Cross the Songhu battlefield and rise to become the most powerful warlord

693 The Japanese in Shortage of Soldiers

"Hi, His Excellency the Division Commander.

I fully agree with your decision. I will send a telegram to the headquarters right away."

The Japanese Chief of Staff also fully agreed with Shimayama Yosuke's order.

I thought to myself: my division commander has finally come to his senses. He was just caring about his face and not asking the headquarters for help.

As soon as Ye Qingshan sent troops to attack northern Jiangxi, he should have asked the headquarters to send reinforcements to support us.

I hope that the distribution now is not over yet.

Moreover, it is not enough to just have infantry and air force support.

It would be best if the headquarters could send us more tank armored divisions.

Oh, and there are artillery pieces.

When we fought against the Chinese army in the past, it was our firepower that suppressed the enemy.

Now, facing Ye Qingshan's more elite troops, our artillery was suppressed. How can we fight?

No, we must send a heavy artillery regiment.

While thinking about this, the Japanese chief of staff quickly left the headquarters and went to the telegraph room to send a telegram to their headquarters.

Even the telegram for help sent to the Japanese headquarters was secretly tacked on by the Japanese chief of staff.

The Japanese chief of staff did not tell Shimayama Yosuke. Anyway, he believed that if he asked for more reinforcements and weapons and equipment, the division commander would definitely support him.

The division commander is too thin-skinned, so I have to take care of this matter.

Soon, an urgent telegram asking for help was sent to the Japanese headquarters.

It was immediately handed over to the Japanese Chief of Staff Seishirō Itagaki by the Japanese staff.

Itagaki Seishirō looked at the telegram and saw the 102nd Division's urgent request for help. The words were even extremely blunt, without any regard for the dignity of the division.

His expression also changed drastically.

They were able to make an entire division ask for help in such a shameless manner.

This is enough to show the urgency of the situation in northern Jiangxi.

But when Itagaki Seishirō continued to read and saw all the requests for reinforcements and artillery of the 102nd Division.

His face immediately turned gloomy.

This is too much to ask for, let alone their headquarters.

Even their domestic base can’t afford it now.

If their headquarters could really provide so many reinforcements, air forces, tanks, armored vehicles, and even heavy artillery.

Can we wait until now to provide support to their 102nd Division?

It should have been taken out earlier to support the 11th Army which was fighting a bloody battle in western Hunan, so that the 11th Army could defeat Xue Yue as soon as possible.

By then, it will not be an easy task to defend northern Jiangxi.

Therefore, the 102nd Division requested for reinforcements and weapons and equipment in the telegram.

Commander Itagaki Seiji knew very well that their headquarters could not provide almost anything.

But if we cannot provide reinforcements and equipment to the 102nd Division, if northern Jiangxi really cannot be defended, western Hunan will be in trouble.

A single move affects the whole body!

Northern Jiangxi must be preserved.

This is troublesome.

Commander Itagaki Seiji had a huge headache.

"Baga, damn Ye Qingshan, why did he come back from the United States?

Stupid 102nd Division, stupid Shimayama Yosuke, why are they so useless. "

Itagaki Seishirō cursed all these people in his heart.

"Forget it, let's leave this matter to the Commander-in-Chief to worry about. I can't do anything about it."

In the end, Itagaki Seishirō decided to hand this difficult problem over to the old devil Nishio Hisazo.

Anyway, as the Chief of General Staff, he has no way to solve the problem.

He is not a god and cannot summon reinforcements and weapons and equipment.

After a while, Seishirō Itagaki found the old Japanese soldier Hisazo Nishio with the telegram for help from the 102nd Division.

"Baga, what is this guy Daoshan doing?

How could the headquarters send him so many reinforcements, and he also needed support from the air force?

Still need tanks and artillery?

I might as well send all the people in the headquarters to him."

After reading the request of the 102nd Division, the old Japanese soldier Nishio Hisazo was also very angry and cursed with a glare.

Itagaki Seishirō, who was standing next to him, looked at his nose and said nothing.

Anyway, it's not him that is being scolded.

But after the old Japanese soldier Nishio Hisazo had finished venting his anger and scolding the commander of the 102nd Division, he calmed down.

Looking at the silent commander Itagaki Seiji beside him, he asked, "Itagaki-kun, do you think the situation reported by the 102nd Division is true?

Can they hold on to northern Jiangxi?"

In fact, the old Japanese soldier Nishio Hisazo was also worried that northern Jiangxi would really be lost.

He didn't care too much about the life or death of the 102nd Division.

What he cared about was the more than 200,000 new Japanese troops, led by the 11th Japanese Army commanded by Anan Weiji, who were fighting in western Hunan at that time.

That was almost the only offensive force the Japanese could muster in China, and it was capable of launching a large-scale campaign.

This would be because the retreat route in northern Jiangxi was cut off, resulting in the defeat of more than 200,000 Japanese troops in western Hunan, resulting in heavy losses.

The old devil Nishio Hisazo's position as the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary army has basically come to an end.

Therefore, the 102nd Division in northern Jiangxi must provide support.

However, how to provide support and where to draw troops from requires discussion.

Commander Itagaki Seiji, who was standing next to him, cursed in his heart when he heard the old Japanese soldier Nishio Hisazo asking him questions.

Then he said, “Your Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, I think the situation reported by the 102nd Division is mostly true.

The actual strength of Ye Qingshan’s 89th Army is at least over men.

This is consistent with the intelligence our Special High Section had previously obtained.

Moreover, it is reasonable that Ye Qingshan's troops, equipped with all American weapons, would use infantry, artillery and tanks to coordinate operations.

Ye Qingshan is a real warmonger. He has been immersed in it for such a long time, and this time he returned to the country and was so anxious to start a war.

Based on our previous understanding of this person, he must be determined to gain control of northern Jiangxi.

With less than 102 men in the nd Division, it is unlikely to be able to defend northern Jiangxi.

Now, we have two choices before us.

First, abandon our offensive plan in western Hunan and withdraw the 11th Army commanded by Anami Korechika.

In this way, the crisis in northern Jiangxi will naturally be resolved."

"no.

We have been preparing for the Xiangxi offensive for so long.

Moreover, Anami Korechika is now commanding the troops and fighting against the hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops commanded by Xue Yue.

It's not so easy to withdraw.

If the 11th Army really retreats, it means that all our preparations over the past six months have been in vain.

Besides, this matter is too big for you and me to decide.

At least we need the consent of the headquarters."

Commander Itagaki Seiji's proposal was directly rejected by the old Japanese soldier Nishio Hisazo.

Seeing this, Commander Itagaki could only continue, "In this case, there is only the second solution.

Accept the 102nd Division's request for assistance and try to preserve northern Jiangxi as much as possible.

Ensure the safety of the Yangtze River waterway.

Otherwise, if northern Jiangxi is lost, not only the war in western Hunan will be affected.

Even Wuhan will lose its barrier.”

“You don’t need to remind me of the importance of northern Jiangxi; I just want to ask you.

Draw troops from there to support the 102nd Division."

Itagaki Seishirō talked for a long time but didn't get to the point, which made the old Japanese man Nishio Hisazo very dissatisfied.