Chapter 22 The fourth chapter devils are coming (5)

5 Doihara ordered a victory telegram to be sent to the dispatched army. Originally, once Heze City was captured, the 14th Division would have successfully completed its mission, because according to the regulations, the ground in Shandong was within the scope of operations of the Second Army, and Dohihara only crossed the river temporarily to support it.But before he could catch his breath, the phone rang loudly in the headquarters. Doihara picked up the microphone and immediately straightened his body with a "hey", the surprised expression on his face made a pair of goldfish eyes round.He could tell that the other party was not the posturing staff of the Dispatch Army, nor even Lieutenant General Kazuki Kiyoshi, the commander of the First Army, his immediate superior, but the Commander-in-Chief of the North China Dispatch Army, Toshiichi Terauchi, who was known for his arbitrariness.

Commander-in-Chief Terauchi is a superior with a great background. He was born in the noble Terauchi family in Japan. His father Terauchi Masaoka was the eighteenth Prime Minister of the Japanese Cabinet. He himself was the Minister of War in the Cabinet. He has three points, so his domineering often makes subordinates dare not speak out.At this moment, the commander-in-chief's voice sounded very arrogant. He didn't need to ask his subordinates for advice, and once again issued an unexpectedly short order: abandon Heze, turn south immediately, and cut off the Longhai Railway. According to the latest information, the Xue Yue Corps in front of Xuzhou is building multiple fronts along the Longhai Railway to confront the Japanese army. Behind them are Kaifeng and Zhengzhou, which are known as "grounds for military strategists", where more Chinese troops are stockpiled at any time. Ready to support.At this point, Doihara just woke up like a dream. He understood that the commander-in-chief's intention was obviously to use the 14th Division as a surprise army to attack the Central Plains from a long distance from the side, cut off the Longhai Railway, and block the Xue Yue Corps' retreat.Doihara couldn't help feeling short of breath.Because if the above goals are achieved, the enemy's northern defense line will exist in name only, and the capture of Kaifeng and Zhengzhou is like finding something out of a pocket. The problem is that the 14th Division must go hundreds of miles alone to fight against the Chinese army that is more than ten times larger.More importantly, the enemies of the Central Plains that he will face are no longer those vulnerable miscellaneous troops, but the elite corps of the Central Army known for their bravery and skill in combat.This is simply a crazy and incredible bet!But he didn't dare to resist the commander-in-chief's will, so he had to ask cautiously: Is my division... going in alone?

The commander-in-chief immediately gave an affirmative answer. Doihara's body shook, and he couldn't stand anymore. He knew that the Tokyo headquarters had ordered the North China Dispatch Army not to cross the front line west of Xuzhou, but the commander-in-chief ordered him to attack the Longhai Railway hundreds of miles away. Attacking is risky.So he had no choice but to say tactfully: As far as I know, there are at least hundreds of thousands of enemy troops in the Central Plains! The commander-in-chief immediately beat the former chief of the secret service mercilessly, and he said coldly: Are you afraid of Chinese people?No wonder your Excellency is slow to act, I hope this is not the reason.

Cold sweat immediately broke out on Doihara's back. He heard a threat from the commander-in-chief's words.In the North China Dispatch Army, the sharp conflict between the commander of the First Army, Kozuki Kiyoshi, and the commander-in-chief Terauchi Shouichi is an open secret. The 14th Division belongs to the First Army, and Doihara is an old subordinate of Kazuki Kiyoshi. Isn't it logical for the commander-in-chief to blame him for the "Xiangyue faction"?Now that the 14th Division crossed the Yellow River, its foothold was not stable. If it failed to achieve its goal or suffered an unexpected defeat, wouldn't it be tantamount to giving someone a handle, and the guilt of "violating authority and attacking without authorization" would inevitably fall on him.So Doihara protested desperately: Please allow the humble officer to ask the commander of the First Army for instructions.

The commander-in-chief was furious, and reprimanded at the other end: Bastard!Is this your Excellency accepting an order from the commander-in-chief of the dispatched army?Listen, if the Fourteenth Division fails to complete its mission, your Excellency will be recalled to Tokyo immediately. The phone hangs up. Kiyoshi Kazuki, the commander of the First Army, soon learned of the incident. He protested twice to the dispatched army, but both were rejected.At this time, the power of the commander of the army has been emptied, and he can't even command his own subordinates, but the Doi principle wisely chose to obey.The "Headquarters Army Department" published after the war contained: The North China Dispatch Army twice ordered the First Army to increase the main force of the Fourteenth Division to move eastward to assist the Second Army in attacking, but the First Army did not execute it.Commander Doihara... started a new campaign at the risk of being held accountable for exceeding his authority and being besieged by the enemy.