Yoshio Iwamatsu, commander of the First Army of the North China Front in Shanxi, stood beside the runway of the airport.
Although he was sweating profusely from the hot sun hanging high in the sky, he still stood upright.
The attendants on the side persuaded him to rest in the shade several times, but he refused. It was not until several black spots appeared in the sky that his dull eyes became active again.
"Your Excellency...Commander Gangcun's plane has arrived!" the observer on the tower shouted.
Along with the observer's voice, several aircraft got closer and closer and soon appeared over the airport. The leader was a Mitsubishi 100 transport plane, followed by four Zero fighters, which lowered their altitude towards the runway.
"squeak……"
The Type 100 transport plane's wheels rubbed against the concrete runway and bursts of black smoke emitted, and it soon slowly stopped on the runway.
"Let's go... come with me to greet Commander Okamura!" Before the plane stopped, Yoshio Iwamatsu trotted towards the plane. When the plane stabilized, he was already standing under the door of the plane.
The door of the plane opened and the ladder descended. Neji Okamura, a thin man with a serious face, stepped out of the plane.
"Your Excellency, Commander, I welcome you to Taiyuan. You have had a hard journey." Iwamatsu Yoshio quickly stepped forward and saluted with a military salute and said hello loudly.
Okamura Neiji looked at Yoshio Iwamatsu, who looked particularly haggard, and the solemn look on his face softened a lot, "Iwamatsu-kun, I haven't seen you for several years, and you look much haggard."
Iwamatsu Yoshio smiled bitterly: "Thanks to your great blessing, I finally didn't fall."
Seeing what Neji Okamura wanted to say, Yoshio Iwamatsu quickly said: "Your Excellency, Commander, you must be tired from coming all the way. If you have any questions, we should go to the headquarters to talk about it. Do you think that's okay?"
"Okay!" Okamura Neji nodded gently.
The group got in the car and arrived at the office of the First Army Headquarters after more than half an hour's journey.
As soon as the two of them sat down, an orderly brought boiled water.
Iwamatsu Yoshio personally brought tea leaves and brewed a pot of tea for Okamura Neji before serving it with both hands.
"Come... Your Excellency Commander, this is a new tea sent by my fellow villagers in the 21st Army. Please try it."
Okamura Neiji is also a tea lover. He took the teapot and took a sip, and his eyes lit up: "It's good...it's slightly bitter in the mouth and has a sweet and long aftertaste. It's indeed a good tea."
"If it tastes good, please drink more." Seeing that Neji Okamura liked it, Yoshio Iwamatsu quickly refilled it for Okamura.
After three cups of tea in a row, Okamura Neji put down his tea cup, looked at Yoshio Iwasatsu and asked: "Iwasatsu-kun, do you know why I came to Taiyuan in person this time?"
"Know."
Iwamatsu Yoshio showed a wry smile: "Of course you are here for Gao Hongming and his Liantai Militia."
"It's good to know."
Mitsumura Neiji said solemnly: "It has been more than a year since you took over as the commander of the First Army, but during your inauguration, the Liantai Militia was not wiped out but grew stronger. Do you have no objection to this?"
"No."
Iwamatsu Yoshio felt a bitterness in his heart, "Actually, I knew this day would come in my humble job, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. But I still want to thank you for giving me a decent way to leave."
"As long as you can figure it out."
Okamura Neji stared at him for a while before continuing.
"The base camp is very dissatisfied with your inaction in Shanxi for more than a year, which has led to Gao Hongming and his Liantai militia getting bigger and bigger. This is very detrimental to the empire's cause. Do you understand?"
"I see."
Yoshio Iwamatsu, who had already decided that he wanted to leave, could no longer hold back and spoke out what he had been holding in his heart.
"Your Excellency Gangcun, I think the First Army's responsibility for Gao Hongming's rise cannot be shied away from, but is the base camp also responsible?"
"What did you say?" Okamura Neji's eyes became gloomy.
"Am I wrong?"
Yoshio Iwamatsu is also willing to go all out. Anyway, you are going to masturbate me as the commander, why don't you allow me to vent?
"Gao Hongming's rise began in Showa 15 (1940). He was originally just a student and was killed by the imperial army when his father went to the countryside to collect rent.
After finishing his studies and returning home, Gao Hongming was furious and established the Liantai Militia. In the first battle, he severely damaged the Third Regiment of the Fourth Brigade in Cangyunling.
Even the commander of the regiment, Nobutsu Sakata, was killed by him. From then on, Gao Hongming soared into the sky and was unstoppable."
Okamura Neji's face turned darker, but he did not interrupt.
"In fact, the First Army at that time had the ability to eliminate him in his infancy at that time, but the commander at the time, His Excellency Yoshio Shinozuka, did not do so. By the time it attracted his attention, Gao Hongming had grown enough to threaten the emperor.
The powerful armed forces ruled by the army in Shanxi.
However, at that time, if Commander Tada Jun, who was the commander of the North China Front, could provide sufficient support to the First Army, there would be no way to destroy him. However, Lord Tada Jun also did not do so, which allowed Gao Hongming to develop and grow until now.
In the past two years or so, His Excellency Toshi Tada and His Excellency Yoshio Shinozuka have returned to their homeland in a dishonorable way because of Gao Hongming, so it is natural that it is my turn now!"
Looking at Yoshio Iwamatsu with an unhappy look on his face, Neji Okamura said calmly: "Are you done?"
"No!"
Iwamatsu Yoshio slammed the tea cup in his hand on the coffee table, "I know that the gentlemen in the base camp dream of annihilating Gao Hongming.
But just having ideas is useless. The key is that they only know how to shout slogans without sending even one more soldier to the First Army!
In the end, the responsibility was thrown onto the frontline commanders. It is really the tragedy of His Majesty the Emperor that the fate of the empire is in the hands of these people! The tragedy of the Japanese Empire!"
Iwamatsu Yoshio poured out all the words he had held in his heart for more than a year in one breath, and felt a burst of relief in his heart.
Finally he stood up and said, "Okay, Your Excellency, you can call the military police outside the door in. It's up to you to escort me back to the country for trial or to remove me from my position as commander."
Neji Okamura looked at him silently for several minutes, and finally stood up, walked to Yoshio Iwamatsu, and straightened out his wrinkled collar.
"Iwamatsu-kun, let me tell you the truth.
The base camp is indeed dissatisfied with the inaction of you and the First Army in recent years, but it has not asked you to retire from active service, nor has it considered bringing you back to the homeland for trial.
We just plan to transfer you back to our homeland to take up another position, so your worries are unnecessary."
"What?"
Iwamatsu Yoshio was stunned, "Then why did you come to Shanxi in person this time?"
The dignified commander of the North China Front came to Taiyuan in person. He couldn't come to have tea with him, right?
"There are two main reasons why I came to Taiyuan this time."
Okamura Neji held out two fingers, "First, as early as three days ago, I sent a telegram to the 4th Cavalry Brigade, the 47th Division, and the 5th Independent Mixed Brigade, which were conducting a large-scale sweep in North China, to immediately put down their hands.
We rushed to Shanxi with everything we had to do, and together with the 6th Division and the 108th Division, we annihilated Gao Hongming’s Liantai Militia and the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army that rushed to Liantai in Liantai County!”