Watching Yang Zhen make various decisions quickly, the commander-in-chief never spoke, nor did he seem unhappy because he overstepped his level and expanded the troops without consulting him, let alone interrupted him. just quietly stared at Yang Zhen, who had changed the silence of the past two days, and looked very energetic.

After Yang Zhen finished speaking, the commander-in-chief shook his head and said, "If you do this, you have to think about the consequences." Once surrounded by the enemy, you have to think of a countermeasure. I have no opinion on the expansion of the troops. For the anti-Japanese resistance, the stronger our troops are, the better. I would be happier if you pulled out a front. But is it appropriate to expand at this time? After all, the survival of the troops still has to come first. There is also reorganization, is it a little inappropriate in terms of time. ”

Regarding the commander-in-chief's worries, Yang Zhen smiled and said: "Our troop skeleton is already there, and now is the time to fill in the flesh and blood." After the reorganization of the troops, the efficiency will be even higher. The sooner the unit is reorganized, the more familiar it will be with each other, and the higher the combat efficiency will be. After the reorganization is completed, we will first take down the Devil Group tribe in the Jiang area to practice. ”

Yang Zhen's answer made the commander-in-chief not say anything more, and finally chose to acquiesce. In any case, the expansion of the army is still a good thing. Only the increasing expansion of the army will eventually become stronger and stronger.

Hardly anyone knows what the impact of the next battle will be with more than 2,000 recruits with little to no military training. No one knows how many of these recruits will survive after all. But a year later, almost everyone sighed that Yang Zhen's decision was long-term enough.

The short two-day rest is not enough to completely restore the bodies of these people who are almost about to collapse, but it is also enough to restore the vitality of these ** people. The two-day rest time was already the maximum time that Yang Zhen could venture to stay.

On the third day after arriving at Laoheiling, Yang Zhen led his subordinates to defeat a regiment of the puppet Manchurian army and two Japanese squads that were blockading Laoheiling from the north and preparing to enter the mountains in the early morning of the same day.

At this time, the front line from Laobaishan was slowly advancing eastward, although it had already arrived at the main force of the Eighth Wing that was camping not far from the designated location, and the dense gunfire not far from his straight line was not far away, but he refused to take a further step east. Instead of advancing, he retreated a full three kilometers, completely opening the door for Yang Zhen to enter the north.

After learning that the main force of the Eighth Wing failed to complete the task of closing the blockade line, and caused the opponent who had been surrounded by itself not only swaggered away, but also defeated an entire regiment of the Manchukuo Army that was preparing to enter the mountains and pull the net to clear the net, Lieutenant General Sasaki was furious.

After scolding Xingxianyi, who promised that he would definitely urge the main force of the Eighth Wing to complete the siege of Lao Heiling, he sent a telegram directly to the Kwantung Army Headquarters, strongly requesting that the Eighth Wing, which he called the shame of the imperial army, be replaced.

Not only the 8th Wing, but also the troops of the other 4th Divisions. Other elite units were transferred from the 8th Division or the 12th Division, otherwise he would not be able to complete the elimination of this anti-Manchu and anti-Japanese forces.

After receiving a telegram from Lieutenant General Sasaki to the first lieutenant general in the past few days and a request for a change of troops, the commander of the Kwantung Army, General Ueda Kenkichi, who was quite annoyed by the delay in making progress by Lieutenant General Sasaki and the first lieutenant, reprimanded Sasaki and reprimanded him sternly and abnormally.

Dissatisfied with the delay in the resolution of the anti-Manchu forces that had mastered and destroyed the so-called top secrets of the Empire, Tokyo, which already had the idea of replacing the commander of the Kwantung Army, had exerted great pressure on Kenkichi Ueda these days.

At the beginning of this year, Lu Xiang bluntly told Ueda Kenkichi that if he could not solve this group of anti-Manchu forces and recover the lost imperial secrets before the spring, he would be able to complete the position of Ueda Kenkichi as the commander of the Kwantung Army.

His Majesty the Emperor, who was already extremely dissatisfied with the leakage of the Empire's top secrets, was already considering asking the Ministry of War to replace the commander of the Kwantung Army when the lost top-secret information could not be recovered.

At this moment, in addition to the great pressure he had been subjected to, Kenkichi Ueda, who had been under pressure for Sasaki Zhiichi, received Sasaki Zhiichi for so long, but not only could not solve this anti-Manchurian anti-Japanese element, but was also defeated by others to form a reorganized brigade.

You must know that on the battlefield of China, a large group of Japanese troops is enough to defeat the strength of a regiment or even a division of the China Army. In particular, what made it difficult for Kenkichi Ueda to accept was that the Keito Railway was blown up for more than 30 kilometers along with the roadbed and completely interrupted.

After receiving the telegram from Sasaki Toichi, he could no longer hold back the anger in his heart, and not only refused to say anything about Sasaki's request to change troops, but also ordered Sasaki to completely wipe out all the anti-Manchurian forces before May 1.

Receiving Kenkichi Ueda's answer, Sasaki said with a wry smile to Lieutenant General Ryosuke Isoya, who had come from Shinkyo to convey the order: "Isoya-kun, Your Excellency the Commander can't bear the pressure from Tokyo. It is now about to enter March, and although the weather is getting warmer, the snow in the mountains is melting and the mud is unbearable, and the movement of troops is greatly restricted. ”

"Moreover, this anti-Manchu anti-Japanese element is erratic in its operations, and its whereabouts are extremely strange. And the actions are often unexpected. I set up two blockades in a row, both of which were broken by surprise at unexpected points. ”

Moreover, judging from the descriptions of the survivors of several battles, these anti-Manchu anti-Japanese elements were well-armed, not to mention a large number of heavy weapons such as artillery bombardment and heavy machine guns. It was well-trained, extremely disciplined, and its combat effectiveness was incomparable with that of the previous anti-Manchu and anti-Japanese forces in Manchuria. ”

"The blockade line I set up was broken continuously, which of course had something to do with the clumsy performance of the Eighth Wing. However, the combat effectiveness and equipment of this armed force were beyond my expectations, and this was also an important reason for its failure. The commander did not agree to the change of troops, and it was really impossible to solve the problem in two months. ”

Hearing Sasaki's complaint, Ryosuke Isoya also smiled bitterly: "Don't blame the commander too much. What happened to the Ministry of Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply, His Excellency the Commander was under great pressure from Tokyo and even from the Emperor. ”

"You also know what the truth there will mean to the Japanese Empire if it leaks out. Therefore, neither the emperor nor the Ministry of War will accept the leakage of the truth about the Ministry of Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply. ”

"Half a year has passed since the incident, but it still has not been able to complete Tokyo's request to eliminate the rebels and recover the lost data. How much pressure do you say Your Excellency Commander will be under in Tokyo? In particular, with the slow but conservative progress you have taken since you took over, how much pressure has Your Excellency Commander put on you? You should understand the feelings of His Excellency the Commander. ”

"Sasaki-kun should not complain, let's think about how to exterminate this group of bandits according to the requirements of His Excellency the Commander. These bandits had already entered the Xiajiang region, which was across the river from Soviet Russia. Once this group of bandits entered Soviet Russia, and those materials leaked out, neither the Ministry of War nor the Emperor would spare the commander. And you are the commander personally named from the North China Front to come over, the commander is unlucky, you will not be able to bear to go there.

Hearing Ryosuke Isoya's last words that were half warnings and half comforts, Sasaki Toichi said with a wry smile: "Your Excellency Chief of Staff, it's not that I have to replace the Eighth Wing, it's really that this Eighth Wing is difficult to take on the big responsibility." If the Eighth Wing is still used as the main force for purging, I am afraid that this unit, which has no interest in anything other than trading, will miss the important matter of His Excellency the Commander. ”

"In the previous battle in the north of Dunhua, the enemy made a surprise attack, but with the strength of a complete brigade of the Eighth Wing there, plus the Manchukuo Army that cooperated with it, according to the consistent combat effectiveness of the Imperial Army, even if the raiders could not be defeated, it would not even collapse on the whole line before the defense could not last long."

"And the two squadrons that I deployed on the south road, and which were close to them, did not rush over to support the friendly forces in the southeast after they were attacked, but retreated rapidly westward, running faster than rabbits."

"When the main force deployed to continuously clear out the bandits who had infiltrated Laoheiling, and ordered them to rush to the designated place from the line of Laobai Mountain in the northwest of Dunhua, it was only a few dozen kilometers of mountain roads, and it didn't even take two whole days to arrive. As a result, the enclosure can never be fully formed. ”

"Allowing such a force to participate in the attack, let alone two months, even two years may not be able to wipe out this bandit force. Lieutenant General Isotani was asked to go back and explain this to the commander, and report to the commander that if he wanted to eliminate this bandit, he could send any troops, but there was one point, the eighth wing had to be replaced. ”

Regarding the helplessness revealed by Sasaki's words, Ryosuke Isoya also shook his head: "This eighth wing was transferred by you to participate in the cleanup. Now that he has proposed to change the troops, do you think His Excellency the Commander can agree casually? How could this Fourth Division be like this? ”

Hearing Ryosuke Isoya's words, Sasaki Tokaichi could only smile bitterly and said, "Your Excellency Chief of Staff, you and I are old friends who work together in Shina, and I will be blunt about some things." The Eighth Wing was transferred by name, which is good. But I knew this Fourth Division would be like this. ”

"I originally thought that this Eighth Wing had participated in the suppression of anti-Manchu and anti-Japanese elements in the Xiajiang area, not to mention experience, and it was the most elite and oldest division in the empire, so this combat effectiveness was naturally very strong."

Although this 4th Division has not been on the battlefield since the Russo-Japanese War, it has performed extremely well in the early years of the Southwest War and in the subsequent major exercises of the army. In particular, this Eighth Wing was once the only wing of the Imperial Army to receive the Meiji Emperor's personal commendation. Where will they know what they will be like when they go to war? Again, I didn't stay in the 4th Division. ”

Seeing Sasaki's frustration on his face, Ryosuke Isoya could only shake his head and remain silent. For Ryosuke Isoya, who has served in China with Sasaki for many years and is already familiar with each other, he believes that Sasaki will not blame the Eighth Wing for the failure of the encirclement and suppression. Maybe this eighth wing is really as unbearable as he says. For Sasaki to one's words, he still believes.

After hesitating for a long time, Ryosuke Isoya said, "Then Sasaki-kun thinks it is more appropriate to transfer the troops of that division?" The Ministry of War has already made a decision to prepare a massive increase in troops in Manchuria in order to counter the provocations of Soviet Russia. Although it cannot be all at once, in the end, the choice of troops is much greater. If you choose the troops of that division in the East Manchurian region, I will tell you your Excellency, Commander. ”

Hearing Ryosuke Isoya's words, Sasaki was silent for a while and said, "Let's transfer from the 12th Division stationed in the Mudanjiang area." Since its transfer to Manchuria, the 12th Division has been stationed in the Mudanjiang area and is familiar with the terrain here. ”

"Moreover, the 12th Division has been participating in the liquidation of the anti-Manchu and anti-Japanese forces in Xiajiang for many years, and it is much more experienced in this regard than the division newly transferred from the mainland. In my opinion, the next liquidation will mainly focus on the transfer of one or two wings from the 12th Division, and select part of the Manchukuo Army to assist. If necessary, the 8th Division or the 11th Division, which had just been incorporated into the Kwantung Army, could also send some troops to assist. ”

For Sasaki to the lion's big mouth, Isoya Ryosuke shook his head and said, "You don't have to think about the eighth division and the eleventh division. Since the Battle of Zhanggufeng last year, the Soviet-Manchurian border has been tense. ”

"Although the Kwantung Army has been increasing its troops, it cannot devote too many troops to clearing out a force of anti-Manchu elements. Besides, if these anti-Manchu elements, who are no more than 1,000 people, need us to transfer troops from three divisions to encircle and suppress them, then won't the Kwantung Army be laughed off by others? ”

"In this way, according to the old rules of the Fourth Division, a wing of the Twelfth Division will be temporarily assigned to your command. I think that with the combat effectiveness of the Imperial Army of one wing, coupled with the Manchukuo Army fighting in concert, it will be enough to deal with these anti-Manchurian elements of no more than 1,000 people at most. ”

"More than a thousand people, Isoya-kun, do you really think that there are only more than a thousand of these anti-Manchurian elements? Your Excellency, according to the confession of one of its stragglers captured by the Manchukuo Army north of the Old Black Ridge. They intercepted a labor train abandoned by the empire on a railway spur near the Harbaling station in Dunhua. The thousands of people on the train all joined the ministry. Among them were more than 1,000 prisoners of war of the Chinese army captured by the empire in the Guannai. And this captive is one of them. ”

"Today, there are 5,000 people in this anti-Manchurian army, and the original weapons and equipment in their hands, plus those captured in two consecutive battles, although there is a partial shortage, it is generally complete. Such an increasingly large anti-Manchurian and anti-Japanese armed force, coupled with the excellent command ability of the commanders, was far from a threat to Manchukuo that could be compared with the scattered anti-Manchu anti-Japanese elements in the past. ”

Speaking of this, Sasaki said to Isoya Ryosuke: "Isoya-kun, although the situation on the Manchu-Soviet border is a little tense now, the possibility of a big war breaking out is not too great. The strategic center of gravity of the Russians is still in Europe, not in the Far East. ”

"And judging from the combat effectiveness of this anti-Manchurian and anti-Japanese elements in several consecutive battles, if we do not take advantage of the fact that they are weak, have too many recruits, and their combat effectiveness is far from being formed, once they grow in time, it will become a problem for the henchmen of the Kwantung Army."

Sasaki's words surprised Ryosuke Isoya, who did not expect that in just a few days, the number of this anti-Manchurian armed force would increase dramatically from more than 1,000 people in the battle report to more than 5,000 people. As a high-ranking general and chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, he understood what it meant for Manchuria, which had now become the rear of the Japanese army's war against China, to suddenly produce so many anti-Manchu and anti-Japanese elements with relatively strong combat effectiveness according to Sasaki's description.

Although according to the imperial army's assessment of the operation of the China Army in the Guan, it would not be a problem for one wing to deal with the China Army with no more than 5,000 people, but this was a battle in the mountains, not a regular battle in the plains in the China Pass. Five thousand people fighting in the mountains cannot be counted according to the conventional.

Especially in this operation, it is not appropriate to transfer too many Manchukuo troops to participate in the battle, and the strength of one wing of these 5,000 men is absolutely not enough under the operational conditions of a vast area.

Sasaki's words made Ryosuke Isoya silent for a long time before he said, "I'll return to Shinkyo immediately, and you will report a specific number of troops you need." Your Excellency, Commander, I went to work with Deputy Chief of Staff Ishihara. His Excellency the Commander, he didn't necessarily listen to what I said, but that Ishihara still listened to what he said. ”

"The situation on the Soviet-Manchurian border is becoming increasingly tense, and perhaps some kind of conflict will break out in the near future. I don't care if the information of the Ministry of Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply will be leaked, but I only have one request. That is, when the Kwantung Army was fighting against the Russians, it absolutely did not allow anything to endanger the situation of the war behind it. ”