62nd Guards Statement

During this period, as in history, Japan's policy of aggression against China also underwent major changes.

Recently, the Japanese people have been deceived like a roller coaster, and their hearts have gone up and down, but they have suffered a great sin.

Just when everyone was looking forward to the achievements of the imperial army on the Wuhan front, the Eighth Route Army suddenly made a move in Shandong and captured Jinan at once, and the imperial army of three divisions and two garrisons was captured. What is particularly annoying is that the Eighth Route Army also publicized its achievements everywhere, for fear that people all over the world would not know, so that those Japanese envoys stationed abroad bent deeper when they saw the guests. The taverns on the streets of Tokyo are filled with drunkards who drink to kill their sorrows, and drunkards are getting drunk and pestering passers-by to cause trouble. For a time, there was a sharp rise in law and order cases in major cities in Japan.

After the news of the capture of Wuhan and Guangzhou came, all cities in Japan fell into a carnival, and in the words of Japan's "Asahi Shimbun" and other media, it was "national ecstasy." Newspapers and radio stations reported one after another on the imperial army's great military exploits, and the people voluntarily took to the streets to hold a flag-carrying parade and a lantern-carrying procession, and the streets were filled with the sound of long live.

It's a pity that the cheers didn't last long, and the Japanese people were stunned by the news of the Eighth Route Army's public trial of Gu Shoufu and Guan Guiji. Although the Japanese government and military department tried their best to block the news, the terrible screams of Tani Shofu when he was executed by Ling Chi were like the cold wind in Hokkaido, which was pervasive, how could it be blocked

The Japanese archipelago fell silent all of a sudden.

Fortunately, within a few days, the news came that the plane of Liu Yimin, the god of war of Lieutenant General Ling Chi Gu Shoufu, was destroyed, and then the news that Liu Yimin was killed. From the city to the countryside, in addition to the flag-carrying parade and lantern parade, many families hung spirit flags in front of their homes, which meant to tell their relatives who died in China that the Imperial Japanese Army had avenged them

Unexpectedly, the excitement lasted too short, and in just one day, the news came that Liu Yimin was not dead, and the Chinese Nationalist Government also announced that three Japanese army lieutenant generals, including Otaka Kamezo, Shimoto Kumaya, and Ganji Shigetaro, would be tried in Chongqing, and the public trial was also very short, and the public trial was announced to be over within three days, and the three devil lieutenant generals were hanged in Chongqing on the same charges as Gu Shoufu and Guan Kaoji.

At this time, no matter how arrogant the Japanese warlords were, they had no choice but to think deeply about the future of the war against China.

Lu Xiangshan Shanyuan has been in a bad mood to the extreme recently, and the reason is very simple, several times he entered the palace to see him, the emperor's eyes became colder and colder, and he repeatedly satirized his argument of destroying China in three months. That posture made it clear that he was ready to use him as a scapegoat for the defeat in the North China war.

When I returned home in the evening, my wife had already asked my subordinates to prepare wine and food and accompany Shanshan Yuan for a drink.

Shanshan Yuan's beloved daughter, Shanshan Yunzi, has been locked at home for a long time since she was taught a lesson by her father last time, until she understands her father's painstaking efforts, and Shanshan Yuan allows her to move freely.

When Sugi Moto was drinking, Sugi Yunzi also went home. Shanshan Yuan asked her daughter what she was doing today?

Yunzi told his father that he went into the palace with the daughters of several ministers' families to meet Empress Liangzi today.

Shanshan Yuan immediately asked his daughter if Empress Liangzi was in a good mood? Is it kind to Yunzi?

Yunzi said a little shyly: "I didn't dare to look up at Her Majesty's face, but when I was drinking tea, Her Majesty the Queen specially ordered the female official to bring her refreshments, and praised Yunzi's beauty." ”

When Shanshan Yuan heard this, his depressed mood improved slightly, and he asked his daughter to eat together.

Seeing that her father wanted her to eat together, she went to change out of the dress of Her Majesty the Empress Jinjian, put on the kimono she usually wore at home, and accompanied her parents to eat.

While eating, Shanshan Yunzi said that after they met the queen's mother, they went to do Buddhist things and pray for the warriors of the broken jade. There are many people who do Buddhist things, and I heard the masters of the temple say that in addition to praying for the blessings of the warriors of the broken jade, more people are to bless the relatives to come back safely.

Yunzi's words made Sugi Sugi Moto lament in his heart, and it seemed that not only Emperor Hirohito and Prime Minister Fumima Konoe had changed their ways, but also began to have war-weariness among the people. It's also horrible

After all, Shanshan Yunzi is a big girl who is ignorant of the world, where can she see the thoughts of her treacherous and cunning father, saying that the young ladies of several ministers' families have said that they are willing to serve the Great East Asian Holy War, and said that Yunzi is so beautiful, if he can see Liu Yimin, the god of war in China, maybe he can be fascinated and let him obediently surrender to the Japanese Empire.

When she said this, Shanshan Yunzi looked shy, as if Liu Yimin was right in front of her face. provoked Shanshanyuan to be furious again, scolding his daughter for not knowing the danger of the battlefield, and saying some words about children. That Liu Yimin's green face and fangs, just like the hungry ghost painted in the book, where can he be worthy of Miss Yunzi of the noble Shanshan family, if she has such an inexplicable idea, she will continue to be grounded.

Frightened, Yunzi didn't dare to talk anymore, and the family of three finished eating without saying a word.

Early the next morning, Shanshan Yuan entered the palace to attend the imperial meeting.

This imperial meeting is still to study the issue of China strategy.

Lu Xiangshan Shanyuan was the first to speak, this old devil, holding a stack of manuscript papers, reported in detail the achievements of the army since the beginning of the war.

Shanshan Yuan didn't talk nonsense, and basically reported truthfully. According to him, from Baotou in the north to Guangzhou in the south, the Japanese army had occupied a vast area east of the Yellow River and north of China and east of the Pinghan Road, the Chiang Kai-shek government was forced to move to Chongqing, China's large cities and the richest areas were occupied by the imperial army, and a regime was established in North China and Central China to assist the imperial army in combat, and the Imperial Allied Army with a certain combat effectiveness was formed.

In terms of battle damage, since it was a meeting of the Imperial Palace, there was no need to conceal it, and Shanshan Yuan also reported it truthfully. According to him, since the beginning of the war, the Japanese army has suffered heavy losses, with the navy losing more than 100 ships, including two aircraft carriers, the army and navy losing a total of 1,500 aircraft, the army losing nearly 3,000 combat vehicles and automobiles, and hundreds of thousands of weapons. The army suffered 650,000 casualties, including 300,000 in the North China Battlefield and 350,000 in the Central China Battlefield. Looking at the number of casualties alone, the North China Battlefield was smaller than the Central China Battlefield, but in fact, the losses in the North China Battlefield were much larger than those in the Central China Battlefield, because the number of wounded in the Central China Battlefield far exceeded the number of casualties, and many wounded soldiers could return to the battlefield. On the North China battlefield, on the contrary, the number of dead greatly exceeded the number of wounded, and it was disproportionate. The fundamental reason is that there is a leading Eighth Route Army in the North China Battlefield, which is extremely tenacious, and the casualties in the North China Battlefield are mainly caused by them, especially the Eighth Route Army Liu Yimin's Division, the Imperial Army's divisions and brigades are all from Liu Yimin's handwriting. Moreover, the two lieutenant generals of the Japanese Army who committed suicide by disembowelment, the five lieutenant generals who were captured and executed, and the four lieutenant generals who died in battle were all poisoned by the department. There are countless major generals and officials who died in the attack of Liu Yimin's troops.

Shanshanyuan then reported on the problems existing in the current war against China. One is that the number of troops is insufficient, and the existing strength of the Great Japanese Army on the frontal front of 4,000 kilometers from north to south is very weak, and one square kilometer in most areas cannot reach the level of a single soldier of the Imperial Army. The result was that the Imperial Army fought on a long front against the forces of Chiang Kai-shek's government, taking control of the dots and lines. ** The Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army wantonly developed in the areas occupied by the Imperial Army, constantly attacking, attacking, and sabotaging, turning the occupied areas into a paradise for them to expand their armed forces and base areas. Second, the quality of officers and men has declined. At the beginning of the war, all officers at and above the rank of non-commissioned officer of the Imperial Army graduated from the Army Non-commissioned Officer School, and their military quality and command skills were relatively high. With the expansion of the unit and the massive reduction of personnel in the war, the standard study period for noncommissioned officers has been reduced from four years to one and a half years, and this has not yet met the needs of the war, and grassroots officers have to be selected from among the soldiers, resulting in a downward trend in the command ability of grassroots units. The situation with the soldiers is even worse. At the beginning of the war, more than 90 per cent of the soldiers were active and reserve young men in their 20s, physically strong and specially trained. However, as the casualties of the troops were too large, they had to expand and replenish the troops, and the newly replenished soldiers often replenished the troops after only three months of intensive military training. This situation is not only reflected in the supplementation of the permanent divisions and special divisions and, more importantly, in the newly formed garrison divisions. Liu Yimin, the instructor and division commander of the Eighth Route Sect of China, openly declared that the Imperial Army Garrison Division was a new regiment and a garbage unit. At present, only 11.3 percent of the divisions and regiments of the Japanese Army are active soldiers, 22.6 percent are reservists, 45.2 percent are reservists, and 20.9 percent are supplementary soldiers. This kind of troop structure has led to a gradual decline in the military quality of officers and men, which has seriously affected combat effectiveness. Third, it is difficult to supply weapons, equipment, ammunition, grain, and grass. The most fundamental reason why the North China Front Army did not launch an attack on Liu Yimin's instructor in Shandong was that the supplies could not keep up. Since Liu Yimin's troops successively attacked and occupied Tianjin, Qingdao, Lianyungang, and Jinan, it was tantamount to emptying all the weapons and ammunition reserves of the North China Front. Last time, the 700,000-strong army encircled and suppressed Shandong, and the supplies were all transferred from the mainland, Manchuria, and Central China. At present, the North China Front has no money, no food, and no sufficient weapons and ammunition, so it can only barely maintain its defense, and it is impossible to launch a large-scale sustained offensive operation. Although many ways were thought of to urgently transfer transportation from the mainland and Manchuria to North China, it was far from meeting the needs of continuous operations.

After Shanshanyuan finished his report, Emperor Hirohito's eyes kept sweeping over Shanshanyuan's face, and Shanshanyuan had to hang his head and keep saying that his ministers were guilty.

To Sugimoto's surprise, Emperor Hirohito said coldly: "As a land minister, at the beginning of the war, I swore to destroy China in three months. Now a year and a half have passed, and Aiqing has reported to me with great confidence how heavy the loss is, how can she be embarrassed? Fortunately, Aiqing has finally made progress and knows how to tell the truth. ”

Shanshan Yuan broke out in a cold sweat, and beads of sweat fell to the floor of the Pine Pavilion, making a ticking sound, which shook the hearts of the people in the room who participated in the imperial meeting.

If it had been on a person with a little blood, the emperor would have been so unkind to see him and ridiculed him, and he would have stopped doing it a long time ago.

Shanshan Yuan is not without blood, if there is no blood, he will not wholeheartedly assist Emperor Hirohito in launching the war of aggression against China, but he is reluctant to serve as land minister.

Emperor Hirohito's forehead was bruised, his cold gaze was fixed on Shanshanyuan's face, and he continued: "Does Lu have a plan for the next battle? ”

Shanshan Yuan's heart was light, and he felt that he had finally survived a hurdle, and immediately played: "Your Majesty, according to the actual situation of the war against China, the minister thinks that we should step up the pursuit of Chiang Kai-shek's main force and force it to surrender or completely destroy it. Then return to the division to clear the ** Eighth Route Army in North China. ”

Without waiting for Shanshan Yuan to finish speaking, Emperor Hirohito slapped his hand and began to reprimand angrily: "Stupid and stupid to the extreme, can't you still see that the ** Eighth Route Army has become a key factor restricting the Holy War in Greater East Asia?" Blindly pursuing the Chiang Kai-shek government army, as a result, the ** Eighth Route Army grew step by step in the occupied area, allowing them to occupy Shandong and basically control Shanxi. As the Prime Minister of Land, you have an unshirkable responsibility for today's battle situation."

Shanshan Yuan didn't expect that a disagreement would cause the emperor's reprimand to become more severe, so he hurriedly knelt on the ground and kowtowed again, and kept saying "The minister is guilty, and the minister is afraid"

Emperor Hirohito glanced at Sugi Sugimoto with a little disgust, and his tone became colder and colder: "It's all a group of rice buckets, you are, and so is Shouichi Terauchi." The analysis is set one by one, and the war is a mess. The three-way army actually sat back and watched Liu Yimin be at ease in Shandong. I saw that Shouichi Terauchi was frightened. General Shanshan Yuan, you don't have to be a land minister, go to North China to serve as the commander of the North China Front, and change that unlucky guy Temple Shouichi back. This time, I want to see if General Shanshan Yuan, who bravely pursues and fights quickly, can eliminate Liu Yimin's forces in one fell swoop and restore law and order in Shandong. ”

Shanshan Yuan was already stupid, he never dreamed that Emperor Hirohito would not only remove him from his position as land minister, but also kick him to North China to fight Liu Yimin. Kneeling there without saying a word, trembling all over, I don't know whether I was angry or frightened.

Fumima Konoe knew that Emperor Hirohito must punish Sugisugi Motoko and Terauchi Shouichi today, and this was also his opinion. Who let Sugi Sugi Mototo and Shouichi Terauchi join forces with two bastards in front of the emperor last time to confront him? But at this time, Konoe Fumima still has to have an attitude, otherwise, he will offend the army, and it is difficult to say whether the prime minister can continue to do it. You must know that if the army insists on not sending a land minister, the cabinet will have to resign.

Konoe Fumima's thin face was not shocked, and he said slowly: "Your Majesty, Lord Lu Xiang has worked hard during his tenure of office and has worked hard for the war in China. Although the goal of destroying China in three months was not achieved, after all, it occupied the vast areas of North China, Central China, and South China, and also captured Nanjing, the capital of China. I beg Your Majesty to think twice, the Cabinet cannot be without a land phase for a day"

Konoe Fumima's evaluation of Sugi Yuan is quite pertinent, and Sugi Yuan's heart is hot when he listens to it, and he almost leaves tears.

Emperor Hirohito didn't want to slap Sugimoto to death, to be honest, he really couldn't do without the right-hand men of Sugimoto and Prince Zaihito of the Idle Palace. It's just that the continuous defeat with the Eighth Route Army, the public trial of five lieutenant generals, and the jade fragments of so many troops made him lose face in front of his friends, and he had nowhere to vent his anger, so he had to use Shanshan Yuan as a scapegoat. Otherwise, he would not have changed generals at the time of the Great War, and let Shanshan Yuan replace Shouichi Terauchi, who was more familiar with the Eighth Route Army.

Emperor Hirohito waved his hand and stopped Fumima Konoe. Softened his tone, Emperor Hirohito said: "Shanshan Aiqing didn't suffer any punishment if he didn't become the land minister, the North China Front has a big combat mission, and there has been no improvement after Terauchi Shouichi returned to office, so it is necessary to adjust." As for the land minister, the commander of the North China Dispatch Army, General Shunroku Hata, can be served. I originally intended to let him come back as a military senator or my chief of guard, so let him be the land minister now."

This was originally pinched by Fumima Konoe and Emperor Hirohito, and so far it can be regarded as the end of the double reed play.

The main reason for this personnel change is that Emperor Hirohito, Fumima Konoe, and Prince Zaihito of the Kanin Palace all saw clearly the reality that the war of aggression against China was a mud pit and wanted to change their political strategies. It is necessary to remove the three military giants who advocate a quick victory, Sugi Sugimoto, Terauchi Shouichi, and Hata Shunroku, so as not to oppose them.

In fact, Terauchi Shouichi and Shunroku Hata have already seen that it is impossible to win a quick victory in the war against China. Terauchi Shouichi also sent a secret telegram to the emperor, stating the idea of attaching equal importance to politics and military affairs, luring Chiang Kai-shek to surrender, and focusing on attacking the Eighth Route Army, which should be consistent with the idea of the emperor and Konoe. It can also be said that the idea of Emperor Hirohito and Prime Minister Konoe came from the secret report of Terauchi Shouichi. It's just that I don't know if Konoe Bunma wants to take revenge on Terauchi Shouichi or if the emperor wants to protect Terauchi Shouichi, so he actually urinated in a slap pot and thought of replacing Terauchi Shouichi with Sugi Moto.

At this time, Shanshan Yuan had no choice but to kowtow and thank him, preparing to go back to hand over the work after the imperial meeting.

Fumima Konoe began to make a report.

According to Konoe Bunma's statistics, since the start of the war, in addition to the original army and navy arsenals, two military mobilizations have been carried out, and a total of 4,000 private factories have been mobilized to produce military supplies, but neither of them has met the needs of the military. In particular, the North China operation, the loss of Judah, is no longer a matter of supplementation. Every post-war is equivalent to rebuilding the troops, from military uniforms to weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and horses. By the end of the Battle of Wuhan, the entire military expenditure had reached an astonishing high of 13 billion yuan. Of the 13 billion yuan, 60% came from the issuance of public bonds. Huge war attrition, to the detriment of the domestic economy. At present, Japan's total import and export volume is declining, gold reserves are decreasing, electricity is insufficient, and grain production is decreasing. The most terrible thing is that due to the abnormal development of the military industry, which stimulates the rise in prices, inflation.

In response to this situation, Konoe Fumima reported: "The cabinet unanimously agreed that the greatest result of the Battle of Wuhan was the transformation of Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Government from the central government of China into a local government; The rise of the Eighth Route Army seriously affected the smooth progress of the war against China; The strategy of quick victory has failed, and China cannot be conquered by force alone."

Emperor Hirohito asked, "Your Excellency, since the Cabinet has come to a conclusion, is there any good plan?" ”

At this time, Konoe Funma finally showed his hole cards, and only heard him say confidently: "Your Majesty, after studying it, the cabinet believes that in the future, it is necessary to change the strategy of fighting against China. It is necessary to transform a simple military offensive into a political offensive as the mainstay, supplemented by a military attack. In terms of political offensive, there are two strategies. One is to lure China's first-rate figures, form a central government with appeal and willingness to cooperate with the Japanese Empire, oppose Chiang, isolate Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government internationally, and urge Chiang Kai-shek's government to surrender or collapse, so as to achieve a peaceful settlement of the war against China. The other is to change the tough stance of not taking the Chiang Kai-shek government as a negotiation opponent in the past, induce Chiang Kai-shek to surrender, and urge Chiang Kai-shek to negotiate with us under the banner of **. The general strategy is to use China to contain China, divide and disintegrate China's anti-Japanese front, and push the Sino-Japanese war onto the track of political settlement. In terms of military strikes, in Central and South China, Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Government Army was on the defensive, and on the principle of conservative occupation of the territory, it concentrated its forces on attacking the Eighth Route Army in North China and the New Fourth Army in Central China, and launched a large-scale public security operation in North China to eliminate the leading forces in North China. The most ideal result is to form a joint attack force of the Great Japanese Army, Chiang Kai-shek's troops, and Yan Xishan's troops. ”

Emperor Hirohito's eyes lit up, and he immediately instructed Fumima Konoe to announce the goodwill of the Japanese Government to the whole world, and instructed Prince Zaihito, the chief of the General Staff, to take charge of formulating operational guidance on China in accordance with the new strategic guidelines, and to distribute them to all units on the front line for implementation.

After the Imperial Council, the second statement was made a full day later than the second statement of the historical Konoe. The full text is as follows:

"Today, with the prestige of Your Majesty, the Imperial Army and Navy have conquered the three towns of Guangdong Prefecture and Wuhan, and pacified important areas of China. The National Government was only a local government. However, if the government adhered to the policy of resisting Japan and tolerating the Communists, the empire would not withdraw its troops until it collapsed.

What the empire seeks is the construction of a new order that will ensure permanent peace in East Asia. This is the ultimate goal of this campaign.

The construction of such a new order should be based on the cooperation between Japan, Manchuria, and China and the establishment of a relationship of mutual assistance in the political, economic, cultural, and other fields, with the hope of establishing international justice in East Asia, realizing common defense against communism, creating a new culture, and realizing economic integration. This is the way to contribute to the stability of East Asia and the progress of the world.

What the empire wants from China is to share the responsibility for building a new order in East Asia. The empire hopes that the Chinese people will be good at understanding the true meaning of our country and are willing to cooperate with the empire. It is true that if the Nationalist Government abandons its previous consistent policy, changes its personnel organization, achieves new results, and participates in the building of a new order, we will not refuse it.

The empire is convinced that all countries will correctly understand the intentions of the empire and adapt to the new situation in East Asia. In particular, he expressed deep satisfaction with the consistent friendship among the allies.

The building of a new order in East Asia stems from the spirit of our country's founding, and accomplishing this construction is a glorious task for the modern Japanese people. The empire must resolutely carry out the necessary innovations in all aspects of the country in order to enlarge the power of the state as a whole, and to advance towards this undertaking against all odds.

The Government hereby declares the consistent policy and decisions of the Empire".