It was not only Yan Xishan who knew that Xu Rui was fighting with Fu Zuoyi, but also the Japanese in Peking.
When Anami received the news, he was talking to the commander of the Mongolian Army, Naosaburo Okabe.
Because Naosaburo Okabe had just arrived and was not familiar with the situation, he did not participate in commanding the battle of Gohara. The person who was really responsible for commanding the battle was Shigenori Kuroda, the commander of the 26th Division. Since Naosaburo Okabe did not
If you participate in the command, you will naturally not have to take responsibility for this major failure.
Therefore, after the army stationed in Mongolia was completely annihilated, Naosaburo Okabe was not dismissed from his post, nor was he even reprimanded. The commander of the North China Front Army, Anami Yuki, even specially summoned him to Peiping so that he did not have to worry about Zhangjiakou and Datong.
defense, because the front army headquarters will soon rebuild the troops stationed in Mongolia.
Anami Weiji said: "Okabe-kun, the disastrous defeat in the Wuyuan Battle is not directly related to you, and there is no doubt about your ability. So far, among the many senior generals in the empire, with Xu Rui
You are the only one who was able to escape unscathed after the fight. Based on this alone, you can be proud of yourself."
"Your Excellency, the General, is joking." Naosaburo Okabe said with a wry smile, "This kind of honor is something I would rather not have in a humble position."
"Okabe-kun, please don't think I'm joking with you." Anan Weiji shook his head and said seriously, "It's really not easy for you to escape from the confrontation with Xu Rui.
It is no joke that this guy Xu Rui can be designated as the mortal enemy of the Empire by His Majesty the Emperor. For this, you only need to look at his record of fighting against many high-ranking generals of the Empire and the long series of long words on the wall of His Majesty the Emperor's study room.
You should understand the list."
"Hai." Okabe Naosaburo said after a serious pause, "I have admitted that Xu Rui is indeed a dangerous opponent. He can be called the mortal enemy of the empire by His Majesty the Emperor. It can be said that he is well-deserved.
But what I want to say is that the reason why I was able to retire from Dameishan last time was not because of my good performance, but because my luck was good. At that time, the Sixth Division happened not to be attacked by the Dameishan Independent Regiment.
The target, so I can escape unscathed."
"Okabe-kun, you don't need to belittle yourself!" Anami waved his hand and said, "To tell you the truth, I have carefully studied the second mopping up operation on Damei Mountain. What you just said may be the truth, but you
Have you ever thought about why the Dameishan Independent Regiment did not target the Sixth Division as its primary attack target?"
Naosaburo Okabe said: "Maybe it's because the Sixth Division has a stronger combat effectiveness."
"Not really." Anan Weiji shook his head and said, "At that time, the Sixth Division had just been rebuilt, and its combat effectiveness was not necessarily stronger than that of the 104th Division, but Xu Rui still chose the 104th Division as the target of attack.
This is enough to show that the reason why Xu Rui made such a choice has something to do with you as the division commander."
After a pause, Anami said sincerely: "In short, Okabe-kun, I am very optimistic about you!"
"Hai!" Naosaburo Okabe said nothing more. No matter how modest he was, it was really hypocritical.
Anami patted Naosaburo Okabe on the shoulder and said: "As for the reconstruction of the Mongolian Army, the Front Army Headquarters has considered it this way. Except for the 26th Division, the independent mixed second brigade and the cavalry group have all been rebuilt.
, and will also integrate the 110th Division into the battle sequence of the Mongolian Army."
Naosaburo Okabe let out a sigh of relief immediately after hearing this.
Naosaburo Okabe was somewhat aware of how difficult the empire was at the moment. Not only was the stalemate between the Far East Campaign and the Red Army's contact with the Soviet Union a stalemate, which involved a lot of manpower and material resources from the Japanese government, but also the great plague that happened in Tokyo three months ago.
The vitality of the Japanese government was greatly weakened. Under such circumstances, the personnel and materials that the North China Front could use were very limited.
Because of this, on the way here, Naosaburo Okabe was still worried that Anami Yuji would reduce the strength of the troops stationed in Mongolia, and it was entirely possible to even directly abolish the establishment of the 26th Division, because it was the North China Front Army.
The troops were limited, and secondly, the performance of the 26th Division in the Battle of Wuyuan was really bad.
However, what surprised Naosaburo Okabe was that Anami Weiji and the Front Army Headquarters not only had no intention of abolishing the establishment of the 26th Division, they even wanted to transfer the 110th Division directly under the Front Army to the Mongolian Army.
The battle sequence surprised Naosaburo Okabe, and his heart was filled with gratitude.
At that moment, Naosaburo Okabe paused and said: "Thank you for your humble position, General!"
"Actually, you don't need to thank me." Anami said with a smile, "Now you are facing Xu Rui, the empire's mortal enemy, so helping you is also helping myself." After a pause, he said, "Okabe-kun, this time
, do you have any good suggestions regarding the reorganization of the troops stationed in Mongolia? If you have any, please feel free to speak up."
Okabe hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Excellency, General, I'll tell you the truth about this humble position."
"Of course." Anan Weiji said with a smile, "If you have any suggestions, just tell me."
Naosaburo Okabe said: "Your Excellency, General, there is a proverb in China, which is to know one's shame and then be brave."
"Know your shame and then be brave?" Anan Weiji said thoughtfully, "I have heard this proverb before, and it makes sense."
"Hai." Naosaburo Okabe paused and said, "For those generals who have suffered defeats on the battlefield, we'd better not beat them to death with a stick, but should give them a chance to prove themselves again. Moreover, these generals must be trusted in their humble positions.
After suffering a defeat, we will definitely learn lessons from it and have the courage to innovate our tactics."
Anan Weiji listened silently and did not express his position immediately.
Naosaburo Okabe added: "Then, in future battles, these defeated generals may perform well, especially when facing enemies who have defeated them before, they will have more fighting spirit than other generals.
, because only by defeating the enemies who once defeated them can they stand up."
After Naosaburo Okabe finished speaking, the office immediately fell into silence.
Seeing that Anami didn't speak for a long time, Naosaburo Okabe felt a little uneasy.
But just when Naosaburo Okabe was worrying about gains and losses, Anami Yuki suddenly said: "Okabe-kun, I admit that what you said makes sense, but I don't know if you have heard of another proverb."
"Another proverb?" Naosaburo Okabe was confused, "Please tell me, General."
Anami stared into Naosaburo Okabe's eyes and said: "How can a defeated general speak bravely?"
After a pause, Anami Weiji said again: "Okabe-kun, haven't you ever thought that after these senior generals suffered a defeat at the hands of Xu Rui, they would leave an indelible shadow in their hearts? Then we will meet again next time.
When dealing with Xu Rui, they should not talk about learning lessons and innovating their tactics, because they are afraid that they will be timid before fighting, and they will lose without fighting."
"Hai." Naosaburo Okabe said with shame, "Your Excellency, the general, you have clearly learned that you have acted recklessly under your position."
"Haha, Okabe-kun, don't get me wrong, that's not what I meant." Anami waved her hands quickly and said, "I don't mean that what you just said is incorrect, I just want to tell you, what is it?
Whether you know your shame and then become brave, or whether you are a defeated general who cannot be said to be brave, it depends on the person, and you need to check this."
Okabe Naosaburo suddenly beamed with joy and asked: "Your Excellency, General, do you agree?"
Nodding slightly, Anan Weiji asked again: "Tell me, which guy escaped back?"
Okabe Naosaburo hurriedly said: "Not one, but three people. Abe-kun, Adachi-kun and Baba-kun all escaped safely and fled back to Zhangjiakou. They were just worried about the base camp being held accountable, so they did not dare to show up. This time I was humble.
When they came to Peiping to see His Majesty the General, they even asked me to intercede on their behalf."
After a pause at this point, Okabe Naosaburo continued: "However, the reason why I said what I just said was not out of sympathy for the three of them, so I wanted to excuse them, but because I really thought that they
The three of them can be of great use, especially Abe-kun, who was once known as the flower of famous generals, so this defeat has nothing to do with him."
"You decide this." Anami waved his hand and said, "After all, Okabe-kun, you are the commander of the troops stationed in Mongolia."
As soon as the conversation came to an end, a communications staff officer hurried in and handed a telegram to Anan Weiji.
After watching the telegram, Anami immediately beamed with joy and said to Naosaburo Okabe: "Okabe-kun, I have some good news for you. Just now, Xu Rui and Fu Zuoyi revolted because of the uneven distribution of the spoils.
There was a conflict, Xu Rui’s Chahar Independent Regiment even put up a cordon towards Fu Zuoyi’s troops, and there might be a fight.”
"Really?" Naosaburo Okabe said, "This is really good news."
Anan Weiji added: "Originally, I wanted to keep you for a few more days, but now that this situation has arisen, you have to rush back to Zhangjiakou as soon as possible, and then organize the troops as soon as possible to prepare for the attack. Once Xu Rui's Chaha
If the Er Independent Regiment and Fu Zuoyi's 35th Army really start fighting, this will be the opportunity for the Mongolian Army to recapture Suiyuan!"
"Hai!" Naosaburo Okabe said with a heavy pause, "I will rush back to Zhangjiakou right now."
"Yo Xi." Anan Weiji nodded happily and said, "Okabe-kun, I will have the 110th Division rush to Zhangjiakou to report to you as soon as possible. In addition, I also firmly believe that you will be able to meet Xu Rui next time.
In the competition, he showed his due style. All in all, Suiyuan Province is entrusted to you, Okabe-kun."
After finishing speaking, Anami suddenly stood up and bowed deeply to Naosaburo Okabe.
Naosaburo Okabe quickly followed suit and bowed, saying: "I will do my best for my humble position."
Anami turned around and signaled Kanemitsu Keijiro to get a beautifully decorated short sword, then handed the short sword to Okabe Naosaburo and said: "Okabe-kun, we are about to leave. I have no other gift for you. This sword
It is an ancestral sword of the Doanan family. Although it is not a precious sword, it is made of fine steel and is given to you."
After a pause, Anan Weiji said again: "I hope that one day you can use this short knife to insert it into Xu Rui's chest."
"Hai." Naosaburo Okabe bowed deeply, raised his hands and solemnly took the dagger, turned around and walked away.