Rise From Eight Hundred

Time goes back to half a month ago!

It is still in the quiet but heavily guarded alley in Pingbei City.

Shanshan Yuan, wearing a Japanese kimono and wooden clogs, sat under the big tree in the courtyard, leisurely brewing tea.

The hurried footsteps did not make the highest commander of Japan in North China raise his eyelids. He still picked up the exquisite small teapot very seriously and filled the two wine-cup-sized tea bowls in front of him with tea.

"Commander, you are looking for me?" Okabe Saburo, who was dressed in a neat military uniform, walked respectfully to Shanshan Yuan and asked with his head down.

"Sit down!" Shanshan Yuan smiled faintly and pointed to the small tea bowl he had just filled.

"Try it!"

"Hi!" Okabe Saburo's eyes flashed with doubt, but he quickly lowered his head obediently, took off his sword and pistol, sat cross-legged opposite Shanshan Yuan, picked up the teacup with one hand, and drank it all in one gulp, regardless of the light green tea soup still steaming.

This is not to say that he, the chief of staff of the front army, is so afraid of the general commander, but this is a way to drink tea. Boiling tea with boiling water is wrong. Different teas require water of different temperatures to lock the aroma of the tea leaves.

This inconspicuous detail is enough to show his trust in the tea ceremony level of the general commander.

"Good tea!" Closing his eyes and letting the tea fragrance linger on the tip of his tongue, Okabe Saburo exclaimed: "This tea has a refreshing aroma and a sweet taste. I boldly guess that this tea comes from the local area."

"Haha, you are worthy of being Okabe-kun!" Shanshan Yuan smiled brightly. "The tea is Shirakawa tea from Hida Mountain in Kifu Prefecture, and the water for brewing the tea comes from the pure snow on the top of Mount Fuji."

"Such precious tea, then you must have another cup!" Seeing that this person was in such a good mood, Okabe Saburo immediately flattered him.

"The way of tea, you and I can slowly taste and study it. Today, I called you here for a small matter." Shanshan Yuan smiled slightly and looked at the envelope on the side of the small table. "Why don't you take a look at it, and then give me a little advice as much as you can?"

"Hi!" Okabe Saburo picked up the seemingly ordinary envelope from the small table.

'Top secret! 'The two conspicuous Japanese words on the envelope made the chief of staff of the North China Front Army of Japan, who was about to be promoted to the division commander of the Kwantung Army, tremble fiercely.

These two words mean that the intelligence level is extremely high. Perhaps no one in North China knows the content of this envelope except the person in front of him.

Before the envelope was opened, his brain had already started to work rapidly.

Since he endured humiliation and brought back the unlucky child Fujiwara Sen'o last time to calm the anger of the Fujiwara family, even though the front army paid an unimaginable price, Shanshan Yuan's attitude towards him has become much closer, and many things have been directly handed over to the staff department for handling, including this time at the request of the headquarters to send two main divisions to the south to reinforce the Central China Expeditionary Army, all plans were planned by him as the chief of staff.

This made Okabe Saburo somewhat grateful. As long as the two major divisions have certain achievements in the Jiangxia Battle, he, the behind-the-scenes planner, will have military merits, which can also be regarded as offsetting a lot of the negative impact of the indirect command of the Southeast Shanxi Campaign.

You are good to me, and I will naturally double the return. Okabe Saburo is even more respectful to Shanshan Yuan. These two or three months are completely the honeymoon period for the commander and chief of staff of the North China Front Army.

But now, he, the chief of staff, is asked to watch the top-secret intelligence that only the commander can see, and let him give suggestions. What is the intention? This has to make Okabe Saburo's cunning little brain work rapidly.

"The Second Chinese War Zone has been ordered to launch a counterattack against our North China Front Army in order to contain the main force of our North China Front Army!..." Okabe Saburo finished reading the top-secret intelligence in a low voice, frowned slightly and looked at Shanshan Yuan.

"This is the intelligence sent by the intelligence personnel codenamed 'Dark Moon' of the Imperial Army Intelligence Department. During the 10 years of lurking in China, they have only sent out 5 pieces of intelligence in total, all of which are true. This is their sixth piece of intelligence." Shanshan Yuan answered calmly.

After working together for 4 months, Shanshan Yuan still has some understanding of Okabe Saburo. He knows that he is cautious and thoughtful. If he does not trust him, it is difficult to make him speak the truth. So he told him the source of this top-secret intelligence that he asked him to read.

The Imperial Army Intelligence Department has sent countless spies to China for 20 years, but there are not many who have their own code names.

"Commander, this matter is heavy, let me consider it!" Okabe Saburo said sincerely.

"It's okay, Okabe-kun will give me advice after you think it over. There's no rush!" Shanshan Yuan smiled slightly.

This is the biggest advantage of Okabe Saburo. He has always been mature and has never let go. He is much better than Yamamoto, who has a strong personality and is good at defending with merit but lacks a little forbearance.

If he was not a necessary person for the Kwantung Army, Shanshan Yuan even hoped that he would stay in his position for another year or two.

When Shanshan Yuan thought that Yamamoto, whom he had high hopes for, had now become a trophy exhibited by the Chinese, he felt a blockage in his heart.

The North China Front Army was known for its powerful generals, including Itagaki Shiro of the 5th Division, Doiyuan of the 14th Division, and Isogai Ren of the 10th Division... Pick any one of them, they are all invincible and have killed countless enemies on the battlefield in North China.

But for Shanshan Yuan, the advantages and disadvantages of these arrogant soldiers were too obvious, and none of them was suitable to be his chief of staff.

For example, Shiro Itagaki, who is known as the most powerful general in the empire, has an arrogant attitude. In addition to being polite to himself, the general commander, he is indifferent to others, including his boss, the commander of the 2nd Army, Nishio Hayato. The number of people who are used to him is like the crucian carp crossing the river.

Another example is Madoka Doi. This division commander who came from the intelligence department has a gloomy personality and looks like he doesn't want to approach strangers. Don't let his colleagues stay away from him when they see him. Even he, the general commander, can't help but want to kick him away. Son, to paraphrase a Chinese saying: Don’t worry if you don’t like him, the key is that you want to hit him just by looking at him!

A candidate for chief of staff who finally fell in love with the candidate had even been approved by the base camp, but ended up becoming a trophy of the Chinese. As a recommender, the internal injuries suffered by Yuan Shanshan were obvious.

It has almost become a joke among the empire's powerful people, saying that the person he, the former deputy secretary of the army, likes will not end up particularly well.

Speaking of which, Saburo Okabe is good at being both obedient and capable.

Perhaps, with these thoughts of appreciating his subordinates swirling in his heart, Shan Shanyuan didn't notice the thin layer of sweat that involuntarily broke out on the forehead of a certain chief of staff.

Please let me go! Your Excellency, General!

The job of chief of staff is really difficult for a tyrant. He has to give advice to the boss, but also resist the poisonous milk from the boss.

If Saburo Okabe and Kyuzou Kitura sit at the same table and chat for a few more words, they will definitely find a lot of common language.

Their two bosses, one has a poisonous mouth and the other is very vicious.

"Your Excellency, Commander, can I speak freely?" Just when Yuan Shishan was full of hatred for his chief of staff, Saburo Okabe must have thought about it and asked solemnly.

"It's just you and me here. This is not a formal military meeting, and there won't be any records. Okabe-kun just says it's okay!" Yuan Shanshan picked up the tea cup and smiled and gestured to Saburo Okabe.

"Although our front army suffered a slight setback two months ago, it still occupies an absolute advantage on the northern battlefield. The Chinese's so-called order to counterattack was probably due to the pressure of the Jiangxia Battle, and it was nothing more than the hope of using a certain amount of troops to control our front army. The communication lines were destroyed and our front troops were delayed from moving south to reinforce the Central China Expeditionary Force," Saburo Okabe said bluntly.

"But if it is just this move, it will only delay at most but not contain it. Therefore, China's second theater will definitely send more than tens of thousands of troops to carry out large-scale attacks and sabotage operations, even at the cost of threatening our front army's transportation hub. Force our front army to deploy enough mobile troops to fight with them, thereby achieving the goal of our front army being unable to send enough troops to go south for reinforcements."

"Oh? Okabe-kun, please continue. What should our front army do? You, Okabe-kun, are fully responsible for sending troops south to reinforce Central China."

"If Your Excellency, Commander, you still entrust me with full command, then I will still order the 18th Division to go south according to the original plan, and the new 21st Division will be on standby in Baoding, but I will transfer the 5th Division back to the original city for repairs The Sakamoto Brigade formed the Sakamoto Detachment to secretly station in Yangquan." Saburo Okabe's eyes shone.

"Your judgment is that the focus of the Chinese counterattack is Jindong?" Shan Shanyuan said calmly.

"Yes, most of Jin Province is now in the hands of our front army, and we have a hundred thousand troops on the western Shanxi front. Whether the Chinese go west or north, they may encounter heavy encirclement and suppression by our front army. The Chinese will not be so stupid.

Moreover, if you want to destroy the Ping-Han Railway, the most important transportation line connecting the north and the south, the only option is Jindong, which borders Hebei Province. You can even take the opportunity to threaten Shimen, where the headquarters of the 20th Division is, forcing our front army to deploy a large number of troops. Mobile troops can stop it, and it still has the Taihang Mountains to rely on. Unless it is completely surrounded, there is still a way to escape by abandoning the baggage. "Okabe Saburo analyzed confidently.

"Yes! The reason why the Chinese are still resisting on the edge of Jin Province is because of the difficult and dangerous roads in the mountains. It is difficult for our front army to deliver heavy firepower. Otherwise, their defenses would have been broken long ago. Then it would be their turn to play Sun Tzu's Art of War with us. "Shang Shanyuan sighed.

"The mountains are fair. They can serve as a barrier for them on the territory they have been operating for a long time. But when they dare to leave, it will also become a constraint for them. Their marching speed will be much slower. We can take the opportunity to trap them in that mountain." In the mountains, wipe them out completely." Saburo Okabe stretched out a hand and shook it hard.

"What you mean is that the 18th Division's move south is just a sheep move. After the Chinese counterattack and get away from their base, they will immediately be ordered to return, assemble the 18th Division, the new 21st Division, the 20th Division and the Yangquan Division. The Sakamoto detachment sent troops to join forces to strangle him in Jindong?" Shanshan Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Hi, that's exactly what I mean!"

"Have you ever thought about it, Okabe-kun? This goes against the intentions of the base camp. The Battle of Jiangxia is the top priority of the Central China War. It is extremely important to the realization of His Majesty the Emperor's strategy of conquering the entire Chinese territory. If the front army ignores it and only cares about itself, you How much pressure will I encounter?" Shan Shanyuan asked calmly.

"In the war in Central China, the Chinese also intended to win back a city and gathered nearly a million troops. Even if the Central China dispatched troops wanted to win, it would not be accomplished in two or three months. According to my estimate, it would take at least four months, but at most It can even last up to five months or even half a year.

If our front army causes heavy casualties to the enemy, we can even use this to break through its last line of defense, leaving the Guanzhong Plain without a barrier. The imperial army can directly attack its southwest stronghold, and even make its central China army unstable. I personally think that this battle is more effective than withdrawing two divisions to directly support the battle in central China. "Okabe Saburo obviously expected Shanshan Yuan to ask such a question, and answered with a wise look.

"What a pity! This is just what you think, Okabe-kun, but in the eyes of the old guys in the imperial headquarters who can only talk about war on paper, it is just an excuse. "Shanshan Yuan took a sip of tea and sighed slightly.

"Commander, could it be that you..." Hearing Shanshan Yuan say this, Okabe Saburo's face tightened.

Although he has already decided on his destination and was not implicated by the defeat in the Southeast Shanxi Campaign, the impact of the defeat in Southeast Shanxi will not disappear anyway. If he is promoted to Lieutenant General without being implicated, he can be promoted to General or even a higher level later, which will inevitably be criticized by people.

The best way to make people forget failure is not to cover it up, but to win, a glorious victory. This may be his last chance to clear his name as the Chief of Staff of the North China Front Army. No matter how Why don't you want to give up?

Just as he was about to persuade Shanshan Yuan, Okabe Saburo took the initiative to shut up.

The reason is very simple. Who is the one who wants to wash away the shame of failure at this time? No one else except the commander in front of him.

Moreover, this army general specially called him here, just to drink tea and chat? In less than four months, General Shanshan Yuan, whose already old face seemed to have aged by nearly two years, would never be so bored.

That means that he has actually made a decision, and calling himself here may just be a unification of opinions.

"Okabe-kun, no wonder the Kwantung Army Headquarters appreciates you so much, you are very good." Shanshan Yuan was obviously very satisfied with Okabe Saburo's smart brain, and nodded with a smile.

"Your battle plan, I approve it! This time, you will be the first commander of the upcoming Jindong Campaign, responsible for commanding the 18th Division, the 20th Division, the newly formed 21st Division, and the Sakamoto Detachment to fight against the enemy.

In addition, you can also command the 108th and 109th divisions in southeastern Shanxi. My personal suggestion is that if the Chinese troops are from southeastern Shanxi, then the places where they gather must be empty. You can send the two divisions to attack with heavy troops. Kill all the people who support them! "

"Hi! Commander, you are wise!" Okabe Saburo was very excited.

"However, after several reductions in personnel, the 108th and 109th divisions have been replenished, but their combat effectiveness is slightly weaker..."

Okabe Saburo did not mean to put pressure on the two second-line divisions. In fact, he was very polite. If he was telling the truth, it was probably that the two second-line divisions could be used to guard the city and the highway, but it was better not to expect them to go to the mountains to suppress them.

"It doesn't matter. I will personally send a telegram to Xiong Yuan and Yamaoka Shige. I can forgive the last defeat, but if they are passive and lazy and afraid to fight again this time, is it useless for me, the former deputy minister of the army? "Shanshan Yuan's face was gloomy as he reassured the chief of staff whom he valued more and more.

He showed his title as the deputy minister of the army, which meant that even if he couldn't kill the two lieutenant generals of the army, he could let them return to their homeland to retire without any position.

There are quite a few generals in the army department who belong to Shanshan Yuan's faction. Otherwise, the battle in southeastern Shanxi was so badly defeated. In addition to the phenomenon of criticizing Shanshan Yuan in the government and the public, the army headquarters was still relatively calm. It was not like the unlucky guy in the room, SJZ, who was scolded by the government and the public after a disastrous defeat!

General and general seem to have the same rank, but their influence is completely different.

"Also, if the Chinese's main attack direction is really east of Shanxi, it is best to put them in the plains so that the chariots of the empire can exert their greatest power. The Chinese equipment is not good, but their will to resist is not weak, so as to minimize the losses of the imperial division. "Shanshan Yuan continued to give instructions to Okabe Saburo.

"Then the defenders of Niangzi Pass and Jingxing..." Okabe Saburo was slightly startled.

"The battle plan is top secret. No one except you, me and Itagaki Shiro of the 5th Division can know it, including the 18th Division that is about to go south and the newly formed 21st Division and 20th Division." Shanshan Yuan said faintly with a cold light in his eyes.

"It's like the old Chinese saying: You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child! If the hunter is reluctant to put out the bait, how can he catch the fierce prey? "

Okabe Saburo felt a chill in his back. The general commander in front of him was even more ruthless than he had imagined. In order to annihilate the enemy that might attack, he even used thousands of imperial officers and soldiers as bait.

He believed that more than 2,000 imperial officers and soldiers would die on the battlefield without any preparation and being attacked by a large number of Chinese elites. And Shanshan Yuan hoped to fight a decisive battle with the Chinese army on the plain, which meant giving up the garrisons in Niangziguan and Jingxing and letting them become the fruits of the Chinese.

But all this is definitely worth it. Three divisions and a detachment of 10,000 people have a total strength of more than 80,000 people. In addition, the Sakamoto detachment is centered on the Sakamoto Brigade under the Fifth Division. It is the top elite of the North China Front Army. As long as the Chinese take the bait, they will never escape the siege that has been set for them, even if they gather more than 100,000 troops.

It is even possible that this was the first time that the Imperial Army used superior forces to encircle and annihilate China's elite army.

The Chinese cannot have any chance of survival!

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The plan of the two scheming Japanese generals succeeded. Under absolute confidentiality, China's huge intelligence network deployed in North China was not aware of the "big plan" of the Japanese North China Front.

It was not until the moment when the Chinese attack troops gathered from four directions towards the eastern gateway of Shanxi, with their swords pointed at Shimen, that the Japanese North China Front Army Headquarters issued a secret order to the three divisions.

The 18th Division will immediately follow the Pinghan Road from the north bank of the Yellow River to attack Shanxi East. The newly formed 21st Division, which has been waiting for orders, will also march towards Shimen via the railway line. The Sakamoto detachment, which has secretly arrived in Yangquan, will also secretly attack the rear flank of Shanxi East. to.

This can be regarded as an encirclement on all sides. Not to mention that the Chinese army, which is now highly motivated, does not know about it. Even if it knows, I am afraid it will not be so easy to escape.

Unless they immediately abandon all their luggage and enter the depths of the Taihang Mountains with light equipment, can they escape the pursuit of three Japanese divisions?

The answer is, extremely difficult!

Losing all the baggage and heavy equipment would be a heavy blow to any army, not to mention that pure light infantry could not even pass through a mountain pass defended by an infantry squadron.

It can be said that from the moment five infantry divisions and one infantry regiment set foot in the mountainous area of ​​​​Jindong, they have entered a dead land.

Because what they once thought was a secret order had already been placed on the agenda of the Japanese military headquarters.

Just like playing poker, their opponents see a deck of bright cards!

When Saburo Kawagishi's crow's mouth received the secret order from the headquarters, Tang Dao also walked to Niangziguan for the first time in his life, a grand pass known as the gateway to eastern Shanxi.

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ps: I saw a piece of news on the news today about "a marriage team from Hubei holding bayonets and wearing Japanese military uniforms." Fengyue clicked on it and almost vomited three liters of blood. Fengyue often said: Forgetting history means betrayal! I never thought that something so stupid and speechless would happen in my hometown. I am really ashamed to drink from the same river with them!

Regarding this matter, Fengyue wants to tell those idiots that our hometown was once the burial place of heroes. General Zhang and the heroic spirits of Hutoushan Martyrs Cemetery are staring at you from the bank of the Han River!