Okamura Neiji was worthy of being the commander of the North China Front. He was able to analyze Huang Yu's plan to transfer the aircraft just from some clues.
But he had no troops in hand now. Even if he knew that the Eighth Route Army wanted to fly all the planes at Peiping Airport back to the wing, he had no choice but to stare at the sand table and ask anxiously: "Where are the troops returning to Peiping Airport to go?"
Already."
"Contact them immediately..."
"If we cannot recapture Peking Airport, we will immediately set up artillery and destroy all the remaining aircraft on the tarmac."
"Before the Eighth Route Army had time to transfer the second batch of aircraft, destroy them directly on the tarmac."
"The Eighth Route Army cannot get what we can't get. We would rather blow them up than let them fall into the hands of the Eighth Route Army and increase the strength of the Eighth Route Army."
"Send another telegram to the troops returning to Tianjin Pier..."
"If we can't get it, we will immediately use heavy artillery to destroy all the warehouses on the dock and blow up the materials, weapons and ammunition inside."
"Of course, this is our worst plan..."
"As long as they have a chance to regain Tianjin Pier, they cannot give up."
Until this moment, Okamura Neiji still had not given up hope of retaking Tianjin Pier and Peking Airport, and he did not know that the return troops he had high hopes for had been severely damaged on the road and had lost their combat effectiveness.
At twelve o'clock at noon, a squadron leader suddenly rushed into the war room, followed by two second lieutenants. They smelled strongly of gunpowder smoke and their uniforms were in tatters. It was obvious at first glance that they had just retreated from the battlefield.
But no fighting broke out around Peiping.
Looking at their faces again, they all looked red and very tired. A bad premonition suddenly flashed in Okamura Neji's mind.
Before he could speak, he heard the squadron leader reporting: "Your Excellency, Commander..."
"They came from outside the city, saying they were troops returning to support Tianjin Pier..."
"An accident occurred on the way, the troops suffered a devastating blow and lost their combat effectiveness..."
"The humble officer felt that this matter was too big, so he took it to the war room as soon as possible after hearing the report."
Okamura Neiji's eyes quickly widened, he stared at the two second lieutenants and asked with disbelief: "You said you are from the troops returning to Tianjin dock..."
"Did something happen on the road?"
"How can this be……"
"You have three to four thousand men, and you are equipped with a large number of tanks and heavy artillery. The Eighth Route Army attacking Tianjin Pier only has more than two thousand people, and it is still a light infantry force."
"Even if they gather a large number of troops to intercept you halfway, those few troops cannot threaten your safety..."
"How could the returning troops suffer a devastating blow and lose their combat effectiveness?"
"You must be lying about military information..."
The second lieutenant was stared at by Neji Okamura's red eyes. He felt very guilty and couldn't hold back a word for a long time.
The other party is the commander of the North China Front, and I am just a second lieutenant. If the other party is willing, dealing with me will definitely be easier than crushing an ant.
Facing the angry and anxious Okamura Neji, he panicked on the spot.
He didn't calm down until the deputy chief of staff on the side spoke: "Don't be nervous..."
"Tell me everything you know..."
"Where were the returning troops attacked and how were they severely damaged by the enemy?"
"Why don't you fight back with your tanks and heavy artillery?"
"Report sir..." He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, but when he thought of the battle he experienced last night, a look of panic flashed across his face involuntarily, and then he reported.
"The Eighth Route Army attacking us is not light infantry... they are equipped with a large number of heavy artillery and tanks..."
"First use heavy artillery to destroy our tank troops, and then dispatch more than 40 tanks and armored vehicles to launch a counterattack against us."
"At first, the commander of the company wanted to send out suicide squads and use explosive packets to destroy the tanks equipped by the Eighth Route Army, but it was in vain..."
"The entire return force was chased and killed by the Eighth Route Army's chariot units..."
"The commander of the regiment had no choice but to issue an order to divide his troops and break out."
"I was lucky enough to escape from the pursuit of the Eighth Route Army chariots..."
"Immediately march to Peking and report to the headquarters the news that the returning troops have been severely damaged..."
"Commander, please find other ways to recapture Tianjin Pier..."
"The captain of the unit also asked his subordinate to report..."
"Eighty percent of the heavy artillery and tanks used by the Eighth Route Army to attack the returning reinforcements came from the Tianjin dock. They equipped the captured heavy artillery and tanks with their troops and in turn attacked us..."
"Please ask the headquarters to take countermeasures as soon as possible to prevent the Eighth Route Army, which is equipped with a large number of heavy artillery and tanks, from turning around and attacking Peiping."
…………
"thump……"
Okamura Neiji slumped down on his chair, his mouth open with shock on his face, and he didn't say a word for a long time.
The troops returning to Tianjin Pier were severely damaged and lost their combat effectiveness, which meant that their dream of retaking Tianjin Pier was shattered before it even started.
And without the return troops, there was no way he could destroy the supplies, weapons and ammunition that the front army had hoarded at the Tianjin dock.
"Airport..." the deputy chief of staff on the side suddenly shouted.
"Your Majesty Commander, we still have hope."
"The Eighth Route Army that raided the Tianjin dock can use local materials and use our heavy weapons and equipment troops hoarded at the dock to proactively fight the troops returning to the dock to inflict heavy damage on them."
"The Eighth Route Army that attacked Peiping Airport could at most seize some mortars and heavy machine guns from the garrison, but they would certainly not threaten the troops returning to support the airport."
"As long as they successfully retake the airport, we can dispatch aircraft to bomb the Tianjin dock and destroy the supplies, weapons and ammunition there..."
"Taking a step back, even if the Eighth Route Army blows up the remaining planes on the tarmac at the last moment, the troops returning to Peking Airport can dispatch artillery and secretly move to the vicinity of the pier to bombard the Tianjin pier from a long distance and destroy the weapons and ammunition there.
With supplies.”
Okamura Neiji rekindled his hope, stood up from the chair, smashed his clenched fists on the table in front of him, gritted his teeth and ordered: "You are right..."
"As long as the troops returning to Peking Airport arrive on time and recapture Peking Airport, we will still have hope..."
the more you hope, the harder you fall.
When Okamura Neiji regained his confidence, several officers rushed in from the door of the war room again. Some came from the top of the city, and some came from outside the city. They didn't look at the military uniforms, they still had wounds on their bodies, and their faces were covered with gunpowder smoke.
The other party was obviously very anxious. Before Okamura Neji could speak, he reported with a panic expression: "Your Excellency, Commander..."
"The troops returning to the airport were violently attacked by the enemy, suffered heavy casualties, and have lost their combat effectiveness..."
"I was lucky enough to successfully break out of the battlefield and was ordered to come to Beiping City to report the situation..."
Okamura Neiji immediately asked: "The Eighth Route Army that attacked Beiping Airport failed to capture heavy artillery and tanks. You have both an artillery brigade and a tank unit. How could you possibly suffer a devastating blow?"
