Nanjing in May is the season of flowers, and it is also the rainy season in the south of the Yangtze River. Due to the severe drought in the Central Plains last year, the lower reaches of the Yangtze River were affected, and the rain was 30% less than in normal years. This year's rainy season is coming, probably God is to make up for last year's shortfall, and after entering the rainy season this year, the number of rainy days has increased. From late April to early May, it rains almost every day. The haze of the weather is like a battle situation, so that the command center of the Japanese army in the Chinese battlefield is like a hazy weather, and it is in a passive beating.

At this time, in the large living room of the official residence of Okamura Ningji in Nanjing, I saw him wearing a kimono, sitting cross-legged at a low table and drinking sake, with a solemn expression on his face. The radio on the table opposite the wall was broadcasting the achievements of the Imperial Japanese Army, and a loud announcer was announcing: "??????, the Imperial Japanese Air Force has achieved brilliant results in Burma, and the brave pilots of the Imperial Air Force have smashed its action of seizing air supremacy in the battle of the 14th Air Force of the United States with brave and tenacious battles, and have effectively supported the ground operations. ”

This is something that the Japanese army should boast about, and it is. After General Stilwell entered Burma for the second time as commander of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, he launched a counteroffensive in Burma in early April. However, Chennault's air force was ineffective and suffered repeated setbacks in air battles. Chennault's fighter fleet was ravaged by the Japanese Zeros and suffered heavy losses, restricting its bombers from effectively supporting ground operations. On the contrary, while the Japanese army firmly grasped air supremacy, it played a key role in ground defense.

By early May, Stilwell had commanded the Chinese Expeditionary Force, which had been in a state of scorching in a dominant situation since the launch of the Ringanqiang counterattack in mid-April, and had not achieved the desired results. In early May, Stilwell was forced to halt the offensive. The announcer's voice came from the radio again: "Our Imperial Japanese Navy, after stubborn fighting, has contained the attack of the US Navy. Using despicable means, the U.S. military ambushed the highly decorated Commander Mimoto?????? Determined to avenge Commander Mimoto, the Imperial Navy warriors are carrying out a counterattack operation??????。 ”

Okamura couldn't take it anymore and got up and turned off the radio. He knew in his heart that the fact that Admiral 3 Ben 56 was ambushed and killed by the US military showed that the Japanese Navy could no longer stop the US Navy's counterattack, and if it had not been for the poor performance of the US Army, the Americans would have landed in Japan long ago. As an imperial soldier, he already had a premonition that the future of the Great Japanese Empire was bleak, and the current war situation in China was the last straw to support the Japanese Empire. The base camp has come up with an extraordinary plan, and in the event of a crisis, the emperor may take refuge in the northeast.

Therefore, what Okamura is facing is how to delay the counteroffensive of the Chinese army, and in order to consolidate the strategic depth of the northeast, it is imperative to form a solid defensive circle in the Central Plains, the Shandong Peninsula, the island of Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland. In land operations, Okamura is not worried about the US ground forces, but it is the Chinese army that makes him worried and worried. After several years of fierce fighting, the Chinese army withstood the cruel test of war. Their combat experience has become richer and richer, and with the large-scale upgrading and enhancement of the Chinese army's armament, their combat effectiveness and the military quality of their soldiers have become on a par with those of the Japanese army.

The key point is that the Chinese army is fighting for the country, and their fighting will and spirit of sacrifice are incomparable to those of the US military. The large-scale air battle that broke out in Jiangxi, the performance of the Eighth Route Army Air Force does not need to prove anything. Although the fighters of the Eighth Route Army were provided by the United States, the spirit of sacrifice and tenacious fighting spirit of the pilots of the Eighth Route Army was the key to winning victory in air warfare. In Shanxi's counterattack, the Eighth Route Army showed a strong ability to attack fortifications, which was enough to prove that the danger he was worried about was imminent?

Itako Seishiro asked for more troops to Shanxi, but he did not agree. The reason for Okamura's failure to agree was precisely the continuous defeat of the Japanese army in the Pacific theater and the new strategic defense concept of the base camp. All things considered, Shanxi, Wuhan, Nanjing, and even the Songhu region were all bargaining chips in Okamura's eyes, intended to slow down the Chinese army's offensive. To this end, Okamura Ninji submitted a report to the base camp: The core content is to fight on land, strive to make the war protracted, and the ultimate goal is to achieve the end of the war and force the United States to return to the negotiating table to the greatest extent.

Okamura believes that if the land battle is protracted and the casualties of American soldiers are exacerbated, the United States is very likely to return to the negotiating table or go all out to aid the Chinese army. Then the Chinese battlefield will determine the final fate of the Japanese Empire, as long as the Chinese battlefield blocks the attack of the Chinese army, strives to prolong the war, and ensures that the defense system of the Northeast base is strengthened day by day, as long as the Northeast is not lost, Japan will not lose the war.

Okamura is a China expert who is familiar with Chinese culture and history, and it can be said that he is one of the few strategists among the Japanese generals. The reason why people have lost their land, people and land have survived, and people and land have lost their land and lost their land is clear. Okamura believed that the only option was to form a diamond-shaped defensive front in the northeast, mainly with Taiwan, the Japanese archipelago, the Korean Peninsula, and the northeast, and to ensure that the strategic objectives were achieved. Okamura's ability does not have the right to interfere in the Pacific theater, but he has to fight with all his strength in the Chinese theater.

Okamura Ninji is not only a China expert, but he is also very disgusted with the jade crushing tactics in the essence of bushido. He believed that advocating the spirit of bushido was not a foolish battle death. Therefore, one of the most important combat orders he issued to the commanders of various theaters was to avoid the jade from shattering, and he could choose to retreat at a critical moment. Okamura Ninji called it an active, efficient, proactive, and flexible defensive tactic. In addition, Okamura Ninji also saw that Lao Chiang did not seem to be active in the counteroffensive, intending to preserve his strength, and was suspected of depleting the Eighth Route Army, so he had to use it.

Thinking of this, Okamura Ninji's mood seemed to be much better, the announcer on the radio was still bragging about the empire's achievements, Okamura Ninji frowned in disgust, got up and turned off the radio. At this time, an adjutant walked in and reported: "Your Excellency, the Hangzhou Defense Command has called, the enemy forces are frequently mobilized, and there are signs of a large-scale attack!" Soon, the figure of Okamura Ninji appeared in the headquarters. Okamura is not like the high-ranking generals of the Japanese army, who are domineering and do not eat fireworks.

He has always been very easy-going and has a minimum of respect for his subordinates. At the beginning of the year, in order to adapt to the new situation, he promulgated a new decree prohibiting the Japanese troops from indiscriminately killing innocent people, severely punishing soldiers who violated military discipline, and at the same time vigorously propagating Sino-Japanese goodwill in the occupied areas, and at the same time lifting many harsh provisions to ease hostile feelings. The promulgation and implementation of these instruments have been very effective. Because Wang's puppet government and the traitors who relied on the Japanese knew their fate as traitors, they worked even harder to be lackeys for the Japanese, which virtually strengthened the stability of the areas occupied by the Japanese army.

Headquarters Uchiokamura nodded to the generals and walked over to the military map to stare at it. "Your Excellency, the front-line defense troops in Hangzhou report that the Eighth Route Army has moved its troops in a big way, and there are signs of an attack. Whether to send reserves to reinforce Hangzhou! "Chief of Staff Analysis." What about enemy air strikes? "Since yesterday, the enemy's air force has begun to intensify its strikes on the front-line military facilities in Hangzhou, and it can be judged that the enemy's offensive direction is Songhu."

Okamura didn't squeak and continued to stare at the military map. Liang Jiu asked, "Is there any movement in Jiujiang?" "No, it's very calm!" "Banheng's failure to defend in Shanxi is to ignore the enemy's tactics of attacking the east and west. A soldier is actually deception, you see! Okamura Ningji walked to the sand table and said: "The front line of Hangzhou is related to the safety of Songhu and is the key point of our defense. The enemy army has tried to conquer Hangzhou, but it has not been successful. ”

"After several years of building strong fortifications, the defensive system of the first line of Hangzhou is very perfect, and the enemy army also understands it, so I think that the first line of Hangzhou is a tactic of attacking the east and attacking the west, and even if the enemy launches an offensive, it is a feint. At present, Jiujiang is very quiet, and it is very likely to be the main direction of attack, but from the analysis of the current battle situation, Jiujiang has little strategic significance. The purpose of capturing Jiujiang was to block the Yangtze River transportation line, and now the Yangtze River transportation line has been blocked, so Jiujiang has lost its strategic value. ”

Okamura took on as soon as he spoke: "You see that the terrain on the first line of Huangshan is complex and seems to be undisturbed. On the surface, it seems that it is impossible for the enemy to launch an attack from this direction, and it seems that it is of little strategic value. But as long as the enemy crosses the line of Huangshan, the situation will be clear! "Your Excellency General, do you judge that the enemy's target is Nanjing?" "Yes, Nanjing was once the capital of China, and the recovery of Nanjing was of greater political significance than military significance to the Chinese government. In addition, the enemy army also has the intention of pointing a sword at Wang Hypocrisy! Moreover, this line is suitable for large corps operations. ”

"Your Excellency General, since you have judged that the enemy's main attack direction is Nanjing, you should increase troops to the front line of Huangshan!" "Stupid, the enemy wants us to defend the Huangshan defense line and Nanjing, then we will fall into the enemy's trap. Instead of increasing our forces on the Huangshan defensive line, we had to withdraw half of our troops. In order to confuse the enemy, we must put on a posture of stubborn defense on the Huangshan defense line. "Your Excellency the General wants to give up Nanjing?" The chief of staff was confused.

"Nanjing is already a chicken rib for us, and we should give up when we should give up. The next step is our core is the Wufu defense line, and to ensure that Songhu is stable, and Songhu is the core of our defense. As for Nanjing, we will hand it over to Wang Jingwei, but we must not let Wang Jingwei perceive our intentions. For us, Wang Jingwei is the last use value and allows them to give full play to their residual heat. This strategic intent must be kept strictly secret. ”

"Order the Jiujiang troops to secretly withdraw to Jiangbei, and to withdraw troops to Jiangbei one after another, so that the enemy army can not detect it. The Jiujiang point has lost its significance to us, and Jiangbei is the land route that ensures close connection between Wuhan and the east, and it must be in our hands. "Report, the Hangzhou defense force reported that the enemy suddenly increased the intensity of air strikes, judging that the enemy army is about to attack!"