As soon as Tada Shun's words came out, Naosaburo Okabe, who was chattering endlessly, was like a duck whose neck was stuck and became mute.
Yes...according to the information sent by the Japanese intelligence department, Gao Hongming is a big landowner in Liantai County, and those scumbags of the Eighth Route Army are their sworn enemies. Without the arrival of the imperial army, they can fight on their own, so how can they unite to fight against them?
Imperial Army?
"No... Gao Hongming has a precedent of cooperating with the Eighth Route Army before." Yoshio Shinozuka suddenly said: "Have you forgotten? When Yamamoto-kun led a team to raid the Eighth Route Army headquarters a few months ago, he passed by a place called Yangcun.
, met a regiment of the Eighth Route Army.
Yamamoto-kun and his party were fighting and retreating at the same time. Things originally went smoothly, but during the retreat, Yamamoto-kun's special forces encountered Gao Hongming's militia, which resulted in the loss of more than twenty people.
Also... During the recent Eighth Route Army's offensive against us, many troops reported that the Eighth Route Army was actually equipped with a large number of gas masks. I was originally wondering when the Eighth Route Army, which was so poor that it didn't even have a few rounds of ammunition, even had gas masks.
I have started to equip everything for planting, but now that I think about it, it must have something to do with Gao Hongming!"
As Shinozuka Yoshio spoke, his expression couldn't help but become ferocious.
Logically speaking, as a lieutenant general commander, he should not be so rude when mentioning a local militia leader, but now his face has become ferocious because of a person's name. This can also be seen that he
How angry was my heart.
But it's no wonder that Gao Hongming's appearance in the past six months has caused too much trouble to the First Army.
As soon as he debuted in the first battle, Nobutsu Sakata of the 3rd regiment of the 4th Independent Mixed Brigade received a lunch box, and then he and the Brigade Commander of the 4th Independent Mixed Brigade got it back to Japan.
Some time ago, the 41st Division was severely damaged at Qixiaguan, which forced the 41st Division to withdraw to Liao County for rest and reorganization. It has not yet recovered, and now it has joined forces with the Eighth Route Army to capture the Tiger Army.
Qiu stronghold, is this Gao Hongming really the nemesis of the First Army?
Seeing Yoshio Shinozuka's somewhat ugly look, Shun Tada was a little dissatisfied with his command during this period, but Yoshio Shinozuka was a veteran senior general after all, and his qualifications were even older than his. He just wanted to speak out.
Comfort, there was another knock on the door.
Soon, a staff officer came in and handed a telegram to Shun Tada: "Your Excellency, Commander, General Nishio has called. In view of the intensifying resistance of the anti-Japanese armed forces in northwestern Shanxi and Shanxi, he hopes that you will return to Jinan as soon as possible to take charge of the overall situation.
, Shanxi’s affairs can be left to the First Army.”
Jun Tada took the telegram and glanced at it. His face became very ugly, and then he sneered: "General Nishio is afraid that I will interfere with the command of the First Army, so he can't wait to let me return to Jinan."
Generally speaking, Japan has two armies in China. One is the Japanese Army in Kwantung, which commands all Japanese armies outside the Kwantung. It is mainly responsible for the rule of the three eastern provinces and guarding against the Soviet Union. Therefore, this army, known as the flower of the Imperial Army, is also
The most elite.
The other one is the Japanese Expeditionary Force in China. All Japanese troops in the Huaxia Pass are under the jurisdiction of the Chinese Expeditionary Force. The General Nishio whom Shun Tada mentioned is General Nishio Hiszo, the commander-in-chief of the Japanese Expeditionary Force in China.
Shuzo Tada is very contemptuous of Nishio Hisao, because unlike most other senior Japanese officers, Nishio Hisao did not attend the local army infantry school and the Central Army School, but was admitted directly after graduating from middle school.
Army Sergeant School.
In addition, he was a good-natured man who liked great achievements and had little ability. He was evaluated as being strict but without authority, so his prestige in the Japanese Army was very low. Tada Shun, who was born in an aristocratic family and had a high self-esteem, actually looked down on his immediate boss. Now it seems that
How could I not feel angry when Nishio Juzo actually hit me with such insinuations?
Yoshio Shinozuka and Naosaburo Okabe looked at each other without saying anything. Shun Tada, the commander of the North China Front who was born as the eldest son of Tada, the stepmother of the Sendai domain, could certainly confront the commander-in-chief of the dispatch army, but they could not. Once they did, the consequences would be severe.
It's serious, so it's best for them to shut up.
After Tada Shun's anger was vented, Yoshio Shinozuka thought for a moment and said slowly: "Sir, General Nishio, as the commander-in-chief of the China Expeditionary Force, it is understandable that he cares about the war situation in Shanxi.
Since he has sent a telegram, you might as well go back to Jinan first. If there are any changes in the battle situation in Shanxi, I will report to you by telegram at any time."
"Well...that's all it can do."
Although Tada Shun is arrogant, he also knows that openly contradicting his immediate boss is a taboo in both the workplace and the military. No matter how tough his background is, he can't do it. And when he heard Yoshio Shinozuka say this, he took advantage of it.
"Shinozuka-kun, please arrange a flight for me and I will return to Jinan immediately. I will leave the matters in Shanxi to you."
"Hi...please rest assured, I will do my best." Yoshio Shinozuka bowed to him solemnly.
"Yoshi, if Shinozuka-kun said that, I'll be relieved."
Jun Tada nodded, and then solemnly ordered: "Shinozuka-kun, although the Eighth Route Army's Hundred Regiment War has come to an end, you must be careful that they may launch another attack on Shanxi's railways and other transportation arteries at any time.
The security of Shanxi is of great significance to the great cause of the empire, especially the coal in Datong is an urgently needed resource for the empire, so Shanxi must not be chaotic, do you understand?"
"Hi...I understand!"
After Tada Shun gave a few more instructions, he stood up and left the office.
Yoshio Shinozuka did not dare to neglect, and he and Naosaburo Okabe personally took him to the airport. They watched his plane fly into the sky under the escort of four Nakajima Type-1 fighters before returning to the headquarters.
After returning to the headquarters office, the two of them looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief. The two of them were on pins and needles these days when Tada Shun was here. They had long hoped that this person would leave as soon as possible. After all, no one could
I hope that my immediate boss will always be watching me when I am doing things.
"Okabe-kun, go and call Yamamoto-kun. I have something to ask him."
"Hi!"
Soon, Kazuki Uemoto came to Yoshio Shinozuka's office. Compared with the previous few days, Kazuki Yamamoto had lost a lot of weight these days.
Yoshio Shinozuka looked at him and asked, "Yamamoto-kun, what are you doing these days?"
Yamamoto Kazuki bowed and said: "These days I am studying ways to deal with Gao Hongming."
"Oh..." Shinozuka Yoshio immediately became interested, "Then what results did you get from your research?" Gu
Yamamoto Kazuki shook his head: "Unfortunately not, Gao Hongming is extremely cautious. Last time I personally led a team to raid his Gao family's old house in Liantai County. I was about to attack it, but I was driven away by two tanks.
When I came back, I realized something from this incident."
Yoshio Shinozuka asked with great interest: "Oh...what's the point?"
"The intelligence work of the special forces is still not in place. When I joined, I knew in advance that Gao Hongming had placed two tanks in his old house. I would never lead the special team to raid the Gao family's old house. This shows that our intelligence work is still inadequate.
It has huge flaws and loopholes.”
"So during this period you will focus on strengthening intelligence work?"
"Yes."
Yamamoto nodded, "It's just that the effect is not very great so far. Today, Gao Hongming has turned Liantai County into an iron bucket. There are too many people in Liantai County who rely on him to make a living. Not to mention anything else, just renting him
There are at least several thousand households with farmers in their fields.
If you add the people who joined the Liantai Vigilante Group, at least more than half of the people in the entire county can be related to him. This is a very huge force. It is precisely for this reason that the people of Liantai County are very concerned about the outside population.
Be careful, once our intelligence agents arrive in Liantai County, no matter what identity they disguise themselves as, it will be difficult to escape their eyes. In this period alone, more than ten of our intelligence agents have been arrested."
"That's not surprising."
Yoshio Shinozuka said: "The Chinese people have the strongest regional sentiment, which can be seen from their history. The merchants alone are divided into Shanxi merchants, Hui merchants, Zhejiang merchants, etc. The intelligence sent out
No matter how well-trained the personnel are, the difference can still be seen at a glance in the eyes of those who have lived locally all their lives."
"Of course what you said makes sense, but that's not the point."
Yamamoto Kazuki shook his head, "The point is, Gao Hongming actually offered the price openly. Anyone who catches an imperial intelligence officer or provides important clues will be rewarded with a hundred yuan and no upper limit. You know
Well, now when the Chinese people in Liantai County see any outsider with a strange face, it is like seeing pieces of silvery ocean."
Yoshio Shinozuka could only smile bitterly at this. Human beings are innately longing for money, and not even gods can stop it.
"Okay Yamamoto-kun, let's stop talking about anything else."
Yoshio Shinozuka ended the chat.
"I'm going to give you a task now."
"Hi...please give me your orders, Commander." Yamamoto Kazuki quickly stood at attention.
"During this period, the Eighth Route Army continuously launched an offensive code-named the Hundred Regiments War on railways, highways and strongholds in Shanxi, which seriously affected the imperial army's rule in Shanxi. General Nishio expressed serious concern about this. Just now he even directly
The call implicitly criticized Commander Tada and ordered him to return to Jinan.
Commander Tada told me before returning to Jinan that I must be careful if the Eighth Route Army continues the Hundred Regiment War. To this end, I have mobilized troops and are ready to deal with the upcoming battle.
But what I am most worried about is whether Yan Xishan in Kenanpo will also get involved with the Eighth Route Army. If all the Chinese forces in Shanxi unite, it will be too dangerous, so I plan to send Naosaburo Okabe
The chief of staff is going to Kenanpo, and you should go with him."
Yamamoto Kazuki raised his eyebrows, "Commander...you asked me to..."
"Yamamoto-kun, you are not only a special warfare talent, but also an expert in intelligence. After you go to Kenanpo, pay attention to the tone of Yan Xishan. This person once studied in the Empire of Japan and has a relatively weak character.
, compared with those die-hard anti-Japanese elements, he is an easier target to win over.
Your task is to try to persuade him to remain neutral between us and the Eighth Route Army. Of course, it would be better if you could win him over."
Yamamoto Kazuki stood at attention, put his feet together and made a crisp sound, "I obey the orders of your Excellency, the Commander."
"Okay...go ahead!"
When Ichiki Uemoto walked out of the office and came to the door, he faintly heard a burst of singing coming from inside, "I went to battle in front of the imperial mausoleum. The athletes of the imperial army marched in grandly, overwhelming the majesty of the Central Plains. Look, the North China Expeditionary Army is on tight guard."
…”
Just when Yoshio Shinozuka was thinking hard about how to deal with the Hundred Regiment War launched by the Eighth Route Army, the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army was beaming with joy. The capture of the Tiger Hill stronghold allowed the leaders of the Eighth Route Army headquarters to see the powerful ability of the Liantai County militia to attack difficult situations.
Although the Eighth Route Army had strong beliefs and the courage to train hard, its poor ability to attack difficulties was a big problem.
This has nothing to do with hard work, it is purely due to poor equipment.
In the past, the Eighth Route Army, let alone heavy artillery, had a Type 92 infantry cannon as if it was their darling. In order to capture a cannon, a squad or even a platoon of soldiers could be sacrificed.
The hardships and sacrifices required for such equipment to capture the strongholds held by the Japanese army are beyond the imagination of ordinary people, and human lives would have to be sacrificed to do so.
Well now, with the heavy artillery of the Liantai County Militia, the Japanese strongholds are no longer a stumbling block in front of them. After experiencing the power of heavy artillery on the front line, both the leaders and the soldiers of the Eighth Route Army firmly believe that there are no bunkers.
The stronghold is something they cannot conquer.
For this reason, when Commander Lin and Commander Liu reported the discussed combat plan to the deputy commander-in-chief on the way, the deputy commander-in-chief only hesitated for a moment before drafting the revised combat plan and sending it to Yan'an.
After returning to the headquarters, the deputy commander specially called Gao Hongming and told Gao Hongming the battle plan revised by Commander Lin and Commander Liu, "Commander Gao, do you have any opinions on this battle plan?"
Gao Hongming pondered for a moment, "Sir, I generally have no objections to this combat plan. After all, you are the main force, and our regiment is only responsible for cooperating. Naturally, your opinions will take priority.
But I have a worry. The offensive in the previous stage of the Hundred Regiment War has obviously alerted the Japanese. If we bring the war to SJZ this time, I am worried that the Japanese Second Army in Jinan will be alerted. Once the two armies are
If the troops join hands to deal with us, can we cope with it?"
The deputy commander nodded: "It's not that I haven't considered your concerns, but I think that under the current battlefield environment, the Japanese army's main energy is still on the frontal battlefield in the direction of Changsha, Hunan, and they currently have no energy to sort out their occupied areas.
The reason why we want to seize the opportunity to launch a big one is to create a time difference and catch the Japanese by surprise when they are unable to take action."