Chapter 81 Chapter 81 Final decision 2

However, just when Fang Xianjue and the teachers were at a loss what to do, the Japanese army was also in a dilemma and it was difficult to make a decision.Especially the news of the collapse of the Japanese army in the "Imphal" battle in India in early July deeply shocked the top Japanese army, and its blow to the entire Japanese army greatly exceeded the failure of the Pacific War.The failure of the Pacific War, the army can all rely on the navy, because the navy lost the command of the sea, which caused the army to hang alone at sea.The unprecedented failure of Imphal was caused by the army from planning to launch and execution.

When the Japanese army decided to launch the second general attack on Hengyang, it was the time when Imphal's defeat came.The Japanese army's 100,000 elite soldiers attacked Imphal for 100 days. Under the 30,000 air strikes of the British and American air forces, the Japanese army's supply was completely cut off, and a major collapse occurred.During this period, there were incidents that shocked the base camp, such as the head of the division disobeyed the order of the commander of the military department, and the subordinate officer killed the superior officer.These events were disastrous for the troops who had been governed in the spirit of Bushido. The 60,000 Japanese troops fell into chaos. They abandoned their weapons and wounded, and entered the Savage Mountains at the end of the rainy season. Most of them died of starvation and disease on the way, and only 10,000 remnants survived.

The failure of the Pacific War, the great defeat of Imphal, and the high level of the Japanese army feared that the Hengyang front, which had been unable to attack for a long time, would have a chain reaction like that of Imphal. This is a lingering ominous cloud.The room leaked and rained all night. At this time, the Tojo cabinet fell, doubts about the No. 1 operation arose, internal disputes arose, and financial allocation became increasingly difficult and even stopped. The more and more Chinese troops gathered, they Like a tide, it is rushing towards the outskirts of Hengyang.In an emergency, the Chinese Dispatch Army Command sent Senior Staff Officer Amano Dazuo to fly back to Tokyo.

On July 25th, Colonel Amano came back from Tokyo and brought Colonel Sanada, Chief of Operations of the Japanese Army Base Camp, to convey the instructions of the military headquarters: "In view of the increasingly uneasy sea traffic between the mainland and the south. Therefore, we hope to maintain spiritual needs through the mainland traffic line." That is to say: "The base camp has not changed its intention to complete the Hunan-Guangxi line operation. Of course, many people in the political ranks advocate that the Hunan-Guangxi operation and the Guangdong-Han line operation should end immediately. This is not the case for the attack on Guilin and Liuzhou in the next stage. Necessary." Domestic financial resources are no longer able to support such a huge war expenditure.

The dispatched army headquarters, supported by the military, believes that the most urgent task is to keep the morale of the army from falling, to avoid the shadow of Imphal's failure, and to create more influence of victory.How to create victory?In terms of strategy, the dispatched army headquarters and the senior staff officer Shimasuke sent by the base camp had differences in their views.Shimasuke was sent by the base camp to strengthen the strategic planning of the No. 1 operation. In the Japanese army, Shimasuke is known for being familiar with military books and proficient in strategy. He has the research results of commanding large corps operations. The strategy of the Japanese-Soviet War, presided over the war game exercise.The strategic plan for the No. 1 campaign to attack Changsha was drawn up by Shimanuki. He referred to the combat plans of the previous three Changsha battles, and formulated a route to send troops to the west bank of the Xiangjiang River, sending a large number of troops to the west bank at Tongguan ferry, and mainly attacking Yuelu Mountain caught Zhang Deneng of the 4th Army of the National Army by surprise, suffered a big loss, and lost Changsha in one day.

Shimaguchi advocated: "This time, we should cast a net to surround the Chinese army gathered in the southeast of Hengyang on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River, and take the 20th Army, 26th Army, 44th Army, 37th Army, 58th Army, and Chongqing Army that have been hit many times. The 72nd Army was wiped out in one fell swoop, which can create more impact on victory, and it will be easier to cut. In contrast, the 73rd Army, 74th Army, 79th Army, 62nd Army, and 46th Army of the Chongqing Army are densely distributed in the southwest of Hengyang on the west bank of the Xiangjiang River. , the 99th Army, and the 100th Army, these 7 armies are all fresh troops that have been through battles for a long time. Under the circumstances, when Hengyang is stormed again, our army will be fatally hit by the 7 armies of the Chongqing army, and the storm will be disintegrated."

Shimanuki went on to point out: "Only through mobile warfare in the entire surrounding area of ​​Hengyang can a large number of active forces of the Chongqing Army be wiped out, and it is possible to effectively control and effectively use the mainland communication line. This should be the 'main operation' of Operation No. 1." , while the siege of Hengyang was a 'branch battle'." General Yan Jun, the commander of the dispatched army, thought it was reasonable and ordered the second general attack on Hengyang, which suffered heavy casualties, to be stopped.In fact, it was the time when the siege materials were exhausted and had to stop.

However, after two weeks of the Japanese army’s offensive pause, when differences and disputes resumed, Yan Junliu pondered for a long time, and said helplessly: “Our army is faced with such a choice, that is, to fight a large-scale mobile annihilation war, or to bite the bullet and persist. Capture Hengyang? Which victory is easier, and which victory is more important? I think Hengyang City has caused serious mental damage to our army. If we do not completely capture Hengyang, our army's mental trauma cannot be healed. Therefore, We must attack Hengyang first, and then make other plans!"

"Shimasuke, please think again, Commander! How about submitting the above two plans to the base camp and let the military make the final decision?" Shimanuki was very dissatisfied with Yan Junliu's repentance, but he was the commander of the dispatched army, and he was under the fence of others. You can only advise, not make decisions.I had no choice but to suggest. "Okay, then it's settled. Both plans will be reported to the military headquarters, and they will decide!" Yan Junliu was not unhappy because of Shimao's insistence, but instead dragged Shimao to watch the song and dance performance of the singing girls accompanying the army. "Come on, Shimanuki-kun, you've worked hard these days, and it's hard for you! Now let's take it easy!"

The decisive order from the base camp in Japan came soon: a large-scale annihilation battle is currently underway, and the possibility of winning is unlikely.I also hope that the dispatched army will quickly capture Hengyang, continue the No. 1 campaign, and continue the victory of the Battle of Henan and the capture of Changsha. I look forward to using the great victory of the Imperial Army to revitalize the heroic Japanese Army and the Great Japanese Empire!The whole empire is waiting for the news of your victory! By the time the decision on the Japanese base camp was finalized, the Japanese army had already made sufficient logistical preparations to attack Hengyang again.The Chinese side did not take this opportunity to change the many problems of Hengyang's defense, nor did it dispatch troops, deploy and plan carefully, and change the battlefield situation. Instead, it just ordered the 10th Army defending Hengyang to hold on.

The Chinese command did not even think about it, using the favorable fighters created by the 10th Army, as long as they work hard, they can create a great victory that is not as good as Imphal.These two weeks could have changed history.But nothing changed.The only thing that has changed is that the 10th Army has to bear the last attack of the Japanese army's desperate and more powerful armaments, equipment and firepower than the previous two. The Japanese army added the 58th Division, 40th Division, Independent 7th Brigade, and part of the 13th Division to the original 3 divisions attacking Hengyang. The Air Force added 2 fighter brigades and 1 heavy bomber The brigade, and all the heavy artillery and siege equipment in the theater, will be transported to the front line of Hengyang at the fastest speed regardless of whether it is transported by car, boat or air. He also arrived at Hengyang Airport by plane from Changsha on August 1, and personally directed the final attack on Hengyang. For the Japanese Army, the Chinese dispatched troops, and the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, which was responsible for the Hengyang operation, the situation is clear: whether the psychedelic No. 1 operation will be aborted, whether the mainland communication line will be opened, and whether its own destiny can be preserved. , It all depends on the attack in the last few days.