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Text Chapter 113: Marching East (3)

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    Seeing Yang Zhen making various decisions quickly, the commander-in-chief did not speak, nor did he appear unhappy because of his overstepping the rank and expand the troops without consulting him, nor did he interrupt him.  He just stared quietly at Yang Zhen, who had changed from silence for two days and looked very energetic.

    After Yang Zhen finished speaking, the commander-in-chief shook his head and said: "If you do this, you have to think about the consequences. Once you are surrounded by the enemy, you have to think about countermeasures. I have no objection to the expansion of the army. For the anti-Japanese war,  The bigger our troops are, the better. I would be happier if you pulled out a front army. But is it appropriate to expand at this time? After all, the survival of the troops must come first. And reorganization, is it a matter of time?  Something is inappropriate.¡±

    Regarding the commander-in-chief's concerns, Yang Zhen smiled and said: "We already have the skeleton of our troops, and now it's time to fill them in with flesh and blood. Only after the troops are reorganized will their efficiency be higher. The sooner they are reorganized, the more familiar they will be with each other."  , the combat efficiency will be higher. After the reorganization is completed, we will first capture the Jaap Group tribes in the Jiang area to practice."

    Yang Zhen¡¯s answer made the commander-in-chief say nothing more, and finally chose to acquiesce.  In any case, troop expansion is still a good thing.  Only as the army expands day by day will it eventually become stronger as the war progresses.

    ¡°Almost no one knows what impact bringing more than two thousand recruits with almost no military training will have on the next battle.  No one knows how many of these new recruits will survive.  But with the development of the situation a year later, almost everyone lamented that Yang Zhen's original decision was far-sighted.

    Although just two days of rest were not enough for these people to completely recover from their nearly collapsed bodies, it was enough for these people to roughly regain their strength.  The two days of rest time was already the maximum time that Yang Zhen could risk staying.

    On the third day after arriving at Laohei Ridge, Yang Zhen led his troops in a surprise attack in the early morning of that day to defeat a regiment of the Puppet Manchukuo Army and two Japanese squads that had blocked Laohei Ridge from the north and were preparing to enter the mountain.  After grabbing a large amount of weapons, ammunition and food, they left.

    At this time, the front line from Laobai Mountain was slowly advancing eastward. Although it had arrived at the main force of the 8th Regiment, which was camping not far from the planned location, the intensive gunshots not far away from them in a straight line could not be stopped anyway.  Willing to go further east.  Instead of advancing, they retreated a full three kilometers, completely opening the door for Yang Zhenbei to enter.

    It was learned that because the main force of the Eighth Regiment failed to complete the task of sealing the blockade, the opponents who had been surrounded by themselves not only slipped away in a swagger, but also defeated an entire regiment of the Manchukuo Army who was preparing to enter the mountains to pull up nets and eliminate them.  After the news, Sasaki went into a rage.

    After Xingxian, who promised that he would definitely urge the main force of the Eighth Regiment to complete the encirclement of Laohiling as soon as possible, scolded Xingxian, he directly sent a telegram to the Kwantung Army Headquarters, strongly requesting that this man, whom he called the disgrace of the imperial army, be brought to justice.  Replaced by the 8th Wing.

    Not only the 8th Regiment, but also the other troops of the 4th Division are also wanted.  Separately, other elite troops were transferred from the 8th Division or the 12th Division, otherwise he would not be able to complete the suppression of this anti-Manchu and anti-Japanese armed force.

    After receiving Lieutenant General Sasaki's battle situation in the past few days and a telegram requesting a change of troops, Kwantung Army Commander General Kenkichi Ueda, who was quite annoyed by Lieutenant General Sasaki's delay in making progress, launched an attack on Sasaki.  received a severe and unusual reprimand.

    I am quite dissatisfied with the fact that the anti-Manchu forces that have mastered and destroyed the so-called top secrets of the empire have not been resolved, and Tokyo, which has already had the idea of ??replacing the commander of the Kwantung Army, has been imposing on Ueda Kenkichi these days.  Extreme pressure.

    Just at the beginning of this year, Prime Minister Lu bluntly told Ueda Kenkichi that if this group of anti-Manchu armed forces could not be eliminated before spring and the lost imperial secrets were recovered, his position as commander of the Kwantung Army, Ueda Kenkichi, would also be lost.  It's over.

    His Majesty the Emperor, who was already extremely dissatisfied with the leakage of the Empire's top secrets, was already considering asking the Ministry of War to replace the commander of the Kwantung Army when the lost top secret information could not be recovered.

    At this moment, in addition to being under great pressure on himself, Ueda Kenkichi, who had been under pressure for Sasaki Chuichi, had delayed receiving Sasaki Chuichi for such a long time. Not only was he unable to solve this anti-satisfaction  The anti-Japanese elements were even defeated by a reorganized brigade.

    You must know that on the battlefield in China, a large group of Japanese troops was enough to defeat a regiment or even a division of the Chinese Army.  What was especially difficult for Ueda Kenkichi to accept was that the Beijing-Turkish Railway and its roadbed were blown up for more than 30 kilometers and were completely interrupted.

    After successive defeats, he could no longer hold back the anger in his heart after receiving the telegram from Sasaki Chuiichi. He not only refused Sasaki Chuiichi's request to change troops, but also ordered Sasaki toBefore May 1st, all the anti-Manchu armed forces must be completely wiped out.

    After receiving Ueda Kenkichi's answer, Sasaki smiled bitterly in front of Lieutenant General Isotani Rensuke, who came from Shinkyo to convey the order: "Isotani-kun, the commander can no longer bear the pressure in Tokyo. Now we are about to enter the third period.  Although the weather has gotten warmer in March, the snow in the mountains has melted and become muddy, so the movement of the troops has been greatly restricted.¡±

    "Moreover, this anti-Manchu and anti-Japanese element is erratic in their operations and their whereabouts are extremely strange. Their actions are often unexpected. I set up two blockades in succession, but they were defeated in unexpected places."

    "And judging from the descriptions of survivors of several battles, these anti-Manchurian anti-Japanese elements are well-equipped, with a large number of artillery shells, heavy machine guns and other heavy weapons. They are well-trained and disciplined, and their combat effectiveness is unprecedented in Manchuria.  The anti-Manchu anti-Japanese armed forces are incomparable.¡±

    "The continuous breakthroughs of the blockade I set up are certainly related to the poor performance of the 8th Regiment. But the combat effectiveness and equipment of this armed force were beyond my expectation, which was also an important reason for the failure. The commander did not agree to change the troops.  , it¡¯s really impossible to solve it in these two months.¡±

    Hearing Sasaki Chuichi¡¯s complaint, Isotani Rensuke also smiled bitterly and said: ¡°Don¡¯t blame the Commander too much for being impatient. What happened at the Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department, the Commander was under great pressure from Tokyo and even the Emperor.¡±

    "You also know what it will mean to the Empire of Japan once the truth there is leaked. So neither the Emperor nor the Army Ministry will accept the truth about the Ministry of Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply being leaked."

    "A full half a year has passed since the incident occurred, but it still has not been able to complete the requirements of Tokyo to eliminate this group of rebels and recover the lost data. How much pressure do you think the commander has to bear from Tokyo? Especially especially  Although the progress you have made since you took over has been slow, how much pressure has the Commander put on you with this relatively conservative long-term siege plan? You should understand the feelings of the Commander."

    "Sasaki-kun, please stop complaining and think about how to destroy these bandits as soon as possible in accordance with the requirements of the Commander. These bandits have entered the Xiajiang area, which is across the river from Soviet Russia. Once these bandits enter Soviet Russia,  If those information are leaked, neither the Ministry of War nor the Emperor will spare the commander lightly. And you were personally asked to come from the North China Front by the commander's name. The commander is unlucky, and you will not be treated well either.

    Hearing Isotani Rensuke's last words, which were half a warning and half a comfort, Sasaki Toichi could only smile bitterly and said: "Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, it's not that I have to replace the Eighth Regiment. It is really difficult for this Eighth Regiment to take on the big responsibility.  If the 8th Regiment is still used as the main force to carry out the cleanup, I am afraid that this unit, which has no interest in anything other than doing business, will miss the important event of the Commander."

    "In the previous battle in the northern part of Dunhua, the enemy launched a surprise attack, but with the full force of the Eighth Regiment there, plus a section of the Manchukuo Army cooperating with it, the Imperial Army's consistent combat effectiveness was  Look, even if we can¡¯t defeat the Raiders, we won¡¯t be able to hold on for a long time before the defense completely collapses.¡±

    "And the two squadrons I deployed on the south road, which were close at hand, instead of rushing over to support the friendly forces in the southeast after they were attacked, they quickly retreated westward, running faster than a rabbit."

    "When I deployed the main force to carry out continuous suppression of the bandits who had sneaked into Laohiling, and ordered them to rush to the designated location from the Laobai Mountain line in the northwest of Dunhua, they actually spent two full days on a mountain road of only dozens of kilometers.  None of them arrived. As a result, the encirclement circle was never fully formed."

    "Letting such troops participate in the suppression campaign, let alone two months, even two years, may not be able to eliminate this bandit armed force. Please go back to Lieutenant General Isotani to explain all this to the commander, and report to the commander."  He can send any troops if he wants to eliminate these bandits, but there is one thing: the Eighth Regiment must be replaced."

    In response to Sasaki's helplessness revealed in his words, Isotani Rensuke also shook his head: "This Eighth Regiment was the one you originally transferred to participate in the cleanup. Now you propose to change the unit, do you think the commander can do whatever you want?  Do you agree? How can this Fourth Division be like this?"

    Hearing what Isotani Rensuke said, Sasaki Toichi could only smile bitterly and said: "Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, you and I are old friends who worked together in China, so I will speak frankly. The Eighth Regiment was transferred here by my name.  Yes, that¡¯s good. But I didn¡¯t know that the Fourth Division would be like this.¡±

    "I originally thought that this Eighth Regiment had participated in the suppression of anti-Manchu and anti-Japanese elements in the Xiajiang area. Not to mention its experience, it is also the most elite and oldest division in the empire, so its combat effectiveness is naturally very powerful."

    "Although this?The Fourth Division has not been on the battlefield since the Russo-Japanese War, but it performed extremely well in the Southwest War in its early years and in subsequent major army exercises.  In particular, the 8th Regiment was the only Imperial Army Regiment to receive a personal commendation from Emperor Meiji.  How would you know that they would be like this once they go to the battlefield?  I have never been in the Fourth Division.  "

    Seeing the frustration on Sasaki's face, Isotani Rensuke could only shake his head and say nothing.  For Rensuke Isotani, who had served in China together with Sasaki for many years and was already familiar with each other, he believed that Sasaki would not blame the Eighth Regiment for the failure of the encirclement and suppression in order to shirk responsibility.  Maybe this Eighth Alliance is really as bad as he said.  He still believed what Sasaki said.

    After hesitating for a long time, Isotani Rensuke said: "Which division does Sasaki-kun think it would be more appropriate to allocate troops to? The Ministry of War has made a decision to prepare a large-scale increase in troops in Manchuria in order to counter the provocation of Soviet Russia. Although they cannot all arrive at once.  , but after all, there is much more room for choice in terms of troop strength. If you choose the division in the East Manchuria area, I will go and talk to the Commander."

    After hearing what Isotani Rensuke said, Sasaki was silent for a while and said: "Let's transfer it from the 12th Division stationed in the Mudanjiang area. The 12th Division has been stationed in the Mudanjiang area since it was transferred to Manchuria.  The terrain here is also familiar.¡±

    "Furthermore, the 12th Division has been involved in the suppression of the anti-Manchu and anti-Japanese armed forces in Xiajiang for many years. In this regard, it has more experience than the newly transferred divisions from the mainland. I think the next suppression will be carried out by the 12th Division.  The regiment will allocate one or two regiments as the main ones, and select some Manchukuo troops to assist. When necessary, the Eighth Division or the Eleventh Division that has just been incorporated into the Kwantung Army sequence can also send some troops to assist."

    Regarding Sasaki Chuichi's big mouth, Isotani Rensuke shook his head and said: "Don't think about the Eighth Division and the Eleventh Division. Since the Battle of Zhanggufeng last year, the situation on the Soviet-Manchu border has been very tense.  nervous."

    "Although the Kwantung Army has been increasing its troops one after another, it cannot use too many troops to suppress a group of anti-Manchu elements. Moreover, these anti-Manchu elements are no more than a thousand people. If we need to deploy three divisions to encircle and suppress them,  , then wouldn¡¯t the Kwantung Army be laughed out of their wits?¡±

    "In this way, according to the old rules of the Fourth Division, a regiment of the 12th Division will be temporarily placed under your command. I want to use the combat effectiveness of the imperial army of a regiment, plus the coordinated operation of the Manchukuo Army  , it is enough to deal with the anti-Manchu elements, which are no more than a thousand people at most."

    "More than a thousand people, Mr. Isoya, do you really think that these anti-Manchu elements only have more than a thousand people? Your Excellency, according to the confession of one of the straggler recruits captured by the Manchukuo National Army north of Laohiling. They were in Hal in Dunhua  A labor train abandoned by the empire on a railway branch line was intercepted near Baling Station. Thousands of people on the train all joined the department. Among them were more than a thousand Chinese prisoners of war captured by the empire in the pass. And this prisoner  , is one of them."

    "Today, this anti-Manchurian armed force has a strength of five thousand. The weapons and equipment in hand are original, plus those captured in two consecutive battles. Although there are some shortages, they are generally complete. Such an increasingly large number of troops  The anti-Manchu anti-Japanese armed forces, coupled with the excellent command capabilities of the commanders, pose a threat to Manchukuo that is far greater than the scattered anti-Manchu anti-Japanese elements before."

    Having said this, Sasaki said to Isotani Rensuke: "Isotani-kun, although the situation on the Manchu-Soviet border is a bit tense now, the possibility of a war breaking out is not very high. The Russians' strategic focus is still in Europe.  Not the Far East.¡±

    "Judging from the combat effectiveness shown by this anti-Manchu anti-Japanese element in several consecutive battles, if we do not wipe out them as soon as possible while they are weak, with too many recruits, and their combat effectiveness is far from being formed, once they grow stronger over time, then  It will become a thorn in the side of the Kwantung Army."

    Sasaki¡¯s words shocked Isotani Rensuke. He did not expect that within a few days, the number of anti-Manchu armed forces would increase from more than a thousand in the battle report to more than five thousand.  As a senior general and chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, he understood that for Manchuria, which had now become the rear area of ??the Japanese army's operations against China, the sudden appearance of so many anti-Manchurian anti-Japanese elements who, according to Sasaki's description, were relatively powerful, meant  What are you wearing?

    Although according to the imperial army's assessment of the China Army's combat operations in the pass, it would not be a problem for a regiment to be unable to deal with the China Army of more than 5,000 people. However, this was a battle in the mountains, not a regular battle on the plains within the China Pass.  The five thousand men fighting in the mountains cannot be calculated according to conventional methods.

    Especially for this battle, it is not appropriate to send too many Manchukuo troops to participate in the battle. These five thousand people are absolutely not enough for a regiment under the conditions of vast territory.

    Sasaki's words made Isotani Rensuke silent for a long time, and then he said again: "I will return to Xinjiang immediately."??, you will report a specific number of troops required.  The Commander, I went to work with Deputy Chief of Staff Ishihara.  Commander, he may not listen to what I say, but Ishihara Wanji still listens to what I say.  "

    "The situation on the Soviet-Manchu border is becoming increasingly tense. Maybe some conflict will break out in the near future. I don't care whether the information of the Ministry of Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply will be leaked, but I have only one request. That is, when the Kwantung Army is fighting the Russians, what is behind the scenes?  Absolutely nothing will be allowed to endanger the situation of the war."

    (I don¡¯t know if there is a problem with my computer or with the website. I didn¡¯t upload it at home yesterday, but today I went to the Internet cafe to update it, and the upload didn¡¯t even go up. I had a terrible headache. After working on it for a whole day, I finally managed to upload it.  )
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