Chapter 765: Choice (9)

"How dare you hook up with the Kwantung Army?"

"Collusion? Go ask the Kwantung Army Commander General Umezu Yoshijiro and see if he admits it? Besides, what if there is a collusion? I am a military counselor, and I have the responsibility of intervening and consulting on the imperial military situation!" Horikichi said confidently, " Your Highness has repeatedly opposed various war policies against the United States and worked hard to excuse the enemy. Are you accepting political donations from the United States? "

When Fushi saw Prince Gong Bogong, he was so angry that he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. He clenched his fists and took a step forward, his eyes looking like he was about to spit out fire.

"Want to fight? Your Highness, don't forget, you are 68 this year and will be 69 after the New Year. I am 6 years younger than you... Besides, I am in very good health and have not been hospitalized yet!"

Yamamoto Isoroku couldn't stand it anymore and scolded: "That's enough! Hori-kun, the more you talk, the more outrageous you become."

Horikichi put on his hat and walked away. Before leaving, he said: "I will not resign. I am waiting for the Military Command to assume the power of acting commander and remove me from office!" As if to stimulate excitement, he emphasized the word "acting". tone.

Although Inoue Narumi couldn't hear what was being said outside, she knew that there was a fierce argument inside, so she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. When she saw Horikichi slamming the door and leaving, her eyes widened - she had never experienced what it means to be domineering, and she didn't understand. , finally saw it today. What's even more amazing is that a group of staff officers under Chiaki Matsuda who had been noisy and disagreeing outside, when they saw Horikichi coming out, immediately stood at attention and saluted silently, and shouted in unison: "Sir!".

Horikichi only waved his hand slightly and said with a smile: "It's okay. The Su side is fierce and can't fight. At most, it's just causing trouble for the Kwantung Army on the border. It's just a trivial matter."

"Then sir?"

"I will go back to the warship today. As long as I am the commander-in-chief of the combined fleet, I will perform my duties!"

"Yes!" The crowd put Horikichi into the car and left one after another.

Then not long after, Inoue Narumi saw Fushimi Miyahiro Prince's confidant Ito Zhengyi leading a group of people running from a distance, and quickly asked: "What happened?"

"His Royal Highness was so angry with Horikichi that he relapsed and fainted again. He needs to be sent to the hospital immediately."

Inoue Narumi finally sent Fushimi Miyahiro Prince to the hospital together with Yamamoto. On the way, he tried every means to find out what Horikichi said inside, which caused Fushimi Miyahiro Prince to be in such a state.

"Don't ask any more questions. All in all, the two sides completely fell out. It's been such an eventful time..." Yamamoto, who witnessed the whole process, sighed and didn't want to say more.

"Has the candidate for the commander of the combined fleet been determined?" Inoue Narumi expressed his concerns, "I think these officers and staff are completely devoted to Horikichi. The replacement will not cause trouble, right?"

"Let's help control it, and if everyone gives each other a little face, things will get over easily, young men, that's what it is."

"What should we do about the candidates for the mobile fleet? Tsukahara is suspended. Even if he is reinstated, he will not stay in the fleet due to his personality."

"You want to go?"

"Me?" Inoue Narumi smiled bitterly, "Why should I go out into this muddy water? Look at what Tsunoda and Nishimura are like, how can I control them."

"I guess it will be Ozawa's turn. He led the fleet in Germany and fought very well. He fought very boldly in the battles of Newfoundland and Cape Verde, beating the British and American Atlantic fleets to half a breath." Yamamoto said with emotion, "Germany The army is really strong. Two American divisions with comprehensive firepower could not defeat a mere 5,000 German soldiers, but were forced to surrender in the end - this is really ridiculous!"

"The U.S. Navy is okay, but the Army is just useless. It can't fight without planes, cannons, and tanks." Inoue Narumi commented disdainfully, "Such a huge land and resources, 5 million tons of supplies, are wasted. Just say that we don't have them. No, if we were left here, a dozen people above the rank of lieutenant general would die, right?"

"There is no way, who can make people rich?"

"Tell me, is it possible to realize the 50% transit tax proposed by Horikichi?" Inoue Narumi had an idea, "If the Americans really agree to it, will we accept it?"

"Yes, why don't you accept it?" Yamamoto Isoroku said without hesitation, "Why don't you agree to such a good thing? Don't say half, I can agree to a third of it. I am a classmate who is cunning and robbed things. He was so eloquent that I really impressed him. Although he graduated with a higher ranking than me, I didn't see him like this in the military academy. "

"That's because he has been a businessman for eight years. He is not a businessman but a traitor..."

Yamamoto agreed: "Why don't we have to go to the company to get some experience before selecting senior generals in the future? Only when we do well in business can we lead the troops to fight."

"Just like you can fight a war if you gamble well."

"Hey, when you talk about gambling, I remember that I lost a house in a bet with Horikichi. During that time, I paid my salary every month just to pay off the debt. I was so poor that I almost couldn't survive..."

"Hahahaha, you sometimes lose bets..."

Here, the Japanese navy was busy arguing with each other. In Moscow, after hearing the news about negotiations with Japan relayed by Molotov, the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs, Stalin was also furious.

"I want to give these little Japanese guys some color..."

Kuznetsov, the deputy chief of staff in charge of the navy, did not dare to say anything. The Pacific Fleet was very weak. There were only two 9,000-ton light cruisers, the Kalinin and the Kaganovich. Their combat effectiveness was low and they could not be defeated at all. Any Japanese heavy cruiser also has 12 destroyers - 6 destroyers were lost in this bombing during the day, which is equivalent to the loss of half of the Pacific Fleet! ?

"The Japanese army also threatened to attack Vladivostok and the Soviet port. Our comrades have seen the combat plan and campaign map drawn up by Japan, but we don't know whether the news is true."

Kuznetsov was horrified after seeing it: "Yes, the Japanese army has a thorough grasp of our army's intelligence."

"How sure are you of letting the Far East troops attack the Kwantung Army?" Stalin turned his attention to Chief of General Staff Vasilevsky.

The latter sighed and asked: "How far do you plan to attack?"

"For example, eliminate 3-4 divisions of the opponent."

"That would require dispatching 400,000 troops. Moreover, now that the weather has turned cold and the front line of Manchuria has entered the ice and snow, the defenders have a great advantage. To achieve this goal, our army may need to lose 100,000 to 150,000 troops."

"Then what do you think we should do? Comrade Vasilevsky..." Stalin suddenly raised his voice and said displeased, "Just watching Japan take over 600,000 tons of US aid supplies as its own? Do you know what does that mean?"

"I know, I know your thoughts and determination very well. My opinion is to stop the attack in Central Asia, divert the troops to the Far East, and concentrate 1 million troops to fight there..." Vasilevsky said expressionlessly Said something.

"You want 1 million troops? Are you kidding?" Stalin frowned, "I remember that Comrade Zhukov didn't fight so hard during the Battle of Nomonhan."

"The time has changed, and of course the troop strength needs to be recalculated. In the Battle of Nomenhan, our army's strength advantage was 2.5 times that of the enemy, and the artillery, tanks, and aircraft were more than three times that of the enemy. Even so, in the end, the casualties of both sides were basically similar (in fact, the Red Army The casualties were half that of the Japanese army). Now our army has repeatedly transferred troops and technical equipment from the Far East. The Kwantung Army has continuously increased its strength. Comrades on the intelligence front said that they have received hundreds of tanks and assault artillery, as well as the Bf-109 commonly used by the German army. With the Fw-190 fighter jet, the strength comparison needs to be greatly strengthened to return to the time of the Battle of Nomonhan.”

"Tanks? Aren't their tanks very ordinary? The T-26 beat the shit out of them back then." Stalin was very dissatisfied with Vasilevsky's analysis and criticized, "Don't be frightened by the enemy."

"But this time they got a lot of No. 4 tanks, T-34 tanks, and even Tiger tanks, all given by the Germans." Vasilevsky spread his hands, "As for Japan's own tanks, they have changed a long time ago. The method is being sold to the Chinese, and they also know that those crispy things won’t work.”

"How are you going to deal with this matter? Oral protests alone are weak. The imperialists will soon advance and must use force to fight back!"

"I think the Japanese proposal is good. The 50% ratio is too high. Let them charge 10-15%, and then notify the United States to increase their efforts. In the end, Japan is just jealous of supplies and has no real intention to go to war with us. The situation is difficult right now and I recommend patience.”

"You!" Stalin said angrily, "This is not something you should consider. Just be responsible for attacking the enemy militarily."

"Either we don't fight, or if we do fight, we bring back the troops from Central Asia and wait for a one-time assault in March next year to try to eat up the entire North Manchuria."

Stalin waved his hand distractedly, signaling the other party to stand down. The truth is obvious. The war in Central Asia is now reaching an intense stage. The troops commanded by Zhukov have surrounded the 100,000-strong German Central Asia Group Army and are struggling to solve it. The war is stalemate and stalemate. How can it be possible to withdraw troops from Central Asia now? Wouldn’t all the previous efforts be wasted? But it is not possible to mobilize troops from other aspects. After the winter mud period ended, the German army continued to attack on the central battlefield. The battle line has advanced to the Perm-Ufa line. The defenders are relying on the city to carry out resistance. Although I don't understand why the German army has not turned its head to the north and south, it is also unclear. No additional troops will be sent to the Central Asian battlefield, but at least the troops on other battlefields cannot be moved, otherwise there will be consequences for the overall collapse.

Judging from the weather conditions, the German army will fight until at least the end of December - which means that the Red Army will have to hold on for at least half a month. The fighting is now very tense everywhere. Due to the lack of troops, the Red Army's defense line has been shrinking again and again. Important positions in the north The port city of Murmansk has also fallen into the hands of the Finns and the German Army Group Northern. The Red Army is now resisting in Arkhangelsk, which relies on the White Sea coast. Once it is also lost, the German army will be able to march straight in after next spring.

"How about sending a telegram to Comrade Zhukov? He has been to the Far East and has rich combat experience against Japan." Kuznetsov suggested.