Chapter 60: The mysterious Aiko Sato

Peiping. Command of the North China Front.

Just as Ma Zheng was returning to his base area on a rapid march day and night, the North China Front Army held an emergency military meeting in Beiping, convened by General Terauchi Toshiichi, commander of the Front Army, and presided over by Major General Naosaburo Okabe, chief of staff.

Although the generals did not know the specific agenda of the meeting, as soon as they arrived at the headquarters, they noticed a strange atmosphere, and the suffocating depression made people very uncomfortable.

After everyone arrived, Terauchi Shouichi walked in with the ancestral chrysanthemum sword given by His Majesty the Emperor.

With a "bang", all the officers in the conference room stood up, bowed their heads and chests, and bent down to show respect for the commander.

"Sit!" General Shouichi Terauchi said coldly.

After everyone sat down, General Terauchi Shouichi said in a deep voice: "Okabe-kun, you can report the latest battle report!" ”

"Hay!"

Then Okabe Naosaburo said loudly: "Due to the sneak attack by the Shina army, the two major county towns of Tianzhen and Yangyuan were lost, the defenders were all annihilated, and a large number of military supplies stored by the imperial army in these two places were looted, resulting in serious problems in the supply of the independent mixed second brigade group that was fighting in the south, and at the same time facing the danger of being flanked by the Shina army, the decision to withdraw was made by the headquarters. ”

However, after the imperial army retreated, Nie Rongzhen's troops of Tuba Road followed closely behind the imperial army and broke through the counties that had been captured by the imperial army in Guangling and other counties, and the strategic situation of the two sides returned to the pre-war again. The Imperial Army dispatched 38,000 soldiers, including several aviation and armored troops, to fight for 14 days and eliminate the Eighth Road."

"Stop!"

Hearing this, Naosaburo Okabe immediately stopped: "Defeat is defeat, and you don't need so many excuses and data as a cover." This battle can be said to be the most sloppy battle fought by our North China Front Army since it entered and occupied North China. We dispatched nearly 40,000 imperial troops, and even risked affecting the strategic battle of Xuzhou, in order to eliminate the hidden dangers in the occupied area in one fell swoop, but the result was like this, it was a complete bag! ”

Saying that, Terauchi Shouichi threw a stack of newspapers that he had brought with him in front of the generals, and then said: "The most unforgivable thing is that it was an unheard-of guerrilla force that caused the defeat of the imperial army, and he succeeded in getting the command system of the front army to believe that the troops attacking northern Jin had three to five divisions in strength. Gentlemen, please remember the number of this guerrilla detachment, the Chanan guerrilla detachment of the Eighth Route Army, and the commander is called Ma Zheng. ”

Then Terauchi Shouichi continued: "Ladies and gentlemen, there are more than 4,000 Imperial soldiers in the army, let us mourn for the Yamato warriors who died in battle!" ”

All the officers in the room stood up suddenly, then bowed their heads in silence.

A few minutes later, Terauchi Shouichi raised his head and said, "This is the military report issued by the Kuomintang government in China, you can pass it on to each other." You all have to remember this person for me, it is he who makes our entire North China Dispatch Army unable to raise its head in the base camp, what do you think we should do next? ”

Okabe Naosaburo said in a deep voice: "Your Excellency Commander, now the Xuzhou Raid Battle has reached the most critical juncture, and the most important thing is that the tenacity of the government army in China is beyond the imagination of the front army, the Fifth Division was stubbornly blocked by the enemy in Lunan, and the Seya detachment was also dragged in Luxi and could not be saved, so our army is now simply unable to launch a new offensive against Tubalu again." ”

Shouichi Terauchi sighed and said, "Okabe-kun is reasonable, although he can't wash away the shame for the front army for the time being, but you must remember. It is because of the sudden appearance of this Tu Ba Lu that the front army will be covered with dust, and no matter which army encounters this Tu Ba Lu in the future, it must be completely annihilated, and Ma Zheng's head will be cut off to pay tribute to the undead of the imperial army! ”

"Hay!"

"Yesterday I sent a petition to the base camp to take the responsibility for the defeat in this battle, so the base camp will not hold you responsible for the poor attack. However, I hope that when you return, you will actively prepare for war and be ready to attack the Chinese army at any time. You know, shame can only be washed away with the blood and heads of your enemies! ”

"Hay!"

"Okabe-kun, from now on, order the intelligence department to include Ma Zheng in the list of dangerous enemies, and keep a file for it. You and the General Staff Department must come up with a plan as soon as possible, with the aim of eliminating the Ma Zheng Detachment of the Eighth Route Army. ”

"Hai," Naosaburo Okabe said, standing up.

After getting angry, scolding people. Terauchi Shouichi clapped his hands, and the door of the conference room was opened when the generals were at a loss, and then a cold officer wearing a military uniform of Osaku walked in with a solemn expression.

When she came to Terauchi Shouyi, the female officer saluted and said, "Your Excellency Commander, Aiko Sato reports to you!" ”

"Yoxi, please take a seat!"

Then Terauchi Shouichi pointed to the sudden appearance of Aiko Sato and said: "Gentlemen, this is Aiko Sato Osa, who has just been transferred to the front army from China, don't underestimate Sato Osa." She may not be as good as everyone here in terms of operational command, but she is a real expert in intelligence gathering and analysis, and her teacher is the famous German military intelligence scientist von Brown. General Hans. In the future, Sato Daisa will be in charge of your cooperation and support you in terms of intelligence, everyone is welcome! ”

After a burst of applause, Terauchi Shouichi said with a soothing expression: "Miss Aiko, I will trouble you in the future for the intelligence collection of the front army." ”

Aiko Sato replied coldly and arrogantly: "Your Excellency, Commander, I promise that the special high school will send all the intelligence materials you need to your desk!" ”

Shouichi Terauchi said with satisfaction, "Then please leave it to Miss Aiko." ”

After speaking, Shouichi Terauchi sighed again and said: "This Ma Zheng really hit our weakness, and this battle fell short!" It's a pity. ”

Major General Naosaburo Okabe said in a deep voice: "Your Excellency Commander, you will come to Japan. When the imperial army frees up from Lunan, the end of the Tuba Road will come. ”

"Yo Xi, during this period, you must be ready to attack and listen to orders at any time!" Shoudai Terauchi said.

"Hay!"

After three days and three nights of rapid marching, Ma Zheng and others finally returned to Daqingshan.

As soon as he returned to the base area, before he could rest, he received a telegram from the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army. According to the instructions of the Yan'an side, the headquarters has accepted the reward of the national government.

From now on, Ma Zheng's headquarters will be expanded into a brigade-level military unit, numbered the 7th Independent Brigade of the National Revolutionary Army, with two A regiments under its jurisdiction, one cavalry battalion, one artillery battalion, one engineer battalion, and one guard battalion. In addition, according to the order of the General Headquarters, the newly formed Seventh Independent Brigade was placed under the direct jurisdiction of the General Headquarters.

After receiving the order, the anti-Japanese guerrilla detachment in Chanan immediately began to expand its organization and awaited the relevant orders of the Nationalist Government.

In view of the fact that the Chanan guerrilla detachment suffered "heavy losses" in this southward operation, the headquarters decided to transfer a number of cadres from the 120th and 129th divisions and the headquarters to the Chanan guerrilla detachment, and to transfer two companies from the headquarters guard regiment to supplement the Chanan guerrilla detachment.

The General Headquarters demanded that Ma Zheng complete the expansion of the troops as soon as possible, and that if the number of troops was insufficient, he could temporarily put up a shelf, and that he would have the opportunity to slowly replenish the troops in the future, and that the military and political commanders of each battalion and regiment should all be appointed by Ma Zheng and Yun Jian after discussion, and then reported to the General Headquarters for the record.

After receiving the order from the headquarters, Ma Zheng did not take a break and immediately summoned the military and political chiefs above the rank of captain to Daqingshan for a meeting.

On the morning of 11 March, after Yunjian, who had stayed behind in the Yama Mountain, arrived at Daqingshan, the meeting on the expansion of the Chanan guerrilla detachment finally began.

In the conference room, Ma Zheng, Yun Jian, Huang Sicheng, Wang Hansen, Huang Bingyan, Chen Xudong, Wu Xiuda, Lu Ming, Wang Tao, Tie Niu and others were all present. In addition, Ma Zheng also ordered Xu Hu, Ma Desheng, Li Mingda, Li Haiyan, Xu Xiaolin and other commanders of technical arms to attend the meeting as observers.

At the beginning of the meeting, Ma Zheng read out the order of the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army, and then began to discuss how to expand the troops.