. The furious police chief had to pull out his pistol and point it at the sky
After firing two shots, he could barely suppress the surging crowd.
In Changsha, Hunan, the crowds of people fleeing have blocked the city gate.
Two carriages were crowded in the city gate, refusing to give way to each other, and the carriage drivers even got into a fight.
Standing on the city wall and looking down, the streets in the city are crowded with people, as if a colony of ants has moved. Everyone's faces, without exception, are full of anxiety, helplessness, confusion, and despair...
In the past few days, the news of the defeat of the national army and the imminent fall of Jingchu and Sanxiang has spread throughout the streets and alleys. All wealthy families in the city have packed up their clothes, packed their luggage, hired carts, and prepared to go to the countryside.
To temporarily avoid the limelight, some are even preparing to flee with their families to Yunnan, Guizhou or Sichuan.
…………
Wuhan camp, Chairman Chiang's official residence.
"Bang!" Chairman Chiang angrily pushed the tea cup on the table to the floor, making a muffled sound. However, the quality of the tea cup was very good and it did not break.
"Commissioner, if we don't release information as soon as possible to refute the rumors, I'm afraid it will trigger a nationwide panic!"
The speaker was Song Ziwen, Vice President of the Executive Yuan, who was also Chairman Chiang's uncle. In name, he was only the Vice President, but in fact he controlled the power of the Executive Yuan. Wang Jingwei was just a puppet.
Mrs. Jiang next to her wiped her tears and said sadly: "Songhu, the people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas managed to escape here, but after a few days of peaceful life, they had to pick up their children, support the old and the young, and continue.
Fleeing to Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou, I don’t know how many people will starve to death along the way.”
"Commissioned." Admiral He also said, "There are worse things."
"What?" Chairman Chiang said with a dark face: "Is there even worse news!?"
General He nodded and said bravely: "Panic has also appeared in the army. Just this morning, the 19th and 22nd Army Groups stationed in Ruyang and Jiaxian County had their entire battalions and even entire regiments flee.
Although Luo Zhuoying and Deng Xihou tried their best to suppress the phenomenon, the situation not only did not calm down, but actually expanded!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Dai Li, the director of the Military Command Bureau, suddenly walked in with a gloomy face.
Seeing that Song Ziwen, Mrs. Jiang, and General He were still in the office, Dai Li suddenly hesitated to speak.
"Yunong." Chairman Jiang said with a dark face, "If you have anything to do, just say it. Don't worry that I won't be able to bear it!"
"Yes." Dai Li responded respectfully, and immediately bowed to report: "Commissioner, Commander of the Japanese Army's Central China Front, Shunroku Hata, is holding a press conference in the Japanese Concession in Shanghai, and claimed..."
Chairman Chiang frowned and said unhappily: "What are you claiming?"
Dai Li took a breath and bravely said: "Shunroku Hata claims that he can occupy Wuhan within half a month and force the Nationalist Government to surrender and achieve common prosperity in Greater East Asia!"
"Niang Xi..." Chairman Chiang cursed in anger.
Immediately, Chairman Chiang realized that his wife was present, and immediately swallowed the last word "PI" in his stomach, and said to General He: "Respectfully, please go make arrangements and hold a press conference at the General Staff Headquarters in the afternoon.
, be sure to invite all the international friends and media reporters you can invite, and I will also attend."
"Yes, I'll make arrangements right away." General He stood upright and immediately took the order and left.
…………
Shanghai, Japanese Concession.
General Hata Toshiroku, commander of the Japanese Central China Front, is holding a press conference at the Grand East Asia Hotel.
The hotel lobby was crowded, and Shunroku Hata was standing on the podium and talking eloquently: "...To sum up, the Imperial Japanese Army has a sure chance of victory. It will surely seize Wuhan and dissolve the illegal government in Wuhan within half a month. Next,
The imperial army will send advisers to assist the Chinese people in forming a new government for the common prosperity of Greater East Asia."
Immediately, there was a sound of whispers in the hall.
The British and French reporters were in mourning, but the German and Italian reporters were delighted.
At this time, the European continent was already covered with war clouds. The German Third Reich was mobilizing its troops and sharpening its knives. It had already exposed its ferocious fangs to neighboring countries. The only suspense now is when will the Third Reich take action?
?Therefore, the victory achieved by the Japanese army on the Wuhan battlefield particularly affected the heartstrings of the Western powers!
Shunroku Hata said again: "The war situation report has been completed, now everyone is invited to ask questions."
…………
That afternoon, the Nationalist Government also held a press conference in Wuhan.
Chairman Chiang personally introduced the battle situation on the front line and then invited reporters on the scene to ask questions.
A foreigner quickly stood up and asked: "Mr. Jiang, I just came from the Hankou Pier. The situation there is shocking and even more heartbreaking. I would like to ask Mr. Jiang whether the government had anticipated the Wuhan War."
Will it fail? If it was expected, why not evacuate citizens in advance?"
After listening to the translator's translation, Chairman Chiang suddenly felt furious.
After a long moment of silence, Chairman Chiang suppressed the anger in his chest and replied: "I would like to correct one thing. The Battle of Wuhan is not over yet, and the victory of this general battle is far from determined! As for the riots at Hankou Pier
"This is just some people who don't know the truth and have been deceived by the rumors of Japanese spies. I have sent people to spread the rumors and issue announcements to clarify the facts. I believe that this riot will be calmed down soon."
"A riot?" Another Western reporter stood up and said directly in Chinese, "Mr. Jiang, as far as I know, this is by no means a riot, but a large-scale refugee migration. I just came from Changsha yesterday, and I discovered that along the way
Thousands of people are carrying their young and old, carrying their children and their children to flee towards Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou. How do you explain this?"
"Explanation?" Chairman Chiang said coldly, "What you have seen is only part of the facts, not a universal phenomenon. The situation across the country is generally stable. The Chinese people have always been full of confidence in the government and the army, and the government and the army are absolutely
We will not let down the expectations and trust of our people, and we will definitely win this war."
Another Western reporter asked: "Mr. Chiang, the commander of the Japanese Central China Front, Shunroku Hata, held a press conference in Shanghai this morning and claimed that the elite "Hu Ben Division" of the national army had been completely wiped out. Is this true?"
"Rumors, these are completely rumors!" Chairman Chiang replied with a dark face and a stiff tone, "The Huben Division is the first-class elite of the national army, and its combat effectiveness is not even lower than that of the Baoshan Brigade. How can it be completely wiped out by the Japanese army?
However, it is true that the Japanese army mobilized two elite divisions to besiege the "Hu Ben Division", and the "Hu Ben Division" did indeed lose two battalions, but it was by no means the entire army was destroyed!"
Another Western reporter asked: "Mr. Chiang, Shunroku Hata threatened to seize Wuhan within half a month and force the Nationalist Government to surrender. What do you think of this?"
"Idiots are talking about dreams." Chairman Chiang said coldly, "First of all, Wuhan will never fall, never! Secondly, even if Wuhan does fall, the Nationalist Government will never surrender, even if the whole of China falls.
The Nationalist Government will still not surrender. The Chinese nation can be defeated, but it will never be conquered!"