As soon as he returned to the headquarters, Shanshan Yuan locked himself in the office. []
At this moment, Shan Shan Yuan is standing in front of the big map with a sullen face.
It has become a fact that the Chongteng detachment was completely wiped out. Even if Shanshan Yuan bites his big teeth, he can no longer change this cruel fact. The only thing he can do now, the only thing he needs to do is to try his best to remedy the situation and save the Chongteng detachment. The impact caused by the annihilation of the remnants of the temporary 79th Division.
Immediately send a telegram to the base camp and the royal family. According to the actual situation, this goes without saying. The royal family and the base camp will not dismiss Chongteng just because the detachment was completely wiped out, but I am afraid it will be difficult to escape a reprimand. This matter will inevitably leave a stain on his resume, but there is nothing he can do about it.
In terms of public opinion, there is no need to think about the blockade anymore. The remnants of the 79th Division have temporarily compiled a clear code for powering on. By now, I am afraid that the whole world has already known the news that the Chongteng detachment has been completely wiped out. At this time, there is no need to think about the blockade. Public opinion is useless and will only add laughter to the Western world.
However, within the Central China Front, the news of the annihilation of the Chongteng detachment must be strictly sealed, because this is the critical period of the battle to capture Nanjing. Shanshan Yuan does not want the incident of the annihilation of the Chongteng detachment to affect the Battle of Nanjing. After all, the Japanese army on the battlefield in Nanjing is also exhausted, and if they are not careful, victory will turn into defeat and the entire line will collapse.
Apart from the above two, what needs to be done most is to immediately mobilize troops to mop up the remnants of the temporary 79th Division!
The remnants of the temporary 79th Division must be wiped out, and they must be wiped out in the shortest possible time. Otherwise, Shan Shan Yuan will most likely repeat the mistakes of Matsui Iwane. Shan Shan Yuan knows very well that Hirohito The patience of the emperor and the royal family is running out. He can't even imagine how furious Emperor Hirohito and the royal family will be when they learn the news.
However, less than half an hour later, Shanshan Yuan knew the extent of Emperor Hirohito's anger.
Less than half an hour after Sugi Sugimoto sent the telegram to the base camp and the royal family, a reprimand telegram signed by Emperor Hirohito was delivered to Sugi Sugimoto. In the telegram, Emperor Hirohito made extremely harsh remarks to Sugi Sugimoto. criticism, claiming that Shan Shanyuan failed to live up to his expectations.
Emperor Hirohito was very disappointed with Sugimoto's debut on the Chinese battlefield.
For a commander who had just taken office, Hirohito's telegram was undoubtedly quite meticulous.
Because everything that happened on the Shanghai-Nanjing battlefield had nothing to do with Shan Shanyuan, it was Matsui Iwane who allowed the remnants of the temporary 79th Division to break out from Wuxi, and let the temporary 79th Division kill Fushimi Miya Toshihiko in Baoxing. The prince was also Matsui Iwane, and even the annihilation of the Shigeto detachment had no direct relationship with Sugimoto Yuan.
Because Shan Shanyuan only gave orders to the Shigeto detachment, but it was Shigeto Chiaki who was in charge of the on-site command. The Shigeto detachment was completely wiped out by the remnants of the temporary 79th Division. The responsibility lies entirely with Shigeto Chiaki. Sugishan Yuan does not have any direct responsibility. Because no matter who is replaced as the commander of this front army, the result will still be the same.
Therefore, Emperor Hirohito and the Japanese royal family placed all the responsibility for the annihilation of the Shigeto detachment on Sugiyama Yuan. It was very unfair for them to vent all their grievances on Sugiyama Yuan.
But Shan Shanyuan knows better that there are many things in this world that are unreasonable.
From Emperor Hirohito's telegram, Sugimoto can know that the imperial family's patience has reached its limit. Therefore, he must wipe out the remnants of the temporary 79th Division in the shortest time. Otherwise, Emperor Hirohito and the imperial family may really change their positions again. Another general will be the commander of the Central China Front.
Shanshan Yuan must never let such a thing happen! no way!
At this moment, Shan Shan Yuan's eyes fell on the big map again, looking for the troops closest to Nantong.
Judging from the map, the Iijima Division closest to Nantong is the Iijima Division. The Iijima Division has just captured Yangzhou and is currently attacking in the direction of Lu'an and Pukou.
In an instant, Shan Shanyuan made a decision.
Immediately transfer an infantry brigade from the Iijima Division, equipped with one brigade each of artillery, engineers, and baggage troops, plus a cavalry regiment, to form an independent detachment. This independent detachment will turn east and rush to the Jingjiang and Nantong lines. , responsible for wiping out the hateful remnants of the temporary 79th Division.
In addition, a qualified commander must be selected for this independent detachment.
After pondering for a moment, Shan Shanyuan rang the bell to call his adjutant in and asked him to find someone.
Not long after, a young general carrying the rank of major general walked into Shan Shanyuan's room, then put his feet back and stood at attention.
"Your Excellency, Commander, are you looking for me?" The young general bowed his head in salute, then raised his head and looked at Shan Shan Yuan with a burning gaze.
The young Japanese major general who walked into the room was named Tachibana Yoshio, and he was the deputy chief of staff brought by Sugimoto Yuan from the military headquarters.
"Tachibana-san, you're here." Shan Shanyuan narrowed his eyes and looked at the young general in front of him with admiration.
I don’t know why, but every time I see Tachibana Keio, Sugimoto can’t help but think back to when he was young. When he was young, he was as tall and tall as Tachibana Keio, just as heroic, and just as young and promising. He was only four years old. Already holding the rank of Major General in his early teens, he was regarded as the flower of the empire's famous generals.
"Tachibana-san, come on, come here." Shanshan Yuan waved to Tachibana Keio to stand next to him.
Tachibana Yoshio shouted, and walked up to Shan Shanyuan with a saber in hand, but his sharp eyes fell on the large map posted on the wall.
Shanshan Yuan suddenly sighed and said, "Tachibana-san, you should know the news that the Chongteng detachment suffered a disastrous defeat in Nantong and was completely wiped out by the remnants of the temporary 79th Division, right?"
"Hai, I already know the humble position." Tachibana Yoshio responded with his head bowed.
Shan Shan Yuan's expression darkened and he asked, "What do you think of the defeat in Nantong?"
"It's unbelievable." Tachibana Yoshio said in a deep voice, "I can't believe it. This is actually true."
"Yes, this battle is simply unbelievable." Shanshan Yuan said with deep understanding, "A detachment consists of two infantry regiments, an artillery team, an engineering team, a communications team, a baggage team, and a The field hospital, a cavalry unit, and a chariot unit, which totaled nearly 10,000 people, were completely wiped out by the Chinese army with less than 500 people. This was a total annihilation rather than a defeat. Five hundred people defeated tens of thousands of people. It’s unbelievable enough, let alone total annihilation?”
After a pause, Shan Shanyuan sighed again: "I simply can't imagine how Shigeto Chiaki directed this battle?"
Tachibana Yoshio said solemnly: "Your Excellency Commander, it is not important how Shigeto Chiaki commanded. What is important is who is the temporary commander of the 79th Division? How did he command this battle? This talented person It’s the key to this battle.”
Shanshan Yuan remained silent. He knew that Tachibana Keio was right, but it was hard to accept it in his heart.
Since the Sino-Japanese War of 1898-1894, the Japanese military has been filled with contempt for the Chinese military from top to bottom. Now, nearly half a century has passed. This kind of thinking has not faded, but has become more serious. Now, In the eyes of the vast majority of Japanese officers, their opponent was the Soviet Union, the United States, France, Britain and other countries.
As for the Chinese, they have long been ignored.
Shan Shanyuan is a supporter of this idea of "valuing Europe over China" and is even more of a practitioner of this idea.
But now, Tachibana Yoshio has put forward a view that is contrary to this idea, which makes Shanshan Yuan a little difficult to accept.
However, Tachibana Yoshio did not change his opinion because of Sugimoto Yuan's displeasure, and continued: "Your Excellency, Commander, we should really study the opponent of the temporary 79th Division, from Wuxi to Baoxing, from Wuxi to Baoxing, From Baoxing to Likou, and then from Likou to Nantong, this was the fourth time that the imperial army suffered a loss at the hands of the temporary 79th Division. For this, the imperial army also paid a lieutenant general, a major general, three colonels, and The heavy price paid by more than 10,000 warriors, isn’t such an opponent worthy of our attention?”
Shanshan Yuan was horrified when he heard this. Previously, the Japanese army suffered consecutive defeats. He simply felt a little embarrassed and did not think that the remnants of the temporary 79th Division were terrible. But now, when Tachibana Yoshio will give the temporary 79th Division to When the damage caused by the Japanese army was listed one by one, Shanshan Yuan suddenly discovered that the remnants of the temporary 79th Division had caused such great damage to the Japanese army.
You know, after the entire Battle of Songhu, the Japanese army only suffered 50,000 casualties!
But now, the temporary 79th Division alone has caused more than 10,000 casualties to the Japanese army. Moreover, most of the casualties of these more than 10,000 people were killed in action, which means that the losses of these more than 10,000 people are permanent. Unlike the more than 50,000 casualties in the Battle of Songhu, the vast majority of them could still return to the team after recovering from their injuries and could still set foot on the battlefield again.
Tachibana Yoshio continued: "Your Excellency Commander, once and twice can be a fluke, but can three or four times be a fluke? In the history of world wars, are there really so many flukes? Obviously, the temporary number seven The Nineteenth Division is an extremely formidable opponent, especially their commander, and it is an extremely dangerous opponent. If we cannot fully understand, be familiar with and study this opponent, then the Imperial Army will have a third enemy in the near future. The fifth and sixth disastrous defeat.”
"Sodesna." Sugisu Yuan heard this repeatedly, and he was completely convinced by Tachibana Keio.
At that moment, Shan Shanyuan frowned again: "However, the Super High School knows nothing about this extremely dangerous opponent. The intelligence collected by the Super High School only covers the division commander level of the Chinese Army. The National Army officers below the division commander, Only a few brigade commanders and regimental commanders who were born in the Huangpu Military Academy have been registered, and the temporary commanders of the remnants of the 79th Division are obviously not included in this list."
Tachibana Yoshio said: "However, this does not prevent us from making the most basic judgment on this person."
Shanshan Yuandao: "Tachibana-san, it's your judgment."