Lieutenant General Anda Twenty-three means that now the North China Front is ready. At present, part of the troops have been transferred to the Pingjin area, and the railway line that can be relied on at any time can quickly reach any direction. Moreover, the North China Front Army has mobilized 12 automobile squadrons, which are deployed in Beiping and Jinbei respectively, to ensure that the reinforcements can quickly move away from the railway line at any time.

Not only the troops stationed in Hebei and Shanxi are ready to be dispatched at any time. Even part of the troops of the 12th Army stationed in Shandong, and the 17th Division of the 13th Army directly under the jurisdiction of the China Dispatch Army in Xuzhou have also begun to concentrate their forces and stationed at major stations along the Jinpu Road.

The 15th Division stationed in Nanjing has also begun to shrink its strength, and the independent mixed 9th Brigade stationed in Hankou has also begun to move from Hankou to Hebei. The advance two infantry brigades, the artillery team and the engineer team, have landed in Tanggu Port. The Fourth Cavalry Brigade, which originally belonged to the cavalry group of the Mongolian Xinjiang garrison army and is now under the command of the 12th Army, is also on the way to be rebuilt. That is to say, now not only the North China Front, but even the entire China Dispatch Army is ready.

No matter what this strong opponent is facing in front of them, what they want to do next requires mutual cooperation and cooperation between the Kwantung Army and the North China Front. If the Anti-Japanese Union really chooses to go south, the North China Front hopes that the Kwantung Army will be able to launch a full-scale counterattack in Manchuria during the war against it. Strive to recapture Tongliao and cut off the supply lines of their troops moving south.

And if the anti-union southward movement is just a bluff, the focus is still on South Manchuria. Then the North China Front will draw up its forces to take over the pressure of the Kwantung Army in the direction of West Manchuria and ensure the safety of the Bac Ninh Railway. In other words, the two provinces of Rehe and Jinzhou will be defended by the North China Front Army to replace the Kwantung Army. The two strategic blocs cooperated with each other to deal a devastating blow to the anti-Japanese forces in front of them.

Regarding the construction of Lieutenant General Anda 23, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sanichi was very cautious. The rationing of the two armies was not a problem, but Manchuria had always been the territory of the Kwantung Army, and no other parties had ever been allowed to interfere. Not to mention his North China Front, even the navy has never been able to intervene. With the exception of the port of Arthur, the Navy did not have any naval bases in Manchuria.

If the North China Front Army is allowed to enter Rehe and Jinzhou, then it is equivalent to letting the North China Front Army extend its hand into the territory of the Kwantung Army. This is something that has never happened since the formation of the garrison army in China. Historically, it has been from the Kwantung Army to mobilize troops in the area of the Guannai and infiltrate into the area of the Guannai. On the other hand, it was the first time that an extension of the North China Front had reached out to the sphere of influence of the Kwantung Army.

For this construction of the North China Front, Yoshimoto Sadachi could not but be cautious. As chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, he had to consider the situation and interests within the Kwantung Army. Although there have been many defeats, the arrogance of the flower of the imperial army is still there. Many people still can't accept the thing of letting people put their hands into their own territory. And once the North China Front puts its hand into Rehe, it will be difficult for them to withdraw.

The army is naturally united when it comes to the outside world, especially when facing the navy, the biggest enemy, but the army itself is still divided into many interest groups. If the North China Front can take over the defense of the Kwantung Army at Rehe in wartime, it will naturally be a good thing, which can greatly reduce the pressure on the Kwantung Army on the entire battlefield.

However, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto was afraid that it would be easy to ask the gods to send them, and it was easy to allow them to enter Manchuria, but it would be difficult for them to withdraw after the matter was over. Especially at present, the entire battlefield of China is in a period of relative calm. The side of the couch allows others to sleep soundly, and the same applies within the army.

It's just that whether it is Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadachi, chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, or Adatsu Twenty-three, chief of staff of the North China Front, and even Lieutenant General Harem Jun, chief of staff of the Shina Dispatch Army, who also does not speak on the side, the starting point of all the arguments is how to resist the active attack of the Anti-Japanese Alliance.

As for the Japanese army, which has always advocated offensive, it took the initiative to take the lead in launching an attack, so as to deal a heavy blow to the anti-Japanese alliance that was in the period of recuperation, and nip in the bud the follow-up offensive that was extremely likely to exist. In order to cooperate with the Empire's offensive in the South Seas, no one mentioned it.

Manchuria has always been the territory of the Kwantung Army, and it is difficult for others to intervene if they can't reach in. But the Kwantung Army itself did not have this idea, so it could not help but make people feel somewhat surprised. What was the Kwantung Army? It was the flower of the imperial army, and it was so arrogant that it didn't even mention a word. I don't know if I don't have that strength at the moment, or if I've been convinced.

Yoshimoto Sadachi's silence, but General Okamura Ninji, who rarely spoke on the other side, suddenly spoke: "You just judged that they would go south to attack Chanan or Nanman, but you are not them. Judging from the overall situation they are currently in, are you taking your thoughts for granted in coming to such a conclusion?

"Judging from their experience in various battles with the Kwantung Army, every time the Kwantung Army judged their strategic intentions, they basically failed. What does this mean? It shows that their thinking cannot be judged in a conventional way. I still believe in the judgment of the staff officers of the Imperial Army, as well as the ability to gather intelligence. ”

"Anda-kun, the Kwantung Army has fought against them for many years, whether it succeeds or fails. But there is one thing you have to remember. The Kwantung Army had accumulated enough experience in fighting them, so we had to be cautious about the construction of the Kwantung Army. Remember that an army that is never bound by the transmission of the law cannot be treated with a conventional eye. The lesson of the Kwantung Army is also a wake-up call for us. ”

With that, Senior General Okamura Ninji walked to the wall of the conference room and said in front of the large battle map specially prepared for this meeting: "The basis of all your judgments is based on whether their goal is the line between Pingjin and Chanan, or against South Manchuria. But for an army that cannot be judged by common sense, I think your judgments are a bit too taken for granted. ”

"I want to ask you, if their goal is not Pingjin or South Manchuria, what other direction do you think they can use as the main direction of attack? For an army that advocates offense, but is good at choosing the direction of attack, it is often the easiest place to make a breakthrough or obtain the greatest results, but it is not their choice. ”

"Here I can clearly tell you that judging from the entire deployment and experience of their previous battles, my judgment is exactly the opposite of that of you. I don't think their main targets for the next step are Chanan and South Manchuria, where they are at most bluffing or diversionary. I think their real targets should be Chaxi, Jinbei and Suidong. ”

"Don't forget, if they open up contact with the interior of China, they will not only be able to do so by attacking the Pingjin region. It can also be done by advancing west to take Chaxi and Suidong, and opening up the connection with northern Shanxi. And it's closer to their central location, the so-called Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Border Region. ”

"If they open up this route and reach northern Shanxi and Suidong, which are closer to the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo border region, they will not only play a military role, but also open a channel for their next development and absorb the population from the interior of China to settle in Manchuria. There is another thing that you have never thought about, and that is the huge political role in it. ”

"A well-equipped and combat-ready army is placed there, which can play a considerable role in the current complex political situation in China. At least if Chongqing wants to stage the hand they made in southern Anhui in northern Shaanxi, I am afraid it will have to think twice. ”

"At the same time, compared with the complex terrain of the southern and northern Hebei regions, the defensive forces deployed by the empire there and the surrounding forces that can be reinforced at any time. The strength of the entire Mongolian Xinjiang garrison is the smallest of all the combat groups of our North China Front Army. ”

"Even if the Fourth Cavalry Brigade is returned to the formation of the Mongolian Army, the total strength of the Mongolian Army is still the weakest among the several strategic groups of the North China Front. Moreover, they have a large number of tanks in their hands, which are more suitable for the operation of tank corps than the mountainous terrain of southern and northern Hebei, and the grassland terrain of Suidong and northern Chabei. ”

"If they choose this direction to attack, there is a good chance that they will catch us off guard. They took advantage of the rapid advance of the tanks to break through the defenses of the 26th Division and then head west. Once they seize the banners of Chahar's right flank before the arrival of our reinforcements in northern Shanxi, they can cut our Mongolian garrison in two in a short time. ”

"At the same time, a force launched an attack on the front line of the Outer Great Wall such as Duolun, Chengde, and Zhangjiakou, occupied various mountain passes in the Dama Mountains and Yanshan Mountains, and pinned down and blocked our garrison in southern Cha and could not reinforce it. In the northern direction of Jin, as long as they seize Fengzhen and several passes of the Great Wall, they can block our reinforcements within the Great Wall. ”

"All of you are experts in infantry warfare or artillery warfare, but there are very few people who are good at commanding tank groups. Here I can responsibly tell you if they concentrate the hundreds of tanks they currently have and attack westward from the east of the Hunshandak Sands. After arriving at Ulanqab, the first-line soldiers were divided into two routes, which went straight to Guisui and Fengzhen, so what should we do? ”

"Judging by the experience gained by the German troops on the Soviet-German battlefield, it is not impossible for them to succeed in this hand. Concentrate the tank cluster, take advantage of its advantages in mobility, firepower, and protection, and make every effort to break through the resistance of our army and go westward with all its might. At the same time, a part of the forces was concentrated to carry out a siege on our blocking troops to ensure the rear of the assault group. This tactic, with the results of the Germans on the Soviet-German battlefield, has already proven the possibility of success. ”

In the battle between the Kwantung Army and the Kwantung Army, which has just ended, the Anti-Japanese Union has already conducted actual combat on this tactic. Judging by the results of their fight with the Kwantung Army, the ending seems to be in their favor. As a general of the Imperial Army, I cannot but say that they concentrated tanks and used their rapid mobility to carry out long-distance runs from the weakest link of the entire defensive zone of the Kwantung Army to intersperse that battle beautifully. ”

"Take advantage of the offensive that the main forces of the Kwantung Army have already launched from its middle line and the eastern front, and attract the opportunities of the past. Concentrate a large number of tanks and cavalry clusters, and quickly hit a beautiful left hook in the soft underbelly of the Kwantung Army. It played a decisive role in the rapid changes in the entire Western Manchurian war situation. ”

"Although their breakthrough is taking advantage of the special situation of Outer Mongolia. But with the tactics they use, we can't help but be prepared to give us another look in the next possible attack. The defeat of the Kwantung Army in the Western Manchurian War is a lesson from our past. ”

In the end, he was the first person in the Japanese army to concentrate tanks to fight a breakthrough battle. In the Battle of Nanchang, he concentrated a large number of artillery fire and tanks, implemented a rapid breakthrough of tanks under the cover of firepower, and achieved considerable success. Relying only on the small amount of information at present and the characteristics of the forces used in the previous battle, we can accurately judge the possible direction of the main attack of the Anti-Japanese Federation in the next step and the tactics that may be adopted.