Age of Conquest Reborn

Fengtian, the largest city in Northeast China, has always been where the headquarters of the Japanese Kwantung Army is located. In terms of importance, it even exceeds Xinjing, the capital of Manchukuo. Today, as usual, the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army came and went.

The Japanese officers at the headquarters did not feel anything strange at all.

On the top floor of the majestic more than ten-story building of the headquarters, in a large living room full of Japanese style, senior officers of the Kwantung Army, except for the leaders, and almost all senior generals in Fengtian gathered here.

It can be said that the star is shining, and dozens of people fill the huge living room, which is a bit crowded.

However, these senior officers who usually looked up without looking up were no longer as casual as before, and seemed a little reserved. General Nanjiro, the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, sat at the top of the table with an indifferent expression, and next to him was a strange man.

The face is also the rank of general.

This is General Umezu Yoshijiro, the new commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, who just flew in from Tokyo last night. He is here to replace General Nanjiro, who is about to step down and return to China. With the replacement of old and new commander-in-chiefs, the generals of the Kwantung Army can't help but feel a little bit in their hearts.

Feeling, there is a faint sad atmosphere of farewell flowing in the living room.

To be fair, General Nanjiro has won a lot of benefits for the Kwantung Army during his years as the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, especially by wresting the privilege of managing Manchukuo from the Kwantung Agency and turning it into a

A department under the Kwantung Army, this has given the Kwantung Army generals a lot of practical benefits, although the generals are quite critical of General Nanjiro's military commanding abilities.

However, the generals admired General Nanjiro's political ability. Simply bringing the Kanto Agency under the Kwantung Army was a masterful work of political struggle. The empire's Kanto Agency in Manchuria had a different background.

Small, directly affiliated to the Imperial Privy Council. It turned out to be an independent yamen on an equal footing with the Kwantung Army Headquarters. It usually did not pay much for the Kwantung Army.

The Kwantung Army oversees the military of Manchukuo, the imperial army stationed in Manchukuo, and the Kwantung Office controls the civil affairs of Manchukuo, each performing its own duties. In comparison, civil affairs is naturally much more lucrative than the military. Moreover,

Many times, the Kwantung Army has to look at the faces of the officials of the Kwantung Department. After all, the food and drink expenses of your army have to be solved by the Kwantung Department. If you offend those officials, you will be judged immediately. Either the food or the pay will be cut off.

Although the generals of the Kwantung Army have guns in their hands, they cannot use weapons against the yamen of another system. If they use violence, the local big guys will not eat themselves alive. Therefore, the previous generals of the Kwantung Army,

In front of the officials of the Guandong Department, I feel that I am younger and always talk with a smiling face.

Since General Nanjiro became the Commander-in-Chief of the Kwantung Army, the situation has been completely reversed. The Commander-in-Chief used superb political means and through a series of bloodless political fights to successfully annex the Kanto Agency.

In addition to military positions, all of you here have also served as civil officials in different places. They shouldered the responsibility of military and political affairs. They mounted their horses to manage the army and dismounted their horses to manage the people. What they have achieved is that their authority has been greatly increased. With support from the left and right, financial resources are rolling in, and golden tickets are huge.

It’s so uncomfortable!

As for the temperament and temperament of the new commander-in-chief, General Umezu Yoshijiro, it is not clear whether he has a deep foundation in the local high-level military and political circles. General Nanjiro created a situation in Manchuria where the Kwantung Army was dominated by one family.

, can it be defended? This is what the generals of the Kwantung Army are most concerned about and worried about. For this reason, many generals have signed a petition to the base camp, requesting General Nanjiro to continue to serve as the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army.

job.

This reluctance to leave General Nanjiro and suspicion of the newly arrived General Umezu Mijiro fill every inch of the living room. General Nanjiro and General Umezu Mijiro sitting in the first place have both been in the Japanese military and political circles for many years.

A veteran will naturally smell this kind of atmosphere, but the two people have completely different personalities, take different paths, and naturally have very different ideas.

However, the methods adopted are surprisingly consistent. The two Japanese generals, one is the outgoing commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, and the other is the new commander who is about to take over the one-million-strong Kwantung Army. They have complicated feelings for the other senior generals.

They turned a blind eye to each other, pushed cups to change cups, spoke earnestly, and seemed to be very harmonious. They suppressed their disgust for each other in the mellow sake.

To be honest, the base camp appointed Umezu Yoshijiro to succeed him as the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, which was a big surprise to General Nanjiro. It was not that he had any prejudice against Umezu Yoshijiro, but that he felt that the Kwantung Army

The position of Commander-in-Chief is not suitable for General Umezu. In Manchuria, the Kwantung Army decides everything, but it does not just rely on force. The so-called "50% military, 50% political!" is the only way to solve the Manchurian problem.

Moreover, it has had miraculous effects. Since the troops of the Chinese devil Tang Qiuli left Manchuria and entered the pass, the only enemies and opponents of the Kwantung Army in Manchuria were the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Forces. General Nanjiro relied on his unique methods to

Several major leaders of the Anti-Japanese Alliance were eradicated one by one, and the remnants were hiding in the deep mountains and old forests of Manchuria to survive. Today, the Anti-Japanese Alliance in Manchuria is already in a dying state and can no longer launch any challenge to the empire's rule in Manchuria.

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If it hadn't been for Tang Qiuli's sudden military action against Manchuria, General Nanjiro believed that in less than two years, the Anti-Alliance would have become a historical term in Manchuria. However, Tang Qiuli suddenly used troops against Manchuria, and the independent division

More than a million troops pressed on the border, disrupting General Nanjiro's plan, and he had to think of a way out.

Moreover, General Nanjiro, relying on the sensitivity of a politician rather than a soldier, had a premonition that the empire's prospects in Manchuria were not too good, which made him even more eager to escape from Manchuria. Therefore, he had the words to submit to His Majesty the Emperor and the headquarters.

A sincere letter of resignation. The situation in Manchuria was like a powder keg. General Nanjiro thought he could not extinguish the powder keg and was about to explode.

General Nanjiro knew very well that the senior generals of the Kwantung Army wanted to stay in Manchuria, and even wanted to jointly petition the base camp. Because of this, he could not continue to stay in Manchuria and sit in the position of commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army. Now, in this position

Already in crisis.

However, General Nanjiro had a clear conscience. He had been operating in Manchuria for many years, gained a high status for the Kwantung Army, extinguished the anti-Japanese flames that burned throughout Manchuria, and implemented the "five-point military, five-point political" strategy against the anti-Japanese forces led by the CCP.

, at the same time as the military strikes, political differentiation and bribery, the red areas of Manchuria were wiped out one by one from the map of Manchuria. How great an achievement is this?

Neither Muto Nobuyoshi nor Ueda Kenkichi did this. They left Manchuria sadly, but I was different. They retired with great success when they were at their most glorious and triumphant. If it weren’t for that Chinese devil Tang Qiuli

, with this alternative appearance, General Nanjiro will not leave the throne of the Emperor of Manchuria, but now, he must go, and the way he goes is just right, and the way he goes will bring him both fame and fortune!

Although General Nanjiro has no nostalgia for the throne of the Commander-in-Chief of the Kwantung Army, he does not think that it is a wise choice for the base camp to send Umezu Yoshijiro as the Commander-in-Chief of the Kwantung Army. The reason is very simple. He knows Umezu Yoshijiro.

This person.

Umezu is a typical Japanese militarist. He has a strong smell of old professional soldiers. He is a fanatical supporter of the Greater East Asia Jihad. He once graduated from the 23rd batch of the Japanese Army University as the chief cadet.

He admires the martial spirit of soldiers very much and believes that soldiers cannot be influenced by politics, let alone participate in politics. The greatest wish of a soldier is to be a general, not a prime minister. If you want to be a prime minister, it is a crooked way. He extremely hates the intervention of soldiers.

Politically, I have never joined any factional organization.

This is why General Nanjiro is not optimistic about Umezu Yoshijiro presiding over the overall military and political situation in Manchuria. As the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, if he does not understand politics and cannot play political tricks, he will not be able to secure this throne at all. For example, any

How to deal with the Manchurian Emperor Kant, how to deal with the Manchurians, how to know what those Manchurians need most, and what to give them, so that they will work wholeheartedly for the Japanese Empire?

For example, how to manage the relationship between the Kwantung Army and the chief of general staff of the base camp, Prince Zai Ren, how to strike a good balance between the founder of the Kwantung Army, Mi Cabinet, and Prince Zai Ren, and how to maintain a good balance between the local military and political circles.

, take good care of your roots

Ji, this guy Umezu doesn’t understand all this. Perhaps, he doesn’t bother to understand this. It is precisely because General Nanjiro is a master at this that he sees General Umezu Yoshijiro’s fatal shortcomings and is not optimistic about him taking over Kanto.

The position of Commander-in-Chief of the Army.

Of course, with these sincere words, General Nanjiro would not have an in-depth talk with General Umezu Meijiro. On the one hand, the two people have no such friendship. Umezu does not belong to any political faction. General Nanjiro does not need to remind someone who has nothing to do with him.

People who are related to him have no obligation to mention something to the younger generation. What’s more, if he talks too deeply and reveals his true intention of leaving office, it will be unsightly!

On the other hand, the main thing is that Umezu hates politics extremely. If he uses his experience as a politician, although he is well-intentioned, with Umezu’s bad temper, he might be embarrassed on the spot.

A farewell reception was about to end on bad terms. He was the one who was leaving, so why bother making an unpleasant scene? General Nanjiro, who had become a master, would not make such a stupid mistake.

Therefore, the old and new bosses of the Kwantung Army had a pleasant conversation over wine. It seemed that the conversation was congenial and cordial, but the substantive content was not involved at all. Both of them deliberately avoided the very sensitive issue now, that is, how to deal with the Chinese devil Tang

Qiu Li's army pressed on the border, and the Manchurian War was about to break out. The Kwantung Army faced the reality of great pressure.

(To be continued)