Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

After a while, Zhou Zhengqing spoke slowly, his voice steady: "In war, there will always be casualties. Shanxi is a strategically important place, and Yan Xishan has been operating there for many years. His stubborn resistance is to be expected. General Terauchi and Division Commander Seishirō Itakune are under considerable pressure."

"Pressure?" Prince Jingren sneered, "Their pressure is that they're afraid they won't be able to explain to Kyoto, right?

Are you afraid of being outdone by that old guy Matsui Iwane?

Today's drama is not so much a summary of victory as it is an attempt to make amends for itself in advance, to get us to join in complaining and crying out for justice to the base camp.

Especially you, Yingqi-kun, they are counting on you, an "outsider", to say a few "fair words" for them. They are targeting you, hehehe."

After laughing a few times, Jingren stared at Zhou Zhengqing with burning eyes: "There are no outsiders here. Tell me the truth, what do you think will happen to Shanxi?

Is there still hope for Itagaki? Is his path still viable?

Zhou Zhengqing adjusted his sitting posture slightly, sinking deeper into the soft back seat. His eyes seemed to be unfocused on the headrest of the driver's seat in front of him, as if he was organizing his thoughts, or staring at some invisible strategic map.

A moment of silence filled the air in the car with a solemn texture.

"Since you asked, I'll share some superficial opinions. As a superior, I'll give you, my subordinate, a good lesson." Zhou Zhengqing said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Takazaki-kun, this is too much! I am a prince after all. Can't you please give me some face in front of Yamaguchi-kun?" Jingren yelled.

"Do you want to hear it?"

"I do." Jingren shut up and calmed down, waiting for Zhou Zhengqing's opinion.

Zhou Zhengqing glanced at Jingren, who was full of curiosity, with satisfaction. He ignored Yamanashi Masaki in front of him and spoke slowly, "First, we must recognize a basic reality. The scale and cruelty of the Empire's war against China have far exceeded the expectations of the pre-war Tokyo headquarters, and even most people, including you and me."

Zhou Zhengqing started out by stating the purpose clearly and setting the tone.

"Let's put aside the theory of quick victory..." Zhou Zhengqing said in a literary tone.

"The Battle of Shanghai lasted for three months. Although the Empire won, it was a bitter victory, with shockingly large casualties.

Shanxi, seemingly conquering cities and territories, is actually mired in a quagmire."

Turning to Jingren, Zhou Zhengqing's eyes were sharp: "You just heard it, 26,000 killed in action, 40,000 wounded, and this is only the number initially acknowledged by the front army itself.

In reality, there will be more.

And what did we get in return for this price? How many empty cities did Taiyuan and Datong become?

Several intermittent transportation lines that need to be heavily guarded? As for annihilating the main force of the Chinese army?" Zhou Zhengqing's mouth curled up with a cold arc: "The troops of Yan Xishan and Wei Lihuang in the Second War Zone of China suffered heavy losses, but they were far from being seriously injured.

They broke up into small groups and retreated into Taihang and Luliang, relying on the dangerous mountains, like mercury pouring on the ground, penetrating every hole.

The points and lines we occupied became targets for their constant harassment and exhaustion.”

"Therefore," Zhou Zhengqing concluded, "the Itagaki Division's 'road to destroy the Song Dynasty' has failed at the strategic level." Zhou Zhengqing used the extremely harsh word "bankrupt."

"Why do you think so?" Jingren leaned forward slightly, obviously attracted by this statement.

"There are three reasons, which are closely linked to each other and form a dead end." Zhou Zhengqing bent his fingers and analyzed them one by one. His voice was steady and clear, and every word struck Jingren's heart.

"The first bottleneck is logistics.

This is the biggest problem in expeditionary warfare, and it's particularly fatal in Shanxi." Zhou Zhengqing traced his fingertips across his knees. "Shanxi's terrain is rugged, and transportation is extremely inconvenient.

The higher the degree of mechanization of our army, the greater its reliance on logistics.

Ammunition, fuel, food, clothing, medicine... everything needed to be transported from the North China Plain and even the Northeast through long and fragile supply lines.

And what kind of threats is this lifeline facing now?"

Zhou Zhengqing asked and answered his own questions, his tone gradually becoming graver: "On the front, the Chinese army is resisting step by step and destroying roads and bridges.

On the sides and rear, there were guerrilla warfare by the Chinese everywhere.

They blew up railways, intercepted convoys, harassed military depots, and appeared and disappeared at will.

Your Highness, do you know how much supplies are needed every day to keep a Type A division like the Itagaki Division fighting continuously in the heart of Shanxi?

What's more, there are two divisions. Although the 20th Division joined the battle relatively late, its consumption was also huge.

And what percentage of them can be delivered safely to the front line?

Soldiers lack food and clothing in the cold winter, the wounded cannot receive timely medical treatment, and artillery becomes useless due to lack of ammunition. . . How can the morale of such an army be high?

Can the combat effectiveness last?

Even if Seishirō Itakane had the ambition to conquer the world, without gasoline and shells, his tanks and heavy artillery would be nothing but a pile of scrap metal.

This is why Daihui Zhishu said that soldiers are tired of war, the root of it is here! "

Prince Jingren nodded slowly. Although he was not on the front line, he had heard about the difficulties of logistics.

"The second bottleneck is the rear. This is a common problem faced by our occupied areas, but it is particularly acute in Shanxi."

Zhou Zhengqing put down his second finger, his tone becoming more serious: “It’s true that Itagaki Seishiro controls the city and the main transportation lines.

But who will rule the vast countryside, countless towns and villages, and especially the continuous mountainous areas?

It is still Yan Xishan's power and the world of various guerrillas!

They mobilized the people, established a regime, and collected grain taxes.

Itakune Seishirō's decrees could not leave the city gates! He was like sitting on a seemingly calm but actually turbulent ocean, with only a few lonely wooden planks under his feet.

The Chinese guerrillas are like sharks, they may appear from anywhere at any time and bite Itahene Seishiro.

Under such circumstances, how could Seishirō Itakane feel at ease to deploy his main forces to the front line and launch a large-scale, in-depth attack?

Aren't you afraid that your rear base will be hollowed out? If you can't even secure the rear, how can you even push the front forward with all your might? "

Zhou Zhengqing paused for a moment, letting Jingren digest the information, and then threw out the most crucial point.

"The third and decisive knot is the general trend.

The strategic focus and resource allocation of the entire empire have shifted irreversibly." Zhou Zhengqing's voice carried the calmness of someone who saw through the overall situation: "Although the Battle of Shanghai was tragic, Matsui Iwane did capture Shanghai, the largest city in the Far East and the economic center of China.

Now, his troops are heading straight for Nanjing, the capital of China!

The political significance and symbolic significance are unparalleled.

What is the Tokyo headquarters thinking? Where are the eyes of the country looking? All the glory, all the resources, all the expectations are placed on the battlefield in Central China!

At this point, how much do you think General Terauchi Hisaichi can squeeze out of his already stretched North China resources to support Itagaki in the mountains of Shanxi, fighting a seemingly endless "security war" and "war of attrition" that is doomed to result in heavy casualties?

Zhou Zhengqing looked directly at Jingren, his eyes as sharp as a torch: "No, General Terauchi is a smart man and a politician.

He knew better than anyone that continuing to deploy heavy troops in Shanxi would be counterproductive even if the resistance could be eliminated in the end, and the achievement would be far from comparable to the capture of Nanjing.

By then, Matsui Iwane's prestige will have reached its peak with the prestige of conquering the capital, while the North China Front Army will be stuck in the loess plateau of Shanxi. By then, who in the army will still care about the voice of General Terauchi and the North China Front Army?

Zhou Zhengqing leaned back slightly and made his final judgment: "Therefore, General Terauchi must, and must, make a strategic shift.

He would quickly cool down the Shanxi war, turning Itagaki's offensive into a defensive and focused cleanup.

The main force of the North China Front Army will move eastward and southward without hesitation!"