The Sword of Swords is a Guard for Kong Jie

Chapter 1457: The Kwantung Army’s Helplessness

Kwantung Army Headquarters.

Commander Umezu Umejiro was banging his head on the table in his office and getting angry.

Since he became the commander of the Kwantung Army, he has never been as embarrassed as he is today.

The two main divisions encircled and suppressed the Eighth Route Army of several thousand people, but not only did they not gain anything, but they also suffered heavy casualties and lost more than 10,000 of their own soldiers.

Is this still the elite Kwantung Army that I know?

Even if he had dispatched the puppet Manchurian Army to encircle and suppress the Eighth Route Army, he would not have been defeated so badly.

Could it be that the combat effectiveness of the Kwantung Army has become so poor that it is even inferior to that of the puppet Manchukuo Army in the territory?

The more Umezu Umejiro thought about it, the more solemn his expression became, and he became more and more hateful towards the Eighth Route Army operating in Northeast China.

conceivably.

Once the news of the two defeats of the Fujita Division and the Kono Division in Jinzhou and Fuxin spread, as the commander of the Kwantung Army, I would definitely lose face in the military, and my status and trust in His Majesty the Emperor would be greatly affected.

"Bagya Road..."

Umezu Umejiro couldn't help but curse again.

"It's just a few thousand Eighth Route Army soldiers, why is it so difficult to fight?"

"Even if it's a fight of attrition, two elite soldiers of the Kwantung Army can defeat one of the Eighth Route Army..."

"After losing more than 10,000 elite soldiers, it's time to wipe them out."

"In the end, they ended up fighting like this."

"We have lost more than 10,000 troops and have not yet found the main force of the Eighth Route Army."

"Continue to dispatch troops to reinforce the battlefield..."

"I don't believe it anymore."

"Is it true that the elite Kwantung Army, which was invincible in the past, has no way to deal with the several thousand Eighth Route Army?"

"chief of staff……"

"We will dispatch one main division each from Heilongjiang and Jilin to the south to reinforce Jinzhou and Fuxin respectively..."

"We must stabilize public order in both places and eliminate the Eighth Route Army operating in both places."

"Then the four main divisions will gather together and simultaneously besiege the Chaoyang base that the Eighth Route Army has just established, recapture Chaoyang, and eliminate all the Eighth Route Army troops active there."

"If you fail to complete the mission of annihilating the enemy, the four division commanders on the front line should not come back to me."

"Before the four main divisions converge, Lieutenant General Fujita and the Kono Division will serve as temporary commanders."

"When all four main divisions are assembled and the Eighth Route Army's Chaoyang base is besieged, the Takano Division will be the commander-in-chief and the Fujita Division will be the deputy commander. They will work together to complete all combat tasks in one sweep."

The Chief of Staff did not act immediately, but frowned and reminded: "Commander..."

"I don't think now is the best time to transfer troops from Jilin and Heilongjiang."

"I just received news that the Soviet troops operating in the Far East are also carrying out large-scale military mobilizations. The number of troops is very large. It is not clear whether there is a conspiracy behind this large-scale military mobilization that we are not aware of."

"If they plan to launch an attack on the main force of the Kwantung Army, and we have transferred the few remaining mobile forces in the two places, the possibility of accidents on the front line is very high, and we have to be prepared."

Umezu Umejiro asked with reluctance, "Then we will just watch the situation in Jinzhou and Fuxin battlefields continue to deteriorate and leave it alone..." The one who shook his head reminded, "Commander-in-chief..."

"I think you worry too much."

"Although our siege operations against the Eighth Route Army in the two locations have temporarily ended in failure, it does not mean that the two divisions we reinforced have been defeated."

"The two divisions did lose a lot of people on the battlefield."

"But many of the casualties here were caused by the two divisions not understanding the Eighth Route Army and underestimating the enemy on the battlefield."

"Every failure makes one wiser. I believe the two main divisions will not make the same mistake again."

"And the two divisions still have an absolute advantage in manpower and firepower on the battlefield."

"As long as they learn from their mistakes, they will be able to turn defeat into victory, stabilize public security in the two places, and eliminate all Eighth Route Army troops active in the two places..."

"I think we should not kill them all at once, but give the Takano Division and the Fujita Division another chance."

"After all, it was the first time for the troops they had to fight against the Eighth Route Army."

“Although there is a price to pay in a battle against a familiar opponent, as long as we can learn lessons and understand our opponent, these prices are worth it.”

"Plus, since Heilongjiang and Jilin are temporarily unable to send troops to reinforce the battlefield, we should give the two division commanders a chance to redeem themselves for their crimes."

"When the main divisions that reinforced the North China Front Army return to the Northeast, even if we don't transfer troops from Heilongjiang and Jilin, the headquarters will be able to draw troops from several main divisions to besiege the Eighth Route Army."

"Totally wipe them out in the Northeast."

"Commander... Urgent message from the North China Front Army Headquarters..." The communications officer rushed into the operations room with a hint of imperceptible panic on his face.

Umezu Umejiro was fully focused on how to eliminate the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhou and Fuxin, and for a moment he did not notice the subtle changes in the communications staff officer's expression.

When the communications staff mentioned the North China Front Army, he subconsciously asked, "Have the main divisions we sent to reinforce North China completed their mopping-up missions and are preparing to return to the Northeast..."

The news brought by the communications officer was completely opposite to what Umezu Umejiro had thought.

Faced with the commander's expectant face, the communications officer didn't know how to answer for a moment.

The chief of staff was keenly aware of the embarrassment and panic on the communications officer's face.

He jumped a little, and instantly had a bad feeling, and immediately asked back: "Did something happen to the main divisions we sent to reinforce North China..."

"Hayi..."

The communications staff lowered his head and reported in a mosquito-like voice: "The Eighth Route Army in Yizhong used a large number of aircraft, heavy artillery, and tank units in the anti-mopping-up battle..."

"And raid the troop station under the cover of night."

"Faced with a combined attack from enemy aircraft, heavy artillery, and tank units."

"The artillery regiments and tank battalions under each division were attacked first."

"The infantry without heavy artillery and tanks are like a group of tigers with tired fangs. Their fighting power has been greatly reduced. They are completely unable to stop the Eighth Route Army infantry and cavalry who are attacking with the protection of tanks."

"Several main divisions were defeated by the Eighth Route Army in their garrisons, suffering heavy casualties and nearly being wiped out."

"The remaining troops were no longer able to continue sweeping the Eighth Route Army's base in Yizhong, so they had to switch from offense to defense and surround the Eighth Route Army's base in Yizhong, thereby limiting the Eighth Route Army's range of activities and denying them the opportunity to further develop and grow."

"Commander Okamura said in the bulletin... that he hoped that the main divisions we sent to reinforce North China could stay for a few more months. Once the North China Front Army has recovered its manpower and combat effectiveness, he would send people to replace the Kwantung Army and return to the Northeast."