Rise from the sword

Chapter 564

"General."

Shijiazhuang, Yamamoto headquarters, Yamamoto received a report from the front:

"Shuangfeng Town, Panyun County, Guluo Village and other surrounding villages and towns have been occupied by the Eighth Route Army. The 97th and 98th regiments have lost contact. Currently, the Eighth Route's forward troops are only 25 kilometers away from Shijiazhuang."

"understood."

Yamamoto nodded with a calm expression.

The whole of Shanxi was occupied by the Eighth Route Army, and the opponent's next step would be to march eastward, that is, to attack Shijiazhuang where he was located. This was within his expectations and also within the expectations of the base camp.

There is no need to be strange and surprised.

"The general..."

The staff officer who reported asked cautiously.

The enemy tank unit is only 25 kilometers away!
What's more, a super tank cluster of more than [-] tanks and nearly a thousand heavy artillery behind it, according to the speed of the enemy tank troops, it would take less than an hour to reach outside Shijiazhuang.

At this time, Shijiazhuang had only one imperial division, and it was a new division.

In less than an hour, the defense line will be breached and Shijiazhuang will be occupied.

The enemy is too fast.

"Evacuate."

Yamamoto's tone remained casual.

"Hi."

The staff officer breathed a sigh of relief, and hurriedly came to arrange the retreat.

The retreat plan was formulated a long time ago, and it only needs to be carried out step by step.

And this time the situation was much better than expected. The Eighth Route Army did not launch a siege, but pushed all the way. It seemed that they did not plan to wipe them out. They could retreat along the railway.

After the staff officer left, Yamamoto was left alone in the headquarters.

"The empire is..."

Looking at the report backup on the table, Yamamoto was lost in thought.

After the Battle of Taiyuan, to be precise, after the retreat of the U.S. Navy, the order of the base camp suddenly changed, and all the new troops trained by him were deployed to the east, that is, to the coastal areas.

Not long ago, the base camp asked him to collect all the information about the strength of the Eighth Route Army, and submit a report.

From the death of Sakata to the end of the fall of Taiyuan, and based on the existing information, evaluate the current strength and future development potential of Eight Roads.And, the chances of winning the Imperial Locust Army against Shangbalu.

He has a lot of experience in this regard. After coming to Shijiazhuang, he did not let go of the intelligence spying of the independent group. He also wrote the following report as he thought in his heart:
Based on known information.

In terms of weapons, the army that Li Yunlong is in has achieved a comprehensive unified system.

The first level of the squad, which is the first level of the imperial unit, is equipped with semi-automatic rifles, general-purpose machine guns for squads, and 84-caliber recoilless guns.The first level of the platoon, that is, the first level of the Imperial Squad, is equipped with a 12.7mm large-caliber heavy machine gun and carries a communication station.The first level of the company, that is, the first level of the Imperial Squadron, is equipped with 60 mortars.The battalion level is equipped with 82 mortars and a small amount of 75 anti-aircraft guns.The regiment level is equipped with 120 mortars, and its main regiment is also equipped with 105 mountain guns.

All troops are uniformly equipped with big mules to improve mobility. The carrying capacity and mobility of the infantry are twice that of ordinary light infantry.

The regiment-level troops are divided into the main regiment and the main regiment. The total strength ranges from [-] to [-]. The combat capability of the main regiment on paper can surpass any full-staffed infantry regiment in the empire.

A higher level, that is, the level of the Imperial Brigade.

This class is chaotic, lacks standards, and the size of the total force ranges from a brigade to several divisions.

It generally has an independent artillery regiment, and is equipped with mechanical vehicles to tow. It is mainly equipped with 105 howitzers with long barrels, some are equipped with 125 howitzers, and even some large-scale troops are equipped with 160 and 240 heavy mortars, and there are even very few. armored forces, air forces.

Among them, the most elite is Li Yunlong's troops.

Although it is a regiment in name, its number has exceeded the size of the North China Front Army, including the recruits in training, totaling about fifteen divisions.

The weapons and equipment of this unit are extremely sophisticated, with the same strength, the combat effectiveness is more than twice that of the Imperial Division A Division.

All units are generally equipped with heavy tanks, heavy-duty trucks, and half-track armored vehicles, which have been fully mechanized. The tank is the German Panzer IV, but its performance is more advanced than that of Germany. The main artillery has a caliber of 125 mm, and a small amount of it is equipped with large-caliber siege artillery. , and has an independent air force, air defense force.

In the Battle of Taiyuan, a special aerial bomb capable of destroying three-meter-thick reinforced concrete was demonstrated.Night vision goggle equipment has appeared recently, not sure if other weapons exist.

estimate.

Taking the Imperial Class A Division as the standard, the total force that can be put into battle immediately is about [-] standard divisions.There are more than [-] heavy guns of more than [-] calibers, more than [-] artillery pieces including mortars, [-] combat aircraft, [-] transport aircraft, [-] tanks, and [-] armored vehicles , thirty-five thousand trucks.

Its industrial strength is also developing rapidly. There is an industrial zone centered on a steel plant with an annual output of more than one million tons, a large tire factory, and a fertilizer plant. It can manufacture all light weapons, trains, and basic machinery and equipment.

According to the available information, the economy of the base area is developing rapidly and the supplies are sufficient. It is predicted that its scale will double within a year.The Imperial Army fought head-on, with no chance of winning.

At the end, Yamamoto also added his vision for the European region.

"Hesitated."

Yamamoto put away the backup report, with a sharp look in his eyes.

Then he turned his attention to a map, which was a map of the south.

The conspiracy of the Americans, to be precise, is a conspiracy, and it can be said that everyone knows it. It is impossible for the imperial headquarters to know, so it is impossible for the empire to follow others' settings willingly.

If he guessed right, there should be a lot of turmoil in the country now. Some of the army must want to concentrate all their forces and fight the Republic of China to the death, but the navy will definitely not do so.After all, when attacking the Republic of China, the navy could only stare blankly, watching a lot of resources being invested in the army.

"Next, let's look at the second phase of Operation No. [-]."

Yamamoto suddenly smiled, full of self-mockery.

The empire is very divided, the navy and the army are at odds, this feud has a long history, and under the impetus of the emperor, it has gradually deepened, and it has reached a level that even the emperor cannot heal.

Even, because of this split, there was a huge split in the future strategic direction of the empire.

The extreme interest group of the navy is an idea, and the extreme interest group of the army is also an idea. Everyone wants to be the helm of the empire.

Now the Army is at the helm.

Although the navy has retreated one after another, the Americans have already retreated, and the safety of the empire's waters has been guaranteed, while the army has gradually lost its right to speak after successive failures recently. If the follow-up plan of the No. [-] operation fails, then...
But the question is, Li Yunlong has spread his fangs to the Northeast, and is it possible for the empire to abandon the Northeast?

"General, get ready."

At this time, the staff officer came in to urge.

"Let's go."

Yamamoto left the headquarters.

······
White House.

It was already late at night, but the lights in a room were still brightly lit. A group of generals and staff members were having a meeting, and everyone looked solemn.

"What the hell are the Japanese thinking?"

It can be seen from the tone that the generals and staff who are in the meeting are having a headache.

The US Navy has suspended its offensive, and the planned Philippine operations have also been suspended. Even some destroyers and a small number of capital ships have retreated back to the mainland, and the bomber fleet preparing to bomb the Japanese mainland has also retreated.

On the side of the Republic of China, the Eight Routes attacked from three sides, with the attitude of trying to drive out the Japanese in an all-round way.

As a result, instead of organizing troops to fight the Republic of China to the death, the Japanese gradually withdrew their troops from North China.Then mobilize troops to the South and Northeast.

While expanding the army, it also began to expand the navy on a large scale, and the navy was even larger.At the same time, it launched large-scale anti-submarine operations against the Philippines and other regions.

This is different from what was predicted before.

"The Tohoku region is something the Japanese will never give up on."

A general said:
"They have been operating here for more than ten years. They are deeply rooted, their interests are intertwined, and they have quite good industrial facilities. However, North China has only been occupied for a few years. Instead of blood transfusion for the country, they need to invest huge troops and materials to maintain law and order. .”

"So, the Japanese should be planning to give up the interests of the North China region of the Republic of China, and instead release their troops to strengthen the South and Northeast regions."

"First, keep the basic situation in the northeast region. Second, the Japanese in the southern region are currently attacking the Yamashiro government. If you can quickly prompt Yamashiro to surrender, then the situation can change in favor of the Japanese."

Hearing the general's speech, everyone in the conference room nodded.

Makes sense.

"It is normal for the Japanese to continue to expand their navy."

He continued:
"Due to the disadvantages of armor, firepower, troops and logistical supplies, the strength of the Japanese army has fallen behind that of the Eighth Route Army. If you want to win, only the coastal areas have a chance of winning."

"In the coastal area, the Japanese can shorten the supply line and use the navy to provide firepower and mobility, so they have a better chance of winning."

Everyone continued to nod.

Finally, the general exulted:

"As for the Japanese anti-submarine in the Philippines and strengthening the protection of Nanyang's local transportation lines, this is irrelevant. Even if the Japanese get Nanyang resources, their own industrial capabilities cannot fully absorb them. Just maintain military pressure on the Pacific."

'Unless there is an accident in the European war, the Japanese will not be able to make waves. '

Everyone continued to nod, and they all agreed.

At this moment, no one thinks that the United States can't beat the Japanese.

After all, the size of the Japanese navy is not as good as before, and the size of its own navy has a strong advantage at this stage. What's more, its own shipbuilding plan is still in progress, and the size of the navy continues to expand.

And the Germans are already in decline, and victory in the European War is just around the corner.

At this moment, a staff officer rushed in:
"President, urgent news from Europe!"

Urgent news?
Everyone was stunned.

What is the urgent news at this time?
(End of this chapter)