1270 The sky is shattered and the earth is shattered, completely defeated
at this stage.
The No. 1 combat plan launched by the old Japanese Okamura in the south is expected to have the ultimate goal of opening up the communication line with mainland China but has not yet been completely achieved.
The Eighth Route Army's Operation August Storm in North China intensified. With the counterattack in northern Henan and the bombing campaign again in the Jiaodong area, the Eighth Route Army's top battle plan to connect the transportation lines of major base areas was gradually launched and pushed to its climax.
The New Fourth Army in central and southern China achieved staged victories in counter-mopping operations and gradually shifted from defense to counterattack.
On the frontal battlefield, as the Eighth Route Army launched offensives behind enemy lines, the Central Army troops also took the opportunity to launch some gradual counterattacks and completely cut off many sections of the southern continental communication line that the Japanese army had originally opened through the Battle of Henan, Hunan and Guangxi.
Anyway, it is the little devils who open up the lines of communication at the front, while our army behind you imitates the Eighth Route Army and engages in large-scale raids, and then harasses and cuts off your lines of communication.
When all of this is presented on the combat map of the Japanese Dispatch Army Headquarters.
It's a complete mess.
Okamura's head felt like it was mushy at the moment, and the successive blows suddenly made him feel that taking over the position of commander-in-chief of the China Expeditionary Force seemed to be the stupidest decision in his life.
"Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, things are going to be really bad this time. The Eighth Route Army has invaded Manchuria. What should we do?
I have already said that the Eighth Route Army had other motives for building the eastern Mongolian defense line, but you still want me to keep sending elite troops southward. Now it’s better, and the Eighth Route Army took advantage of the opportunity!"
Okamura was not yet impatient. On the other end of the phone, Kwantung Army Commander Umezu Yoshijiro was completely unable to sit still.
His title at the moment was quite nice - Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief.
After all, the Kwantung Army is also nominally affiliated with the Chinese Expeditionary Forces' order of battle.
Okamura was naturally unwilling to take the blame, but asked instead: "Your Kwantung Army still has at least three divisions stationed on the western defense line. Why was the Eighth Route Army able to break through the defense line in such a short period of time?
What do the defense troops do for food?”
The implication is, isn't your Kwantung Army always very proud of itself, claiming to be the most elite of the Imperial Army? How come it has completely collapsed at this juncture?
Umezu Yoshijiro explained: "The Eighth Route Army's offensive came so fiercely that it was definitely the elite main force of the Eighth Route Army. Judging from the feedback from the frontline defenders, the enemy quickly dispatched a large number of armored units to coordinate with the infantry advance.
They are even equipped with large-caliber long-range rocket launchers.
Judging from the information collected by our military's intelligence department, it is speculated that the team with such advanced equipment, uniform standards, wearing steel helmets and combat boots, are most likely the so-called mechanized elite of the Iron Triangle Army as mentioned by the Eighth Route Army.
Other than that, I can’t think of any ace unit of the Eighth Route Army.”
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Okamura retorted without hesitation. He directly listed the facts. According to the intelligence collected by the frontline troops, this Iron Triangle Army had appeared many times on battlefields in North China and even Central China.
From the battles in Jiaodong to the battles in northern Henan, they can be seen everywhere.
They are known as the Iron Triangle Helmeted Soldiers, and their equipment level is indeed excellent, and their combat effectiveness is also very strong.
Including this mopping up operation against the New Fourth Army in the South, some elite armored units also appeared on the enemy side. They also wore steel helmets and military boots to fight, and called themselves steel helmet soldiers to the outside world.
Is it possible that these Iron Triangle helmeted soldiers of the Eighth Route Army have the ability to appear in all directions and fight at the same time?
"Our army has always been on guard against the Eighth Route Army's Steel Helmets, and has had many encounters with them, but has never been aware of the Eighth Route Army's Steel Helmets, or the movement of elite mechanized combatants northwards.
Then how come Kong Jie’s team suddenly appeared in the eastern Mongolia area?”
Umezu Yoshijiro laughed at himself: "Okamura-kun, haven't you realized by now that we were completely deceived by the Eighth Route Army?
From the construction of the great defense line in eastern Mongolia to the successive offensives launched in North China, Central China, and South China, the entire Guanhai Pass was completely turned into a pot of porridge.
What is the Eight-Road Diagram?
Isn't it just for this final battle plan to advance north?
At a time when all our armies' attention is focused on the interior of the pass.
The Eighth Route Army took the opportunity to dispatch its main force secretly lurking in eastern Mongolia, suddenly launched a fierce attack on our defense line in western Manchuria, and broke into Manchuria in one fell swoop.
The empire's impregnable Manchurian border defenses were thus breached."
As high-level officials of the Japanese army, these two old devils knew very well what it meant to firmly control Manchuria in the hands of the empire.
And once Manchuria is lost.
"Okamura-kun, even if you and I commit suicide by caesarean section, we still can't apologize to His Majesty the Emperor. I'm afraid we will become the sinners of the empire for all eternity!"
Things have evolved to this point.
Umezu Yoshijiro said helplessly: "The top priority is that I have no other choice but to quickly transfer the originally reinforced Kwantung Army back to Kanto and back to Manchuria.
After the western defense line was breached, the Eighth Route Army had completely invaded the southern Manchuria area. Who knows what the next battle plan of these rampant Eighth Route Army will be?
Okabe-kun, compared to the series of wars in the Kanai area, is there anything more important than the stability of Manchuria?
There is absolutely no room for loss in Manchuria. This is a responsibility that I must stick to even if I die!"
Okamura was a little distracted. The Eighth Route Army suddenly invaded Manchuria and broke through the western defense line, which completely disrupted his overall plan.
The mainland transportation lines in the southern region have not yet been completely opened.
The main force of the New Fourth Army in central and southern China has not been eradicated either.
Those damn Eighth Route Army in North China are still making a fuss.
Why is the Kanto region suddenly in danger?
Of course, this is somewhat alarmist.
Although the Eighth Route Army broke through the western Manchurian defense line with a swift and fierce offensive, it seemed to be just the elite sharp-sword force of the Eighth Route Army.
The Kwantung Army has been entrenched in Manchuria for many years, and its troops are strong and strong.
Even if the Eighth Route Army breaks through the western defense line and breaks into Manchuria, what will happen?
Is it possible that with this mere force, they want to engulf Manchuria?
Okamura also comforted Umezu Yoshijiro in the following words.
"The top priority is to further clarify how many troops the Eighth Route Army has accumulated in eastern Mongolia and whether it is the main force of the Eighth Route Army.
Judging from the current combat situation of the Eighth Route Army in North China.
It is unlikely that all their main players will be mobilized.
With limited troops, the Eighth Route Army rushed into Manchuria, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It may be an opportunity for our army to take advantage of the situation and eliminate the Eighth Route Army in one fell swoop!"
As the narrative continued, Okamura felt more and more that this approach was feasible:
"Umezu-kun, your Kwantung Army has been operating in the Kanto region for many years. In addition, the only anti-Japanese armed resistance alliance at that time has been completely wiped out. Convenient transportation lines are extending in all directions. Using Manchuria as a network, the main force of the Eighth Route Army can be loaded into it in one go. Then
Eliminate them all, I think this plan may not be impossible."
Hearing this, Umezu Yoshijiro smiled on the outside, but he was dissatisfied in his heart.
I thought that this guy Okamura had bad intentions. If he really introduced the main force of the Eighth Route Army into Manchuria, if it was done well, it would be like beating a dog behind closed doors and catching a turtle in a jar. But if it was not done well, it would be like luring a wolf into the house.
If the main force of the Eighth Route Army really continues to advance towards Manchuria, the troops originally in North China will definitely be empty.
This actually reduced a lot of pressure on the Chinese dispatched troops in Okamura.
Umezu Yoshijiro would not do such a thankless job!
Umezu Yoshijiro immediately expressed his attitude: "Manchuria must not allow any loss. Now that the western defense line has been broken, I have issued an order. After the troops who retreated from the western defense area were quickly reorganized, they were immediately deployed on the line from Jinxi to Bingcheng.
First, delay the offensive momentum of the Eighth Route Army, stabilize the front, and ensure that the front lines at Shanhaiguan, Siping, Jinzhou, Xinjing, Fengtian, and Bingcheng are not lost.
We will completely postpone it until it snows in late autumn, and then find a way to wait for the opportunity to counterattack after the reinforcements from China and North Korea arrive, and completely eliminate the Eighth Route Army advancing into Manchuria."
As for reinforcements from China's dispatched troops, Umezu Yoshijiro knew very well that he could not count on them.
At present, North China, Central China, and South China have become a complete mess. Even if Okamura wants to, he is unable to assemble and send troops to the north for reinforcements in a short period of time.
After analyzing the battle situation, Okamura also expressed helplessness:
"Our army in Shandong will re-establish a defense system for communication lines and counterattack in Jiaodong to destroy the Eighth Route Army's large airports.
Jizhong wants to re-establish a blockade and compete with the Eighth Route Army for territory.
Central Henan must defend against the joint attack of the Eighth Route Army and the National Army.
The Lianghuai area must re-build the defense line that was riddled with holes by the New Fourth Army.
In the Hunan-Guangxi area, the Southern Army still needs to be stationed to prevent the national army from counterattacking.
After all, Umezu-kun, the only mobile units we can deploy are directly under the dispatched troops from Wuhan, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai and other places.
But I don’t dare to move these mobile troops lightly, especially since a section of the New Fourth Army has been stationed in the Dabie Mountains and is stuck between Nanjing and Wuhan. Our army must guard against it!"
In fact, Okamura couldn't figure it out. He originally thought that the main force of the Chinese armed forces, the Eighth Route Army in North China, would be more difficult to deal with.
However, after the launch of the large-scale raids against the New Fourth Army in the south, the Japanese army suddenly discovered that these damn New Fourth Army had actually grown in strength under their noses.
The equipment level is also very sophisticated, and the combat effectiveness is equally strong. The overall strength may not be as good as that of the Eighth Route Army, but it is much stronger than in previous years.
In particular, the various anti-Japanese base areas behind enemy lines in the southern region of the New Fourth Army were completely connected.
The Eighth Route Army also serves as a backing, constantly providing material and military reinforcements.
The more the Japanese troops fought, the more headaches they had.
After much fighting, I realized why these New Fourth Army were as difficult to deal with as the Eighth Route Army?
In this regard, the original words of Kong Jie at the Eastern Mongolia Theater Command may explain something:
"In order to fully cooperate with our northward advance operational plan this time, we will not say how much supplies and equipment our headquarters has spent.
Let’s just say that in our special experimental area, basically all the wealth accumulated in the past two years has been given away this time.
The purpose is to quickly improve the equipment level of our brothers' troops, so that they can first stand up and join forces to cause trouble.
Use snowflake-like battle reports to confuse Okamura's eyes, give them headaches and pain, and disrupt the Japanese's overall plan with a stormy offensive."
Finally, the Eighth Route Army suddenly launched an attack on the western Manchuria defense zone.
The Chinese Expeditionary Forces Command, which was originally eager to send reinforcements to the north, discovered that the imperial army's mobile units were divided in the west and east and could not be assembled in a short time.
After gathering, I don’t know where to get supplies and transportation tools for long-distance transportation.
In fact, during this period, the entire Sino-Japanese battlefield was completely disrupted.
The Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army were attacking everywhere, launching offensives in all major base areas, and the Japanese's major counties would suffer raids and artillery bombardments from time to time.
The Japanese army has been declining in recent years, and the shortcomings of insufficient military strength have been fully exposed.
Demolish the eastern wall and repair the western wall, and the entire occupied area will be like a big sack riddled with holes, which cannot be repaired at all.
The war situation was so chaotic that China dispatched troops to the north for reinforcements.
Even the five Kwantung Army divisions that Umezu Yoshijiro went south to reinforce not long ago - the Yamada Division stationed in the Shimen area, which lost a large group in the hands of the Eighth Route Army, and the Shimomura Division stationed in the Dezhou area, which suffered heavy losses from the Eighth Route Army.
The Ishida Division stationed in the Cangzhou area, the Fukuyama Division in the Baoding area, and the Okada Division in the Tianjin area.
After the division headquarters received orders from Commander Umezu Yoshijiro to quickly return to Manchuria.
Due to the military blockade of the Eighth Route Army along the way.
These Kwantung Army elites will not be able to successfully break through the layers of defense lines in a short period of time and return to support the western defense zone.
But at this time, the Western Manchuria Defense Zone, which attracted much attention.
After the pioneer troops of the Eighth Route Army successfully broke through the Japanese defense line in western Manchuria under the offensive with the armored elite of the Iron Triangle Army as the tip of the knife.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Inside the Provisional Military Command.
Kong Jie and others came to attend the meeting to discuss the next step of attack plan after the first stage of fortifications was successfully completed.
During the meeting, Kong Jie stated: “This attack on the defense line in western Manchuria is overwhelming, even faster than we expected.
What does this mean?
This shows that our series of preparations over the past two years have worked. This advance to Manchuria can be said to have achieved an unexpected operational effect.
Everything is hard at the beginning, but now we have made a good start, and we have officially taken the first step towards Manchuria.
Next, we should seize the opportunity to expand our offensive and further strive for the initiative in fighting in Manchuria."
"Everyone look at the map!"
"After the defense line in western Manchuria was breached, the remaining Japs forces quickly retreated to the area from Jinxi to Bingcheng. The Japs built new layers of defense network on the inside just to prevent our offensive troops from advancing into the inner city.
Obviously, the little devils have not been able to detect the direction of our next operation so far. This is our last chance.
Focus on our northbound mobile attack group.
As long as you are fast enough and can attack thousands of miles away, before the Kwantung Army can react, you can completely encircle it or even capture the border fortress group and destroy the mobile troops between the Japanese fortress group and the rear.
The tactical system that the Japanese Kwantung Army has always built, which relies on fortress defense and support from mobile troops at the rear, can be completely broken by us.
Most of the Kwantung Army's combat supplies are hoarded near the fortresses, and some are hoarded at the mobile unit station. The rear area is simply an empty warehouse.
Moreover, the Kwantung Army's policy of concentrating villages and merging villages has caused a large number of population centers to be concentrated near transportation lines. With our attack, the Japanese have to lose all their materials and manpower, and this loss cannot be recovered in a short time.
Let's go straight to the core of the Japanese fortress. If this battle goes well, it can be said that the world will be settled. If we gradually advance from north to south, the bullshit Kwantung Army will be completely defeated by us sooner or later!"