Film and Television World Life Record

Using this identity, Li Mu traveled by plane to many major cities in England, France, Italy, and beyond.

He spent millions of dollars commissioning many well-known oil and mineral exploration teams from these countries to conduct oil and metal exploration in the Far East at locations he designated.

Even among the oil and mineral exploration teams he hired were Japanese.

In recent years, the Japanese have indeed established a number of oil and mineral exploration teams in order to find oil and minerals in China.

Li Mu also commissioned the project through the UK office of a large corporation.

Although the technology of the small notebook is not as advanced as that of Europe, Li Mu gave a good reason: it is close enough, he is familiar with the local area, and it is convenient.

Of course it's convenient. It's so close to Manchukuo, right under the noses of hundreds of thousands of Kwantung Army soldiers. Little Notebook knows it all too well.

After finishing these tasks, I completely abandoned the identity I had just used. It took me more than a week, with several transfers, to get back to Singapore. Before I even had a chance to buy anything, I received a message from China.

The little notebook and the polar bear got into a fight at Zhanggufeng.

……

Zhanggufeng is located on the east bank of the Tumen River, more than 20 kilometers upstream. It is a highland with an elevation of only about 150 meters.

The Japanese always believed that the puppet state of Manchukuo belonged to them, therefore Zhanggufeng also belonged to them, and even included it in the boundaries of Hunchun County.

The polar bears, however, believe that Zhanggufeng belongs to them.

From initial friction to escalating tensions, the situation has become increasingly strained.

On the morning of July 30, the 7th Division of the Japanese Army discovered a small group of Russian soldiers constructing positions at Shacaofeng. The location, however, was further deep into the interior of Manchukuo than the border line it advocated to demarcate according to the Hunchun Treaty.

Although he did not receive the order to attack, the commander of the 19th Division believed that this small group of Russians dared to cross the border against an entire division of the Imperial Army, which was a contempt and provocation against the Imperial Japanese Army, and he was determined to immediately repel the invading enemy.

The 19th Division repelled the Russian troops who had crossed the border. In the afternoon, an even larger group of Russians crossed the border, and the two armies remained in a standoff until nightfall.

The message reached the rear, and soon a new order came in: "Immediately annihilate the enemy troops that have crossed the border!"

At the front lines of Changgufeng, upon receiving the order, Otaka Kamezou was as excited as if he had been injected with chicken blood: "Gentlemen! Our opportunity to expand the territory for His Majesty the Emperor and to make contributions to the Empire has arrived!"

The officers of the 19th Division standing around shouted wildly, "Defeat the Russians! Long live the Emperor!"

Stimulated by the Kwantung Army's successful military adventure in the September 18 Incident, every Japanese officer and soldier dreamed of becoming a hero like Kanji Ishihara.

The Japanese officers and soldiers of the 19th Division firmly believed that Zhanggufeng was the place of their dreams. Under the cover of heavy artillery fire, they launched wave after wave of attacks on the Zhanggufeng heights held by the Russian army.

The once desolate and silent night in the northern frontier was transformed into a bustling battlefield by the rumble of gunfire and shouts of battle. The polar bear, outnumbered and outgunned, was utterly powerless to resist the surging tide of Japanese troops.

The entire battle lasted less than an hour before ending in the defeat of the polar bear, with the entire Zhanggufeng frontline falling into the hands of the Japanese.

Chapter 448 Decision-making

Not only was Zhanggufeng lost, but Da Mao was also dealt a heavy blow by the Little Secretary, so naturally he was unwilling to accept it.

Two days later, Mao mobilized more than 20,000 troops, over 100 tanks and armored vehicles, hundreds of fighter jets, and nearly 200 artillery pieces to launch a large-scale counterattack against the 7,000 Japanese troops stationed at Zhanggufeng.

At the same time, aircraft were dispatched to bomb reinforcements in Qingxing, Gaoyi, and other places. The fierce battle lasted for several days, and the small notebook left behind more than a thousand corpses. Zhang Gufeng fell into the hands of the big boss.

The two sides confronted each other again.

Actually, by this point, it's already very difficult for a fight to break out.

Russia did not want to fight a large-scale battle in the Far East at this time. He simply liked the land and wanted to teach the Japanese a lesson to prevent them from spying on the Far East.

Although the Japanese were very dissatisfied and wanted to fight back to show the Russians what they were capable of, especially the lower-ranking officers, who were burning with fighting spirit.

However, the setbacks at the front and being driven out of Zhanggufeng by the Russians had sobered up the high-ranking officers, making them realize that if they were to launch a large-scale counterattack without regard for the consequences, the scale of the war would become unpredictable.

The battle in Wuhan is raging, and opening a second front here would have consequences they cannot afford, nor should it be their decision.

These troubles soon fell into the hands of former Minister of the Army, Araki Tadashi, who had just returned to power in May of this year. This man was extremely prestigious among the lower and middle-ranking officers of the Japanese army and was a leading figure among the younger generation of Japanese officers. The reason the Japanese army at Zhanggufeng could mobilize so brazenly was because he had his backing.

The debate between the US and Japan over whether to move south or north has resurfaced, and this person is a staunch supporter of moving north.

The report suggests that if Russia wants to dominate the world, it must first occupy Manchuria and Mongolia. Sooner or later, this will inevitably lead to a full-scale war with Russia.

Therefore, he believed that in order to gain the initiative in the war against Russia, it was necessary to strike first and immediately "advance north" to attack Russia after occupying "Manchuria and Mongolia".

His "Northern Advance" theory was quite influential among the young officers of the Japanese Army.

After the start of the full-scale war against China, Russia felt threatened by Japan and not only provided my country with large loans and military supplies, but also dispatched support air force units, causing Japan a lot of trouble.

It can be said that in the early stages of the War of Resistance against Japan, the United States provided very little support to China, instead selling large quantities of military supplies to Japan. Ironically, the US provided the most support to China, understanding Japan's greed; swallowing China would not satisfy them, but would only embolden them. Furthermore, with its greatly increased strength, Japan would move north to compete with them for control of the Far East. Supporting China was a way to weaken Japan and alleviate their own pressure.

Mao's series of actions further drove the sensitive and frantic nerves of the army's young officers to the brink of madness, and the number of officers in the army who supported the "northward advance" theory rose to an unprecedented number.

The Kwantung Army, in particular, watched as other army units achieved brilliant victories, while they themselves were stuck stationed in the isolated north. They could only watch, not participate, and their hearts grew increasingly restless.

However, their mission was to deal with the Russian Far East garrison, so they could not go south and had no opportunity to participate in the war. Their only opponent was Russia.

All of this drove their army crazy.

Furthermore, at Araki Tadashi's urging, they began secretly preparing for battle against Russia starting in February of this year, and even sent officers to inspect the border while reporting their strong stance to General Headquarters. It can be said that from that time on, the Kwantung Army already wanted to test Russia's strength.

It wasn't until a few days ago, when the two sides had a clash at Zhanggufeng, that they realized their opportunity had arrived.

An opportunity to test Russia and open a new front. The soldiers, driven to a frenzy, wouldn't consider whether the Japanese could handle opening two fronts simultaneously.

Unfortunately, they encountered a setback. If they wanted to retake Zhanggufeng, they would have to expand the war, which was not something Araki could decide on his own; it required Hirohito's approval.

Soon, an imperial conference chaired by Hirohito was convened.

Hirohito sat below the throne, with ministers kneeling upright on the tatami mats on either side, their hands resting on their knees.

"Can the forces and transportation capacity for operations in Wuhan be guaranteed to be sufficient?" Hirohito asked.

Lu Xiang replied, "Although the troop strength is somewhat small, it is sufficient. Moreover, newly built army divisions will arrive in succession soon, so the troop strength can be fully guaranteed."

"However, the situation regarding transportation is not so optimistic. The terrain around Hankou is complex, with many rivers and lakes, which restricts the movement of mechanized troops. To ensure that the army has sufficient firepower, a large number of naval transport ships are needed."

Hai Xiang sneered but said nothing.

Hirohito's face darkened, and he fell silent.

Lu Lian hurriedly said, "But please rest assured, Your Majesty, Wuhan will not escape our grasp."

Hirohito's complexion improved somewhat.

Araki Tadashi hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the Russians have occupied Zhanggufeng. Should we continue...?"

Hirohito's face darkened as he thought of the army that had caused the trouble.

Especially those young, adventurous madmen who live far from home—don't they think the country has enough trouble already?

The Battle of Wuhan has only just begun, and Japan has already fought a battle with the Russians in the north. Do they really think that Japan, a small country, can open up two major battlefields?

Araki continued, "Your Majesty, the Russians are incredibly greedy, having amassed hundreds of thousands of troops in the Far East. They are our greatest threat in East Asia, and a war is inevitable sooner or later. We should strike as soon as possible, destroy the railway, and take over the Far East. This land is too vast and too fertile."

The Minister of the Navy immediately voiced his opposition. As a long-time adversary of the Army, after learning that the Kwantung Army planned to carry out the "Northern Advance" operation, the Minister of the Navy immediately dissolved the alliance between himself and the Minister of the Army and instead sided with Foreign Minister Ugaki Shigeaki, who advocated that the Army should stop using force.

If the Battle of Wuhan only made the navy envious, then the Kwantung Army's plan to attack Russia had thoroughly enraged the navy.

Once war breaks out with the polar bear, the outcome will not be decided in a short period of time. If the army really sends all its resources north and exhausts itself fighting the polar bear, how will the navy achieve its southward strategy?

How could the Minister of the Sea possibly agree? Every time Araki and the others finished speaking, the Minister of the Sea and the others would immediately refute it.

A few minutes later, the Foreign Minister suddenly interjected, "Gentlemen, I have heard some news that may be related to your debate."

Araki Sadao said, "Please speak."

The Foreign Secretary said, "A few days ago, our consulate in the UK sent us news that some well-known oil and mineral exploration teams in Europe have been hired to explore for oil and mineral deposits in the Far East."

Hai Xiang exaggeratedly said, "Exploring for oil? Is there any oil in the Far East? We've been in Manchuria for so many years, have we found any oil fields? What a joke! Your foreign affairs department only knows how to collect these kinds of rumors."

The Foreign Minister said, "This is not a rumor; it's true. It's said that they even provided specific coordinates, and some of our domestic surveying agencies have been hired."

Hai Xiang almost laughed: "Our domestic surveying agencies? What achievements have they made? Have they discovered an oil field? Since they've hired a European surveying team, what's the point of hiring them?"

The Foreign Minister said, "It seems that the survey site is very close to Manchuria. The Western survey team has come from afar. We are the host and familiar with the terrain. With their assistance, it will be more convenient."

Hai Xiang wanted to say something more.

Hirohito looked interested and asked, "An oil field? It's very close to Manchuria? Where exactly is it?"

The Foreign Minister said, "We don't know the specifics. We can ask the Minister of Commerce. If he knows, he will have more detailed information."

The Minister of Commerce said, "Your Majesty, I did hear some news about this yesterday, but please give me a few minutes so I can make a phone call to inquire about the details."

Hirohito waved his hand and said, "Go!"

The Minister of Commerce left the council chamber, found the telephone in the living room, and quickly dialed...

Seven or eight minutes later, he returned to the council chamber, looking somewhat excited, and said, "Heavenly Locust, yes, it's an oil field... and two large oil fields at that."

"Not only do we have two large oil fields, but also three large metal mines, which are exactly what our Great Japanese Empire needs most. If we have these, we will be completely free from constraints and will never have to depend on foreigners again."

Hirohito's face also began to flush.

"Oil fields... two large oil fields... three large metal mines... this is true..."

Araki Sada was equally shocked by the news. At this time, oil fields and metal mines were extremely important to them. Could it be that Japan's national fortunes had turned around again, just like during the First Sino-Japanese War?

With the reparations equivalent to ten years of Japan's fiscal revenue at the time, Japan improved basic education for all citizens and invested heavily in science and technology for the people. It also built a large number of warships, propelling its navy into the ranks of the world's most advanced.

That indemnity allowed Japan's economy and national strength to take off completely. You have to understand that in order to fight that war, they drained the national treasury and issued a large number of bonds in the West. The government was on the verge of bankruptcy. Finally, they waited for the Qing Dynasty to surrender and sucked the blood of the Qing Dynasty to gradually grow stronger.

Now that China's national strength has reached a certain level, it has entered a new bottleneck and needs a lot of resources and nourishment. As a result, China has once again come under their scrutiny.

At a time when the war was raging and they were short of oil and steel, oil fields and metal mines were delivered to their doorstep. How could they not be overjoyed?