When the Matsumoto Brigade was attacked by Chu Tiange's headquarters, Lieutenant General Okamura Ninji, the supreme commander of the Japanese army who launched the Changsha Raid, was personally supervising the engineers of the 17th Division, the 106th Division, and the 112th Division to repair and expand Madang Fortress. Okamura Ninji attaches so much importance to the construction of Madang Fortress because he heard the rumors, and the reason why the Zhilu Dao base camp wants to abandon the Changsha raid this time is precisely to concentrate his forces to attack the Xuebing Army. Okamura Ningji suffered a big loss at the hands of the Scholar Army, and he didn't want to ask for it back all the time, it was best to be able to personally enter Guangzhou and capture Ouyang Yun alive, otherwise it would be so difficult to eliminate the hatred in his heart! For the decision of the base camp, it is natural to welcome it with both hands.

The Japanese base camp had not yet finally adopted Yamamoto's suggestion, and he was already considering how to stabilize the Japanese army's superiority on other fronts and draw troops to join the siege of the Cadet Army. After careful consideration, he had the Madang line of defense he envisioned. He thought that as long as he held Madang, he would be able to use the Yangtze River waterway to give full play to the advantages of the absolute control of the Japanese navy, so as to quickly transfer troops and deter the Nationalist Government.

He explained his strategic thinking to Chief of Staff Miyazaki Nagakatsu Daisa: "The Central Army is not terrible, even if they can counterattack some places while we solve the problem of the student army, but as long as we hold the Madang Fortress, then we can use the Yangtze River channel to achieve a large-scale transfer of troops, at that time, we just need to rehearse the previous battles." ”

Miyazaki was convinced, and he said, "Your Excellency, I agree with you. The development momentum of the student army is too strong, and it must no longer be tolerated and nurtured. Looking at the current armament of China, only the Xue Soldier Army, the Central Army and the *** troops still have the strength to fight, but the severity of the harm is still calculated by the soldiers. Although the other two branches of the Chinese armed forces are also combat-ready, they only rely on the population of China. On the other hand, the student army is equal to quantity and quality, and they should indeed be the first to be eradicated! There is also the advantage of taking South China first, that way, we will be able to control all the ports of entry into China. At that time, the Nationalist Government will cut off foreign aid, and it will only get weaker and weaker......"

Only three days have passed since the conversation between Okamura and Miyazaki, and Tataro Ganki suddenly sent a telegram, from which he learned that the Matsumoto Brigade, which was escorting Naoki Araki and the lightly wounded of the 33rd Division, was ambushed by the Cadet Army, and Araki was killed. "The Cadet Army has entered northern Jiangxi?" He clutched the telegram and muttered to himself.

Isamu Yokoyama, the new commander of the 17th Division, happened to be present, and he slapped the table and shouted, "The student army is here? Great, I was thinking about meeting that Ouyang Yun, I want to see if he really has three heads and six arms! ”

The 17th Division broke away from the main force in the Battle of Madang and went deep alone, but was almost wiped out by the 49th Army and the 74th Army under the Central Army. This is a great shame in the eyes of the Japanese. I have to admit that the reserve system of the Japanese army is very perverted, but in less than half a year, a brand-new 17th Division was actually formed again, and at the beginning of the Changsha Campaign, it was a blockbuster, under the leadership of the new commander Isamu Yokoyama, all the way to the siege of the city, as if into a no-man's land.

Isamu Yokoyama, known as the curved gun, was a wise general in the Japanese Army. He was originally the commander of the 1st Division under the Kwantung Army, but after Junrokuro Matsuura was recalled by the military headquarters for questioning, he was appointed commander of the 17th Division and was asked to help the 17th Division restore its honor.

The Japanese army had 17 standing divisions, namely the Guard, the 1st-12th, and then the 14th, 16th, 19th, and 20th divisions. Isamu Yokoyama was originally the division commander of the 1st Division of the Standing Category A, but he was suddenly parachuted into the 17th Division of the Category B, which naturally made him hold back his anger. For this reason, when he just reported to the 11th Army with the reorganized 17th Division, he embarrassed Okamura Ningji several times in public, thinking that it was precisely because of his poor command that the 17th Division was wiped out, which also caused Junrokuro Matsuura to be recalled by the military headquarters, and then asked him to fill the tank. In this regard, Matsumoto behaved very generously, he first tolerated it a few times, and then chose a chance for the two to be alone, and when Yokoyama Yong sneered at him again, he asked rhetorically: "Yokoyama-kun, do you really think that you are being demoted this time?" ”

Yokoyama Yong's nostrils turned to the sky, and he said coldly: "Isn't it? ”

Okamura sneered: "People say that Yokoyama is resourceful, but I didn't expect it to be in vain?!" ”

When Isamu Yokoyama heard this, he calmed down, he sat down opposite Okamura with a grin, stretched out his hand and pushed his glasses, then picked up the teapot and teacup on the table and poured himself a drink, and said, "Your Excellency Okamura, the agitation method is useless to me. Just say what you want. I know that the 11th Army needs a wise general like me very much, and although I am really not interested in commanding a fish-belly unit like the 17th Division, if there is a challenge, I will not refuse to show my hands. ”

Okamura Ninji smacked him hard in his heart, and his expression remained unchanged. He also stretched out his hand and pushed his glasses, and said: "There is an old Chinese saying that a mule is a horse that comes out for a walk. Yokoyama-kun prides himself on being a wise general, so isn't this your chance to perform? The 17th Division had just suffered a major defeat half a year ago, and the vast majority of the troops were new recruits, and their morale was low. If you really have two shots, isn't such a 17th Division an excellent litmus test? ”

It was because of this conversation that Yokoyama suddenly became extremely excited as if he had eaten a gun. Then, without Hanaokamura's thoughts, the 17th Division became the vanguard of the whole army, rushing to the forefront in every battle, and after several victories, not only the morale of the troops was restored, but also faintly had the appearance of a strong army. And it is precisely because of such achievements that Isamu Yokoyama is becoming more and more arrogant in front of Okamura, and he will have the above performance.

Yokoyama Yong was excited, excited to be able to fight Ouyang Yun, but Okamura Ningji had a solemn face. It is rare, he admonished: "Hengshan-kun, don't underestimate the enemy." The Cadet Corps is no different from other Chinese troops, they are not only well-equipped but also well-trained. As for Ouyang Yun, to tell you the truth, he is the most difficult general I have ever met. ”

Isamu Yokoyama disagreed, he thought that Okamura was still repeating his old tricks, and he wanted to provoke himself to come out. He said in a loud voice, "Your Excellency Okamura, when have you learned to grow up with others and destroy your own ambition?" Rest assured, leave it to me, as long as the student army is not out of the nest, I will definitely be able to beat them all over the ground. Sir, tell us about your plans. I thought that this was a good opportunity for us to strain the morale of the soldiers, so taking the initiative was the king. ”