In the green tent, the head of Emperor Hirohito of Japan hangs on the north side of the tent, and he is majestically "looking" at the Japanese "elite" who are meeting below.

The conference room was set up with a few simple square tables, a rectangular long table was put together, and a circle of simple chairs was full of division commanders who participated in the battle. There were officers recognized by the brigade and regiment such as the commander of the 3rd Division, Masataka Yamawaki, the commander of the 13th Division, Shizuichi Tanaka, and the commander of the 39th Division.

At the head of the meeting sat Commander Kazuhiro Sonobe, commander of the 11th Army Corps, and on either side sat Shigenari Aoki, chief of staff of the Corps Headquarters, and Shoichi Amano, chief of staff of the Chief of Operations of the Corps Headquarters.

At the meeting, Sonobe and Ichiro first lost their temper: "In the first stage of the Battle of Zaoyi, we fought very badly and lost people to our Imperial Japanese Army. In the first air battle at Nanyang airfield, we lost 7 Zero planes, and in the second air battle at Nanyang, although we shot down 6 Republic of China planes, we also lost 5 Zero planes. Remember, why is that, why did our Zero fail like this? ”

Chief of Staff Shigenari Aoki quickly stood up and said, "Your Excellency Commander, I have investigated. The main thing is that Nanyang entered a Communist army, the Southern Expeditionary Army. They have a state-of-the-art air force and the most advanced weapons, called missiles, that have caused our air force to suffer such great losses. ”

Kazuichiro Sonobe nodded and said, "Oh, it's the Southern Expeditionary Army and missiles." ”

Kazuichiro Sonobe continued: "In the Battle of Miyang on May 3, the 7th Wing of our Tank Regiment was first attacked by the Chinese side and suffered heavy losses, and then attacked by the tank units of the Chinese army, as a result, it almost lost its combat effectiveness, and the armored units of one company were finally left with only a dozen tanks. Remember, why is this and has the reason been found? ”

Chief of Staff Shigenari Aoki hurriedly stood up and said, "The reason has been found, and it was done by the Southern Expeditionary Army." It was their air force and tank units that inflicted a devastating blow on the 7th Wing of the Tank Regiment, which was directly subordinate to our army. ”

"Neni!" Sonobe and Ichiro were a little anxious, "Why is this Southern Expeditionary Army again." What kind of planes did the Southern Expedition military use, and what kind of weapons did they use? ”

Shigenari Aoki replied, "They fly the most advanced aircraft, called the J-20 fighter, and they use a new weapon called missiles. ”

"How are their planes performing better than our Zeros?" Kazuichiro Sonobe asked.

"Much better than our Zero."

Kazuichiro Sonobe closed his eyes and felt a little heavy in his heart. He went on to conclude: "In the Battle of Suiyangdian on the outskirts of Zaoyang, all 12 Zero planes of the Squadron Leader of Sixiao and Sangua were destroyed in the first air battle, followed by the 13th Wing of the Chariot Regiment, which was severely attacked by the Chinese army. Check it out, what's going on? ”

Chief of Staff Shigenari Aoki said: "I have already checked that the 12 zero planes of Sixiao and Sangua were done by the air force of the Southern Expeditionary Army, and the 13th Wing of our tank regiment was fought by the artillery regiment and tank battalion of the Southern Expeditionary Army!" ”

"Neni!" Sonobe and Ichiro were anxious again, "Why is it that China's Southern Expeditionary Army is fighting again?" What is the origin of this Southern Expeditionary Army, and how can it have such a strong combat effectiveness. We have always counted on air superiority in fighting wars, and the tank units are the shock force of our army. The intelligence department should do a good job of investigating and find out all the information of the Southern Expeditionary Army! ”

"Hayi!" The chief staff officer of the intelligence officer immediately agreed loudly, and then asked the relevant personnel to quickly obtain information about the Southern Expeditionary Army.

Kazuichiro Sonobe continued: "The 3rd Engineer Wing of the 3rd Division was surrounded by Chinese troops near Miyang, and the 13th Wing of the Chariot Regiment desperately rescued the 3rd Engineer Wing, and he was completely annihilated. In addition, in the battle of Huyang Town, the 234th Wing of the 40th Division was surrounded and annihilated by the Chinese army, and the 29th Brigade of the 3rd Division was besieged by the Tang Enbo Group and almost couldn't get out. This has to be said to be a big failure for us. ”

Kazuichiro Sonobe was talking, and the senior commanders below sat motionless, listening to Kazuichiro Sonobe's lecture attentively.

Kazuichiro Sonobe suddenly remembered something and said to everyone: "The main reason why our Imperial Japanese Army fought against the Chinese army was the superiority of weapons. It is the strength of the aviation that gives us sufficient confidence, but the recent battle of the pumpkin shop should arouse our sufficient vigilance. The Chinese Air Force actually shot down 32 of our planes, and this is a big defeat for our air forces? This is also a shame for our Great Japanese Air Forces! ”

Kazuichiro Sonobe asked the chief of staff, Shigenari Aoki, again: "Have you written a report on the defeat in the air battle of the pumpkin shop?" What air force units of the Chinese army participated in the war? ”

Aoki Shigenari looked at the number of senior commanders sitting here below, and some of the ugliness could not be publicized, and he whispered to Kazuichiro Sonobe: "The report is not easy to write, in fact, there are only 4 J-20 fighters of the Southern Expeditionary Air Force against Takao Sana. ”

"Neni!" Kazuichiro Sonobe was shocked again, "In other words, their 4 J-20 fighters shot down 32 of our excellent Japanese fighters, and none of them were injured." ”

Although Sonobe and Ichiro whispered these words, the commanders of the divisions and brigades below heard them.

Kazuichiro Sonobe turned to everyone and said solemnly: "From now on, the main target of our 11th Army Corps will not be Tang Enbo's 31st Army, but China's Southern Expeditionary Army. ”

At this time, the chief staff officer of the intelligence department brought a report and said to Kazuichiro Sonobe: "This is the main information of the Southern Expeditionary Army, please take a look at it from the corps commander." ”

Kazuichiro Sonobe said to everyone, "Let's read it to everyone, this Southern Expeditionary Army is our main enemy." Our 11th Army Corps will do whatever it takes to destroy China's Southern Expeditionary Army. ”

The intelligence director read: "The Southern Expeditionary Army, a unit that originally belonged to the Communist Party in Liaocheng, Shandong, came out to support a unit of the National Revolutionary Army. Commander Han Xing, Chief of Staff Liu Zhiyuan, under the jurisdiction of an air force unit, mainly 4 J-20 fighters, 4 Y-8 transport planes, and 12 Z-8 helicopters. The infantry has a mechanized regiment, mainly artillery, an infantry regiment, a tank battalion, a guard battalion, a special operations battalion, a sanitary brigade, with a total strength of about 3000 people. ”

"Nani, 3,000 people, only 3,000 troops disturb our invincible Imperial Japanese Army, and it is not peaceful. This commander, called Han Xing, what is the origin, which military academy graduated? ”

The intelligence director continued: "This Han Xing, it is said that he is only 25 years old, and he is not from any military academy, and he is self-taught. ”

"Neni!" Kazuichiro Sonobe was shocked again, "I'm still a doll, I haven't gone to a military academy, and I have fought so well." There is a saying in China that it is the back waves of the Yangtze River that push the front waves, and a new generation replaces the old. There is also a saying that since ancient times, heroes have come out of youth, and they are not talking about Han Xing. ”

Sonobe and Ichiro finished summarizing the first phase of the Battle of Suizao, and then discussed the attack on Yichang. He said to everyone: "Let's discuss whether we are attacking Yichang and how to attack Yichang, right?" ”

At this time, Chief of Staff Shigenari Aoki stood up and said, "Your Excellency, Honorable Commander, Distinguished Colleagues. Now that the main forces of the fifth theater of operations in China have not been defeated, what if we rashly attack Yichang at this time, and the Chinese army cuts off our rear route? The closer to Yichang, the farther away the rear, how to transport the thousands of tons of materials needed? Therefore, I believe that the conditions for attacking Yichang at present do not exist, and only by defeating the main forces of the Fifth Theater can we have the conditions to attack Yichang. ”

Shigenari Aoki's opinion was supported by all the officers in logistics. Long-distance transportation, surrounded by Chinese troops, is equivalent to stretching out your neck and waiting to be slaughtered!

Chief of Staff Officer Amano Shoichi stood up and said: "Your Excellency, Honorable Commander, Distinguished Colleagues, I think it is a good time to attack Yichang, first, the Chinese army on the Hanshui defense line, three armies have been transferred out of two corps, it is a good opportunity. The second is that this is an order of the Japanese military department, and how can we, the officers, tamper with it at will, and it must be carried out. ”

Chief of Staff Shigenari Aoki stood up again and continued: "We have been fighting for nearly a month, and the army is very tired, in great need of repair, and has suffered 10,000 casualties. How can you have the ability to attack Yichang again! According to the current situation, reluctantly attack, if you are trapped in Yichang and can't retreat, how can it be good. Or would you like to ask Your Excellency the Commander and the relevant departments to give a good idea of the current situation? ”

Amano Shoichi stood up again and said: "In order to ensure that Yichang can be occupied, the Japanese military headquarters temporarily transferred a large number of troops from the rear to reinforce the 11th Army, and the strength should be enough. This batch of reinforcements includes: most of the 40th Division stationed in Xianning, three independent infantry brigades of the 14th Independent Mixed Brigade stationed in Jiujiang, and one infantry brigade of the 33rd Division stationed in Anyi. ”

Listening to the controversy between the two factions in the army, Kazuichiro Sonobe thought slowly: "I have only been in office for 3 months, and I have replaced General Okamura Ninji. If at this time it is a flagrant disobedience to the orders of the military department, it is obviously very inappropriate. ”

Sonobe and Ichiro stopped the argument between the two factions and ordered the senior commanders of the 11th Army Corps: "Okay, everyone don't argue anymore, I have made up my mind, and it is necessary to attack Yichang." Let's go our separate ways and follow the orders of the legion to carry out their own tasks. I repeat, give the order, be sure to attack bravely, and whoever neglects his duty and retreats will be court-martialed. ”

All the Japanese officers stood up in unison and shouted loudly: "Hayi! I am willing to be the battle goal of the imperial army, charge ahead, attack bravely, and capture Yichang rather than jade shattering. ”

On May 24, the Southern Expeditionary Army began to transport troops, which was still the old rule, with Han Xing leading the guard battalion to fight the front station, and Liu Zhiyuan organizing the large troops behind to follow up.