Age of Rebirth

The words of Major General Yamada, the chief of staff of the Japanese Far East Campaign Headquarters, are euphemistic, but they hit the point and pointed out the essence of the problem. Can the Kwantung Army at this stage cope with the pressure from the two field corps of the Independent Division at the same time? ?

The meaning of Chief of Staff Yamada is also to remind the commander-in-chief, Prince Zairen, not to be at a disadvantage at both ends. This is the duty of the chief of staff. Prince Zairen sighed in his heart. Thinking of this, the current appearance of the Kwantung Army is like recovering from a serious illness, no—it is a patient who is bedridden and has lost too much blood.

During months of shopping with the Soviet Army in the Far East, the pride of the Imperial Army, a "Flower of the Imperial Army!" The petals were scattered, almost withered, and weak. The ability to fight, and according to Prince Zairen's estimation, even if the Kwantung Army recovers to its heyday, it will take at least three to five months for the Kwantung Army to recover two-thirds of its combat effectiveness and soldiers, which is still an optimistic estimate.

However, the Outer Mongolia Field Corps of the Independent Division, stationed on the northeastern border of Manchuria, has always been a huge threat. Although it is only a second-rate army, wolves with teeth can bite people, and they cannot be left alone. If there is no defense, then you need soldiers!

After careful weighing, the only thing that can be used is the Kwantung Army. The Far East sent troops to return to the Far East. That vast land requires more troops to garrison. The independent division on the front line of Cik pointed to the troops in the east, and the number of troops was reduced. Isn't that a sheep in the mouth of a tiger?

The Far East Expeditionary Army cannot transfer back a single soldier, and the North Korean troops stationed in the army.Don't count on it either. I just cut off more than one-third of the troops with a knife by myself. The Korean Peninsula with three thousand miles of mountains and rivers is not a peaceful place. All kinds of resistance armed forces are making trouble for the imperial army all day long. However, Shinichi Tanaka has too few troops. If there is a big disturbance on the Korean peninsula, the foundation of imperial rule will be shaken.The local guys took the opportunity to add fuel to the flames, wouldn't they be completely passive?

After much deliberation, the Kwantung Army had no choice but to force themselves to deal with the new opponent—Sun Zhenbang's troops from the Outer Mongolian Field Corps of the Independent Division.The original local defense team couldn't afford to be the leader at all.main troop.They are all half-soldier, half-civilian country bumpkins from the Manchuria Pioneering Regiment. If you expect them to fight, why not trust roosters to lay eggs?

Prince Zairen felt like a bright mirror in his heart, facing the attack of the second-rate troops from the Outer Mongolian Field Corps of the Independent Division, the original border guards of the empire.It's still an optimistic estimate that it won't last three days, so Yamada's words make sense.It can't be worth the fact that the border area in the northeastern part of Manchuria is always defended by imperial troops?

However, Prince Zairen did not directly refute Major General Yamada's words. He wanted to see what good ideas the capable chief of staff could come up with. Maybe his words would inspire a new way of thinking for himself. ?

"Mr. Yamada, I have considered all your concerns, but the situation is such that the threat from the northeastern border of Manchuria must be resolved. Do you have any better suggestions?" Prince Zairen asked kindly, and, It is a very sincere attitude of seeking opinions.

Having said all this, it is impossible for Major General Yamada to hide it, "Commander-in-Chief, the biggest problem for you is the problem of military strength. For the current plan, we can only make a request to the base camp again and send it to the Kanto. At the same time as replenishing the troops of the army, we should increase the intensity of conscription in the local area, form a new frontier garrison force in the northeast of Manchuria, and send them to Manchuria. Major General Yamada spoke eloquently.

It's a good idea, but far away water can't quench your near thirst. Forming a new army with more than 250 troops will not be completed in a month or two. Besides, the empire has difficulties in the empire, "Yamada-kun, this is a long-term plan According to the plan, the number of imperial troops in Manchuria in the future should not be less than [-] million, but, as you know, just to replenish the soldiers of the Kwantung Army and recruit the reserve soldiers of the base camp, it is already a pain in the sky!"

"Also, Yamada-kun, the Empire's Southwest Pacific Expeditionary Army is stalemate with the British and American Allies on the Australian battlefield in the South Pacific. The Pacific battlefield will not show signs of ending in a short period of time. The empire's existing war potential must be simultaneously Taking into account the two battlefields and supplementing the losses of the Kwantung Army has already made the imperial soldiers nervous, so it is not easy to form a new army of more than [-] people!" Prince Zairen said earnestly.

Major General Yamada put his legs together, stood at attention with a "snap!", lowered his head abruptly, and said, "Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, the department's knowledge is shallow, and you have spoken nonsense!"

Prince Zairen waved his hand, without any intention of blaming him, "You are the chief of staff, are you making a suggestion, why are you talking nonsense? Well, just follow what I just said, give the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, General Nanjiro, an order Also, tell Mr. Nanci, don’t wait until the soldiers are replenished, the troops of the eight divisions will immediately go to the border of Manchuria, and they can accept local soldiers while marching in!”

After Chief of Staff Yamada left, Prince Zairen looked at the large military map on the wall and said to himself: "Outer Mongolia Field Corps——Sun Zhenbang, a new opponent who just didn't know. Among the generals under Li's command, where does he rank? I hope he is a mediocre opponent!" The worry in his eyes did not diminish.

General Nanjiro, the commander-in-chief of the Japanese Kwantung Army, after receiving the order from the Far East Campaign Headquarters, took a telegram and stared blankly for a long time. , I know what the Kwantung Army looks like now, how much wealth it has, and how much combat power it has. General Nanjiro knows better than anyone else.

More than 180 million troops, how spectacular and imposing, but after a battle in the Far East, more than 100 million people were lost, and their vitality was severely damaged. Many divisions were fought to nothing but empty shelves. It is patchwork, including the wounded. The Kwantung Army's current strength is less than 80. Fortunately, the headquarters recognizes the Kwantung Army's hard work and gives priority to replenishing soldiers and equipment. Just yesterday, the first batch of soldiers was 15. People, carrying equipment, have arrived in Manchuria, and within three to five days, they can be incorporated into various troops.

General Nanjiro knew very well that the reason why the Kwantung Army received such generous treatment was all due to the merits of Prince Zairen. His Royal Highness was in the imperial world with great powers and commanding the wind and rain. He was grateful for the fact that the department in the headquarters dared not show face. Prince Zairen did not intentionally make things difficult for him just because he belonged to the lineage of His Excellency Minei Guangyi.

If Prince Zairen wants to make things difficult, Nanjiro himself will suffer and cannot tell. After all, what the empire is fighting is not only a war in the Far East, but also the continent in the South Pacific. It is not just your Kwantung Army. A family, need soldiers?

However, gratitude is gratitude, and it is not enough to make General Nanjiro abandon General Minai, who has been kind to him, and plunge into the arms of Prince Zairen. General Nanjiro believes that being together is what the Kwantung Army deserves. At the beginning of the Far East Campaign, it was the Kwantung Army that withstood the Soviet Union’s 400 million-strong army, adjusted the deployment for Prince Zairen, and bought enough time. At the most critical moment to encircle and wipe out the Soviet Far East Front Army, it was the Kwantung Army that broke the deadlock first.

As for the subsequent failure of the Far East campaign due to the arrival of Soviet reinforcements, it was not my responsibility. The Kwantung Army paid nearly 100 million casualties and severely damaged the troops of its old opponent Zhukov, and got what it deserved. Status, all of these, are all soldiers of the Kwantung Army in exchange for their blood and lives!

Therefore, General Nanjiro's attitude is that he is not arrogant, nor is he deliberately flattering. He also shows a sense of distance from Prince Zairen's intention to win over. With the arrival of the first batch of recruits and equipment from the mainland, General Nanjiro's mood gradually eased up.

If the current replenishment rate is followed, the total strength of the Kwantung Army will reach about 150 million in four or five months at most. Although it is far inferior to the heyday, it is still quite good. As for the combat effectiveness of the troops? General Nanjiro is worried, but it's not a big deal!

Although the Kwantung Army suffered heavy losses, those who survived were the backbone and experienced veterans. This is the seed. With the existence of these veterans, General Nanjiro is confident that within two years, the Kwantung Army will still be a proud empire." The flower of the imperial army!"

But just when I felt comfortable, an order came from the Far East Campaign Headquarters to transfer the troops of eight divisions at once, "God Amaterasu, that's nearly three of the Kwantung Army's current strength." One-tenth, next, the Kwantung Army will go to the Liaoxi area of ​​Manchuria to face another strong force of the Independent Division - the Niangziguan Garrison Corps, under the command of the Chinese devil Tang Qiuli, who will be photographed in the top five. , Feng Jiwu's troops!" General Nanjiro groaned inwardly.

If the eight divisions of the current Kwantung Army were transferred to other areas other than Manchuria, General Nanjiro would try his best to turn his face against Prince Zairen and bring the lawsuit to His Majesty the Emperor, and he would not obey orders.

But not now, the entire territory of Manchuria was originally the defense zone of the Kwantung Army. If another unit of the Independent Division appeared on the northeastern border and threatened, the Kwantung Army would have the responsibility to take preventive measures. The order of Prince Zain made General Nanjiro There is no reason to push, and there is no reason to get on the table if you want to disobey, but it is really painful to transfer the troops of eight divisions like this!

The chief of staff, Lieutenant General Matsuda Kenjiro, saw that the commander-in-chief seemed to have a toothache, and he only gasped for breath, but didn't speak, but at the other end of the headquarters, before waiting for a call back, he asked: "Commander-in-chief, the Far East campaign Shall we execute the order from the headquarters immediately?"

(to be continued) (to be continued..)