Comrade, your ingredients are too complicated.

May 1942, 5, the headquarters of the 21th Japanese Army in Quancheng.

It was late at night, when everything should have been quiet, but the Japanese command center in the northwest of the city was still noisy.

Many intelligence officers with complicated expressions frequently went back and forth between the brightly lit combat meeting room and the communications room. To outsiders, this place seemed like a high-speed machine.

but!

The busy atmosphere is just an illusion. In fact, the efficiency of each important department is extremely poor. In a sense, the word "makeshift team" is a more appropriate adjective.

Finally, the person in charge couldn't stand it anymore.

Looking at the military sand table, the battle line that was constantly being eroded by the Eighth Route Army, and the low morale of his subordinates in the room, the already upset commander Tuqiao could no longer suppress his emotions.

The old devil slapped the table in front of him heavily, then stood up from the armchair and roared angrily:
"Baka! How shameful!"

"You have turned a military headquarters into a mourning hall. Is this the character of the Great Japanese Army?"

"Victory and defeat are common in the military. Everyone calm down and do your job well! Don't lose your mind just because of a failed battle."

When the resentment in his heart gradually dissipated, Tuqiao silently came to the center of the combat meeting room again.

Through the military sand table, it is not difficult to see that there are currently four troops belonging to the Eighth Route Army, which have jointly surrounded the Eighth Independent Mixed Brigade and the Manchu-Mongolian Youth Corps from the east, south, west and north.

To put it simply, the military forces in northern Henan have become a ball of dumpling filling that can be manipulated at will.

When to eat it in one bite depends entirely on the person's mood.

Defeat in the war and the loss of the gateway to Henan Province were a foregone conclusion.

After a moment, the old devil took a deep breath, as if he had made a difficult decision in his heart.

"Pass on my order. Have the 8th Independent Mixed Brigade use the Manchurian and Mongolian Youth Corps as bait and withdraw to Kaifeng at all costs to join up with the main force of the 35th Division."

"Then, let them integrate resources and withdraw from Henan Province as quickly as possible, and strategically move to Shandong Province along the Longhai Railway and Jinpu Railway."

"We must not send our limited forces to a battlefield where we are doomed to fail. We must preserve our strength and make a comeback in a few months."

"Let the people of the Republic of China fight each other in this ruined Henan Province."

As soon as these words were spoken, the Japanese staff officers in the combat meeting room all showed surprised expressions.

Especially the Chief of Staff of the Army, Major General Etsujiro Kono, who even spoke directly, trying to dispel his superior's impulsive thoughts as soon as possible.

Not to mention how shocking the order to suddenly abandon the occupied area in Henan Province was, the mere fact of giving command beyond the level of one's superiors was a big taboo.

With the idea of ​​admonishing one thing at a time, he said without hesitation:

"There is an old Chinese saying, 'You don't know the power of the three armies, but you share the responsibility of the three armies.'"

"Tsuchihashi-kun, our army adopts linear management. Under the premise of a complete system and a smooth chain of command, combat troops should never have the phenomenon of overstepping their authority."

"I guess you don't want to be poked in the back by others and end up with the same fate as the bald guy with preserved fruits, and be made fun of by everyone."

The advice from his own chief of staff, which was full of hometown flavor, really made Tuqiao's heart waver for a moment. Just like the bald man with preserved fruit, this curse was too dirty.

However, the old devil completed his self-attack in a flash.

The 12th Army was now facing an emergency, and only by doing something special could it attract the attention of the subordinates. After all, the grassroots soldiers had always had a tradition of rebellion, and they had to be guarded against.

After making up his mind, Tuqiao's eyes became firm again. He rejected all objections and announced again in an extremely overbearing tone:
"Don't say anything more. I have made up my mind. You just need to follow my orders. You don't need to bear any consequences."

As if he had guessed that someone would be reluctant to give up the huge occupied area, the old devil first tried his best to make his voice sound calmer, then spread his hands and began to explain patiently:
"I don't want to give up Henan Province either. If the 12th Army had the resources of the 11th Army, I would definitely fight the Eighth Route Army to the bitter end. But unfortunately, we don't have them!"

"How can we defend it with only one division, one independent mixed brigade and some miscellaneous troops? If you give me a few hundred 1941 Mercedes-Benz, I might consider it."

"What's more, the above order is also the intention of the General Staff and Commander Okamura." "In a few months, our North China Front Army will join forces with the 11th Army, the Kwantung Army and the Navy to launch a special operation against the Eighth Route Army. Then, it will be time to take revenge."

Shocked, big shocked.

It is understandable that they would unite with the Kwantung Army and the 11th Army. After all, they are all family members, and it is reasonable for them to support each other. But what is the Navy? How could these idiots be so kind as to come and help?
Compare goods and you will throw them away; compare people and you will die.

Although all the Japanese soldiers present were resisting from the bottom of their hearts, they had to admit that the opponent's recent performance was too incredible.

With the successful completion of the first phase of the southern campaign, the navy made a lot of money. The coveted Palembang oil fields were all in hand, and it was truly a time of great glory.

Under such circumstances, how could they possibly spare the energy to help the army?
Soon, Chief of Staff Etsujiro Kono stood up again and raised the questions in his mind.

"Commander, I don't understand why the General Staff in the rear area has to cooperate with the Navy's General Staff. With the addition of the Kwantung Army and the 11th Army, our combat power on paper is more than enough."

"That's more than a dozen divisions of troops. Who in the National Republic dares to confront us head-on?"

"It is absolutely unnecessary to let the navy get involved. It makes our army seem inferior to their navy."

Hearing this, everyone in the combat meeting room nodded in agreement. In their minds, unless it was a necessary special situation, cooperating with the navy was really no different from eating shit.

Unlike ordinary staff officers and major general chiefs of staff, Tsuchihashi, as the army commander, obviously knew a lot of inside information.

The old devil first silently selected some information that could be made public, and then continued to explain to his subordinates:
"On the contrary, the Navy's participation in the war is actually a sign of inferiority to us. Because the other side needs the Army in its next plan, they took the initiative to offer their services and apply to participate in the counterattack."

"Besides, the Eighth Route Army carried out a strategic bombing on our country some time ago. They failed to protect the homeland and frightened His Majesty Tianhuang. The deer are the sinners."

"Only by making amends for their crimes and destroying the enemy's air bases in the coastal areas can they gain His Majesty Tian Huang's forgiveness."

The so-called navy needs the army, so naturally the goal of the next stage of the Southward Advance Plan is: to occupy the largest counterattack base of the U.S. in the Pacific, the Australian continent.

Unlike the original world line, the IJN at this time has gone crazy killing on the sea.

From Pearl Harbor to the Battle of the Coral Sea some time ago, the Combined Fleet has destroyed six aircraft carriers including the coal carriers Langley, Lexington, Saratoga, Ranger, Indomitable, and Hermes.

The number of surface ships of various types destroyed, including battleships, cruisers, destroyers, etc., was countless.

It was these successive victories that made the Japanese navy more ambitious. They were no longer satisfied with forcing the Ugly Country, but showed an amazing appetite to take both from the major belligerent countries.

Midway Island needs to be fought, Australia is also my goal, the Aleutian Islands in Alaska are great, and I also want San Francisco on the west coast.

If their military strength were not limited, they would also like to set out from the Indian Ocean and directly meet up with their allies Germany and Italy in Africa or even the Mediterranean.

In response to the above ambitions, the Combined Fleet and the Naval General Staff reached a partial consensus and jointly formulated Operation MI to attack Midway Island, Operation FS to occupy Australia, and Operation AL to launch a surprise attack on the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.

As long as all three major battles are successfully completed, the book can stage the plot of the Man in the High Castle where the Yamato battleship crosses the Golden Gate Bridge.

Of course, the plan just mentioned is just wishful thinking of the Japanese Navy.

This Sea Barbarossa with doubled distance is even more arrogant than a certain 7+ coloring game and Azur Lane.

The army just took a look and flatly refused on the grounds that it had no soldiers to send.

In order to convince his old rival and to completely defeat the ugly country which had exhausted its old strength but had not yet generated new strength, the Navy Ma Lu decisively proposed an operational plan to divide its troops to help the army counterattack North China after the Battle of Midway.

If you kill the Eighth Route Army, you will be able to free up some of your troops. I think by then, you will have no reason to refuse to send troops to the Australian mainland.

After listening to the inside story told by their commander, the Japanese staff officers present looked at each other in surprise.

The reaction in the combat meeting room at this moment was completely within Tuqiao's expectations. He clapped his hands to signal everyone to focus, and then said in a relaxed tone:
"Now you understand why I ordered the abandonment of Henan Province. It's just a wasteland that is suffering from famine. If it weren't for its extraordinary strategic significance, I wouldn't even want to counterattack in the future."

"Next, let's gather our strength and prepare for the real reinforcement landing. I don't think we will have to wait too long. Maybe we can start the war in a month."

"After all, the Ugly Countrymen only have four aircraft carriers left, while the Navy Red Deer has ten. With such a huge disparity in strength, even if a pig were to command, they would not lose. The advantage is mine!" (End of this chapter)