Naosaburo Okabe strode into Anami Yuki's office with his head held high and his chest high. He immediately put his feet back and stood at attention. He paused and said, "Your Excellency, Commander!"
Anami Yuki, who was reviewing documents, immediately put down the documents in his hands, grabbed his myopia glasses from the table and put them on. When he saw clearly that it was Naosaburo Okabe, he immediately stood up with a smile on his face and shook his hand warmly.
He held Naosaburo Okabe's hands and said with a smile: "Okabe-kun, you must have been freezing on the way to Peiping, right?"
In recent days, the temperature across North China has dropped sharply and it has become very cold.
"It's okay." Naosaburo Okabe shook his head and said, "The weather in Peiping is not much different from that of Hiroshima, my hometown. Although it is a little colder, I can still adapt to it."
"Yo Xi." Anan nodded happily.
After some simple greetings, we got down to business.
Anami Weiji asked again: "Okabe-kun, how are you preparing for the mopping up operations in northeastern Shanxi and northern Hebei?"
More than two months ago, when the main force of the army stationed in Mongolia launched the Battle of Wuyuan, the Eighth Route Army guerrillas in northeastern Shanxi and northern Hebei took the opportunity to launch a large-scale offensive operation. They liberated many towns and even county towns, dealing a heavy blow to the Japanese invaders.
At the same time, it also greatly strengthened the strength of the anti-Japanese armed forces.
Now, the Eighth Route Army in northern Hebei and northeastern Shanxi is already very powerful.
Even by conservative estimates, the number of Eighth Route Army guerrillas operating in these two areas has exceeded 30,000.
Therefore, after the military stationed in Mongolia was rebuilt, the first thing to do was to launch a brutal sweep of the Eighth Route Army guerrilla zones in northeastern Shanxi and northern Hebei. Even if they could not completely eliminate the Eighth Route Army guerrillas in the territory, they should at least restore them to the situation before the Wuyuan Battle.
Situation, only if this is achieved, will it be possible to send troops to attack Suiyuan.
Therefore, in the past half month, the troops stationed in Mongolia have been preparing to raid northern Hebei and northeastern Shanxi.
When Anami asked about it, Naosaburo Okabe shook his head and said, "It's still quite difficult."
Anan Weiji's expression immediately became serious and asked: "Can you tell me more specifically?"
"Hai!" Naosaburo Okabe nodded heavily, and then said, "Compared to last year, and even the first half of this year, the combat effectiveness of the Eighth Route Army guerrillas has been significantly improved! Last year, the Eighth Route Army guerrillas only dared to attack at most
The puppet army or the infantry group of the imperial army, but in the first half of this year..."
After a pause, Naosaburo Okabe continued: "In the first half of this year, they already dared to attack the infantry squads of the Imperial Army. During this mopping up operation, I even discovered that the Eighth Route Army guerrillas even dared to attack
We are attacking the infantry squadron of the Imperial Army! In addition, the Eighth Route Army guerrillas come and go without a trace, so it is very difficult to prepare."
What Naosaburo Okabe meant was that there were too many targets for the Eighth Route Army to gnaw on, and they were all difficult to gnaw on.
Okabe Naosaburo's deeper meaning is that the troops are still insufficient, and he hopes that Anami Weiji will give more troops.
"Suoga." Ananwei nodded and said, "Not only in northeastern Shanxi and northern Hebei, but in fact, the combat effectiveness of the Eighth Route Army in the entire North China region has been significantly improved. This is mainly because at the beginning of last year, the Eighth Route Army entered North China.
Later, a large-scale military expansion was carried out, so the combat effectiveness dropped significantly."
After a pause, Anan Weiji continued: "However, after more than a year of actual combat training, these recruits of the Eighth Route Army have basically grown into veterans, so it is not surprising that their combat effectiveness has recovered. So, this
It’s a normal phenomenon, Okabe-kun, you don’t need to pay too much attention to it.”
What Anan Weiji means is, don't think about reinforcements. The situation in North China is very serious now. If I send reinforcements to your army stationed in Mongolia, then the First Army in Shanxi and the Second Army in Shandong will
What should I do with the army? There is also a serious shortage of troops in the entire security force in North China. What should I do?
"Hai!" Naosaburo Okabe said after a pause, "Your Excellency, Commander, you are aware of this."
Although he was secretly complaining in his heart, on the surface, what could Naosaburo Okabe say?
Ananwei gave a slight hum and then continued: "However, we must not be careless about the Eighth Route Army guerrillas in northeastern Shanxi and northern Hebei. After winter, with the end of the autumn harvest, the guerrilla areas will usher in a long period of
During the months of slack farming season, the security situation across North China will also become more severe."
"Sodais." Naosaburo Okabe said with deep understanding, "The guerrillas of the Eighth Route Army farmed when they were busy, and fought as soldiers in their spare time. Basically, there was no distinction between soldiers and civilians. In winter, when there was a slack time for farming, these Eighth Route Army guerrillas would definitely take advantage of the opportunity as a rule.
If they come out to cause trouble, the imperial army should really be more vigilant and absolutely not give them any opportunity to take advantage of them."
Ananwei nodded and said, "So, this raid is very important."
"Hai!" Okabe Naosaburo said suddenly, "Commander, please rest assured that I will do my best to exterminate the Eighth Route Army guerrillas in northeastern Shanxi and northern Hebei, and strive to ease the security situation in northern Hebei after the spring of next year.
In this way, it will be possible to launch the Second Battle of Suiyuan next summer."
"Yoshi." Anan Wei nodded briefly and said, "Speaking of the Second Battle of Suiyuan, I have a piece of information that has just been forwarded by the secret service. I would like to ask you, Okabe-kun, to take a look at it first."
After finishing speaking, Anan Weiji walked behind the big desk, took out a telegram from the folder and handed it over.
After reading the telegram, Okabe Naosaburo's expression immediately changed. He frowned and said, "The Soviet government wants to assist in building an industrial park in Baotou? And this industrial park also includes a small refinery that refines 50,000 tons of crude oil per year.
Chemical plant? Your Excellency, Commander, this is obviously for the Kwantung Army and the Far East Campaign!"
The intelligence obtained by the Japanese military secret service was very detailed, even including the figures for refining 50,000 tons of crude oil per year.
"Sodais." Ananwei nodded and said, "Right now, the reason why Lord Ishihara's Seventh Army is able to strangle Chita is because the Kwantung Army is able to do so without having superior strength or weapons.
However, we gained an overwhelming advantage on the battlefield in the Far East. The key is that we strangled the Siberian Railway, a transportation artery, so that the Soviet Union could not transport the tanks and aviation fuel urgently needed from Europe!"
Naosaburo Okabe continued: "But if this small refinery assisted by the Soviet government is completed and put into operation in Baotou, then the Soviet army can open up a new energy channel with the help of the Chinese, and this energy channel
The passage is more difficult to cut off than the Siberian Railway. In this case, the risk in the Far East battlefield will be greatly increased!"
"So, we must stop the construction of this industrial park!" Anan Weiji said in a deep voice, "At all costs, we must disrupt this matter no matter what!"
"Hai!" Naosaburo Okabe nodded heavily, and then said, "However, Your Excellency, Commander, please speak frankly as you humble yourself. Given the current situation faced by the troops stationed in Mongolia, if you want to launch the second Suiyuan Battle immediately,
I'm afraid it will be difficult. Firstly, the rear is unstable and the Eighth Route Army guerrillas in northern Hebei and northeastern Shanxi have not been wiped out. Secondly, the materials needed to organize a large-scale battle like the Suiyuan Battle are not for northern Hebei and northeastern Shanxi.
It can’t be compared to mopping up operations, so..."
"I also know this." Ananwei nodded and said, "So, I do not require your troops stationed in Mongolia to immediately launch the second Suiyuan Battle."
Naosaburo Okabe asked: "What do you mean, Commander?"
"Okabe-kun, come here." Anami Weiki waved and motioned for Okabe Naosaburo to follow him. At that moment, the two of them walked into the war room one after another. Anami Weiki picked up the command staff and pointed at the map.
Said, "Okabe-kun, look, if the Soviet government really wants to help build a small refinery in Baotou, which direction do you think the equipment will be transported from?"
"There are only two directions." Naosaburo Okabe said, "One is to transport from Xinjiang through Gansu and Shaanxi to Baotou via the Northwest Highway, and then it is to pass through Mongolia and go directly to Baotou through the Sino-Mongolian border. However, based on my humble estimation, it is most likely
, we will still take the China-Mongolia border, because this route is obviously faster."
Anan Weiji said again: "Why do you think it is faster to go to the China-Mongolia border?"
Okabe Naosaburo said: "If you go to the China-Mongolia border, the equipment can be transported directly to Kulun via railway. Although there is no railway from Kulun to Baotou, there are flat grasslands along the way, and trucks with a load of one or two tons can pass freely.
, so it is faster in terms of time efficiency. Compared with taking the Northwest Highway, it can save at least half a month!"
After a slight pause, Naosaburo Okabe added: "Although the transport capacity of the Siberian Railway is already very tight at this time, in order to open up a new communication channel, it is entirely possible for the Soviet government to squeeze out part of the transport capacity and specifically transport cargo from mainland Europe.
Transporting this equipment here is the lesser of two evils, that's what they say."
Okabe Naosaburo's judgment was quite reliable, but what he didn't know was that the Soviet government actually did not need special transportation equipment from Europe to and from Coulomb, because the complete set of equipment for the refinery, meat product canning plant and clothing factory was too long.
It is already available in Irkutsk, the only problem is the power plant.
However, the problem is not that big, because there is an existing small thermal power plant in Irkutsk, and Zhukov has decided to dismantle the equipment of this small thermal power plant, package it and send it to Baotou.
"Yo Xi." Anan Weiji said happily, "Okabe-kun, your judgment is completely consistent with the judgment of the Front Army Staff Headquarters. We also believe that the Soviet government will transport the equipment to Baotou through the Sino-Mongolian border!"
After a pause, Anan Weiji continued: "Even if our judgment was wrong and the Soviet government did not transport equipment through the Sino-Mongolian border in the end, it doesn't matter, because after the Baotou refinery is completed and put into operation in the future, the output of
The finished fuel oil will definitely still have to be transported to Kulun through the China-Mongolia border, and then transported to Irkutsk via railway."
