pappabearbooks #645 - Extra: Anti-Japanese War (Part 2)
#645 - Extra: Anti-Japanese War (Part 2)
As Okamura Neiji stared intently at the street opposite, Liu Yuan on the other side was also carefully observing the building.
The army headquarters moved from Tianjin to Duan Qirui's government building in Tieshizi Hutong, Beiping, in 1938. This place was originally the residence of Hongzhou, the fifth son of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, all the buildings in the residence were demolished and rebuilt into three brick-and-wood structured building complexes. The former Qing Army Department and Navy Department were both located in this residence, sharing a single gate. In the early years of the Republic of China, it served successively as the Presidential Palace, the State Council, the Prime Minister's Office, and the seat of Duan Qirui's government.
The central main building is a European classical-style gray brick building, with one building each to the east, west, and north. Although called a residence, it is more like a castle. The management here is much stricter than that of the First Army Headquarters in Taiyuan, requiring inspection for entry and exit.
Despite the tight security here, it couldn't stop Liu Yuan, who possessed the Transformation Technique. Finding an opportunity, he killed an outgoing Japanese officer, transformed into his appearance, and swaggered into the headquarters compound.
In the headquarters operations room, a group of Japanese officers were in discussion. Among them were five Japanese generals, all surrounding General Okamura Neiji in the center.
"Report, Commander, General Shinozuka has arrived."
Shinozuka Yoshio entered the operations room and bowed to Okamura Neiji. "Hahaha, Shinozuka-kun, your arrival is timely. The Eighth Route Army has been showing large-scale unusual movements these past two days, and we are discussing it. You have fought the Eighth Route Army for the longest time and should have some understanding of their actions. Come and see, what is their purpose in doing this?" Okamura Neiji enthusiastically pulled Shinozuka Yoshio to the large sand table and expressed his confusion. Chief of Staff Miyano Michiichi, also Shinozuka's old partner, carefully explained the current intelligence and battlefield situation to him.
Miyano Michiichi said, "The Commander and I are somewhat worried that our sweeping plan has been leaked. The Eighth Route Army received the news in advance and is preparing for another large-scale sabotage operation."
Shinozuka Yoshio remained silent for a long while before speaking, "It shouldn't be a leak of the plan. Since the Commander issued the operation plan, our army has not officially entered the preparation phase. Even many regimental-level commanders are unaware, and the deployments of the various units are not in place. Also, if the Eighth Route Army knew of our encirclement plan, they should be secretly dispersing and transferring at this time. They shouldn't be so high-profile in their large-scale movements, merely attacking some strongholds along the way. Many mobilized Eighth Route Army forces have not engaged in any attacks. Moreover, their main area of activity is concentrated in Jinzhong, Jin southeast, Jin northwest, Ji'nan, and Ji'zhong. It's more like a large-scale troop rotation. Could it be that the Eighth Route Army has reached some agreement with the National Army?"
Okamura Neiji looked at a colonel officer beside him, who was Inoue Yasushi, the head of the Special Affairs Organ of the Area Army. He immediately bowed: "I am very sorry, General. The news from our agent in the Second War Zone Command of China is that Yan Xishan doesn't know what is happening either. He has ordered the Jin Sui Army to be prepared. Our agents in Chongqing and the Central Statistics Bureau have also not received any relevant information. Even the secret agent we planted in northern Shaanxi has no idea what happened. She only detected that the Soviet Army's General Staff had sent three telegrams, but the specific content is unknown."
The generals present, all veterans of many battles, immediately connected these situations together. "Then it must be that the Soviet Union has given the Eighth Route Army enough benefits for them to conduct such a large-scale mobilization." After a moment of silence, Lieutenant General Akiyama Kozo said.
Shinozuka Yoshio also said, "According to previous information, the German army has fully invaded the Soviet hinterland. They have successively eliminated more than two million Soviet troops. Kiev and Minsk have been lost, and on the 20th of last month, the German army attacked Moscow. According to the war reports we received, the Soviet Union suffered heavy losses. After the German Southern Army Group occupied Kiev, they continued to advance towards Stalingrad and have already occupied most of Ukraine." He paused here and looked at Commander Okamura Neiji, saying, "Then this unusual movement of the Eighth Route Army is likely to be influenced by the Soviet Army. So, what is their purpose?"
Shinozuka Yoshio continued, "With the Soviet-German front strained and the Soviet army barely holding on, there must be sufficient troops for a counterattack. I personally believe there are two possibilities. The first is to require the Eighth Route Army to send a sufficiently large-scale reinforcement, which will be armed by the Soviet army, to enter the Soviet Union to help them fight. The number of reinforcements will not be less than 100,000, which the Eighth Route Army can fully achieve with its current strength. But…"
Okamura Neiji said, "It's okay, Shinozuka-kun, please speak your mind."
Shinozuka Yoshio continued, "Judging from the troop strength exposed by the Eighth Route Army last year, their total strength is currently around 450,000, of which only about half are truly combat-effective. I don't think the Eighth Route Army will send half of its main force to participate in an unrelated war. In fact, I am more inclined to another possibility."
Miyano Michiichi was also very interested: "Oh! Shinozuka-kun, what is your other speculation?"
Shinozuka Yoshio picked up the pointer and pointed to the sand table, gesticulating as he said, "My speculation is that the Soviet army provides the Eighth Route Army with a large number of weapons and equipment in exchange for them further increasing troops to Mengjiang and Manchuria, in order to contain our army and alleviate the pressure on the Soviet Far East. This way, the Soviet army can massively draw troops from the Mongolian and Far East regions to reinforce the Soviet-German front." The high-level officers of the North China Area Army suddenly understood!
Although the high-level officers of the North China Area Army analyzed the possible movements of the Eighth Route Army, there was not much they could do. The headquarters issued another order to them, continuing to draw troops to support the Pacific theater. The shortage of troops had a very large impact on them, and the defense of many towns could only rely on the North China Security Army (the puppet army commonly seen in anti-Japanese dramas). As for the remaining matters, Shinozuka Yoshio could not continue to participate, and after offering some suggestions, he took his leave.
Liu Yuan finally managed to sneak into the government building. How should I put it? This place was actually not even half as large as the First Army Headquarters in Taiyuan. But there were indeed many people inside, with many Japanese officers busily moving in and out. He could only open his briefcase, take out many documents, and pretend to be organizing them there. As a result, he saw a lieutenant general walking out of the main entrance of the building, accompanied by five guards. Everywhere the lieutenant general passed, the officers all saluted him.
Oh, isn't this a coincidence! It was Shinozuka Yoshio. Liu Yuan had seen his photo in Yoshio Iwamatsu's office before. In fact, Shinozuka Yoshio was a rare scholar-type general in the Japanese army, standing at 1.77 meters tall with a straight figure, and a refined temperament that made him look more like a university professor.