Tojo Hideki immediately shut up, because Hirohito was telling the truth. If a decisive strategy is adopted in the Far East battlefield, then the entire Japanese state machine will have to revolve around the Far East battle. Not only will all combat supplies have to be sent to Kanto The army was tilted, and at least twenty ad hoc divisions had to be urgently mobilized in Japan.
Just like the Russo-Japanese War that year, almost half of Japan's military and the entire navy were mobilized.
Under this situation, Japan simply did not have excess troops and supplies to transport to the Shanghai battlefield.
This means that the Ninth Division stationed in Shanghai can only be counted on to deal with Xu Rui.
Neither Hirohito nor Tojo Hideki thought that the Ninth Division alone could deal with Xu Rui! Thinking back to the beginning, Xu Rui was able to annihilate a Japanese detachment with only five to six hundred remnant soldiers. There were two raids on Dameishan. Xu Rui used an absolutely inferior force, but he continuously inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese troops participating in the raids.
Xu Rui's patrol battalion now has nearly a brigade of troops and is well-equipped. How can the Ninth Division alone be Xu Rui's opponent
There is no hope of sending a condemnation army from Central China.
Although Xu Rui has left Damei Mountain, the climate of Damei Mountain has changed. No matter who becomes the commander, he will be a huge threat to the Central China Condemnation Army. What's more, the Central China Condemnation Army has to face more than just the New Fourth Army. There is also the National Army that exists as China's regular army.
Although the combat effectiveness of the National Army is deteriorating, there are still many people!
The so-called ants kill an elephant, this point has been vividly reflected in the battle of Suizao.
Half a month ago, the Battle of Suizao broke out. Compared with the Battle of Wuhan, the combat effectiveness of the National Army has declined significantly. Now it is very easy for an infantry brigade of the Japanese Army to deal with a division of the National Army. However, the problem is that the troops gathered around Wuhan The National Army has expanded from more than 50 divisions before the war to more than 100 divisions now!
It must be admitted that there are so many Chinese people that it is really difficult to destroy China.
Therefore, the condemnation troops sent by Central China are already too busy to take care of themselves. Dong Jiuregong Nianyan can't wait for the base camp to send more troops to Suizao battlefield. How can there be extra troops to rush to support Shanghai? The situation in North China and South China is similar. It is impossible to mobilize excess troops to reinforce Shanghai.
Therefore, at this time, we must not devote all our efforts to the Far East War. Otherwise, the Shanghai battlefield will be corrupted. Once the Shanghai battlefield is corrupted, the entire Central China battlefield will be corrupted. Once the Central China battlefield is corrupted, it will inevitably affect South China and even the Central China battlefield. The North China battlefield, the entire Chinese battlefield will be finished by then.
By that time, the entire Greater East Asia Jihad will be finished!
Japan cannot afford this kind of result!
The strategy for fighting against the Soviet Union was thus decided, and then Hirohito left a group of staff to have dinner together.
After dinner, the imperial meeting continued, but the topic of the meeting had changed from the strategy of fighting the Soviet Union to the strategy of the Shanghai war!
Two schools of thought emerged on how to deal with the Shanghai war strategy.
One group is headed by Navy Minister Mitsumasa Yoneuchi. Mitsumasa Yoneuchi insists that Shanghai is located on the coast, and the Japanese Navy's Third and Fourth Fleets can easily enter the Huangpu River and directly use large-caliber naval guns to support the Japanese Army. Naval aviation took off from the aircraft carrier off the coast of Wusong to coordinate operations with the Sixth Army.
Therefore, no matter how powerful Xu Rui is, he cannot make waves in Shanghai.
Finally, Yonei Guangzheng said eloquently: "Shanghai is not Damei Mountain. If Xu Rui hides in Damei Mountain to fight guerrillas, the navy cannot reach them, and there is nothing they can do about it. But if there is street fighting in Shanghai, the Imperial Navy will let Xu Rui Realize what a large-caliber naval gun is and what a massive bombing that shakes the earth is!"
The implication of Mitsumasa Yoneuchi is that your Army is too weak, that’s why you were beaten like this by Xu Rui, but you don’t have to be afraid in Shanghai, because Shanghai is located on the coast, our navy can help you, with the help of our navy , Xu Rui will never be able to make any waves. After all, his flesh and blood body cannot compete with the giant steel ship.
Mitsumasa Yoneuchi's words sound arrogant, but the Japanese Navy does have the capital to be arrogant.
This is because the Japanese Navy ranks among the top three in the world in terms of total tonnage. In terms of overall strength, the Japanese Navy can even be said to be the second largest navy in the world after the British Navy.
However, a group led by the Minister of the Army, Juichi Terauchi, believed that the navy's giant ships and artillery were useless in Shanghai.
Because as soon as the patrol battalion hid in the public concession, the Japanese navy would immediately catch them. In the Songhu Battle two years ago, the solitary battalion only guarded the Sihang Warehouse next to the public concession, and the Japanese army was disgraced. Not to mention the current patrol. Does the camp belong to the concession at all? Therefore, the navy's giant ship cannons are completely useless.
Juichi Terauchi believed that heavy troops should be accumulated in Shanghai's Zhabei, Longhua, Yangshupu, Hongkou and other districts. Finally, an elite division should be stationed in each district. Once the patrol battalion emerged from the turtle shell of the public concession, a heavy Japanese troop group would be stationed on the periphery. They immediately swarmed up and crushed the patrol camp in one fell swoop!
The navy faction and the army faction expressed their opinions and argued, and in the end they could only ask Hirohito for a ruling.
But Hirohito was also hesitant about this. On the one hand, he felt that Mitsumasa Yoneuchi was right. Xu Rui was powerful, but no matter how powerful he was, it was impossible to create a navy out of thin air. As long as the navy was there, the Japanese army would be invincible in Shanghai. In the place of defeat, just like the Battle of Songhu two years ago, Chiang Kai-shek mobilized the fifty-nine most elite German weapon masters to no avail.
Therefore, even if the war situation in Shanghai collapses, it will not collapse beyond control.
But on the other hand, his intuition kept reminding Hirohito that Xu Rui, a man, was always used to creating miracles. Before the Battle of Wuxi, who dared to believe that the remnants of the temporary 79th Division could break out of Wuxi? And can the counterattack be successful? Before he established the Dameishan base, who would have dared to believe that Xu Rui could create a hard walnut shell in the hinterland of central Anhui that the Central China sent troops could not smash with all their strength
Therefore, one cannot attach too much importance to Xu Rui.
Dozens of cabinet ministers and staff who attended the meeting looked at Hirohito eagerly, waiting for Hirohito's decision.
Hirohito hesitated and hesitated, and finally gritted his teeth and came up with a compromise plan: "Let's do this, first transfer the 20th Division of North Korea to Shanghai, and then transfer the 7th Division of Hokkaido to Shanghai, and then add the troops originally stationed in Shanghai. There are three permanent divisions in Shanghai, and with the assistance of the navy, there should be no problem."
After a short pause, Hirohito continued: "As for the twenty divisions that are about to be mobilized in the mainland, we should still transfer them to the Far East battlefield according to the original plan. After all, at this stage, the threat from the Soviets is far greater than that of the Soviet Union. For the Chinese, compared to the huge Soviet Union, Xu Rui is only as sick as scabies."
Hayi, the cabinet ministers and staff present at the meeting all stood up and paused.
The imperial meeting that lasted for more than a day finally ended.
That night, the spirit of the Imperial Council's instructions quickly spread to Hokkaido, North Korea, and Manchuria. The 7th Division stationed in Hokkaido and the 20th Division in North Korea responded quickly, and all officers' vacations were immediately cancelled. They were required to return to the team within twenty-four hours, and all weapons and supplies were packed immediately and then loaded into the vehicle.
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The Nakamura Agency also received the spirit of the instructions from the Imperial Council.
When he learned that the Japanese base camp would transfer the 7th Division stationed in Hokkaido and the 20th Division stationed in North Korea to Shanghai, Shun Nakamura immediately felt heavy in his heart. The 7th Division and the 20th Division were both permanent The divisions have strong combat effectiveness. If we add the Ninth Division originally stationed in Shanghai, there will be three permanent divisions.
The patrol battalion has a strength of one brigade, but it has to face three permanent divisions of the Japanese army. The pressure is really extraordinary!
Even with the help of Broadway Building in secret, I'm afraid it's not enough. It seems necessary to report the situation to Xu Rui in advance so that he can prepare early to avoid being caught off guard.
At that moment, Shun Nakamura used an invisible potion to write the information on the banknotes, and then rang the bell to call the adjutant in. He asked him to take the 50-yen banknote with the information written on it to buy a pack of cigarettes at the East Asia Bank opposite. Suspecting him, I took the fifty yen note and went to the Toa & Co. diagonally across the street to buy a pack of cigarettes.
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At this time, Xu Rui didn't know that Shanghai was already undercurrent, and he was still in Nanjing at this time.
Xu Rui returned to Nanjing in the name of Liang Wuyi this time to persuade Liang Hongzhi to take office in Shanghai.
After Zhou Fohai was shot dead by Xu Rui in the name of Liang Wuyi last time, the position of President of the Central Reserve Bank became vacant again. Liang Hongzhi originally thought that it would be his turn this time, but he never thought that in the end Wang Jingwei directly gave Qian Dakui It was corrected, and the Japanese also supported Wang Jingwei's decision.
Such a result was a big blow to Liang Hongzhi.
After that, Liang Hongzhi excused himself from illness and stayed at home, which was considered a silent protest.
Later, the Nanjing Reform Government appointed Liang Hongzhi as the mayor of Shanghai and urged him to take office several times. Liang Hongzhi ignored him and just hid at home all day long and lived in an apartment. At this time, Itagaki Seishiro thought of the young man who had already made a name for himself in Shanghai. Liang Wuyi hoped that Liang Wuyi could return to Nanjing to persuade Liang Hongzhi.
Since I came back under this name, I had to go to Liang Mansion anyway.
In fact, I'm afraid it would be impossible not to go, because as soon as Xu Rui arrived at Shimonoseki Pier, he saw Sweet Potato waiting for him at the exit of the terminal, and brought him a message. Itagaki Seishiro was currently at Liang Mansion. Liang Hongzhi recommended that Liang Wuyi I went to the pier to buy fish. If I didn't buy a fish back in time, Itagaki Seishiro would probably become suspicious.