The Eleventh Army Headquarters at this time cannot be said to be very busy! I can only say it is general, why do you say that? Because their staff is planning the next war!
As the main force of the Central China Expeditionary Force of the Japanese invaders, the Eleventh Army shoulders a very important task, especially stabilizing the situation in Wuhan and surrounding areas!
For Okamura Neiji, in order to stabilize the environment in Wuhan at this stage of the battle, the main force of the Chinese army's fifth theater of war entrenched in northwest Hubei must be wiped out.
Yes, the troops in the Ninth Theater of the National Army are basically on the front line of Hunan and Jiangxi. More than half of the troops of the Eleventh Army are watching there, and there is a natural chasm along the Yangtze River, which makes them impossible to defeat. However, the troops in the Fifth Theater of the National Army are It's different. Their station is on the north bank of the Yangtze River. If there is a gap in their defense line or their troops are exhausted, these troops will be the first wave of counterattack troops!
It was precisely because of this realization that Okamura Neiji once again summoned his senior staff to discuss and improve the battle plan for the Suizao Campaign that would be launched in two months.
"Everyone, although the army of our empire has captured Wuhan within the scheduled time according to the original plan, during this period, I deeply felt the vastness of the land of China. It is precisely because of this The vast territory prevents our troops from fully consolidating the occupied area! If we cannot even consolidate the occupied area, then our operations will be greatly compromised! For this reason, during this period, I was also contemplating launching a campaign. The purpose of this operation with Suixian and Zaoyang areas as the main combat targets is to completely annihilate the main force of the fifth theater of the China Army headed by Li Zongren!" Okamura Neiji spoke with a very clear level of language.
Sitting in front of Neji Okamura were five senior staff officers of the Eleventh Army. Among them, the lowest-ranking one was also a colonel!
I saw these senior staff officers sitting at attention, listening to Lieutenant General Okamura Neiji's speech. They also knew that Commander Okamura Neiji would not easily ask them to come here for a collective meeting if he had no other important matters.
"Regarding this battle, I plan to use three main divisions as the main force, and then assign a number of support units to carry out operations to gain momentum and annihilate the main force of the fifth theater of the China Army in Suixian and Zaoyang areas! Please! Everyone, please speak!" Neji Okamura said very politely. After all, these people are his think tanks. Many of his decisions depend on these people, so he respects them very much and even speaks politely. .
"Your Excellency, General Okamura, first of all, I will unconditionally obey your decision and will absolutely support it!!" Major General Gao Shen, the leader, stood up and responded. After a closer look, isn't this person none other than Asaburo Kobayashi?
"I agree with Chief of Staff Xiaolin!" Another major general, Gao Shen, stood up and responded.
…
What happened next was no surprise, and I completely agreed with Lieutenant General Okamura Neiji's Suizao combat plan.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Hearing the knock on the door, everyone in the small conference room frowned, because they all knew that coming at this time was definitely an urgent battle report!
According to the regulations established by Lieutenant General Okamura Neiji, the senior staff meeting cannot be interrupted unless it is a particularly urgent matter.
After the knocking on the door stopped, a voice came from outside: "Your Excellency, Commander, Yueyang is urgently reporting the battle!"
Upon hearing this report, Okamura Neji's pupils shrank. After all, in his opinion, the war in Yueyang at this time was counterproductive to the Suizao war he was about to launch.
Because since Okamura Neiji took over Wuhan's defense, he discovered the problem that his troops' front line was too long. He had to fight steadily so as to stabilize the established occupied area and relieve the strong logistical pressure on the rear. Therefore, in Only under this circumstance should we formulate a plan to fight with Zao. But now, if a large-scale war breaks out in Yueyang, then the Suizao battle plan will definitely be postponed.
This is a very troublesome thing.
But since it has been explained that it is an urgent battle report, even if the main force of the Sixth Division stationed in Yueyang is, it is very likely to face huge trouble.
So, Okamura Neji put down the first draft in his hand and raised his head solemnly: "Come in!"
"Hai!!" A voice echoed from outside the door, and then the door creaked open.
A major, who was about thirty-four or five years old, walked in outside the door. He trotted up to Okamura Neiji and reported: "Your Excellency, Commander, the Sixth Division sent an urgent message saying that the 45th Regiment under its command has passed away today. In the early morning, they were attacked by an unknown number of ace troops of the China Army, and the whole unit was "shattered"! Lieutenant General Inaba Shiro, the commander of the 6th Division, said that before the attack, the 45th Regiment, the Mei Agency and the Special Forces The higher education department didn’t know anything about it, and they didn’t even know about the appearance of such a powerful Chinese army on the south bank of the Xinqiang River!”
The major also knew that this was the way to report in the staff conference room.
Quiet, absolutely quiet. If there were any sound of turning a page at this time, it would be very abrupt.
Time seems to have stopped.
The news of this news was undoubtedly very shocking. If the previous 101st Division or the 106th Division had been killed like this, it would be a normal situation. But this is the Sixth Division. Since the invasion of China, it has always been the main force that has been an absolute ace. How did it lose a regiment like this? Just how ferocious these enemies are, these senior officials of the Japanese Eleventh Army already have an answer in their hearts.
"Nani? All 'Jade Broken'?!" Neji Okamura's voice rose slightly, as if he couldn't believe his ears. After all, when fighting on the north bank of the Yangtze River, a regiment of the Sixth Division could be regarded as another The troops are used by a brigade unit.
"Hai!!" The major nodded, and then handed the telegram translation paper in his hand to Okamura Neji.
Okamura Neiji took the telegram translation paper and read it carefully. The more he read, the more solemn his expression became.
Finally, Okamura Neiji put down the telegram translation paper and said: "Gentlemen, this is the situation on the south bank of the Xinqiang River. On the south bank of the Xinqiang River, a regiment of our army was defeated by the elite of the China Army in just one night. The troops were all wiped out. This situation is absolutely intolerable. However, the people in the Special High School and the Mei Agency did not know about this situation. The elite of the Chinese Army marched northward, and our intelligence agencies were unaware of it. This is definitely a dereliction of duty by the intelligence agencies! Everyone, what do you think about this matter?"
Okamura Neiji's words are very important. The political direction has been determined. The rest must be left to these staff to handle.
"Your Excellency, Commander, I am thinking about concealing the casualties. At least the commander of the regiment, Masarou Kumatake, should be here. Otherwise, the face of our Eleventh Army will be lost." Asaburo Kobayashi's eyes There was a little light shining in it, as if a plan had been thought out.
As soon as Asaburo Kobayashi's words came out, the senior Japanese military counselors around him seemed to understand something. After all, they are all smart people...
Well, people who are not smart cannot be a staff officer, let alone a senior staff officer!
…
PS: Updates are coming!
Thanks to book friend GaoGui for the 1666 book coins reward!
