Chapter 428: Squeeze Them Dry!

At 4 p.m. on April 18, 1942, North P.

In the heavily guarded North China Front Army Headquarters, Lieutenant General Oshiroto Sanji, Chief of Staff, and Major General Arisue Seizo, Deputy Chief of Staff, responded to the call and walked into the combat meeting room.

As soon as the Japanese entered the door, they saw their immediate superior, General Okamura Yasuji, sitting next to a strategic situation map with a serious face.

The two looked at each other, and both saw confusion and confusion in each other's eyes.

Because the higher the rank, the more powerful the person, Arisue Seizo took the initiative to step forward and bite the bullet to make his opening remarks.

"General, what happened? Could it be that the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region of the Eighth Route Army has made new moves, and is going to attack Shandong Province or Hebei Province to the south or east?"

Looking at the bewildered staff, General Okamura shook his head helplessly.

The Eighth Route Army made such a big fuss, but his subordinates didn't even receive a little wind. This kind of incompetence is a serious dereliction of duty even in Italy.

It is because there are such useless people in the locust army that the army of our country has been defeated again and again on the battlefield of the Republic of China.

If the headquarters could assign a few Malayan Tiger-level generals to the North China Front Army, he would not be caught in a dilemma.

After silently complaining in his heart, the old devil replied unhappily:

"Yesterday, the Eighth Route Army Air Force dispatched hundreds of fighter planes to attack our homeland. Until now, the fire in the rear has not been completely controlled, and it is expected that hundreds of thousands of people will be homeless."

"The navy also suffered a big loss. Even the battleship Nagato was sunk in the Seto Inland Sea, and the Kure Shipyard had to stop production for three months."

The napalm bombs dropped by the Air Force 3rd Division burned the rear of the country for a whole day.

If it were not for the Japanese army stationed in the mainland to enter the scene and forcibly use human lives to open up several large firebreaks in the city, the barbecue feast would inevitably attract more acquaintances.

As for the losses of the navy?

In a sense, Okamura Yasuji really has to thank the Xinhua Daily for providing a detailed battle report. After all, the Combined Fleet has always had a fine tradition of reporting good news but not bad news.

Now that the mainland has been attacked, the Army and Navy are likely to fight together.

If the IJN concealed its losses and even let the North China Front Army overestimate its support capabilities, then the Ikki Detachment that landed on Guadalcanal in the future would be the fate of the old devils.

After briefly explaining his own losses, Okamura Yasuji sighed deeply.

"The current situation is very unfavorable for us."

"It will probably not take long before the headquarters will order the North China Front Army to take the initiative to launch an attack and destroy the permanent airport established by the Eighth Route Army on the eastern coast."

As soon as these words came out, the expressions of the two devil staff officers changed.

This is not 1937, and the Eighth Route Army is not the miserable one it used to be. Our side is at a disadvantage in many aspects such as manpower, equipment and morale. How can we attack?

As if he had guessed the other party's thoughts, Okamura Neiji threw a confidential document directly on the table and motioned the two to take a quick look.

"Oshiro-kun, Arisue-kun, your thinking has been a little rigid recently, and you are not like professionally trained staff officers at all. I don't want similar things to happen again, otherwise you can lead your troops to the front line."

After knocking on his subordinates, Okamura Neiji's face improved slightly.

The old devil first stood up from his seat, and then a strange smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"There is an old Chinese saying that the bigger the wind and waves, the more expensive the fish."

"Nowadays, the enemy has exposed its strategic bombing capabilities, which is a bad thing for our North China Front Army, but it can also be an opportunity to rise again."

"The headquarters will definitely not let the enemy act recklessly. The expeditionary force will inevitably receive a new round of manpower and material replenishment, and even the Kwantung Army will withdraw some troops to support the war in North China."

Although Okamura Neiji did not make it clear, no matter how useless the two staff officers were, they were still generals, and naturally understood the deep meaning of their superiors' words.

A blessing in disguise.

In a sense, the Eighth Route Army's sudden strategic bombing turned out to be an assist in disguise.

Prior to this, due to the Zhongtiaoshan Campaign, the Second Battle of Taiyuan, the Second Battle of Xinkou, and the successive defeats in Suiyuan, the entire North China Front Army was once weakened to the extreme.

If it weren't for Okamura Yasuji forcibly starting the "drain them dry" and temporarily pulling up an Eighth Battalion Class C Guard Division from the old, young, sick and disabled, otherwise even the line would not be filled now.

Now the Front Army has turned a disaster into a blessing, and is about to receive a blood transfusion from the rear, which is great news.

"Commander is wise!"

Chief of Staff Oshiroto Sanji pretended to be enlightened and then expressed his thoughts.

"Since the headquarters will not sit back and watch us lose the war and let the Eighth Route Army directly threaten the safety of Manchuria and the mainland. Then I will set off in advance and go to the Kwantung Army to ask for reinforcements."

"In this operation, I will bring the enemy's recent intelligence and strive to know ourselves and the enemy and win every battle."

Hearing this, Okamura Neiji nodded.

Sending a lieutenant general chief of staff to ask for help is impeccable in terms of qualifications and sincerity. In addition, the documents sent by the headquarters will surely attract the attention of Umezu Mijiro.

What's more, in the eyes of the old devils, the battlefield in North China is much more comfortable than the Pacific Ocean or Siberia. Why go to the island to accompany insects and ants, or wade into muddy water in the ice and snow when you can fight on the warm land?

"Okay, the task of contacting the Kwantung Army is handed over to you!"

"Before the general offensive officially begins, let the warriors ensure the safety of the port cities and strengthen the air defense forces in the coastal areas as much as possible."

"In addition, immediately send out the intelligence personnel we have on hand, and don't fight a confused war anymore. First, find out the deployment of the Eighth Route Army in Shanxi Province and the eastern part of Suiyuan and the distribution of airports, otherwise everything will be empty talk." (End of this chapter)