Chapter 171: Cannot Withdraw Troops

In the conference room!

The little devils stared at one another, their hearts filled with displeasure.

The Imperial General Staff is being unfair to the Pingjin Area Army.

Withdrawing troops to the south—doesn't this cut off the military merits of all the officers in the Pingjin Area Army?!

The Commander of the 2nd Army, Nishio Toshizo, bared his teeth and said, "General, can we transfer troops from the Kwantung Army?"

"To support my Pingjin Area Army."

Seeing Nishio Toshizo say this, everyone nodded one after another.

"Division Commander Isogai Rensuke has no strength left at all, and now he has chased them to the banks of the Yellow River."

Seeing Terauchi Hisaichi determined not to withdraw, the crowd stopped their clamoring.

Nishio Toshizo understood what Xiangyue Qingsi wanted to express, and he also agreed with withdrawing the troops.

"Your Excellency Commander, let the Chuan'an Corps return to defend."

This is not the result I want; I cannot become a commander mocked by the Imperial Army circles.

The other devil officers heard this and felt that transferring the 10th Division back to defend Zhuozhou was not bad either.

"The Sichuan Army, this unit—I am certain they would not dare to push into the territory occupied by our Imperial Army."

The expressions of both men were not very good.

Xiangyue Qingsi hurriedly said, "Commander!"

As one of the commanders of the several area armies of the Imperial Army on the Far East battlefield, issuing a withdrawal order now...

"Let us withdraw the troops and first secure the territory we have already taken."

"Han Fuqu in Shandong Province has no will to resist at all."

"Wouldn't this fruit of victory be snatched away by the Imperial Japanese Navy?!"

"This is very disadvantageous for Kawakishi Bunzaburo and the 108th Division."

To what extent the conflict between the two services has reached—the devil's army, the elite, possesses its own shipyards.

Upon hearing this, Terauchi Hisaichi frowned: "Baka!"

"We can have Tojo Hideki transfer one or two divisions south from the Chahar Corps to supplement the strength of our Pingjin Area Army."

It is better to withdraw from the Niangziguan direction now and first protect the occupied areas of Hebei Province.

The remaining devil officers naturally understood the thoughts of Nishio Toshizo and Xiangyue Qingsi.

With the Pingjin Area Army units being transferred south, Hebei Province is so large.

"If the Sichuan Army attacks our occupied area, we will definitely suffer a great loss."

"In any case, Han Fuqu's troops collapse at the first touch; when we pursue them again later, we won't encounter much resistance."

Regardless, the Navy will certainly oppose any plan proposed by the Army, and vice versa.

Terauchi Hisaichi hardened his heart!

His eyes narrowed: "Withdraw the troops..."

Han Fuqu's troops cannot stop the 10th Division at all.

"If troops could be transferred from the Chahar Corps, why would the Imperial General Staff need to withdraw units from my Pingjin Area Army to go south!"

Doesn't this make me look incompetent?!

How will the Imperial Army circles view me in the future?!

No...

The only mobile unit left in the hands of the Pingjin Area Army is the Kabe Brigade.

"The Imperial Navy is currently formulating a plan to set out from Qingdao and capture Jizhou."

Right now!

"If the Sichuan Army units defeat the Chuan'an Corps and then break into our Zhuozhou, this would be very dangerous."

If the Sichuan Army 22nd Group Army breaks in, there is simply no force capable of stopping them.

"You all have no brains!"

"Your Excellency Commander, I think it would be better to withdraw the two divisions in the Niangziguan direction a bit."

Seeing that his dissuasion was ineffective, Xiangyue Qingsi let out a long sigh in his heart, "I hope so!"

"Yes... yes..."

No, no, no...

"On the Far East battlefield, there has never been a Republic of China army that took the initiative to launch an attack on territory occupied by our Imperial Army."

After Nishio Toshizo and Xiangyue Qingsi calculated the troops in their hands.

"We will transfer the 10th Division back; after we weather this period, we will pursue Han Fuqu."

The devil's army personally manufactured amphibious landing ships and even a quasi-aircraft carrier.

The Kabe Brigade is a Military Police unit; this amount of manpower is still needed to maintain order in the occupied areas.

"Currently, there are no Imperial troops south of Niangziguan."

After the 2nd Army under Nishio Toshizo transferred the 16th Division, the 10th Division and 108th Division remained.

Now the 10th Division, under the leadership of Division Commander Isogai Rensuke, has already chased them to the banks of the Yellow River.

You say, why would an army build navy equipment? Isn't this just having nothing better to do?!

This makes the devils very wary, fearing that the Nanjing Command and the Soviet Union will reach an alliance and then send troops into the Manchuria and Mongolia region.

"This is absolutely not allowed."

Some even described at the time that in military industrial production, if the Army's screws were tightened to the right...

"Imperial troops can only die on the battlefield; they cannot retreat."

Then gather the railway units under the jurisdiction of the Pingjin Area Army.

This troop strength is still somewhat insufficient.

"Once the Sichuan Army attacks Zhuozhou, we will suffer a huge loss."

Currently, his 1st Army only has the 14th Division and the 20th Division in Pingjin.

"I am short-sighted and have failed the cultivation of His Majesty the Emperor."

Furthermore, the Soviet Union and the Nanjing Command have now signed a mutual assistance treaty.

"Can we let the 10th Division return to defend Zhuozhou?"

"Once the Imperial Japanese Navy Marine Corps attacks Jizhou, our Imperial Army will not participate."

Seeing Terauchi Hisaichi reprimand him, Nishio Toshizo hurriedly lowered his head: "Hai!"

"Commander!"

However, Terauchi Hisaichi waved his hand directly: "No!"

Currently, the 10th Division is pursuing the troops of Han Fuqu in Shandong Province.

The remaining Japanese officers also lowered their heads one after another, nodding and bowing to admit their mistakes.

In that case, for the Japanese Navy's military industrial production, the screws must be tightened to the left, so as to distinguish the difference between the two military branches.

At this moment!

Terauchi Hisaichi was like a gambler.

Nishio Toshizo then proposed another plan: "Commander."

The strength of the Kwantung Army was already much weaker compared to the Far East Area Army of the Soviet Union.

However, thinking of himself as the Commander of the Pingjin Area Army.

Seeing the requests of so many generals, Terauchi Hisaichi also had a slight thought of withdrawing troops in his heart.

As long as they cross the Yellow River, they can attack into the territory of Shandong Province.

In the Japanese military circles, the Navy and the Army are like fire and water.

Among them, the 14th Division is currently pursuing southward, preparing to strike the fleeing group armies under Liu Zhi of the 1st War Zone.

Xiangyue Qingsi's tone was urgent: "I ask the Commander to think twice before acting."

"In the direction of Niangziguan, shall we withdraw our troops?"

They said one after another: "Commander!"

They would absolutely not break away from the operational scope of the 2nd War Zone, enter Hebei Province, and launch an attack on Zhuozhou.

"Whoever dares to mention withdrawing troops again, I will absolutely not spare him."

"The north of Manchuria and Mongolia, this is our mortal enemy."

Terauchi Hisaichi's gaze fixed, and he looked at Xiangyue Qingsi with a ferocious expression: "We cannot withdraw troops."

"Commander, if we do not withdraw troops, the defense line in the occupied area of Hebei Province will have insufficient troop strength."

It is simply impossible for the Kabe Brigade of over seven thousand men to guard a defense line over one hundred kilometers long.

"Now the Sichuan Army 22nd Group Army has assembled tens of thousands of people at Niangziguan."

Xiangyue Qingsi carefully calculated the troops on hand.

He was gambling... gambling that the Sichuan Army would only honestly defend the Niangziguan line.

"The Imperial Army must focus on defense; the troop strength in the north is already insufficient."

They can manufacture various warships themselves, and even Aircraft Carriers.

"Minister Shimomura Sadamu is also very worried that the Soviet Union will send troops against the Empire at the end of November or early December."

"Nishio-kun's proposal is not bad."

"Commander!"

The troops in the north cannot be transferred now.

Now, asking Terauchi Hisaichi to give up the occupation of Jizhou and share the fruits with the Navy.

Of course he would not agree; this is a matter of principle.

(End of this chapter)