Episode 106 The legendary old Japanese spy

Entering December,.

On December 1st and 2nd, Shaanxi and the northwestern part of Shanxi ushered in the first heavy snowfall. For two days in a row, the sky was overcast during the day, and the clouds were thick and thick, pressed low, like lumps of lead. The northwest wind was so strong that it blew on the face like cutting meat. The air is cold and heavy in the lungs. At night, it is goose feather snow, mixed with icy winds, and the snow on the ground can accumulate up to half a meter thick overnight.

The first snow in the northwest came too suddenly, and the Ming Army's Left Army Group was not fully prepared. They were short of troops, their supply lines were too long, there were no railways for more than half of the journey, and there were not enough cars, so they could not move forward. Now Army Group Left was on the defensive.

However, the second stage of the blitzkrieg lasted only a few days, and the Shanxi Ming army advanced from the south of Taiyuan all the way to the north of Datong, advancing nearly 300 kilometers to the north at once, and there was no time to build winter barracks. Most of the Ming troops south of Taiyuan lived in winter barracks, but most of the soldiers north of Taiyuan still slept in tents. Thin tents don't protect against the cold wind, and sleeping bags don't do much. The officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty were all southerners, and they had suffered such severe cold. For a time, a large number of soldiers fell ill.

Fortunately, Shanxi is full of mountains, and there is no shortage of wood. In the past two days, the "main work" of the Ming army on the left road during the day was to go up the mountain to cut down trees and build winter barracks. The big trees were used to build shacks, that is, winter barracks, and the small trees were used to make fires for warmth. Every day, the quartermaster drove his truck around to nearby cities, county seats, and mines to get coal, and brought it back to roast the troops. Fortunately, Shanxi is rich in coal, because of the war, a large amount of coal this winter has not been shipped, and it is still hoarded in the hands of the monopolists of the former Northern Qing government.

The coal in the hands of the former Northern Qing officials and merchants was all requisitioned by the Ming army. In addition to heating the troops, the remaining large amount of coal was used to exchange supplies with the local people. Originally, it stands to reason that a large amount of coal from Shanxi would have to be shipped back to the south. The southern coal production is small, the industry is developed, the coal consumption is very large, and the self-production is not enough. But now there is not enough capacity, and the limited number of vehicles is used to transport military supplies: thickened winter clothes, quilts and blankets, medicines, vegetables and fruits that are scarce in the north...... As for coal, it can only be put aside in Shanxi now. It is also good to use it as a "general equivalent", which can be exchanged for other supplies in the north, such as quilts, blankets, corn, sorghum, Chinese cabbage, potatoes, turnips, apples, etc. This can also solve some supplies on the spot, saving some capacity.

……

The Eastern Battlefield was slightly luckier, but not much luckier.

It didn't snow as heavily as it did in the west, but the temperature was about to reach new lows, and the clouds were crushing all day, but not as windy as in the northwest. What's worse is that from the 2nd, light rain began to fall in Henan, northern Anhui, and northern Jiangsu.

It rains all year round, and the least annoying is the spring rain. "Spring rain is as expensive as oil", it stops when it is pointed, and it will be warmer every time, not annoying.

This is followed by summer rains. The summer rain was lightning and thundering, crisp and hearty, the time was short, and it was much cooler immediately after the rain stopped.

It's autumn rain again. The autumn rain is very annoying, it is endless, this rain is endless, it makes people feel bored, and things are moldy.

The most unbearable thing is the winter rains. The winter rains are not as continuous as the autumn rains, but they make the already bad winter weather even worse. The clammy cold through the bones will not warm no matter how thick you wear it. People just want to hide in the house all day and hold the stove to keep warm.

Now, what the Ming army's right army group has encountered is the most uncomfortable winter rain. The cold and light rain kept falling, and the rain flowed down the steel helmet to the face, neck, and raincoat all over the body. The soldiers, shivering with cold and pale fingers, clutched their cold guns, trudged through the muddy fields, braving the rain to attack the direction of Xuzhou westward.

In this weather, there is no air support at all. On the ground, because of the rain, the traffic situation is a mess. The roads in the Northern Qing Dynasty are not much asphalt, and the quality is extremely poor. When it rains, large puddles form on the road. It's fine, it's a puddle. Worse still, some of the minor dirt roads, not only with potholes, but also with mud pits, and more, are sometimes pressed out of a new one.

Heavy trucks and artillery of the Ming army drove from these dirt roads, and each time they drove by, the ruts on the dirt roads became deeper. Several cars drove past one after another, and the road was no longer a rut, but a deep ditch. The thick mud soup is mixed in these ditches, and it is impossible to distinguish which is water and which is mud. The lower half of all the vehicles and artillery pieces were covered with a thick layer of mud, and the original color could not be seen at all.

Tanks and tracked vehicles were fine, although they were driving in the fields, they were still not affected much, but the unit fuel consumption was slightly higher. However, wheeled vehicles often get stuck in mud puddles even when driving on the road. Sometimes I can drive it myself, but if I can't, I have to tow it out of the car in front of me. The overall marching speed is affected.

At this time, the most enviable and happiest are those soldiers who sit in the military card. At this time, the military cards were covered with oil canvas, and the soldiers of a squad sat in it, squeezing each other, but it was very comfortable and warm. The most unfortunate were the soldiers of the semi-motorized infantry division, who had to march on foot in the mud. Almost unlucky with them, there are also the infantry who are sitting in armored vehicles. They didn't have to wade through the mud on foot, but their armored vehicles were open, and the rain was pouring down on them. And because it's sitting still, it's even colder.

……

The rain was not conducive to the Ming army's attack, but it was also not conducive to the Qing army's defense. The weather was overcast and the rain curtain greatly reduced the visibility, and the effect of artillery observation was much worse; The guns were wet with rain, which affected the operability and caused frequent breakdowns; In addition, in cold and damp air, especially in rain, the flat and straight line of the trajectory is also affected to a certain extent, and it is not as accurate as usual.

These are all technical factors. The greatest impact on the combat effectiveness of the Qing army was the low morale. The trenches of the Qing army had become mud pits, and every soldier's feet were soaked in the cold mud for a long time. And the Qing army was not like the Ming army, where every soldier had a raincoat. In the Qing army, only officers had raincoats to wear. Most of the soldiers were drenched in the rain for eating, sleeping, and urinating.

This was true for both sides, the dampness, cold and mud brought by the winter rains made the armies of both Ming and Qing dynasties frustrated, and the battle was not at all passionate. The Ming army attacked mechanically, the Qing army mechanically defended, and the soldiers on both sides hoped that the battle would be stopped today and each went home. Needless to say, the Qing army did not want to fight in the first place. The heroic ambitions of the soldiers of the Ming army on a sunny day, and the passions of "recovering the whole of China and liberating the suffering compatriots" have now been poured into Java by the cold rain.

The point is that the Ming army has no air cover, and the battle is much more difficult than before. In the past, when the weather was good, not to mention air cover, the Ming army could know where the Qing army was, how many troops it had, what it was doing, and how it was mobilized from a distance of several hundred kilometers. Now, it's a black eye. In this sense, the two sides are equal. The Ming army also relied more on motorized reconnaissance.

By the end of November, the Ming army had taken control of Suqian and the areas east of Luoma Lake and south of Ganyu County, mainly Haizhou, Donghai County, Xinyi County, Guanyun County, and Shuyang County. On December 1 and 2, the attack was carried out in the rain for two days, and the progress was slow, and the two days only advanced 20 kilometers to the west, and on the afternoon of the 2nd, Suining County was just taken, which was regarded as having some substantial results.

After taking Suining, the front line of the Ming army was still 80 kilometers away from Xuzhou. The offensive resistance is also getting stronger. The Qing army's defensive strength became stronger in almost every kilometer, and the resistance became more intense. The speed of the Ming army's offensive is also becoming slower and slower, and it means that it is difficult to move again.

……

On the afternoon of the 3rd, Fourteen Gege received an invitation letter from Miss Sako Asakura, a high school classmate from his time in Japan. Sako Asakura said she joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and worked at the Japanese embassy in Ming. Now I have just come to Daming, I have just settled down in a place, and I want to invite Fourteen Gege to have dinner, and the old classmates have a good chat.

When Fourteen Gege received the invitation, his eyes narrowed and his mind spun.

The guy Sako Asakura, although he was in the same class as himself in high school, the two were not good friends, the relationship was average, and they just knew each other. She studied very well, was the typical kind of rich girl, and after graduation entered Tokyo University - of course, the "Tokyo University" in Japan - Tokyo Imperial University. However, unlike the Ming Dynasty, most Japanese girls only go to middle school, and very few go to college, most of them are also to gild and marry a good family. There are even fewer who come out to do things.

Why, it seems that she didn't find a golden beetle son-in-law to marry at school, but entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? And was sent to Nanjing? How can it be so coincidental?

What is her identity and status, it is impossible for Sako Asakura not to know. But he, an "old classmate" who didn't have much friendship with him back then, dared to write a post to invite him to dinner together? …… Hehe, this is not what her good girl did.

……

After 14 Gege came to Daming and held an important position in the People's Guard, Daming's intelligence on Japan gradually became the best in this part of the People's Guard. This is the innate advantage of Fourteen Gege, and she can no longer be described as a "Japanese expert". Because of her unique experience, the entire Ming Dynasty is unmatched. At present, the center of the intelligence network against Japan has gradually shifted from the East Factory to the People's Guard.

The military attaches of the Ming Embassy in Japan used to be sent by the Jinyi Guard, but now they are sent by the People's Guard. Both the Ming Dynasty and Japan are national structures in which the cabinet and the military are side by side, and the army is relatively the best, so in the diplomatic team, the military attache is particularly important. The ambassador represents the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the military attache represents the army. Fourteen Gege has also become the actual official person in charge of the diplomacy of the "military attachés" of the two sides. The Japanese military is also more willing to deal with Fourteen Gege. After all, the fourteen grids were trained by them. In addition to becoming more familiar with each other, in the words of the Japanese military attache in Ming, "there is also a kind of relationship between the mother and the daughter."

As for the Japanese military attache in Ming, Fourteen Gege is also very familiar. When he was in Japan, he had heard of his name for a long time.

Fourteen Gege looked at the invitation letter in his hand, thought for a while, smiled slightly, didn't say anything, and directly ordered the following to choose a few gifts, arrange a car in the evening, and go to the old classmates as guests.

……

That night, the fourteen-grid convoy drove directly from the headquarters and came to the Baixia district. According to the address on the invitation letter, the driver stopped in front of a small garden house with a detached house.

Behind, the People's Guard guards jumped out of the truck, quickly guarded the surroundings, and stood in two rows in front of the fence gate of the bungalow, holding submachine guns in their hands, and not squinting.

Fourteen Gege wrapped in a cloak, stepped out of the bulletproof car with one foot, and stared at the garden house, the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, and he already had a little calculation in his heart.

- What position does Asakura hold in the embassy? Ambassadors don't make it? At most, it's a secretary. A secretary, how could the Ministry of Foreign Affairs arrange such a nice house for her?

The fourteen-grid maid had already stepped forward to ring the bell.

The bell rang twice, the door opened, and Miss Asakura, dressed in a dress, greeted her in person. She saw Fourteen Gege from afar, and greeted her with a smile, her hands on her knees, a bow, and an affectionate greeting in her mouth. Fourteen Gege also greeted warmly and bowed back.

Under Asakura's smiling expression, he couldn't hide a trace of nervousness. Especially after seeing the fourteen grids so front and back.

"No way," Fourteen Gege had already seen her nervousness, shook his head, and smiled affectionately while holding hands, "Beijing always wants my head." ”

"Ahhh......h

Asakura smiled, more nervous.

This is the effect of the fourteen grids.

Entering the foyer, I turned a corner, and the living room was brightly lit and the fireplace was blazing. There were already several male and female guests inside, all of whom seemed to be Japanese. Men wear either suits and leather shoes or swords, and women wear kimonos or tuxedos. A few people were laughing and chatting, and a young lady was sitting at the piano in front of the fireplace, playing a tune fluently, with a glass of champagne on the piano.

"Princess, please let me help you with your coat."

Sako Asakura smiled and said a word, which immediately made the piano sound stop abruptly. Several guests stood up at the same time, champagne in hand, and turned to look at her. All with a bit of surprise.

Fourteen Gege untied his cloak and handed it to Asakura, revealing the dress inside. She smiled and looked around at everyone, immediately a little surprised.

His former intelligence teacher, the new Japanese military attache in Ming, was also there.

"Ah, Your Highness Princess."

This Japanese lieutenant general in his fifties has a pair of small eyes that shoot a confident and wise light, and a mustache under his big nose. He put down the champagne, stepped forward with a smile, bent down and bowed shallowly, then took off his gloves according to the Western rites, carefully took the hand of the fourteen grids, and kissed it gently:

"It is a great honour for Her Royal Highness the princess to deign to come."

Fourteen Gege also smiled:

"Mr. Tsuchihara, you are too polite. I listened to your lectures at the military headquarters and had the privilege of witnessing your demeanor. A few years later, we met again in Nanjing. ”