"This Eleventh Army is really difficult to deal with. It seems that it has become a habit to disobey orders. It always likes to contradict the orders of its superiors. It gives me a headache!" Matsui Tataro said.
In the evening after Shibayama Kenshiro left, Chen Gongbo specially held a grand welcome reception to welcome the new top military adviser, Lieutenant General Yazaki Kanju. All senior government officials in Jinling attended, and Chen Mingxiang naturally came to the scene.
He had just said a few words to Zhou Fahai when he was called aside by Matsui Tataro, who was attending the reception, and sat chatting with Kanju Yazaki and other Japanese generals.
This kind of special treatment not only made the traitors in Wang's puppet government jealous, but even Yazaki Kanju was muttering that the status of Chen Mingxiang, a Chinese, seemed to exceed his imagination.
"Why, your Excellency, the commander of the Eleventh Army, has a conflict with the general headquarters again?" Chen Mingxiang said with a smile. He thought there was a conflict between Yokoyama Isamu and Hata Shunroku.
"This time it's not Isamu Yokoyama's problem, but it has something to do with him. It's the staff officers of the Eleventh Army who are troubled. They think Yokoyama Isamu's combat plan is realistic." Matsui Tataro said.
The various units of the Eleventh Army launched an attack on the Hongqiao area west of Hengzhou, and at the same time reported to the Sixth Front Army Headquarters and the Dispatch Army Headquarters, preparing to move forward to Xiaoxiang and capture the local airport.
However, after comprehensive consideration, the General Headquarters of the Dispatch Army only agreed that the Eleventh Army should repel the Shancheng government defenders on the front line of Hongqiao defense, and did not agree to attack Xiaoxiang now, as this would distract the troops.
However, the approval given by Chief of General Staff Matsui Tataro in accordance with the wishes of Marshal Hata Toshiroku immediately aroused strong dissatisfaction within the military headquarters of the Eleventh Army.
The staff believed that the General Headquarters of the Dispatch Army restricted the combat operations of the Eleventh Army and interfered with the power given by the General Staff Headquarters to the corps commander to direct the use of troops according to changes in the enemy's situation after the offensive began.
"The staff of the military headquarters actually vetoed the instructions of the general headquarters. How is this possible? Isn't this the following crime?" Chen Mingxiang said seemingly surprised.
"Chen Jun, you don't know the importance of the position of staff officer in the imperial army. They can be said to be a special group. Let me tell you this, soldiers who have not served as staff officers will basically not become generals in the imperial army system.
, you must go through the training of this position." Yazaki Kanju said with a smile.
The Japanese military staff was the second most bizarre phenomenon in the Japanese army during World War II, besides the dog-eat-dog battle between the navy and the army. The military chief was unable to manage his own staff, and instead had to be restricted. Doesn’t it sound incredible?
The status of the Japanese army's staff is very high. They are responsible for formulating operational plans and issuing orders. Moreover, for example, the wing staff only obeys the command of the brigade staff, and the brigade staff only listens to the command of the division staff.
Things happen frequently.
The military chief has the power to veto the plans of the staff, but they are always the ones who make the plans. The military chief of the army cannot veto the combat plan issued by the superiors of the Japanese army, but it is these staff officers who convey the superior's combat plan!
For example, we often see people wearing ribbons on the uniforms of the Japanese army. This is called a ribbon, and not every Japanese officer can wear it. In the Japanese army, only generals and staff officers can wear it, so it is not just a decoration.
, also serves as a status symbol.
The Japanese generals wore yellow gold thread with three strands and three strands, which was mainly used for formal attire, while the staff officers wore six strands and six strands of gold thread, which was part of the uniform configuration.
It can be seen that the status of the staff officer is transcendent.
Yokoyama Isamu is a figure who can suppress the staff. He is warlike and good at using troops. The staff of the army headquarters are particularly obedient to him, because such a commander conforms to their warlike instincts, and the orders of the dispatched army headquarters,
But it goes against their ideas.
So he sent a telegram of protest to the General Headquarters of the Expeditionary Forces, complaining about the reasons why the scope of operations should be expanded. He also pointed out that the commander of the army commanded the use of troops according to the battlefield conditions, which was within the scope of his authority. The General Headquarters was interfering.
The power of military headquarters.
This kind of strong representation and protest happens not once or twice. There are usually three ways in which the higher command organization handles it.
One is to simply not provoke this group of staff officers, and just respond to the other party's objections, so as not to bear the responsibility if problems arise in the future.
Second, the higher-level headquarters sends the deputy chief of staff or director of operations to the combat troops to persuade and suppress them. The staff of the military headquarters cannot compete with the staff of the general headquarters.
The third is to send combat staff from the general headquarters to the combat units to understand the actual situation and put forward a report on solutions, which will be dealt with by superiors.
"Then how did you handle this matter? They were disobeying orders and violating the authority of the higher-level command organization." Chen Mingxiang said with a smile.
"I sent staff to the Hengzhou frontier to have in-depth discussions with the staff of the Eleventh Army, and also went to the frontline for careful inspection. Unexpectedly, the Shancheng government's army retreated at an unexpected speed, creating an opportunity for the Eleventh Army to continue the attack.
Chance."
"So, the worries about the dispersion of troops no longer exist. The headquarters agreed that they should continue the attack according to the original plan, occupy Xiaoxiang and Quanzhou, and be ready to attack Guizhou and Liuzhou at any time." Matsui Tataro said helplessly.
Isamu Yokoyama has already made a living out of disobedience, and now his staff officers are doing the same. General Okamura Neiji, who is newly appointed as the commander of the Sixth Front Army, is not yet familiar with the situation and cannot deal with the Eleventh Army's
Moreover, he didn’t think Yokoyama Isamu would succumb to Okamura Neji’s suppression. This bastard even dared to contradict Marshal Hata Shunroku.
"Your Excellency General, the Eleventh Army of the Imperial Army can defeat the Shancheng government forces so quickly and enter the territory of Gui Province. I think the third phase of the war will be over soon." Chen Mingxiang said with a smile.
He found this result somewhat unacceptable. The Shancheng government was near Hengzhou, but it mobilized the 37th Army, the 62nd Army, the 79th Army and the newly formed 19th Infantry Division, plus the local 3rd Infantry Division.
The two assault columns cooperated, and the most elite 73rd Army, 74th Army and 100th Army were also mobilized.
In other words, in order to stop the Japanese army, the Ninth War Zone of the Yamacheng Government mobilized the main force of six armies and one division, and actually retreated within two days, opening the door to Guizhou Province!
If the opponent takes Xiaoxiang and Quanzhou, it will be equivalent to approaching Guizhou, which is more than two hundred miles away. How will this battle be fought?
