After hearing Neji Okamura's judgment, the deputy chief of staff on the side became anxious and immediately answered: "Your Excellency, Commander..."
"Then how do we stop the Eighth Route Air Force from bombing the railway lines..."
"Without the railway transportation, the time for the Kwantung Army to go south to support us will be delayed by two days at the earliest. At that time, the Yizhong Eighth Route Army may have already escaped with the loot. Even if the support troops reach the Pingjin battlefield, they will not have the chance to follow Yizhong
The Eighth Route Army fought."
Okamura Neji shook his head and replied helplessly: "It can't be stopped..."
"The Eighth Route Air Force is in the sky, our troops are on the ground, and they have taken away air supremacy on the battlefield...how to stop it."
"The only feasible way is for the Kwantung Army to dispatch its aviation force to counterattack and destroy the Eighth Route Army's air force."
"But the chance of success is too low..."
"We don't know which railway line the Eighth Route Air Force plans to bomb. Even if the Kwantung Army aviation troops are dispatched, they will not be able to rush to the battlefield in advance to set up an ambush and attack the Eighth Route Air Force troops, let alone protect the railway lines there."
"When the Eighth Route Air Force starts bombing the railway line, we know their specific location, and then let the Kwantung Army aviation force dispatch aircraft. By the time they reach the battlefield, the Eighth Route Air Force has already completed the bombing mission and escaped..."
"In addition, if the railway line that the Eighth Route Air Force wants to bomb is located in the North China Front Army's defense area, even if we contact the Kwantung Army and ask them to send aviation troops to reinforce the battlefield, we will not be able to directly attack the Eighth Route Air Force because of the limited range."
The chief of staff replied with a look of despair on his face: "Then we are definitely losing this battle?"
Okamura Neji shook his head and said with a look of reluctance: "No... we haven't lost yet..."
"The railway was blown up and the Kwantung Army's southward reinforcements could not take the train to go south, but they had cars..."
"Although traveling south by car is a bit slower, we can reach the Pingjin battlefield a few hours later than the train at most. We can still wait in this little time, and we will definitely be able to fight against the Yizhong Eighth Route Army in the end."
"As long as the Kwantung Army's reinforcements from the south are dispatched and a division is sent to the battlefield in a car in advance, it will be enough to change the situation in the Ping-Tianjin battle."
"Immediately send a telegram to General Umezu Umejiro...I personally dictated the contents of the telegram, and asked the Kwantung Army to immediately find a way to dispatch two thousand military vehicles to pursue the southward reinforcements. As soon as the railway line is bombed, immediately transport one of the main divisions south in advance to reinforce Pingjin...
…”
…………
Kwantung Army Headquarters.
Commander Umezu Umejiro slapped the telegram in his hand on the table. His whole face was filled with anger and he was very angry.
But what made him angry was not the Shanhaiguan garrison who sent the telegram, but the North China Front Army hundreds of kilometers away.
If they hadn't lost the Peking Airport and more than a hundred planes, the Eighth Route Army would not have its own air force, let alone send planes from the Peking Airport to bomb the Shanhaiguan Railway Station and the 20-kilometer railway line.
To put it bluntly, even if the Peiping Airport is lost, they should send people to keep an eye on the airport, pay attention to the takeoffs and landings of the Eighth Route Air Force at any time, figure out in advance the targets of possible air strikes by the Eighth Route Air Force, and then prepare the local garrison in advance to prevent air attacks.
If the North China Front Army Headquarters had told itself earlier that the Eighth Route Air Force might bomb Shanhaiguan, it would have sent planes to fight over Shanhaiguan as soon as possible. Maybe it would have saved the railway line and killed the Eighth Route Air Force.
Unlike now, when the Shanhaiguan Railway Station and the 20-kilometer-long railway line were destroyed, I only received the news.
Even if the aviation troops stationed in Shenyang were dispatched immediately, by the time they arrived over Shanhaiguan, the Eighth Route Air Force would have long disappeared.
The more Umezu Umejiro thought about it, the angrier he became, and when he couldn't help but open his mouth to curse, the communications staff officer suddenly ran towards him: "Your Excellency, Commander..."
"Urgent message from the North China Front Army Gangcun Jun..."
"It is said that the Eighth Route Army is likely to send out the air force to bomb the railway line. We cannot take precautions. Please ask the Kwantung Army to immediately gather two thousand transport vehicles to chase the southward reinforcements."
"If the railway line is blown up, the reinforcements going south will not be able to take the train to support Pingjin and Tianjin. They will immediately transfer a main division by car to go south first to support the battlefield..."
"Hmph..." Umezu Umejiro snorted coldly after hearing this, and frowned as he answered.
"Does Neji Okamura think he is my superior? He can do whatever he wants us to do..."
"I haven't bothered him about the bombing of Shanhaiguan Railway Station, but he dared to ask me to prepare another two thousand transport vehicles for him..."
"He thought cars were the mules and horses that can be seen everywhere on the roadside, and if he wants them..."
"Although the Kwantung Army is well-equipped, it is still difficult for me to immediately assemble two thousand transport vehicles."
"Besides, why should I listen to him?"
"The railway line was blown up and it was all the responsibility of the North China Front..."
"They must pay the price for their stupid behavior. Why should we, the Kwantung Army, take the blame for their mistakes?"
"Call Neji Okamura right away: Just say that the Kwantung Army cannot gather so many transport vehicles..."
"Now that the Shanhaiguan Railway Station and the 20-kilometer-long railway line have been blown up, the Kwantung Army's southward reinforcements can only abandon the train and march on foot to reinforce the Pingjin battlefield..."
"In addition, the Eighth Route Air Force can bomb the Shanhaiguan Railway Station under the nose of the North China Front..."
"You can also bomb the highway that the Kwantung Army must pass through before their eyes..."
"Once the road is bombed, even if the reinforcements have cars, they will not be able to move. Instead, they will become a burden."
"Today, for the reinforcement troops heading south, the best way to march is on foot..."
…………
When Okamura Neiji received a call back from General Umezu Umejiro, he knew that the other party would blame him for the bombing of Shanhaiguan Railway Station.
I was shameless enough to ask the Kwantung Army to borrow troops.
Before the reinforcements from the south entered the customs, the Shanhaiguan Railway Station was destroyed under the noses of the North China Front.
The Shanhaiguan garrison was also killed and hundreds of people were injured, which was equivalent to dying before one was born.
No one would be able to accept this kind of thing, let alone General Umezu Umejiro, who had an army of nearly one million and had almost no defeats.
And what he said in the telegram was correct.
The Eighth Route Army can dispatch its air force to bomb railway lines, and it can also dispatch its air force to bomb highways.
If the road that the Kwantung Army must pass to go south is blown up by an airplane, the automobile will not only bring no benefits to the troops' march, but will also bring a lot of harm.
Based on this analysis, it seems that the only way left for the Kwantung Army to send reinforcements southward was marching on foot.
Sitting on the chair with a decadent look on his face, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness for the first time.
