Chapter 243: Please Let Yansong Die

Taiyuan, inside the First Army Headquarters.

After receiving the farewell telegrams from the 33rd and 41st Divisions, Okamura Neiji's hair turned white overnight.

At this time, his eyes were dull and he was exhausted, looking like an unemployed middle-aged man. He was full of old age and had lost his former drive.

Turning over the battle report submitted by Iwamatsu Yoshio, the numbers on it were even more shocking.

"In just one week, the entire front army encountered obstacles everywhere."

"The firepower of the Eighth Route Army is very strong, and the caliber mortars equipped by the grassroots units are at least twice that of the Type B division."

"Lieutenant General Iseki Ren, Lieutenant General Shimizu Nori, Lieutenant General Sakurai Shozo and Lieutenant General Ando Nijuzo, oh! The situation of the First Army is too bad, it's really a headache!"

Reading one by one, Okamura Neiji's tone was full of horror.

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

At the end of last year, when he first took office as the commander of the North China Front Army, he was so handsome and heroic. Faced with the complex situation in Shanxi Province, he first sent Iwamatsu Yoshio, a China expert, and personally formulated the Central Plains Campaign.

To deal with the Eighth Route Army, as long as the Central Plains Campaign can be victorious, the First Army can free up its hands and repeatedly sweep the province with the forces of three divisions and four independent mixed brigades.

Even if it may not be possible to completely eliminate the opponent, it can also curb the development of the worry in the heart, and all problems will naturally be solved.

For the Shanxi Suiyuan Army, the plan of inducing surrender and recruiting was continued.

As long as a pseudo-regime similar to Wangwangwang can be established in North China, there is a great chance that the country will get out of the quagmire of the Republic of China. At that time, the sky is high and the birds fly freely, and it is up to you to choose whether to go north or south.

What a pity, what a pity!

Before, Okamura Ningji often laughed at Tada Shun and Shinozuka Yoshio behind their backs, but judging from the current situation, the clown is actually himself.

The headquarters just bypassed him and ordered the 21st and 35th divisions on the Zhongtiaoshan East Line to return to Zhengding and Xinxiang respectively.

The troops originally responsible for the security of Shanxi Province now only have the Independent Mixed 3rd Brigade stationed in Ningwu.

Even if the garrisons along the railway and in major counties are gathered, at most one regiment of soldiers can be transferred.

With this number of garrisons alone, even the security war is not guaranteed.

It is impossible to persuade Yan Baichuan to surrender. The intelligence department finally invited him over and was preparing to make an effort to let him bring his troops to the First Army.

As a result, because of the incompetent Hanaya Masaru, the two sides tore their faces.

It is said that the other side also sent some troops to the Central Plains Battle, taking advantage of the weakness of the brother country to bite off a few pieces of meat.

But these are not important. After the end of this battle, the huge Shanxi Province may not have a place for the other side. They are all losers.

The strength shown by the Eighth Route Army has made Okamura Neiji feel lingering fear.

During the entire battle, the enemy mobilized a total of more than 100,000 troops. These were all regular troops, with no county battalion or district squad to fill the numbers.

The enemy was also equipped with hundreds of M18 cannons and a large number of advanced fighters.

In terms of army infantry weapons alone, the enemy only lacked armored units and heavy artillery with larger calibers. However, with the enemy's development speed, it is estimated that it will take only one or two years to make up for it.

Perhaps the only turning point is the large-scale famine in North China.

Only when the Eighth Route Army is exhausted physically and mentally in rescuing the victims can the country have a chance to turn the tide and retake the back garden of Shanxi Province.

"Ah!"

Okamura Ningji sighed bitterly. If time could come back, he would definitely mobilize more troops to attack Zhongtiao Mountain and must quickly resolve the battle with a crushing offensive.

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

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

Compared with Katsuki Seiji, Umezu Mijiro and Shinozuka Yoshio, Iwamatsu Yoshio is simply a complete unlucky guy. He has a lot of ambitions, but he has never mastered the real power.

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

But he is not the commander-in-chief. In a sense, winning has little to do with him, but losing will definitely be the culprit.

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

It is worth mentioning that the old devil did not wear a military uniform today, but chose a men's white wedding gown, as if he was ready to die.

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

"Commander."

"We can't give up Shanxi. Once the Eighth Route Army occupies the entire province, the situation in North China will become more serious."

Okamura Yasuji nodded, and then spread his hands helplessly.

"Of course I know that."

"There is nothing wrong with our strategic direction. The problem lies in the misjudgment of the relationship between the Guosu defenders and the Eighth Route Army. You and I still don't understand the meaning of the old saying that the lips and teeth are cold."

Both of them knew one thing, that if they wanted to regain control of the situation, they would need a large number of reinforcements.

But the entire North China region is not peaceful at present, and the resistance movements in various provinces are becoming more and more intense.

Except for Shanxi Province, the situation in Hebei and Shandong Provinces is not optimistic either. The base of the Eighth Route Army is like a nail that makes the brother country feel like a thorn in the throat.

In the North China Front Army, the only Mongolian troops that could provide support were also strictly guarded by the enemy's Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region.

What's more, they only had one division, one cavalry group, and one independent mixed brigade. With such a small number of troops, all of them going south would also be a credit to the Eighth Route Army.

The Kwantung Army is a good choice, but the mobilization of troops requires the order of the headquarters.

And the troubles there are no less than those in North China. There must be no problems with the Showa Steel Plant and the Kwantung Army Field Weapons Factory. That is the lifeblood of the country.

After a few seconds of silence, the two came to the map of the sphere of influence of the North China Front Army.

On the map, the blue areas along the transportation lines such as railways and highways are the forces and occupied areas of the Japanese army.

But the rest of the places, such as the vast mountainous rural areas, basically represent the territory of the Eighth Route Army. Standing in the distance, it seems that the enemy is gradually eroding them.

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

"They not only built their own military factories, but also have the spare capacity to develop civilian workers."

"Forget it, these troubles have nothing to do with me anyway. Commander, I think you should know the purpose of my coming today."

Hearing what Iwatsu Yoshio said, Okamura Neiji couldn't help but look at the clothes on the other person. Today is a private occasion, and it is understandable that the other person does not wear a military uniform but casual clothes.

Under normal circumstances, the first choice for casual clothes must be a haori with a pattern.

The white wedding gown is usually worn by women for childbirth or weddings. Once a man wears it, especially a soldier from the brother country who wears it to meet his superiors, he must be ready to commit seppuku.

Seeing that Okamura Neiji has not spoken, Iwatsu Yoshio took out the short knife he had prepared long ago from his waist.

"The failure of the battle always requires someone to bear the consequences. I have decided to leave, please excuse me, Commander!"

As soon as these words came out, the combat meeting room was silent for a full minute.

Okamura Neiji did not take the short knife from the other party, but came to the back of the desk and took out a military uniform that symbolized the rank of lieutenant general of the army.

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

As early as a day ago, Okamura Neiji began to find a way out for himself.

Although he lost all of Shanxi and ruined the three divisions of the First Army. But with his connections, it is not difficult to survive.

The only troublesome thing is to select a suitable scapegoat.

Obviously, Iwamatsu Yoshio is the most suitable choice.

After all, the First Army was killed, and as a commander, he should naturally die with his troops.

"Hahaha!"

Seeing Okamura Neiji's humble look, Iwamatsu Yoshio laughed crazily. He originally wanted to die quickly, and even prepared the poison.

Seppuku is a very painful thing, and the pain lasts for a long time.

Even this group of senior Japanese generals would not choose to commit suicide by seppuku unless they had no other choice. Most of them would stab themselves first and then end their lives through other means.

In order to ensure a quick death, he originally wanted to swallow poison and then let Okamura Yasuji take over. It can only serve as a double insurance, and it can be regarded as giving the other party a way out.

But he never expected that even seppuku suicide is now a luxury. It seems that his commander is forcing him to die on the battlefield.

For Iwamatsu Yoshio, who usually claims to be a samurai, dying on the battlefield is a good choice.

But the premise of all this is that the enemy and us are evenly matched, not an independent mixed brigade fighting against more than 100,000 people from two divisions of the Eighth Route Army. That is torture, not honor.

A higher rank will crush a person, and someone must bear the consequences of the failure of the battle. Otherwise, those naval deer will definitely snatch the already scarce resources like mad dogs.

"Okay, I got it."

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

"I will surely be cursed after my death. I just hope that Mr. Okamura can take good care of my family and not let them suffer a second injury because of me."

After finding the scapegoat, Neiji Okamura seemed to have regained his youth. He bowed again, and then said very proudly:

"I will take care of your wife and children!"

"Mr. Yansong, you can go with peace of mind!"

That evening, a Type 97 heavy bomber took off from Taiyuan Airport in a hurry. In addition, there were six Type 97 fighters divided into two formations, responsible for escorting Neiji Okamura back to Beiping.

I will not easily pass him, there will be arrangements later