After answering Umezu Mijiro's inquiry, Takei Seitaro hesitated for a moment, threw out a bombshell and said, "Your Excellency, if you want me to tell the truth. I think it would be in our best interest for us at the moment if we could abandon Xinjing and withdraw the defensive line from the north to the Gongzhuling line. ”

"Judging from the course of this battle, the Anti-Japanese Federation has been taking advantage of the idea that we cannot accept giving up or losing Xinjing, and using the Xinjing battlefield to make a big fuss. They took advantage of the Kwantung Army's impossibility of abandoning the idea of Xinjing, and pinned down a large number of troops of the Kwantung Army on the Xinjing front line, unable to transfer them to other battlefields. ”

"However, they can take advantage of the mobility of the tank cluster, equipped with a large number of trucks and cavalry, to form a cavalry mechanized cluster, which is interspersed in our hinterland without being too threatened. At the same time, with the cooperation of superior aviation and heavy artillery, they were able to contain a large number of effective forces of the Kwantung Army by placing only part of their forces on the Xinjing battlefield. ”

"Xinjing is now of almost no value to the Kwantung Army outside of the name. The Xintu Railway and the Xintao Railway have been seized by the Anti-Japanese Union. The strategic transportation hub location here is practically no longer functional. On the contrary, it is not as important as Siping Street. ”

"Now that we are defending, we will be held back by the defense of Xinjing, and a large number of troops and equipment will not be able to be used on other battlefields. The mechanized clusters of the offensive and anti-coalition can break through from the flanks of our army at any time with their high mobility, disrupt or even divide the attacking forces of the encircled Kwantung Army. ”

"If we continue to hold on to the salient of Xinjing, we will be able to see that Xinjing has become the front line. For us, the situation that has arisen in this battle could be repeated at any time. This greatly limited the number of troops that the Kwantung Army could put into the battlefield in the future. ”

"But I don't think this construction is acceptable to either the Kwantung Army, the base camp, or even the entire Japanese people. Since we can't, we can only strengthen the defense of Xinjing, not only to maintain a strong force on the front, but also to leave a large number of troops on both flanks of Xinjing, so as to ensure that the city and the two wings will not be divided. The defenders of the new capital will not be surrounded by enemy forces that can appear at any time. ”

"The withdrawal of the 18th Division to the front line of Xinjing is, first, to strengthen the defense of Xinjing. Second, judging from the location of the 18th Division in the area where it is currently located, the distance to withdraw to Xinjing is closer, and the threat it may encounter is relatively reduced. Of course, if the forces of the Anti-Japanese Union from the left flank of Xinjing were to block the attack, they would have completely come in time to retreat south to the territory of Lishu. ”

"But the retreat of the 18th Division has only one word, and that is the sooner the better. As long as we move quickly, I don't think there will be any problems with the security of the 18th Division. If this is really not possible, we can mobilize the defensive forces on the left flank of the Xinjing battlefield and respond to the retreat of the 18th Division to the west. ”

"In fact, judging from the entire situation on the battlefield at the moment, it is not that there is no chance for the Kwantung Army. In my opinion, the Anti-Japanese Federation is now putting on such a posture, but in fact, it can't hold on. The various deceptive tactics they are now employing are to force the Kwantung Army to stop counterattacking. ”

"Ladies and gentlemen, His Excellency Chief of Staff Sadachi Yoshimoto is right. Although the current battlefield situation is more powerful for our opponents. But let's not forget that tanks need fuel, and airplanes also need fuel. Although the enemy army had an apparent advantage on the Linxi and Tongliao lines, their supply lines were also extended to the extreme. ”

"This is an army of nearly 100,000 fully armed, and equipped with a large number of tanks and heavy artillery, not ordinary Chinese people. If it is necessary to maintain combat effectiveness, a large amount of fuel, ammunition and other materials are needed every day. If you add to this their so-called advance march, then the consumption of supplies is even more staggering. ”

"Since their sudden appearance on the Linxi battlefield this time, I have been monitoring their combat operations. Indeed, the face-to-face anti-union is completely different from the original anti-union that could only operate in the mountains and forests. Its firepower, equipment, and even above the Kwantung Army. Since the start of the Linxi battlefield, I have estimated that the average daily consumption of artillery shells is at least about 10,000 rounds. ”

"Their troops on the Linxi battlefield are all mechanized troops, not to mention anything else, and the fuel consumed every day alone is a heavy burden. I once estimated that not counting the anti-United Nations armored forces in the Tongliao battlefield, there was only one anti-United Nations armored force on the Linxi battlefield. ”

"According to the number of tanks they actually put into the Linxi battlefield, plus a large number of trucks, the daily fuel consumption figure is equivalent to the daily fuel consumption of the entire Central China Dispatch Army since the beginning of the China Incident. If you include the vehicles that transport supplies to them, their fuel consumption during this period is almost equal to the fuel consumption of the entire China Dispatch Army at the same time. ”

After reporting a bunch of figures that made people confused and confused, Takei Seijiro continued: "Just their armored cluster on the Linxi battlefield has to ensure at least so much fuel every day to maintain the most basic operational capability. If they launch a counterattack on the Linxi battlefield with armored clusters as the main assault force, then this number will at least more than double. ”

"And all this oil, including other supplies and ammunition, and even the most basic food, had to be transported by them from hundreds of kilometers away without railroads. According to my estimates, with their financial and material resources, even if they do their best, they can maintain it in a short time. ”

"But this maintenance method of smashing pots and selling iron can only support for a while, but it can't support it for a long time. If we add the battlefields in Tongliao and other directions, the amount of material consumed every day, especially the consumption of fuel and ammunition, is even more astronomical. ”

"It's a burden that even an ordinary country can't bear. Not to mention an army that can be supported by almost no modern industry, and which has only been formed and expanded for only a few years? True, they now have their own arsenal where they can make guns, ammunition. ”

"But sustaining a modern war is not something that can be solved by a single arsenal that can produce weapons. He needs to have modern steelmaking, chemical, petroleum and other industries. And these industries, don't say they don't have them now. Even if it is under construction, it cannot be completed in one or two years. ”

"What's more, there are no oil resources in the entire territory of the Manchurian Empire. The large amount of fuel it needed on the battlefield could only be supplied by Soviet Russia. But now Soviet Russia, which has been supporting them behind their backs, is already too busy to take care of itself, and it is no longer possible to provide them with these supplies. ”

"And re-exports from other countries, not to mention whether they can import or not, how can they afford the cost of importing? Without a source of raw materials, what is the use of their arsenal even if it has a large production capacity? Without the supply of fuel, what can they do with more tanks and planes? Isn't it still a pile of scrap metal? ”

"It is the daily consumption of ammunition, materiel and, above all, the minimum standard figures for fuel, which are calculated, as well as an assessment of their current industrial production capacity. I can say that their supplies will not last too long, and they will no longer be able to guarantee the supply of front-line combat units. I think they're trying to cover up their real situation. ”

"That's why I said that the current situation is that the enemy army is setting up a maze array for us. Let the Kwantung Army take the initiative to give up the current counterattack, thinking that it will stabilize their current front and ensure the current control of the zhì area. Because for them, if they want to not hurt their vitality, it is most advantageous to maintain the current front in an unsustainable situation. ”

"As soon as they captured the province of Hung Yen, which is close to Rehe and Chahar, it can be said that they have made the starting point for the next offensive to attack Rehe and finally open up the connection with the interior of China. Holding on to their current control zone and maintaining the current front is quite beneficial to the realization of their strategic objectives in the future. ”

"Second, maintaining the current front, especially the rear banner of the left wing of Tongliao and Horqin, can pose a considerable threat to Mukden Province, the most important industrial base in the whole of Manchuria, as well as the most important coal, metal and other resource bases of the empire in Manchuria. They could attack Mukden at any time and destroy the empire's industry in Manchuria if they deemed it necessary. ”

"The third and most crucial point is. By maintaining the current front, they can alleviate the threat of the Kwantung Army to their heartland, which is also North Manchuria. Their presence in Western Manchuria would pose a threat to the Bac Ninh Railway, the main artery connecting Manchuria with the interior of China, as well as the industrial zone of South Manchuria. ”

Of course, this also includes the left wing of Xinjing, as well as the safety of the entire Fengtian-Xinjing section of the Zhongchang Railway. It can even be said that Siping Street, where we are currently located, is within their target at any time. In this way, the Kwantung Army will have a large number of troops pinned down in the front of Western Manchuria. ”

"Whether the Kwantung Army wants it or not, in order to alleviate its threat to the Mukden Industrial Base and the Bac Ninh Railway, and to ensure the security of the flanks of the Xinjing line, the main forces must be placed around Ximan. The pressure on their so-called core base areas will be greatly reduced. The most important thing is that if they can secure the current front, their room for maneuver will be much greater. ”

"But many things are often two-sided, and there are advantages and disadvantages. As Lieutenant General Yoshimoto said, if they were to achieve this goal, they would need to maintain a large number of troops in the West Manchurian region, which was not supported by the railway. In the long run, it's easy to be overwhelmed by the long-term burden. ”

"The most important thing is that according to the population base of the district they controlled before this battle, as judged by the two deputy chiefs of staff, the current number of troops they have dispatched is probably exhausted. So this defeat, in my opinion, is not necessarily all bad for the Kwantung Army. ”

"First of all, the larger their control area, the longer the battle line will be, and the more troops will be needed. In order to control these newly occupied areas, they had to invest a large number of troops, further exacerbating their already not very strong forces. In this way, a considerable gap was left for the Kwantung Army in other directions. ”

"Secondly, although in this battle, the Kwantung Army lost almost all of Western Manchuria. However, the overall population of Western Manchuria is even inferior to that of Northern Manchuria, and there are a large number of Mongols who are not with it. And the actual total population of several counties in Dongman is not very large. ”

"Except for a few counties south of the Songhua River in Longjiang Province of the original Manchurian Empire, as well as a few counties around Xinjing, the rest of the vast areas have not much population combined. The total population of these areas is difficult to meet their large-scale expansion of troops. ”

In other words, even if this battle is over, the territory they control seems to have increased. But the real strength has not increased significantly. It can even be said that the increase in the number of potential soldiers in the actual control area cannot offset the increase in the number of troops required for the actual control area. ”