Just when the Chinese commanders at all levels in Munan Town were gradually regaining their confidence because of Tang Dao's military order, they were in a small village less than 8 kilometers away from them.
A short but strong Japanese Army Major General wearing glasses, facing another Japanese Army Major General and five Japanese Army Colonels, also shouted an ear-splitting slogan: "In this battle, Your Excellency, Commander Shishan Geng"
, Your Excellency, Commander Itagaki, is very sincere to all the gentlemen here. Together, all gentlemen, we will annihilate all the enemy forces in front of us! May the empire’s military fortune be prosperous!”
According to common sense, when the Japanese Army Major General shouts a slogan, the other Japanese army officers should stand up collectively and chant the slogan together. This is not only to cheer themselves up but also to express their firm obedience to military orders.
But what is embarrassing is that only five of the Japanese generals present stood up. The chubby Army Major General showed disdain and shouted symbolically, "The Empire's military fortune is prosperous", but his buttocks kept
He was leaning on the chair, as if he was stuck with glue.
Even among the five colonels who stood up, two of them shouted slogans weakly, as if they had not eaten enough.
"Big Bear, if you are dissatisfied with my tactical arrangements, you can tell me directly. Why are you having such an attitude!" The short Japanese Army Major General looked fiercely at the colleague in front of him who was at the same level as himself.
"No, no, Nakamura-kun, your tactical arrangement is very good. On behalf of my 4th Division's Western Bulge Detachment, I would like to express my full support. But Nakamura-kun, you also know that our Western Bulge Detachment traveled from Manchuria to this place day and night for the great cause of the empire.
Thousands of miles away, my old back really can't stand it. I can't sit straight or stand upright. Please don't blame Mr. Nakamura for being rude.
Of course, if Mr. Nakamura really wants to blame, then I will tell Mr. Itagaki that our 4th Division's Western Bulge Detachment has become a tired army on the expedition and cannot be used for much purpose. It can be used as a second-line reserve team. I will also ask for it.
The commander of the 4th Division, Sawada, and Commander Gen Sugami, please explain!" The Japanese Army Major General's chubby face was full of smiles, and he explained unhurriedly.
Nakamura Masao never thought that there would be a day when he would want to kick a fat man in the face with a smile on his face.
Really, how could he say this?
What the hell, you traveled thousands of miles day and night, Baga, you obviously arrived at Yuancheng by train, listening to the wind and enjoying the snow all the way, okay? If we really talk about the difficulty of marching, my Fifth Division spent this year in the mountains and ravines of Shanxi Province.
I don’t know how much mountain road I climbed.
Forget it, after all, I understand that I am being shameless, but the following sentence is too yin and yang, and its meaning is just that if you Nakamura is unhappy, then go and complain to the boss behind you! Why, you are the only one who has a boss and I don’t.
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In addition, I would like to remind you that your Fifth Division is now affiliated with the Westward Advance Corps, and I am affiliated with the North China Front. Don't try to use Itagaki Shiro to suppress me. I will not accept your tricks. The commander behind me is General Shishan Yuan.
The one who can crush you all to death with one finger is the lieutenant general.
This almost naked threat is shameless, but unfortunately, it is true.
Even though the Japanese army has now assembled a front army and a corps to attack the border with the main force, the command structure is quite confusing. Who is in charge? The Japanese Army Base Camp has not yet given a clear explanation.
Even though Japan's North China side was half a step higher in rank, Shiro Itagaki of the Westward Expansion Corps was a well-known loner and had always been accustomed to acting in his own way.
Not to mention that he is now leading the army alone. Even last year when he was still affiliated with the North China Front Army, he ignored the front army headquarters and didn't even get a reply. The two commanders, Indoor Shouti and Shanshan Yuan, took advantage of him.
It's like a dog bites a hedgehog. You can get rid of him by being ruthless, but it also requires a thorn in your mouth, so why bother!
And how strong Shiro Itagaki is, just like the ongoing New Year's Day Offensive, the North China Front Army was supposed to be responsible for containing the Chinese army in Zhongtiao Mountain, covering the westward advancing corps to conquer the Chinese Yellow River Gorge and march to the Guanzhong Plain.
The result was good. The Westward Army Corps suffered a heavy loss at Tongguan and immediately reported to the base camp to adjust their strategy. The Zhongtiao Mountain theater was changed from containment to an encirclement between the two armies. Zhongtiao Mountain was first dealt with and then the Chinese Yellow River defense line was broken.
It’s okay to change orders day and night at the base camp. They are all serving the Empire and His Majesty the Emperor. The Japanese North China Front Army can tolerate it, but Shiro Itagaki directly served as the first commander of the front line of the Zhongtiao Mountain Theater, commanding the front army at the corps level, even if he was stationed in Pingbeicheng.
General Shanshan Yuan was also the nominal supreme commander of the entire North China battlefield.
Gen. Gen. Geng Shanshan needs to take responsibility for his command errors in the previous two battles of southeastern Shanxi and eastern Shanxi. Although he can't say anything this time, there is an undercurrent surging within the Japanese North China Front.
Moreover, Itagaki Shiro was extremely domineering. He directly appointed the commander of his 21st Brigade as the supreme commander of the Central Breach Theater of Nakatiao Mountain, responsible for commanding the Nakamura Detachment of the 5th Division, the Westward Detachment of the 4th Division, and the 225th Infantry Regiment of the 37th Division.
A total of 60,000 people from the entire army including the 28th Artillery Regiment and the 28th Cavalry Regiment participated in this battle.
If Itagaki Shiro was personally commanding this battle, the Major General Commander of the 4th Division's Western Bulge Detachment, Okuma Konosuke, would probably have endured it. However, he looked at the Major General Commander of the 21st Brigade, Masao Nakamura, who was at the same level as him, sitting in front of him as if no one else was there.
When he was in charge of his position and treated himself like an army commander, Daxiong Yuxinosuke, who was born in a family of merchants, could no longer bear it.
Sarcasm and sarcasm are just an appetizer for this shrewd businessman. If Nakamura Masao is ignorant, he will not mind ordering the entire army to once again stage a series of dramas for this guy, which will make the entire army exhausted and unable to survive the war. He will give up his job.
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This is not a matter of 'lower to overcome superior', we are all on the same level. Okuma Konosuke's confidence first comes from the lieutenant general division commander behind him. The two are old neighbors on the same street, not to mention they are naked together.
Growing up, if the two businesses were deeply tied together, the boss would have to protect him.
Of course, the more important thing is that Okuma Konosuke knows that Commander Gen Sugami is very unhappy. The smoother the New Year's Day offensive under the command of Shiro Itagaki, the more unhappy Commander Gen Sugami will be. He is blatantly eyeing Masao Nakamura.
Medicine, if I can't control it, his name will soon be firmly remembered by Commander Shanshan Yuan. This man understands my heart very well and can be of great use!
"Okuma-kun, the valor of the 4th Division has spread throughout the country. This battle has a lot to do with it. The more than 10,000 officers and soldiers of the West Shock Detachment under Okuma-kun still need to overcome the fatigue of coming from afar to kill the enemy. I will express my gratitude to Mr. Itagaki and Mr. Sawada.
Reporting on the heroic performance of the 4th Division." Facing this cutthroat colleague, Nakamura Masao tried his best to suppress his inner anger and finally lowered his stance.
Daxiong Yunsuke, who was a shrewd businessman at heart, knew that he could just confront this guy with a gun and a stick, but if he lowered his attitude and was aggressive, he would definitely provoke Itagaki Shiro, which would be uneconomical.
, it is the kingly way to accept it as soon as it is good.
It's like doing business. You can't put all the money in your own pocket, give your competitors a way to survive, and don't force them to die, otherwise both sides will lose.
"Nani! Nakamura-kun and the 21st Brigade are the leaders of our Imperial Army. They defeated the four Chinese infantry divisions in the battle of Xinkou. They are worthy of the reputation of the 'Flower of the Army', and this battle is widely said in the army to 'never be broken'.
Saber Nakamura-kun, as you take command, you will surely regain the glory of the day.
In the future, Mr. Nakamura will be rising rapidly, but don’t forget the comrades like me who fight side by side!” Big Bear Konosuke stood up with a smile on his face.
The words couldn't be more nice to say. Not only did he obey Nakamura Masao's statement, his almost flattering flattery was like a different person from before, but Nakamura Masao was wearing glasses that made it difficult to see the flashing eyes.
I cursed MMP in my heart!
The performance of the 21st Brigade in the Battle of Xinkou was very impressive, but it had something to do with Masao Nakamura. At that time, he was just an army colonel and served as the chief of staff of the 12th Division until 4 months ago.
He was promoted to Army Major General and transferred to the Fifth Division as the commander of the 21st Brigade.
As for the 'saber that never breaks', it was the recognition of him by a group of friends and classmates from the Army University, who had a close relationship with the military.
I mentioned this specifically because the fat man in front of me is deliberately reminding you that you have only been a major general for a few months? It's amazing to have a nickname! Who can't brag? Don't point fingers in front of me, a veteran major general.
But what can you do if you know it, but you still don’t allow others to praise them all the time, or what?
Masao Nakamura is an upright academic, and when it comes to quarrels, he is far from an opponent like Konosuke Ohma who comes from the business world.
The high-level military meeting of the Chinese Fourth Army's confrontation with the Japanese army ended in a happy atmosphere, but everyone who knows it knows that the two Japanese major general detachment leaders despised each other, and their command system actually changed from the establishment of a front-line headquarters.
At that moment, it was in a state of falling apart.
And this kind of disintegration does not even exist in the Central Defense Zone of Nakatiao Mountain. Three days ago, the Japanese Army Base Camp ordered Shiro Itagaki to serve as the top frontline commander of the Nakatiao Mountain Theater, responsible for commanding the 130,000-strong army of six divisions invested by the North China Front.
The moment he and the 50,000-strong troops of the Westward Expedition Corps, the execution ability of various Japanese army departments in obeying orders was greatly reduced.
Therefore, not only was Masao Nakamura having a headache, but the brows of the sinister-faced man who had arrived in Yuncheng had never relaxed, even though he had an army of nearly 200,000 under his command that he had dreamed of leading.
The Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain actually lasted for more than 4 days. According to the tactical deployment, among the 130,000 troops invested by the North China Front, except for 2 divisions that remained as reserves, the remaining 4 divisions with 90,000 troops were all deployed into the battle.
It's just that it's still in the encirclement stage, and it's not yet time to actually attack and cut through the opponent's defense line, and the battle is far from getting intense.
However, when the various departments of the Japanese North China Front encountered war difficulties, they rarely took the initiative to report to Itagaki Shiro's frontline headquarters in Yuncheng. Instead, they all used long-wave radio to communicate with the North China Front headquarters in Pingbeicheng.
In fact, Itagaki Shiro only has absolute control over 50,000 people under his command. In this situation, no matter how strong Itagaki Shiro is, he can only do nothing.
Because this situation is actually the result of internal fighting among the army base camps. If Yuan Shanshan has his supporters, he will naturally have his opponents. No one can stand on two teams at the same time, especially when Yuan Shanshan leads two consecutive battles.
After the defeat, the group of people who opposed him promoted him as the new leader. Some people even spread rumors that as long as the New Year's Day Offensive completes most of the strategic assumptions of the base camp, he is very likely to become the successor to the commander of the North China Front.
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Shan Shanyuan has not been transferred yet, but His Majesty the Emperor is just giving him face and allowing him to stay in office for at least one year.
Good guy, this is like putting yourself on the fire. The short guy pacing back and forth in the headquarters with his hands behind his back can even imagine the cold eyes of the general commander when he saw his name.
"Sasaki-kun, where is the 9th Infantry Brigade now?" Lieutenant General Ji Zi asked the army commander who had been standing by silently.
"Your Excellency, Army Commander, Major General Kunizaki has called at 7 o'clock in the morning. They are about to arrive in the Shunwangping area. As long as the Fourth Army Regiment dares to cross Wangwu from Taihang and enter Zhongtiao Mountain, the 9th Infantry Brigade and the 5th Artillery Brigade will
The regiment and the 5th Cavalry Regiment will definitely be able to keep it there." Gozo Sasaki, who was promoted from captain of the 11th Infantry Regiment to chief of staff of the 5th Division three months ago, replied respectfully.
"Okay! Call Kunizaki Zheng back. This is top-secret information collected for us by the empire's top intelligence agents who did not hesitate to expose themselves to risks. It is also an opportunity for Kunizaki Zheng to avenge his shame. Don't let me down again." Shorty Army Lieutenant Colonel
Although the general was still worried and frowning, when he heard that the main force under his command was about to arrive at the preset position, his expression became much better than before.
In the past few days, he, as the frontline commander of the Zhongtiao Mountain Theater, has rarely had the feeling of being able to direct and mobilize troops, and only his direct troops can do so.
"Your Excellency, Commander of the Legion, the Si Xing Regiment is just an infantry regiment. Although it is powerful in combat, our division will not have to use an infantry brigade and an artillery regiment with tens of thousands of troops to deal with them! If we can use this
If we place all our troops under Major General Nakamura, we may be able to defeat the Chinese 4th Army's defense line opposite in one fell swoop." Seeing that his immediate superior's mood had improved, Sasaki Gozo hurriedly stepped forward to ask for advice.
This is the cleverness of the chief of staff of the new division. What does a leader need when he is in a good mood? What he needs is for his subordinates to be dull. He can give pointers to his subordinates, and only when his subordinates nod and bow with a look of enlightenment can they give their superiors great psychological support.
satisfy.
The fascinating thing about power is that it can not only influence the life and death of many people, but also gain the admiration of those around you.
"Sasaki-kun, that means you don't have enough understanding of the opponent of the Si Xing Regiment. Although the Chinese army of the Si Xing Regiment is just an infantry regiment, it is well-equipped and has a tenacious will to fight. In the last battle of Jindong, they were able to
The 21st Division was defeated by pure mountain defense.
And when you carefully study the record of this army, you will be surprised to find that although their strength is inferior to their opponents every time, they have almost never been defeated, and they have even won complete victories on several occasions.
The self-confidence brought by victory after victory is the most solid foundation for becoming a strong army. If they are allowed to develop, they will definitely become a serious problem for the empire.
Just in time, take advantage of this New Year's Day offensive to eliminate them!" Itagaki Shiro shook his head and patiently explained to his confidants.
"Your Excellency, the Army Commander, said this. I finally understand why this elite Chinese army dared to rush all the way to support the Zhongtiao Mountain battlefield. It is because they are confident enough. They are confident that the Chinese army staying in the Taihang Mountains can withstand the empire's 80,000-strong army.
siege, but also confident that he will be able to exert his own strength on the Zhongtiao Mountain battlefield.
If they are really given the time and space to continue to grow as the Legion Commander said, they will definitely become extremely difficult to deal with." Sasaki Gosan's face showed a sudden realization, and his eyes were even more timely.
Overflowing with deep admiration.
"However, under the strategic planning of your Excellency, the Legion Commander, this Chinese elite will eventually face the fate of total annihilation."
Really, when it comes to micro-expressions, this Japanese army colonel is definitely at the textbook level.
It expresses reverence without being too greasy and flattering, everything is just right.
Otherwise, the Fifth Division and the attached 105th Division have a total of 8 infantry regiment captains. Why is he the only one to become the chief of staff of the division? Regardless of his military rank, he is still a colonel. But with the background of the Fifth Division, he is the chief of staff.
It was only a matter of time before he was promoted to Major General of the Imperial Army.
"You must not be blindly arrogant while the war situation is still undecided! In addition, Nakamura-kun is not facing an ordinary enemy. The Chinese 4th Army has just been established and has average combat effectiveness, but its 17th Division is
It is an extremely tough army. In the two battles at Niangzi Pass, the 20th Division suffered a lot. Nakamura-kun must be careful." Faced with the admiration of his subordinates, Itagaki Shiro did not show any pride from beginning to end, but looked solemn.
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Don’t be arrogant when you win, and don’t be discouraged when you lose! This may also be regarded as Itagaki Shiro’s characteristic.
The Fifth Division had a brilliant record in the North China battlefield, but it was not without defeats. The Guoqi detachment transferred to the southeast was severely defeated in the Battle of Guangde. In the Battle of Taierzhuang, a detachment formed by the 105th Affiliated Division
The detachment was almost completely wiped out.
However, Itagaki Shiro still withstood the heavy pressure from all sides, not only replenishing the severely damaged 21st Brigade, but also trying his best to rebuild the two infantry regiments that almost had their regiment flags captured.
Even Tang Dao has never underestimated Itagaki Shiro, but regarded him as an extremely difficult opponent.
And Tang Dao didn't expect that he hadn't even thought about the fifth division yet, but Shiro Itagaki had quietly focused on the Four Elements Regiment, and even did not hesitate to deploy it on such a battle-level battlefield.
One main force was dedicated to dealing with the Four Elements Regiment.
From the aspect of intelligence warfare alone, Itagaki Shiro already had the upper hand.
The top-secret military information that the generals of the Thirty-eighth Army only learned today about the Four Troops coming from afar to assist had been placed on the desk of the Japanese frontline commander at Zhongtiao Mountain two days ago, and corresponding tactical arrangements had been made.
Before the main force of the Four Corps arrived, they had almost completed their mission and mobilized the main force of 20,000 Japanese troops, reducing the pressure on the Zhongtiao Mountain defense zone.
However, they are accustomed to ambushing their enemies, so they may not be able to escape bad luck this time!
This chapter has been completed!