Age of Rebirth

After hearing the words of Chief of Staff Matsuda, the new commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, General Umezu Yoshijiro, suddenly jumped, and secretly sighed, "Sure enough, the Kwantung Army deserves to be called the "flower of the imperial army" of the empire! The military quality is indeed good, just take this Chief of Staff Matsuda as an example, with only two questions, he guessed his intentions, and made a side reminder when reporting!"

"No wonder, with Nan Jiro's mediocre military command ability, he was able to wipe out the anti-Japanese armed forces in Manchuria, and he was in a good situation. With such a large number of generals with high military literacy under his command, it is not enough to deal with the anti-Japanese armed forces of the mob. It's a pity that Nanjiro, an old guy, sticks to the rules and sticks to the rules, and his talents are mediocre, killing the talents of many senior Kwantung Army generals!"

"It's only now that I really feel that the Kwantung Army is really wasted in the hands of Nanjiro!"

General Umezu Yoshijiro smiled gently, but his tone was unquestionable, "Chief of Staff Matsuda, pass on the message. At seven o'clock tomorrow morning, a military meeting will be held in the conference room of the headquarters to focus on the military deployment of the Kwantung Army's counterattack on the Liaodong Peninsula!"

Chief of Staff Matsuda was taken aback. He was the specific operator who secretly mobilized troops to the south of Fengtian, but he knew very well that the troops assembled now have no heavy equipment, not even small-caliber artillery, let alone cover the attack. As for the tanks, there is not even a single one, and the numbers of the troops are messy, and no effective integration has been carried out.

Moreover, in terms of troop strength, although the assembled troops have nearly 4 troops, the independent division troops staying on the Anton line in Gaizhou have three brigades of nearly 5 troops.Isn't it a risky move to counterattack the more than [-] independent division troops with [-] soldiers who lack heavy weapons?

Also, the other three brigades of the Marine Corps of the Independent Division are located along the border between North Korea and Manchuria. Once the imperial army launches a counterattack, the other three brigades of the enemy will suddenly return to the division. Underneath, it was pulled out with great effort.The force used to defend Fengtian was the result of being pinched from front to back, and all members were crushed.

Regardless of his status as chief of staff of the Kwantung Army or consideration of the future of the empire in Manchuria, Chief of Staff Matsuda must stop General Umezu Mijiro.This kind of adventurous plan regardless of reality, "Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief. As the Chief of Staff, I clearly express my opposition. You are taking a risk! If you insist on going your own way, I will report this matter to you as the Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army." Report to the General Staff of the Imperial Headquarters!" He said in a somewhat forceful tone.

Chief of Staff Matsuda's tough tone was somewhat unexpected by General Meizu, and he was slightly taken aback.There was a strange feeling in my heart, and I had a new understanding of Lieutenant General Matsuda, but I admired such a chief of staff very much.Is this the demeanor of a man of the emperor? Don't come to those politicians who are wise and safe.

"Oh! Chief of Staff Matsuda, I would like to hear your reasons for opposing my plan! Or, your views on the situation in Manchuria!" General Umezu Yoshijiro said with a calm expression, his expression unchanged.

The words have already reached here, and it is impossible to take them back. Although Chief of Staff Matsuda has made up his mind to establish a good relationship with his new boss and try not to be arrogant, the future and destiny of the Great Japanese Empire in Manchuria are at stake. At this moment, there is absolutely no way to back down, so Chief of Staff Matsuda tried to use a calm tone to explain in detail his worries and worries, as well as the comparison of the strength of the independent division in the Liaodong Peninsula.

Finally, he said with emphasis: "Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, the current situation in Manchuria is complicated, and it affects the whole body. Regardless of whether the imperial army's counterattack plan on the Liaodong Peninsula is successful or not, once we counterattack the Liaodong Peninsula, the war will last forever." If it is delayed, the independent divisions in western Liaoning and West Manchuria will take the opportunity to launch a full-line attack, and our reinforcements will not arrive. By then, the situation in Manchuria will be corrupted beyond control, and it will be related to the rule of the empire in Manchuria, so , The Ministry implores Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, to carefully consider this counterattack plan!"

Chief of Staff Matsuda, who was immersed in the excitement, did not notice that General Umezu Mijiro's eyes became more and more appreciative, "This guy Matsuda is indeed a rare and good chief of staff. This person has a very good mind. Clear, and dare to put forward different opinions in front of the superior, it is rare that the imperial army lacks such a chief of staff! With the help of this person, my burden in Manchuria will be relieved a lot!" He thought I thought to myself.

Chief of Staff Matsuda never thought that what he said would add a lot of points to General Meijin's heart. His position, which was not stable at first, is now unbreakable. No boss would like to disobey his subordinates, especially the most confidant chief of staff.

General Meizu didn’t interrupt Chief of Staff Matsuda’s impassioned speech. After he finished speaking, he got up, got a glass of boiled water, and handed it to Chief of Staff Matsuda, “Matsuda-kun, you are a competent and qualified staff officer. Chief, I am short of people like you, Matsuda-kun, thank you for your hard work, drink a glass of water!" Yoho, even the title has been changed, it is no longer the chief of staff for the relationship between superiors and subordinates, but replaced by Matsuda-kun's affectionate title.

This made Chief of Staff Matsuda, who was about to make a one-shot deal, feel as if he had fallen into a cloud for five miles, and was at a loss for what to do.

General Meijin sighed, and said: "Matsuda-kun, I am very pleased that you did not hide anything from me, nor did you fear me because I am the supreme commander of the Kwantung Army, but stated your thoughts bluntly. , It’s rare! It’s rare! Matsuda-kun, let’s sit down and talk in detail!”

General Umezu Yoshijiro motioned to Chief of Staff Matsuda to sit on the sofa, and then said: "Matsuda-san, I have carefully considered your analysis just now, and it is indeed a practical difficulty we are facing. Moreover, your opinion comes from another This angle prompted me to immediately implement the military operation to counterattack the Liaodong Peninsula!"

Chief of Staff Matsuda, just heard the praise from his superiors, thought that His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief accepted his opinion, and was going to give up this risky and unrealistic military operation that might ruin Manchuria, who knows, But after hearing these words, feelings, and the suggestion to bet on his own future and fate, it became a catalyst. His head went "Boom!", and he almost passed out. He was about to speak out to insist on his objection.

General Umezu Yoshijiro waved his hand, interrupted him, and said: "Matsuda-kun, I know what you are going to say, please believe me, I, Umezu, am not a reckless and impulsive person, how could I not have sufficient consideration before making this decision?" Prepare!"

"Just take what you are worried about. The three brigades of the independent division that entered the northern part of the Korean Peninsula will return to the Liaodong Peninsula battlefield at any time. At that time, our counterattack troops will fall into a passive situation of being attacked by the enemy!"

"Tell you Matsuda-kun, this is impossible. Before I came to Manchuria, I had a deep talk with General Kobayashi, the director of the Military Intelligence Bureau of the Imperial Base Camp. In front of me, Han Tie, the commander of the Marine Corps of the Independent Division, commanded three The brigade, and the three brigades of the Southeast and Southeast Mobile Corps assigned to his command, are going deep into the mountains in the Tokugawa area in the northern part of the Korean peninsula, encircling and suppressing the No.40 Third Division of the Imperial Korean Garrison, for at least five days , unable to withdraw from Tokugawa!"

"As for the strength of the counter-offensive force, you might as well let Matsuda-kun know that before I flew to Manchuria, I had already ordered the [-]th Division of the Third Army, which was recently transferred from the mainland to Manchuria, to gather in Vladivostok. The [-]th Division can go to Fengtian. Now, I am afraid that it will soon pass Liaoyuan. At the latest, at noon tomorrow, it will arrive in Fengtian and complete all the deployment before the counterattack. These two elite first-class divisions, It will be the main force of the counterattack!"

Chief of Staff Matsuda was taken aback for a moment, and said in disbelief: "Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, according to what our staff has learned, the two divisions of the Third Army did not go north via Suifenhe, Mudanjiang, etc., and use Harbin as the assembly point to prepare Reinforcement of the Imperial Far East Dispatched Army fighting in the Far East? What, suddenly transferred to Fengtian?"

"Hahaha!" General Umezu Mijiro laughed triumphantly, and said: "Matsuda-kun, the way to use troops is to combine reality and fiction. Going north to reinforce the Empire's Far East dispatched army is just a smoke screen. The intelligence network of the Independent Division in Manchuria, according to Kobayashi The general said that it is pervasive, and now, the military column that continues to drive to Harbin is just an empty wagon! At most, it is loaded with some military supplies, and it is used to attract the attention of the independent division agents!"

"As for the 10th and [-]th divisions, they got off at Mudanjiang early and took cars instead. They were transported by land and went straight to Fengtian via Dunhua and Liaoyuan. For this reason, I used almost all the vehicles that could be recruited. This is a strange soldier. Regarding the issue of military strength, we have assembled three and a half brigades with more than [-] people, plus two first-class divisions with more than [-] people, and a strength of nearly [-] people. We are attached to four heavy artillery regiments. , two chariot regiments, Matsuda-kun, are you still worried about the lack of troops?"

"I also want to tell you that when I took over as the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, the headquarters had already guaranteed that the newly formed Third Army would be included in the Kwantung Army's combat sequence. Not only that, but the other two divisions staying in the mainland would also It is about to go to Manchuria, and it will be assigned to the Kwantung Army in the order of battle!"

"With the six first-class divisions recharging their energy and more than 15 elite divisions in hand, it is just around the corner to change the current passive situation in Manchuria. Moreover, these six first-class divisions are equipped with the latest secret arms!"

General Umezu Yoshijiro revealed so many secrets in one breath, which made Chief of Staff Matsuda dumbfounded. After a long time, he finally said, "Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, is far-sighted and humbled!"

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