"The division is located north of Xuzhou, Lincheng and Zaozhuang. There are almost no dangers to guard. Why did Chief Li send heavy troops to guard here?"

"Captain Li has difficulties with Chief Li. If he keeps shooting and gives these places to the Japanese, what will happen to the domestic public opinion?" Xie Jiyuan explained.

"And there will be people who cause trouble, and Chief Li will become the second in Han Xiangfang!" Leng Feng said to the nail on the head.

"Isn't this all understandable things..."

"Some people don't understand military affairs, and they won't talk about military affairs to you. Military affairs serve politics. At the beginning, defending Nanjing was a battle against the enemy. The tactics of war were the most taboo, but they still had to defend it. Why, if a government does not even have the determination to defend its own capital, then what belief will the people still have to fight against the invaders?"

"Of course, the situation in the Fifth War Zone is different from the Nanjing Defense War, but in terms of politics, Chief Li doesn't have much choice."

"Yes, Chief Li was originally ordered to be in danger, and the start is the best now." Xie Jiyuan said.

"How is the Japanese offensive on the southern front?"

"There is no news yet. The 31st Army and the Japanese Iizuka Detachment have been fighting fiercely in the Akiko area for a day and night."

"It seems that Mingguang can't be a Japanese army for a few days. It seems that fighting with Japanese positions in the Huaihe area is not a good way." Leng Feng frowned.

Of course Leng Feng knew that the Battle of Taierzhuang in the Battle of Xuzhou was not a head-on position war.

Instead, we made the southern line of Jinpu Road, and the main force shrank to the mountainous area west of Jinpu Road, attacked the Japanese army from the flanks, dragged the Japanese army's advancement in the movement, and reached a temporary balance.

This balance was dragged until Taierzhuang's victory, and was then broken by the Japanese army's increase in troops in Jiangbei.

And now it's another situation.

I wonder if Chief Li's three direct troops can still achieve the strategic goal of blocking the Japanese army on the southern bank of the Huai River for more than half a month.

"The worst case is that the Japanese army occupied all areas south of the Huai River and returned to the situation we went north." Leng Feng said, "I think even Chairman Liao still has this ability."

"What's going on over xsj?"

"They blocked the Japanese army near Laian, but they fought a few good battles. There was a squadron in the eradication of the Japanese army, and they became famous."

"They have always advocated resolute resistance to Japan, and I am very optimistic about their performance in the future."

"Secretary, although the guerrilla tactics of * are of some use, they are not that magical, right?" Xie Jiyuan didn't quite understand Leng Feng's thoughts.

"On the frontal battlefield, this tactic is obviously inappropriate, but it is of great use behind enemy lines. Although it does not have immediate results, it can be divided into pieces and accumulate small victories into big victories. They have a great effect." Leng Feng said, "Old Xie, we also need to learn other people's tactics. If we use them well, it will also be of great help to us fight against the enemy head-on."

"Oh?" Xie Jiyuan expressed doubts. He was a legitimate soldier and naturally looked down on such a wild way, but Leng Feng was a person he believed in, so he must have his own reason to say this.

"The ancients said that before the troops move, food and grass will go first. In this modern war, although the quality and equipment of soldiers are very important, there is one thing that cannot be ignored, that is logistics support!"

Xie Jiyuan nodded. He admitted that there was no logistical support, and the soldiers had no food or drinks. How could they fight?

"Old Xie, our anti-Japanese war is not just a face-to-face battle with the Japanese army on the battlefield, but also a competition in economic and cultural aspects." Leng Feng said, "Just like if we win the battlefield now, can we stop the Japanese army from continuing to invade? Obviously not, because Japan has formulated the basic national policy to destroy China. Unless we beat them down and have no power to fight back, they will not admit defeat."

Xie Jiyuan is a soldier, with a single and simple quality of a soldier, and is not as politically comparable to later generations like Leng Feng.

"It's time to fight, and it will probably take at least five years to see hope."

"Five years?"

"You must not underestimate Japan's war potential and their willpower. If we can defeat the Japanese army in five years, then we will burn the incense."

"Teacher, the Jungle Wolf Group's routine telegram!"

"What's the matter?"

"Today, a Japanese transport plane took off from the Nanjing Forbidden City Airport, heading north. They tried hard to find out who were on the plane, but they were definitely important people."

"I know." Leng Feng nodded. Just such a telegram could be said to be worthless because he didn't know who was on the plane and where he flew.

"Can you find out where the plane landed?"

"This is not easy. If you want to investigate, you must mobilize a large amount of resources, and we do not have the ability now." Yang Zhiyi explained.

"Don't investigate. At this time, senior Japanese troops traveled must be related to the war situation in Xuzhou. Perhaps the two Japanese troops in North China and Central China are conspiring for something." Leng Feng smiled.

I have to say that Leng Feng’s guess was very accurate.

The transport plane was boarded by Akira Muto, deputy chief of staff of the Central China Expeditionary Force of Japan. He was ordered to go to Jinan to discuss joint combat with the North China Front Army.

Simply put, it is for the coordination of the Japanese army in North China and the Japanese army in Central China to attack Xuzhou.

At this time, Jinan City had been fully martial law, and the streets were full of short-legged Japanese devils.

Someone is coming to Tokyo.

Hashimoto, the Operations Minister of the General Staff of the Base Camp, led a group of subordinates to form a base camp dispatch team, flew directly from Tokyo to Jinan to discuss the Xuzhou battle plan.

At this time, the base camp had ended its internal disputes and decided to hold a battle in Xuzhou.

Hashimoto Group announced the order on behalf of the base camp.

The meeting was chaired by the commander of the 2nd Army, Nishio Desato. In addition to Hashimoto, the participants also included the combat section chief of the North China Front Army. The First Army staff to Miharu Mi, the Chief of Staff of the Second Army, led the way, the combat staff of Okamoto Kiyofuku, and the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Central China Expeditionary Army who flew from Nanjing to Jinan.

The leader of the 10th Division, Ryosuke Isotani, was temporarily recalled because Nishioji Sato looked at his plan to attack Xuzhou.

He felt it was necessary to ask Resuke Isotani to return to Jinan and explain the plan to the people in the General Staff Headquarters.

Muto Akira came on behalf of the Central China Expeditionary Army, so he naturally spoke on behalf of the interests of the Central China Expeditionary Army. Since the Central China Expeditionary Army cannot change the task of the Second Army to take charge of the main attack on Xuzhou, he naturally made the capture of Xuzhou the main strategic purpose of the Battle of Xuzhou.

This is also an ambitious ambition of Hata Shunrok.

"I think the plan to decide the battle in Xuzhou is correct, but for the purpose of this battle, Commander Toshiro Hata and all colleagues of our Central China Expeditionary Army General Staff Department believed that the primary purpose was to annihilate the elite field troops from Shanghai and Nanjing after the war, and to further destroy China's will to resist, force China to surrender, and occupy Xuzhou, was just a way to go."

"I oppose!" The Second Army's combat staff member Kiyofuku Okamoto said loudly, "Although Xuzhou is not big, it can be located in a fortress. It is necessary to fight for military strategists. Occupy Xuzhou can not only connect North China and Central China, but also has great significance, because in this way we can include the richest areas in China. So I think the primary goal of the operation is to occupy Xuzhou. As for the annihilation squadron, Muto-kun, do you know what army are there in the squadrons in Xuzhou?"

"As far as I know, they are all local miscellaneous brands, and they are not elite at all!" Okamoto Kiyoki smiled disdainfully and said to the corner of Muto Akira's mouth.

"Then why did your army be blocked by a miscellaneous squadron in the small Teng County for seven days?"

"Where are you, you were driven out by a group of sheep without teeth?" Okamoto Kiyoki went back without hesitation.

Hashimoto Qun frowned slightly. Before coming, he knew that the North China Front Army had an objection to the Central China Front Army, but he did not expect that the opinion would be so big.

Determining the primary and secondary goals is related to formulating the next battle plan. If you disagree with this opinion, it will be difficult to achieve the strategic intention of the base camp.

In fact, the base camp has no strategic intentions. What both sides actually say makes sense. Force China to surrender is the most important thing.

Fighting a protracted war with China may not be a good choice for Japan.

The Chief of Staff of the Second Army, Suzuki, led the way to stand clearly on his own side, believing that the battle of Xuzhou must first capture Xuzhou, a very important geographical location.

He even cited the story of various princes competing for Xuzhou during the Three Kingdoms era as an example.

The generals of the Second Army also tended to occupy Xuzhou first. After all, occupying Xuzhou was a real military achievement.

"Haha..." Muto Akira suddenly laughed, "Chief of Staff Suzuki, aren't you too pedantic?"

Suzuki Rudao's face turned dark. Wuto Akira was too embarrassed to give him face in such an occasion: "I knew Muto Jun liked to be innovative, but I didn't expect it to be exactly the same as the rumored one."

Okamoto Kiyofuki laughed as well, and the people from the Second Army all laughed, and even the Nishioji Satoshi's mouth showed a smile.

In everyone's opinion, Suzuki's retaliation was not sharp, but it also labeled Muto Akira, making it unique.

Such people have always been easily isolated.

The "pedantic" Suzuki Sudao is not so unpleasant.

Pediatric can be a representative of tradition, while innovativeness is an act that is not accepted by the secular world.

Muto Akira was very annoyed, but today he was away, so he forced himself to calm down: "The main attack mission is handed over to your Second Army. According to the plan, after the Second Army starts attack, two divisions of our Central China Expeditionary Army can only act. In this case, the squadron is likely to be worried that it will be annihilated and run away. In that case, we will fail. Therefore, the view of our Central China Expeditionary Army is to first attract the main force of the squadron with the Second Army. After the First Army and the Central China Expeditionary Army complete the encirclement of the squadron, the Second Army will start attacking again, so that we can achieve greater results!"

It has to be admitted that if Muto Akira's plan is implemented, it will be a huge disaster for the squadrons in Xuzhou.

The Battle of Xuzhou ended with the retreat of the squadron. It was precisely because Kenji Doihara stormed the Yellow River, occupied Lanfeng, and went straight to eastern Henan, and had the attempt to round out hundreds of thousands of Chinese elite field troops in Xuzhou, that he had to order his retreat. The process was really thrilling, and he even used the means of breaking the dike to prevent the Japanese army from attacking Wuhan along the Pinghan Line.

Now the Second Army has taken the lead in the fight. One Teng County has been fighting for seven days. Although it was finally captured, the price paid is a bit too high.

Muto Akira's remarks made Akisuke Isotani's eyes shine. Didn't this kid just say that he would not fight and would only win the credit?

However, some people applauded Muto Aki's words. This person was Miharu, a combat staff member of the First Army. The First Army was worried that he would not have the chance to go south to fight. Muto Aki's words were just a sleepy gift to give him a pillow.

To cut off the retreat of the Xuzhou squadron, the First Army must cooperate.

The base camp has many restrictions on the Japanese army in China, which has made many soldiers on the front line dissatisfied. After the First Army captured Shanxi, although there were constant small battles, there were few large wars.

The reason is very simple. The empire does not have so many war resources. To fight, it requires military expenditure. If you don’t have money, you can’t fight a war.

Not to mention anything else, just ammunition, if there is not enough reserves, who dares to launch a major battle?

Sometimes you really have to listen to the base camp. If you really cut off your supplies, can you continue this battle just by wanting to fight?

If the First Army wants to get a war, it has to get involved and get involved for legitimate reasons, so that it can obtain the imperial supplies.

Of course, this is also an opportunity for the imperial officials who are eager to expand their territory.

The First Army supported the idea of ​​Akira Muto and the Central China Expeditionary Army, and for its own interests, it was certain that there was no chance to occupy Xuzhou. Tomoto Miharu did not fight for this, and he wanted to produce it.

At this time, people need to be mixed together. This person will not be Hashimoto's group in the General Staff Headquarters. If he fails to speak successfully, then he will not be able to continue.

Nishioji is not good at building it. He is the commander of the Second Army. He must stand on the interests of the Second Army. He will only stick to the opinions of the Second Army.

Only the North China Front Army went down the mountain to think about it. The First Army and the Second Army were both affiliated with the North China Front Army. Now that his two subordinates do not agree, he, the boss, will naturally come forward.

He carefully considered the language: "From the current signs, the squadrons gathered in Xuzhou cannot retreat. After our army was severely injured in Nanjing, Jiang Xian's attitude in Wuhan became tough. They really wanted to win another battle in Xuzhou. We can use their mentality. I think in this case, with the goal of occupying Xuzhou, even if the smallest siege is encircled, the results of annihilation of the surrounding areas are not small. Of course, Muto's suggestion is also good, but the largest enemy of the empire is not China, but the Soviet Union in the north, and most of our strength is placed in Manchuria..."

Suzuki heard it, and went down the mountain to think about it and was still inclined toward the Second Army. He stood up and said, "There is an old Chinese saying that greed cannot be chewed. Can the strength we have at hand be able to eat the squadrons in Xuzhou?"

"Suzuki, what does it mean?"

"The information we just received, Wuhan has transferred their most elite troops to the Xuzhou area. I think everyone is familiar with this unit. The squadron we encountered in the Nankou Battle."

"But Tang Bing Group?"

"That's right!" Suzuki nodded solemnly.

...
Chapter completed!