If it weren't for this time, Ueda Kenkichi insisted on suggesting to abandon the almost properly prepared Battle of Xuzhou, and concentrate superior forces to attack the 10th theater of operations in an all-round way, I am afraid that Zhang Xuewu's old roots would not be able to force out at one time, nearly 1,000 tanks and armored vehicles of the three armored divisions, more than 500 fighters of various kinds, heavy artillery, mobile rocket artillery, special incendiary bombs, sarin gas masks that are ineffective, claimed virus weapons, small armored combat vehicles that can be airdropped, etc., who dares to guarantee that Zhang Xuewu still has something to come up with? Umezu Mijiro didn't know, and he didn't want to know, because every time he thought about these things, he couldn't help but feel a sense of fear.

The commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army committed suicide during his tenure, the news was tightly sealed, and the body of Ueda Kenkichi was quietly transported to Korea to return home by sea, first reported sick, reported critically ill, and then announced his death, Umezu Mijiro estimated that it would be at least half a year before the Imperial War Ministry announced the news of the death of Admiral Ueda Kenkichi, and the dead would have to receive an additional half a year's allowance. But this kind of face-saving method also seems too too much to accept.

Umezu Mijiro knew that his first task was to reduce the losses of the Kwantung Army and return to the Shanhaiguan Pass to reorganize and prepare for war, according to Umezu Mijiro's research on Zhang Xuewu, Zhang Xuewu has always been unable to suffer, especially this time by the Kwantung Army by surprise, the four fortress cities have certain losses, especially the large consumption of ammunition and materials in its reserves, so that the offensive ability of Zhang Xuewu's department has been weakened to a certain extent.

Umezu Mijiro has specialized in the study of mechanized troops, its rapid attack speed, firepower are very perfect, but there is one thing that is difficult to accept, that is, the huge consumption of mechanized troops, the empire can not afford it, and Zhang Xuewu's strength of the three armored divisions is already his line, the crude oil produced in the Yumen Oilfield has been refined, and some of the Wuhan side will be funded, and the rest is in addition to the Soviet Union's aid, Zhang Xuewu's three armored divisions with his Huben and the first division of honor, there are already twelve youth divisions, With all its air force and artillery units, it is fully capable of driving the Kwantung Army out of Manchuria, and it is still a question of how much North Korea can keep.

However, Zhang Xuewu lacked material reserves and guarantees for the offensive, all of which were only theoretical guarantees, and many accidents could occur in a real war.

Therefore, Umezu Mijiro also believed that Zhang Xuewu also needed to stop and breathe a sigh of relief, between his own judgment, in order to ensure the smooth communication line between the Kwantung Army and North China, Umezu Mijiro must concentrate on sticking to the first line of Shanhaiguan, because the terrain here is simply a place where a man can not open up, Umezu Mijiro believes that Zhang Xuewu may not have the ambition to counterattack the entire Manchuria, but it is very likely that he will use mechanized troops to quickly attack and reach Shanhaiguan, completely cut off the connection between the Kwantung Army and the North China Front, on the vast North China Plain, more than a dozen divisions of the North China Front Army are simply dishes on Zhang Xuewu's plate.

It is actually a bit of an exaggeration to say that the North China Front is a dish on Zhang Xuewu's plate, but in fact, for example, in Beiping, Umezu Mijiro does not think that Zhang Xuewu dared to use heavy artillery to storm Beiping at the risk of destroying the entire city? Destroying the palaces and artifacts there, and fighting street battles is not the specialty of mechanized troops.

And completely reduce the imperial city, a famous city with a long history in his country, to rubble? This is something that only a madman can do, Umezu Mijiro thinks that Zhang Xuewu is not such a madman, under Zhang Xuewu's crazy outside, he is more rational and cunning, and he can always hit the death hole of the imperial army? This is what makes Umezu Mijiro the stranger, because after a detailed analysis of all Zhang Xuewu's battle examples, Umezu Mijiro was surprised to find that Zhang Xuewu seemed to know the course of the battle?

How can tactics take precedence over strategy? It is not the planes and chariots and artillery of the 10th War Zone that seem terrible now, but Zhang Xuewu and his people who have been ignored for a long time.

The first thing Umezu Mijiro did after arriving at Shanhaiguan was to order the 27th and 28th Divisions of the General Reserve to begin organizing defense on the spot, and ordered the 1st Front Army of the Shushu Riken Army and the 2nd Front Army of Ryosuke Isoya, and the 3rd Front Army of Yamashita Fumifumi to report the losses of each unit.

Umezu Mijiro saw from the documents of the headquarters that the First Front Army under the command of the Chau Ri Army, the 2nd Division, the 8th Division, and the 12th Division under its jurisdiction, the 10th, 22nd, 35th, and 36th Divisions under the jurisdiction of the Second Front Army of Ryosuke Isoya, and the 6th Division, 14th Division, and the 35th Brigade and the 36th Brigade under the jurisdiction of the Yamashita Fengfu Third Front Army. Among them, the 39th Division, which was almost completely wiped out on the outskirts of Chengde, and the 36th Division, which was blocked and suffered heavy losses on the periphery of Chifeng, have long been dead in name, and the number of the 39th Division has also been temporarily canceled, so the serial number of the 39th Division cannot be seen in the battle sequence for the time being, but Umezu Mijiro doubts how big the casualties and losses of these troops that still exist now? How many units are still combat-ready?

Therefore, Umezu Mijiro asked all the armies to report truthfully, as for Okamura Ninji's troops, Umezu Mijiro still felt very relieved, because Okamura Ninji was not an obedient fool, if Okamura Ninji really carried out Ueda Kenkichi's orders thoroughly, then the last mobile force in his hands would also be completely lost.

After learning that Umezu Mijiro was appointed commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, Okamura Ninji was also really relieved, he had been burdened with the crime of disobedience before! The death of Kenkichi Ueda made all this irrelevant, and the mystery of Chief of Staff Tojo, who had been a hot topic within the Kwantung Army, was once again used as a talking point.

Umezu Mijiro and Okamura Ninji and Tojo Hideki both belonged to the Showa ruling faction, and they had a mutual support back then, but now after learning that Umezu Mijiro was promoted to the position of general and sitting in the position of commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, Okamura Ninji still felt a sour meaning, and it was his dream to be promoted to general! In terms of qualifications, he seems to be more than Umezu Mijiro, but the Imperial Army has always seen opportunities and connections, and ability is not so important, just like Hideki Tojo can become the chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, ruthlessness is an indispensable condition, two. The 26 mutiny was suppressed, and the Imperial Road officers captured and killed by Hideki Tojo were able to form a brigade.

Although the timing of Umezu Mijiro's appointment seems extremely inappropriate, after all, the difference between the rank of lieutenant general and the general is worlds apart.

Soon, Umezu Mijiro got the report of the Seju Libing and Isoya Ryosuke, as he expected, the First Front Army and the Second Front Army were all lost more than half, the First Front Army was no longer able to conquer the Chaoyang Fortress, and the Second Front Army was also driven out of Lingyuan, and could only use the nearby mountains and hills to resist, only the Third Front Army of Yamashita Fengfu in Zhangjiakou retained considerable strength, and the Kwantung Army Chariot Division and the 23rd Mechanized Division of the Kwantung Army commanded by Tojo Hideki to attack can be said to be completely annihilated, Outside Chengde and Chifeng, two divisions were almost wiped out, the situation on the front line seems to be very unoptimistic, the reinforcements from the 10th theater are now also constantly transferred in, and the first division of Huben and Honor also arrived in Chengde, wanting to make a counterattack posture, these two divisions are special formations belonging to the 10th theater, and the establishment of the ordinary [***] A field army may not be as large as its division, and the third armored division in Baotou will enter Datong for rest, and where will its soldiers refer after the rest and recuperation? It's no wonder that Kenkichi Ueda wanted to commit suicide by swallowing a bullet, it turns out that the battle situation has reached such a dangerous level?

Umezu Mijiro took a deep breath, took out a handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat on the back of his neck, although the weather was still unusually cold, the temperature in the headquarters was not high, and most of the staff officers were still wearing fur coats, but Umezu Mijiro felt an inexplicable heat.

Umezu Mijiro is not a two-pole general like Kenkichi Ueda, and Okamura Ninji, he is good at strategy and tactics, Umezu Mijiro immediately made a detailed report on the current situation of the Kwantung Army to the base camp, and said that if Zhang Xuewu's 10th theater troops complete the final deployment, then the Kwantung Army will become a term in the history of the Imperial Army, as the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, he can only choose to be crushed with the Kwantung Army.

The meaning of Umezu Mijiro's secret telegram is naturally self-evident, that is, this side really can't stand it, the front line is not attacking at all, but is carrying out a defense of resistance, and the deployment of [***] before the Armageddon, if you want to maintain the strategy of offensive stalemate, then the Kwantung Army can only be broken.

How did the battle come to such a point? The trusted commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army is about to retreat when he comes up? And threatens that if you don't retreat immediately, the Kwantung Army will be crushed? The word broken jade can often be seen in the army, but it is not seen much on the battlefield of China, but since Zhang Xuewu was born, the blockade of the Beidaying, the bloody battle of the Winter Festival in Chengde, the bloody battle of Nanjing, and then to the Winter Festival offensive in this time, it seems that most of the jade fragments of the imperial army have a great relationship with Zhang Xuewu, the imperial nemesis?

Emperor Hirohito has never figured out how Zhang Xuewu, who has never even studied in a decent military school, can repeatedly restrain the famous generals of the empire? The division commanders who fought with Zhang Xuewu turned over and fell off?

Where there is Zhang Xuewu, there is the Imperial Army, and the jade fragments seem to have formed a law? The strategic transfer of the Kwantung Army has reached the point of imminence.

(To be continued)