It is more than 200,000 Northeast Army, after nearly two years of rectification, dismissal, and transfer, at this time, Yu Xuezhong, Wu Keren, Liu Duoquan, the backbone generals of the Northeast Army, have also become obedient and appropriate. What's more, the Shaanxi Army, which is much smaller in scale, has been filled with a large number of Northwest Supplementary Troops after several battles, whether it is the Shaanxi Army, the Sichuan Army or the old Northeast Army. After all, he carries a money bag in one hand and a big stick in the other. They can't be convinced if they want to be soft. Now that most of the miscellaneous cards have been fused, I am afraid that in a few years, it will be completely northwestern. From the current process, we can probably see what the Northwest Army will look like in a few years. In the nearly two years since the start of the war, hundreds of thousands of additional troops of the Northwest Army have been filled. If we follow Nanjing's usual practice, suppress miscellaneous cards and desperately expand the lineage. Compared with the means of assimilation in the northwest, it is undoubtedly a little worse.

Just like this Japanese attack on Guangzhou, although for the battle of Xuzhou in front of it, as well as the current battle of Wuhan, Chairman Chiang dispatched a large number of troops to the north, leading to a certain degree of emptiness in the southeast and southwest. However, the 12th Group Army, which was responsible for the defense of the Guangzhou area, also had about 8 divisions, and among the various factions of the Nationalist Army, the Guangdong Army was also a wealthy one. However, from the beginning of the Japanese attack to the fall of Guangzhou, it was only a short 20 days.

"The equipment of the 12th Group Army under Yu Hanmou is still good, the infantry is light weapons, and the ammunition is very sufficient. Moreover, there was a considerable amount of artillery, and even some armored vehicles, and in addition, the Guangdong army also had a certain number of combat aircraft. However, among these troops, only the 156th Division held on to Huizhou for only 12 hours, and the 156th and 154th Divisions resisted and counterattacked for a relatively short time west of Boluo and Zengcheng. There was only one battalion of the Humen Fortress garrison, which held the Dajiaoshan Fort for nearly 20 hours. The rest of the troops were almost chased all the way by the Japanese troops. The losses in the battle with the Japanese army were very small, but in the process of escaping, they lost hundreds of machine guns of various types and more than 100 artillery pieces of various types. There were 53 fortress guns, tanks that had no time to drive away, more than 20 armored vehicles, and nearly 200 cars. Losing so much equipment and losing so many cities, but failing to bring hundreds of casualties to the Japanese army, if we had changed our Northwest Army, we would have been killed all the way from the commander of the group army! ”

Ma Zhanshan hates iron and does not become steel. When they heard about the losses of the Cantonese army and the losses of the Japanese army, the Northwest Army was so distressed that they trembled. Zhang Zizhong and Sun Dianying, the officers who have been in the Northwest Army for a long time also slapped their legs and scolded their mothers. A few dozen armored vehicles, almost two hundred cars, is not a small number for a mechanized brigade. As for Zhang Zizhong, in addition to the parts of the car, it is rare to have tanks and armored vehicles to support them in normal times. In the face of an attack by a force like the Japanese army, I don't know how many soldiers' lives to fill, and it may not be able to stop the Japanese attack, after all, even if it is a war defense artillery, when facing tanks, it is often the losing side. After all, the anti-aircraft artillery only has the strength to destroy the tank, but the Japanese army driving the tank is not a dead man.

And before the blink of an eye, the Cantonese army not only defeated these savings, but almost gave them to the Japanese. How not to make people feel heartbroken?

"At present, Wuhan has a total of more than 130 combat aircraft, including about 40 bombers, 65 destroyers, and about 30 reconnaissance planes, and the Soviet Air Force Volunteer Corps has about 90 combat planes, about 26 bombers, and about 64 destroyers. A total of more than 220 aircraft of various types. At present, there are about 30 divisions of the Central Army in the vicinity of Wuhan, but in addition, in the Wuhan Combat Circle, the number of troops that can be mobilized by the Wuhan Central Committee during the battle should be about 120 divisions, and the number of troops that the Central Army can mobilize will not be less than 700,000, and the strength is still very strong. In terms of the navy, although there are more than 10 gunboats such as Zhongshan and Yongsui, they can only be said to be better than nothing, and they do not play much role. ”

Yang Hucheng added, "Generally speaking, although the Japanese army has now captured Guangzhou, and is advancing all the way west along the Yangtze River, it is approaching Wuhan. But as long as we hold the Pinghan Road and hold back the North China Front. With hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops in the south, it is impossible to break through Wuhan in a short period of time, and he believes that taking advantage of this opportunity in Wuhan to use the Central Army to delay the Japanese army's attack is a very good choice, and dragging the Japanese army for a year and a half and consuming a large number of the Japanese army's vital strength is also extremely beneficial to the Northwest Army's war of resistance behind it. ”

"It is also extremely beneficial for the possible north-south dispute in the future." Ma Zhanshan smiled and said, there are some things that Yang Hucheng is inconvenient to say directly after all, but Ma Zhanshan is closer to Jiang Li, and there are not too many taboos when he talks in private.

"It's up to the commander." Yang Hucheng looked at Jiang Lidao. Until now, Jiang Li has not talked about the possible confrontation between the north and the south in the future. But just because something is avoided doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

"It's not about me, it's about the future of the Northwest and even the interests of the entire Republic of China. There are some things that you can't decide. Jiang Li said something ambiguous.

"What does the commander think about the Central Army's intention to enter Sichuan?" Ma Zhanshan asked.

"The Central Army has the support of Liu Xiang and has great autonomy in Sichuan, which I can't interfere with for the time being. However, the roads and railways built by the northwest in Sichuan, as well as some mineral deposits developed, must be under the control of the northwest, and the army in central Sichuan also needs to maintain absolute superiority over the central army. Can't we fight with the Japanese, and the Central Army dug up a corner in the back. ”

Jiang Li smiled coldly, no matter what, Jiang Li would never allow the Wuhan Central Committee to escape into Sichuan after the defeat of the battle, so he arranged for his henchman Jiang Wenhao to sit in northern Sichuan, and built more than a dozen medium-sized airports in northern Sichuan and Sichuan. Presumably, Chairman Chiang did not want to live under the watchful eye of the Northwest Army at that time.

"With the commander's words, we can rest assured, no matter what, this time we will let the Wuhan Central Army and the Japanese army die for a period of time, even if we withdraw, we must let the Wuhan Central Army withdraw to northern Xiangbei. Even Gui Qian. ”

Yang Hucheng and Ma Zhanshan looked at each other and smiled, once a son of heaven and a courtier. Regarding the attitude of the Japanese army's persimmon picking and pinching, the northwest is still a little dark. At the same time, the forces that the central government can mobilize at this time are still above the Northwest Army, and it is also in the future interests of the Northwest to squeeze the potential of the Central Army and consume it in this battle

The sound of the engine was a heavy roar in front of the barracks. Several tanks of different sizes were advancing at a not too high speed in front of the barracks.

The "boom" tank guns opened fire one after another, but due to the limited accuracy, it took several attempts before they hit the steel plate within the target distance.

"Judging from the data of the current test, the 57MM tank gun carried by the Type 97 tank is the most powerful, and it has the ability to penetrate the Tomahawk tank of the Chinese Army at about 300 meters." The official in charge of technology introduced the two bigwigs, Sugiyama Yuan and Konoe Fumima.

"The total combat weight of the Type 97 tank is 15 tons, the maximum range is 210 kilometers, and the crew is 4 people. IN ADDITION, THE INSTITUTE HAS ALSO DONE REPEATED TESTS ON THE TYPE 95 HEAVY TANK AND THE TYPE 4 HEAVY TANK, AND IT IS ALSO NECESSARY TO INSTALL A 57MM CALIBER TANK GUN BEFORE IT CAN HAVE THE INITIAL CONFRONTATION CAPABILITY WITH THE TOMAHAWK TANK OF THE CHINA ARMY. Moreover, the total combat weight of the nine-five-five heavy tank and the four-type heavy tank has exceeded thirty tons, and due to the increase in tonnage, the defensive power has risen by a considerable part. However, it also consumes twice as much steel as the Type 97 medium tank. In addition, the production speed and cost have also been greatly improved. ”

"In addition, the fuel consumption is probably at least twice that of the Type 97 tank." Konoe Funma said with a frown.

"To be precise, the fuel consumption is more than double that of the Type 97 tank." The technician corrected.

"Since the Type 97 medium tank has so many advantages in comparison, and has enough ability to break through the Tomahawk tanks of the China Army, then at present, the production of Type 97 tanks will be the mainstay, and as for the Type 4 and Type 95 heavy tanks, continue to maintain research and will not be mass-produced for the time being. As for the defense of the army, as long as they can break through the armored forces of the Chinese army, I believe that the warriors of the empire will overcome these difficulties. ”

Although at this time, due to the all-out war with the Republic of China, the base camp of the Japanese army had to be temporarily dominated by the army. The attrition of the war has squeezed out a lot of military spending that should have been biased in favor of the navy. However, the development of the navy has been a national policy of the Japanese army since its founding. Even if it is due to the situation now, this is only temporary, and as the most important fuel for the navy, Konoe Bunma naturally wants to make a little more of it. In case you need it in the future.

"For the time being, let's focus on the Type 97 tank. However, the artillery carried by the tank must be improved to a certain extent, and it is urgent to increase the power of the artillery. Now it is not enough to be able to threaten the tanks of the Chinese army at about 300 meters, and this distance must be increased to 500 meters, or even 800 meters. ”

Sugiyama Gen also nodded at this time, after all, in the eyes of these upper echelons, tank soldiers are also soldiers, as long as they can achieve victory, it is nothing to have some casualties. Moreover, the large fuel consumption of Type 4 and Type 95 tanks is very sensitive to the high-level of the base camp. After all, at this time, the Japanese army basically relied on imports for oil. And the strategic reserve has only been used for more than a year. AT THE SAME TIME, HE UNDERSTANDS THE HORROR OF THE TOMAHAWK TANK BETTER THAN THE KONOE BUNMA, IN ADDITION TO ITS DRIVING PERFORMANCE, THE MOST PROMINENT THING COMPARED TO THE NINETY-FIVE TANK IS THE USE OF THE 57MM TANK GUN, WHICH MAKES THE ATTACK ABILITY RISE A LOT. HOWEVER, COMPARED TO THE TORTOISE SHELL OF THE TOMAHAWK TANK, THE 57MM SHORT-BARRELED TANK GUN IS STILL SOMEWHAT INSUFFICIENT, AT LEAST COMPARED TO THE LONG-BARRELED 47MM GUN INSTALLED IN THE NORTHWEST AT THIS TIME, IT IS NOT MORE POWERFUL.

Compared with the Type 95 light tank, the Type 97 only increased the armor thickness to 25 mm. Compared to the Japanese army's henchmen, the Tomahawk tank, it was still a little insufficient, and the Type 97 still had to be within a considerable distance of the Tomahawk to pose a threat to the Tomahawk's frontal armor. And the time for the Japanese army to cross this distance was enough for the tanks of the Northwest Army to fire a few shots. In order to save fuel, there is also production to give way, and the defense can be slightly lower, but the attack has a certain room for improvement.

People will always change with the environment, and when the Type 97 tank was in service with the Japanese army, it was only a 37MM tank gun at the beginning. HOWEVER, UNDER THE PRESSURE OF THE NORTHWEST ARMY AT THIS TIME, THE TIME TO REPLACE THE 57MM TANK GUN WAS MUCH FASTER THAN THE HISTORICAL PROCESS.

"How much is the production of the Ninety-Seven style now?" Fumima Konoe asked.

"At present, it is mainly based on Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kameari Factory. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries produces 11 vehicles a month, and Kameari Plant produces 7 vehicles a month. If the output of the ninety-seven and ninety-five styles is appropriately reduced, the output of the ninety-seven style can be increased. "The technician is reporting all kinds of data, no matter what, even if it is still not as good as the enemy's tomahawk, but the Type 97 is already the most cutting-edge weapon of the Japanese army, and it can also threaten the opponent to a certain extent.

"Well, it is necessary to increase the production quantity of the Ninety-Seven Style, as soon as possible to finalize the superiority of the Northwest Army in armored forces, and regain the prestige of the Imperial Japanese Army."

Fumima Konoe nodded, expressing satisfaction with the recent increase in tank production. Just thinking of the soaring tank production, the steel to be squeezed, especially the oil, Konoe Bunma's heart twitched, with the expansion of the war against China, especially under the counterattack of the Northwest Army, the Japanese army sent to China aviation and armored forces are continuing to expand. The amount of fuel consumed has increased dramatically. At the moment, the United States has not expanded its oil exports, and its base camp is due to the sharp expansion of military spending. Far more than the war attrition, war damage, and compensation in history.

It has squeezed out a lot of Japan's resources. It has even been shaken to the point of investing in oil reserves. Up to now, it has been extremely difficult for the top brass of the Japanese military to accept the fact that not only has the expected increase in the improvement of the oil strategy appeared, but also the magnitude of the increase is not proportional to the growth and consumption of Japanese industry and the war. That is, strategic reserves that could have been consumed for a year and a half. At the current rate of consumption, it can't even last so long.

It's just that with the current expansion of the war against China, the Japanese army is also difficult to ride the tiger, either completely defeating the enemy army, or directly giving up the interests in China that it has obtained before. The latter is obviously impossible, and whoever puts forward such an idea is estimated to be directly mutiny by those horse manure from the military department. And it will be nailed to the pillar of shame in history forever. No one dared to risk their own future, and at this time, the base camp also believed that although the war in China was bumpy, the overall process was still under plan. As long as the resistance of the Republic of China* army is finally defeated, the current investment is worth it.

"In addition to the tank, it is necessary to greatly strengthen it, and the empire also needs to further speed up the process in the air force, and the follow-up improvement of the Flying Dragon fighter of the Northwest Army in China has improved its performance very quickly, if it is not for its insufficient range, I am afraid that the Imperial Flying Corps will suffer greater losses in China. Even the empire's cutting-edge ninety-seven ship battle, in terms of combat performance, it cannot take advantage of the other party's slightest, and even lags behind to a certain extent. If it weren't for the control of public opinion by the Empire, I am afraid that it would have turned the world upside down, even His Majesty the Emperor has always been concerned about this matter. (To be continued.) )