Okamura Neiji himself said that he would replenish the aircraft and pilots allocated to the First Army no matter how much they lost.
But Okamura was referring to replacing bombers, fighters and pilots lost in combat.
The loss of a few aircraft in one battle was considered too much. As long as it was bombing the Eighth Route Army in northwestern Shanxi, Okamura Neiji would not feel so distressed.
But Okamura Neji never expected that all fighter planes, reconnaissance planes and bombers would be destroyed.
Moreover, the 17th Flying Regiment was bombarded and destroyed just after arriving at Wusu Airport.
The speed at which the 17th Flying Regiment went from its inception to being almost wiped out by the entire army is quite explosive in the entire history of the Japanese army.
On the side, Tanabe Moritake and Arisu Seizo were extremely speechless after hearing the contents of the telegram.
Even if the fighters and bombers of the 17th Flying Regiment were destroyed, you, Yoshio Iwamatsu, are still licking your face and asking for more planes and pilots?
It's strange that General Okamura isn't angry. Which commander wouldn't be angry about this?
At this time, Okamura Neji was very disappointed with Iwamatsu Yoshio, feeling that Iwamatsu Yoshio's ability was not even as good as the previous First Army Commander Yoshio Shinozuka.
The reason why the previous commander Yoshio Shinozuka died for his country and Taiyuan was captured by the Eighth Route Army was mainly because the main force of the First Army went to attack the Central Army in Zhongtiao Mountain, allowing Li Yunlong to lead the main force of the Eighth Route Army and took advantage of the loophole.
However, as soon as Iwamatsu Yoshio took office, Okamura Neiji allocated him combat materials again, including a lot of strategic materials such as steel bars and cement.
They even transferred elite troops from other armies to the First Army to help fight against the Eighth Route Army in Shanxi.
This time.
A flying regiment was even mobilized for the First Army. Okamura Neiji had relatively high hopes for this flying group, hoping that in the hands of Yoshio Iwamatsu, it would be able to exert its power and cause some trouble to the Eighth Route Army in northwest Shanxi. .
However, much beyond Neji Okamura's expectations, the flying group was almost wiped out on the first day after arriving in Taiyuan and completely lost its combat effectiveness.
Yoshio Iwamatsu is a waste...
Even the task assigned to him to lure Yan Xishan to surrender, Yoshio Iwamatsu, has not been completed. Half a year has passed, and there has been no progress at all. He even fought a battle with the Jinsui Army, and there is no hope of inducing surrender.
I really can’t do anything.
Okamura Neji's eyes were gloomy. The old Japanese was already considering whether to replace Yoshio Iwamatsu and let a more powerful lieutenant general serve as the commander of the First Army.
Tadashi Kuribayashi is somewhat capable, but his qualifications are relatively junior, and he has been transferred to Guangzhou as the chief of staff of the 23rd Army.
Okamura Neiji turned around and looked at Tanabe Moritake: "Tanabe-kun, go make arrangements and get me through the phone number of the First Army Headquarters immediately."
"Hi!"
Tanabe Shengwu suddenly lowered his head.
The North China Front Army Headquarters and the First Army Headquarters are separated by a straight line distance of 400 kilometers.
The two headquarters were connected by telephone lines running along roads and railways.
However, because the Eighth Route Army often attacked, destroyed roads and railways, and cut telephone lines, the phone calls rarely got through.
As Tanabe Moritake expected, the call from the North China Front Army Headquarters to the First Army Headquarters failed to get through at all.
Okamura Neiji said solemnly: "Then use the radio to make arrangements immediately."
Tanabe Shengwu didn't dare to neglect, lowered his head and said: "Hi!"
Although radio calls can easily be monitored, since Okamura Neji personally gave the order, Tanabe Moritake could only obey his orders.
…
at the same time.
Taiyuan.
First Army Headquarters.
Kazuki Yamamoto thought carefully and felt that the bombardment was getting more and more fishy. In order to clear his and the special agent team's innocence, Kazuki Yamamoto came to the war room.
By chance, Yoshio Iwamatsu, Masa Hanatani, and Masao Miyazaki were studying the retreat direction of the Eighth Route Army's artillery and cavalry in the war room.
"Your Excellency, Commander." Hua Guzheng suggested: "Most of the Eighth Route Army cavalry will rest at night. At this time, send the 1st Cavalry Brigade to pursue overnight. Maybe we can catch up with the Eighth Route Army cavalry and artillery in the Xinzhou area."
Miyazaki Masao also said: "The Eighth Route Army's cavalry marches very fast, but the Eighth Route Army's artillery carries mountain cannons and cannot run very fast. They should be able to catch up."
"It's already dark now, so it's not appropriate to pursue." But after thinking for a long time, Iwamatsu Yoshio shook his head.
He was afraid that the 1st Cavalry Brigade would be ambushed by the Eighth Route Army, which would really mean losing both his wife and his troops.
The commander of the 1st Cavalry Brigade, Tadamichi Ribayashi, has been transferred. The new commander of the 1st Cavalry Brigade, without Tadamichi Ribayashi's combat experience, may easily fall into Li Yunlong's trap.
After all, Yoshio Iwamatsu knew very well that Li Yunlong was known for his cunning. Could this be a series of tricks by Li Yunlong?
First, they bombarded the airport to lure the 1st Cavalry Brigade into pursuit. Then, the 1st Cavalry Brigade was ambushed and the entire army was wiped out.
at this time.
In Yoshio Iwamatsu's mind, he imagined a battle in which the 1st Cavalry Brigade was completely wiped out.
This was how the Black Island Cavalry Regiment of the First Army was wiped out.
Thinking of this, Yoshio Iwamatsu was even more afraid to send the 1st Cavalry Brigade to pursue.
Some generals are like this. Sometimes they think too much and can perfectly avoid the correct answer.
At this moment, Kazuki Yamamoto walked in with a saber and a gun on his waist. After the misunderstanding was resolved, Kazuki Yamamoto's gun and saber had been returned to him.
But Kazuki Yamamoto could feel that Yoshio Iwamatsu, Masa Hanatani, and Masao Miyazaki were obviously alienated from him.
Kazuki Yamamoto didn't care at all about the attitudes of Masao Hanatani and Masao Miyazaki, but he couldn't care less about Yoshio Iwamatsu's attitude towards him.
Kazuki Yamamoto walked up to Yoshio Iwamatsu, clicked his feet together, and said without any fluctuation in his voice: "Your Excellency, Commander, I just thought about this shelling again and found something strange."
"What's weird?"
"Tell me…"
Iwamatsu Yoshio frowned slightly, but he still gave Yamamoto Kazuki a chance to speak.
Masao Hanatani and Masao Miyazaki also looked at Yamamoto to see what he had analyzed.
Although Yamamoto Kazuki was suspected, Hanatani Masaru and Miyazaki Masao had to admit that Yamamoto Kazuki was indeed capable.
Kazuki Yamamoto analyzed: "Your Excellency, Commander, our First Army Headquarters only found out this morning the specific time when the 17th Flight Regiment arrived at Taiyuan Wusu Airport."
"The Eighth Route Army, as before, obviously knew the exact time of the 17th Flying Regiment's arrival at Wusu Airport very early."
"So, the Eighth Route Army prepared mountain artillery and artillery shells in Wujin Mountain in advance."
"The Eighth Route Army's special forces attacked the No. 65 gun tower half an hour before the arrival of the 17th Flying Regiment and killed all the soldiers in the gun tower with their bare hands."
"According to the reconnaissance team, the Eighth Route Cavalry, artillery and special forces arrived at Wujin Mountain yesterday afternoon."
"..."
Yamamoto analyzed it one by one.
Yoshio Iwamatsu frowned deeper: "Yamamoto-kun, what exactly do you want to say?"
"Your Excellency, Commander." Yamamoto said, "What Yamamoto wants to say is that it was not me who leaked the time when the 17th Flying Regiment arrived in Taiyuan. The person who leaked this information should be a senior agent lurking in the North China Front Command."
After hearing Yamamoto's analysis, Yoshio Iwamatsu suddenly felt that it made sense.
But Yoshio Iwamatsu had a second thought.
The time for the 17th Flying Regiment to take off from Peiping should have been temporarily decided by the commander of the North China Front, General Okamura Neiji.
Could it be that the senior Eighth Route Army agent lurking in the North China Front was really General Okamura Neiji?
Even Masao Hanatani and Masao Miyazaki couldn't help but think so.
Although they had doubts in their hearts, the three old devils all knew that trouble comes from words, and no one dared to speak out.
But just think about it.
If General Okamura Neiji is a spy, then the North China Front Army has nothing to do with the Eighth Route Army. It is better for the entire North China Front Army to surrender to the Eighth Route Army.
At this moment, the communications staff officer quickly walked into the war room holding a radio station.
"Your Excellency, Commander, General Okamura Neji wants to speak to you."
Hearing this, Yoshio Iwamatsu instinctively shrank. If such a big thing happened, he was ready to be criticized by Neji Okamura.
Indicating to put the radio on the table, Yoshio Iwamatsu waved his hand. Masaru Hanatani, Masao Miyazaki, Kazuki Yamamoto and the communications staff all nodded, then retreated and closed the door.
Then, Yoshio Iwamatsu picked up the receiver and microphone of the radio, put the microphone to his mouth with his right hand, and put the receiver to his ear with his left hand.
"Moxi Moxi, General, I am the commander of the First Army, Yoshio Iwamatsu..."
Before he finished speaking, Iwamatsu Yoshio's ears heard Okamura Neji's harsh curse: "Iwamatsu Yoshio, you waste..."
This time, even Neji Okamura, who remained calm despite the collapse of Mount Tai, lost his guard a little and cursed Yoshio Iwamatsu.
"Hi!"
"Hi!"
"..."
Yoshio Iwamatsu did not dare to be dissatisfied at all with his immediate boss's verbal abuse.
Neji Okamura cursed, and Yoshio Iwamatsu responded with a "hi" and at the same time bent ninety degrees to the radio station.
After scolding for a full 15 minutes, Okamura Neji hung up the call, but Iwamatsu Yoshio was already dripping with cold sweat behind him.
Iwamatsu Yoshio knew that Okamura Neji was really angry this time.
However, Yoshio Iwamatsu also felt very dissatisfied. He was a scapegoat. It was obviously the North China Front Army Headquarters who leaked the information, but it was Yoshio Iwamatsu and the First Army who suffered.
Why?
Also, you, Okamura Neiji, said it yourself, you will replace the aircraft and pilots of the 17th Flight Regiment as much as they lose.
Now he refuses to admit his fault. Isn’t this bullying an honest person?
…
Beiping.
Iron Lion Alley.
After hanging up the call, Okamura Neji finally felt better after scolding Iwamatsu Yoshio.
"Yoshio Iwamatsu." Neji Okamura snorted coldly, hating the fact that iron cannot become steel: "Mud cannot hold up a wall."
"Your Excellency, General." Moritake Tanabe asked, "Are you going to replenish the First Army with aircraft and pilots?"
"Replenish planes and pilots?" Neji Okamura said coldly, "Give it to Yoshio Iwamatsu, that loser?"
After a pause, Okamura Neiji continued: "The next bombing of Dagu Town will be personally directed by me, Okamura Neiji."
"Hi!"
Tanabe Moritake and Yumo Seizan nodded in unison.
(End of chapter)
