I am Jiang Weiguo in World War II

At the beginning of July, Jiang Weiguo led his troops to Xuzhou and formally participated in the Xuzhou Battle.

Chapter 353 Moved to Xuzhou (3)

Tai'an, the front-line headquarters of the Japanese North China Front.

On the banks of a picturesque mountain lake on the outskirts of the city, in a villa that originally belonged to a concubine of Han Fuju, more than a dozen senior Japanese generals were having a party, chatting and laughing, and drinking wine. The chief executive came from Peiping to inspect Commander-in-Chief of the Front Army, General Kotobuki Terauchi.

However, the general in the temple is just a guest, and the "landlord" is Lieutenant General Rensuke Isoya, the commander of the 10th Division of the Japanese Army who seized here by force.

Isotani Chushou blushed all over his face. He held up a glass of Japanese Daiginjo sake high up. He was four to five points drunk and said loudly, "My gentlemen, please raise your glass! First, let us congratulate the Emperor from a distance. Your Majesty will live forever, and the Japanese Empire will last forever; second, let us warmly welcome the generals in the temple to come to Tai'an to guide us in combat; third, let us wish the Imperial Japanese Army the next battle in Xuzhou and even the entire Japanese war A brilliant victory in China! On this day last year, the Empire’s crusade to conquer China began, and on this day next year, China will become part of the Empire! Do it!”

"Cheers!" All the generals at the scene toasted together in a warm atmosphere and drank it all in one gulp.

The general in the temple took a sip of his wine with a smile, and then praised: "Isoya-san, I originally thought that the second, sixth, fifth, ninth, and No.18 divisions in the Imperial Army were the five strongest divisions. Tuan, I never expected that your Tenth Division is so good! Among other things, it is indeed rare for a brigade to win Jinan with such a brilliant record! You are worthy of being the backbone of the Imperial Army, the Tenth Division You are indeed the elite of the Imperial Army!"

Akira Muto, deputy chief of staff of the front army, also took the opportunity to say: "Yes, the second and sixth divisions are known as the 'double walls of the army' of the empire. In my opinion, the tenth division must be added in the future, and the third division will be a tripod. Support the pillars of the Imperial Army's eternal victories!"

"The general in the temple has flattered you! Mrs. Muto has flattered you!" Lieutenant General Isoya grinned from ear to ear. Although he said flattering and flattering, it could be seen from the expression of uncontrollable joy and complacency on his brows, He didn't feel that it was flattery and praise at all, he felt that it was taken for granted and well deserved, and it made him very happy to hear it.

"Mr. Jigu..." The smile on the face of the general in the temple turned serious, "Next, you and the Tenth Division will face a greater test, and I hope you can live up to expectations and make persistent efforts!"

Lieutenant General Ji Gu said with pride: "General in the temple, you can just give orders!"

The general in the temple sighed softly: "Isotani-kun, you just said 'next year today, China will be part of the empire', although this prospect is wonderful, but unfortunately... I am afraid it will be difficult to realize!" He So far, I didn't continue, "All in all, the next Xuzhou battle is not just a military and strategic battle, but more importantly, a political battle.

The empire spent too much in this Sino-Japanese war, and it was really difficult to conquer China in a short period of time, so it had to settle for the next best thing, and strive to conquer China at the negotiating table.

The German side... also put a lot of pressure on the imperial government!"

Lieutenant General Isoya and other generals who didn't know the inside story were very surprised: "Your Excellency, General..."

The general in the temple put on a resolute face with piercing eyes: "Mr. Jigu, the task of your division is to capture Xuzhou and completely open up the Jinpu line.

For the next Xuzhou Raiders, your 10th Division will be the main force!"

"Hay!" Lieutenant General Isoya immediately stood up and stood at attention solemnly, "I understand! In addition, I wonder if Your Excellency the General, how many other divisions are participating in the battle with my 10th Division at the same time?"

"The 14th Division and the 7th Division!" The general in the temple replied, "You have two tasks in total. One is to capture Xuzhou, and the other is to gather and wipe out the heavy forces of the Chinese Army in Xuzhou!"

"Ah?" Lieutenant General Ji Gu was surprised. No matter how arrogant he was, no matter how contemptuous he was of the Chinese army, he couldn't help being surprised at the goal of the general in the temple. It was still possible to defeat Xuzhou with three divisions. Even Lieutenant General Ji Gu felt that this task was a bit difficult to bear to gather and wipe out the heavy Chinese army groups in the Xuzhou area.

"There are only three divisions?" Lieutenant General Isoya asked cautiously after his drunkenness dissipated.

"Well, just three divisions!" The general in the temple nodded.

"Your Excellency, please forgive me, it is not a problem for the three divisions to win Xuzhou, but..." Lieutenant General Ji Gu hesitated.

"I know it's difficult, but... no matter how difficult it is, we have to overcome it!" The general in the temple sighed empathetically, "The war between the Empire and China has lasted for a whole year. In the territory of China, they attacked the city and pulled out the stronghold, and were invincible, but they also suffered extremely heavy losses.

In the battle of Pingjin, the imperial army suffered about 5 casualties, and about 2.7 died in battle; in the battle of Songhu, the imperial army suffered about 10.5 casualties, and about 5.5 died in battle; Ten thousand; Battle of Nanjing..." The muscles on the face of the general in the temple trembled slightly, because the place name and word "Nanjing" was already a nightmare for the Japanese army. (The number mentioned by the general in the temple is the sum of the Battle of Nanjing and the Battle of Nanjing), all kinds..." The general in the temple sighed heartbrokenly, "In the past year, the imperial army has suffered about 6.5 casualties, and about 2.8 people died in battle. Ten thousand!too big!Really big!As for the loss of ordnance, ammunition, artillery, aircraft, ships, etc., it is also shocking!To tell you the truth, as of this time, the empire's military expenditure has officially exceeded 31 billion yen! 18 billion yen!The empire's financial resources have dried up!In order to maintain the high-intensity fighting this year, the Imperial Army even collected all the firearms used for training in the military academy and supplied them to the frontline troops.

You must understand that although the imperial army has occupied a large area of ​​China, it has not had time to obtain wealth and resources. After all, it takes time to "raise war with war". Planting, resources in Shandong Province need time to mine.

It can be said that the next battle of Xuzhou was the last large-scale battle that the imperial army could fight within two years.

At the end of the crossbow, you can't wear Lu Jin!That's the reason, the Imperial Army is indeed... at the end of its battle at the moment! "

All the Japanese generals at the scene felt heavy-hearted and gloomy.

"Attacking Nanjing is really a major irreparable mistake!" Lieutenant General Kenji Doihara, the head of the 14th Division, who had been silent all this time, said sullenly.

Lieutenant General Doihara is not only the commander of the 14th Division, but also the head of the Japanese intelligence agency's espionage activities against China. fight", but his good words were not listened to by those generals at all.

In the past year, the Japanese army suffered 55 casualties and 30 deaths. On the Nanjing battlefield alone, 31 casualties and 18 deaths accounted for 56% of the total casualties and 60% of the total deaths. The figures are very clear. More than half of the casualties of the Japanese invaders They were all on the Nanjing battlefield, and more than half of the military force and more than half of the military expenditure were consumed on the Nanjing battlefield. If the Japanese army had skipped Nanjing, the situation of the Japanese army would certainly not be comparable to what it is now, but there is no regret medicine in the world.

"Therefore, only three divisions can be used to fight the Battle of Xuzhou!" The general in the temple concluded, "Because if more troops are used, military expenses, ordnance, equipment, equipment, fuel, ammunition, etc. will not be enough!" He looked Lieutenant General Xiang Jigu, "Mr. Jigu, the task of your 10th Division is to storm Xuzhou, but you can't rush to capture Xuzhou. You have to fight outside Xuzhou or attack Xuzhou city. Then, Waiting for the Chinese army to rescue Xuzhou with heavy troops and surround your division. At that time, the 14th Division of Mr. Doihara and the 7th Division of Mr. Sonobe (Lieutenant General Sonobe and Ichiro, the commander of the 7th Division) will meet It's like two steel pincers outflanking Xuzhou from left to right, eating up the heavy Chinese army group gathered in Xuzhou in one go! Ambush on all sides, blooming in the center! Do you understand?" His eyes sparkled, "The three divisions will be strengthened, and each division will be strengthened. The actual strength is about 3, and the total strength is about 10.

One hundred thousand imperial troops are also one hundred thousand elite soldiers!Please! "

Lieutenant General Isotani, Lieutenant General Doihara, and Lieutenant General Sonobe stood at attention together: "Hay! Swear to the death to complete the task!"

"Actually, there are 4 divisions!" Muto Osamu added, "Although the 9th Division in the northern Jiangsu area cannot directly participate in the battle, it will contain a large number of Chinese troops in the south of Xuzhou and effectively cooperate with your frontal operations!"

Lieutenant General Isoya and the three nodded together: "We understand!"

The general in the temple finally raised his wine glass: "Masters, the battle is imminent, and the military is on fire, so I won't talk nonsense. Remember, in the battle of Xuzhou, the imperial army can only win! The imperial army must win! Come, let us raise our glasses I wish the Imperial Army an unprecedented victory in Xuzhou!"

"We must win!" All the Japanese generals raised their glasses together.

The general in the temple is well aware of the importance of the Xuzhou battle, and he dare not slack off. It can be said that he worked hard and worked hard to formulate this "ambush on all sides, blossoming in the center" battle plan. It should be said that this plan is still remarkable. Yes, however, the unique and deep-rooted characteristics of the Japanese have already buried a major hidden danger in this plan.

The Japanese army participating in the Battle of Xuzhou consisted of 4 divisions, with a total strength of about 13 troops, which is not considered weak. If these more than [-] Japanese troops are gathered, regardless of other things, and they focus on fighting Xuzhou, the possibility of winning Xuzhou is very high. Yes, however, the general in the temple gave Lieutenant General Ji Gu and others two tasks. One was to capture Xuzhou, and the other was to gather and wipe out the heavy forces of the Chinese Army in Xuzhou. Obviously, these two tasks exceeded the combat capabilities of the four divisions of the Japanese army. .

The plan of the general in the temple is as follows: deliberately let the 10th Division advance alone and approach the city of Xuzhou. At that time, the Chinese army will defend Xuzhou on the one hand, and on the other hand it is very likely to eat the 10th Division, so it will mobilize a large number of elites The troops are gathered in Xuzhou. If there are 50 Chinese troops, then the 50 Chinese troops must be the essence of the 300 million Chinese troops. Therefore, the 10th Division will be encircled. However, this is exactly the purpose of the generals in the temple. As the bait and center, the regiment attracted a large number of elite Chinese troops. In the end, the 10th, 7th, and 9th divisions went together and ruthlessly devoured the Chinese troops in Xuzhou.

According to common sense, it is enough for the Japanese army to take Xuzhou, so why add a second goal to the superfluous?Because the Japanese take risks and love to gamble, the more they lose, the more jealous they become, and they will not give up until the end.

The general in the temple judged that the victory or defeat of the Xuzhou battle was of great significance to the Japanese army. The Japanese army would invest elite soldiers, and Chiang Kai-shek would also invest elite soldiers, because the victory or defeat of the Xuzhou battle directly related to the gains and losses of the two sides at the negotiating table.

At the moment, the two sides are negotiating that Japan is willing to "give up" one or two provinces to China in exchange for a truce between the two sides. If the Japanese army wins the Battle of Xuzhou, Japan will "give up" half a province to China at most. Conversely, If the Japanese army lost the Battle of Xuzhou, Japan might have to "give up" two or three provinces to China.

Therefore, the high-level Japanese army estimated that the Chinese army would mobilize the main force of elite soldiers to participate in the war. If the Japanese army successfully captured Xuzhou on the one hand, and on the other hand succeeded in eating away the main force of hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers from Chiang Kai-shek, it is conceivable that whether it is on the battlefield or in negotiations On the table, how much the situation has improved for the Japanese side. Therefore, regardless of the hidden danger of the serious shortage of Japanese military strength at this time, the high-level Japanese army formulated this plan with two combat objectives, intending to "decisively fight Xuzhou" with the Chinese army.

One can imagine the danger of going into battle forcefully when one is unable to do what one wants.

However, the nature of the Japanese decided this way, and decided this military action full of gamblers.

Jiang Weiguo played the role of "hitting the right way" in this matter.

The Japanese were very shrewd in their calculations, but unfortunately, Chiang Kai-shek did not play cards according to common sense. Chiang Kai-shek had no intention of sending the elite of the Central Army to start a decisive battle with the Japanese in Xuzhou. For details, please refer to the original historical battle of Xuzhou. The [-] local troops were given to Li Zongren, and Li Zongren won the Taierzhuang victory with difficulty by relying on hundreds of thousands of miscellaneous troops. It was the same at the moment, so the Japanese really wanted to come to a "Xuzhou siege", and they couldn't eat Chiang Kai-shek's central government. The main force of the army, but Jiang Weiguo suddenly intervened, forcing Chiang Kai-shek to dispatch the elite of the Central Army to Xuzhou to participate in the war. As a result, the Japanese plan that would not have been fulfilled by the Japanese was turned into something by accident. realistic possibility.

On July 7, Xuzhou, flying the blue sky, white sun and red flags all over the ground, is the seat of the commander-in-chief of China's Fifth Theater.

At 200:[-] in the morning, the sun rises in the east, and Xuzhou, with a population of [-] million, ushers in a new day in the majestic glow. The city is full of smoke, chickens and dogs smelling each other, and the crowds are full of people, and the citizens of Xuzhou wake up in the morning. Busy day.

On Xuhai Road, the busiest and busiest street in the city, a few fat and healthy horses walked across the street in a clear and crisp hoofbeat. Citizens cheered enthusiastically when they saw it: "Morning, Mr. Li!" "Mr. Li!" Sir, good morning!"

The leader of the knights was General Li Zongren, the commander-in-chief of the fifth war zone.

Facing the enthusiastic cheers of the people, Li Zongren waved his hands frequently with a smile on his face, and he seemed calm and at ease.

Li Zongren certainly did not do this to have nothing to do, nor to relax or practice riding skills, he did it to stabilize the hearts of the people.

When the Japanese army aggressively attacked Shandong Province, the cloud of war began to drift to Xuzhou. After the fall of Jinan, people in Xuzhou became even more panic-stricken. As the Japanese army in North China marched southward, Xuzhou became more and more unsafe, and the Japanese army was getting closer to Xuzhou. The citizens of Xuzhou are naturally becoming more and more restless. The rich, powerful, and powerful are all starting to pack up their property and prepare to escape. Ordinary people are naturally mobilized after seeing this scene. It wasn't that tense, and the common people were frightened by him. The population of the entire Xuzhou dropped sharply, and the market was depressed.

Seeing this scene, Li Zongren rode a horse to inspect the main streets in Xuzhou City every morning or afternoon. Seeing him talking and laughing freely without panic, the hearts of the people gradually calmed down, and the city became lively again.

In fact, Li Zongren's laid-back and relaxed appearance is deeply worried, and the mountain of pressure makes him tasteless.

"The battle of Xuzhou, the gains and losses are too great!" Li Zongren sighed in his heart, "I didn't expect that the whole of Shandong would fall in less than a month! This Han Fuju is just like Zhang Xueliang! If this is the case, what will happen to the War of Resistance? Continue to resist? Right now, the victory or defeat of the Battle of Xuzhou is not only related to military and strategic gains and losses, but also closely related to politics.

Lao Jiang is negotiating with the Japanese. If he can't win on the battlefield, what can he do even if he is eloquent at the negotiating table?Lao Jiang knew this, but he refused to invest capital!He thinks I, Li Zongren, are gods?Bean soldiers?Empty glove white wolf?It's hard for a clever woman to cook without rice, let alone a war! "

Li Zongren thought of this, and his heart became more and more angry.

Chiang Kai-shek knew the meaning of the victory and defeat of the Xuzhou Battle best. After all, after the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, he was "supplemented by military solutions and focused on political solutions", because he did not think that China could defeat Japan by force alone. He believed that China wanted to There are only two ways to win or "decorately end the war". One is to get the strong intervention of the great powers, and the other is to win a few battles on the battlefield by the national army, and then strike while the iron is hot.

Right now, the Germans are in the middle to mediate, and Chiang Kai-shek can't wait for it, and this battle in Xuzhou is the key to negotiating a truce.

On the one hand, Chiang Kai-shek waited eagerly for Xuzhou to win the battle, but on the other hand, he was reluctant to spend his money. Therefore, he kept sending telegrams to Li Zongren, asking to "defend Xuzhou to the death and beat the Japanese invaders", while demanding soldiers and guns from Li Zongren. The demand for guns, ammunition and money is pushed three times and four times, and the countermeasures of one push, two delays and three researches are adopted.

Chiang Kai-shek wants to win the battle but is reluctant to spend his money. How can Li Zongren not be angry?

"Sir Li!" The urgent shout from behind made Li Zongren recover from his reverie and meditation.

Major General Xu Zuyi, Chief of Staff of the Fifth War Zone, chased after him in a military vehicle. The car drove too fast and knocked over several small stalls along the way, but Xu Zuyi didn't care at all. He completely lost his composure.

"Yan Mou (Xu Zuyi's pronoun), how decent it is to see you like this! I really should punish you for disturbing the people!" Li Zongren joked with a smile.

"Mr. Li!" Xu Zuyi jumped out of the car and rushed to Li Zongren's side in a hurry. He was full of joy, "Good news! The chairman sent troops!"

Li Zongren was not too excited: "Oh? Is it the troops led by his disciple of the Son of Heaven?" Li Zongren knew very well that the Central Army troops really came to the Fifth War Zone, and they were actually under the remote command of Chiang Kai-shek, so they didn't listen at all. An order from his commander-in-chief of the theater.

"Mr. Li, it's Jiang Weiguo! It's Jiang Weiguo who brought the troops here!" Xu Zuyi raised his eyebrows with joy.

"What?" Li Zongren was taken aback, "Jiang Weiguo? Isn't he in Nanjing? Why did he come to Xuzhou?"

"I heard that he asked to come to Xuzhou on his own initiative!" Xu Zuyi explained.

"Jiang Weiguo...Jiang Weiguo..." Li Zongren thought over and over again, and then a smile from the bottom of his heart appeared on his face, "Okay, okay, this battle is really worth fighting! Let's go, Hurry up and meet this little God of Wealth!" He was very excited.

Chapter 354 Moved to Xuzhou (4)

The Commander’s Headquarters of the Fifth War Zone is a large room in Xuzhou City with a high roof and green corduroy curtains on the windows. The walls are covered with military maps. The staggered fighting situation of Japanese troops in southern Shandong, northern Jiangsu, and northern Anhui.

Jiang Weiguo looked at it carefully. On the map, the four red lines representing the Japanese attacking arrows rushed towards Xuzhou from four directions like giant pythons. The north was the 10th Division of the Japanese Army, and the south was the 9th Division of the Japanese Army. To the east is the 7th Brigade of the 13th Division of the Japanese Army that landed in Lianyungang, northern Jiangsu. The 7th Division was originally stationed in the Northeast, but was transferred to the Xuzhou battlefield at this time. It can be seen that the Japanese military strength is indeed very tight. Yes, as for the due west direction of Xuzhou, it is the 14th Brigade of the 28th Division of the Japanese Army.

"It is very similar to the original history, but it is very different..." Jiang Weiguo thought, "How should we fight the new Xuzhou battle?" He thought more and more deeply, "I really didn't expect, Actually, they really wanted to negotiate a truce. It seems that this matter has come to fruition. How could this happen? In the past... yes, the two sides also negotiated a peace secretly. It was the Taudman mediation, but the Japanese The conditions offered were too harsh, so the old man did not agree, but now, the situation is very different, because of Lao Tzu's interference in history, the national army fought very well, and the little Japan was seriously injured, and the little Japan didn't want to fight anymore , Hitler does not want to continue fighting between China and Japan, and the old man has long wanted to negotiate a peace... As for the terms of the peace negotiation between the two parties, it is determined by the outcome of the Xuzhou battle.

Really want to make peace?What about after the peace talks?Build and develop well for two or three years, and then the three-nation alliance of China, Germany and Japan will fight a world war?Or, betrayal and counterattack Japan in an all-round way?However, what Lao Xi hopes is the former. If China goes back on its word and does not form an alliance with Japan with Germany after a rest for two or three years, but continues to fight Japan, Lao Xi will definitely be very unhappy. Without Germany’s assistance, China If we continue to fight Japan one-on-one, even if Germany is still standing on the side of Japan, things will not be easy to handle, and it seems to be back to the original historical track..."

Jiang Weiguo thought for a long time, but his mind was still numb. In the end, he could only think about it temporarily: "Forget it! Why do you think so much? Let's focus on the Xuzhou battle right now! How to win the Xuzhou battle is the top priority!"

"Mr. Li is here!" The guard at the door shouted.

Jiang Weiguo came back to his senses, hurriedly adjusted his military uniform, and strode to the door.

Several fine horses galloped into the courtyard with flying dust, and Li Zongren on horseback jumped off the horse together with several strong guards.

"Second son!" After seeing Jiang Weiguo, Li Zongren walked up with a hearty smile.

"Hello, Chief Li!" Jiang Weiguo stood at attention and saluted with a smile.

Li Zongren returned a military salute, then extended his hand to Jiang Weiguo with a smile on his face, and the two shook hands.