Chapter 16: Battle of Lanfeng (I)
The telephones in the 27th Division Headquarters, which had already moved to Heze, kept ringing. Staff officers were rushing around everywhere, delivering the latest battle reports from the front.
However, unlike the messy environment outside, the small studio specially separated by the division commander, Lieutenant General Masaharu Honma, was a pleasant scene.
"Mr. Honmura, what is your personal opinion on the prospects of the Second Battle of East Henan?"
After earnestly pouring wine for the visiting commander of the 32nd Division, Lieutenant General Heitaro Kimura, Masaharu Honma asked him in the tone of a senior from both the Army Academy and the Army University, as well as a landlord.
“Is it possible for the Imperial Army to win?”
"To be honest with you, Senior, I have studied the First Battle of East Henan in detail."
Heitaro Kimura was born in the artillery department. He served as a member of the Army Technical Headquarters and an instructor at the Field Artillery School for a long time. He also served as the director of the Weapons Bureau and the chief of field weapons of the headquarters. It was not until February this year that he took the position of commander of the 32nd Division in order to be promoted to lieutenant general.
In fact, as an artillery expert of the Japanese Army, Kimura was not a qualified commander because he was responsible for the development and research of the Japanese Army's field weapons and equipment for a long time and had only a brief service in the field artillery unit. However, technical experts have a characteristic, that is, they like to study data. Therefore, Kimura drew some conclusions from this.
"In the first battle of East Henan, the Imperial Army also deployed four divisions. However, these four divisions were either regular divisions or special divisions. Their strength and the quality of their soldiers were by no means comparable to the newly established divisions and security divisions that you and I currently command."
Kimura took a sip of sake.
"Also, during the first East Henan Campaign, the Second Army had a unified command and was reinforced with a considerable number of special forces, which is also extremely lacking at present. Based on the above two points, I personally think that the prospects for the second East Henan Campaign are not optimistic."
"Yeah yeah."
Masaharu Honma, who is known as a two-way plug and has ambiguous relationships with countless actresses and actors, has a sentimentality that matches his nickname of the Poet General. He just sighed with rich emotions.
"The foolish former minister rashly threw his troops into the vortex in order to save face in front of the Kwantung Army and the Central China Expeditionary Army. This was extremely unwise."
It would have been fine if he had just said these words to curse his superior behind his back, but he never expected that Honma Masaharu would continue to spew out venomous words.
"It is said that the bastard Umezu Mijiro launched a cleanup of the entire Shanxi region in order to prevent the former minister from transferring troops from Shanxi. Now, unless the defeated general Odaka Kamezo can withdraw troops to cross the Yellow River behind enemy lines, we will definitely repeat the mistakes of the first battle of eastern Henan."
Masaharu Homma attacked the three superiors at once in a casual tone similar to that of the British, which surprised Heitaro Kimura, who had studied military engineering in Germany and had since developed the rigorous life attitude of the Germans.
But the other party was his senior after all, and was currently in charge of the unified command of the 27th and 32nd Divisions. It was not appropriate to say some harsh words, so he could only change the subject.
"The 12th Army? I'm afraid it will be difficult too."
"Yes, yes, Hebei is also in a difficult situation. Three divisions and three independent mixed brigades are indeed not enough to defend the vast area east of Taihang Mountain and north of the Yellow River."
The 114th Division of the 12th Army was deployed along the Pinghan Road and Daoqing Road in Anyang, Xinxiang and Puyang and in several important towns. The 21st Division was resting in Pingjin. The 35th Division was along the Pinghan Road in Baoding to Handan 6th Independent Mixed Brigade was along the Jinpu Road in Tianjin to? The 10th Independent Mixed Brigade was in Dezhou and Hengshui. Only the 5th Independent Mixed Brigade was considered the mobile force of the army.
"But why are they not enough? It's because the defeated generals are incompetent. They can only defend the railway line to deal with the few remnants of the Chinese army. They have been unable to send occupation troops to the counties on both sides. How can they eradicate the public security problem without sufficient occupation troops? Isn't this just making the three divisions of troops redundant outside the battle situation?"
"Senior, have you drunk too much? This is not Senior Odaka's fault. He was just transferred from the Korean Army. How can he be held responsible for the previous unrest in North China?"
Kimura was making excuses for someone who wasn't there.
"However, the lack of manpower is indeed a big problem. Can you advise Commander Sugiyama and ask him to find a way to transfer more troops from the country?"
"I didn't drink too much."
Honma Masaharu shook his head.
"I am very clear-headed. Since the war began, Japan has paid more than 100,000 lives, and the number of injured is several times that. But what is the result? Nanjing has been occupied, Wuhan has been occupied, but the Chinese army is still fighting. With such a vast territory of China, how many soldiers can Japan send? Now the domestic troops are exhausted, and the headquarters is trying to retire some veterans to alleviate the problem of insufficient factory operation, but how can the current situation in Henan allow it?"
"That's what the senior is worried about."
Kimura glanced coldly at the out-of-control Honma Masaharu. The other party's defeatist remarks made him, a hardliner and war expansionist, very dissatisfied. But at the moment he buried this dissatisfaction in his heart and just said lightly.
"The Imperial Army is indeed tied up by the vastness of China. However, I think the Imperial Army is still too lenient towards the violent Chinese. Anyone who resists the Imperial Army should be killed. This can not only deter the violent Chinese, but also effectively eliminate the potential source of troops for the Chinese Army, solving the China problem once and for all."
“Killing people doesn’t solve the problem.”
Honma Masaharu sighed softly.
"Nanjing killed few people, didn't it? But have the Chinese stopped resisting?"
Masaharu Homma was deeply influenced by British and American liberalism and humanistic thought, and therefore, to some extent, was considered too weak by his peers.
"Personally, I think the key to the China issue is still a political issue. Only when the Chinese fight the Chinese can the empire truly and effectively control China."
"Senior, do you mean to use the Imperial Army to help enforce regional security when the Imperial Army is short of manpower? In order to free up our forces to carry out the Second Battle of East Henan?"
Kimura Heitaro looked at the other party suspiciously.
"That's a good suggestion, but it seems a little too late, right?"
In fact, Honma Masaharu's intentions were more profound, but the stubborn Kimura Heitaro could not understand his opponent's intentions. Honma had no choice but to make the best of it: "Yes, it is indeed a little late, but in order to prevent the imperial officers and soldiers on the front line of Lanfeng from suffering the shame of another failure, we should find a way no matter how late it is."
When Kimura heard this, his expression became even more serious: "It seems that Senior has already made a comprehensive proposal on this?"
"The 5th Independent Mixed Brigade must be deployed to the Henan battlefield as a priority."
Masaharu Honma grabbed the map and gestured on it.
"The First Army cannot be moved, and the troops stationed in Mongolia are idle now, so we should immediately dispatch an independent mixed brigade to the south."
Kimura squinted his eyes and listened.
"We should ask the Kwantung Army to dispatch another division to the south. Of course, if the Kwantung Army is reluctant to mobilize the Imperial Army, at least 20,000 Manchurian troops should be dispatched instead."
"I'm afraid Commander Sugiyama can't save his face."
Kimura hesitated for a moment and then refuted Honma's words just now.
"At this time, the old man's face is more important than the lives of the imperial soldiers?"
Masaharu Honma spread poisonous gas wantonly.
"If the Imperial Army is defeated again in Eastern Henan because of his selfishness."
Honma snorted softly.
"Then General Terauchi's current situation is a lesson for them."
Although Kimura did feel that he did not have enough troops, he was used to following his superiors' wishes and was later nicknamed "Robot Vice Minister". He did not dare to follow Honma's example: "In my opinion, if the words are too radical, the general will not agree easily."
"I don't agree, haha."
Upon hearing this, Honma Masaharu sneered a few times.
"I have reached a tacit understanding with Wu-kun and Senior Kuwagi. As long as you, Kimura-kun, agree, it will be the unanimous request of the frontline troops. In this way, the former minister may not dare to ignore it easily and insist on his own way."
The "Mai-kun" mentioned by Honma refers to Lieutenant General Wu Den'nan, the commander of the 36th Division who was commanding the operations on the Guide front line, while Senior Kuwagi refers to Lieutenant General Kuwagi Sumire, the commander of the 110th Division who was commanding the flank of the 36th Division around Bo County. From this point of view, Honma Masaharu's actions were not spur of the moment.
"A unanimous request from officers and soldiers on the front line?"
Kimura Heitaro's face flushed slightly. He thought for a moment, then raised his head and drank a glass of wine to give himself courage.
"If Senior Wu and Senior Kuwamu agree with your opinion, then you can count me in as one."
"Haha, I knew Kimura-kun was a man who dared to speak his mind."
Honma chuckled.
"But don't worry, Kimura, we have an extra helper in the front headquarters."
Looking at Kimura Heitaro's strange expression, Honma did not point out who could help.
"I believe that with his help, our goal will be easily achieved..."
"Sir, Sir Kimura."
Not long after the deal was concluded, the voice of Colonel Yoshikazu Harada, Chief of Staff of the 27th Division, was heard from outside the studio door. Then, with Honma's consent, the colonel opened the door and walked in.
"We have just received a report from the 36th Division that the search team has occupied Minquan and wiped out part of the Chinese resistance force."
The two lieutenant generals nodded without comment, so Colonel Harada continued his report.
"The 32nd Division reported that the 210th Infantry Regiment has arrived at Minquan Beiguan Town and is expected to meet up with the 36th Division's vanguard before evening."
"Where is the Okazaki detachment?"
Honma Masaharu asked casually.
"We have taken control of the Sanchunji and Zhuangzhaiji lines, and have engaged in a small-scale firefight with the Chinese Army's blocking forces."
"Order Colonel Seizaburo Okazaki to stop advancing."
Masaharu Homma glanced at Heitaro Kimura and saw that he was listening with an expressionless face, so he continued.
"The detachment will build fortifications on the spot and wait for the follow-up order from the division headquarters. Then send a message to the Hasegawa (China Garrison Infantry 1st) Regiment and the Miyazaki (China Garrison Infantry 3rd) Regiment, asking the two units to immediately turn to the direction of civil rights..."