Age of Rebirth

General Nanjiro, the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, is about to leave his post. The new commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, General Umezu Yoshijiro, has arrived in Mukden, where the Kwantung Army's headquarters is located. The so-called handover of military affairs is naturally handled by his staff. The two leaders of the Kwantung Army, the front and back, have no emotion to waste on such trivial matters.

Today, the reception held on the top floor of the Kwantung Army headquarters is full of two meanings. One is to send off the former commander-in-chief, General Nanjiro. General Yoshijiro assumes a new post.

In order to look at it from any angle, Nanjiro left Manchuria, and he left Manchuria in a glorious way. Even if he resigned and returned to China, he was not sitting on the bench. General Umezu Mijiro, who was born in Japan, came to Manchuria with great ambitions.

One walked away with ease, and the other came with pride. The reception of the two combined naturally had a harmonious atmosphere. The two big men exchanged glasses and chatted very cordially. The mellow sake, the beautiful kabuki, and the exquisite Japanese This style of cuisine made the senior generals of the Kwantung Army who participated in the reception temporarily forget the harsh reality of Tang Qiuli, the devil of China, who had more than one million soldiers on the border of Manchuria. open.

The scale of the reception was strictly controlled according to the requirements of General Nanjiro. Originally, according to the idea of ​​Lieutenant General Matsuda Kenjiro, the chief of staff, General Nanjiro had worked hard in Manchuria. What happened, the scene should not be too shabby when he left office.It should be extravagant, and the participants should include senior officers above all division commanders of the Kwantung Army.There must be at least more than 1000 officials above the head of various ministries of Manchukuo, and senior officers above the division commander of the Manchukuo Army.

After Chief of Staff Matsuda reported his thoughts to General Nanjiro.He was sternly rejected by General Nanjiro. His reason was simple. The war in Manchuria was imminent, and the Liaodong Peninsula had already fallen. At such a severe and sensitive moment, holding such a farewell party for himself was not only inappropriate, but would be rejected. local political opponents.If you use it, you are going to leave, why bother to cause such unnecessary trouble.

Coincidentally, General Umezu Mijiro, the new commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, flew to Mukten from Tokyo impatiently. General Nanjiro had an idea and told Chief of Staff Matsuda, "Matsuda-kun. General Umezu has arrived in Mukden. Since it is the old Kanto Colleagues in the army, I feel like this. Why don't you combine the reception for sending me off and the reception for welcoming General Meizu into one, and you can also take this opportunity to get acquainted with General Meizu, after all. down."

Chief of Staff Matsuda couldn't help admiring General Nanjiro's insight, so there was today's reception. The personnel who participated in the reception were strictly restricted. None of the senior officers who led troops to fight at the front line were not to be notified. As for the Manchukuo Those chief executives are not qualified to participate in the occasion, where the stars gather and high-ranking officials gather, and there are a few more Manchurians among the noble Japanese manpower.

The two-in-one reception was organized by Lieutenant General Matsuda Kenjiro, the chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, and it was not bad. General Meizu did not bring his cronies from Tokyo. The position of chief of staff is still stable for the time being, but Matsuda The lieutenant general knew that once the emperor and the courtiers, after General Meijin took office, he might not know whether he would fully adjust the staff at the headquarters, and he had no idea how long he would be the chief of staff.

Therefore, at the reception, Lieutenant General Matsuda's mood was relatively low. From the bottom of his heart, he was very sad that General Nanjiro left Manchuria and left the position of commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army. How many practical benefits have been brought to the Kwantung Army, that is, in the past few years as the chief of staff for the General, Lieutenant General Matsuda himself felt that no matter in terms of status or power, it was one person under one person and above ten thousand people, that is What a sight!

However, General Nanjiro is obedient to himself. The cooperation between the two people complements each other's strengths. They are very tacit, seamless and complement each other. From the bottom of his heart, Chief of Staff Matsuda is grateful to General Nanjiro for his trust and appreciation for him. Grace, and I also have the idea of ​​being willing to do my best for the general.

And this new General Meijin, judging by his face, is not a good person to get along with. It is said that this General Meijin is also a loner in the circle of local military and political officials, without any foundation, and is the most political. I don't know anything, can such a person be qualified for the position of the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army who is important and requires superb political skills, not just force?

Chief of Staff Matsuda expressed doubts and was not optimistic about General Umezu Yoshijiro sitting in this position. On this point, he coincided with General Nanjiro. The emotions are coming up, and there is definitely something to say.

Chief of Staff Matsuda blushed, walked to the center of the living room with his wine glass in hand, and said loudly, "Masters! Please stop talking!"

Chief of Staff Matsuda was the second most famous figure in the Kwantung Army, so he was naturally intimidating. The senior generals of the Kwantung Army present all looked over and stopped talking. General Jiro also stopped talking nonsense, and watched Chief of Staff Matsuda's actions carefully.

General Nanjiro was somewhat worried in his heart, he could see that this guy Matsuda didn't drink much, but he was a little bit drunk, so don't shoot your mouth full of guns and say anything unpleasant.

As for General Umezu Yoshijiro, he remained calm. Of course he knew that Kenjiro Matsuda, the Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army, was General Minamijiro's confidant and beloved general. He should represent the general psychology of the senior officers of the Kwantung Army headquarters. Is it nostalgia for the old and rejection of the new, or is it about current affairs? It doesn't matter what he says?

Chief of Staff Matsuda cast his eyes on General Nanjiro, who was the guest of honor, held his glass high, and said emotionally: "Masters, everyone knows that Commander-in-Chief Nanji has created countless brilliant miracles in Manchuria in the past few years. , Take the matter of exterminating and pacifying the Manchurian Anti-Union Armed Forces as an example, it can be said that there is no one in the future, '[-]% military, [-]% political!' The empire can have that general who proposes such a brilliant strategy!"

"For another example, after General Nanci served as the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, he devoted himself to the construction of the Kwantung Army. In the end, the Kwantung Army became the famous "Flower of the Imperial Army!" As soon as the second general served as the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, the military and government of Manchuria were unified, and the Kwantung Army has achieved considerable development. We should not forget the contribution made by the commander-in-chief to the Kwantung Army. Gentlemen, we raise our glasses and wish the general Your Excellency, Commander, resigned and returned with honor, and after returning to China, he will hold an important position again!"

It should be said that the toast made by Chief of Staff Matsuda grasped the key points, including the annihilation of the Manchurian Anti-Union Armed Forces, the integration of the Kwantung Office under the banner of the Kwantung Army, and the unification of the military and government, making the Kwantung Army the only one in Manchuria, which General Nanjiro is proud of However, on today's occasion, especially in front of Admiral Umezu Yoshijiro, speaking like this is clearly targeted.

General Nanjiro's complexion changed slightly. Just as he was about to speak out, those emotions were aroused. The senior officers of the Kwantung Army had already walked in front of him, raised their glasses one by one, gestured, and raised their necks, regardless of the amount of alcohol. Whether it's big or small, pour the wine in the glass into your stomach, then, bow deeply, step aside with a solemn expression.

Then, the next officer made a toast, and no one said a word. Chief of Staff Matsuda had already finished what was to be said, and all he needed to do was take action. Dozens of people took turns toasting. The scene was touching, but the eyes of the senior generals During the whole process, from the beginning to the end, he did not glance at General Umezu Yoshijiro, who was sitting side by side with General Nanjiro, and obviously chose to ignore this Commander-in-Chief who is about to take over the power of the Kwantung Army!

General Nanjiro groaned secretly in his heart, "This Matsuda, why did you make such a fuss? What you said is correct, but it is worth the occasion, isn't it? If the new commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army is not here, maybe I will fight with everyone." Speak more deeply!" While complaining in his heart, he secretly blamed Matsuda for being ignorant, so he couldn't hurt the generals' feelings, raised his glass in vain, and drank the wine in his mouth, wondering what it was like?

Taking the opportunity of responding to the generals' toast, General Minamijiro glanced at General Umezu Yoshijiro indiscriminately. He found that his successor, although he still had a smile on his face, seemed to be watching all this with emotion, but the The cold light and the slightly trembling muscles on his cheeks all revealed his inner thoughts. In a word, General Meijin was very upset, it was a kind of unhappiness of being underestimated, a kind of anger of being slapped in the face in public!

General Nanjiro sighed secretly in his heart, "It is very possible that after I leave, Matsuda, the chief of staff, will be replaced by someone else. Don't look at Meizu, he didn't bring a confidant from the mainland, but Kanto The position of chief of staff of the army is high and powerful, and it is very popular, and there are many people thinking about it!"

Moreover, Matsuda's actions, in the eyes of Umezu Yoshijiro, who claims to never join any political faction, are undoubtedly a clear manifestation of the label of a political faction. Everyone in the imperial military knows that he is a member of the Imperial Army Minister Hikari Minai. If people don't like it, why do you come here?

"Matsuda, didn't you mean to disgust Meizu on purpose? I am far away in Tokyo, my homeland. I originally hoped that Matsuda would continue to serve as the chief of staff of the Kwantung Army. Before that, with Matsuda as the core, I could also control the Kwantung Army. Army! It’s not enough to be won over by Prince Zairen, unexpectedly, this guy Matsuda made a foolish trick and ruined his own affairs!” General Nanjiro groaned inwardly.

(To be continued)