Chapter 328 It’s so exciting, the noise is getting louder and louder!
Originally, the South China Expeditionary Army was subordinate to the China Expeditionary Army, but was later directly under the Imperial Headquarters.

That's why Lieutenant General Nakazono Moritaka asked the headquarters to send reinforcements.

At this moment, Lieutenant General Kimura Heitaro, Deputy Chief of the Army of the Imperial Headquarters, frowned as he looked at the telegram sent by Lieutenant General Nakazono Moritaka.

Since the elite troops from the Chinese battlefield were withdrawn, the Japanese army has been unable to organize a large-scale offensive and can only rely on strong cities and railways to hold the existing defense line.

There is no way, the profits brought by Tianzhu are too great.

A series of rare minerals such as gold, silver, oil, steel, etc. are materials that the Imperial Japanese Army is in urgent need of.

Even the Navy, which has always been at odds with the Army, has frequently shown goodwill in the hope of sharing some of the benefits.

"Mr. Vice Minister, the 23rd Army is composed of Class C divisions and several independent infantry brigades. Their combat effectiveness is not as good as some Class A divisions. If it weren't for the Sichuan Army, it could barely cope with the attack of the Fourth War Zone."

"Now the Sichuan Army has sent out a heavy artillery regiment and an armored regiment. No, it should be said that it is a heavy artillery division and an armored division. With the strength of the 23rd Army, it will be difficult to defend Yangcheng." Lieutenant General Muto Akira, chief of the Intelligence Section of the General Staff, gave his opinion.

During this period, the intelligence agencies under his control have been working hard to collect intelligence about the Sichuan Army.

Due to the Sichuan Army’s strong sense of confidentiality, not much information is known to the outside world.

We can only infer based on past intelligence.

According to his understanding, in addition to the infantry regiment under its jurisdiction, the Sichuan Army Corps also has two elite troops: the armored regiment and the artillery regiment.

The size of the armored regiment should be more than a hundred tanks, or even more.

It is completely comparable to the armored divisions of European powers.

In addition, the so-called artillery regiment is composed entirely of 155mm howitzers, and the number is no less than one hundred.

This firepower density is comparable to that of the Japanese heavy artillery division.

Now, after seeing the telegram from Lieutenant General Nakazono Moritaka, he realized that the battle situation had become extremely serious.

That's why he reminded Kimura Heitaro without hesitation not to be so careless anymore.

"Yo, has the situation come to this point now?" Kimura Heitaro frowned. He didn't expect the situation to develop so quickly that he couldn't react now.

"Yes." Lieutenant General Muto Akira responded immediately.

"Colonel Hattori Takushiro, Chief of Operations, what do you think?" Kimura Heitaro looked at the man at the end and asked.

This guy is the lowest-ranking guy ever in the combat class.

He was originally only a lieutenant colonel, but later it was too low a rank, so he was promoted to colonel.

Even so, he is now the lowest-ranking officer in the entire conference room.

"Hayi." Colonel Hattori Takushiro quickly stood up and responded respectfully.

"Mr. Vice Minister, Lieutenant General Muto Akira has just introduced the situation of the South China Expeditionary Force. It is obvious that it is absolutely impossible to stop the heavy weapons attack of the Sichuan Army."

They all knew that the Sichuan Army Corps was directly under the Allied Command, and weapons and equipment were top priority. Coupled with the training during this period, their combat effectiveness was unquestionable.

Otherwise, Lieutenant General Nakazono Moritaka would definitely have sent a telegram asking for help. It must have been the armored regiment and heavy artillery regiment of the Sichuan Army Corps that caused the 23rd Army to suffer a lot.

"Yeah." Kimura Heitaro motioned for him to continue.

"I suggest that the 11th Army be dispatched south to support the 23rd Army," suggested Colonel Takushiro Hattori.

Currently, in the entire Chinese battlefield, only the 11th Army is particularly capable of fighting.

Just look at the divisions under the 11th Army and you will know.

原本是下辖第3、第4、第6、第13、第34、第39、第40师团。

The first few are Type A divisions, with a full strength of about 30,000 people.

Later, due to the outbreak of the Pacific War, the 4th Division and the 6th Division were both transferred to the Pacific battlefield.

现在第11军仅剩第3、第13、第34、第39、第40师团以及3个独立混成旅团（独立混成第14、第18、第20旅团），总兵力超过十余万人。

This is currently the main force of the Japanese army on the Chinese battlefield.

It is also the closest unit to the 23rd Army.

If we talk about reinforcements, the 11th Army is the most suitable.

As for support from Fujian Province?
What a joke.

There are mountains over there.

It has been a place that military strategists have not disputed since ancient times.

We sent support from there, but by the time we got there the daylilies were cold.

"Mr. Hattori, the plan you mentioned is very good, but there is one thing you forgot. That is, Changsha City is not in our hands now. We cannot completely open up the Guangdong-Hankou Line, and we cannot achieve rapid reinforcement." Kimura Heitaro is not a fool. He naturally knows the contradiction in this plan, which is that Changsha is still in the hands of the Chinese army.

If we cannot capture Changsha, we will not be able to open up the Guangdong-Hankou Railway, and thus we will not be able to send reinforcements.

"Hai, Mr. Deputy Minister, this requires the 11th Army to find a way to occupy Changsha, or they can go around to the south. Otherwise, there is no better way, unless we ask the navy to help transport the soldiers." Colonel Takushiro Hattori said with his head down.

He was only the head of the operations section and was only responsible for providing combat plans. As for how to open up the Guangdong-Hankou Line, it was not something he could solve.

Besides, is Changsha that difficult to attack?

The 11th Army holds most of the elite troops on the Chinese battlefield.

You know, in order to strengthen the strength of the 11th Army, the rd Division has never been withdrawn.

It is to deter those petty scoundrels.

Even so, they still suffered heavy casualties.

Upon hearing this, Vice Admiral Kimura Heitaro was silent for a while. Ask the navy to help transport soldiers?
I'm afraid I'll have to pay a huge price again.

Now the navy has been keeping a close eye on the steel and oil they brought back from India.

More importantly, the Navy made it clear that because so many warships were lost, the cost of helping with transportation has now increased.

To put it bluntly, we still hope that the army can produce more steel and oil.

But as the Deputy Minister of the Army, how could he agree to the Navy's unreasonable demands?

"Order: The 23th Army must capture Changsha as quickly as possible and support the 11rd Army." Finally, because he was reluctant to give up steel and oil, Kimura Heitaro decided to let the th Army go south at all costs.

"Hay."

…………

At the 11th Army Headquarters, Tsukada Ko received the order from the headquarters and frowned deeply.

These idiots at base camp.

Don't you know that he has just taken office?

This is not the point.

The key point is that the first three Changsha battles, especially the third one, caused heavy losses to the 11th Army.

As a result, that idiot Anami Korechika just patted his butt and went back.

Let me clean up this mess for him.

If it weren't for his outstanding military capabilities, I'm afraid more defense lines would have been lost.

At this time, the 11th Army was licking its wounds and recovering its combat effectiveness.

As a result, he was asked to send troops to continue attacking Changsha?

Is this going to be the fourth Battle of Changsha?

Those idiots at base camp.

Don’t you consider the specific situation of the 11th Army?
For a moment, Tsukada Ko's resentment was extremely deep.

It’s all because the benefits gained from the Tianzhu battlefield were too great.

As a result, the base camp is now fully focused on India and is no longer so concerned about the Chinese battlefield.

Even if you don't care, you should at least send some elite troops.

The results of it?
The recruits who were recruited were all new recruits, and they were new recruits who had just completed three months of training.

Now the combat effectiveness of each division has seriously declined, and they can only rely on the Third Division to hold the fort.

"Commander, should we follow the order from the headquarters?" asked Chief of Staff Futami Akizoburo.

"Of course we have to carry it out. The only division that can be mobilized at the moment is the 3rd Division. Let them get ready." Tsukada Kou naturally did not dare to disobey the order of the headquarters.

He also knew the strength of the 23rd Army. If it was true as the headquarters said, then the situation facing the 23rd Army would be extremely dangerous.

"Commander, I suggest that we mobilize more Imperial Army troops to fill in the gaps," Chief of Staff Futami Akizoburo suggested.

"No, those sneaky Imperial Army can only maintain public order. Sending them to the battlefield will only affect morale." Tsukada Ko directly refused.

"Then I suggest that special bullets can be used."

"Baga, have you forgotten the lesson from Tianzhu? The headquarters has reiterated several times that special bullets must never be used." Tsukada Gong refused again.

If it were in the past, he would definitely agree to this suggestion. As long as Changsha City could be captured, everything would be fine.

But now it is different. It was because the 23rd Army used special bullets without authorization that more than Japanese soldiers in India died from special bullets.

As a result, the victory that could have been expanded was caused by the British army's use of special bullets, which led to the collapse of the defense line.

The guy named Masazo Kawabe even reported the matter directly to the base camp.

There was no other choice but to order the 23rd Army to execute the officer who used the special bullet.

This bloody lesson is right before our eyes.

Now the British army is trying frantically to drive out the Japanese troops in India.

If they dare to use special bullets again, the happiest people will be the British army.

Because they can use it with impunity.

The ones who were unlucky were the Japanese troops in India.

"Hai, if that's the case, I'm afraid our attack this time won't be too optimistic." Chief of Staff Futami Akizoburo said discouragedly.

The main reason was that the 11th Army suffered heavy losses during the third attack on Changsha, resulting in the death of a large number of veterans and a serious decline in the combat effectiveness of the troops.

The wound hasn't healed yet, so we have to continue the attack.

The hope of victory is not great.

"That's why I said, those idiots in the headquarters, don't they know the specific situation of the 11th Army?" Tsukada Ko said angrily.

"Forget it. Order all divisions to take action immediately, target Changsha."

"Also, have all the flight regiments take off and bomb Changsha City into ruins."

"Hay."

…………

In the Fourth War Zone, Zhang Fakui received a telegram from Zhang Deneng, and his gloomy face finally showed a long-lost smile.

He originally thought that this attack would end in failure.

Unexpectedly, at the critical moment, the Sichuan Army sent out its armored regiment and heavy artillery regiment to help, and used its powerful firepower to completely tear apart the defense line outside Yangcheng.

According to intelligence, the Japanese troops in Guangzhou are frantically withdrawing troops from the surrounding garrisons.

The goal is to defend Guangzhou to the death.

Even the 104th Division far away in Chaozhou was mobilized.

It can be said that all the troops belonging to the 23rd Army have been mobilized.

At the same time, there is also a hint of sadness.

It turned out that the Japanese army had never taken him seriously before, believing that the Fourth Army's attack was insignificant, and did not even send many reinforcements.

Now the Sichuan Army only sent an armored regiment and an artillery regiment, but it caused a series of reactions, which naturally made him feel a little unhappy.

Do you think you can't take over Guangzhou?
Ok!

We have fought several times in the past two years, but we have never won.

I thought it was because of the equipment.

Now that they have been equipped with American weapons, the results are quite good. In just a few days, they have wiped out thousands of Japanese troops.

This was unimaginable in the past.

But the hope of taking Guangzhou in one fell swoop is still slim.

All I can say is that it used to be zero percent, but now with the switch to American equipment it has become 30 percent.

When the Sichuan Army joined, this hope became 50% or even higher.

At present, as long as we break through the Xijiang River, we will be able to advance smoothly and reach Guangzhou.

He even used Xia Wei's Sixteenth Army's ideas.

But he soon gave up the idea, considering that Xia Wei stayed behind to watch over the Gui army.

After the reinforcement, the Fourth Army also had more than 30,000 people, cooperating with the armored regiment and heavy artillery regiment of the Sichuan Army Corps, as well as aircraft support.

There is already a huge gap in strength between the two sides.

Otherwise, the other side would not have urgently withdrawn all the troops stationed near Yangcheng.

But not enough!

This is not the straw that breaks the camel's back.

If a new force joins.

Then we can completely take over Guangzhou.

There is no need to look at the other two armies, they basically will not pay any attention to me.

I even had the idea of ​​watching a show.

Just then, the communications staff came in hurriedly with a telegram, and when he saw Zhang Fakui, he immediately said.

"Sir, urgent message from the Ninth War Zone."

"Read it." Zhang Fakui was stunned, but still signaled his subordinates to read out the contents of the telegram.

"Recently, the Japanese 13th Army has been frequently mobilized. Its 34rd Division has arrived at the outskirts of Changsha, and the th and th Divisions are also being mobilized. Japanese fighter planes are frantically bombing Changsha city..." The communications staff quickly read the telegram.

After hearing the contents of the telegram, Zhang Fakui was confused.

What do you mean?
The Japanese 11th Army attacked Changsha for the fourth time?

What does it have to do with yourself?
and many more!

Considering that the Japanese army in Yangcheng was frantically gathering nearby troops, a bad idea flashed through Zhang Fakui's mind.

Could this 11th Army be the Japanese army heading south to support Yangcheng?

If this goes south.

Wouldn’t his hope of retaking Guangzhou be shattered?
For a moment, Zhang Fakui's face looked extremely ugly.

It’s just a city of Guangzhou, is that so serious?
Mobilize so many Japanese troops?
"Hope I can give you some support?" Zhang Fakui pondered the meaning of this telegram carefully. Normally, if the Japanese army wants to attack Changsha, they should report to Shancheng. What's the meaning of sending a telegram to himself?
Nothing more than a request for help?

But as the commander of the war zone, I don't have much real power.

"Wait? You want to buy weapons and equipment from the Sichuan Army through me?" Zhang Fakui suddenly had an idea.

"Call back and tell them that the Fourth War Zone is currently in a stalemate and unable to send reinforcements. If you want to purchase weapons and equipment on your behalf, we can provide assistance." Zhang Fakui thought it would be best to send a telegram first to test whether the other party really meant this.

　I basically slept for a whole day and a night, and finally felt much better. I got up in the morning and wrote a picture. The recommendation below is the author’s new book. Since it is still in its infancy, you can collect it first.

　　It is also a type of story about a regiment commander, but it is a prequel to the regiment commander, mainly focusing on the Battle of Southern Guangxi.

(End of this chapter)