"General."

"Recently, the Eighth Route Army dispatched a large number of fighters and bombers to carry out air strikes on the roads and railways controlled by the North China Locust Army."

"There have been heavy losses along the major transportation routes."

Beiping, the headquarters of the North China Front, an operational staff officer bowed his head to Okamura Ningji and reported to him.

Next to Okamura Ninji stood Chief of Staff Seizo Arisue, Deputy Chief of Staff Kazuki Yamamoto, and several operational staff officers.

"Got it."

Okamura nodded, although this was expected by him, but when he heard the news, he couldn't help frowning.

"The planes of the Eighth Route Army are really hateful!"

A combat staff officer clenched his fists and said indignantly.

It's infuriating, but there's nothing it can do.

The planes of the Eighth Route Army came and went freely in the skies of North and Central China, and they could not only bomb the Japanese army's transportation facilities, but also bomb the Japanese army's barracks and military stations.

Even Japanese ships transporting troops and war materiel at sea were bombed.

"Your Excellency General, do you want to send the 6th Flying Division to teach the Air Force of the Eighth Route Army a lesson?"

Seizo asked angrily.

Because of the indiscriminate bombing by the planes of the Eighth Route Army, all the Japanese troops' and material transportation was changed to night.

In this way, the transfer of troops and materials of the Japanese army was completed at least half a month later than the original plan.

At present, the 6th Flying Division has been formed.

The division was commanded by Lieutenant General Yoshiichi Sakaka, Chief of Staff Kenji Tokunaga, and its strength consisted of five flying teams, one teaching flying regiment, and eight flight field groups, with about 200 aircraft.

Among them are 5 fighter flying squadrons, about 100 fighters.

After the formation of the 6th Flying Division in the Shenyang area, it was indeed not attacked by the air force units of the Eighth Route Army.

Okamura Ninji was suddenly a little moved, and the planes of the Eighth Route Army that bombed the lines of communication and Japanese military facilities were generally propeller fighters and light bombers.

But Okamura Ningji thought about it carefully, waved his hand and said: "The Eighth Route Army may not know that the 6th Flying Division of the Locust Army has been formed, and the 6th Flying Division cannot be exposed for the time being. ”

It was not long before the 1st Combined Air Force and the 60th Sentai in Central China were wiped out.

The strength of the 5 fighter squadrons of the 3rd Flying Division is at most similar to that of the 1st Combined Air Force and the 60th Squadron.

Can it be an opponent of the Air Force of the Eighth Route Army?

Although the scale of the Eighth Route Army's air force is not large, the combined combat effectiveness of its pilots and fighters is indeed extremely strong.

This 6th Flying Division is the only air force in Okamura Ninji's hands.

If the 6th Flying Division had been wiped out, the base camp would never have sent him another pilot and an airplane.

"Hey."

There are three end essences bowing their heads.

"Your Excellency, General, based on reliable information."

Yamamoto Kazuki, with a solemn expression, reported to Okamura Ninji:

"The strength of the Eighth Route Army has increased greatly, with no less than 1,000 heavy artillery pieces and more than 500 tanks."

"A thousand heavy guns? 500 tanks? ”

Hearing this data, even Okamura Ninji couldn't help but gasp.

Not to mention the several combat staff officers next to him, their pupils shrank suddenly, their faces were full of disbelief, and even a look of despair appeared in their pupils.

The gap between the Japanese army and the Eighth Route Army was too great.

"Is this still the dirt road in the ravine?"

One of the operational staff officers spoke helplessly.

Now the situation has been reversed, the Eighth Route Army has become a local tyrant army, and the Japanese army has become a Hanako army.

"The Eighth Route Army is so rich."

"It seems that Yamamoto-kun's guess is correct, the more locust army jade crumbling against the Eighth Route Army, the more weapons, ammunition and war materials the Eighth Route Army will obtain."

There is a dignified look on the face of the last essence three.

There is even speculation that the price of the locust army generals is higher than the price of the locust soldiers.

Otherwise, how to explain that every time a general goes to North China, the Eighth Route Army will send intelligence and kill him?

Of course, this is all speculation by Sue Seisan, and there is no real evidence.

But the current intelligence points to this speculation.

The soldiers and generals of the Imperial Locust Army were regarded as price yards, just like pork on the board, which was calculated by the pound.

Yousue Jingsan felt very aggrieved, he sometimes wondered, how many heavy artillery pieces could he be worth in the Eighth Route Army with the rank of chief of staff of the North China Front Army, with the rank of lieutenant general? How many tanks?

"What should the two chiefs of staff do?"

Okamura narrowed his eyes and looked at Seizo Arisue and Kazuki Yamamoto.

Under the huge gap in strength, even Okamura Ningji, who is known as a master tactician, feels a little helpless.

The strength of the troops is inferior to that of the Eighth Route Army, the weapons are inferior to the Eighth Route Army, the logistics are inferior to the Eighth Route Army, and the aviation units are inferior to the Eighth Route Army.

The Eighth Route Army also had the advantage of fighting locally and could win the support of the common people.

In this battle, it seems that the locust army has no chance of winning.

"Your Excellency, General."

"We should have a strategic decisive battle with the Eighth Route Army and solve the Eighth Route Army in one battle, so as to completely eliminate worries."

Yusei thought for a moment, looked at Okamura Ninji and said:

"The main force of the Eighth Route Army should have given up guerrilla warfare by now and had an advantage in all aspects, and the next stage of the offensive will definitely seek a decisive battle with the main force of the Locust Army."

Okamura Ninji nodded, and at this point, the analysis of Sue Seizo was correct.

"In a strategic decisive battle with the Eighth Route Army, the Locust Army does not have much chance of winning."

Okamura Ninji shook his head, his tone a little helpless.

The current strategic decisive battle with the Eighth Route Army is to gamble on the fate of the Locust Army and the Empire, sending countless soldiers to the meat grinder battlefield.

"If you add the Kwantung Army and the Locust Army in Central China, you have a chance of winning."

Seizo said.

"The base camp won't agree."

Okamura thought for a moment, but still shook his head.

At present, the Japanese Empire is in full bloom, and the two battlefields in the Pacific and Southeast Asia are no smaller in scale than the Chinese battlefield, and materials are very scarce.

If the Kwantung Army and the Japanese army in Central China were mobilized, it would be 6 or 700,000 Japanese troops.

With so many Japanese troops fighting a decisive battle with the Eighth Route Army, there must be a chance of victory, but the war materials needed are also massive.

The strategic focus of the base camp is to plunder strategic resources, rather than investing them in large quantities, in case of defeat, the losses of the Japanese army are immeasurable.

Moreover, once the Kwantung Army and the main forces of the Japanese army in Central China were transferred.

Then the national army in Central China, as well as the Soviet army in the Far East, will most likely make some moves.

The base camp even believed that the strength of the Eighth Route Army was not very strong, and repeatedly sent telegrams urging Okamura Ningji to destroy the Eighth Route Army as soon as possible after the allocated troops, combat materials, and flying divisions arrived.

"Then the only way to do this is to implement a defense-in-depth strategy."

Seizo said.

The so-called defense-in-depth strategy is to set up a defensive depth based on cities and transportation routes.

Let the Eighth Route Army fight all the way.

This is the battle plan drawn up by Okamura Ninji.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency the Chief of Staff, I have another tactic that may work."

At this moment, Kazuki Yamamoto, whose eyes were sharp like falcons, said.

"Yamamoto-kun, what tactics?"

Okamura Ninji and Arise Seizo looked at Kazuki Yamamoto.

"The tactics of the Eighth Route Army against the locust army." Kazuki Yamamoto said in a deep voice.

"You mean, guerrilla warfare?"

Yusei San was stunned, and looked at Yamamoto Kazuki incredulously, thinking that Yamamoto's circuit was indeed different from others.

"That's right, it's guerrilla warfare."

Yamamoto Kazuki says:

"When the locust army was strong and the Eighth Route Army was weak, the Eighth Route Army adopted guerrilla warfare to deal with the locust army, and it was successful, and now the Eighth Route Army is strong and the locust army is weak, and the locust army can also use guerrilla warfare to deal with the Eighth Route Army."

"The guerrilla warfare of the Eighth Route Army was successful because of the support of the common people of China."

Regarding Yamamoto Kazuki's tactics, there is disdain for Seizo Arisue:

"Yamamoto-kun wouldn't think that the common people of China would support the guerrilla warfare of the locust army, right?"

The advantage of guerrilla warfare is that you are fighting while swimming, and the enemy does not know where you will attack from, and will come and go without a trace.

It is necessary to follow the rational selection of combat locations, the rapid deployment of troops, the rational allocation of troops, the rational selection of combat timing, and the rapid retreat after the end of the battle.

Recently, Major General Kazuki Yamamoto was studying the guerrilla warfare of the Eighth Route Army, and he had quite a lot of experience.

"Of course, the people of China will not support it." Kazuki Yamamoto said.

"Without the support of the common people of China, where will the food and ammunition of the locust army guerrillas come from?" Seizo asked.

"You can grab it from the hands of the common people of China, and you can also grab the transportation lines of the Eighth Route Army." Kazuki Yamamoto replied.

"Yamamoto-kun, your idea is good, but it's hard to work." Yusue Seizan unceremoniously poured a basin of cold water on Kazuki Yamamoto.

"Yamamoto-kun, tell me what you think."

Okamura Ninji was a little interested.

Yamamoto Kazuki pointed to the map and said: "Next, the main force of the Eighth Route will inevitably attack North China, the Eighth Route Army has a large number of heavy artillery, tanks and aircraft, frontal combat is not good for the Locust Army, it is recommended to abandon the railway and highway communication lines, and the Locust Army that has undergone special training operations will enter the mountains to fight guerrillas with the Eighth Route Army in small teams and squadrons, and these guerrillas will mainly ambush the Eighth Route Army transport team and destroy the logistics and communication lines of the Eighth Route Army. ”

"Fighting a war is about logistics, as long as the logistics supply line of the Eighth Route Army is effectively destroyed, then the pressure on the locust army on the frontal battlefield will suddenly be much less."

"Don't forget Yamamoto-kun." Yousue Jingsan reminded: "The Eighth Route Army has the ability to call the battlefield airdrop, the kind of airdrop of hundreds of large transport planes, covering the sky and the sun. ”

"Hundreds of thousands of troops of the Eighth Route Army, in the case of protracted operations, it is impossible to completely rely on airdrop supplies to sustain operations."

Yamamoto Kazuki says:

"No country can do it now, and I believe that Your Excellency the Chief of Staff can understand this truth."

Okamura Ninji nodded, and what Yamamoto Kazuki said seemed to have some truth.

In terms of guerrilla warfare, the Eighth Route Army was a professional player, and the Japanese army was just an amateur player.

The Japanese army challenged the professional players of the Eighth Route Army with amateur players, which was nothing more than an act of seeking death.

But.

Okamura Ninji also did not think about relying on special tactics and guerrilla warfare to reverse the situation of the Japanese army's inferiority.

As long as the Japanese guerrillas could destroy the logistics supply lines of the Eighth Route Army, they were considered successful.

"Yamamoto-kun, the matter of forming a guerrilla army and training guerrillas will be left to you."

Okamura Ningji looked solemn and gave a combat order:

"This battle is about the reputation of the entire North China Front, and even the fate of the empire, does Yamamoto-kun understand?"

"Hey." Yamamoto bowed his head and said, "I will do my best." (End of chapter)