Just as the Eastern Hebei Anti-Japanese Federation began to change its battle plan and prepare to go south to open up a base area, great changes also took place in the Japanese army.

In Beiping in September, although the smoke of gunpowder has dissipated, it has become a matter of people. The 29th Army, which had been stationed here, had already been beaten and left Hebei, and the Japanese army entered the ancient capital with great pride, as if proudly claiming that they had defeated the Chinese.

At the headquarters of the North China Front, General Terauchi Shouichi seemed to be in a very good mood today, strolling around the headquarters early in the morning, humming a small tune from his hometown while carefully watering the cultivated flowers with a small kettle.

A burst of footsteps suddenly came from the door, and Terauchi Shouichi raised his head and found that it was Major General Okabe Naosaburo, chief of staff of the North China Front, who hurriedly walked in. Seeing that the general was happily messing with flowers, Okabe Naosaburo hurriedly stood up straight, bowed and said, "I'm very sorry to disturb your Yaxing, Commander." ”

Shouichi Terauchi, who was in a good mood, waved his hand nonchalantly, "It's okay, it's okay." Okabe-kun, you and I have worked together for so many years, and we have long been very good friends, so I don't have to care about such red tape. ”

Naosaburo Okabe stood up straight again and bowed: "Hi! Thank you Commander for the compliment, and I will do my best to assist the Commander in achieving his merits. ”

"It's serious," Shouichi Terauchi put down the kettle and said with a smile, "Speaking of which, Okabe-kun, what kind of wind blew you here this morning?" ”

"Good news, General Honma Masaharu and the 27th Division have returned to Beiping Tianjin by train from the Wuhan front and are now waiting for further orders from the commander at the railway station."

Shouichi Terauchi was overjoyed, "Wow, wow, the 27th Division is back, and we have a new force to exterminate the swarm of insects in the back garden." Where is Honma-kun, I want to see him. ”

"Lieutenant General Masaharu Honma is waiting for you to meet him in the headquarters conference room." Terauchi Shou was about to leave as soon as he pulled his legs, and looked at his pajamas, "This is too informal, I'll go change my clothes." To greet the heroes, you have to dress more formally. ”

Ten minutes later, the headquarters conference room. Masaharu Honma was waiting in the headquarters in a lieutenant general's uniform, waiting for Shouichi Terauchi to receive him. Although he had met Naosaburo Okabe before, he was still apprehensive about the boss he was about to meet again.

However, the sound of footsteps soon broke his thoughts, and he saw Naosaburo Okabe walk in, "Honma-kun, Your Excellency the Commander is already waiting for you in the office, please go to the office for a while." ”

Honma Masaharu stood up excitedly, "Thank you Okabe-kun for your help, I'll go over to see the commander first." Naosaburo Okabe nodded and moved out of the way, "Please." ”

Masaharu Honma walked to the closed office door and knocked lightly, "Come in." A kind voice rang out from the room. Masaharu Honma hurriedly pushed the door in, and an antique environment appeared in front of him.

The whole environment is designed to be very simple and elegant, and a Japanese aristocratic temperament easily appears in Honma Masaharu's heart. Honma Masaharu secretly praised and randomly turned his gaze to the commander General Toshiichi Terauchi sitting on the other side.

At this time, Shouichi Terauchi was holding a book and reading it "with relish", nodding and admiring while turning the pages. Seeing Honma Masaharu walk in, Terauchi Shouichi put down the book in his hand and said with a smile: "Welcome Honma-kun back to the North China Front." ”

Honma Masaharu immediately stood up and hurriedly said, "Thank you for the kindness of the commander, I will definitely do my best to serve the empire and serve the commander." ”

Shouichi Terauchi stood up and patted Masaharu Honma on the shoulder, "Honma-kun, you're too nervous, take it easy." You have always been the main force of our North China Front, and we still value you very much. Let's sit down and talk. ”

The two sat down, and Terauchi Shouichi suddenly asked, "How is it, how does life feel in the southern part of China?" ”

"It's not good," Honma shook his head, "When I arrived near Jinling in May, it was raining continuously, and the soldiers' clothes were often wet, and they couldn't dry out no matter how much they dried, and their equipment was full of water droplets. The food eaten is also damp, and the mold of the food is very serious. ”

"Beginning in June, our unit was ordered to attack the cities around Wuhan and the positions of the Central Army's defensive line, but the fighting was still not going well. The armed resistance of the central army and the local warlords of the government in China was very stubborn, although they were not as well armed as the empire, but their troops were not as vulnerable as the 29th army, and we paid a great price for breaking these lines. ”

"It took us a full two months to complete the clearing of the positions on the outskirts of Wuhan and open the way for the empire. But the next urban warfare was still very uncomfortable for us, and the shadow of Chinese soldiers could be seen in every street, and there were often Chinese soldiers who raided our machine gun positions or artillery positions, although they were quickly annihilated or repulsed by the Imperial soldiers, but their tenacity made us very uncomfortable. ”

"Indeed," Terauchi Shou nodded, "Our First Army was also held back by the main forces of the Jin Sui Army and the Central Army in Shanxi, and the progress of the attack on Shanxi was very slow. Now those dirt roads are still active in our jurisdiction, and it really gives me a headache to get around. ”

"Now that Honma-kun is back, then next, those guys from Jidong will be handed over to you to solve. It just so happens that your division itself is the Chinese garrison army originally stationed in eastern Hebei, and you are very familiar with this place, so there should be no problem in fighting these local guerrillas. ”

Hearing that there was something wrong with his "old nest", Honma Masaharu immediately came to his senses, "Commander, what happened in Jidong?" Looks like it makes you so angry? ”

"In July, the mob and the Eighth Road rose up to make trouble, established an anti-Japanese coalition army in eastern Hebei, and laid down several counties in eastern Hebei. Our main force was held back by the Central Army in Shanxi and the Jin Sui Army, as well as the Tubalu Army in North China, and could not be transferred back. ”

"On the side of the Kwantung Army, I originally wanted to borrow a few wings to launch a purge of the rebels in eastern Hebei. But in August, the Imperial Kwantung Army and the Soviet Russians fought a battle at Zhanggufeng, and the Empire was defeated. As a result, a large number of troops were transferred to the Soviet-Mongolian border to guard against the Soviet-Mongolian attack, and the support we could obtain from the Kwantung Army was extremely limited. ”

"Now, you're back, and I have enough helpers in the eastern Hebei region. I can free up my hands to clean up that group of rebels, and then Honma-kun, I have to rely on you a lot. ”

Honma Masaharu stood up in fear and bowed: "It is the mission of our generation to serve the empire and maintain the peace of the empire. The commander was serious. ”

"Hey, no," Shouichi Terauchi waved his hand, "Your 27th Division is an important unit for us, and we really need to pay attention to you." Originally, you had just come down from the most fierce Wuhan front, and you should have been given a one-month rest. But the situation is a bit troublesome, you can only rest for half a month, and then immediately go to the eastern Hebei region. ”

"As for supplies, the front army headquarters guarantees that you can get supplies first, and after half a month, you can also get reinforcements from an independent brigade from the front army, plus the local militia groups, homecoming regiments, security regiments, garrisons and other imperial alliance troops in eastern Hebei, your number and combat effectiveness are much higher than the rebels in eastern Hebei. I hope that by that time, you will be able to resolve the problem of the rebels and rebel organizations in eastern Hebei as soon as possible. ”

"There is no problem, we promise to exterminate this rebel force in eastern Hebei and bring eastern Hebei back to stability." Masaharu Honma stood up again and bowed.

"Everything is up to you, if you have any requirements, the front army headquarters will try to meet them as much as possible, as long as you can eliminate these rebels."

"Hello, thank you Commander for your kindness!"