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Chapter 856 Mutation on the Eastern Front

The atmosphere in the Kwantung Army Headquarters was depressing, and after reading out the two documents of the Japanese Army General Staff Headquarters and the War Department, the chief of staff, Koiso Kuniaki, lowered his head sadly, and couldn't bear to look at the angry face and unwilling eyes of the full general. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Commander Muto Nobuyoshi had a gloomy face, his lips were tightly closed, and he slowly glanced at the generals under his command with a heavy heart, and he, like everyone else, was very annoyed by the order issued by the highest military and political organ in the country again, and he was unwilling to let the incompetent politicians in the cabinet have too much influence on the emperor, and this time they were able to persuade the uncompromising General Staff Headquarters to agree with them, thinking that "the heroic Kwantung Army has been in the middle of the ** Therefore, it is necessary to stop the war as soon as possible and force the Chinese Government and army to make compromises so that the exploitation of resources and grain cultivation in Manchuria can be carried out rapidly, so as to alleviate the increasingly fierce economic crisis in the country and lay the foundation for the strategic objectives of the next stage."

The cabinet's submission was approved by the emperor, which meant that after three months of bloody fighting and more than 80,000 soldiers of four divisions and regiments reached the foot of the Great Wall with more than 30,000 casualties, the Kwantung Army had completed its original strategic objectives and had enough capital to force the Chinese government and army to make a step by step compromise through peace talks. At the same time, it also means that the Kwantung Army Command has repeatedly requested domestic reinforcements and bravely occupied the Pingjin region in one go, and then the desire to peek into North China cannot be realized.

Muto Nobuyoshi knew very well that in addition to acknowledging and commending the brilliant achievements of the Kwantung Army, the underlying meaning of these two orders, which gave high praise to the Kwantung Army, was also very clear, that is, to tell Muto and the Kwantung Army unmistakably that due to the financial embarrassment at home, the economic pressure has increased greatly, and due to the unexpectedly stubborn resistance of the squadron, the heroic Kwantung Army has suffered heavy losses and huge losses, and the country will not send a single soldier overseas in a short period of time. At the same time, it also hinted very euphemistically: due to the victories of the officers and men of the Kwantung Army over the past few months, in the next step, the Japanese Empire could achieve the strategic goals that could only be achieved through a war that cost money and labor only through easy negotiations without moving a single soldier.

The far-sighted Muto Nobuyoshi had already seen all kinds of subtle factors, and he knew very well that the Japanese economy had reached a life-and-death moment, and he saw that Britain and the United States, which were eyeing each other for their own vested interests in North China, were raising the big stick of the trade embargo, which could cause huge losses to Japan, and Britain, who was polite on the surface and extremely barbaric in his bones, actually transferred a regiment of troops from Hong Kong to Tianjin to threaten him; Since the new Chancellor Adolf Hitler came to power, Germany's trade with China has also shown a friendly attitude toward China, openly stating that it will strengthen trade, economic and technological cooperation between Germany and ancient China. France, which has been shouting about human rights and freedom all day but exercising despicable deeds, is not far behind, and has twice held secret meetings with Japanese diplomats to "suggest that China and Japan negotiate an armistice as soon as possible, so that Japan's huge consumption brought about by the war will not affect the credit relations between the two countries for many years." This means that if Japan does not stop fighting, France will cancel its long-standing economic cooperation with Japan and huge loans.

Muto Nobuyoshi believes that the severe economic situation at home and the threat of the European and American powers are important factors in the decision of the Japanese cabinet and the emperor who are under tremendous pressure to make the decision to negotiate an armistice, and judging from the poor state of national survival in Japan and the ubiquitous armed resistance against Japan in Manchuria, the Kwantung Army, which has already achieved a phased strategic victory and driven the Chinese regular army north of the Great Wall, should indeed win a victory. It is necessary to restore order in Manchuria as quickly as possible, and to bring back shiploads of coal, timber, rice, and wheat to the country, so as to alleviate the increasingly grim living environment of the Japanese people, and to work hard to revitalize the economy of the Great Japanese Empire, accumulate strength, and accomplish the grand goal of completely occupying the whole of China.

However, in this way, the Kwantung Army, which has a brilliant record and has become a hero in the eyes of the entire Japanese people, will be damaged in all aspects, will greatly affect the morale of the Kwantung Army, and will undermine the enthusiasm and confidence of the officers and men, and will even become an unspeakable shame, and will have to silently bear unspeakable pain in his heart when he holds high the banner of victory.

The room was silent, and nothing could be heard except for the faint sound of rapid breathing.

After weighing the pros and cons repeatedly and thoughtfully, Muto Nobuyoshi finally stood up from the handsome chair and made a decision that made the full house extremely comforting and bloody:

"Ladies and gentlemen, we must unconditionally obey the orders of the General Staff Headquarters and the War Department, which is the sacred duty of the Great Japanese Emperor! However, this order did not specify the date and place of the armistice for our army; Secondly, a week ago, the War Department also expressed to us through consultation that the War Department was worried about the five divisions of the Anjia Army that were heading north at high speed after joining the battlefield, from this point of view, the military department's understanding is wise and far-reaching, and even our headquarters has formed a consensus that as long as the five divisions of the Anjia Army with a total of 80,000 horses and horses all march into the battlefield, we are not absolutely sure of defeating them, and the most likely battle situation is only to maintain the status quo. ”

The generals agreed unevenly, but all of them had unruly looks on their faces, but they were obviously much calmer than just now.

Muto Nobuyoshi didn't seem to see anything, but continued to analyze it: "According to our intelligence, the 39th Division of the Anjia Army is actively preparing for battle in Langfang, and the 16th Division has now arrived in Shijiazhuang.

It is very likely that the General Staff Headquarters and the War Department also saw this, and made the decision to negotiate the armistice after repeated discussions and careful considerations, not to mention that the phased strategic objectives of the Great Japanese Empire have been gradually realized in the hands of our Kwantung Army. So, you don't need to be angry, you don't need to be resentful, but you should think calmly and obey the overall situation.

"I also know that if we stop like this, it will be a great blow to the indomitable courage of nearly 100,000 soldiers of our five divisions, and it will also affect the reputation of our Kwantung Army, at least the current victory we have achieved with the lives of thousands of brave men will no longer be so proud...... Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know if I'm right? ”

Muto Nobuyoshi said this, paused, looked at the generals who gradually understood what he meant, and a smile gradually appeared on his face, raised his head and raised his voice:

"Frankly say to you, I am also very unwilling, because my term in the Kwantung Army is almost coming to an end, and I, like you, am not willing to return to my hometown with any regrets. Another one, and the most critical one, I think that the ministers and generals of the General Staff Headquarters and the War Department are a little too hasty, they do not notice that the squadron has a serious problem of declining morale and lack of confidence, because the other side has achieved a few victories, ignoring the many contradictions within the squadron faction, and at the same time ignoring the main force of the Central Army of the Nanjing government, which is fighting a more and more fierce civil war with the ** Red Army in their yard, ignoring that it will take a week for the main force of the Anjia Army to fully reach Pingjin, the fact that a division that arrives simply cannot enter the battlefield on the Eastern Front in three days. So we have a huge opportunity ahead of us, and at least for three days, that opportunity will still exist. ”

The full hall was overjoyed, and Muto Nobuyoshi raised his hand to ask everyone to be quiet: "Gentlemen, the reason why I decided to fight a battle at the risk of offending the domestic ministers is entirely because if this battle is won, it will be more beneficial to the next step of negotiations, which will cause greater pressure and panic on the Chinese government and army, add a heavy weight to our negotiations, and at the same time is likely to further intensify the contradictions between the squadrons." Moreover, the reason why we fought this battle is also to declare to the whole world the high honor and tenacity of our heroic Kwantung Army, so that we can finally come to negotiate with pride and humble Chinese. The last point, and the most selfish, point...... Gentlemen, I am getting old, my health is not getting worse day by day, and I don't want to die slowly in pain with a regret that I shouldn't have, so I want to ask you to help me......"

"General—"

"Give the order, General!"

…….

Muto Nobuyoshi bent down deeply, saluted the full house, brushed the Zuo and bent down, choked up so much that he almost knelt down and begged Muto Nobuyoshi not to do this.

Muto Nobuyoshi slowly straightened his waist, stared at the excited and tearful generals with moist eyes, and finally nodded to Koiso Kuniaaki, and ordered in a low voice:

"Koiso-kun, immediately activate the No. 3 battle plan...... Ladies and gentlemen, let us work together for the sake of the Kwantung Army, for the sake of the Japanese Empire, and for the sake of the Emperor, we must use the most powerful force to break through the Great Wall of China that has not fallen for thousands of years within 24 hours! ”

"Hey—"

In the early morning of the 26th, a Junkers transport plane left Baoding Qingyuan Airport, took off slowly, and smoothly sent Chiang Kai-shek, the supreme commander of the squadron, into the blue sky and flew to Kaifeng.

He Yingqin, chairman of the Beiping Military Commission, Yang Jie, commander of the Central Army Corps, An Yi, former commander-in-chief of the enemy and commander of the Fifth Army Corps, Huang Shaohong, chief of staff, and other generals walked to the parking place under the command tower together.

At this moment, Lin Fei, the captain of the 12th Aviation Brigade, suddenly rushed over from the duty room, shouting "Commander An" loudly while running, An Yi immediately stopped, turned around and waited, Yang Jie and Huang Shaohong had a premonition that there was an emergency, and they also hurriedly surrounded An Yi.

Lin Fei, who was out of breath, didn't have time to report, so he directly stretched out his hand and handed over the urgent telegram: "Commander, cold mouth...... General Shang Zhen's cold mouth lost the ......"

"What?"

An Yi was taken aback and hurriedly read, Yang Jie and Huang Shaohong were extremely shocked, glanced at each other, and quickly ran to their special car.

He Yingqin just opened the car door and was about to get into the car, when he heard the sound of hurried footsteps, looked back, and saw that everyone was so out of shape, and hurriedly asked what happened to Yang Jie, who was about to get into the car not far away?

Yang Jie hurriedly said "cold mouth lost" and got into the car, He Yingqin's face suddenly turned white, and he held on to the car door in a daze, feeling that his heart stopped beating.