In the headquarters of the First Army in Taiyuan, Lieutenant General Yoshio Iwamatsu was immersed in reviewing documents. Next to him, the chief of staff was reporting the battle situation to him.
"Your Excellency, Commander, we had a group of planes heading to Qin County for a harassment mission. Four of them were shot down by planes from the Liantai Militia Group. Only two of them escaped back. I sent a telegram to Colonel Kazuyama and Saburo, asking if we should continue to send planes to harass?"
Iwamatsu Yoshio's body stiffened for a moment, and then he said calmly: "Now that the affairs of the First Army are no longer under my control, what's the use of reporting to me?"
The staff station said anxiously: "But you are the commander of the First Army. It is against the rules for Commander Gangcun to do this. After all, he will return to Peiping eventually!"
"You are still the chief of staff. Can't you see such a simple thing?"
Iwamatsu Yoshio finally stopped writing in his hand, with a hint of bitterness on his face: "I'm afraid I won't be able to sit in the position of commander for much longer."
"Nani?"
The chief of staff was surprised: "But you have only been with the First Army for a year. According to the convention, if the current commander does not make a big mistake, he should be transferred at least for two years before he is transferred."
"Xiaojiao-kun, you are still too naive."
Yoshio Iwamatsu put down his pen and stood up. He slowly walked to the sofa nearby and sat down. He poured a cup of tea and made a gesture of invitation. After the chief of staff sat down, he said: "Don't even think about it. This year
The situation in Shanxi has changed greatly over the past few years. It can be said that the entire situation in Shanxi is now on the verge of collapse. As the commander, I am the first person responsible. Do you think it has anything to do with me?"
The chief of staff became even more angry after hearing this: "Did the situation in Shanxi worsen after you came? It was the evil consequences that were sown when Commander Yoshio Shinozuka was here. What does it have to do with you? Why did you hit him so hard?"
On you? I don’t accept it!”
Looking at the indignant chief of staff, Yoshio Iwamatsu sighed helplessly: "You... you are still so impulsive after so many years. You must remember that you must not be like this in front of the new commander after I leave.
Stop talking nonsense, otherwise your future prospects may end here."
Chief of Staff Xiaodao sneered: "Is there still a future for me to work in this ghost place like Shanxi? Although I have only been here for a short time, I am not blind. As long as Gao Hongming and his Liantai militia are in Shanxi, everyone will
The Japanese Imperial Army will not be able to rest for a day, no matter who is the commander-in-chief!"
Yoshio Iwamatsu smiled bitterly when he heard this. Although his junior disciple's words were unpleasant, he was indeed right. He really couldn't understand why such a monster as Gao Hongming came out of Shanxi.
At this time, the office door was suddenly pushed open, and several people walked in.
"Baga, who let you in?"
Chief of Staff Kojima, who was already in a bad mood, was furious and said a national curse without thinking.
But as soon as he finished speaking, he was stunned. It turned out that the leader of the people who came in was their immediate superior, the commander of the North China Front Army, Okamura Neiji. Standing behind him were a lieutenant general and two major generals.
Just seeing Neji Okamura might not be a big deal, but when they saw the man standing behind Neji Okamura, the relationship between Yoshio Iwamatsu and Chief of Staff Kojima changed instantly.
Yoshio Iwamatsu shook his head, drank the last of the tea in the cup, and then stood up.
He walked up to Neji Okamura and said with emotion to a lieutenant general standing behind Neji Okamura: "Yoshimoto-kun, although I had expected someone to replace me, I didn't expect it to be you.
.”
The visitor also had a look of helplessness on his face: "I didn't expect that I was staying well in Manchuria, but the base camp brought me here with just a transfer order, and you took over your position."
The person who came this time was no ordinary person. It was the Chief of Staff of Japan's Kwantung Army, Yoshimoto Teiichi. Unexpectedly, the base camp asked him to take over Yoshio Iwamatsu's position.
Okamura Neji, who had been watching them talk, spoke up: "Iwamatsu-kun, Yoshimoto-kun, you two were old acquaintances, so you don't need me to introduce you.
Iwamatsu-kun, do you have anything to say about this transfer to the base camp?"
Iwamatsu Yoshio was silent for a moment and shook his head: "I have nothing to say. Since I took office as the commander of the First Army, the situation in Shanxi has gone from bad to worse. It is reasonable for the base camp to transfer me."
Okamura Neiji nodded: "As long as you know, the situation in Shanxi has reached this point. As the commander of the First Army, you certainly have an unshirkable responsibility, but it is also inappropriate to put all the responsibilities on you.
unfair.
This is also the reason why the base camp only transferred you back to the country instead of removing you from your post on the spot. I believe that the base camp will still use you as appropriate after you return to the country."
"I hope so." Yoshio Iwamatsu just smiled bitterly, not paying attention to Neji Okamura's comfort.
Yoshimoto Teiichi suddenly said: "Iwamatsu-kun, do you have anything to offer me about Gao Hongming and the Liantai Militia?"
"I don't take advice seriously, but I have a few words of advice to tell you before I leave."
Seeing that even his successor had arrived, Iwamatsu Yoshio looked away and simply opened the skylight and spoke frankly.
"Gao Hongming is different from all the Chongqing army and the Eighth Route Army. This army has always been famous for its sophisticated weapons. It can be said that the aircraft and artillery that the empire is usually proud of are nothing in front of him.
This man never knew what frugality was when fighting, and his fighting methods were vulgar and barbaric, much like the armies of Western powers. The First Army had suffered countless heavy losses at his hands over the years.
Yoshimoto-kun, after you take over the First Army, if you fight Gao Hongming, the first thing you have to destroy is his air force. If you don't have complete air supremacy, don't think about having a decisive battle with him, otherwise you will definitely lose, just like this time in Gangcun.
To be honest, I’m not very optimistic about the commander’s campaign against Liantai County.”
Iwamatsu Yoshio was only thinking about what he said happily, but he didn't see Okamura Neji's face turned dark. Did this bastard start to criticize him unscrupulously just because he had resigned?
Yoshimoto Teiichi reminded: "Iwamatsu-kun, as far as I know, this battle is not over yet, so you come to a conclusion so quickly?"
Yoshio Iwamatsu snorted lightly and strode to his desk to pick up the telegram.
"Look, this is the telegram just sent by the 21st Flying Team. We are a small team responsible for harassing the Eighth Route Army. Six planes went out, and now only two have returned. And just yesterday, several of our airports were attacked
The air force's attack resulted in the loss of more than a hundred fighter planes.
For this battle, Commander Gangcun has transferred 80% of the aircraft of the entire North China Front to Shanxi. For more than half a month, in order to compete with Gao Hongming for air supremacy, our losses have reached more than 200 aircraft. Now there are still more than 200 aircraft in Shanxi.
The number of fighter planes that can take off is already less than 100, so how can we compete with the Liantai militia for air supremacy? How can we fight this battle without air supremacy?"