Shanghai, Naval Hospital.

Early in the morning, Tsukada Tsukashi, chief of staff of the Central China Front, came to the naval hospital to visit Matsui Ishone.

Tsukada peeled an apple and handed it to Matsui Ishone, while saying, "Your Excellency, I just received a report from the base camp that King Hatohiko of Asaka Palace and Shiro Inaba have set off from Tokyo. ”

"Sodax." When Matsui Ishine heard this, the last bit of gleam in his little eyes faded in an instant.

Hatohiko Asakanomiya has already set off from Tokyo, which means that his succession as the commander of the Shanghai Dispatch Army is already a certainty and cannot be changed, and at this point, Matsui Ishine can also completely die.

At that moment, Matsui Ishine pushed away the apple that Tsukada handed over and said, "I don't want to eat it." ”

Tsukada could probably guess Matsui Ishone's thoughts at the moment, and said: "Your Excellency, even if His Royal Highness King Hatohiko of Asakanomiya takes over as the commander of the Shanghai Dispatch Army, the Shanghai Dispatch Army will still have to operate under the guidance of the Central China Front Command, so no matter what, you will be the first to take the battle of Nanjing!" ”

Matsui Shigen shook his head and said, "How can it be so simple! ”

Tsukada attacked and persuaded again, and a young man suddenly hurriedly walked in.

"Your Excellency the General, Your Excellency the Chief of Staff!" Shao Zuo paused heavily, and then continued, "I just received a report from the Tenth Army that His Excellency Yanagawa, the commander of the Tenth Army, was assassinated this morning and was seriously injured and dying!" ”

"Nani? Yanagawa Heisuke was assassinated this morning, seriously injured and dying? ”

"How could such a thing happen? Yanagawa-kun is too careless, right? ”

Hearing this, Matsui Ishine and Tsukada were instantly stunned.

But the next moment, Matsui Shigen's eyes swelled up with a very faint joy!

Yanagawa Heisuke's injury, whether he dies or not, it is impossible to return to the post of commander of the Tenth Army in a short time, which means that he can take this opportunity to propose to the base camp that Hatohiko Asakanomiya be transferred to the commander of the Tenth Army, so that he can continue to serve as the commander of the Shanghai Dispatch Army?

Tsukada is also a human spirit, and soon realized this, and immediately said "not worry-free": "Your Excellency, Liu Chuanjun is seriously injured, and the Tenth Army will be leaderless immediately, which is quite unfavorable for the next battle to capture Nanjing, why don't you propose to the base camp that His Royal Highness King Hatohiko of Asaka Palace be transferred to the commander of the Tenth Army?" ”

Matsui Shigen's heart blossomed, but on the surface, he was embarrassed and said, "Is this good?" ”

Tsukada said sternly: "Everything is for the Japanese Empire, everything is for His Majesty the Emperor, everything is for the Holy War, what's the point?" ”

Matsui Ishone nodded: "Okay then!" ”

"Let's do it!" Tsukada turned around and left.

Seeing Tsukada's figure leave, Matsui Shigen suddenly felt that his waist was no longer sore, and his legs were no longer painful, and he immediately said to the doctor who came in for a routine examination: "Suzuki-kun, I want to be discharged, and I will be discharged immediately!" ”

"Nani?" Dr. Suzuki was surprised and said, "Your Excellency, your condition ......."

Before Dr. Suzuki could finish speaking, Matsui Ishone interrupted him and said, "My condition is all cured!" ”

As soon as he finished speaking, Matsui Ishone turned over and jumped off the hospital bed, turned around and walked out.

Looking at Matsui Ishone, who suddenly became as light as a swallow and had a ruddy complexion, Suzuki was instantly stunned.

……

8 a.m. Shanghai time, which is exactly 9 a.m. Tokyo time.

When the news reached Tokyo, Emperor Hirohito was holding a pre-imperial meeting.

As the curtain of the Battle of Nanking slowly opened, an unprecedented opportunity was placed in front of Japan, but the opportunity often came with great risks!

Therefore, at the moment of changes unseen in a thousand years, Hirohito decided to convene an imperial council to unify the thinking of the government and the opposition! lest the expansion faction and the limited faction fight each other and expand the scope of infighting!

As a matter of fact, there are already signs of this within the base camp, and the head of the War Department, Shimomura Ding, who is the representative of the expansion faction, and the deputy chief of staff of the limited faction, Jun Tada, have expressed their opposing views on many occasions!

The limited faction represented by Tada Jun believes that the war between Japan and China should be drawn a line of order, and that it cannot be expanded indefinitely, otherwise Japan will definitely be dragged down! And the Limited faction went one step further and proposed that the capture of Nanking should be the end of the Sino-Japanese war! After the capture of Nanjing, whether the Nationalist Government surrendered or not, peace talks were necessary!

However, the enlarged faction, represented by the following villages, believed that the capture of Nanjing was only a means, not an end, and that the war should not end until the Nationalist Government announced its surrender!

That is to say, we must fight all the way until China surrenders!

Both factions had their own supporters, and they engaged in fierce debates on various occasions, and even made moves!

It was against this background that Hirohito decided to convene an Imperial Council to unify his mind! So, Hirohito, a little devil, is still a bit level!

Originally, the meeting was held well, and the thinking was unified! It's just that while fighting, while luring down, to put it bluntly, the opinions of the expansion faction dominate!

But at this time, the news that Yanagawa Heisuke was seriously injured suddenly came back!

Immediately after that, Tsukada's telegram also arrived in Tokyo, and then it was sent to Hirohito's Imperial Front!

Hirohito looked at the idle courtyard Miyajihito who closed his eyes and recuperated, and then turned his gaze to Tada Jun: "Tada-kun, what do you think?" ”

Tada Junhai replied respectfully: "Yanagawa Heisuke was suddenly seriously injured, and I am afraid that it will be too late to urgently select a suitable general to serve as the commander of the Tenth Army, if His Royal Highness Hatohiko is transferred to the commander of the Tenth Army, and Matsui Ishine is still the commander of the Shanghai Dispatch Army, then at least one person is familiar with the business, and it will not affect the overall situation of the capture of Nanjing!" ”

Hirohito turned his gaze to the Minister of War Sugimoto and asked, "Sugi-kun, what is your opinion?" ”

Shanshan Yuan knew that he was just an ornament, and said simply: "The minister agrees with Tada-kun's opinion. ”

Hirohito's gaze finally fell on Shimomura Ding, head of the Operations Department of the General Staff Headquarters: "Shimomura-kun, what do you think?" ”

Shimomura naturally has no opinion on this, for him, as long as the war between Japan and China can continue, it makes no difference who will be the commander of the Shanghai Dispatch Army! He replied immediately: "Minister, second!" ”

Hirohito nodded happily and said, "Since there is a consensus, then it will be accurate!" ”

Speaking from the heart, although Hirohito was not satisfied with Matsui Ishone's performance in the Battle of Songhu, he was still willing to give him another chance to prove himself, but the Battle of Nanjing was about to start, and the royal family had to be involved.

But now, since the commander of the Tenth Army is vacant, Hirohito will not mind, and Matsui Ishine will still concurrently serve as the commander of the Shanghai Army.