Shanshan Yuan boarded a transport ship of the Navy's Third Fleet and embarked from Osaka Port at the same time as a group of reinforcements, and when the battle of Nantong was at its fiercest, he had just arrived off the coast of Wusong. [Full text reading]

In the lounge, Sugi Mototo, looking at the map on the table, fell into deep thought.

The map is a whole map of China, in which the Northeast, North China and East China have all been painted red, which represents the Japanese occupation area, and there are several huge red arrows on the map, which are advancing from the red Japanese occupation area to the colorless blank area, especially the two red arrows in East China are the most eye-catching.

These two red arrows, one representing the Central China Dispatch Army and the other representing Yanagawa Heisuke's 11th Army, these two armies are like the twin pincers of scorpions, which have formed a semi-encirclement of Nanjing, the capital of China.

According to the latest battle report, the Central China Army has captured Zhonghua Gate and Guanghua Gate successively, and the fortifications of Nanjing have been broken, and the next thing should be the most brutal street fighting.

If he had a choice, Shanshan Yuan didn't want to fight in the streets.

Shanshan Yuan once participated in the Russo-Japanese War and was wounded in the head, so he knows better than anyone how terrible and cruel street fighting is, because in street fighting, the advantage of Japanese firepower and equipment will no longer exist, and the Chinese and Japanese armies are like trapped beasts in two groups of jungles, which can only fight to the death by instinct.

In street fighting, the casualty ratio is basically one to one.

Even if the final result will be different, it will not be too different.

Therefore, Shanshan Yuan did not want to fight street battles with the Chinese * army in his heart.

However, from the current point of view, Shanshan Yuan feels that the Japanese army has no choice.

Although the Chinese * army suffered great losses in the Battle of Songhu, especially in the final retreat stage, due to the confusion of organization and ineffective command, it lost a large number of weapons and equipment, but even so, the Kuomintang * army that retreated from the Songhu battlefield still cannot be underestimated, especially these dozen or so divisions that stubbornly defended Nanjing are all Chiang's descendants, and their combat effectiveness is not ordinarily strong.

To say that such an army will collapse without a fight or abandon the city and flee, it is only possible under one circumstance, that is, the senior generals in the army take the lead in escaping, but Tang Wu, who was entrusted with a heavy task by Jiang, has already stated that he wants to live and die with Nanjing City, Shanshanyuan does not think that Tang Wu will take the lead in escaping, anyway, this person was also a iron-blooded soldier.

Therefore, in this street battle in Nanjing, the Central China Front Army wanted to fight, and if it didn't want to fight, it had to fight.

The only thing Shanshanyuan cares about now is the battle of Nanjing, how much price will the Central China Front pay for?

If the price paid is too heavy, it will inevitably affect the subsequent combat operations, and if nothing else, the operation along the Tianjin-Pudong Railway to go north to Xuzhou and join the North China Front Army will inevitably be postponed.

When Shanshan Yuan was thinking about it, footsteps suddenly sounded from behind him, and he immediately stopped one step behind him, and then a clear voice sounded: "Your Excellency Commander, the front line is urgent!" ”

Shanshan Yuan waved his hand and said, "Read." ”

"Hello." The man behind him, "Front Army Headquarters: According to the news from the inside, Tang Wu, the commander of the Nanjing garrison, has fled, and the more than 100,000 troops stationed in Nanjing have collapsed, and they are currently gathering on the riverside from Xiaguan to Yanziji, and are dismantling the door panels and other things from the city to build a raft, preparing to cross the river and flee north. ”

"Nani?" Shanshan Yuan Huo Ran turned his head, unable to hide the excitement in his expression.

"Hello." The Japanese soldier behind him paused heavily and said again, "Your Excellency Commander, this news has been confirmed by the front-line troops, the Chinese army has indeed collapsed on the entire front, and it is indeed gathering on the riverside near Xiaguan to Yanziji, and is preparing to cross the river, in addition, there are a small number of Chinese troops trying to break through from the direction of Xuanwu Gate and Shuixi Gate, except for one that broke through from Qixia Mountain, the rest of the troops have been gathered and annihilated by the imperial army. ”

"Yo West, Yo West, Yo West!" Shanshan Yuan snorted three times in a row, turned around again, and stared at the map of China with burning eyes again, his excitement overflowing, "As soon as the Chinese army collapses, the imperial army can take Nanjing City without blood, and after taking Nanjing, the Central China Front can wave its division north and join the North China Front Army." ”

After the capture of Nanjing, the next plan of the Central China Front was of course to go north along the Jinpu Railway, and strive to join the North China Front Army near Xuzhou, which was also going south along the Jinpu Railway.

The empire could then use this to negotiate with Chiang.

Shanshanyuan had reason to believe that under the strong military pressure of the Japanese army, Chiang would definitely give in.

Thinking of this, Shanshan Yuan's face couldn't help but flush slightly, and his breathing became heavy.

Because the grand plan of opening up a second battlefield from Shanghai and then two Japanese armies from north to south to join forces in the Central Plains was drawn up by his Shanshanyuan guidance staff headquarters, if this plan really became a reality, then he Shanshanyuan would also become a famous figure in history, because his record was ...... Conquer China!

You know, this is a dream that even Toyotomi Hideyoshi couldn't realize!

Shanshan Yuan said at the moment: "Order, the Kunisaki detachment and the Iijima division immediately encircle in the direction of Pukou, cut off the northward escape route of the Nanjing defenders, and then request the river defense detachment of the Fourth Fleet of the Navy to immediately block the Yangtze River from Xiaguan to Yanziji, prevent the Chinese army from crossing the river, and the hundreds of thousands of troops guarding Nanjing, not one is allowed to let go, one is not allowed to let go, and one is not allowed to let go......"

In the end, Shanshanyuan was almost hoarsely yelling, one because of excitement, the other because of anticipation, because after the total annihilation of the Nanjing defenders, Chiang's descendants were basically wiped out, and then, whether it was going north to Xuzhou to join the North China Front, or going west along the Yangtze River to take Wuhan, it would be much easier.

Therefore, no matter what, the hundreds of thousands of Nanjing defenders must be annihilated in Nanjing City, and not one will be allowed to escape!

"Hello!" Staff Officer Shaozo paused heavily, and returned to the communication office with Shanshan Yuan's order to pass the order.

At this time, it was already lunch break, Shanshanyuan had a strict schedule and had to take a nap for half an hour at noon every day, but today, Shanshanyuan was completely sleepy, because he was so happy.

In the evening, the transport ship docked at the Hongkou wharf, and Major General Tsukada Tsukashi, chief of staff of the Central China Front, and Major General Mamoru Iinuma, chief of staff of the Central China Dispatch Army, together with all the staff officers of the two commands at or above the rank of major sor, had already gathered on the wharf to welcome Shanshan Yuan, who had taken office.

Matsui didn't show up in the welcome queue.

Before the arrival of Shanshan Yuan, Matsui Ishine had been admitted to the Naval Hospital in Hongkou, Matsui Ishine was not hypocritical or resentful, but really sick, since ancient times, most of the generals with heavy troops will commit occupational diseases, no matter how hard they are in the army, how tired they are willing, but once they are idle, they will immediately fall ill, Matsui Ishine's health was not good, and he fell ill when he was suddenly dismissed.

However, the ambitious Sugi Sugimoto will not pay attention to the loser Matsui Ishone.

In front of reporters from Western countries, Shanshanyuan delivered an impassioned speech at Hongkou Wharf, officially announcing that the Central China Front had entered the Shanshanyuan era.

(Dividing Line)

Among the guests on the viewing stage, Cherev and Stilwell were whispering.

Although the Sino-Japanese War had broken out in an all-round way, and half of China's rivers and mountains had been burned red by the flames of war, the Nationalist Government had not yet declared war on Japan.

Therefore, this has created a very strange situation, the Chinese and Japanese armies have already fought into a pot of porridge by the morning, but the Chinese and Japanese governments are still in a state of non-war, so most of Shanghai has been destroyed by the war, but the public concession and the French concession are unscathed, and the envoys and diplomats of various countries in China are still at peace.

Out of courtesy, both Cherev and Stilwell were invited to attend the inauguration ceremony of Sugi Moto.

Looking at Shanshanyuan's impassioned speech on the stage, Cherev turned his head and whispered to Stilwell: "You say, how long can Shanshanyuan stay as commander of the Central China Front?" ”

Stilwell smiled slightly and whispered, "You should ask me, how many times will the Japanese army change commanders this time?" ”

As a KGB-born diplomat, Cherev naturally knew about the 128 Shanghai War of Resistance six years ago, and the 128 Shanghai War of Resistance, in which the 79th Route Army had defeated the four commanders of the Japanese army invading China, and fought hard for more than a month without being able to advance an inch, and finally had to accept the mediation of the West.

After laughing, Cherev shook his head again and said: "However, now is not six years ago, after six years of painstaking development, Japan's national strength and military strength have made great progress, while China's national strength and military strength are regressing, especially the 79th Route Army, which is the most capable of fighting, no longer exists." ”

"That's not right." Stilwell retorted in a low voice, "The Seventy-Ninth Route Army is still there!" ”

"You mean the remnants of the provisional 79th Division?" Cherev shook his head and sighed, "After all, it is only a remnant of a few hundred people, what role can it play in such a large-scale war?" ”

"Cherev, my friend, you are wrong." Stilwell waved his hand and said, "An army, as long as its soul is still there, as long as its backbone veterans are not dead, then this army still has the possibility of being reborn from the ashes, and I firmly believe that this army will definitely be reborn in another form." ”

"I hope so." Cherev nodded and said, "I hope this army can be reborn from the ashes." ”

Compared with Cherev, Stilwell was obviously more confident in the remnants of the provisional 79th Division, and said: "I have a feeling, a very wonderful feeling, maybe the remnants of the provisional 79th Division will give Shanshanyuan a big gift." ”