Nishio Shouzo said this, and several old devils began to seriously review the strategic gains and losses since the launch.

To tell the truth, although Xiao Yueben at this time was arrogant and cruel, and although he sometimes did some things to cover up crimes and ugly deeds, many of them were indeed very pragmatic and good at reviewing mistakes. Nishio Shouzo is a professional soldier, and after returning to the book, he no longer thinks about covering up his defeat, and his mind is open, and when he meets with Xiangyue Qingsi, the two frustrated people have become sober-minded, and the conclusions they draw after thinking calmly are relatively pertinent.

What Nishio Shouzao said is indeed what Xiangyue Qingsi thinks, and it is what Xiangyue Qingsi observed and thought on the battlefield in Shanxi. However, this time is different from the original historical situation, in history, the army only began to pay attention to public security in North China after 39 years, and now due to the appearance of Liu Yimin, the Eighth Route Army fought too well, and the top management of the army has already locked their eyes on the Eighth Route Army, but has relaxed the attack on [***]. Nishio Shouzo, Sugisugi Moto, and Terauchi Shouichi actually have the same idea, that is, how to achieve a decisive victory in the war of aggression against China more quickly.

Several old devils reviewed and reviewed, thinking that Liu Yimin and his instructor were a troublemaker, and whenever the battle situation reached a critical moment, Liu Yimin would definitely take action, hitting the key points that the imperial army had to save, causing the imperial army to go back and forth, and work in vain. It can be said that Liu Yimin is the number one opponent of the Great Saying Army. The problem is that this guy is too cunning and erratic, suddenly in the east and in the west, and the imperial army is in the open and in the dark, and it is too difficult to completely imprison him and encircle and annihilate him. Moreover, his troops fought a great victory, captured a lot, and had particularly strong firepower, and the troops at the division and regimental level were no longer opponents when they encountered him.

As for how to deal with the Eighth Route Army and Liu Yimin's instructor, several people discussed and discussed, but they couldn't come up with any good solutions for the time being. Because the Eighth Route Army adopted a combination of guerrilla warfare and movement warfare, and never defended one place to the death, China is so big, no matter how strong the imperial army is, it is impossible to defend every place! Besides, no matter how strong the defense line is, there must be weak links, and with the current firepower and strength of the instructor, if you attack one point, the imperial army will not be able to hold it anyway.

Time slowly passed away in the discussion and discussion of a few old devils. At 6 o'clock in the morning, the bad news came again, the commander of the 116th Division, Kishige Shimizu, reported that the troops directly under the division and the 130th Brigade were pursued by the instructors of the Eighth Route Army in the process of assembling troops to withdraw westward, and most of the main forces of the 130th Brigade and the troops directly under the division were broken, and Kishishige Shimizu, chief of staff Yoshiichiro Mihatsu, and Major General Takahashi Weiichiro, commander of the 130th Brigade, only led more than 2,300 people to break out of the encirclement and converge with the receiving troops of the 10th and 6th Division. Now the Eighth Route Army is chasing after it and is rushing towards Xuzhou.

It turned out that after the 119th Brigade was eliminated, the main force of the instructor acted quickly in accordance with the original battle plan and prepared to set up an ambush circle to eliminate the reinforcements from Xuzhou and Pixian. Unexpectedly, as soon as the troops were deployed in place, Luo Yan's reconnaissance battalion reported that the troops in Xin'an Town did not send reinforcements to the east after leaving the defense line, and second, they quickly retreated westward with flashlights, torches, and car lights on.

After receiving the report, Cai Zhong joked that Liu Yimin had made a mistake in judgment, and did not consider that the little devil was already frightened, this 16th Division and 106th Division are not the Fifth Division and the Sixth Division, where is there any courage to come to reinforcements, this must be to run back to Xuzhou to reinforce Yicheng.

Liu Yimin never imagined that the army would become like this, and he didn't even have the determination to fight to the death, this is not the style of the army in history. But after thinking about it, I understand, people are not stupid, as soon as the instructor makes a move, he will take Lianyungang and eliminate the 119th Brigade, the little devil will inevitably judge that this is the main force of the instructor in action, and it is strange that the 130th Brigade does not escape!

How can the fat that reaches the mouth slip away?

Liu Yimin immediately ordered the 1st Brigade to intercept from the left flank, and the cavalry brigade to command the cavalry battalions of each brigade to intercept from the right flank. The 3rd, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 8th Brigades of the Artillery Brigade were ordered to press on all fronts and pursue them westward, so as to catch up with the regimental headquarters of the 116th Division and the 130th Brigade and completely annihilate them.

The tanks, armored vehicles, and automobiles of the 1st Brigade and the 2nd Regiment all turned on their driving lights, the cavalry brigade all lit torches, and two long fire dragons were formed on the left and right sides of Longhai Road, galloping forward rapidly, with the goal of stopping the troops directly under the 116th Division and the 130th Brigade.

The soldiers of the 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 8th Brigades also lit torches, dragged cannons, heavy machine guns, and ammunition boxes on their horses, and rushed forward from behind.

Liu Yimin, Luo Ronghuan, and Cai Zhong also took the division headquarters and the guard regiment on their horses, and rushed forward with the artillery brigade, air defense brigade, heavy machine gun regiment, and engineer regiment.

Luo Ronghuan was a little worried, afraid that chasing the troops like this would disrupt the formation, and if he encountered the 10th and 6th Division's receiving troops, he was likely to suffer.

Liu Yimin smiled heroically on the horse and said loudly: "Political commissar, the first battle in the war is training, the second is equipment, and the third is the art of commanding. Unless several permanent divisions of the army come side by side, the 106th Division and the 116th Division in front of us are not our elite opponents. Don't worry, Xuzhou City is right in front of you! With that, he galloped away.

Although it was late at night, the morale of the troops was high after the big victory, and this was to chase the fleeing devils, and the troops from the division commander and political commissar all fought bravely to be the first, and the political workers even shouted the slogan of "catching up with the little devils and attacking Xuzhou City", which stimulated the hearts of the cadres and soldiers to the fire, for fear that the little devil would slip away if they ran slowly.

After Shimizu Kishige left the ancient town of Xin'an, he did not stop for a moment, and quickly retreated westward with the division headquarters, the chariot squadron, the cavalry brigade, the field artillery wing, and the engineer wing. At this time, it was to compete with the Eighth Route Army, and Shimizu Kishige couldn't take care of it so much, so he asked the tanks, armored vehicles, and cars of the engineer wing of the tank squadron to turn on the lights and guide the troops to retreat.

At first, everything went well, and only their lights flashed in the night sky. When he joined the 130th Brigade Headquarters, Kishige Shimizu discovered a problem, and in the distance, on the two wings of his retreating troops, there seemed to be a faint Milky Way woven by two rows of headlights and torches, slowly moving in the direction of his retreat. Shimizu Kishige knew that it must be the main force of the Eighth Route Army catching up, just looking at the star-like headlights and torches like fire dragons, he knew that the strength of the Eighth Route Army was much stronger than his own, and there were many more tanks, armored vehicles, automobiles, and cavalry than himself.

As soon as he saw this posture, Shimizu Kishige knew that his 119th Brigade had indeed encountered the main force of the Eighth Route Army Instructor who had eliminated the Eighth Division and the Tenth Division, and if there was a slight delay, it would be caught up by the Eighth Route Army, and there would be no place to die. Therefore, Kishige Shimizu ordered Takahashi to leave a large group for Major General Ichiro to block the attack, and the troops quickly retreated on a rapid march to the west. Kishige Shimizu and Ichiro Takahashi each got into an armored car and led the troops to run away.

The 116th Division was not a mechanized unit, and there were not many war horses, and most of the soldiers ran on two short legs. How can this be faster than the wheels of the Second Mechanized Regiment of the Eighth Route Army and the hooves of the cavalry brigade? Moreover, the Eighth Route Army, which had caught up from both flanks, did not pay attention to the Yue Army that was blocking the attack after the break, but just stared at the lights of the tanks and armored vehicles of the Yue Army, and chased wildly.

At this time, Qing Shui Xizhong was really heartbroken, and he knew that the Eighth Route Army was going to outflank him in a roundabout way and annihilate his 116th Division. Originally, Shimizu Kishige was not a timid person, and he did not admit defeat, and he wanted to stop retreating and fight the Eighth Route Army. But think about the safety of Xuzhou, and then think about the fact that he is a lieutenant general, and he has also served as a military attache in the East Palace, once he is captured or killed in battle, he will be disgraced by His Majesty the Emperor and disgraced by the army. Therefore, he ordered the 138th Wing to deploy on the spot, block the Eighth Route Army, and cover the retreat of the main force.

This order was cruel, because the brigade that was blocked behind the palace of the 138th Wing had been overwhelmed by the Eighth Route Army, and the cavalry herald sent by the captain reported that the Eighth Route Army that had caught up behind was too many to count, and the artillery was too many to count, and the soldiers were all engulfed in artillery fire, and the blocking had no effect.

The 133rd Wing did not hesitate after receiving the order, and the wing commander commanded the remaining two brigades to seize positions and prepare to resolutely block the attack. However, the blocking was only to block the Eighth Route Army that was catching up head-on, and the Eighth Route Army, which was pursuing in a roundabout way on both wings, had no intention of stopping at all, and was still pursuing rapidly.

After Kishige Shimizu and Takahashi Weiichiro ran for a while, they saw that the two wings of the Eighth Route Army were about to come up in a roundabout way, and their infantry had been left far behind, so they were anxious, and kept urging the chief of staff, Mikudo Yoshiichiro Osa, to send someone to inform the captain of the 133rd Wing, Ishiya Shizaburo Osa, to hurry up and hurry up, throw away all the baggage, as long as you can run to Xuzhou City, it will be a victory.

Seeing that the Eighth Route Army caught up and cut off the retreat road of the 133rd Wing, and soon the cavalry of the Eighth Route Army also caught up to achieve the encirclement, Shimizu Kishige knew that the 133rd Wing was finished, so he hurriedly ordered the chariot squadron and the cavalry brigade to turn around and return to the rescue of the 133rd Wing and the Field Artillery Wing.

It was still the chief of staff Mihato Yoshiichiro who saw the opportunity quickly, and grabbed Shimizu Kishige and begged him to leave quickly, and after a while, the Eighth Route Army would catch up again.

Seeing that his troops were all divided and surrounded, Major General Takahashi Weiichiro howled wolf, pulled out his command knife and wiped it on his neck. Fortunately, the guards were quick, snatched the sword, pulled him into the freshly refueled armored car, and continued to flee west with Kishige Shimizu.

Finally encountered the receiving troops of the 106th Division, Shimizu Kishige stopped fleeing, looked back, the sound of guns and cannons in the distance reflected the sky red, and it was obvious that the surrounded imperial army was desperately resisting. I had the intention to take the receiving troops of the 10th and 6th Divisions to reinforce and rescue my troops, but as soon as I saw the torrent composed of the headlights and torches of the pursuing troops on both wings of the Eighth Route Army coming in the direction of Xuzhou again, my heart died, knowing that the Eighth Route Army would soon catch up and even surround Xuzhou.

Shimizu Kishige had no choice but to sigh, and hurriedly sent a report to the base camp, Tada Jun, and the headquarters of the North China Front, reporting the situation of the 116th Division, and then took the remnants of the defeated generals and fled to Xuzhou City with the 106th Division receiving the troops.

After receiving Shimizu Kishige's report, Prince Zaihito of the Kanin Palace, Sugi Sugimoto, Terauchi Shouyi, Nishio Shouzo, Kazuki Kiyoshi and others all stopped discussing, and their faces became very solemn. They know that whether Xuzhou can be kept has now become an imminent big problem.

Or Terauchi Shouichi has the courage to kill and decisively command, and said to Prince Zairen of Xianyuan Palace: "Your Excellency, the current plan should be to strictly order the 10th and 6th Division to hold the defense of Xuzhou, use Xuzhou as a bait to attract Liu Yimin to attack the city, organize large-scale bombing of aviation during the day, and delay the consumption of the Eighth Route Army. At the same time, he ordered Tada Jun and King Tsugayan of Dongjuer Palace to speed up their actions, and strive to encircle Liu Yimin's instructor under the city of Xuzhou, and capture it in one drum. ”

Prince Zairen of Xianyuan Gong said coldly: "You are the commander of the North China Front, and the plan for the war in Shandong was also formulated by you, so you just give the order." However, this time, don't be wishful thinking anymore, and think carefully about whether the 10th 6th Division can hold Xuzhou. There is a saying in China that the bamboo basket is empty, and I hope you don't let the imperial warriors run in vain again. ”

After hearing this, Terauchi Shou was stunned, and he was relieved when he thought about it again, at this time, whoever said anything would cause the disgust of Prince Zaihito of the Idle Palace, because the grim facts were there!

Terauchi Shouichi no longer thought about anything else, and directly sent a report to the 106th Division in the name of the commander of the North China Front, ordering them to hold on to Xuzhou and wait for rescue.

After sending the telegram and thinking calmly for a while, Terauchi Shouichi said to a few old devils: "Don't worry, I don't think there is a problem in Xuzhou, Liu Yimin should not forcibly attack Xuzhou, and he will not use his troops to fight the imperial army." However, the situation of the Yudong group is worrying, and they should be strictly ordered to shrink their defensive line and wait for reinforcements. ”

When Shouichi said this, Prince Zairen of Xianyuan Palace immediately came to his emotions, and asked Liu Yimin why he didn't attack Xuzhou?

Shouichi Terauchi sorted out his thoughts for a while, and then said: "I have studied Liu Yimin's war history, and he has only attacked one city, which is Taiyuan. At that time, there was only one brigade of imperial troops in Taiyuan City, one was too few troops, and the other was that there were Yan Xishan's arsenal and other factories and equipment in Taiyuan City. At present, Xuzhou has a complete division garrisoned, that is, one-on-one casualties in street fighting, Liu Yimin also has to pay 20,000 casualties, this casualty figure I believe Liu Yimin is unwilling to bear. Another important reason is that there is nothing Liu Yimin wants in Xuzhou City, and some are only important strategic positions. Once Liu Yimin captured Xuzhou, it is likely that Chiang Kai-shek would order him to hold Xuzhou, and then he would be in a dilemma, holding Xuzhou would be self-defeating, and the imperial army aviation would blow Xuzhou into ruins. If he gives up Xuzhou, Liu Yimin is likely to be infamous for not keeping his own way. I believe that as long as Liu Yimin thinks about it a little, he will not rashly capture Xuzhou. ”

After hearing this, Prince Zairen of Xianyuan Palace let out a sigh of relief, touched his gray beard and thought for a while, and said slowly: "In this way, Liu Yimin only attacked Lianyungang for the sake of Lianyungang's ammunition and materials, and secondly, to mobilize the main force of the imperial army in Shandong to go south and alleviate the situation in Shandong. However, now from Lianyungang to the Yangtze River, there is no longer any force that can stop Liu Yimin's attack, will he take advantage of the situation to go south? If he moves south, will Shanghai be in danger? This requires serious thinking! ”

From the moment he knew that the Eighth Route Army was attacking Lianyungang, Terauchi Shouichi had already realized that his plot to eliminate the main force of the Sect Instructor in Shandong had completely failed. However, after all, he is an outstanding commander-level general in the army, and he can afford to let it go, and if he can't make a plan, he will not be able to regenerate a plan, and after thinking about it for a while, he said: "Solving the problem of Liu Yimin's instructor cannot be decided in a moment and a half, this unit has its own unique combat methods, and it is not possible to rely solely on encirclement, pursuit, and interception." What Nishio said just now makes sense, and we have to seriously think about the overall strategy of the war against China. I have a general idea, and I will say it for your reference, that is, to ignore Liu Yimin's instructor for the time being, and after the Duotianjun Group recaptures Lianyungang, we will strengthen the defense line of Longhai Road and Jinpu Road, and encircle Liu Yimin's troops in a certain area, and no longer take the initiative to attack them. If they attack Anhui and Henan, it will be even better, we just want him and Chiang Kai-shek's troops to fight for territory and food. In case they return to Shandong, we will hold the Jinpu line, the Jiaoji line and the Longhai line, and let them temporarily develop in the mountainous areas of central and southern Shandong. Then we concentrated our main forces and immediately launched the Battle of Wuhan to completely crush the main force of Chiang Kai-shek's political axe army. After the capture of Wuhan, we will continue to move south to capture Guangzhou, so that most Chinese will think that there is no way out of resistance and will come out to cooperate with us. When the time comes, we will organize a large number of Imperial Allied troops and let them help us garrison the occupied areas, free up elite divisions, and completely solve the problem of the Eighth Route Army. If they blindly fought with the Eighth Route Army now, Chiang Kai-shek's troops would have won the opportunity to rest and replenish, and those who were not very resolute in their will to resist would also be encouraged by the achievements of the Eighth Route Army and turn into stubborn resistors, which would be greatly unfavorable to the situation of the war. ”

When Xiangyue Qingsi heard this, she said: "Your Excellency, your idea is correct, let's imagine that if we had strengthened the garrison in Qingdao and let Liu Yimin have no chance, there would have been no fiasco in Luzhong, maybe now we have taken Wuhan." Now, although we have suffered heavy casualties, after all, we have captured the entire territory of Shandong, and the Eighth Route Army in central and southern Hebei has also become guerrillas. As long as we are given half a year, North China will inevitably become a stable rear of the imperial army. Next, we should put aside the problem of the Eighth Route Army, and it is time to solve the problems of Henan and Wuhan. ”

Nishio Shouzo is a professional soldier, and after listening to a few people talking the same as telling a story, he couldn't help but say: "It's okay for us to attack Wuhan, but if the war reaches a critical period, Liu Yimin repeats his old tricks and forces us to turn back, what should we do?" ”

(To be continued)