The father of the sword is Kong Jie

Chapter 478 Okamura's Insidiousness

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On the 29th.

It was already the ninth day since the end of the Japanese army's spring sweep.

Taiyuan City.

The Commander of the Japanese First Army Command in Shanxi, Commander Shinozuka Yoshio, is on the phone with the newly appointed commander-in-chief Okamura Neiji of the Japanese North China Front Army.

As for the content of the conversation, it revolved around the topic of the follow-up operations against the Eighth Route Army in the occupied area after the spring sweep, and the stabilization of the long-term law and order in the occupied area of ​​the empire.

Especially in the northwestern part of Shanxi Province, the spring sweep has just ended. The Eighth Route Army, especially the Independent Regiment, the New First Regiment, and the New Second Regiment, which are dominated by the Iron Triangle of the Eighth Route Army, followed the end of the big sweep. Then they started to make noise, constantly launching partial active military attacks.

Many strongholds in the surrounding areas of the Independent Regiment, New First Regiment, and New Second Regiment were attacked by the Eighth Route Army.

Even the transportation troops of the Japanese army passing through some roads and railway lines outside the three iron triangle regiments were often ambushed.

A few days ago, in the analysis meeting of the headquarters, Ayumi Kitagawa, the chief of staff of the Japanese First Army in Shanxi, proposed.

"Obviously, this is an act of retaliation by the Eighth Route Army against the spring raids a week ago.

Especially the three regiments of the Iron Triangle of the Eighth Route Army are the most rampant.

A few days ago, the New Second Regiment wiped out more than a dozen small and medium-sized strongholds on the periphery of its guerrilla zone in one fell swoop; the New First Regiment also launched a counterattack against some small and medium-sized strongholds, and ambushed the imperial transport troops many times on the way; as for this independent regiment, the same Without exception, they were attacking strongholds, ambushing imperial convoys, and rapidly expanding the scope of the guerrilla zone.

The maintenance associations in the large and small villages controlled by our empire have been hit successively, and the regimes used to stabilize local law and order have also been destroyed by the Eighth Route Army's infiltrated troops. "

As for the situation in Northwest Shanxi, Okamura Ningji, who was far away in the North China Front Army Headquarters of the Japanese Army in Beiping, also heard about it.

When Neiji Okamura asked about the situation in Shanxi on the phone, Yoshio Shinozuka expressed deep guilt.

"Then Shinozuka-san, next, how are you going to deal with the Eighth Route Army troops in the Taihang area?" Neiji Okamura asked plainly.

Yoshio Shinozuka was silent on the other end of the phone for a long while, and then slowly said: "Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, since the large-scale raid launched by the Eighth Route Army in August [-], the existence of the Eighth Route Army in the occupied area , has become the biggest cancer for the long-term public security in the occupied areas of the Great Japanese Empire."

"In this spring sweep, our army returned without success. Many problems have been exposed in this battle."

"Balu is developing, and they are seizing the time to strengthen themselves all the time."

"Troops like the Iron Triangle Independent Regiment, New First Regiment, and New Second Regiment of the Eighth Route Army may be just a microcosm of the Eighth Route Army's troops. A year ago, they could use nearly 40 troops to launch a large-scale sabotage operation. To what extent it has grown, no one can say."

"The contest between the imperial army and the Eighth Route Army is a contest between plains and mountains, and a contest between towns and villages."

"The Eighth Route Army has a large base of people, plus the vast mountainous area as a strategic depth. Even though the equipment and the quality of soldiers are far inferior to our Great Japanese Empire, it is also extremely difficult for us to kill the Eighth Route Army."

"In the final analysis, the Eighth Route Army has been trying to occupy the mountainous areas, open up base areas, and further control the countryside, in an attempt to encircle the major villages around the towns and adopt a gradual encirclement offensive to deal with our imperial troops."

"For the Eighth Route Army in the occupied areas, the countryside is the foundation of everything they do, whether military or economic."

"The barren mountains cannot support the large number of troops of the Eighth Route Army. They can only rely on the vast Chinese countryside scattered around their roots."

"If the Eighth Route Army is compared to fish, then these villages scattered in the occupied area are water, and fish cannot survive without water."

"From this perspective, we can conclude that the contest between the Empire and the Eighth Route Army, and the struggle between the two sides for the vast Chinese countryside, will determine the final outcome."

"If a sufficiently effective and targeted method can be found to separate the Eighth Route Army from the vast rural areas, it may not be impossible to completely destroy the Eighth Route Army."

"So, Commander-in-Chief, to deal with this situation, I think that when we deal with the Eighth Route Army, we should focus on the struggle and control of the countryside."

Since Shinozuka Yoshio took over the First Army stationed in Shanxi, he has accumulated a lot of experience in the confrontation with the Eighth Route Army.

Yoshio Shinozuka's work on the study and understanding of the Eighth Route Army is quite in-depth.

On the other end of the phone, Neiji Okamura deeply agreed with Yoshio Shinozuka's point of view, saying: "The survival and development of the Eighth Route Army mainly depend on the vast Chinese countryside. This is the essence."

After changing the subject, he continued: "Destroying the rural foundation on which the Eighth Route Army relies for survival, in order to completely wipe out the Eighth Route Army, this is the direction we have been going.

Commander-in-Chief Hayao Tada, who took office in early [-], proposed to implement a highly targeted security plan in North China, using the cage policy to control the vast Chinese countryside step by step and reduce the living space of the Eighth Route Army step by step.

However, after all of this, since the Eighth Route Army launched a large-scale sabotage operation in August last year, we should realize that the so-called cage policy not only failed to achieve the goal of completely eliminating the Eighth Route Army, but instead allowed the Eighth Route Army to take advantage of the opportunity to develop.

At this stage, if we try to use the cage policy to deal with the Eighth Route Army, I am afraid it will be powerless. "

Neiji Okamura just took office, so he was belittling the former commander-in-chief Hayao Tada.

But this is a fact. It was precisely because the former commander-in-chief of North China, Tada Hayao, was not good at fighting the Eighth Route Army, that he was dispatched and replaced Okamura Ningji in front of him.

The topic of the two continued to deepen.

Following Neiji Okamura's inquiry, Shinozuka Yoshio said:

In order to deal with the Eighth Route Army, the imperial army not only implemented the cage policy, but also implemented the "San Guang Policy" in the sweeping of the Eighth Route Army again and again, killing, burning, and looting all the villages that dared to collude with the Eighth Route Army, completely cutting off the Eighth Route Army's rural areas Base.

Neiji Okamura asked back: "So what is the effect?"

"This..." Yoshio Shinozuka hesitated for a moment, and replied, "I am dissatisfied with your Excellency, Commander, even though our army implements the Sanguang policy and uses the most brutal means to completely destroy some villages that the Eighth Route Army troops rely on."

"However, judging from the effect, it is still treating the symptoms rather than the root cause. There are still a large number of rural areas falling into the hands of the Eighth Route Army, and there are still a large number of Chinese people secretly helping the Eighth Route Army to resist the empire. These hateful troublemakers seem to be inexhaustible. Unstoppable."

Neiji Okamura said: "Mr. Shinozuka, it is absolutely correct to control the survival and development of the Eighth Route Army by controlling and competing for the countryside."

"But we also need to take into account the short board of the imperial army - the scarcity of troops."

"China is too big, and they have too many people. Every time we occupy a place, we don't just invade their land, but maintain the original economic operation in the occupied area, and carry out military and economic development in a more sophisticated way. The plunder of the world is used to support our imperial troops to continue fighting. Supporting war with war is the general direction for us to devour the whole of China."

"In this case, it is like governing a flooded river. Blocking is worse than dredging, killing is worse than appeasement, force is worse than gentleness, and military is worse than politics."

"We don't have so many troops to control all the villages. As the old Chinese saying goes, it is difficult to achieve full control. If we can use gentle means to make them surrender and surrender, wouldn't it be a good idea? ?”

Shinozuka Yoshio wondered: "The implementation of the Huairou policy is very slow and difficult, especially in some rural areas on the fringes. The Eighth Route Army often infiltrates them to do ideological work for the Chinese people. After all, we are foreigners, and we have an advantage in political propaganda. In terms of nature, it is not as good as the native Balu."

"And how can we win over those rural areas with a gentle policy?"

Neiji Okamura said with a smile: "Huairou is not a soft method, but a combination of hardness and softness."

"Xiaozuka-kun knows that I have many years of fighting experience with the Anti-Japanese Federation in the three eastern provinces."

"The Northeast Anti-Japanese Alliance and the Eighth Route Army troops in the occupied area have much in common. However, the imperial army implemented a series of policies in the Northeast region, such as consolidating and stationing. Since the response to the Anti-Japanese Alliance, it has only been a few years. By last winter, it had basically been eliminated. All the anti-Japanese troops were wiped out, which is a successful experience worth learning from."

"In fact, I have been thinking, why can't the series of methods used to deal with the Anti-Japanese League be used to deal with the Eighth Route Army? This may have a miraculous effect."

"In addition, our army has implemented cage tactics in North China for more than two years, and it will not be abandoned."

"Continuing the blockade of the prison cage policy, and then returning to the villages, some isolated villages outside the county will be merged to a certain extent, and unified management will facilitate the concentration of our army's limited strength and achieve efficient control."

"In addition, we can also implement the Baojia Lianzu system in all major villages. If one person colludes with eight groups, the whole village will be punished. If one village colludes with eight groups, all surrounding villages will be punished, so as to cut off the Chinese people's desire to secretly collude with eight groups."

"Those Chinese people are free labor, which can be requisitioned to build artillery towers, repair roads, and dig road ditches. Road ditches are dug between villages to ensure that people and horses cannot pass through, completely cutting off the connection between villages and cutting off The connection between the villages and the base areas of the Eighth Route Army, in order to prevent these villages from communicating with each other and secretly tipping off the Eighth Route Army.”

……

Following Neiji Okamura's narration, Yoshio Shinozuka was even more amazed.

Only then did he realize that the new commander-in-chief seemed to be more capable of dealing with the Eighth Route Army than the previous commander-in-chief.

"Xiaozuka-kun, in the past our army relied on the stronghold of the gun tower, I heard that it was mainly for defense?"

"Hey, our army has limited strength, so with the help of a small number of troops, with the cooperation of the Imperial Association Army, and relying on the fortifications of the artillery towers, we can block the Eighth Route Army with outdated equipment and scarce ammunition. The initial effect is very good. It can often cut off the base area of ​​the Eighth Route Army from the base area. contact."

"What about now?"

Shinozuka Yoshio stopped talking. Now, the guerrilla areas of other Eighth Route Army units are okay. The three regiments, the Independent Regiment, the New First Regiment, and the New Second Regiment, and the garrison troops in the outskirts of the guerrilla area are basically forced by the Eighth Route Army. Drill in the stronghold and dare not show your head.

Some isolated and remote fortresses and strongholds were directly pulled out by the Eighth Route.

Okamura Ningji said: "It's just a ignorant defense. The Eighth Route Army always has a way to deal with it. This is not the best strategy. We can only be passively beaten. The sabotage operation launched by the Eighth Route Army last year is a proof."

"From now on, our army has turned from defense to offense. Each stronghold has to send troops to patrol along roads and railway lines every day. In addition, troops are dispatched to enter surrounding villages and villages every day for inspection."

"Hi!" Yoshio Shinozuka responded, but said with some worry: "Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, it's just that our army is out of the protection of the stronghold, and it is easy to be attacked by the Eighth Route Army."

Okamura Ningji said: "This tactic is aimed at the Eighth Route Army from the overall situation. I am also aware of the situation in Shanxi where your First Army is located. After all, there are only a small number of troops like the Eighth Route Army's Shanxi Northwest Iron Triangle."

"After switching from defense to offense, the general situation can cause great difficulties for the movement and assembly of the Eighth Route Army in the village."

"As for how to deal with the Eighth Route Army in Northwest Shanxi, Mr. Xiaozuka can flexibly adjust his tactics and target them."

"Hi!" Shinozuka Yoshio replied.

Neiji Okamura continued: "The Chinese people's art of war emphasizes knowing themselves and the enemy, and winning a hundred battles without peril. I heard that the Eighth Route Army often studies various tactics of our imperial troops."

"Right now, we have to deal with the Eighth Route Army, so we might as well study the tactics of the Eighth Route Army."

"For example, the Eighth Route Army likes to avoid our superiority in firepower and conduct night raids, and our army can also conduct night raid operations; the Eighth Route Army likes to act in disguise, and our army can also form a plainclothes team to wait for the opportunity to deal with the Eighth Route's command organization,"

Neiji Okamura and Yoshio Shinozuka thought of this point together.

Yoshio Shinozuka reported to Ningji Okamura about the Yamamoto Secret Service Team and the advance team's plans to infiltrate the Eighth Route Base and wait for opportunities to sabotage, sneak attack, and behead.

"Yaoxi!" Okamura Ningji expressed his approval, and then asked: "I also heard that Balu likes to set up a double-faced government in the villages under our army's jurisdiction?"

Shinozuka Yoshio replied: "Yes, the Imperial Association Army's political attitude is not firm. After being bewitched by the Eighth Route Army, they will easily defect and serve the Eighth Route Army. On the surface, they continue to fool us."

Neiji Okamura said: "Then strengthen internal investigations and encourage each other to report anonymously. In addition, install spies and agents to find out those double-dealers who secretly communicate with each other."

"Hi!" Shinozuka Yoshio replied.

Finally, Okamura Ningji explained the general policy on the phone:

"If you want to deal with Eight Roads, you must first understand Eight Roads thoroughly. Even learning from Eight Roads is not a shame."

"Borrowing the usual method of the Eighth Route Army, three points are military and seven points are politics."

"From now on, we will adopt a soft policy for the villagers in the vast Chinese villages in the occupied area."

"How to be gentle? We have to do what Balu can do, and we have to do it better. Balu helps the villagers clean the courtyard, and we also help the villagers clean the courtyard. Water, Balu will send food to the villagers, and we can also send some condolence food to the Chinese people.”

"In short, you must show absolute affinity to the villagers, and you must not use violence against those villagers who have not secretly passed through the Eight Routes."

"Coupled with the assistance of military power, kill chickens and respect monkeys, resolutely attack and eliminate those thieves and traitors who dare to secretly communicate with the Eighth Route Army, so as to compete with the Eighth Route Army, control the countryside, and completely seize the foundation of the Eighth Route Army's survival and development..."

"Hi!" Shinozuka Yoshio replied, and wrote down what Shinozuka Yoshio said one by one.

……

(End of this chapter)