In Shanghai, the headquarters of the 13th Army of the Japanese Army.

Hinata Shiaki asked Usamitaka in confusion: "Your Excellency Chief of Staff, why did you only send a small group of infantry to attack Xikou?" Why not simply send an entire infantry brigade to capture Xikou? ”

After a pause, Hinata Zhiming said again: "Even if the coastal defense corps comes to help, we have enough time to withdraw to Shaxi, as long as we withdraw to Shaxi, the coastal defense corps will not dare to chase after us." ”

Usamitaka waved his hand and said, "Hinata Shijun, you don't understand this." ”

"Hello." Hinata Shiaki said after a pause, "So please also ask Your Excellency the Chief of Staff to clarify your doubts." ”

Usamitaka smiled and said, "Xikou, it's actually better not to knock it down than to beat it down." ”

"It's better not to knock it down than to knock it down?" Hinata Shiaki said blankly, "Why is this?" ”

"It's simple." Usamitaka said, "Under Xikou Town, Chang Kaishen's wife Yuanpei, his brother's family, and his seven aunts and eight aunts will become a hot potato, and they will be burned if they are not careful. ”

"How can this be a hot potato?" Hinata Zhiming was puzzled, "Wouldn't it be better to be a hostage, coerce Chang Kaishen to negotiate peace with the empire, or even directly force him to surrender?" ”

"Hostages?" Usamitaka smiled and said, "Hinata Shijun, you are so naïve, do you think that when you reach a position like Chang Kaishen, you will change your political stance because of your relatives?" If you really want to kill Chang Kaishen's brother and Yuan Pei, in fact, it will help Chang Kaishen integrate people's hearts, and the resistance of the Zhina army will only be more tenacious! ”

After a pause, Usamitaka said again: "So, taking Xikou will only make the situation more stiff!" At that time, there will really be no room for political means to solve the Chinese incident, and it can only be solved by military means, but with the current financial and military strength of the empire, do you think military means can solve it? ”

Hinata Zhiming was silent when he heard this, although he didn't have any vision, he could roughly see that there was no hope of using military means to solve the Chinese incident, at least in the short term.

But Hinata was still puzzled, and then asked, "What's the benefit of not taking it?" ”

"The advantage of not taking Xikou is that you can mobilize and restrain Zhong Yi's coastal defense corps." Usamitaka said, "Zhong Yi's coastal defense corps is a great danger factor, the battle of Xinchang, the coastal defense corps did not directly participate in the battle, but only sent an artillery regiment to help the battle, which caused heavy damage to the imperial army, imagine if the coastal defense corps directly participated in the battle, what kind of situation will the next battle of Xinsheng be?" ”

Hinata Shiaki said: "That will definitely be much more difficult. ”

After a pause, Hinata Zhiming continued: "However, the Fifth Division has landed from Sanbei and has taken an offensive posture against Cixi, Cicheng and Yinjiang, in this case, Zhong Yi may not dare to let the Coastal Defense Corps leave Yinjiang, right?" ”

Usamitaka said: "Hinata Zhijun, do you think Zhong Yi really doesn't know the reality of the Fifth Division?" ”

The Fifth Division was actually not ready, two infantry wings plus a field artillery wing were still in Guangzhou at this time, another infantry wing was transferred to Hangzhou, and now there is actually only one infantry wing landing in Sanbei.

With this infantry wing alone, it is impossible to tear through the Yinjiang defense line.

And from the very beginning, the Fifth Division was only contained, and it was not allowed to launch an attack until the other two Japanese armies formed an encirclement of the Yinjiang River.

Hinata Zhiming said: "Your Excellency the Chief of Staff means that you want to transfer Zhong Yi's coastal defense corps from the Yinjiang River to the Xikou fortification through the attack on Xikou Town?" ”

"That's right." Usamitaka said, "Zhong Yi has built a very complete chain of fortifications in Yinjiang, and if he fights Zhong Yi in Yinjiang, the price that the imperial army will pay is likely to exceed our imagination!" But if it is fought at Xikou, the cost to the imperial army will be much smaller because the coastal defense corps has not built fortifications in advance! ”

"I see, I understand the lowly position!" Hinata Shiaki nodded, admiring Usamitaka's far-reaching calculations.

But the next moment, Hinata Zhiming immediately raised his question again: "But, Your Excellency Chief of Staff, there is still a question about your humble position. ”

Usamitaka said, "What's the question?" ”

Hinata Zhiming said: "If the battlefield is chosen in Xikou, then the comparison of the forces of the two sides in the battlefield of central Zhejiang will become the five infantry wings of the imperial army against the eight divisions of the Zhina Army, and it also includes the three elite divisions of the coastal defense corps!" In this way, the strength of the imperial army is already at an absolute disadvantage. ”

"No, Hinata Shi-kun, you're wrong." Usamitaka stretched out his finger and pointed to the sand table, shook his head with a smile and said, "The Imperial Army is not five infantry wings, but nine infantry wings!" ”

"Nani, there are nine infantry wings?"

Hinata Shimei's eyes fell on the sand table, and he saw the direction of Usamitaka's fingers, which were Taizhou and Sanbei, which meant that once the Battle of Xikou began, the 22nd Division going north along the coastline of eastern Zhejiang, and the 11th Infantry Wing of the 5th Division that landed from Sanbei, would encircle Xikou from the north and south.

Hinata Zhiming's eyes lit up instantly, and he said, "Your Excellency Chief of Staff, do you mean to fight a medium-sized battle in Xikou Town and wipe out the Tenth Army of China and the East Zhejiang Coastal Defense Corps in one fell swoop?" ”

Usamitaka smiled and said: "If you can beat rabbits with grass, and at the same time eliminate the Tenth Army of China, by the way, you will also eliminate Zhong Yi's Zhedong Coastal Defense Corps, then why not?" ”

Hinata Zhiming smacked and said: "The humble post is now looking forward to it, how will Zhong Yi react when he learns that Xikou is attacked?" ”

"He will definitely send troops to help!" Usamitaka smiled, "For the imperial army, Xikou is a hot potato, but for Zhong Yi, this is a political task!" ”

……

Yinjiang, Zhejiang-Fujian meeting before the battle of the enemy's general staff.

Zhong Yi suddenly said to He Wenxi: "Director He, immediately call Yu Bojun's Sixth Regiment and ask them to come back immediately!" ”

"Ah, let the Sixth Regiment come back?" He Wenxi was stunned, "Counselor, don't you save Xikou?" The devil is at the mouth of the stream! ”

"The devils are just attacking Xikou, and it is enough to have Xiao Anzi's special operations team here." Zhong Yi waved his hand and said, "The Sixth Regiment doesn't have to go anymore." ”

Speaking of this, Zhong Yi said again: "This is likely to be a trap." ”

"A trap?" He Wenxi said blankly, "What trap?" ”

Zhong Yi said: "This little devil is probably trying to take advantage of the political status of Xikou Town to transfer our coastal defense corps from the strong fortifications of Yinjiang, and then force our coastal defense corps to fight the Japanese army in Xikou, in this case, the fortifications we built in Yinjiang will all become decorations." ”

The reason why the Battle of Songhu was defeated that year was also because of one reason.

Little Japan used the tactics of increasing troops one after another to attract the Nationalist army to the outskirts of Shanghai little by little and annihilate it, and then the two national defense fortifications built by the Nationalist Government at great cost became decorations.

But Zhong Yi is not Principal Chang and will never make such a low-level mistake.