As soon as the Eighth Route Army started fighting in Lushun, Dalian, and Jinzhou, the Japanese army exploded!

When Lieutenant General Yasui Toji, commander of the Kwantung Defense Army, was the commander of the Second Division, he twice participated in the operations of the Japanese army's heavy army group to sweep Shandong and had a certain understanding of the operational characteristics of the Eighth Route Army in Shandong. Therefore, when he received the report of Vice Admiral Kobayashi, commander of the Lushun Garrison Command, he immediately realized that it was Liu Yimin's department that had arrived in Lushun. It's just that he couldn't figure out in a short time whether Liu Yimin's main force arrived in Lushun or whether Liu Yimin's elite team, which had been hidden in the northeast, arrived in Lushun. Because he knew that Liu Yimin was the best at camouflaging the imperial army to attack important targets with a small elite team, and the Ishii troops and Foreign Minister Matsuoka Yoyo were all buried in the hands of this small army.

Thinking of this devil-like elite team, Yasui Toji hated it and strictly ordered Vice Admiral Kobayashi to destroy all the Eighth Route Army that attacked and occupied Lushun Station at all costs.

Yasui Fujiji is 57 years old this year, with a short figure and a mustache, which is typical of the appearance of the "day" himself. After the Battle of Normenhan, he was promoted to commander of the Sixth Army and rebuilt the Sixth Army, and the reason why the 23rd Division was able to rebuild and transform from a garrison division into an elite mechanized division was the result of his efforts. Originally, at this time in history, he had already been incorporated into the reserves, and he went back to Japan to be the head of the "Tokyo O-wing Praise Middle-aged Regiment". Now the situation is different. The invading Japanese army suffered heavy casualties. The senior generals also suffered too many casualties, and the 57-year-old Yasui Fujiji could no longer be transferred to the reserve, so he was transferred from the commander of the Sixth Army to the commander of the Kwantung Defense Army, replacing Yamashita Fumi, so that Yamashita Fumi, who was in the prime of life, could go to the Pacific theater to charge for the emperor.

Yasui Fujiji has rich experience, and after Dalian and Jinzhou reported that the railway station was controlled and the Eighth Route Army began to fight, Yasui Fujiji immediately realized that this was not a sneak attack by the small elite team of the Eighth Route Army, but that Liu Yimin's troops from Shandong had sent troops to the Jiaodong Peninsula. I think of Liu Yimin once attacked and occupied Shanghai and captured the commander of the 13th Army, Shigeru Sawada. Yasui Toji immediately understood that Liu Yimin had made a big move, and yesterday's plane bombing now seemed not to be an accident, but Liu Yimin's attempt to clear the way to enter Liaodong.

Toji Yasui couldn't figure it out a little. That is, Liu Yimin has just completed the winter offensive operation, General Okamura Ningji is mobilizing heavy troops to encircle and suppress in Shandong, and even the 1st, 7th, and 9th divisions of the Kwantung Army have all reinforced. Is it to attract the elite divisions of the Kwantung Army that have reinforced Shandong to come back and reduce the pressure on Shandong, or did he take advantage of the weakness to enter and take advantage of the dispersion of the Kwantung Army to attack and occupy the hinterland of Manchuria? Or is it to take advantage of the void to capture Dalian and plunder Dalian's materials and equipment?

Of these three kinds of answers, Yasui Fujiji prefers the third one, that is, Liu Yimin repeated his old tricks and took advantage of the situation to plunder the materials in Dalian. Because this is actually a plan to kill two birds with one stone, it can not only plunder the supplies of Dalian, but also force the 1st, 7th, and 9th divisions to return to help. Kill two birds with one stone, and the truth that the siege of Wei to save Zhao and the attack on the enemy must be saved in the Art of War.

As for the second "answer", Yasui Fujiji himself thought that it was impossible, because although the Japanese army in the hinterland of Manchuria was empty, the Kwantung Army plus the Manchurian Defense Army had a million troops. If Liu Yimin really thinks that the hinterland of Manchuria is empty and wants to capture Manchuria, then it is just right that the powerful Kwantung Army will completely wipe him out in the land of Manchuria. The riot of the volunteers was so great back then, didn't it quickly disappear? Isn't it now gone?

Yasui Toji believed that the Japanese army's rule over the Northeast was the most effective, and the people in the Northeast had already recognized the rule of the Japanese army, and Liu Yimin was purely self-defeating if he tried to seize the hinterland of Manchuria at this time. At the very least, the common people of Manchuria will not cooperate with and support him.

This idea of the old devil of Toji Yasui. It represents the thoughts of the majority of the people in Tohoku, who still want to continue to emigrate to Tohoku. Change the population composition of the Northeast and completely turn the Northeast into a Japanese capital! Like Dalian, with a population of 700,000, 500,000 Chinese and 200,000 Japanese. One of the main reasons why Zhang Zuolin was killed in Huanggutun was that Zhang Zuolin supported the transfer of the population from the Guannai to the Guandong, and the number of Chinese people who broke into the Guandong reached 1 million every year, which was in direct confrontation with the Kwantung Army's plan to vigorously emigrate from the mainland of Japan to the Kwantung Prefecture and even the entire northeast. It has become a stumbling block for the Japanese himself to occupy the Northeast!

As for why the Eighth Route Army only captured the Jinzhou, Dalian, and Lushun railway stations, it can be seen through at a glance with Yasui Fujiji's experience, that is, after the vanguard of the Eighth Route Army arrived in Jinzhou, they used the South Manchurian Railway to quickly move south to Dalian and Lushun, because the strength was limited, they could only attack and occupy the railway station, trying to hold the railway station and wait for the main force to arrive.

In this way, Yasui Toji had an idea in his heart, that is, he must quickly eliminate the Eighth Route Army that attacked and occupied Jinzhou, Dalian, and Lushun Railway Station, and then meet the landing force of the Eighth Route Army and annihilate it on the Liaodong Peninsula.

Therefore, while strictly ordering the defenders of Lushun, Dalian, and Jinzhou to eliminate the Eighth Route Army that attacked and occupied the station at all costs, Toji Yasui ordered the Japanese puppet troops in Shenyang, Liaoyang and other places to assemble and prepare to go south to Kwantung Prefecture to cooperate with the Kwantung Prefecture troops to defeat Liu Yimin's landing force.

However, the matter was serious, and Yasui Fujiji did not dare to concentrate on himself, and immediately reported to the Kwantung Army Headquarters, saying that the Jinzhou Railway Station, Dalian Railway Station, and Lushun Railway Station had been captured by the Eighth Route Army disguised as the Imperial Army, and had ordered the garrison to encircle and annihilate it with all its might. Then, Yasui Fujiji also reported his judgment and plan to mobilize garrisons in Shenyang, Liaoyang and other places and the Manchurian Defense Army to fight south in Kwantung Prefecture to the Kwantung Army Command, asking for approval.

At this time, Yasui Fujiji had not received a report of the discovery of a large force of the Eighth Route Army in the direction of Shanhaiguan and Jinzhou, nor had he received a report that the main force of the Eighth Route Army was deployed in various parts of the Jiaodong Peninsula, and he was still immersed in his own conjecture and judgment. If he had received these reports, he would have been dumbfounded.

Liu Yimin fought. The first surprise attack. Therefore. The units of the Eighth Route Army had already developed the habit of cutting off the telephone lines of the Japanese puppet army during the attack, and then imposing extremely strict martial law measures. With such a large-scale operation, Zuo Ye has already made a fuss in Lushun, and Yasui Fujiji has not received reports from other aspects. The main reason is that wherever the Eighth Route Army passed, the follow-up troops all controlled the Japanese puppet officials and police inspectors in the market towns and Datunli along the way, and imprisoned them on the spot or took them away. Naturally, the Japanese army did not get the news. Of course, this is only an expedient measure, and if you can't hide it for a while, the Japanese army will soon find out. After all, it was impossible for the Eighth Route Army to arrest the Japanese puppet officials, police inspectors, and traitors along the way.

In fact. As long as Toji Yasui sends planes to reconnoitre, everything will be clear. It's a pity that he doesn't have planes now, the planes of the Second Flight Group of the Kwantung Army have been destroyed by the Eighth Route Army, although General Umezu Mijiro has strictly ordered the Air Group to quickly replenish the planes of the Second Flight Group, but that is by no means something that can be completed in a day. Toji Yasui has no planes to send.

When Toji Yasui's telegram arrived at the headquarters of the Kwantung Army. The Kwantung Army Command had also received a telegram from Vice Admiral Kobayashi in Lushun, and had ordered Vice Admiral Kobayashi to concentrate on annihilating the Eighth Route Army that had attacked and occupied the railway station.

The commander of the Kwantung Army, General Umezu Mijiro, was not only the commander of the Kwantung Army, but also the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Japan to Manchukuo, and the supreme governor of the Kwantung Prefecture.

After receiving Vice Admiral Kobayashi's telegram, Umezu Mijiro couldn't sit still, and he was also thinking about what Liu Yimin was going to do.

Umezu Mijiro himself is a ruthless wolf, cunning as a fox, and a polite guy on the outside, and his new chief of staff, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadachi, is also unambiguous, and he is also a veteran spy leader. When these two people meet together, that's a fox with a jackal, a raccoon dog!

Umezu Mijiro thinks more deeply than Toji Yasui. Because he was the commander of the Kwantung Army, he knew the situation of the Kwantung Army best. On the surface, the Kwantung Army is now strong and strong, but Umezu Mijiro understands in his heart that compared with the territory actually controlled by the Kwantung Army, this amount of troops is simply not enough, and it can only be guarded by dividing troops, and it is simply unable to draw enough mobile combat forces. Moreover, the 1st, 7th, and 9th Divisions were far away in Shandong, and the 2nd and 16th Divisions were transferred to Southeast Asia. The only divisions of the Kwantung Army that can be called elite are the 12th Division of the Third Army, the 11th Division, the 24th Division, the 116th Division, the 23rd Division of the 6th Army, and the 2nd Tank Division of the Fifth Army. The combat effectiveness of the 28th Division, the 30th Division, and the 57th Division are still not satisfactory, like the 71st Division of the 20th Army and the 52nd Division of the Kwantung Defense Army.

Umezu Mijiro thought. In case Liu Yimin saw the weakness of the Kwantung Army's scattered and insufficient troops, he brazenly attacked the hinterland of Manchuria. With the strength of the Kwantung Defense Army, it is simply impossible to stop it. Maybe within half a month, Liu Yimin may sweep the Kwantung Prefecture and the Liaodong region, or even take Shenyang. In that case, I'm afraid it's really dangerous. If the situation really deteriorates to that extent, I am afraid that it will be too late to send back the three elite divisions and the main forces of the Third Army and the Fifth Army to support the Shandong operation.

Umezu Yoshimoto asked Yoshimoto for his opinion, and Yoshimoto also believed that the matter was complicated, and that it was imperative to find out as soon as possible how many troops the Eighth Route Army had landed on the Liaodong Peninsula and where they were marching. Only when you have figured these things out can you make a decision. It is absolutely unreliable reasoning and judgment to make decisions, in fact, every action of Liu Yimin exceeded the expectations of the troops sent by China, which was unexpected. When encountering a murderous and cunning opponent like Liu Yimin, blindly drawing conclusions without clarifying the situation must suffer a big loss!

Before Umezu Yoshijiro and Yoshimoto could come up with a practical response, Yasui Toji's second urgent telegram arrived, reporting that the Eighth Route Army had occupied the city and was engaged in a fierce battle with the garrison of the bay of Kanesu, which had returned to the city.

This made Umezu Mijiro unable to sit still any longer. He knew very well that as long as Jinzhou was captured, Dalian and Lushun would become dead places, and the Kwantung Prefecture, which the Japanese army had occupied and operated for decades, would be finished. As long as the Eighth Route Army occupied Dalian, it was equivalent to occupying the largest manufacturing base of the Kwantung Army, and shipyards, oil refineries, textile factories, etc., would all fall into the hands of the Eighth Route Army. Not to mention that the Eighth Route Army used Kwantung Prefecture as a base to obtain sufficient supplies and then attack northward, it was Liu Yimin who carried Dalian empty like in Tianjin, Qingdao, and Shanghai, which was enough for the Kwantung Army to drink a pot. I wonder if the Kwantung Army will become like the North China Front Army and the 13th and 11th armies in Central China, and become a poor egg!

Umezu Yoshijiro did not slack off for a moment, and immediately sent a telegram to the base camp, accusing the [Chinese] dispatch army of ineffective combat with very fierce rhetoric, which led to a sneak attack on Kwantung Prefecture by Liu Yimin of the Eighth Route Army in Shandong, and demanded that the fourth and fifth flight groups be urgently dispatched to quickly return to the northeast to assist the Kwantung Army in the war; The Third Flying Group of the North China Front was required to immediately dispatch all the fighters that could be dispatched to Kwantung Prefecture to reconnoiter the enemy's situation, bomb the Eighth Route Army, and assist the defenders in recapturing Jinzhou City, Dalian Railway Station and Lushun Railway Station occupied by the Eighth Route Army; The base camp was required to immediately order the 1st, 7th, and 9th Divisions operating in Shandong to quickly return to the northeast to reinforce the Kwantung Defense Army; The base camp was required to quickly dispatch a fleet to Port Arthur to support the operation.

As if he was afraid that the base camp would not pay attention to it, Umezu Mijiro ordered Yoshimoto Sadachi to send a telegram to the base camp every half hour, indicating that 100,000 were urgent, and he would wait for a response.

After sending the telegram to the base camp, Umezu Yoshijiro did not use the radio, but called Lieutenant General Yasui Toji, commander of the Kwantung Defense Army, and ordered him to mobilize the garrisons in Shenyang and Liaoyang and the Manchurian Defense Army, quickly assemble on the Liaoyang front, build a strong defensive line, and prepare to go south to support the operation, and wait for further orders.

Umezu Mijiro is much more cunning than Yasui Fujiji, he is afraid that in case Liu Yimin leads the main force to attack Kanto Prefecture, Yasui Fujiji leads the troops south and runs into Liu Yimin's gun. Although Umezu Mijiro fought with the Eighth Route Army many times in Shanxi, he had never fought with Liu Yimin's troops, and he knew that the reason why Liu Yimin's troops were able to annihilate the Eighth Division, the Tenth Division, the Fourteenth Division and so many divisions and brigades would not be a problem to take Yasui Toji's 52nd Division and those garrisons and independent brigades. He has to figure out the situation before making detailed arrangements. Immediately afterwards, Toji Yasui ordered the Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Twentieth Armies to be mobilized immediately and prepare to transfer troops back to aid Kanto Prefecture.