"Insufficient troops?" Hanin Gong Zaijin frowned and asked, "Itagaki-kun, can you be more specific?"
"Hai." Itagaki Seishiro paused for a moment before replying, "Nakamura-kun's telegram said that Xu Rui's troops only had more than 10,000 troops. After the annihilation of the 20th Division, their troops were reduced to insufficient strength. Five thousand people, I think, is believable. If not, Xu Rui would definitely take advantage of the victory and attack Taicang, Kunshan and even Suzhou this time!"
"Shun Nakamura is not trustworthy." Kanin Miyazaihito waved his hand and said, "He is the biggest suspect in the sneak attack on the Navy's Third Fleet!" After saying that, Kanin Miyazaihito said to Tojo Hideki He said, "Tojo-kun, I don't think this man should be allowed to stay on the battlefield in China anymore. He can be transferred back to the country and resettled at will."
"Hai." Tojo said, "Then transfer him back to Japan and then transfer him to the reserve force."
Kanin Miyazaihito nodded in approval, then turned his gaze to Itagaki Seishiro, indicating to continue.
Itagaki Seishiro said: "Your Highness the Prince, and other gentlemen, regarding the case of the Navy's Third Fleet, Jun Nakamura is indeed very suspicious, but I think his information about the Songhu Military Division is still credible, because of the analysis of the Nakamura Agency Logically it is impeccable.”
Xianyuan Gong Zairen nodded and said: "So, what is your conclusion?"
"My conclusion is that there is no need to panic!" Itagaki Seishiro said solemnly, "Although the 20th Division was completely wiped out, the situation on the Songhu battlefield has not completely collapsed, at least within three months. , there will be no major reversal, that is, it is absolutely impossible for the Songhu Military Division to launch a large-scale counterattack within three months."
After hearing Itagaki Seishiro's judgment, not only Kanin Miya Zaihito, but also Tojo Hideki breathed a sigh of relief!
Yes, after the 20th Division was completely wiped out, what Tojo Hideki was most worried about was that the Songhu Military Division led by Xu Rui would take the opportunity to launch a full-scale counterattack against the counties and cities around Shanghai. At present, the counties around Shanghai The city's defense can be said to be very lacking. The 104th Division is already the only organized guard division in the entire Songhu area!
However, the combat effectiveness of the 104th Division is really unflattering.
However, Hanin Gong Zairen was still worried and asked: "Itagaki-kun, can you guarantee it?"
Itagaki Seishiro said without hesitation: "Your Highness, I dare to guarantee it with the honor of a samurai!"
Kanin Miyazaihito was slightly moved, and vouched for the honor of a samurai, which showed that Itagaki Seishiro was very confident in this. Kanin Miyazaihito was completely relieved and said: "In this way, we can breathe a sigh of relief first. Otherwise, I am really worried that Xu Rui's troops will take advantage of the victory to pursue Taicang, Kunshan and even Suzhou, or even directly cut off the Yangtze River waterway. In this case, the 500,000 Japanese troops stationed in Wuhan and central China will be in danger."
Itagaki Seishiro said: "Your Highness, please rest assured that this situation will not happen."
"Yo Xi." Xianyuan Gong Zairen nodded and said, "But we can't wait three months."
"Sodes." Itagaki Seishiro said suddenly, "If you wait three months, Xu Rui will have a chance to recruit a sufficient number of recruits from the refugees in Shanghai and train these recruits into an army. By then, Xu Rui's Songhu Military Division really has enough troops to launch a large-scale counterattack around Shanghai."
Kanin Gong Zaijin turned his attention to Tojo Hideki again and asked: "Tojo-kun, if we start preparing for the third Battle of Songhu from now on, how long will it take to prepare?"
A meeting to summarize the defeat was turned into a war preparation meeting.
Tojo Hideki thought for a moment and said: "Half a month! The preparations can be completed in half a month, but..."
Xianyuan Gong Zairen snorted and said somewhat unhappily: "Nothing, just say what you have to say, don't hesitate."
"Hai!" Tojo Hideki said in a deep voice, "However, I do not recommend new mobilization. Although the empire's financial situation has improved in the past six months, and the price of rice in Tokyo has also fallen, it has still not been completely improved. , Therefore, if mobilization is carried out this time, if something happens on the Far East battlefield next time, the empire will not be able to bear it!"
What Tojo Hideki meant is that the current Japanese government's manpower, material resources, and financial resources can only afford one mobilization. If this time, in order to deal with the Songhu Military Division, the ten B divisions originally prepared for the Far East Battle are mobilized. If something happens next time something happens on the battlefield in the Far East, the Kwantung Army will not get any support!
After a pause at this point, Tojo Hideki added: "Moreover, I think that for the Third Battle of Songhu, there is no need to mobilize as many as ten divisions!"
Xianyuan Gong Zairen asked again: "Then, can we mobilize three to four divisions first?"
"Your Highness, no." Tojo shook his head and said, "National war mobilization is a systematic project, and all aspects of the work are very complicated. It is like a machine. Once it is started, it will all start. It is difficult to just start it. Half, because it will cause huge losses in human, financial and material resources.”
Xianyuan Gong Zairen asked again: "But if we don't mobilize, where will the army be for the Third Songhu Battle?"
After saying that, Kanin Gong Zaijin looked around at Itagaki Seishiro and Terauchi Juichi and others, spread his hands and said: "Do you mean to transfer them from the North China battlefield or the Central China battlefield? At present, the strength of the North China Front has been reduced to 300,000, and they can deal with the battlefield behind enemy lines. The Japanese guerrillas are already in dire straits. If we continue to draw troops from North China, the Japanese guerrillas will completely lose control. By then, the entire land of North China will be filled with smoke!"
After a pause, Xianyuan Gong Zairen continued: "The Central China Condemnation Army has half a million troops, but the situation faced by the Central China Condemnation Army is even worse than that of the North China Front Army. What's more, the fierce fighting in the Suizao Campaign is currently taking place. Hey, even if Central China dispatches a condemnation army, it is impossible to mobilize troops from the front to Songhu."
As for the Kwantung Army, Xianyuan Gong Zairen didn't mention it directly.
Although the Kwantung Army has a larger force than the Central China Condemnation Army, with as many as 700,000 men, what the Kwantung Army has to face is the Soviet Far Eastern Front Army. The Soviet Far Eastern Front Army has more than one million people, so , the Kwantung Army used 700,000 men against the Soviet Far East Front Army of 1 million men. It was already struggling and it was absolutely impossible to transfer troops from outside.
Juichi Terauchi said in a deep voice: "If it really doesn't work, we should mobilize first and extinguish the fire in Shanghai first. As for the Far East battlefield, in my estimation, there will be no big changes at least before October. Maybe by then, the empire will Can our finances allow a new round of mobilization? Your Highness, what do you think?"
"No!" Tojo Hideki said forcefully, "War mobilization is not about cutting leeks. Once you cut a stubble, another one will grow quickly. What if the empire's talent and administration did not improve, but worsened? When another incident occurs on the battlefield in the Far East, it will shake the country's foundation, and we cannot take risks!"
Terauchi Juichi was used to being contradicted by Tojo Hideki, so he did not get angry because of it. He asked with a wry smile: "Tojo-kun, tell me, where did the army for the Third Songhu Battle come from? You can't rely on just one person. The Seventh Division, right? The Seventh Division may not be much stronger than the Twentieth Division, can the people do it?"
Tojo Hideki shook his head and said: "It's definitely not possible to rely on just one Seventh Division."
"But there are no troops now." Terauchi Shouichi clapped his hands and said with a wry smile, "Where else can you mobilize troops?"
"No, there are still soldiers." After Tojo Hideki finished speaking, he turned his attention to Kanin Palace Zaijin and said in a deep voice, "Could it be that His Highness has forgotten that there is actually one of the most elite divisions stationed in Tokyo? !”
"Guards Division?!"
"You mean the Guards Division!"
As soon as Tojo Hideki said this, both Itagaki Seishiro and Terauchi Juichi changed their expressions.
The Guards Division is one of the first seven permanent divisions established during the Meiji Restoration. Both senior generals and junior officers are the best ones selected from the cadets of the 6th University and the 6th Army Non-commissioned Officer School, and the soldiers are also They are all selected from the children of good families near Gyeonggi, and therefore have an unparalleled natural status in the Japanese Army.
Not to mention Tokyo, all young people in Japan regard joining the Guards Division as the highest honor.
Kanin Gong Zaijin even changed his expression and said: "No, this is the armed force that protects the emperor. Who dares to touch it?!"
"Only His Majesty the Emperor dares!" After Hideki Tojo finished speaking, he bowed deeply to Zainin Gongin and said solemnly, "I sincerely ask Your Highness to go to Tenkyu Mountain to meet with His Majesty the Emperor immediately to discuss the Second Battle of Songhu. The summary of the defeat and the plan for the third Songhu Battle are reported to His Majesty the Emperor, and I respectfully request the Holy Judgment!"
Tojo Hideki was fully confident that Hirohito would definitely approve his plan.
Xianyuan Gong Zairen also guessed this, but he still had concerns.
Xianyuan Gong Zairen said in a deep voice: "The Guards Division is the cornerstone of the Imperial Army and cannot be touched lightly."
"Just because you can't move lightly doesn't mean you can't move!" Tokyo Hideki said in a deep voice, "The Guards Division participated in both the Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, and performed well!"
Xianyuan Gong Zairen shook his head and said: "But after all, the Guards Division has not participated in the war for a long time, and it can be said that it has been out of battle for a long time. If it does not perform well on the Songhu battlefield, wouldn't it be possible to seriously shake the Imperial Japanese Army? Military morale? No, this is too risky, and I will never agree to transfer the Guards Division to the Songhu battlefield."
"Your Highness!" Tojo Hideki said quietly, "You must have confidence in the Guards Division!"
After a pause, Tojo Hideki added: "The Guards Division not only has the best quality of generals, officers and soldiers, but also has the most sophisticated weapons and equipment among the seventeen permanent divisions of the Imperial 6th Army. The First Division is also slightly inferior. The officers and soldiers of the Guards Division feel deeply proud of being a member of the Guards Division. Your Royal Highness, you should have confidence in the Guards Division. This is the Guards Division. !”