Taiyuan, inside the headquarters of the First Army.

After receiving the farewell telegram from the 33rd and 41st Divisions, Okamura Ninji turned white overnight.

At this time, his eyes were blank and exhausted, and he looked like an unemployed middle-aged man. There is a twilight all over the body, and the momentum of the past has long been lost.

Flipping through the battle report presented by Yoshio Iwamatsu, the numbers on it were even more shocking.

"In just one week, the entire front army has hit a wall everywhere."

"The firepower of the Eighth Route Army is very strong, and the mortars of various calibers equipped by the grassroots troops are at least twice as large as those of the B division."

"Lieutenant General Iseki, Lieutenant General Shimizu Rules, Lieutenant General Sakurai Province 3rd and Lieutenant General Anda 23, hey! The situation in the First Army is too bad, it's really bald! ”

Reading them one by one, Okamura Ninji's tone was filled with horror.

After a moment, the old devil opened the plan log on the table and sighed deeply.

At the end of last year, when he first took up the post of commander of the North China Front, he was so majestic and heroic. In the face of the complicated situation in Jin Province, he first sent Iwamatsu Yoshio, a China expert, and personally formulated the Battle of the Central Plains.

Against the Eighth Route Army, as long as the Battle of the Central Plains could be won, the First Army could free up its hands and repeatedly sweep through the province with the strength of three divisions and four independent mixed brigades.

Even if you may not be able to completely eliminate the other party, you can also stifle the development of the trouble in your heart, and all problems will be solved naturally.

For the Jin Suijun, it was a continuation of the plan of luring and soliciting.

As long as a puppet regime similar to Wang Wangwang can be established in North China, there is a high chance that the younger country will get out of the quagmire of the Republic of China. When the time comes, the sky is high and the birds will fly, and it will be up to you to choose whether you go north or south.

It's a pity, it's a pity!

Before, Okamura Ninji had mocked Tada Jun and Shinozuka Yoshio behind his back, but judging from the current situation, the clown was himself.

The base camp had just even crossed him directly and ordered the 21st and 35th Divisions on the Zhongtiao Shandong Line to return to Zhengding and Xinxiang respectively.

The troops that were originally responsible for the security of Jin Province are now only the independent mixed third brigade stationed in Ningwu can be used.

Even if the defenders along the railway line and in the major county towns were to be gathered, at most one more wing of soldiers would be drawn.

With this garrison alone, there is no guarantee of even law and order warfare.

It is no longer possible to recruit Yan Baichuan, the intelligence department finally invited people over, and is preparing to step up his efforts and let him take his troops to join the First Army.

As a result, because of the incompetent Hanaya Zheng, the two parties tore their faces.

I heard that the other side of the Central Plains Battle also sent some troops, and took advantage of the weakness of the younger country to bite off a few pieces of meat.

But these are not important, after the end of this battle, the huge Jin Province may not have a place for the other party, they are just defeated dogs.

The strength shown by the Eighth Route Army made Okamura Ningji feel palpitations until now.

During the entire battle, the total number of troops mobilized by the enemy exceeded 100,000. These are all regular troops, and there are no county brigades and district squads.

The other side is also armed with hundreds of M1897 75mm cannons, as well as a large number of advanced fighters.

In terms of army infantry weapons alone, the enemy was inferior only in armored units and heavy artillery of a larger caliber. However, with the development speed of the other party, it is estimated that it will take one or two years to make up for it.

Perhaps the only turning point is a widespread famine in northern China.

Only when the Eighth Route Army is physically and mentally exhausted to rescue the victims can the younger country have the opportunity to turn the tide and recapture the backyard of Jin Province.

"Hey!"

Okamura Ninji sighed bitterly, if time could come back, he would definitely mobilize more troops to attack Nakajo Mountain, and he must quickly resolve the battle with a devastating offensive.

Looking at the sky outside the window, he said to the guards outside the door, "Go and call Lieutenant General Yoshio Iwamatsu, I have something to explain to him." ”

Ten minutes later, the unlucky commander of the First Army in history appeared.

Compared to Kiyoji Kazuki, Mijiro Umezu, and Yoshio Shinozuka, Yoshio Iwamatsu is simply a complete unlucky guy. He has empty ambitions, but he has never grasped real power.

Not long after he took the position of commander of the First Army, his immediate boss planned the Battle of the Central Plains.

But the position of the commander-in-chief is not him, in a sense, winning has little to do with him, but if he loses, he will undoubtedly take the blame.

When he came to the battle room, he put down the wine glass and sake in his hand, moved a chair and sat opposite Okamura Ninji.

It is worth mentioning that the old devil did not wear a military uniform today, but chose a set of men's white and innocent, as if he was mentally prepared to die.

After a glass of wine, he took the initiative to speak.

"Your Excellency, Commander."

"We can't give up Shanxi, once the Eighth Route Army occupies the whole province, the situation in North China will be even more severe."

Okamura nodded, and then spread his hands helplessly.

"Of course I know that."

"There is no problem with our strategic direction, the problem lies in the misjudgment of the relationship between the preserved defenders and the Eighth Route Army. You and I still don't know enough about the meaning of the old saying. ”

Both of them knew one thing, that they would need a lot of reinforcements to regain control.

At present, however, the whole of North China is not at peace, and the resistance movement in the provinces is becoming more and more intense.

In addition to Jin Province, the situation in the two provinces of Hebei and Lu is not optimistic, and the base area of the Eighth Route Army is like a nail.

In the North China Front, the only army stationed in Mongolia that could provide support was also strictly defended by the enemy's Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region.

Not to mention the fact that they had only one division, a cavalry group, and an independent mixed brigade. With such a small number of troops, all going south is also a merit to the Eighth Route Army.

The Kwantung Army was a good option, but the mobilization of troops required orders from the base camp.

Moreover, the trouble there is no less than that in North China, and there must not be any problems with the Showa Steel Mill and the Kwantung Army Field Weapons Factory, which is the lifeblood of the younger country.

After being silent for a few seconds, the two came together in front of the North China Front's sphere of influence.

On the map, the blue areas along the lines of communication such as railways and highways are the areas of Japanese forces and occupations.

But the rest of the places, such as the vast mountainous countryside, basically represent the territory of the Eighth Route Army. Standing in the distance, it looks as if the enemy is gradually eating away at them.

"The Eighth Route Army is getting stronger and stronger."

"Not only have they built their own military factories, but they even have the spare power to develop migrant workers."

"Forget it, these worries have nothing to do with me anyway. Your Excellency, I guess the purpose of my visit today should be very clear. ”

Hearing Iwamatsu Yoshio's words, Okamura Ninji couldn't help but look at the clothes on the other party's body. Today is a private occasion, and it is understandable that the other party does not wear military uniforms and civilian clothes.

Under normal circumstances, the first choice for casual clothes is definitely a patterned feather hakama.

White and unclean, it is generally worn by women and is used for childbirth or weddings. Once a man wears it, especially a soldier from a younger country, he must be ready to commit suicide.

Seeing that Okamura Ninji never spoke, Iwamatsu Yoshio took out the short knife he had prepared long ago from his waist.

"Someone always needs to bear the consequences of the defeat of the battle. I have made up my mind, please Commander Mischief for me! ”

As soon as these words came out, there was silence in the combat conference room for a minute.

Okamura Ninji did not take the short knife in the other party's hand, but went to the back of the desk and took out a military uniform symbolizing the lieutenant general of the army.

After handing over the military uniform to Iwamatsu Yoshio, the old devil bowed deeply, and then shouted loudly with all his strength: "Please Iwamatsu-kun stick to his post." ”

As early as a day ago, Okamura Ninji had set out to find a way out for himself.

Although the whole of Shanxi was lost, and the entire three divisions of the First Army were buried. But with his connections, it's not hard to survive.

The only trouble is to choose a suitable scapegoat.

It was clear that Yoshio Iwamatsu was the most suitable choice.

After all, the First Army had been wiped out, and as a commander, it was natural that he should die with his troops.

"Hahaha!"

Seeing Okamura Ninji's low breath, Iwamatsu Yoshio let out a maniacal smile. He had wanted to die a happy death, and even the poison was ready.

Seppuku is a painful thing, and the pain is still very long.

Even this group of high-ranking Japanese generals would not choose to commit suicide unless they had to. Most of them give themselves a knife first, and then end their lives through other means.

In order to ensure a quick death, he originally wanted to swallow the poison and then make Okamura Ninji mistaken. can only play a double insurance, and it can be regarded as giving the other party a step down.

But I never expected that even seppuku suicide is a luxury now. Looking at the meaning of his own commander, he was forced to die on the battlefield.

For Yoshio Iwamatsu, who usually prides himself on being a samurai, dying on the battlefield is a good choice.

However, the premise of all this is that the enemy and us are evenly matched, not an independent mixed brigade to fight more than 100,000 people in two divisions of the Eighth Route Army. That's torture, not honor.

The officials and universities crushed people to death, and someone must always bear the consequences for the failure of the battle. Otherwise, those navy red deer will definitely snatch away the already small resources like mad dogs.

"Okay, I got it."

"I will lead the remaining soldiers of the First Army to defend this city."

"Presumably, I will be infamous after I die, I just hope that Okamura-kun can take care of my family and not let them be hurt twice because of me."

After getting the scapegoat candidate, Okamura Ninji seems to have regained his youth. He first bowed again, and then said very heroically:

"Your wife, I raise her!"

"Iwamatsu-kun, you can go with confidence!"

In the evening of the same day, a 97-fold explosion took off from Taiyuan Airport in a hurry. In addition, there were six Type 97 fighters divided into two formations, and they were responsible for escorting Gangcun Ningci back to Beiping.

It won't be easy to pass him, and there will be arrangements for the follow-up

(End of chapter)