The third part of the bloody war, Chapter 10, the storm, the third section of the war drum (eleven)

The low piano sound was a little resentful. In the courtyard of Zhongnanhai that was emitting historical agarwood, Okamura Nagaji focused on playing this cherry blossom song. This was a few songs he could do. Chief of Staff Okamura knelt respectfully. A week ago, Okamura Nagaji suddenly ordered the headquarters to be moved to Zhongnanhai.

This cherry blossom song is widely circulated in Japan. Almost anyone who has learned it can play it. Okamura himself can talk about it. Okamura's fingering method is obviously unfamiliar, and several places have been played wrongly. Of course, Okamura will not point it out. He listened silently. This song can represent his current mood and Okamura.

He glanced at the information in his hand quietly. The Chinese General held a military meeting in De County. He knew the topic of the meeting without guessing. However, he did not think that the Chinese General would launch an attack in the near future. Various intelligences showed that the logistics of the Chinese Army was very difficult and it would take at least one month to meet the conditions for the offensive.

Of course, the North China sends out troops has greater difficulties. In addition to insufficient troops, materials are also difficult. The Chinese Air Force has recently strengthened the bombing of the Beining Line and Tanggu, Tianjin. The Chinese airdropped leaflets in Tianjin, requiring citizens not to go to the port and docks to avoid harm. The Chinese coolies working at the wharf fled in scattered areas, seriously affecting military transportation. The Tianjin occupation forces were forced to arrest citizens everywhere and unload goods at the wharf. The Chinese immediately announced that the Tianjin garrison's move violated the Geneva Treaty and China would pursue it after the war.

The Japanese arrest activities triggered the escape of Tianjin citizens. A large number of Tianjin citizens fled from Tianjin City and fled along the Jinpu Road and the southern fugitive Qina defense zone of the Canal. This wind quickly spread out. Some Peking citizens also joined the fleeing team, and even farmers around the city began to flee. Okamura Yasuji had to urgently order Tianjin to stop arresting people. At the same time, an announcement was issued an announcement that the Imperial Army would maintain social stability and that any act of forcibly arresting law-abiding residents would be severely punished. For this reason, it was hesitant to publicly punish soldiers on the streets of Peking. These measures temporarily eased the sentiment of the Chinese people in Pingjin.

The Japanese army then discovered that when they lived very close to Chinese residents, the bombing of the Chinese Air Force was obviously much smaller, so the garrisons in various places moved one after another, and the garrisons tried to get close to the Chinese. In order to appease the Chinese, even the most brutal officers began to restrain their subordinates.

The Tianjin Wharf was severely damaged during the three-day bombing. Three ships waiting to unload were sunk. Okamura Nishiji had to order the transport ship to turn to Qinhuangdao, but the Chinese Air Force seemed to smell the fishy smell and rushed to Qinhuangdao again. Therefore, Okamura Nishiji had to order to give up during the day and use the night to unload supplies, which seriously affected the speed of material transfer.

The cherry blossoms quickly withered after their brilliant brilliance, and the sound of the piano was so sad and beautiful. The sea of ​​flowers in the forest instantly turned into bare branches, crossing the summer and autumn, entering the cold winter, trembling in the howling north wind.

The clumsy performer just fits his mood at this time. When the sound of the piano disappeared, a brief silence appeared in the room. After a long time, a gentle applause appeared in the room. Okamura Yasuji shook his head slightly and sighed: "I haven't played the piano for a long time, and it's getting worse."

Dacheng smiled slightly: "There are words in ancient Chinese language, and the piano is heart-wrenching. Playing the piano is related to the state of mind, and the technique is second."

Okamura Nishi stood up silently. Today he was not wearing a military uniform, but wearing a generous kimono. Okamura Nishi walked into the yard, and Okamura followed behind. There were a few plum blossoms in the yard, with white and pink, emitting a faint fragrance.

"What's the situation?" Okamura Yasuji stopped in front of the mei tree. He had long seen the telegram in Ochi's hand.

"Three days ago, the Chinese General held a military meeting of the North China War Zone in De County. In addition, intelligence was sent from Hubei and Henan. The Chinese people organized a large number of front troops, with a scale of more than ever before. The Chinese army in Suiyuan moved eastward, and the numbers that have been found include the 35th Army, the Eighth Route Army, the 86th Army and the 94th Army of the Central Army. Taiyuan news, Li Zongren and Lin Wei arrived in Taiyuan, and the Jinsui Army might also be dispatched to join the northern front to fight."

It can be said that it is all bad news. With such a move on the Northern Line, the Chinese army increased by 30 to 400,000 troops, and there were about 2 million troops around North China. Moreover, the Chinese army also has the advantages of air force and tanks, but what about the Imperial Army?

After Ritakanosuke arrived in Manchuria, he had several telegrams. Meijiro Umezu began to disagree to transfer materials and troops to the Manchurian border. The Soviet Union added two divisions in the Far East, with a total force of 460,000, and the pressure on the Kwantaka Army was also very high. Ritakanosuke stated in the telegram that the Kwantaka Army was already very weak, with only 40% of the material reserves needed. Although the troops were 600,000, the Jingrui troops had been transferred out. There is no A division, and even the B divisions only have six, and the rest are all Class C divisions. More than one-third of the people defending on the front line are the Manchurian National Defense Forces. The Manchurian National Defense Forces now have 300,000, and there are about 200,000 rear garrisons.

Okamura Yasuji thought for a moment: "The Chinese General is a cautious person. If there is not enough supplies, we will not launch an attack. We should have one month left. How long will the Eighth Division arrive?"

After the imperial meeting, the Navy finally set off a fleet and began to transfer reinforcements from the Nanyang Ocean. The first unit was the 8th Division of the Philippines, and the second batch was the 19th Division, 31st Division, 88th Division, 103rd Division, and 117th Division, with a total of more than 70,000 people. Perhaps because of the bad situation of the Chinese dispatched forces, the Navy sent a main fleet to escort this time, including two aircraft carriers and five battleships, striving to deliver reinforcements to North China in the shortest time, and then turn to fight the counterattack of the US Pacific Fleet.

"It's probably two days left," Dacheng felt a little worried. The Chinese Air Force bombed Qinhuangdao in Tianjin very frequently. Once they were discovered when they got ashore, the consequence was a disaster: "Commander, did you change to go ashore in Yingkou?"

Okamura Yasuji shook his head: "No, in Qinhuangdao, you can put it at night and order the air force to take off at night to block the Chinese Air Force and cover the reinforcements to get ashore."

Dacheng agreed, and he knew that Okamura was worried that the Beining line was bombed very hard, and reinforcements landed in Yingkou and could only walk from Shanhaiguan to Pingjin with two legs. However, Dacheng breathed a sigh of relief. All reinforcements should arrive at the end of the month, so that the North China dispatched troops could concentrate 430,000 troops. In addition, the rural military regiment in Pingjin area had a total force of 450,000. The NV elderly and children among Japanese overseas Chinese in Zhangjiakou, Tianjin, had begun to retreat to Manchuria. Due to the bombing of the Chinese Air Force, the retreat was not going smoothly.

Okamura Yasuji suddenly asked again: "Obaki, what do you think of Ishihara's proposal?"

Ishihara Kanir came to North China for inspection and stayed in North China for three days and had a close conversation with Okamura Nagaji. In the first conversation, Okamura Nagaji understood what he meant, but Okamura pretended not to understand. Instead, he asked several questions. If the Kanto Army had full support, could it defeat the Chinese army in North China? After defeating the Chinese army, will Chiang Kai-shek Masahiro sign a peace treaty with Japan? If the North China dispatched troops cannot defeat the Chinese army in North China, and retreat to the Manchurian border, even if they defeat the Chinese army? Will Chiang Kai-shek reach a ceasefire with the Imperial Army?

These questions made it difficult for Ishihara Kanir to answer. After the Chinese army recaptured Pingjin, all North China fell into control of the Chinese government. The Chinese army had two choices to continue attacking Manchuria and attack Jiangnan. Judging from the situation in China, the Chinese people were likely to continue attacking, and the Kanto Army and the North China Expeditionary Force jointly blocked the Chinese army, which was also the purpose of Ishihara Kanir.

But Ishihara ignored the Soviet attitude. Pingjin fell and the Chinese army attacked the Manchurian border. If the reason for the Chinese people to continue the attack, then this reason also supports the Soviet army to move south. The Soviet army in the Far East will inevitably launch an attack and will never wait for the Chinese army to attack Manchuria.

On the contrary, Okamura Yasuji suggested that the main force of the Kanto Army would immediately leave the customs and fight with the North China Expeditionary Army, and completely defeat the Chinese army in the North China Plain. Only in this way can Chiang Kai-shek be concerned and accept the conditions of the empire, and there will be hope for this war. Ishihara Kanir asked, what if Chiang Kai-shek was still unwilling to accept the conditions of the empire under such circumstances? Okamura Nagaji did not answer. Ishihara Kanirir then asked if the North China Expeditionary Army failed in this main battle, the empire would never have a chance. Can Okamura Nagaji bear this responsibility?

Ishihara Kanir went to Manchukuo disappointed, but Ishihara's proposal kept lingering in Okamura's mind. Okamura was the only dispatched general who participated in the last day's talks, and only he knew Ishihara's true purpose.

"This is a dilemma," Oichi had also considered the two people's views in private. After thinking about it, it still found it difficult to make a judgment: "Commander, you can't judge the low position."

"Don't worry, this is not a military meeting." Okamura Yasuji thought he did not agree with him, but was just concerned about his identity and dared not speak out.

Aichi shook his head with a wry smile: "Commander, no, I really can't judge. The views of the Chief of Staff of Ishihara and the Commander can be said to be very risky, and the responsibility he bears is so great. Alas, I am glad that I am just a staff officer."

The staff officer does not need to make a decision, but only guarantees the decision to be implemented, and reports the situation during the execution to the chief officer, and makes suggestions, and only bears small responsibilities.

Okamura Yasuji did not nod or turned back, and after a long time of sighing, "You are right, both Ishihara and I have a dangerous plan. Ishihara's goal is to win time and gain time for the foreign solution. However, from the Tehran Declaration, they cannot sign a separate contract with us, so we can only strive for victory and complete victory."

Okamura Yasuji revealed his thoughts in these few days in these few short sentences. Whether it was Ishihara or before, he placed his hopes on the outside world, but he thought about it over and over the past few days, from military to politics, and then to outside world, he finally found that it was impossible for Chiang Kai-shek to sign a separate contract with Japan. The Cairo Declaration and the Tehran Declaration had banned this possibility.

"There is a situation that may force Chiang Kai-shek to sign a contract with us," Ayutthaya suddenly spoke and retorted: "That is that the Soviet Union occupied Manchuria. When this happens, Chiang Kai-shek may sign a contract with us."
Chapter completed!