Itagaki Seishiro returned to the south exit and immediately organized a meeting to announce Juichi Terauchi's battle plan.
Brigade commander Miura Toshiji said dissatisfiedly, "Commander, what do you mean by this? Do you want us to just sit back and watch? We are the strongest fifth division. Does it mean that the commander thinks that the Battle of Nankou has caused us to lose our combat power?"
Itagaki Seishiro looked at everyone and said, "So you guys mean that we can still fight?"
All the officers responded in unison and shouted, "Fight!"
Itagaki Seishiro smiled and said, "Okay, the battle of Shanxi is mainly attacked by General Tojo Hideki's Chahar Army. I know Yan Xishan well. He will definitely conserve his strength and resist resolutely in the early stage. When the time comes, we will
Find their weak spot and give them a hard blow."
As he talked, Itagaki Seishiro remembered the scenes from a year ago.
Yan Xishan once studied at the Japanese Artillery School, and Seishiro Itagaki should be his senior brother. A year ago, Seishiro Itagaki went to Taiyuan as the chief of staff of the Kwantung Army to "visit" Yan Xishan. There are many checkpoints in Shanxi's mountains and rivers
, there are only two roads to attack from the north, one is Datong with a railway, and the other is the Uidai Highway. At that time, Itagaki Seishiro announced that he was going to Mount Wutai to worship Buddha, and he led people step by step for a month, and completed Pingxing Pass——
I have traveled all the way from the Hutuo River Valley to Xinkou. For a time, Itagaki Seishiro became famous for his worship of Buddhism, but what is not known to people is that Itagaki Seishiro not only walked this road, but also painted it, and remembered all the road checkpoints along the way.
It is clear that now that he has returned to his old place, Itagaki Seishiro has gradually formed his own battle plan in his mind.
In order to cooperate with the battle, Itagaki Seishiro decided to go to Zhangjiakou in person to discuss the battle with Tojo Hideki.
In the next few days, the north suddenly fell into calm. Only the constant changes of hands in Shanghai Luodian told the world that the war was still going on. But everyone understood that a more violent attack was coming.
The news that Zhou Guansheng had not requested supplies was reported to the Eighth Route Army headquarters. Boss Peng was so angry that he wanted to take people to find Yan Xishan. Boss Zhu stopped him and said, "Lao Peng, don't be anxious. Let me see, Yan Xishan hasn't felt the sun yet."
The sound of Kou’s footsteps.”
Zuo Quan next to him said, "The Japs have already sent tens of thousands of troops to Zhangjiakou and will invade Shanxi at any time. Why is Yan Xishan so calm?"
Mr. Zhu smiled and said, "Of course he is not in a hurry. We have received news that the Japanese North China Front has concentrated the strength of six divisions and more than 300 aircraft and is heading towards the Baoding-Cangzhou line. I am afraid that he is aware of the Japanese army's
The main direction of attack is not in Shanxi for the time being, so I thought of beating us first. Moreover, he is a businessman and will not do anything that is not beneficial. It is difficult to expect him to give us food supplies in vain."
Mr. Peng said angrily, "The Japanese have already arrived at the door of our house. Why are we still fussing over it? If Shanxi can't hold it, all those belongings will be given to the Japanese."
Mr. Zhu nodded and said, "We must fight a big war as soon as possible to prove the strength and role of our Eighth Route Army. Otherwise, as a guest army, it will be difficult for us to take root in Shanxi and it will be difficult to carry out mass work."
Speaking of fighting, Mr. Peng looked at the map and said, "Then we have to first see how the Datong defense line boasted by our Chief Yan is like. Is it really an iron wall?"
At this time, the communications soldier suddenly came in and said, "Report, urgent call from the Second Theater Command."
Boss Zhu took it over curiously and saw that it was Yan Xishan who summoned the two of them to Taiyuan for a military meeting and sent a plane to Yan'an to pick them up. Boss Zhu smiled and said, "Let's go and see what our Commander Yan has got."
Good plan."
The airport in Yan'an is located on the north bank of the Yan River east of Yan'an City. It was built when the 67th Army of the Northeast Army stationed in Yan'an in 1935. The Red Army took over after entering Yan'an. However, due to the lack of aircraft, it could only carry out daily maintenance.
After the Xi'an Incident, some special planes from the National Government came and went.
After Zhu and Peng made arrangements for the army, they took the plane sent by Yan Xishan to Taiyuan.
——The Time and Space of the Republic of China, Shanghai
The Japanese military headquarters has a new owner, and that is Matsui Iwane, the commander of the Shanghai Expeditionary Force. At this time, Matsui Iwane was writing his own poem. An officer came in and said, "Commander, everyone is here."
Matsui Iwane put away his pen and read: "We have been in military service for forty years, and the country's rejuvenation is like a dream of a great river. The king's kindness has not been repaid and the old man is old. Holding a halberd, he came to the four hundred states again. Mr. Tsukada, we finally came to China. This time,
We must realize our dreams."
Tsukada Gong nodded and said, "I believe that our Imperial Army will win the final victory."
With that said, the two of them came to the conference room together, where a group of officers were already sitting neatly.
Matsui Iwane sat down and said, "Gentlemen, please report the situation first."
Sanshi Zongwu of the 3rd Division was the first to stand up and said, "To this day, our army is still in a stalemate with the Chinese army in Luodian. Although there is help from the 11th Division, there is still no hope of victory. Moreover, our army has suffered heavy casualties.
, as of now, our Third Division has suffered more than 6,000 casualties."
Matsui Iwane nodded and said, "Can you explain why?"
Yamamuro Munetake said, "There are three reasons. One is that we have too few people. The Chinese army uses human sea tactics, which makes it impossible for us to advance. Our army often has to face ten Chinese soldiers alone. The second is that the aviation force has not been able to have air superiority. The other is
Since the destruction of the Third Fleet, our warships have not dared to get too close to the coastline, which has greatly reduced our naval gun support."
Matsui Iwane nodded and said, "Hey, although the two divisions can compete with the Chinese army, it is difficult to make a big difference. The next batch of reinforcements will arrive soon, but I still feel that it is not enough. I suggest
We jointly mobilized the military headquarters and requested that Taiwan’s garrison be transferred to Shanghai to break the deadlock as soon as possible. As for the naval guns - the destruction of the Third Fleet has not been found out what exactly happened?"
Nanzo Yunzi shook his head and said, "Although China Nanjing boasted a lot after the Third Fleet was bombed, the exact attack method was vague. Our investigation showed that it was a mine, but what type of mine was it? Where did the mine come from?
We don’t know which troop infiltrated with the water ghosts, and the imperial friends in Nanjing don’t have any useful information. The only intelligence is that this attacking troop does not seem to be a regular army of the Nanjing government. Otherwise, Chiang Kai-shek would have
The agency has long promoted that unit."
Tsukada who was standing next to him said, "Is it the local army?"
Nanzo Yunzi shook his head and said, "No. Although China suddenly united because of the empire, the essence has not changed. Such military exploits will definitely be publicized to the outside world in order to increase their own power's say in the China government."
Matsui Iwane shook his head and said, "Do you think it was really done by Chinese people?"
When everyone heard this, they looked at Matsui. Matsui continued, "The Third Fleet bombing case and the Tianjin Arsenal case have many similarities. They both happened at the most critical time of the war. If it weren't for Xiangyue-kun in Tianjin, I'm afraid Peiping is no longer in our hands now. As for Shanghai, Mr. Hase has the most say."
Hasegawa Qing said with lingering fear, "I had all the knives ready to cut myself. It was really a critical moment."
Matsui Iwane continued, "So I suspect that the two incidents were carried out by the same group of people. The intelligence department immediately followed this idea to investigate. In any case, we cannot let such a thing happen again."
--Tokyo
After receiving the telegram from Matsui Iwane, the Japanese cabinet immediately held another cabinet meeting. After the discussion, it was believed that in order to resolve the China Incident as soon as possible, it was necessary to increase the investment of troops in order to achieve a quick victory, and then ordered the 9th, 13th, and 101st Divisions and Taiwan The garrison reinforced Shanghai. A wartime economic control decree was issued to increase temporary military spending by 2 billion yen. Japan officially entered the war system.
--Nanjing
Agent Jiang looked at the Sino-Soviet agreement in front of him, nodded with a smile and said, "Liangchou, you did a good job. This agreement is very good. So, did Stalin say what kind of substantial support he would give us? We What happened to the proposed Soviet attack on the Japanese Kwantung Army?”
Wang Chonghui was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China at this time. He was nearly sixty years old at this time. He said with a smile, "The Soviets seem to be very interested in our war with Japan. I heard a lot of good news in the Soviet Union, but the Soviets also He just hopes that we can contain the Japanese, as Stalin has no interest in our proposal to send troops to Northeast China."
Jiang Jie sighed, "Of course. The Soviet Union is the Red Party after all. If we want to seek help, we should go to Europe and the United States. So what is Stalin willing to give us?"
Wang Chonghui said, "Stalin expressed his willingness to provide us with arms and technical personnel. This first batch includes 300 aircraft of various types, 100 tanks, 50 combat anti-aircraft guns, 20 anti-aircraft guns, 100,000 rounds of various artillery shells, and 4 million bullets. hair."
Agent Jiang nodded and said, "Yes, we need to transport the plane as soon as possible. The pressure in the air above Shanghai and North China is too great. What is the payment method?"
Wang Chonghui replied, "We took reference from the arms deal with Germany. Three-quarters of the payment was paid by ore, and the other quarter was paid by tea. I didn't expect the Soviet Union to have such a huge demand for our tea."
Chiang Kai-shek thought for a while and said, "Not only the Soviet Union, but also negotiations with Britain, the United States, France, Germany and other countries, especially at the League of Nations, must prompt the League of Nations to intervene. As long as the League of Nations interferes, Japan will definitely withdraw its troops. This is what happened on 128 It’s been proven.”
Wang Chonghui nodded and said, "It's just that now all countries have great doubts about the war between China and Japan. I'm afraid it will take some time."
Agent Jiang stared at Wang Chonghui and asked, "How long will it take?"
Wang Chonghui thought about it for a while and said, "If we lobby hard, I believe it won't be long before the League of Nations will meet to discuss our matter."
Agent Chiang looked at the map on the wall and said, "Okay, you do your best. I will send Hu Shi to the United States and Jiang Fangzhen to Germany and Italy to win the support of all countries. Once the League of Nations discusses our affairs, you must be informed by the League of Nations." Fight with reason! This is the best way for us to end the war."
Wang Chonghui nodded and said, "I will definitely live up to the high expectations of the committee."
——Duolun
Hideki Tojo looked at the map and thought secretly in his heart. Hideki Tojo was the chief of staff of the Kwantung Army at this time and was known as the Razor. Like most Japanese officers of this period, he believed that to deal with China, a quick war should be fought.
Quick decision. At this time, the Chahar Corps had four brigades and nine cavalry divisions of the Puppet Mongolian Army. One of the brigade was stationed in Zhangjiakou. Hideki Tojo had Shinohara Seiichiro's mixed 15th Brigade at his disposal.
, Masato Honda's 2nd Composite Brigade, and Sakai Hoji's 1st Composite Mechanized Brigade, with a total strength of more than 40,000, all of which are the most elite troops of the Kwantung Army and have a high degree of mechanization. In addition, the Puppet Mongolians
The cavalry division is extremely mobile.
When he learned that Itagaki Seishiro was coming, he quickly greeted him with a smile and said, "Itagaki-kun, do you have any clever plans for coming here this time?"
Itagaki Seishiro smiled and said, "Tojo-kun, I can't speak of a clever plan, but I just have some ideas. Come, let's look at the map together. You can help me check to see if my opinion makes sense."
——Taiyuan Military Conference
Yan Xishan sat in a high position, next to him were Mr. Zhu, Mr. Peng, Wei Lihuang, Tang Enbo, Yang Aiyuan and others.
Yan Xishan smiled and said to Mr. Zhu, "Brother Dai Zhen, you have worked hard all the way. Where are your troops moving now?"
Mr. Zhu smiled and said, "It's not hard to fly all the way from Yan'an. I would like to thank Commander Yan for taking care of me and sending a plane to pick me up. Our army has already set off and will all enter Shanxi in mid-September. Regarding the supply issue of our army."
"
Yan Xishan shook his hand and interrupted, "That's right, that's right. We'll talk about the supply issue later. Come on, let's take a look at the map first."
Yan Xishan gestured to Yang Aiyuan, who pointed to the map and said, "The Japanese army has currently found out that there are 40,000 Chahar Corps, 20,000 Fifth Division, and 40,000 puppet troops, totaling 100,000. The direction of the Japanese attack should be Tianzhen.
——Datong front line. Our plan is to fight a battle in Datong, and then use the terrain to resist. The specific units participating in the battle are the 61st Army (Jinsui Army), the 19th Army (Jinsui Army), and the 3rd Army.
The 14th Army (Jinsui Army), the 35th Army (Weilihuang Department), the 15th Army (Central Army)"
Boss Zhu looked at the map and asked, "It seems that except for the 61st Army, none of these troops have reached Datong yet."
Yan Xishan shook his hand and said, "The Japanese troops are human beings too. It has only been a week since they finished attacking Nankou. They will not attack so quickly. I think they won't be able to start fighting in more than half a month."
Boss Peng laughed and said, "How can we pin our victory on the Japanese not attacking?"
Tang Enbo immediately retorted, "Your army did not participate in the bloody battle at Nankou. I dare say that the Japanese in Zhangjiakou may not be able to recover in a week, half a month, or even a month."
Mr. Peng wanted to have a seizure on the spot, but was held down by Mr. Zhu.
Yang Aiyuan continued, "After our army has resisted steadily, our army can use the terrain to encircle and attack it at Yanmen Pass and Pingxing Pass, and finally surround and annihilate it at Xinkou."
Yan Xishan smiled and said, "Do you have any questions?"
——Duolun
Itagaki Seishiro pointed to the map and said, "Look Tojo-kun, Shanxi now has not only the Shanxi-Sui Army, but also the China Central Army, the Red Party Army, the Anhui Army, the Northwest Army, etc. Once time is delayed, Shanxi will definitely be destroyed by China."
The strong military strength is an extremely difficult bone to crack. You must know that my junior brother has established a lot of military factories in Shanxi, and their weapons and equipment are not bad."
Tojo Hideki nodded and said, "That's true. What do you mean, Itagaki-kun?"
Itagaki Seishiro hit the map with a punch and said, "Soldiers are valuable and quick. We must launch an attack before the Chinese army is ready. I suggest that we launch an attack across the board in two days."
Hideki Tojo clapped his hands and shouted, "Heroes think alike. I think so too. I will attack from Tianzhen-Datong and strive to disrupt the deployment of the China Army as quickly as possible."
——Taiyuan
Wei Lihuang looked at the map and suddenly asked, "Where is Yu County here? How is the defense here? You can enter Shanxi from here."
Yang Aiyuan laughed and said, "Although the Japanese army has 100,000, the main force is only 50,000 or 60,000, and the Fifth Division suffered heavy losses, so it probably will not participate in the war. If the troops are further divided, there will not be much attack power. We judge that the Japanese army must be one
We will attack Datong in real terms and pretend to attack Yu County. So don't worry, and we have also deployed the 143rd Division to garrison there. The small Japanese army cannot get through."
When he heard that it was Liu Ruming's 143rd Division, Mr. Peng couldn't help but shake his head and smile. This division was scared to death during the Battle of Nankou, and now it is defending all the way alone? Mr. Peng is very worried.
Yan Xishan saw this and asked, "I wonder how the Eighth Route Army is going to cooperate with us in fighting?"
Mr. Zhu said, "Our weapons and equipment are poor and we cannot fight positional warfare. We are ready to use our advantages and continue to fight guerrilla warfare and ambush warfare. Our army will attack the Japanese army on the Japanese army's logistics line."
When they heard about guerrilla warfare, several National Army generals looked at each other and disagreed. It was a joke to rely on guerrilla warfare to drive away the Japanese army.
——Duolun
Itagaki Seishiro continued, "Furthermore, I plan to dispatch the entire army of my fifth division to attack Yu County and reach Pingxing Pass via the road. I believe Yan Xishan would not have thought that we would actually attack on both routes."
Tojo Hideki couldn't help but worry: "Is it true or false? It's indeed a good way to fight. But can the Fifth Division still fight? And this is a road, this supply line?"
Itagaki Seishiro said proudly, "Don't worry, Tojo-kun, our division has more than 7,000 horses and hundreds of trucks. There is no need to worry about the mobility and logistics of the army."
Tojo Hideki smiled and said, "Okay, Itagaki-kun, let us fight for the glory of the empire together."
Itagaki Seishiro also smiled and said, "Okay, then we will attack together in two days."
——Taiyuan
After the meeting, Mr. Zhu approached Yan Xishan again to talk about the supply problem. Yan Xishan thought for a while, the Eighth Route Army still needed it, and said, "Well, I can find a way to find some grain dealers to arrange the military rations, but this ammunition is really
There is nothing you can do, your army should ask Chairman Chiang for it." After saying that, he left without thinking. The angry Boss Peng wanted to step forward, but Boss Zhu said, "Forget it, wait, wait for the Japanese to come.