Counting nine cold days, the cold air continues to erode the south of the Yangtze River. In this coldest season, the air in Nanjing also seems to be shrouded in icy cold. At this time, everything was in order in accordance with the Japanese and Chinese dispatch headquarters. On the surface, there seems to be no ominous signs, but in the brain bubbles of Commander Okamura Ninji, he has realized that a big war is coming. From the commander of the North China Dispatch Army to the commander-in-chief of the Chinese Dispatch Army, the promotion of his post did not make him proud, on the contrary, the heavy pressure seemed to be getting heavier and heavier.

Since the defeat of the Japanese navy in the battle for Kuah Island, Okamura has become increasingly anxious, and he often stands in front of the military map in a daze. As Japan's finest general, he was deeply worried about the fate and future of the empire. Especially after the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, the direction of the war situation was greatly unexpected, and it did not make the powerful goshawk of the United States succumb, but awakened its nature of dominating the world. Okamura Ninji knew very well that the Americans were not just relieved, but showed their hideous fangs and began to open their bloody mouths.

However, with the entry of strong US reinforcements, the Chinese battlefield has also entered the countdown to a major counteroffensive. During the Battle of Wuhan, Okamura Ninji began to pay attention to Ouyang Jian, an unbelievable legend. This person graduated from a famous school in Huangpu and made a name for himself in the competition between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party??????。 As the study of Ouyang Jian continued to deepen, Okamura Ninji truly realized the horror of this person. In particular, this person's perception of the Japanese Empire has reached the point of undoubtedness, and he has always won by surprise.

The tactics adopted by the Japanese side in many attempts to exploit China's internal contradictions have all ended in failure, and this person has been involved in almost every major operation. In the military field, from the beginning of the Battle of Songhu to the battle in Burma, this person commanded operations behind the scenes, and resolved crises one by one and won local battles. There is one thing that puzzles Okamura Ninji, this person can correctly grasp the battle situation in every battle, and he has never made a mistake. This person has far-reaching strategic vision, and he vigorously advocated the construction of the Northwest Railway before the July Seven Incident, so difficult that he has already foreseen the future situation?

With the repeated defeats of the Japanese Navy in the Pacific Theater, during this time, Okamura Ningji kept shaking the figure of Ouyang Jian in front of him. Since he became the commander-in-chief of the Chinese dispatch army, he asked his subordinates to enlarge a jade photo of Ouyang Jian in military uniform, and hung it in a conspicuous position in the headquarters. It is not about bowing and worshipping, but he has to remind and warn himself every day that this person is the most terrible opponent. At the same time, it also sends a signal to his subordinates that the opponents on the Chinese battlefield are no longer what they used to be.

Last year, Okamura made great efforts to rectify public order in the occupied areas, and at the same time vigorously cleared out the Tuba Road, one of the purposes of which Okamura Ninji did was to weaken the strength of the Jiangxi Communist Party. With regard to the large-scale purge of the Central Plains base areas, it was thought that the Communist Party would vigorously provide assistance in order to achieve the goal of weakening the Communist Party's forces. The Communists were indifferent, so that Okamura's plan failed. With the stubborn resistance of the Chinese army, the protracted fighting made Okamura realize that it was no longer possible to occupy China by military means.

The large-scale participation of the United States in the war was a nightmare for the Japanese army. Okamura was one of the opponents of the challenge to the United States, but he could not stop the fanatical soldiers of the Empire. Facts have proved that the fate of the Japanese Empire was doomed by involving the US military, which had strong economic power, in the war, and the defeat was already revealed. Okamura Ninji, as an imperial soldier, was already soberly aware of this. At present, his duty is to consolidate the deep defense circle of Chinese mainland for the empire to the greatest extent, and look forward to a turn of fate.

At present, China's northwest air route has been opened, and a large number of US military supplies have arrived on the Chinese battlefield. It is no secret that the Chinese army, accompanied by the strengthening of air power, will launch a large-scale counteroffensive. In the past two months, the enemy army has been along the Yellow River in Shanxi, and there are frequent troop movements that seem to be showing signs of an offensive. For the Shanxi defensive operation, Okamura Ningji does not seem to be worried, but is worried about the Songhu side.

Okamura Ninji believed that the various units of the Northwest Army did not have the strength to carry out a large-scale counteroffensive at all, and even with US military assistance, it would take at least a year or so to form a strong combat force (he did not know that the forest was secretly transferred to the northwest). What he was most worried about was the attack of the Eighth Route Army in Jiangxi, after all, Jiangxi was too close to Nanjing and Shanghai. Due to the haggard days, Okamura Ninji's hair has turned a lot grayer, and his cheeks are also obviously thin and aging.

is approaching the age of sixties, Okamura Ningji is obviously inconsistent with his actual age, and he looks like an ancient hat with a cold eye. Okamura felt a little tired, so he took off his glasses and wiped them. At this time, the chief of staff of the Japanese army came over from the other side and said: "The Shanxi Defense Command has called, and the four army aviation teams requisitioned from the northeast have been deployed at various airports, and Taiyuan is strengthening its defense and stockpiling military supplies. Six zero teams have been added to the airports in Nanjing and Songhu, and the zero teams recruited from the local area have been stationed at the airports. ”

"What is the movement of the Eighth Route Army in Jiangxi?" "So far, we have not found any signs of offensive by the Jiangxi Eighth Route Army, and because the US 14th Air Force is stationed at the Fujian Eighth Route Army Air Base, our reconnaissance planes can no longer go to Fujian to carry out aerial reconnaissance. The Army Air Force reported that early warning radars had been deployed at the Eighth Route Army Air Base in Fujian, and it was no longer possible to adopt the method of sneak attack. Okamura Ninji said: "Before the old calendar year in China, the enemy army would not launch an offensive, so the air teams of various airports should hurry up preparations and pay close attention to the movements of the enemy's aviation units. ”

Okamura Ninji continued: "Before the enemy launches a large-scale attack, it is inevitable to gain air supremacy. With the opening of China's western transportation corridor, the enemy will continue to increase the number of air fighters, and the next air battle will be crucial and very tragic. Whether or not a large-scale enemy counteroffensive can be contained, the Imperial pilots will play a decisive role. "Your Excellency, the major airports on the northern coast, including the major airports in the northeast, are ready at any time to rush to the rescue if necessary."

Okamura Ninji nodded and fell into thought again, and the chief of staff continued: "Your Excellency, Guangzhou has become an isolated city, surrounded by enemy troops on three sides. Recently, Bai Chongxi has dispatched troops and troops to continuously increase his troops in southeastern Guangxi, and the signs of offensive are becoming more and more obvious. The Operational Staff believed that the defense of Guangzhou should be strengthened! "Guangzhou is already a chicken rib, and it can be given up if necessary. At present, the South China Sea is still under our control, and the enemy poses no threat to us at sea. ”

Okamura Ninji continued: "If necessary, Guangzhou's troops will retreat to Taiwan!" "Retreat to Taiwan?" The chief of staff was taken aback. Okamura Ninji walked to the sand table and said: "A large number of enemy fighters entered Fujian, and the Taiwan Strait was quickly blocked. Even if such a bad situation occurs, our transportation routes to the Philippines and the South China Sea can pass through the waters east of Taiwan to ensure unimpeded passage of transportation routes. But what if the enemy captures Taiwan? ”

The chief of staff denied: "The enemy does not have a single warship, and it is impossible to cross the Taiwan Strait. "If the enemy gains air supremacy, it is bound to carry out large-scale bombing of Songhu and Taiwan's northern and southern ports to paralyze our naval bases, and then all our warships will have to retreat to the north. In the event of such a situation, the enemy army could attack with wooden boats. Although our submarines can attack the enemy's landing ships, they cannot prevent the landing operations. ”

"There is no doubt how important Taiwan is to us, like the throat of the empire at sea. If Taiwan is invaded and occupied, all the Philippine sea transportation routes, including the South China Seas, will be cut off, and the US fleet will use Taiwan's shore-based aircraft to protect it, and it will be deployed on the island of Taiwan and directly threaten the security of the mainland, with unimaginable consequences. The Chinese have an idiom called planning ahead, so we must prepare in advance to strengthen Taiwan's defense forces. ”

It can be said that Okamura Ninji's strategic vision is second to none among the senior generals of the Japanese army. When the clouds of war on the battlefield in China were thick, he thought about the importance of Taiwan. With the acceleration of the counteroffensive, the later Taiwan campaign was so difficult to fight, which was directly related to Okamura Ningji's advance preparation. In January 1943, the Chinese battlefield was very quiet, and on the surface it seemed that there was no atmosphere before the war, but Okamura Ninji had already smelled a terrible smell.

In early February, he personally inspected the Nanjing Airport and the Shanghai Field Airport to cheer up the army aviation units. At the Shanghai airport, Okamura Ninji summoned Shigeru Oshima, the captain of the Army Air Wing. "Oshima-kun, according to intelligence, the 14th Air Force of the United States in Fujian has been supplemented with a large number of fighters, and the struggle for air supremacy in the Chinese battlefield will soon be staged. The fate of the empire is here, please. "Your Excellency General, for the sake of the Holy War, for the sake of the Emperor, and for the honor of the Imperial soldiers, we will fight to the end!"

Okamura Ninji said: "In order to ensure air supremacy on the Chinese battlefield, the base camp has requisitioned the local Zero team. Our outstanding pilots have all joined the HNA and many of them have been killed or captured in successive battles, resulting in a significant decline in China's air combat capability. In order to avoid the loss of pilots, it is necessary to strictly control the air combat area within the zone occupied by us. The purpose of future air warfare is to consume a large number of enemy pilots and continuously deplete the enemy's air combat capability, and then ensure air supremacy in our hands. ”

"Your Excellency General, you understand!" Shigeru Oshima stands tall. "Past failures were all due to underestimating the enemy, and how many excellent pilots have made fearless sacrifices, this phenomenon cannot happen again. I now issue an order that fighter pilots are not allowed to launch suicide attacks without authorization, that we must ensure the safety of pilots to the greatest extent possible, and that we will make every effort to rescue the pilots who are in distress! Okamura knew in his heart that the loss of fighters did not matter, but the loss of pilots was the most terrible.