Okamura Ningji's stubbornness made Lieutenant General Harem Jun very unimpressed. As chief of staff of the Chinese Dispatch Army, who was in charge of all Japanese units south of Shanhaiguan in China, he insisted that the next offensive target of the Anti-Japanese Union could only be chosen from Chanan Nan or South Manchuria, and that the target of the attack would never be turned to the west. It is not the best direction for the Anti-United Nations.

However, he is only the chief of staff of the Shina Dispatch Army, and he has no ability to restrain the commander of a first-level strategic group like Okamura Ninji. Since Okamura Ninji insisted that the next target of the Anti-Japanese Federation would be Suidong and Chaxi, then let him persevere. It's just that there are some words, and he, as Okamura Ninji's nominal superior, still has to say ugly things first.

Facing the stubborn Okamura Ningji, Lieutenant General Harem Jun also said politely: "Okamura-kun, since you insist that their next target is Chaxi and Suidong, it is not impossible to send troops. After all, Okamura-kun is the commander of the North China Front. As for the enemy situation you are facing, you, the commander of the front army, have the most say in your judgment of the form. ”

"However, once you made a mistake in judgment, the North China Front was defeated in battle. If this anti-Japanese armed force broke into Hebei and worsened the already stable law and order situation in North China, and could not meet the needs of the base camp, then the dispatched army would not bear any responsibility for this. ”

"Now that the empire's southward campaign is about to be in full swing, North China, as an important production base for strategic materials such as grain, cotton, coal, and iron ore, is second only to the industrial areas of Manchuria in the overall strategy of the empire. Okamura-kun, I hope you will think carefully and don't forget the lesson of General Tada. ”

However, considering the importance of this battle for the stability of law and order in North China, as well as ensuring the Empire's control over this important economic region of North China. In addition to the original transfer of various divisions and regiments stationed south of the Yellow River, the dispatch army can provide support to the special operations forces of the North China Front. ”

"It's just that these supports can only be determined according to the situation after the 11th Army completes the new offensive against Changsha launched in response to the southward operation. Okamura-kun's troops directly subordinate to the army also had to face the Chongqing Army's millions of troops in the south, especially the six and nine theaters where their most elite were concentrated. ”

Regarding Harem Chun's reminder, Okamura Ningji said indifferently: "Harem-kun, I am the commander of the North China Front. In the event of a defeat in the battle due to my judgment, this responsibility will naturally lie with me, the commander, and it will have nothing to do with the dispatch army. And all my judgments are made out of the present overall form, so I insist that my judgments are correct. ”

"Judging from the current shape, our opponent does not have the strength to seize the Beining line and take the Shanhaiguan line in a short period of time. If you choose the line of Dongjiakou, Lengkou, and Xifengkou, you will face the pincer attack of the Kwantung Army. And choosing the first line of Zhangjiakou and Gubeikou as the breakthrough point, for them, the complex terrain there is the real limit to their supply and combat effectiveness. ”

"Don't forget that the so-called Pingxi Base Area and Pingbei Base Area of the North China Communist Army are in the midst of these lofty mountains. The North China Front has been swept many times, but it has never been able to completely wipe it out. One of the most important reasons is that the depth of this mountainous area is too vast, and the lack of roads makes it difficult for supplies to be scarved, so that the North China Front's sweep of it cannot last. ”

"The history of the Chinese people, they know a lot better than we do. And the consumption of materials in modern warfare is not comparable to that of the Manchu Qing Dynasty when it entered the customs. Choosing Chanan as the breakthrough point, even if a breakthrough can be achieved. However, in the face of the mountainous terrain, this breakthrough cannot guarantee the maintenance of long-term operations until the Bac Ninh Railway is opened. ”

"The marching operations of large forces are not the so-called guerrilla warfare of the North China Communist Army. The amount of material consumed by a field division and regiment every day is far from being replenished by the barren mountainous areas in this area. Seizures alone simply do not meet the needs. And they are all automatic weapons, and the consumption of ammunition you have already seen on the shooting range yesterday. With such a large amount of supplies and supplies, in the absence of roads, it is afraid that they will not be able to fight by relying on the mountain paths alone, and they will be starved by hunger. ”

"Actually, everyone, I would prefer that they chose to make a breakthrough in Chanan. Because of this war, their targets, whether they are Chanan or Suidong, are facing long supply lines. And according to their current transportation capacity, it is difficult to solve the problem of oil alone after such a long period of consumption. ”

"The Great Force movement was carried out in a situation where there were no railways available, only the use of cars along the road for supplies, and the supply lines were too long. Not to mention the problem of cars, the amount of fuel required alone is an astronomical amount every day. And the Soviet Union behind them, under the situation that the German army has already hit the city of Moscow, is now in a storm, and it is simply unable to provide them with a large number of supplements. ”

"Faced with long supply lines and their own lack of long-term combat capabilities, I think they have only one solution to this war, and that is fast. This means that they must make the most progress in the shortest possible time to avoid the collapse of their supplies. Without the support of modern industry and their own oil exploitation and processing, they are doomed to be unable to support a modern war for a long time. ”

"If they choose Chanan as the main direction of assault, the North China Front only needs to hold the passes and rely on the mountainous terrain to block the attack layer by layer. Plunging them into endless mountain battles would be enough to bring down their supply lines. ”

"When its supplies were scarce, we concentrated the various divisions and regiments in the rear, and with the cooperation and support of the Kwantung Army, they launched a counterattack on all fronts, and annihilated all the troops that launched their attacks in the mountains in the territory of Chanan and Rehe. This endless barren mountains and mountains in the northern part of China will be turned into a tomb where they are buried. ”

"It's just a pity that we can see that, and they can see it too. It is precisely because of their own weaknesses that I insist that they will never choose the main direction of attack in Chanan, either Nanmanchu or Suidong. In addition to these two directions, they will not have a third option. ”

"And with the current shape of Manchuria, and the current predicament of Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadachi, I think the only direction they can choose is Suidong. As for Chanan, at most they will maintain a certain diversionary offensive to relieve the pressure behind their westward clusters and coordinate operations in Manchuria, but this will definitely not be the main direction of attack. ”

"Ladies and gentlemen, my opinion is to mix the independence into a second brigade and advance the Taifusi Banner and Duolun Line from the current station in Zhangjiakou to the north. The 27th Division, which is currently concentrated in Tianjin, has all been transferred to the front line of Zhangjiakou and Chicheng to serve as the second echelon and mobile troops, as well as to ensure the flank of the 26th Division. ”

"The 110th Division will be deployed to Huade and Shangdu as the second line of defense in depth of the 26th Division. The First Army transferred no less than one independent mixed brigade to enter the front line of Fengzhen and at the same time block all the communication arteries in northern Shanxi such as the Killing Tiger Pass. The communist army in northern Shanxi was strictly blocked from the customs and infiltrated the Daqingshan area. ”

"The 15th Independent Mixed Brigade and the 1st Independent Mixed Brigade in Beiping were deployed in echelons along the Pingzhang Line to quickly eliminate the communist forces in Pingbei and Pingxi. The cavalry group of the Mongolian garrison army stationed in Baotou ensured that the railway line from Baotou to Guisui was unblocked. Once the next offensive goal of the Anti-Japanese Federation is to advance westward, Baotou will be abandoned on the spot and all will be shrunk to the line from Guisui to Jining. ”

"All the heavy artillery units under the jurisdiction of the front army went north, one was deployed between the yellow flag and the right flag of Sunit, and the other was assigned to the 27th Division. The artillery of each division and regiment on the front line should build a field artillery position that is sufficiently strong and covered. Each artillery squadron will have at least six base shells in reserve until February next year. ”

"In addition to heavy artillery, all the tank units of the front army were also transferred to the formation of the Mongolian Xinjiang garrison army. As for how to use the Mongolian army, it depends on His Excellency Lieutenant General Nanataichiro. However, my advice is to integrate these chariot units into your cavalry clusters, under the unified command of Lieutenant General Nishihara Kazuse. ”

"The rest of the divisions and regiments that are not going north for the time being will concentrate their rapid-fire guns, battle defense guns, infantry anti-aircraft guns, and all weapons with anti-tank capabilities to the 26th Division, the 110th Division, and the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade. At the same time, it applied with the base camp and developed a batch of artillery shells for anti-tank use for the wild mountain artillery. And strictly ordered the technical departments of the front army to immediately produce a batch of anti-tank mines for all divisions and regiments on the front. ”

"As soon as the divisions and independent mixed brigades of the Reserve North Mobilization Brigade arrived at the designated location, they immediately began to construct no less than three anti-tank trenches within the immediate defensive range. And in the western part of Chaxi, relying on the mountains and hills at the eastern foot of the Yinshan Mountain Range, the overall fortifications of great depth were built. ”

"In particular, each anti-tank firepower point should be deployed as crosswise and three-dimensional as possible. In particular, at the front of the 26th Division, a minefield with a depth of no less than 500 meters should be arranged. The Front Command will transfer 40,000 prisoners of war from this year's combat to speed up the construction of fortifications. ”

"The troops stationed along the Jinpu, Tongpu, and Binh Zhang railway lines must strictly ensure the safety of the railways and make every effort to ensure the smooth flow of the railway lines in wartime. At key locations along the railway, as much anti-aircraft fire should be deployed as much as possible. As for the anti-aircraft artillery units directly under the Front Army, in addition to the five squadrons reinforced to the First Army, which were used to strengthen the air defense along the Tongpu and Zhengtai railways. All the remaining anti-aircraft artillery squadrons were transferred to the 26th, 27th, and 1103rd divisions. ”

Speaking of this, Okamura Ningji looked at Lieutenant General Harem Jun, who looked disapproving after listening to his deployment, and knew that this junior of the Army Non-commissioned Officer School still stubbornly believed that the next main direction of attack of the Anti-Japanese Federation was still in Chanan or Manchuria, and he disagreed with his overall deployment.

However, he is the commander of the front army, and how to fight is his own business. But since he has promised to give some assistance to Lieutenant General Chun of the harem, is it too much of a loss for himself not to? Due to the different combat objectives and the limitations of the terrain, the number of anti-tank rapid-fire guns in the North China Front was not sufficient. In that case, it would be better to send troops to let a little blood.

"Lieutenant General Harem Jun, the North China Front still lacks a certain amount of heavy firepower, especially the number of anti-tank guns. I hope that the Dispatch Army Command will be able to reinforce the North China Front with a batch of anti-tank rapid-fire guns from the various divisions and regiments stationed in East China that are temporarily non-fighting. ”

"During this period, it is hoped that the army headquarters will be able to dispatch a batch of ammunition, gasoline, and especially artillery shells to support the North China Front. If it is convenient, please send the headquarters to the North China Front to transfer a few automobile squadrons, as well as the subordinate tank squadrons to be temporarily transferred to the North China Front Army. ”