The commander of the Kwantung Army at this time was Ueda Kenkichi. He was different from other generals. He was the only Osaka native among the Japanese generals at this time. Like other Osaka residents, his initial goal was not to be a soldier, but to be a soldier.
As a businessman, he even studied at the Tokyo Higher Commercial School, and later changed his career to a non-commissioned officer school. One of his famous deeds was that he served as the division commander and fought with the 19th Route Army during the January 28th Incident, and was beaten as a result.
The company captain was shot dead. At the victory celebration after the war, he was thrown a bomb by Yin Fengji, a martyr sent by Wang Yaqiao, and his left foot was blown off on the spot. After being sent to the hospital, his left calf was amputated due to excessive injuries. He became a cripple.
General.
But he was promoted as a blessing in disguise. Not only that, but also because of the shrewdness of the businessman, he no longer took sides with the Taoist and Tonglu factions, so he was selected as the crucial commander of the Kwantung Army. He was ranked second only to Prime Minister Lu.
Temple Juichi and Education Director Nishi Yiichi are known as one of the three peaks of the Army.
At this time, in the Kwantung Army headquarters, dozens of generals gathered together. Among them was Ishihara Kanji. Today was the day when Ishihara Kanji came to Manchuria to inspect. At this time, Ishihara Kanji's official position had been promoted.
He is the deputy director of the Japanese Army Staff Headquarters, second only to Prince Hanwon Gong Zaijin who was born in the royal family. He came to Manchuria to understand the situation in Manchuria and to unify the ideas of the Kwantung Army.
"Ishihara-kun, it has been so many years, and you are finally back. Time flies so fast. General Honjo has gone home to enjoy his happiness. We are the only ones who are still here." A general said with a smile. He was talking about Honjo.
Fan Shi was the commander of the Kwantung Army during the September 18th period.
Ishihara smiled and said, "The Kwantung Army is the most elite unit of our imperial army. How can it keep letting the sword gather dust? Sooner or later it will be unsheathed. Not only the Kwantung Army, but also the Korean Army and the Mongolian Army will have a chance.
.”
At this time, Ueda Kenkichi came over with a general and a young man and said, "Ishihara-kun, I knew you were coming, so I asked your good disciple to come too. In the past few months, he has become somewhat famous in our Kwantung Army.
.”
Ishihara smiled and looked, but those two people were none other than Shun Tada and Takeda Takeo.
"Sir, are you feeling well?" Takeda Takeo bowed to Ishihara Wanji with an excited look on his face.
Ishihara Wanji sighed and patted Takeda Takeo on the shoulder and said, "I have also heard about your story. I can't blame you entirely. What you have done has exceeded my imagination. If you bear with me a little longer, sooner or later, we will let you go."
The Red Party paid the price."
After saying that, Ishihara Wanji shook hands with Tada Jun and said, "Tada Jun, thank you for always taking care of my idiot apprentice like this."
Tada Jun waved his hand and said with a smile, "It's not a matter of care. If it weren't for your good apprentice, I might not be able to stand in front of you alive."
Ishihara smiled and looked at Takeda Takeo who was touching his head shyly, and nodded happily.
Ueda Kenkichi waved his hand and said, "Okay, we're almost in time. Let's go in and have a meeting together."
Everyone sat down, Kanji Ishihara sat in the middle as a member of the base camp, and Kenkichi Ueda sat on the other side and said, "Everyone, you must have heard some rumors recently. In the past month, Tokyo has been sending troops to
Manchuria, what is Tokyo's strategic thinking? Let Ishihara-kun, whom everyone is familiar with, explain."
Ishihara stood up and nodded to everyone and said, "Everyone, the war in China has entered a stable period after the Shanxi Battle and the Wuhan Battle. It has also entered a period of tripartite confrontation, that is, the three China governments of Chongqing, Yan'an, and Nanjing check and balance each other.
These three regimes are like Wei, Shu and Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. Nanjing attacked Chongqing, and Yan'an would send troops to attack our imperial army and Nanjing in coordination. Chongqing attacked Yan'an, and Nanjing would follow suit to attack Shanxi. Yan'an did not dare or would not do so because of the name issue.
He will take the initiative to attack Chongqing, but Chongqing will not allow him to expand his territory in the name of resisting Japan with peace of mind. Therefore, it can be said that our goal of decomposing China has been initially achieved, and then our eyes will be set further afield.
....."
Ishihara Kanji explained the entire strategic intention of Tokyo's decision to stand still and wait for Germany to attack. All the Kwantung Army generals nodded silently. After all, this was indeed the safest and most reliable approach.
Ishihara Wanji asked, "Then if you have anything you want to ask, just ask."
Tada Shun probably had the battle of Shanxi in his mind. He stood up and asked, "Are we going to stop attacking and increasing our troops in China?"
Ishihara Wanji shook his head and said, "An attack is necessary, but it is only an attack to end the China War, that is, attack instead of negotiation, and it is no longer an attack to destroy China, so our next attack will be more political."
The military will continue to discuss the target, so please rest assured."
The division commander of the 23rd Division, Komatsubara, stood up and said, "The Soviet troops are not very effective in combat. Although they are superior to us in technical weapons, they are extremely poor in usage efficiency. This can be seen in the last friction."
And now that Poland is close to Britain and France internationally, it is very likely that Germany will attack Britain and France instead of attacking the Soviet Union. In this case, wouldn't it mean that it would go south?"
Ishihara smiled and nodded and said, "Yes, if the German government finally defeats Britain and France and makes peace with the Soviet Union, then we will attack Southeast Asia in order to obtain the colonies of Britain, France and other countries in Asia."
"How can this work? Although Southeast Asia is rich in resources and richer than the Far East, there is nothing there that can threaten the power of the empire. The real threat lies in the north. What if we put our main force in the south and the Soviet Union attacks the north? Lose the empire in Manchuria
Do you still have the ability to continue to be a player in the international game? Manchuria is a hundred times more important than Southeast Asia." Chief of Staff Yano Otonzaburo shook his head and said.
"Yes, you must go north no matter what happens. You can go south at any time, but there are very few opportunities to go north. Once you miss it, you don't know when you will come back again." Naosaburo Okabe, Commander of the Mongolian Army
He also followed suit.
Ishihara Wanji looked at the Kwantung Army at the meeting and everyone knew that it was necessary to go north. In fact, the key is to go north to get the Kwantung Army's turn to fight, so that these generals of the Kwantung Army can have military exploits and opportunities. If they go south, in order to prepare
The Soviet Union and the Kwantung Army are likely to defend Manchuria for decades. It is unacceptable in their eyes to watch the navy and other forces seize territory.
Ishihara Wanji sighed inwardly, feeling difficult, and said, "Everyone, I know everyone's determination and mood to serve the empire, but we also need to know that the Soviet Union is a more powerful country than the empire. Without Germany's cooperation,
Can we really defeat the Soviet Union? This defeat is not a defeat in a war, but a defeat in the Soviet Union until it cannot stand up. This must be like the China War, conquering their capital and beating their government into a place.
Government, do you think this is okay?"
"Why not? At that time, we only relied on more than 10,000 troops to conquer this huge Manchuria. The Northeast Army at that time had 200,000 people. We could win every battle even if it was a battle of 15 to 15.
, Can we still not win the second battle?" A general shook his head to express his dissatisfaction.
Ishihara smiled and shouted, "Do you think the Soviet Red Army will have the same fighting will as the Northeastern Army at that time? Stalin is called steel and is an extremely tough man. He will definitely fight on resolutely and start a war if there is no chance of victory.
It's irresponsible to the empire. Besides, even if we go south, our Kwantung Army will be the main force by then. So you don't have to worry so much." Looking at these proud soldiers and generals, Ishihara Wan'er was filled with worry. These people are really
Are you ready for a tough battle?
When they heard that the Kwantung Army would also be sent as the main force going south, the Kwantung Army generals became silent.
Seeing that no one was talking, Ishihara Wanji shook his head. He alone had the final say on who would be the main force. He could only stabilize these people first. He turned to ask, "I don't know if there is going to be a war with the Soviet Union."
, can Manchuria do a good job in the rear? How is Puyi doing now? There is also the Anti-Japanese Alliance in the Northeast."
Ueda Kenkichi smiled and said, "Now the Anti-Japanese Alliance is already in the old forest. If it weren't for the high mountains and dense forests, they would have been annihilated. They haven't come out much in the past half a year. They might have starved to death. Don't worry.
As for the emperor, the only people he can see besides us now are a few eunuchs, so there is no need to worry.
Moreover, our steel output in Manchuria last year was 620,000 tons, and North Korea's was 100,000 tons. If a large amount of ore was not sent to the country to support the country, the steel output would be even higher, and we also have a tank factory in Manchuria.
, artillery factories, machinery factories, and aircraft manufacturing factories can all serve as a solid rear base for the trip north. So you can rest assured."
Ishihara Wanji nodded repeatedly after hearing this and said, "This is also the main reason why I had to capture Manchuria back then. Okay, since if so, I will report back to Tokyo. Next, there will be about 10 to 15 divisions stationed in us."
Manchuria, North Korea, Mongolia and other places. By then we will have more than 20 divisions in Manchuria and other places. Together with the Manchurian Army and the Korean Army, the number of troops will exceed one million. I hope everyone will take good health and safety.
To make mental preparations, especially combat preparations, you must stock up on enough food, cotton-padded clothes and ammunition. After all, the Far East is not as cold as usual."
Ueda Kenkichi limped over and shook hands with Ishihara Kanji and said, "Don't worry, we will definitely do our part for the empire's strategy."
Everyone watched Ishihara Wanji's plane leave, and most of them left each station chatting and laughing. Tada Shun looked at the gloomy Takeda Takeo next to him and asked, "What's wrong? Are you reluctant to see the teacher leaving so soon?"
Takeda Takeda quickly shook his head and said, "No, I was thinking about what the teacher just said. Commander, do you think Germany will really attack the Soviet Union?"
Tada Shun nodded and said, "Germany and the Soviet Union are incompatible. I think even if Germany really goes to war with Britain and France, it will eventually fight the Soviet Union. We must be well prepared and we must not fail again."
Takeda Yixiong nodded in agreement, but his heart was shaking. Once the Soviet Union was really attacked by Japan and Germany from both sides, would there be any hope of victory?
——
"Hmph, this Ishihara Wanji, I think his courage is getting weaker and weaker. He has to wait for Germany to take action first before he dares to take action. What if Hitler doesn't fight, but instead solves the problem through negotiation like Munich? We
Are you just going to sit like this all the time?" The speaker was Xiao Songyuan who was on the way back to Mongolia.
The person next to him was Tanaka Shinichi, the chief of staff of the Mongolian army. He had always opposed Ishihara Kanji. During the July 7th Incident, he and Muto Akira together made Ishihara Kanji's non-expansion order invalid.
Tanaka Shinichi smiled and said, "Isn't it? I see, Ishihara Wanji is just a talker now and doesn't dare to fight at all. Isn't it clear about the last battle of Zhanggufeng? The Soviet Union is just a paper tiger, it just looks scary.
, in a real fight, they are no match for our imperial army."
Commander of the Mongolian Army Naosaburo Okabe also nodded and said, "I think we can't sit still and wait for death. We must let those in Tokyo know the gap between us and the Soviet Union, so that they can attack boldly with confidence, otherwise they will be coy and flicking cotton."
Likewise, when will it be possible to achieve imperial hegemony?"
The three of them had the same idea and speculated in their conversation. Naturally, the more they talked, the happier they became. They soon decided to start a friction and test the Soviet Union's combat power at this time.
--Germany
After transporting mechanical materials for half a month, Jiang Cheng immediately traveled back to Germany. Looking at the German newspapers full of hateful and angry words, Jiang Cheng shook his head and said, "Are these Poles so eager to seek death? They are just building a road.
It's just a highway. Is it necessary to oppose it so fiercely? Do they really know how to negotiate? Isn't this forcing the Germans to take action?"
Chen Nan smiled and said, "Isn't this because of historical reasons? Poland was divided three times by Germany, Austria and Russia. It was subjugated for more than a hundred years and finally recovered. Naturally, it can't stand this kind of violation of sovereignty."
Jiang Cheng threw the newspaper away and said, "Then you must clearly understand your own strength. At this time, you should continue to argue with Germany, or develop your own industry and military. How could you be so messy and imagine relying on foreign countries for protection?"
You are ridiculous!" Jiang Cheng thought for a while and said, "We must not let the German tanks move so quickly. Make arrangements. I want to see Schacht and see where Goering is. At this time, he can
It came in handy.”
When Jiang Cheng saw Schacht, he found that Schacht also had a sad look on his face. Jiang Cheng asked with concern, "My friend, what's wrong with you?"
Schacht sighed and said, "It's not because of Poland. We just swallowed Czechoslovakia. Poland is now allied with Britain and France. The head of state is so angry that he wants to start a war. But now that Czechoslovakia has not been completely stabilized, it is really not a good time to start a war."
.By then I’m worried we’ll have a backyard fire.”
Jiang Cheng agreed and said, "I think so too. I think it's best to persuade the Yuan Dynasty to resolve it through negotiation first. If we really can't negotiate, we have to go to war. We have to move the time to next year. The empire is not prepared enough."
Schacht shook his head and said, "I have tried to persuade him, but the head of state is really angry to the extreme for Poland's betrayal of faith."
Jiang Cheng thought for a while and said, "If the head of state knew that Britain and France were negotiating with the Soviet Union, would the head of state still be in a hurry to start a war?"
Schacht was stunned for a moment and said in disbelief, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The Soviet Union and Britain and France are two incompatible groups, how could they stand together?"
Jiang Cheng shrugged his shoulders and said, "Isn't it enough to have an empire? As long as the empire investigates in this direction, it will definitely find something."
Schacht circled anxiously, "No, absolutely not. Once they form an alliance and we attack Poland, the Soviet Union, Britain and France will jointly attack us, and we will be surrounded. This is a trap! We must not start a war!! Let's go
