Rise from eight hundred.

Chapter 1097 Net!
Time back to half a month ago!
It was still in the quiet but heavily guarded alley in Pingbei City.

Wearing a Japanese-style kimono and clogs, Shigemoto sat under the big tree in the courtyard, making tea in a leisurely state.

The sound of hurried footsteps did not make the supreme commander of Japan in North China raise his eyelids. He still seriously lifted the delicate small teapot and filled the two teacups in front of him with tea.

"Your Excellency, Commander, are you looking for me?" Saburo Okabe, dressed in uniform, walked up to Shigemoto respectfully and asked with his head bowed.

"Sit!" Shan Shanyuan had a faint smile on his face, and pointed to the small tea bowl he had just filled.

"Try it!"

"Hi!" A trace of doubt flashed in Saburo Okabe's eyes, but he quickly lowered his head obediently, took off the saber and gun in his waist, sat cross-legged across from Shanshanyuan, picked up the teacup with one hand, and ignored his indifference. The green tea soup was still steaming, so I drank it down in one gulp.

This is not to say that he, the chief of staff of the front army, is so afraid of the general commander, but that this is a way of drinking tea. It is wrong to cook tea with boiling water. Different teas require water at different temperatures to lock in the aroma of the tea leaves.

It is this inconspicuous detail that is enough to demonstrate his trust in the level of tea ceremony of His Excellency the General Commander.

"Good tea!" Closing his eyes, letting the tea fragrance linger on the tip of his tongue, Saburo Okabe praised: "This tea has a refreshing aroma and a hint of sweetness. My subordinates boldly guess that this tea comes from the local area."

"Haha, as expected of Okabe-kun!" Shigemoto smiled brightly. "The tea is Shirakawa tea from Hida Mountain in Qibu County, and the water for making tea comes from the pure snow on the top of Mount Fuji."

"It's such a precious tea, so I must have another cup!" Okabe Saburo immediately flattered him when he saw that this man was in such a good mood.

"The way of tea, you and I can taste and study slowly, but calling Okabe-kun to come today is a trivial matter." Shan Shanyuan smiled slightly, and looked at the envelope on the side of the table. "Okabe-kun, why don't you take a look and give me a piece of advice as best you can?"

"Hi!" Saburo Okabe picked up the seemingly ordinary envelope from the small table.

'Top secret! The two conspicuous Japanese words on the envelope made the chief of staff of the Japanese North China Front Army, who was about to be promoted to the head of the Kwantung Army Division, tremble violently.

These two words mean that the intelligence level is extremely high. Perhaps no one in North China knows the contents of this envelope except for the person in front of him.

Before the envelope was opened, this person's brain was already running fast.

Since the last time he endured the humiliation and exchanged for Fujiwara Senxie, that unlucky boy calmed down the anger of the Fujiwara family, even the front army paid an unimaginable price, and Shan Shanyuan's attitude towards him was much closer, and many things were directly handed over to him. It was handled by the staff, including the dispatch of two main divisions to the south to reinforce the Central China Dispatch Army at the request of the base camp. All plans were planned by him, the chief of staff.

This made Saburo Okabe somewhat grateful. As long as the two master regiments made some achievements in the Jiangxia battle, he, the mastermind behind the scenes, would have meritorious service, and he would be able to offset a lot of the negative impact of indirectly commanding the defeat in the southeast Shanxi campaign.

If you treat me well, I will naturally repay you twice, and Saburo Okabe is even more respectful to Sugimoto. These two or three months are completely the honeymoon period for the commander and chief of staff of the North China Front Army.

But now, let him, the chief of staff, watch the top-secret information that only the commander can see, and ask himself to give advice. What is the intention in this?This had to make Okabe Saburo's little brain, which can be called a chicken thief, work rapidly.

"China's second war zone ordered to counterattack our North China Front Army, in order to contain the main force of our North China Front Army!" Saburo Okabe finished reading the top-secret information in a soft voice, and frowned slightly to look at Shanshan Yuan.

"This is the intelligence sent by the intelligence personnel of the Imperial Army Intelligence Department codenamed 'Dark Moon'. They have been lurking in China for 10 years, and they have only sent out five pieces of information, all of which are true. This is their sixth piece of information." Shan Yuan replied calmly.

We have been working together for 4 months, and Shanshan Moto still has some understanding of Saburo Okabe, knowing that he is cautious and thoughtful, and if he does not trust him, it will be difficult to get him to tell the truth, so he told himself the letter he asked him to read A source of top secret information.

The Imperial Army Intelligence Service has sent countless spies to China in the past 20 years, but there are really not many spies with their own code names.

"Your Excellency, Commander, this matter is serious, let me consider it!" Saburo Okabe said sincerely.

"It's okay, Okabe-kun will give me some advice after you think it over, don't worry!" Shanshan Moto smiled slightly.

This is Saburo Okabe's greatest strength. He has always been mature and targeted, much better than Yamashita, who has a strong personality and is good at using merit for defense but lacks a little forbearance.

If it wasn't because he was a necessary person in the Kwantung Army, Shan Shanyuan even hoped that he would stay in his post for another year or two.

When he thinks that the mountain he was optimistic about has now become a spoil of war exhibited by the Chinese, Shan Shanyuan feels a block in his heart.

The North China Front Army is known as a fierce general like a cloud. Shiro Itagaki of the 14th Division, Madoka Dohi of the 10th Division, and Ren Isotani of the [-]th Division are all strong men who are invincible and wiped out countless enemies on the North China battlefield.

But for Shan Shanyuan, the advantages and disadvantages of these arrogant soldiers are too obvious, and none of them are suitable to be their chief of staff.

For example, Itagaki Shiro, who is known as the number one fierce general in the empire, has his eyes high above his head. In addition to being polite to himself, the general commander, he is indifferent to other people, including his boss, the commander of the 2nd Army Nishio Saju, and is not used to it. He has as many people as crucian carp crossing the river.

Another example is Tu Feiyuan, the head of the division from the intelligence department is gloomy, and he looks like a stranger, not to mention that his colleagues are respectful and far away when they see him, even he, the general commander, can't help but want to kick him away. Son, to paraphrase the Chinese saying: It’s fine if you don’t like it, the key is to want to beat him when you look at it!

A candidate for the chief of staff who had finally taken a fancy to had even been approved by the headquarters, and it turned out to be a trophy for the Chinese. As a recommender, the internal injuries suffered by Shan Shanyuan were obvious.

That has almost become a joke among the elites of the empire, saying that he, the former army undersecretary, will not end particularly well.

Speaking of it, Saburo Okabe, who is both obedient and capable, is not bad.

Perhaps, Shan Shanyuan, who was churning in his heart admiring the thoughts of his subordinates, didn't notice the thin layer of sweat that involuntarily broke out on the forehead of a certain chief of staff.

Please let it go!Your Excellency!
The job of the chief of staff is really hard to do, not only to advise the boss, but also to resist the poisonous milk from the boss.

If Saburo Okabe and Kuzo Kitamura sit at the same table and chat a few more words, they will definitely find a lot of common language.

Of their two bosses, one has a poisonous mouth and the other is very poisonous.

"Your Excellency, Commander, can you speak freely at your post?" Just when Shan Shanyuan was full of poisonous milk for his chief of staff, Saburo Okabe should have thought about it, and asked solemnly.

"It's just you and me here, and this is not a formal military meeting, so there won't be any records, Okabe-kun, but it's okay!" Shan Shanyuan picked up his teacup, and smiled at Saburo Okabe.

"Although our front army suffered a small setback two months ago, it still holds an absolute advantage in the northern battlefield. The so-called counterattack by the Chinese is mostly due to the pressure of the Jiangxia battle. It is nothing more than hoping to use a certain force to control our front army. Destroy the communication lines and delay our front army going south to reinforce the Central China Dispatch Army." Saburo Okabe said bluntly.

"But if it's just this move, at most it will be a delay and will not form a check. Therefore, China's second theater will definitely send more than tens of thousands of troops to carry out large-scale attacks and sabotage operations, even at the cost of threatening our military transportation hub. Force our front army to draw enough mobile troops to fight against it, so as to achieve the goal that our front army cannot draw enough troops to go south for reinforcements."

"Oh? Okabe-kun, please continue. Then what should our front army do? The matter of going south to reinforce the Central China Dispatch Army, but Okabe-kun, you will be fully responsible."

"If you, Commander, still entrust me with the full power of command, then I will still order the 18th Division to go south according to the original plan, and the new 21st Division will be on standby in Baoding, but I will transfer the [-]th Division to return to the original city for repairs. The Sakamoto Brigade formed the Sakamoto Detachment to secretly station in Yangquan." Saburo Okabe's eyes lit up.

"Your judgment is that the focus of the Chinese counterattack is Jindong?" Shan Shanyuan remained calm.

"Yes, most of Jin Province is now in the hands of our front army. There are [-] of our troops on the western Shanxi front. No matter whether the Chinese go west or north, they may be surrounded by our front army. The Chinese will not be so stupid.

Moreover, if you want to destroy the Ping-Han Railway, the most important line of communication connecting the north and the south, you can only choose Jindong, which borders Hebei Province, and you can even take the opportunity to threaten Shimen, where the division headquarters of the 20th Division is located, forcing our army to mobilize a large number of troops. Mobile forces are used to stop them, and they still have the Taihang Mountains to rely on. Unless they are completely surrounded, they will abandon their luggage and still have a way to escape. "Saburo Okabe analyzed confidently.

"That's right! The reason why the Chinese can still resist on the edge of Jin Province is that they rely on the mountains and the dangerous roads. It is difficult for our army to send heavy firepower. Otherwise, its defense line will be broken long ago. Then it will be their turn to play with us. Sun Tzu's art of war. Shan Shanyuan sighed.

"The mountains are fair. They can be their barriers on the site they have been operating for a long time, but when they dare to leave, they will also become their constraints. Their marching speed will be much slower. We can take this opportunity to besiege them. In the mountains, wipe them out completely." Saburo Okabe stretched out a hand and shook it hard.

"You mean that the 18th Division going south is just a feint. After the Chinese launched a counterattack and moved away from their garrison, they were ordered to return immediately, gather the 18th Division, and newly organize the 21st Division, 20th Division and Congyangquan Division. The Sakamoto detachment that sent troops, worked together to strangle him in Jindong?" Shan Shanyuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Hey, that's exactly what I want!"

"Mr. Okabe, have you ever thought that this is against the intention of the base camp. The Jiangxia battle is the most important thing in the Central China war situation. It is extremely important for the realization of His Majesty's strategy of conquering the entire Chinese territory. If the front army ignores it and only cares about itself, you How much pressure will I encounter?" Shan Shanyuan asked calmly.

"In the battle in Central China, the Chinese also intend to bring back a city. They gathered nearly a million troops. Even if they want to send troops to Central China to win, it will not be completed in two or three months. According to my estimation, at least four months, as many as possible." Even as long as May or even half a year.

If our front army causes serious damage to the enemy, it can even break through its last line of defense, leaving the Guanzhong Plain without barriers. The imperial army can approach the southwestern important area from a distance, and it can make the central China army fluctuate from a distance. I personally think that this It is more effective to draw out two divisions to directly support the battle in Central China. "Okabe Saburo obviously expected Shan Shanyuan to ask such a question, and replied with a look of Zhizhu in his hand.

"It's a pity! This is just what you think, Okabe-kun, but in the eyes of the group of old guys in the imperial headquarters who only talk about wars on paper, it's just an excuse." Shan Shanyuan took a sip of tea and sighed slightly.

"Your Excellency, Commander, don't you?" Hearing what Sugimoto said, Saburo Okabe's expression tightened.

Even though he has already decided where to go, he was not implicated by the defeat in the southeast of Shanxi, but in any case, the impact of the defeat in southeast Shanxi will not disappear, and he will not be implicated in his promotion to lieutenant general. He can be promoted to a general or even a higher level later. Let people take it out and criticize it.

The best way to make people forget about failures is not to cover them up, but to use victories, brilliant victories. This may have been his last chance to justify himself as the chief of staff of the North China Front Army, and he was unwilling to give up anyway.

As soon as he was about to persuade Shanshan Moto, Saburo Okabe took the initiative to keep his mouth shut.

The reason is very simple. Who is the one who wants to wash away the shame of failure?There was no one else but the commander in front of him.

Moreover, this army general specially called him here, just to drink tea and chat?In less than four months, General Shanshanyuan, whose already old face seemed to have aged nearly two years, would never be so idle.

That shows that he has actually made a decision, calling himself to come, maybe it's just a consensus.

"Okabe-kun, no wonder the Kwantung Army Command appreciates you so much. You are very good." Sugimoto was obviously satisfied with Saburo Okabe's clever mind, and nodded with a smile.

"I approve your battle plan! This time, you will be the first commander of the upcoming Jindong Campaign, responsible for commanding the 18th Division, the 20th Division, the new 21st Division, and the Sakamoto Detachment. Fight against the enemy.

In addition, you can also command the 108th and 109th divisions located in the southeast of Shanxi. I personally suggest that if the Chinese dispatch troops from the southeast of Shanxi, the places where they gather will inevitably be empty of troops, and the two divisions will be able to gather heavy troops to enter. , as long as the people who support it, kill it! "

"Hey! Your Excellency, Commander, is wise!" Saburo Okabe was very excited.

"It's just that the 108th and 109th divisions have been reduced several times, and although they have been supplemented, their combat strength is slightly weaker."

Saburo Okabe did not mean to give eye drops to the two second-tier divisions. In fact, he was very polite. If he was telling the truth, it would probably be okay for the two second-tier divisions to guard the city and the road. It can be used, so don't expect them to go to the mountains to suppress it.

"It doesn't matter, I will send Xiong Yuan and Yamaoka Shige personally. I can let go of the failure of the last time, but if I am passive, sabotage and fear of fighting again this time, I, the former deputy chief of the army, will be in vain ?" Shan Shanyuan's face was gloomy, giving reassurance to the chief of staff whom he valued more and more.

Putting out his title of being the deputy chief of the army means that even if he can't kill the heads of two lieutenant generals in the army, he can still let them go back to their hometown to retire, without any positions.

There are not a few generals who belong to the Shanshanyuan department in the Ministry of Army. Otherwise, the southeast Shanxi campaign was so defeated, except for the phenomenon of attacking Shanshanyuan in the ruling and opposition parties, but the army headquarters is still calm, which is not like indoors. That unlucky shroud, SJZ was scolded like a dog by the ruling and opposition parties after a fiasco!

A general and a general seem to have the same military rank, but their influence is not at the same level at all.

"Also, if the main attack direction of the Chinese is really in the east of Shanxi, it is best to put them in the plains, so that the imperial chariots can exert their greatest power. The Chinese equipment is not good, but the will to resist is not weak. Minimize the number of imperial divisions. The loss." Shanshan Moto continued to give instructions to Saburo Okabe face-to-face.

"The garrison at Niangziguan, Jingxing and other places" Saburo Okabe was slightly startled.

"The plan for this campaign is top secret. Except for you and me and Shiro Itagaki of the Fifth Division, no one should know about it, including the 18th Division that is about to go south and the new 21st and 20th Divisions." Shan Shan A cold light flashed in Yuan's eyes, and he said quietly.

"It's like an old Chinese saying: If you can't bear a child, you can't catch a wolf! If a hunter doesn't even want to put the bait, how can he catch the ferocious prey?"

Saburo Okabe's back was slightly cold. The general commander in front of him was more ruthless than he imagined. In order to wipe out the enemy who might attack, he even did not hesitate to use thousands of imperial officers and soldiers as bait.

He believed that if he was attacked by a large number of Chinese elites without any preparation, more than 2000 imperial officers and soldiers would surely die on the battlefield.And Shan Shanyuan hopes to fight the Chinese army in the plains, which means giving up the garrisons at Niangziguan and Jingxing, and letting them become the fruits of the Chinese.

But all this is definitely worth it. Three divisions and a detachment of 8 people have a total strength of more than 10 people, and the Sakamoto detachment is the core of the Sakamoto Brigade under the command of the Fifth Division. It is the top elite of the North China Front Army. As long as the Chinese take the bait, it is absolutely impossible to escape the siege that has been laid out for them, even if they gather more than [-] troops.

It is even possible that this is the first time that the imperial army has used superior forces to encircle and annihilate China's elite army.

The Chinese cannot have any vitality!

. . . . . . . .

The plan of the two scheming Japanese generals succeeded. Under the condition of absolute secrecy, China's huge intelligence network deployed in North China was not aware of the "big plan" of the Japanese North China Front Army.

It was not until the moment when the Chinese raiding forces gathered towards the gate of Eastern Jin from four directions and saw their swords pointing at Shimen that the Japanese North China Front Army Command issued a secret order to the three divisions.

The 18th Division will immediately follow the Pinghan Road from the North Bank of the Yellow River to attack Jindong. The newly formed 21st Division, which has been waiting for orders, will also march towards Shimen through the railway line. to.

This can be regarded as a siege on all sides. Not to mention that the Chinese army with high morale now does not know, even if they know, it may not be so easy to escape.

Unless, they immediately abandoned all their luggage and entered the depths of the Taihang Mountains with light equipment, but then, could they escape the pursuit of the three divisions of the Japanese army?

The answer is, extremely difficult!

Losing all supplies and heavy equipment is a serious blow to any army, not to mention that pure light infantry cannot even pass a mountain pass defended by an infantry squadron.

It can be said that from the moment five infantry divisions and one infantry regiment set foot in the mountainous area of ​​eastern Shanxi, they had already stepped into a dead end.

Because the secret orders they once thought were already on the desk of the Japanese Army Command.

Just like playing poker, what their opponents see is a deck of cards!
When Saburo Chuan'an and Wu Yazui received the secret order from the headquarters, Tang Dao also walked up to Niangziguan, the grand pass known as the gateway to eastern Shanxi, for the first time in his life.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

ps: Today, I saw a piece of news on the news that "A team in Hubei was holding a bayonet and wearing a Japanese military uniform". Fengyue opened it and almost vomited three liters of blood. Fengyue often said: Forgetting history means betrayal!I never imagined that such a stupid thing that makes people speechless would happen in my hometown, I am really ashamed to drink the water of the same river with it!
Regarding this matter, Fengyue wants to tell those idiots that our hometown used to be a place where heroes were buried. General Zhang and the heroic spirits of the Hutou Mountain Martyrs Cemetery are watching you from the banks of the Han River!

(End of this chapter)