Bright Sword's Bloody War of Resistance

Chapter 870: Battle of Central Plains

Xuzhou. With the arrival of Kenji Doihara, other senior Japanese military officials appeared in Xuzhou one after another.

Not to mention the undercover personnel of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, even ordinary people could clearly feel that the atmosphere in Xuzhou had become depressing.

Teams of fully armed Japanese soldiers entered the barracks outside the train station. Trucks carrying weapons and ammunition and tanks emitting black smoke were endless.

In a teahouse outside Xuzhou city, traveling merchants were hiding from the sun and were chatting and laughing.

Suddenly, pedestrians on the avenue hurriedly rushed to the side of the road. A large group of Japanese cavalry came roaring over, waving whips in their hands. Some pedestrians who were unable to dodge were whipped, and some were even knocked away by the Japanese horses.

Perhaps seeing a crowd gathering in the teahouse, the leading Japanese officer waved his hand, and several Japanese cavalrymen stopped their horses in front of the teahouse.

This scene frightened everyone in the teahouse so much that their faces turned pale. They dared not move or sit down. Several pedestrians who were knocked down by Japanese cavalry on the road were howling in pain.

One of the Japanese second lieutenants had a childish face, with the hair around his mouth still not fading. It was obvious that he had just joined the army. He pointed at the people walking on the road.

"You guys, drag them over here!"

Everyone in the teahouse looked at each other, but no one dared to move. Seeing this, another Japanese cavalryman pretended to pull the bolt of his rifle: "Hurry up, or you'll die!"

"Madam, we'll go right away, right away!" The owner of the teahouse didn't dare to look up, and called on several guests around him to get started quickly.

Several of the pedestrians had been trampled by the war horses and were breathing less and more. Some even died after being dragged. The bloodstains left on the ground were extremely glaring.

The shopkeeper scraped the loose dirt on the ground with the soles of his feet, trying to cover the bloodstains. From time to time, he looked at the Japanese soldiers' actions with a forced smile on his face.

"Yo, you're doing great!" The Japanese second lieutenant who was still on horseback praised, and then said to the other Japanese cavalrymen: "Everyone, come down and take a break, there's no need to be too nervous!"

Without waiting for a reply from the other Japanese soldiers, he dismounted and sat on a stool in the teahouse. He unbuttoned the military button around his neck and placed an extremely exquisite command knife on the table.

These Japanese cavalrymen were the reconnaissance unit of the tank brigade, responsible for the guard mission along the way. However, the Japanese troops coming from outside the Great Wall were used to being arrogant, and since this place was not far from Xuzhou City, they did not take the pedestrians along the way seriously at all.

The Japanese second lieutenant had the injured pedestrian pulled aside not out of kindness, but because he didn't want the passing tanks to be contaminated by filth.

One of the Japanese sergeants was about 30 years old. He hesitated a little, but because of his superior's order, he could only respond: "Hey, hurry up, follow the order of the commander Yamashita!"

Several Japanese soldiers were sitting around two tables. The shopkeeper nearby brought two pots of cold tea and a few plates of snacks without waiting for the Japanese to say anything.

The Japanese second lieutenant drank a cup of herbal tea, his expression obviously very satisfied: "The weather in North China is too hot, far less comfortable than in Manchuria!"

"I really don't know why they chose to fight at this time. Many soldiers in the tank unit are showing signs of heat stroke!"

Facing the commander's complaints, the other Japanese soldiers remained silent. The Japanese sergeant was afraid of offending the commander and causing his displeasure, so he had to agree: "The weather in Manchuria is indeed cool, but I heard that the weather in Southeast Asia is even worse!"

The sergeant paused after he finished speaking, and mentioned seemingly unintentionally: "I just don't know if my brigade needs to follow the infantry division to continue fighting in Southeast Asia after the battle in North China is over!"

As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately resonated with the Japanese soldiers present, and they immediately turned their attention to the Japanese second lieutenant.

The Japanese headquarters still insisted on sending additional troops to the Southern Army, but ordinary Japanese soldiers did not think so, especially the soldiers of the Kwantung Army. Most of them were veterans who had participated in the war for many years and were not as easy to fool as the young people.

The Kwantung Army had exclusive control of the entire Manchukuo. Although it needed to guard against threats from the Soviet Union in the north, its living standards were extremely high, and it was the de facto emperor in Manchukuo.

Even an ordinary soldier can get whatever he wants within the defense zone. After living a comfortable life for too long, he naturally doesn't want to live a hard life anymore.

The Japanese second lieutenant felt the inquiring eyes of the crowd, and his self-esteem was unprecedentedly satisfied. He straightened his body and said, "Gentlemen, my tank brigade is the elite of the empire. Naturally, we will not be used in the same way as ordinary infantry divisions. We cannot move easily!"

"The Eighth Route Army in North China is so powerful that it is difficult to control it. That is why my brigade is moving south from the northern border. As for the specific arrangements after the war, I have not heard any accurate information yet!"

"But as long as you make more achievements in this battle, promotion after the war is justified!"

Although they didn't hear the exact answer, after hearing what the second lieutenant said, the other Japanese soldiers immediately started to flatter him.

"Under the leadership of Commander Yamashita, we will surely achieve more military exploits. The Eighth Route Army will be vulnerable!"

"Hey, Commander Yamashita is young and promising, and he commands well. We will surely win this battle. Long live the Empire of Japan, and long live Commander Yamashita!"

The Japanese second lieutenant was named Yamashita Tomita, and he was a cavalryman directly under the Japanese tank training brigade. His real identity was the third son of the commander of the Second Area Commander Yamashita Tomoyuki.

He had just graduated from the Tank School in Siping years later. Yamashita Tomoyuki had led an observation group to Germany for inspection after the Battle of Nomonhan. He could be regarded as the founder of Japan's tank unit. So after Yamashita Tomita graduated, he was assigned to the tank unit.

Yamashita Tomita originally went to the Tank Training Brigade to gain experience. Before the war, the commander of the brigade he served in intended to transfer him to the brigade headquarters for protection, but this guy has always been arrogant and looked down on others, and insisted on going to the front-line troops.

Not long after, the roar of a tank was heard in the distance, and the cold tea in the tea bowl even overflowed. Seeing this, the other Japanese soldiers hurriedly stood up and came to the outside of the teahouse to greet them, but Yamashita Tomita did not move.

At this time, the guests in the teahouse were huddled in the corner, but the vibration caused by the chariot threw them into chaos.

Rows of tanks emitting billowing black smoke, large numbers of trucks carrying Japanese soldiers, weapons and ammunition, with artillery towed behind the trucks, fully demonstrating the power of the tank brigade.

One of the tanks with the regiment flag flying was under special protection by the Japanese army. The Japanese brigade commander Yamaji Hideo on the tank noticed Yamashita Tomita's actions through the observation hole and shook his head.

"He has great ambitions but little talent, and is not even one-third as magnanimous as his father!" Yamaji Hideo said to himself.

The chief of staff beside him observed the situation and immediately said, "Brigade commander, should we transfer Yamashita Tomita back to the brigade headquarters? In case something goes wrong, I'm afraid..."

"What are you afraid of? This is his own choice. I think this is the model that the imperial soldiers should have. Commander Yamashita also supports it. Your worry is unnecessary!"

"Hey, Brigade Commander, you're right!"

A large force of Japanese tanks slowly passed by the teahouse. Yamashita Tomita was just about to get up and mount his horse, but unexpectedly the hatch of a tank was lifted up and a Japanese soldier poked his head out.

"Yo, Yamashita-kun is so relaxed, we are all busy marching, but you are drinking herbal tea!" "But I won't let you go, just stand back and watch me slaughter the Eighth Route Army!"

This ridicule made Yamashita Tomita's face suddenly change, but before he could retaliate, the man hid back in the chariot: "Baga, Tojo Toshio, how dare you humiliate me like this!"

Yamashita Tomita drew out his ancestral sword and split the stool in front of him into two pieces with one stroke. Then he looked fiercely at the people in the teahouse who were witnessing it all.

"Taijun, spare me, spare me!"

One of the guests dressed as a porter saw that things were not going well and quickly stepped forward: "You are so powerful, I wish you a great victory!"

Upon hearing this, Yamashita Tomita put his saber back into the sheath. After the Japanese soldiers left, the teahouse owner and the customers stood up.

One of them ventured out of the teahouse and looked in the direction where the Japanese troops were going. After making sure that they were out of sight, he said, "Fuck you, damn you! Let the Eighth Route Army shoot you to death!"

Seeing this, the guest dressed as a porter said to the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, have many Japanese passed by your place these days?"

The shopkeeper looked at the porter suspiciously and said, "There was a group of people last night, riding on a truck heading west. They were there for more than ten minutes. This is the second group today!"

"I heard from the guests that these devils came here by train and were all at the train station north of Xuzhou. It looks like they are going to attack the Eighth Route Army!"

The others echoed, "That's right. A few days ago, there was quite a stir in Shangqiu. I heard that the Eighth Route Army sent out more than 100,000 people!"

"Everyone, you are lucky today and have saved your life. I think it is better to close my teahouse for the time being. Everyone, go away!"

The guests took their belongings and hurried home, but the porter took out a few banknotes from his pocket and pointed at the dead bodies on the ground: "Boss, do you know these people? Tell their families, if you don't know them, please bury them!"

"Hey, look at what you are doing? They are all Chinese, and they are frequent passers-by. I can't just ignore it!" Before the shopkeeper could finish his words, the porter stuffed the money into his hands.

"No, you didn't take anything!"

"Give it to you!"

At the Japanese military headquarters in Xuzhou, many Japanese generals and officers were sitting together. A quick glance revealed that there were two Japanese generals and several lieutenant generals. Officers below that were not qualified to attend the meeting.

Xuzhou was originally the home turf of the 21st Division commander Tanaka Hisaichi, but at this time, the commander of the Second Front Army, Yamashita Tomoyuki, took over and sat directly on the main seat.

Deputy Commander and Commander of the 14th Division Kenji Doihara, Commander of the 57th Division Nobuhiro Okayama, Commander of the 12th Division Masaichi Kawabe, Commander of the 71st Division Hidezo Hitomi, and Commander of the Imperial Guards Division Akira Muto.

These old devils sat on both sides of the conference table.

"Gentlemen, the Central Plains Campaign has been in preparation for nearly a month, and now the war has finally begun. The headquarters has ordered me to take full command of the Central Plains Campaign. Do you have any questions?"

Yamashita Tomoyuki was not only a military general, but also, judging from his tenure, was involved in many political matters. At this time, the power game behind the scenes had already been completed, so he went straight to the point.

No one else dared to raise any questions. Originally, the combat meeting was to be held in Peiping, but because of a dispute between Yamashita Tomoyuki and Ishiwara Kanji, the location was eventually changed to Xuzhou.

Even the two division commanders who were preparing to fight on both sides of the Pinghan Railway were not allowed to temporarily leave their troops and rush to Xuzhou to show their obedience to Yamashita Tomoyuki.

The commander of the 57th Division, Okayama Nobuhiro, was an old subordinate of Yamashita Tomoyuki. He immediately stood up and said, "I am willing to obey the orders of Commander Yamashita. Long live the Empire of Japan, long live the Emperor!"

The others echoed the sentiment. Kenji Doihara, who was sitting on the left, knew the situation clearly. This move was nothing more than a show of force against him.

"But what effect can it have? It's like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!" Kenji Doihara sneered in his heart, but he was the only one who did not stand up to express his attitude.

"It remains to be seen whether Yamashita Tomoyuki can keep his position!" Zhou Weihan said.

"That's impossible. He's the commander after all. How can the top leader not have his say? The Japanese don't have political commissars, either?"

The Japanese army was in a meeting, and the Eighth Route Army was not idle either. Zhou Weihan heard Li Yunlong's doubts and scolded him, "You are the only one who talks too much nonsense!"

"According to reliable information, this group of Kwantung Army was originally going to reinforce Southeast Asia, and the Imperial Guard Division that was previously docked in Haizhou Bay was transferred back from Southeast Asia. What do you think is going on?"

Li Yunlong opened his mouth and said, "Damn it, the little Japanese are just taking off their pants to fart, isn't that a waste of time?"

"Old Li, you don't understand. There are also factions within the Japanese army. I think they must have asked their own people to come back first and let the other troops go to the front!"

Although Ding Wei's guess was just a joke, it also contained some truth.

Zhou Weihan said: "We have been preparing since we heard that the Kwantung Army was heading south. As a result, the 35th Division was crippled, but the Kwantung Army has not made any moves. Now I know that the Japanese army has made a series of personnel adjustments. Although the Japanese army is coming with great momentum, there are great contradictions within it!"

Doihara Kenji dared to refute Yamashita Tomoyuki in public, so he must have had something to rely on. The best proof of this was that he was transferred from military councilor to deputy commander of the front army before the war.

Yamashita Tomoyuki was a key figure of the Imperial Way Faction, while the current Prime Minister and War Minister Tojo Hideki was a core figure of the Control Faction. The two had always been rivals, but Tojo Hideki had always been able to suppress Yamashita Tomoyuki and even snatched the position of War Minister.

Feeling that the Imperial Way faction, which had been suppressed for a long time, was showing signs of rising, Tojo Hideki complied with the Southern Army's request for reinforcements and transferred Yamashita Tomoyuki from the puppet Manchukuo.

For Yamashita Tomoyuki, who had been sitting on the bench as the commander of the Kwantung Army Defense Force, this was naturally an opportunity to regain power, but Hideki Tojo was not so kind.

Except for the 57th Division, which was an old subordinate of the Defense Force, the commanders of the other divisions were replaced one after another before the war.

Kenji Doihara was a complete opportunist. In order to show his loyalty to Tojo Hideki, he not only served as his deputy, but also returned to his old unit, the 14th Division, as the division commander in an attempt to form a counterbalance to Yamashita Tomoyuki.

This shows that factional strife within the Japanese army was becoming more and more serious.

(End of this chapter)