Age of Rebirth

Chance!Lieutenant General Matsuda, who is the chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, of course understands that this is a rare opportunity. At least, in the direction of the Liaodong Peninsula, there is no need to rush to deal with it for the time being. The independent division's attack on Fengtian can finally take a breather.

"Commander, this is indeed a rare opportunity. Since the direction of the Independent Division's attack on the Liaodong Peninsula troops has turned to the Korean Peninsula, then, next, we should also adjust our deployment. The Ministry of Staff believes that the planned south of Fengtian The defense line is mainly based on the troops in place now, and the follow-up troops do not need to continue to be deployed, and our defense forces in the west of Liaoning and Ximan will not be too small!"

"According to the situation held by the General Staff, the troops that have been assembled in the south of Fengtian are the No.60 Fifth Division, the No.70 First Division, and the Okazaki Mixed Brigade, with a total strength of more than 5 troops. , in addition, there is also a field artillery unit, which has also arrived at the designated position. As far as the current strength is concerned, in the direction of Gaizhou and Andong, the strength of the three brigades of the Marine Corps of the Independent Division is less than [-]. Defensive posture should be enough!"

"Commander, the staff agrees that our focus is still in the direction of West Liaoning and West Manchuria!" Chief of Staff Matsuda spoke clearly and eloquently, and put forward his own suggestions. As far as the current battle situation in the Liaodong Peninsula is concerned, the independent division should The attack was stopped, and Chief of Staff Matsuda's countermeasures were, it should be said, very realistic.

Unexpectedly, General Nanjiro shook his head, and said very wisely: "Matsuda-kun, you made a fatal mistake in your understanding of opportunities. You attacked the Liaodong Peninsula Independent Division and took a defensive position for the time being. They will not launch an attack in the future, so the independent division in the Liaodong Peninsula will always be our confidant's serious trouble!"

"You see, the independent division troops entrenched on the front line of Gaizhou and Andong can threaten Fengtian if they go straight, and they will pose a deadly threat to our main force on the front line in western Liaoning if they go straight. If they turn to the south, they can attack North Korea The northern part of the peninsula. If the empire’s troops on the Korean peninsula are completely lost, then the issue of the northern part of the Korean peninsula will be resolved, and those Chinese people will turn around. The next target of attack must be Fengtian!”

Although General Nanjiro.Military talent is relatively mediocre.However, with the keenness of a politician, he grasped the key points of the problem. The independent division's offensive in the Liaodong Peninsula went smoothly. For the time being, they took a defensive position on the Gaizhou and Anton front lines, not without fighting against Fengtian.It's just that they haven't freed up their hands to fight yet. Once the imperial forces on the Korean peninsula are wiped out, the next target to be attacked is the Kwantung Army.The first to bear the brunt must be Fengtian!

Chief of Staff Matsuda was confused. He found that His Excellency Commander, who had been sluggish for many days, had a rare light of wisdom in his eyes. Please show me your strategy!"

General Nanjiro realized that there was something wrong with him. It seemed that he was going to leave Manchuria. Maintaining the status quo in Manchuria was in line with his requirements. There is an explanation in the base camp, it is not embarrassing to go, why would I bother to change certain situations?

General Nanjiro felt a little regretful in his heart. He shouldn't have talked too deeply with Matsuda, but now it was hard to ride a tiger. He sighed secretly in his heart and said, "Matsuda-kun, we must not relax at all in mobilizing troops to form the defense line south of Mukden. The strength of two divisions and one mixed brigade is far from enough, we need to gather at least 10 troops to form a large group south of Fengtian!"

"Once the troops are assembled, we will launch a counter-offensive in the direction of the Liaodong Peninsula, regain the Liaodong Peninsula in one fell swoop, and permanently remove the threat from our army's rear in the Western Liaoning and Ximan regions. Therefore, in the Western Liaoning and Ximan regions, we will take a defensive position. Take the offensive in the direction of the Liaodong Peninsula!"

"The purpose of doing this has a greater advantage. Once the imperial army launches a counterattack on the Liaodong Peninsula, it will inevitably mobilize the troops of the three brigades of the Marine Corps of the Independent Division that entered the northern part of the Korean Peninsula to return to the Liaodong Peninsula. , It is equivalent to supporting the imperial Korean garrison from the flank, and the longer the war on the Korean peninsula is delayed, the better it is for us. It will take time for the base camp to reinforce our seven divisions from the Southwest Pacific battlefield!"

"Also, in western Liaoning and western Manchuria, the main force of the Kwantung Army has been pinned down here for a long time, and the defense force in the hinterland of Manchuria is very weak. This is not a good phenomenon. While mobilizing our troops, we should also take this opportunity to Change the passive posture, gradually return the main force of the Kwantung Army to the hinterland of Manchuria, and rely on the existing solid fortification system in various cities and towns for defense. Since we lost the air supremacy, we have been exposed to the wild, and it is too easy to be killed by the firepower of the independent division aviation! "

"Another point is that we must be careful. Our troops in the western Liaoning area and the Ximan area must be maintained at a critical point. We must be able to resist for a period of time when facing the attack of the independent division troops. It is indeed difficult to grasp this point, but we must do it!"

"In addition, in the name of the General Command of the Kwantung Army, I submitted a report to the headquarters, requesting the reorganization of the Kwantung Army Air Force. For absolute or partial air supremacy, even the brave Kwantung Army will pay an unbearable price, and what happened to the Seventh Army at Lushunkou is a clear proof!"

"The empire has a strong industrial foundation and production capacity. There is no shortage of fighter jets, but what is lacking is pilots. It will take time to form the Kwantung Army Air Force, but I have already given the base camp a timetable. By October of this year at the latest, the Kwantung Army will The army air force must be able to fight a medium-scale air battle, otherwise, the Kwantung Army can't guarantee victory in the battle of Manchuria against the Chinese devil Tang Qiuli's troops!"

"It is very possible. From the perspective of the headquarters, I am threatening, but everything I do is for the future of the Kwantung Army and the safety of Manchuria. Matsuda-kun, do you understand?" Nanjiro said at the moment The general, with the image of a wise man, analyzed the current situation in Manchuria in a clear and orderly manner. The advantages and disadvantages of the enemy and the enemy are clear at a glance. It can be said that there is a gully in his chest. Moreover, for the future and future of the Kwantung Army, he will not hesitate to threaten the base camp. What kind of effort is needed for this? Courage and determination to compromise one's career in the military,

Chief of Staff Matsuda spontaneously expressed admiration. To be honest, Lieutenant General Matsuda himself had a somewhat slanderous impression of General Nanjiro. Generally speaking, he did not recognize his military command ability. Compared with the commander, General Nanjiro's military ability is considered to be the weakest. Although under the authority of the Kwantung Army, the generals of the Kwantung Army did not dare to disobey their orders, but in their hearts, they were still a little unconvinced.

Although General Nanjiro fought for the highest power and interests in Manchuria for the Kwantung Army, the Kwantung Army also expanded into the most powerful overseas military group of the empire, and its status in the imperial army was gradually improving, but this does not mean that Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, has extraordinary military commanding skills, and more, he used political means. At least, this is what the generals of the Kwantung Army who advocate force think so.

But today, His Excellency Commander-in-Chief’s words completely overturned the previous impression. Chief of Staff Matsuda’s eyes were filled with admiration, and he said sincerely: “Your Excellency Commander, after listening to your words, the department has suddenly realized many problems that have troubled me for a long time. For the Kwantung Army of the Great Japanese Empire, it is the luck of the soldiers of the empire and the luck of Matsuda to have a commander-in-chief like your Excellency, and the staff department will immediately arrange troops according to your ideas!"

Chief of Staff Matsuda, who was immersed in deep respect for His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, could not hear the slight melancholy in General Nanjiro's words. Get ready to leave Manchuria - this land of right and wrong!

Chief of Staff Matsuda bowed deeply, turned around and left, looking at Matsuda's hurried back, General Nanjiro smiled bitterly, "What's wrong with me? My mind is unprecedentedly clear and agile, even I am a little surprised, can't it be I am about to leave Manchuria and think about the problem from the outside, but I can see it more clearly! There is no confusion from the authorities, but my series of deployments are based on the two main corps of the independent division in the direction of Western Liaoning and Western Manchuria. On the basis of taking the initiative to launch an attack!"

"I hope that the incomprehensible devil of China will not take the initiative to attack in Liaoxi and Ximan because of insufficient troops. Give me another month before the reinforcements of the seven divisions arrive, even if he leaves Manchuria It is also a clear confession to His Majesty the Emperor and the Great Japanese Empire!" He thought wistfully.

The Kwantung Army troops in the direction of Liaoxi and Ximan continued to be transferred sporadically and secretly to Fengtian according to the original plan, with regiments or brigades as units. This is not new information. After the three brigades of the Marine Corps on the front line of Gaizhou and Anton occupied Gaizhou and Anton, their soldiers pointed directly at Fengtian. Anyone with a brain can see that the South It is also a normal reaction for Jiro to mobilize troops to defend.

Tang Qiuli's judgment was that no matter how Nanjiro mobilized his troops in the direction of Fengtian, he would never dare to reduce the strength of the confrontation with the Niangziguan Garrison Corps and the North China Field Corps to a vulnerable level. There is a bottom line problem.

The western border of the Northeast was wide open, and hundreds of thousands of independent divisions marched straight into the hinterland of the Northeast. This was a dangerous situation that Nanjiro and the generals of the Kwantung Army never wanted to face.

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