bayedsolid Chapter 413: Keep a backup plan?
Chapter 413: Keep a backup plan?
The fierce fighting lasted until two o'clock in the afternoon. All external defense positions of the Japanese 16th Division were lost, and only 500 officers and soldiers of the entire division were still holding on around the division headquarters.
However, all the Japanese officers and soldiers knew that they were just delaying their own death. Even if the reinforcements on the Xiangzao Highway broke through the Chinese army's blockade, they would be too late to arrive here to rescue them.
At the headquarters of the 16th Division, in the tent of the division commander, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke was wiping his command sword with clean water. In a while, he would use this command sword that had accompanied him for many years to completely end his life.
Chief of Staff Major General Mitsuo Nakazawa is currently organizing the few troops he has to carry out the final defense. Although the division commander has told him that he will surrender in the end, it is not time for it yet. Besides, even if he wants to surrender, he has to wait until the division commander commits suicide.
Once the Chinese attacking forces were unable to attack anymore, they would immediately rotate in other attacking forces, maintaining the intensity of the attack on the Japanese army, just to break into the Japanese division headquarters as soon as possible and end this brutal battle.
Inside the Japanese 11th Army Headquarters, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto respectfully handed the telegram from Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie, commander of the 16th Division, to the commander, Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura, who had a worried look on his face.
"Your Excellency the Commander, Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie, the commander of the 16th Division, sent a telegram saying that the Chinese army has completely broken through the defensive positions of the 16th Division. Now the only 500 officers and soldiers left of the 16th Division are fighting the final battle around the division headquarters. He has ordered the Chief of Staff of the 16th Division, Major General Mitsuo Nakazawa, to lead the last surviving officers and soldiers to surrender to the Chinese army at the last moment, and he himself will commit suicide by disembowelment. At the same time, Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie hopes that Your Excellency the Commander will not pursue the Chief of Staff, Major General Mitsuo Nakazawa, after the war, and try to exchange the Chief of Staff, Major General Mitsuo Nakazawa, back from the Chinese government as much as possible." Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto said in a low voice beside Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura with a strange look on his face.
"What? Surrender?" After hearing the words of the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi, Commander Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji took the telegram and read it with an incredulous look on his face. Since the war between China and Japan, there has never been a case of ordering subordinates to surrender. What is Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke trying to do?
"Mr. Yoshimoto, what do you think about this matter?" Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura had a dark face and threw the question directly to the chief of staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto beside him. Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura was in a very bad mood. He didn't understand why the 16th Division had come to this situation today.
Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto rolled his eyes in his heart. How could he know what Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie was thinking? He was not a worm in Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie's stomach. How could he dare to make any irresponsible remarks about such a thing that would set a precedent for the Imperial Japanese Army?
"Commander, I'm not very clear about this. Maybe Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie wants to leave some seeds for the 16th Division." Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto also found a reason that he couldn't justify to answer the question raised by Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura.
Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura glanced at Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto, then signaled Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto to follow him out of the headquarters hall, returned to his office, and personally closed the door of the office.
Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto knew that the commander wanted to tell him a secret at this time. It seemed that the commander had already thought of the meaning of the telegram from Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie.
After closing the door of his office, Commander Lieutenant General Okamura Neiji motioned Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi to sit on the sofa, and then he said, "Mr. Yoshimoto, there is nothing wrong with what you just said, but I think this matter is not as simple as it seems. This is a backup plan left by Fujie Keisuke."
Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi, the chief of staff, was stunned. What backup plan? Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke was about to die, so what backup plan was there? What was the point of having a backup plan after surrendering?
Seeing the puzzled look on the face of Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi, Commander Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji was in no hurry to explain. Instead, he personally picked up the teapot on the table and poured a cup of tea for himself and Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi. Now the battle situation was very clear. The 16th Division was definitely gone. He also shifted his attention from rescuing the 16th Division to the issue of how to deal with the aftermath of the war.
Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto looked at the tea in the cup in front of him and tried his best to think about the back-up plan that the commander had mentioned.
What did Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke do? What could a surrendered division commander, Chief of Staff Major General Nakazawa Mitsuo, do?
Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke ordered the Chief of Staff Major General Nakazawa Misao to keep him alive, and then he asked the Commander to exchange him back from the Chinese government. After the exchange, he would be tried by the military court formed by the Imperial Headquarters and the Expeditionary Forces, but he was following orders, so there was a high probability that there would be no problem, and then...
Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi suddenly thought of a possibility, and then he suddenly looked up at the commander Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji who was drinking tea opposite him, and said in surprise: "Commander, you mean that Division Commander Fujie Keisuke wants Chief of Staff Nakazawa Mitsuo to complain to the headquarters?"
Commander Lieutenant General Okamura Neiji looked at Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi who finally figured out the key point of the problem, nodded slightly and said, "That's right, Yoshimoto-kun, this is why Fujie Keisuke asked me in the telegram to exchange Chief of Staff Nakazawa Mitsuo from the Chinese government. You can imagine how big a stain and infamy Fujie Keisuke died with. He used his life's honor to fight for a way out for Chief of Staff Nakazawa Mitsuo. He paid such a high price. Only the value of the goal is far greater than his sacrifice can motivate him to do this. Therefore, using Chief of Staff Nakazawa Mitsuo's mouth to tell the headquarters the true situation of the failure of this battle, this is his ultimate goal."
When Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadakazu heard that Commander Lieutenant General Okamura Neiji had confirmed his guess, he immediately broke out in a cold sweat. If Chief of Staff Mitsuo Nakazawa was exchanged back and explained the details of the battle to the headquarters, he would not be able to escape and the huge problem of intelligence error could not be covered up.