si-mexico Chapter 1093 The Calculation Was Wrong
Chapter 1093 The Calculation Was Wrong
Japanese Second Army Headquarters
This is the first time that Lieutenant General Pingzhi Guanting has convened a military conference since taking office. It's not that he didn't want to convene a military conference, but the army was too scattered. The Second Army was quite large, with its vanguard already on the banks of the Yellow River and its rearguard still outside Beiping City.
Now we've managed to gather all of them together. They were so badly beaten a while ago that they had lost all will to fight. This is a chance to give them a boost.
"This is the meeting record obtained by our top spy in Nanjing. After inspecting their warehouses, the Nanjing National Government has given up on further resistance. All seventeen infantry divisions have been withdrawn. The main force at the front is now only the 72nd Army, which is now at its wit's end. Our group in front will not put up any further resistance. So the day when the Jinpu Railway is opened and the Empire's north and south meet is coming soon."
Lieutenant General Pingzhi waved a telegram in his hand, and his men listened with increasingly bright eyes. Finally, a turning point had arrived. This war had been extremely difficult, almost wiping out the empire's entire foundation.
Even so, there was no hope of victory for some time. The battlefield at Pujiang was almost impossible to advance. Even if there was some progress, it was at the cost of many soldiers' lives. Now things are finally different. The Nationalist government can no longer hold on.
The Japanese Army Headquarters had previously told them in a meeting that war is fought based on comprehensive national strength and whose fighting will is stronger. Although we have suffered repeated defeats on the battlefield, our comprehensive national strength is far superior to that of China, and the Empire has also newly trained so many troops, so its combat potential is enormous.
In contrast, the central government of China was already on the verge of collapse. Had it not been for the assistance of the 72nd Army, it might have already crumbled. After careful consideration, the central government ultimately realized that victory was impossible and therefore chose to retreat ahead of schedule.
Just as their commander finished speaking, the air raid siren sounded again outside, which came at a very inopportune time.
Everyone was fired up by the commander's words and couldn't wait to go out and fight the 72nd Army. But just then, the air raid siren went off. If our planes had been able to stop them, the siren wouldn't have sounded over our heads. Luckily, the meeting place was an underground bunker; otherwise, we would have had to scramble to find an air raid shelter, which would have been incredibly embarrassing.
"Please rest assured, this kind of thing will not happen again soon. In addition to the army that has been allocated to us, more than 400 air force planes have also arrived. We will build five field airfields on the north bank of the Yellow River, which will be used to attack the 4th Division of the 72nd Army. At the same time, the Marine Corps is also looking for landing sites along the coast. If we launch a two-pronged attack, the combat effectiveness of the 4th Division of the 72nd Army will be instantly destroyed, and victory will ultimately belong to us."
When the commander got excited, he stood up and gesticulated wildly, but his men didn't look so happy.
In their view, the commander-in-chief was celebrating too soon; he had no idea how the enemy fought. If he wanted to know, he should take a stroll along the Yellow River and look at the fortifications on the opposite bank; perhaps then he wouldn't be so optimistic.
Throughout Asia, the Japanese army's weaponry was considered advanced, and coupled with their Bushido spirit, they had long been invincible—a fact that had already been demonstrated. However, compared to their opponents, our weaponry was like firewood.
We've been stuck here for almost half a month now. During this time, we've mostly been the ones getting beaten up. Whenever they see us making a slight move, they unleash a barrage of fire from the other side. And in places where we can't see clearly, planes will come over and give us a good beating.
The daily casualty figures aren't high, maybe seven or eight hundred at most, but it's been like this every day for half a month, which adds up to more than ten thousand deaths. If it were more than ten thousand deaths a day, it would have been a major event long ago. Now, it's been more than half a month, and so many people have died. It doesn't sound like a lot, but if you think about it carefully, it's just that the time frame has been stretched out, and not by that much.
In Chinese parlance, it's like slowly cutting flesh without pain; but ultimately, this task was cut off anyway. When the two sides truly engaged in battle, these ten thousand or so lost souls couldn't possibly be dragged into the fight. When we were in a standoff with the enemy, there were bound to be loopholes in some areas.
"Commander, please allow me to state the facts on the battlefield..."
As a veteran of the army, Division Commander Sakamoto could not stand by and watch the Commander-in-Chief continue to boast like this. We had to face the facts. The changes on the Pujiang battlefield were extremely favorable to us, but on the battlefield right in front of us, the impact there was still not significant.
"Sakamoto-kun, please speak. Perhaps this is your first time working with me. I enjoy listening to everyone's opinions so that our Second Army can develop together. This is not a place where I can dictate everything. Everyone is welcome to speak freely."
Commander Heiji of the Imperial Japanese Army was already quite displeased. He'd been speaking with great enthusiasm when the commander insisted on forcing him to confront reality. If he hadn't been so senior within the Japanese Army, he would have already launched into a tirade.
Others also looked at Division Commander Sakamoto with some concern, after all, this guy always did things according to his own whims.
"What you just mentioned about Nanjing will have a series of impacts on us, but I don't think the impact will be too great. The local battlefield has always been a supply point for the Pujiang battlefield. Once the Pujiang battlefield ends, a large number of troops may return north. This will have a huge impact on our southward advance, and after they no longer need to support the Pujiang battlefield, they will actually have more troops at their disposal. The Marine Corps once planned a landing, but it ultimately failed. If it fails again this time, my Second Army will probably be stuck here indefinitely."
As Division Commander Sakamoto began speaking, the expressions on the faces of those below darkened. After all, this old man was a veteran of the army, and what he said might actually come true.
You were just talking about advantages, but now let's analyze it. There are absolutely no advantages; in fact, they're all disadvantages!