Orders from the Japanese base camp soon reached Nanjing.
After Aoki Shigemai saw the order, he did not dare to neglect it and quickly reported it to Itagaki Seishiro.
"What? Airlift an infantry brigade to Jiangwan to strengthen the defense of Jiangwan?" Itagaki Seishiro looked at Aoki Shigemai with a maniacal look, his face full of disbelief.
Baga, which idiot gave this order?
Aoki Shigemagi smiled bitterly and said: "Your Excellency, Commander, this is the combat order just issued by the base camp."
"Baga!" Itagaki Seishiro said angrily, "What on earth are the bureaucrats at the base camp going to do?"
"Their reasons are very good." Aoki Shigemai handed over the telegram in his hand and said with a wry smile, "They said that if Jiangwan is held, it can be used as a fulcrum for the future attack on Shanghai. If Jiangwan is lost, the Seventh Division will
After the 20th Division arrives in Shanghai, it must go back to the old path of the first Songhu Battle and seize the beach from the Lion Forest."
"What does it matter if we seize the beach from the Lion Forest?" Itagaki Seishiro's forehead was throbbing with veins, but he did not pick up the telegram handed over by Aoki Shigemai. Instead, he waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "This is not the Battle of Songhu after all.
During the Battle of Shanghai, the Nationalist Army had one hundred divisions, which could fully deploy defenses along the Yangtze River, but the patrol battalion did not have this strength at all. They only had 20,000 people at best, and the defense line could not extend to the riverside! It is not difficult to seize the beach and land on it.
It’s a bit harder.”
After a pause, Itagaki Seishiro said worriedly: "What's even worse is that in order to defend Jiangwan, the entire combat plan will inevitably have to be adjusted, and the 20th Division will have to arrive in Shanghai before the 7th Division.
Moreover, we have to launch an attack before the 7th Division reaches Shanghai. Isn’t this just a fueling tactic?”
"Yes." Aoki Shigemagi sighed, "The patrol battalion originally had to face the 7th Division and the 20th Division at the same time, but now, they only have to face the 20th Division for at least seven days.
If the division's attack was someone else, there would be no problem, but this time the opponent is Xu Rui!"
Aoki Shigemako still had one sentence left unsaid: The 20th Division arrived in Shanghai seven days before the 7th Division. Doesn't this give Xu Rui opportunities to defeat the 20th Division? Don't think that Xu Rui can't defeat the 20th Division.
Division, when the first raid on Dameishan was carried out, no one believed that Xu Rui could defeat the 10th Division, but what happened in the end?
In the end, Xu Rui really defeated the 10th Division, and completely wiped it out!
"Stupid, absolutely stupid!" Itagaki Seishiro said bitterly, "These bureaucrats in the base camp have always only talked about war on paper and have never understood actual combat. We cannot listen to them on this matter!"
Itagaki Seishiro just said directly that Tojo Hideki could only talk on paper.
Itagaki Seishiro immediately ordered Aoki Shigemai to send a telegram back to the base camp, refusing to carry out the order!
This time, Tojo Hideki was angered. Tojo Hideki was an old-fashioned man and what he hated most in his life was acting outside the rules. Therefore, he couldn't stand Ishihara Kanji, who always liked to break the rules. Ishihara Kanji couldn't stand it either.
Hideki Tojo often called Hideki Tojo in public, the implication being that Hideki Tojo was only qualified to be a soldier due to his abilities.
The staff officers of the Japanese Army have always had the tradition of overcoming the superior. After the Sino-Japanese War broke out, the division commanders of various frontline divisions also repeatedly violated the combat orders of the base camp and broke through the bottom line of the base camp again and again.
After Hideki Jo became the Deputy Minister of the Army, he had been secretly planning an iron-fist rectification, but suffered from the lack of a suitable opportunity. But now, Seishiro Itagaki has sent the handle.
Hideki Tojo immediately found Kanin Gong Zaijin with the reply message from the Twelfth Army.
Because Hirohito was not in good health, he had been taken to Tenkyushan Hot Spring by Empress Sadamei to recuperate. All military affairs were entrusted to Chief of Army General Staff Kanin Miyazahito and Navy Chief of Staff Fushimi Miyahiro Kyoshi and Tojo.
If Yingji wants to establish his authority, he must first obtain the consent of Hanyuan Gong Zairen.
"Your Highness, I believe that this trend will not last forever!" Tojo Hideki said with a passionate tone, "As the old saying goes, military orders are like mountains, which means that military orders are as unshakable as mountains, but some officers of the imperial army always rely on the emperor's favor.
This is disobeying the military orders of superiors. If things continue like this, the trouble will definitely get out of hand!"
Xianyuan Gong Zairen was a little hesitant: "However, it is taboo to change the commander before a battle."
Tojo Hideki said forcefully: "It is better to change the commander before the battle than to cause a big chaos. If this evil trend in the army cannot be stopped, it will lead to chaos sooner or later. Your Highness, have you forgotten?
, is there a lesson from the 226 Incident? If Seishiro Itagaki cannot be severely punished this time, the ominous incident in the Imperial Capital will most likely happen again!"
"Tōjo-kun, be careful what you say!" Kanin Gong Zaijin's face changed slightly when he heard this, and he stretched out his hand to stop him.
The February 26th Incident, also known as the February 26th Mutiny, was a mutiny initiated by young military officers from the Imperial Academy in an attempt to seize power with arms. Their name was to safeguard the authority of the emperor, but in fact they wanted to establish a military dictatorship. Although this was suppressed
Go down, but Xianyuan Gong Zairen still has lingering fears about this.
At that moment, Kanin Gong Zaijin said again: "It is really necessary to disobey orders on the battlefield. It would be fine to withdraw Itagaki Seishiro, but do you have a suitable replacement?"
Tojo Hideki replied: "There is one, Kawagishi Bunzaburo."
"Yo Xi." Xianyuan Gong Zairen said, "That must be him."
"Hai!" After obtaining Kanin Miya Zaihito's approval, Tojo Hideki immediately left in a hurry, and then quickly issued a dismissal order to the 12th Army Headquarters, dismissing the former commander Seishiro Itagaki from his post.
At the same time, he ordered Bunzaburo Kawagishi, who was unemployed at home, to fly to Nanjing urgently to take up his post.
Bunzaburo Kawagishi's ability was mediocre, and his only successful record may have been during the Battle of Xinkou, when he flanked Niangziguan and caused the Central Army in front of Xinkou to collapse. Thirty divisions of the Shanxi-Sui Army collapsed. However, that battle was actually the same as Kawagishi's.
Bunzaburo, the division commander, had no connection. He was commanded independently by his two brigade commanders.
But Bunzaburo Kawagishi, an old devil, is very good at flattering.
The reason why Tojo Hideki nominated Bunzaburo Kawagishi to replace Seishiro Itagaki as the twelfth commander this time is because Bunzaburo Kawagishi gave Tojo Hideki a heavy gift!
Bunzaburo Kawagishi knew where his opportunity came from and why Seishiro Itagaki was dismissed. So after receiving the commission, while still far away in Japan, he gave an order to Shigemako Aoki, Chief of Staff of the Twelfth Army,
Aoki Shigemai was ordered to strictly implement the combat orders issued by the base camp without any compromise.
(Dividing line)
When Aoki Shigesei hurried to Itagaki Seishiro's apartment, Itagaki Seishiro was already packing his luggage.
The dismissal order from the base camp was officially issued half an hour ago. Itagaki Seishiro has been relieved of his position as commander of the Twelfth Army. Regarding his new position, the telegram did not mention it, but Itagaki Seishiro no longer cares about his new position.
He is nothing more than the defense commander of a certain fortress, and may even be transferred to the reserve force.
Seeing Itagaki Seishiro packing his luggage lonely there, Aoki Shigesei paused and said: "Your Excellency, Commander, why don't you look for Higashikata Palace? Maybe there is still a chance to turn things around!"
For Itagaki Seishiro, Aoki Shigesei still admires him very much. In Aoki Shigesei's view, Itagaki Seishiro may be the most courageous among the senior generals of the Japanese army!
Itagaki's courage, Ishihara's wisdom, this sentence is not nonsense!
But Itagaki Seishiro waved his hand and said: "Aoki-kun, I am no longer the commander."
"Hai!" Aoki Shigesei paused and said, "Itagaki-kun, if it's inconvenient for you to say anything, I can help you find Higashikata Palace. His Highness still values you very much. As long as His Highness helps you find Higashikata Palace for you.
Let me just say it before, Tojo Hideki can only take back his life, so you can still stay."
However, Itagaki Seishiro smiled and shook his head, saying, "Aoki-kun, the boat is done, so there's no need to bother."
After a pause, Itagaki Seishiro patted Aoki Shigemai's shoulder again, smiled and said, "The next step depends on you."
"Hai." Aoki Shigemagi paused heavily and said with a serious expression, "I will definitely follow your ideas and resolutely resist the chaos in the base camp. Not only will I not dispatch troops to Jiangwan, but also..."
"No, Aoki-kun, that's not what I meant." Itagaki Seishiro waved his hand and said, "Besides, I definitely don't think this is a good idea."
Aoki Shigemao said: "Are we just going to let them do whatever they want?"
Itagaki Seishiro said: "Just because you can't let them do whatever they want, you can't disobey!"
After a slight pause, Itagaki Seishiro then continued: "Although I have been dismissed, you are still here. Aoki-kun, you are a wise soldier and can slowly influence Kawagishi Bunzaburo, but if you also disobey orders,
The base camp will definitely replace you as well. Then it will be really troublesome to replace you with a guy who can only talk on paper! So, you must stay! In order to stay here, you must resolutely carry out the orders of the base camp!"
"Hai!" Aoki Shigemai said with a heavy pause, "I understand my humble position."
Seeing that Aoki Shigemai was a little depressed, Itagaki Seishiro stopped what he was doing, stepped forward and patted Aoki Shigemai's shoulder, and said with a smile: "Aoki-kun, it doesn't have to be like this, maybe in a few months, I will
He's back again, things in this world are ever-changing, who can say for sure?"
"Hai!" Aoki Shigemai immediately perked up after hearing this and said happily, "With your ability as a general, it will only be a matter of time before you are re-appointed. I firmly believe that this day will come!"
"Aoki-kun, I accept your good wishes." As he spoke, Itagaki Seishiro packed his luggage and handed it to his adjutant, who had been the commander of the Twelfth Army for more than half a year. Before leaving,
Itagaki Seishiro only had one suitcase of luggage, unlike some senior generals who had a lot of big and small bags when they were transferred back home.
