Shanshan Yuan, commander of the North China Front, never imagined that the well-planned three-way combined attack would end up like this.

After receiving the farewell telegram from Sekii Takamasa, Shanshan Yuan could no longer support it, and fell to the ground, and after being rescued, Shanshan Yuan's first well was to order the northern line troops crossing the Yellow River to postpone the attack to the south and join the eastern front troops to attack Jinan. After occupying Jinan, and then determining when to attack the south, Shanshan Yuan remembered the ban formulated by his predecessor Shouichi Terauchi to fight against the instructor of the Eighth Route Army, and ordered the staff officers to find out for his reference.

The more he looked at Shanshan Yuan, the more he regretted it, and felt that if General Terauchi Shouichi commanded this operation, the 14th Division, the 35th Division, and the 13th Brigade would not have been able to be broken so quickly, because Terauchi Shouichi summed up a set of methods to deal with the instructor of the Eighth Route Army from the lesson of blood. For example, after dark, the troops stopped attacking, built strong positions, and formed a formation to defend; During the daytime attack, it is necessary to carry out the attack under the uninterrupted air cover of the air force, and the attacking force must be three or more divisions and regiments advancing in unison, so as to avoid a lone attack. The more Shanshan Yuan looked at it, he felt that he was eager to win, and he fell for Liu Yimin's jiān plan, which led to such a major failure.

Shanshan Yuan, who felt guilty in his heart, thought about it and felt that the top priority was how to explain to the emperor and give the emperor a step, after all, there had never been such a big defeat in the history of the Japanese army as losing two divisions in one battle. If the truth is known to the short-sighted fools, I am afraid that they will be used by those who oppose the expansion of the war against China, "thinking of evading military service and taxes, and then it will be troublesome."

Shanshan Yuan was arrogant in his heart and ignorant on his face, but he was actually a very smart guy, and he immediately came up with a bitter plan, which was to apologize for his crimes. However, before the implementation, he first sent a telegram of apology to Emperor Hirohito, Prince Zaihito of the Imperial Palace, and Prime Minister Konoe, saying that as soon as he came to the army, he made a grand wish to open up territory and expand territory for His Majesty the Emperor and the Great Japanese Empire, "completely reversing the natural unfavorable situation of the Great Japanese Empire being confined to a corner of an island, so that the Great Japanese Empire can have its own territory and a continent, and become a world-class power and a hegemon in Asia." This time, he was appointed as the commander of the North China Front Army, and carried out the battle plan determined by the Imperial Conference, and the three route armies jointly attacked the main force of Liu Yiminjiao's instructor in China, with the aim of destroying the main force of the Shandong Eighth Route Army in one battle, but due to the unknown enemy situation, "the 14th Division, the 35th Division, and the 13th Brigade of the Independent Mixed Front stepped into the trap laid in advance by the Eighth Route Army", resulting in tens of thousands of elite jade shattering. On careful examination, although the fundamental cause of the defeat in this battle was the ineffective reconnaissance of the enemy by the garrison generals, which led to the unclear situation of the enemy, he himself also bore the responsibility of poor planning and the great trust placed in him by His Majesty the Emperor. Therefore, he asked to resign from his post as commander of the North China Front, asked for permission to apologize for his crimes, and asked His Majesty the Emperor to appoint General Terauchi Shouichi back to the post of North China Front to avenge the 14th and 35th Divisions and the 13th Brigade of the Independent Mixed Brigade. At the same time, "in view of the fact that the flags of the 14th Division and the 35th Division have been burned, and the commander of the 14th Division, Lieutenant General Takamasa Sekii, has even burned his uniforms and identity badges, Sugi Sugimoto requests His Majesty the Emperor not to revoke the numbers of the 14th Division and the 35th Division, and to rebuild the above two units."

After sending the telegram, Shanshan Yuan really began to perform the caesarean section, "simply washed, changed into a kimono, drank sake, wrote a few crooked poems, and then opened the command knife to the abdomen."

Without waiting for Sugi Sugi Moto's disembowelment, Yamashita Fengfumi, Kita Seiichi, and even Muto Akira and Kinoshita Toshi, who received the news, rushed over and grabbed him tightly, saying that some of the words of consolation such as the battle in front of him, the North China Front could not be without His Excellency the Commander, and the warriors of the Jade Shatter were still waiting for His Excellency the Commander to avenge them.

After hearing this, Shanshan Yuan lowered his eyebrows and eyes, and muttered in his mouth: "I also know that now is not the time to commit suicide by caesarean section, the question is how His Majesty the Emperor will look at it." ”

Yamashita Hofumi, Kita Seiichi, Kinoshita Toshi, and Muto Akira suddenly realized: "Your Excellency Commander, this is for His Majesty the Emperor to see!"

After seeing through Shanshanyuan's thoughts, none of these old devils looked down on Shanshanyuan, and no one laughed at Shanshanyuan for not having the spirit of bushido, the reason is very simple, if they are held responsible, they will all have to be disemboweled, and no one can escape!

Especially Kinoshita Toshi, counting the planes and pilots lost in his hands, he should have committed suicide by disembowelment!

Then again, if they were to be held accountable, they would be far more than a few of them who should commit suicide. As the chief of the general staff, Prince Zairen of Xianyuan Gong has so many troops on the battlefield in North China, he can't escape responsibility, and he should commit suicide by disembowelment. As the Minister of the Cabinet, Konoe Fumima cannot escape responsibility no matter what he says. And what about His Majesty the Supreme Emperor?

As soon as they thought of this, these guys immediately shivered and didn't dare to think about it anymore.

Kita Seiichi was the most cunning and wise of these people, and he immediately stood up: "Gentlemen: At present, the war situation in Shandong is full of dangers, and there must be a general at the level of the pillar stone of the country. General Shanshan Yuan can't be disemboweled, once His Excellency the general apologizes for his crimes, Liu Yimin will inevitably take advantage of the situation to launch an attack, and the army will suffer greater losses, and then we will all face the problem of disembowelment. I propose that we report to His Majesty the Emperor in a joint manner, and I implore His Majesty to comfort Commander Sugimoto so that His Excellency the Commander may perform his duties and command the troops in battle. ”

This statement was in the hands of Nakayama Fengwen and Kita Seiichi, and the two immediately agreed. Even Akira Muto, who was almost treated as a scapegoat by Sugi Moto, agreed.

A telegram from Osamu Maeda and a telegram from Takamasa Sekii had already been received from the Japanese army headquarters, and Emperor Hirohito had been urgently summoned at Matsunokaku at the request of Prime Minister Fumima Konoe, Prince Zaihito Miyaji, Chief of the General Staff, and Toshitoshi Riku.

Emperor Hirohito, who was the commander-in-chief of the Great Japanese Army and Navy, read the telegrams from Osamu Maeda, Masata Morita and Takamasa Sekii, and said coldly: "As I said a long time ago, the key is not what we do, but how the world powers perceive what we have done. Now that there is no longer another permanent division, you say, how should the countries view me? What do you think of the Great Japan Army and Navy? ”

When he said this for the first time, "the ministers still felt the guilt of sin, and they were as light as water when they repeated it." Yan Junliu was extremely unconvinced in his heart, when did this happen, tens of thousands of elites disappeared, and His Majesty the Emperor didn't think about the heroic souls who died in battle, but about his own face. Is the Emperor really a god?

Of course, Yan Junliu thought in his heart, he was not stupid enough to enter the water in his brain and confront the emperor in front of him.

After Emperor Hirohito finished speaking, when he saw that several ministers did not speak, he became angry in his heart, and slapped his face on the imperial case, and his fingers were almost short. At this moment, several people woke up and said that His Majesty the Emperor should be happy and angry!

Only then did Emperor Hirohito say hatefully: "Terauchi Shou No. 1 is a famous general, but under Liu Yimin, he has suffered defeats. Changed to a Shanshan Yuan, which is even more unbearable. In one battle, Suo Xìng lost two divisions and one independent mixed brigade. It seems that "it will not work without strict accountability." Shanshan Yuan should be damned, "should be disemboweled!" Shouichi Terauchi also deserves to die, and he should also apologize for his sins! ”

This said, Prince Zaihito of the Xianyuan Palace, and Shunroku Burn were unwilling, so let the temple Shouichi and Shanshan Yuan apologize for their crimes, in case they lose the battle again in the future, who should be asked to apologize?

Prince Zairen of Xianyuan Palace's white beard trembled, and his voice trembled: "Your Majesty, there is an ancient Chinese saying that victory and defeat are a common thing in soldiers. In this operation, although we fell into Liu Yimin's trap and lost the 14th Division, the 35th Division, and the 13th Brigade of the Independent Mixed Brigade, the position of Liu Yimin's main force was also violent, and we also recovered Jiaoji Road and possibly Jinan, thus achieving a certain campaign goal. Early tomorrow morning, the North China side can dispatch air forces to bombard Liu Yimin's troops, and it can also use the armored brigade as an attack arrow to concentrate several elite divisions and regiments to advance in unison and pursue Liu Yimin's main force south. Now, if General Shanshan Yuan and General Terauchi Shouichi are allowed to commit suicide by disembowelment, the North China Front will become a plate of loose sand, as evidenced by the last visit to Germany by General Terauchi Shouichi and the loss of Jinan and the shattering of three divisions. Think again: "Don't repeat the mistakes of the past!" ”

As the chief of the general staff, Prince Zaihito of the Imperial Palace of the Idle Yuan is also old, "It is impossible to go to the battlefield in person." He didn't let Shanshan Yuan and Shouichi Terauchi apologize, and Niu Junliu, who might go to the battlefield at any time, was even more reluctant.

I saw Yan Junliu report unhurriedly: "Your Majesty, if you lose a battle and have to apologize to the commander, then Napoleon will not have his status." If it is considered that the losses of more than 50,000 soldiers in this public security operation were too heavy, then during the Russo-Japanese War, the military god Nogi Noshinori captured the 203 heights outside Lushun, and more than 50,000 people were broken. Even in the just-concluded Battle of Wuhan, the losses were more than 50,000. Therefore, the minister thought that the defeat of this public security battle was mainly because of inaccurate intelligence and unclear enemy situation, and also because Liu Yimin was too cunning. Who would have thought that he would abandon the rich towns and provincial capitals of Jinan along the Jiaoji Road that he had just arrived, and hide the main force between Tai'an and Feicheng? Who would have thought that the strength of Liu Yimin's troops would increase instead of decreasing, and that it would grow so badly? Either way, this defeat is both a bad thing and a good thing. The good thing is that we have recovered Jiaoji Road, recovered the northwest of Shandong, and soon recovered Jinan, and a large area of Shandong will be returned to the empire. Fighting always involves death, and the death of 50,000 people in exchange for such a large area of occupation is worth it. ”

Emperor Hirohito coldly interrupted Yan Junliu: "Aiqing also means that Sugi Motoshi and Terauchi Shouichi are innocent and meritorious?" ”

Yan Junliu commanded the Japanese army to capture Wuhan, thinking that he had made a great contribution, so he dared to say so much in front of the emperor. Hearing Emperor Hirohito's unkind tone, Yan Junliu was stunned, for fear that a bad emperor would also let him commit suicide by disembowelment. But now, stretching out his head is a knife and shrinking his head is also a knife, and he has no way to retreat. Therefore, Yan Junliu was not afraid, and said loudly: "Yes, the minister thinks that the generals of the front-line army, including General Terauchi Shouichi and General Sugi Sugimoto, are all meritorious ministers who are loyal to the emperor and have the courage to forge ahead. Please forgive your majesty for your rudeness, the minister is telling the truth! ”

In fact, at this time, Emperor Hirohito trusted Yan Junliu very much, and he himself didn't really want Sugi Sugimoto and Terauchi Shouichi to apologize, but he just felt that he had lost face again in the world, and he had nowhere to vent his anger. Emperor Hirohito is like a mirror in his heart, Sugi Sugi Moto and Terauchi Shouichi are his dogs, and he still has to rely on them to kill him! It's a little too early to force them to die. He wanted to use this matter to knock on the cabinet and the military department, because he felt that the army and navy were a little out of spirit when he came in, and they did not fulfill the sacred task he had given him well.

Of course, "Emperor Hirohito is not a good bird who cares about old feelings, and if Sugisugi Mototoko and Terauchi really want to apologize now, he will not tolerate it." Joke. The great day is today. Well, when marshal. There are many generals, and without Sugi Motoshi and Terauchi Shouichi, won't the army and navy of the Great Japan Empire fight the Great East Asian Holy War?

If Sugi Moto's disembowelment apologized, Emperor Hirohito had already thought about it, so he posthumously presented him with a field marshal and said that he was diligent in war, physically exhausted, and that he had relapsed and died as commander of the North China Front. It was even possible to hold a ceremony in Tokyo to promote Marshal Sugisugi's loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor.

Emperor Hirohito even thought that Nogi Noshinori was known as the god of war, mainly because he was martyred by Emperor Meiji, who was Emperor Hirohito's grandfather, Muhito, and his current martial arts far surpassed that of his father, why couldn't there be a general who died in advance?

At this moment, a telegram from Shanshan Yuan's apology arrived.

The headquarters of the Japanese army was located in the Imperial Palace, and Emperor Hirohito himself had a confidential team, and telegrams from front-line generals could be delivered to the emperor at any time.

After reading the telegram, Emperor Hirohito sneered and said: "This Sugi Sugimoto is still self-aware, knowing that he has a heavy burden and is guilty, and he took the initiative to ask for approval to resign and apologize for his crimes. It seems that General Shanshan Yuan has an extraordinary spirit of loyalty and bravery, which is worth learning from all imperial soldiers! ”

As soon as the words fell, the telegrams from Yamashita Fumi, Kita Seiichi, Kinoshita Toshi, and Muto Akira also arrived.

After reading the telegram, Emperor Hirohito sneered again and again: "You see, even Yamashita Fumi, Kita Seiichi, Kinoshita Toshi, and Muto Akira have interceded for Shanshan Yuan and have to be collectively disemboweled." Well, there are so many loyal and brave men in our army that there are so many that we can't even hold ourselves accountable for the defeat. This Shanshan Yuan, if he wants to commit suicide by disembowelment, hurry up, do you want to get my forgiveness? I've heard that true samurai regard disembowelment as a sacred thing, and no one can dissuade them. Why is it so difficult for General Shanshan Yuan to commit suicide by caesarean section? ”

Prince Zaihito of the Imperial Palace took the telegram and looked at it, and regardless of what Emperor Hirohito meant, he hurriedly reported: "Your Majesty: Now is the time of the Great War, and the four divisions of the Eastern Front will soon arrive in Jinan to join the divisions of the Northern Front. The key to this battle is in the follow-up campaign, and there is still a chance to eliminate the main force of the Shandong Eighth Route Army. At this time, we must not shake the morale of the army, and ask Your Majesty to forgive the mistakes of the North China Front Army and allow Shanshan Yuan to treat the crime and make meritorious contributions. ”

Yan Junliu followed: "Your Majesty: Liu Yimin's ministry is holding the power of a big victory, and it is likely that there will be a big move in the next step." The minister judged that he would either concentrate his main force on a decisive battle with the imperial army, or go south to attack Xuzhou, and possibly wave his troops to surround the imperial army in eastern Henan. If he succeeds, then it will not only be the Tianwei of Biya and the face of the Great Japanese Empire that will be lost, but the loss will be incalculable. The most urgent task at the moment is to help the North China Front draw up a feasible battle plan to ensure that Xuzhou is not lost. In this way, after Jinan's heavy army group attacked south, not only could it successfully recover Jinpu Road, but it was also possible to fight another battle of Xuzhou and gather and annihilate the main force of the Shandong Eighth Route Army under the city of Xuzhou. ”

is still Yan Junliu smart, this statement can be regarded as transferring Emperor Hirohito's thinking from whether Sugi Sugi should apologize to the war.

Sure enough, Emperor Hirohito stopped pretending to be mysterious, and immediately said eagerly: "If Lu Xiang still has any good ideas, let's report it together and let me hear it." ”

Yan Junliu immediately reported: "Your Majesty, the specific battle plan needs to be carefully conceived, and the minister can only say a rough idea now." In his opinion, the main reason why Liu Yimin's troops were able to fight successive battles and inflict heavy losses on the North China Front was that they did not follow common sense in war, neither defending one city nor one place to the death, nor fighting any regular battles, and were the best at concentrating troops and firepower to engage in ambushes. The troops on the front line simply did not know where his main forces were, and in what direction he would attack. If he had fought like the ** troops guarding Songhu, Nanjing, Xuzhou, and Wuhan, I am afraid he would have been wiped out by us long ago. Judging from the battle report, this time his two brigades were fighting a blocking battle in northwestern Shandong, and Lieutenant General Naosaburo Gangbe used the first division and the second division to outflank them in a roundabout way, and they were caught off guard. If it hadn't been for the sudden appearance of the Eighth Route Army Air Force, which bombed the Second Division and drank the First Division, causing heavy losses, Liu Yimin's two brigades would probably have been wiped out by this time. Moreover, Lieutenant General Naosaburo Gangbu organized four cavalry wings to smuggle across the Yellow River and saw miraculous results, forcing Liu Yimin to retreat from the river defense troops for his own benefit. Otherwise, the natural danger of the Yellow River alone may cause the divisions and regiments on the northern front to lose a large number of soldiers. This shows that as long as we are accurate to his combat characteristics, using surprise attacks against surprise attacks, and traps against traps, Liu Yimin is also not terrible. ”

As soon as Yan Junliu finished speaking, Emperor Hirohito couldn't help but praise him, saying that he was worthy of being a land minister and considered the problem very thoroughly. Shouichi Terauchi is worthy of being the Earl of the Empire and the pillar of the sheep, and he is good at summing up experience from failure. Senior General Shanshan Yuan is also good, the propaganda war is done well, and it is also a stroke of genius to arrange for Lieutenant General Naosaburo Gangbu to engage in roundabout outflanking and smuggling.

Emperor Hirohito no longer mentioned the matter of making Sugi Sugimoto apologize for his sins, and instructed Prince Zaihito of Kanin Palace, Hososhiroku, Terauchi Shouichi, and Nishio Toshizo to hold a joint meeting to formulate a feasible plan overnight and instruct Admiral Sugimoto to implement it. It is necessary to open up Jinpu Road and eliminate the main force of Liu Yimin's tutor.