Rise From Eight Hundred

"The current situation in North China" Xiang Yue Qingshi paused while holding the teacup, and cast his eyes on Shan Shanyuan, who was smiling faintly.

"Mr. Qingshi, you can say whatever you want. You are the top general of my front army, with tens of thousands of elite soldiers under your command. I will focus on your opinion." Shan Shanyuan picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea.

"Then I will speak directly." Xiang Yue Qingshi's eyes flashed with a hint of decisiveness.

He knew that this was not his last chance, but it was also an opportunity to see if he could be among the candidates who could be relied on.

He was summoned by the new commander because he was the last one to be summoned. He was the one who criticized him and expressed his dissatisfaction with the conflict with him during his tenure as a commander. This was a risk in the eyes of ordinary people, but risks often also indicate opportunities.

Not getting along well with the previous commander is itself an opportunity. New leaders will never reuse people who are too close to the previous one. This is true in ancient and modern times, both in China and abroad.

"In the Battle of Xuzhou, our army did not achieve the previously set strategic goals. More than 600,000 Chinese participated in the battle, and 500,000 successfully escaped. We did not kill their elite troops on a large scale as expected, which made our army's subsequent strategy of attacking Central China very difficult." Xiang Yue Qingshi did not talk about North China directly, but instead returned the topic to the Xuzhou battlefield that had just ended.

Shan Shanyuan narrowed his eyes and did not interrupt the seemingly irrelevant answer.

Although Xiang Yue Qingshi was only a lieutenant general, he started from the lowest level of second lieutenant and served as the commander of the regiment, brigade commander, and guard division commander. The "infantry tactics" he proposed were very famous throughout the Imperial Army. Without some skills, how could he have the strength to compete with the indoor shroud?

"Under such a war situation, the General Staff Headquarters may change back to the old strategy. The East China Front Army will continue to advance into the Central China region of China, while our North China Front Army will focus on northern China. After completely conquering the north, it will attack the northwest and southwest." Xiang Yue Qingshi continued.

"Mr. Qingshi, please continue." Shanshan Yuan nodded, but a hint of appreciation appeared in his hidden eyes.

He didn't have much contact with this lieutenant general of the army, but the fact that he could reveal the strategic plan that was still under discussion in the General Staff Headquarters fully demonstrated that Xiangyue Qingshi was able to become the commander of an army, and it was not by chance, but he was still very capable.

That's right, when the Battle of Xuzhou was coming to an end, several bigwigs in the military knew that there was no difference between victory and defeat in the usual sense in this battle. China saved people and lost land, and the empire gained land and lost people. Both gained benefits, but both suffered pain.

From a strategic perspective, both sides are actually losers!

After the General Staff Headquarters reported to His Majesty the Emperor, it received instructions from the emperor to re-understand the Chinese battlefield and not to underestimate the country that was weak but still a behemoth. It was in this context that the dignified Minister of the Army came to personally serve as the commander of the front army.

Before Shanshan Yuan set off, the voice of "returning to walking on two legs and attacking China from two directions" within the General Staff Headquarters once again prevailed.

"Now, the focus of our North China Front Army is still China's important northern province - Shanxi Province! Only by conquering this northern barrier of China and opening up the connection point between Jinsheng and Shandong Province, can our front army cross the Yellow River and enter the Guanzhong Plain, and then threaten Sichuan Province, one of its inland granaries, and the vast northwest, and enter Hubei Province to help friendly forces completely conquer China's central China." Xiang Yue Qingshi was encouraged and no longer reserved, and finished his views in one breath.

"Hey! If I remember correctly, General Hushi also said almost the same strategy two months ago, but you, Qingshi Jun, openly opposed General Hushi's strategy at the high-level combat meeting attended by division commanders, and proposed that there are many mountainous areas in Shanxi Province, which is not conducive to the march of the army, and the Yellow River is crossed to the south, so we should join the East China Front Army to conquer northern Jiangsu and then attack the Central Plains with heavy troops, and then take a detour to attack the Guanzhong Plain." Shanshan Yuan couldn't help but be curious.

Xiang Yueqingshi's open opposition was known to all the military leaders. Indoor Shouyi and Xiang Yueqingshi were the commanders of the North China Front Army and the First Army of the North China Front Army, respectively, which was almost equivalent to the relationship between the first and second people in the military. As a result, they quarreled in front of more than ten important military generals and almost broke up, which made Shanshanyuan, the Minister of the Army, very troubled.

However, the two people's strategic views also had their own supporters.

There are too many mountains in Shanxi Province. Taihang Mountain and Zhongtiao Mountain are medium-sized mountains. Not to mention tanks, even 100mm heavy artillery is difficult to transport.

It took the Imperial North China Front Army more than a month to capture Pingjin, but it took almost half a year to capture Shanxi Province. As a result, the casualties of officers and soldiers have exceeded 60,000, and there are still 200,000 to 300,000 Chinese troops lingering in the mountains of southeastern and southwestern Shanxi. The Front Army has not seen the shadow of the Yellow River from Shanxi Province, let alone entering the fertile Guanzhong Plain.

But if we follow Xiang Yue Qingshi's advice and attack Shaanxi Province via a detour, any commander would have a headache just looking at the arc of more than a thousand kilometers on the map.

The officers and soldiers of the empire are not made of iron, they also need to eat and drink water. The empire's logistics support has never been its strong point. The long logistics line almost crosses the entire war zone. The resistance of the Chinese in the occupied areas has never stopped, including the three provinces in the northeast that have been occupied for seven years. There are still rebels now. It is very likely that the result will be half the effort with twice the results.

"This is a different time. At that time, I opposed the strategic direction of General Husbandry Shroud because our army was encircling Xuzhou. If we can annihilate China's elite 600,000 troops in one fell swoop, China will no longer be able to organize such a large-scale army in the short term. Our army will also be able to crush its central China region with an unstoppable momentum, and naturally there will be no worries about logistics.

But now the Battle of Xuzhou has not met the expectations of the base camp, and the battle will continue for a long time. Therefore, our North China Front Army must not wait and gather heavy troops to conquer Jin Province. "Xiangyue Qingshi's face turned slightly red, but he still explained calmly.

"Haha! Okay, Mr. Qingshi, your idea coincides with mine." After listening to Xiangyue Qingshi's explanation, Shanshan Yuan burst out laughing.

With a gentle slap in the face, a woman took out a map from the room and spread it on the square table between the two of them.

"Mr. Qingshi, do you know that when I summoned all the generals to meet this time, the vast majority of them were concerned about the difficulty of the war in Jin Province. There will never be more than three of you who are so firm in saying that they will conquer Jin Province." Yuan Shanshan smiled and held out three fingers.

"Your Excellency, Commander, why don't you let me guess who the other two are?" Seeing Shanshan Yuan's happiness, Xiangyue Qingshi couldn't help but joke.

"Okay! I'll see if Mr. Qingshi can find someone with similar interests." Shanshan Yuan probably also wants the atmosphere between the two to be more harmonious.

"One is Lieutenant General Itagaki." Xiangyue Qingshi looked like he had a pearl of wisdom in his hand.

"Yes, Lieutenant General Itagaki is a famous general in the empire. He is not afraid of the dangerous mountains in Jin Province, but this candidate is not difficult to guess." Shanshan Yuan nodded.

"The other one, I guess." Xiangyue Qingshi smiled. "It should be Chief of Staff Okabe!"

"Eh? Why did Mr. Qingshi not mention so many heroes, but only Mr. Saburo?" Shanshan Yuan didn't say yes or no, but was extremely curious.

However, his reaction let Xiangyue Qingshi know that he was right.

"Chief of Staff Okabe is actually a very thoughtful person, but His Majesty the Indoor Shroud General is too arbitrary, covering up his brilliance. I believe that with his eyes, he will not fail to see the current situation in North China, no matter how difficult it is, As long as Jin Province is captured and this important barrier is lost, the northern region of China will be under the control of our army." Xiangyue Qingshi said his reason.

Of course, he would not say it clearly that Saburo Okabe was an ambitious man. He had long been dissatisfied with the position of chief of staff of the regional front army. Only by conquering Jin Province and occupying the entire northern China as soon as possible could he add glory to his resume so that he could be transferred to an important position as soon as possible.

From this perspective, Saburo Okabe should be the most active person in promoting the war in Shanxi Province.

"Haha, Mr. Sanlang may have never dreamed that the person who understands him best is you, Mr. Qingshi. If he knew, he would definitely treat you to a good drink, Mr. Qingshi!" Shanshan Yuan listened to Xiangyue Qingshi and turned a man who was eager for military achievements. The reason why he wanted to be promoted was so fresh and refined that he couldn't help but shake his head and laugh.

The adult world is not easy for Baga. He has to speak in roundabout ways. If he hadn't been wallowing in official circles, it would not be so easy to understand him.

However, this is all a trivial matter to Shanshan Yuan. Back then, he was working so hard to climb up!

Even in order to be promoted, when he was serving as Army Undersecretary, he formulated the "Outline of Strategies for Solving the Manchuria and Mongolia Issues", which clearly stipulated the principles, steps and measures for Japan's invasion of Northeast China. Only by launching a war can soldiers be taken seriously. He has been very calm.

Sitting back and watching the struggle between the "Imperial Road Faction" and the "Regulatory Faction", and finally reaping the benefits of becoming the deputy chief of staff and concurrently serving as the president of the Army University, this was also the most exciting moment of Yuan Shanshan's political career.

Shanshan Yuan is not afraid of his subordinates being ambitious, but afraid that his subordinates are not capable and responsible. Now it seems that he has found at least three generals who can be used.

The chief of staff of the front army has openly surrendered, and the empire's famous generals have also tacitly obeyed. If Xiang Yue Qingshi, the first-ranking general of the front army, also kneels down and sings the song of conquest, then he may be able to start the first of the three fires of his new official's appointment. A good start.

Yes, if the newly appointed Shanshan Yuan cannot quickly make some moves and gain something, what will His Majesty the Emperor who is paying attention to the battlefield in China think of him? The marshal's cane is waiting there for him to pick up when he returns home!

Quickly conquer Shanxi Province and complete the indoor shrouds that have not been completed for half a year. The clothes have been decided before taking office. The reason why I asked Xiangyue Qingshi was to see how good his eyesight was. If he didn't even have this ability, No, it’s better to get out as soon as possible.

Now it seems that it is still useful, especially since he still has two master regiments with more than 50,000 troops under his command. If he uses them well, he may be able to surprise him.

"Sanlang-kun is very good. I have heard many people talk about it in the Army Ministry. However, he has no experience in leading a division. His qualifications are still relatively young and he still needs experience. On the other hand, you, Mr. Qingshi, have served as division commander for many years and have served in combat operations." Rich in experience, the Battle of Peking and Tianjin even defeated the Chinese army of 100,000, which is a rare battle example in the history of the Imperial Army!" Shanshan Yuan said with a smile.

Look at people's hearts and listen to their words. When he heard what Shanshan Yuan said, Xiangyue Qingshi was ecstatic in his heart. He suddenly stood up from the futon, with tears in his eyes, and nodded heavily: "Your Excellency, Commander, thank you for your recognition of your position. I have no repayment for my position, but I am willing to go through fire and water for the sake of the sword in the hands of Your Majesty the Commander, no matter how hard it is!"

"Mr. Qingshi, I'm serious. You and I are both subjects of the empire and ministers of His Majesty the Emperor. It is the responsibility of the ministers to open up new territories for the empire." Shan Shanyuan had a strong smile on his face, but he waved his hand to let himself know Xiangyue Qingshi, who was moved to tears by one sentence, sat down.

How can a person who is wandering in officialdom not act like a monster? This ability to cry and laugh at the same time is almost a must-have skill, but Xiangyue Qingshi's ability to bring tears to his eyes without the stimulation of onions can also be regarded as a natural skill!

It made Shanshan Yuan almost feel that he had the halo of the protagonist with a "bastard spirit". Fortunately, he was also an old monster of the same level.

He understands these!

But no matter what, they are determined to cling to his thighs, there is no doubt about that.

"But the battle in Shanxi Province is easy to say, but if we really fight, those mountains with an altitude of more than 1,000 meters and dangerous terrain, as well as the Chinese hiding in the poor mountains and bad waters, are indeed obstacles to the imperial army! I don’t know how many imperial warriors will sacrifice their precious lives!" Shanshan Yuan cast his eyes on the map that has been laid out.

Wherever the red arrows point to, there are towering mountains. Without looking at the actual terrain, just looking at the map makes people’s heads ache. In this kind of terrain, the heavy artillery advantage of the North China Front Army is basically gone, and the only way to supplement the ground is to rely on air power, but planes can’t always fly in the sky, right?

"Commander, there are always casualties in war. Fighting in that kind of terrain will weaken the heavy firepower of the Empire, but the Chinese are also in a difficult situation. Our army has enough infantry guns, mountain guns and Type 94 tanks to completely bury them in the mountains of China. We can also use this war to deter the remnants of the Chinese army. The mountains cannot become an obstacle to our imperial army, and all resistance is useless.

It is worthwhile to pay a certain sacrifice to annihilate the enemy and deal a heavy blow to the enemy's morale, paving the way for the subsequent battlefields of our front army." Xiang Yue Qingshi said with a ferocious face.

The death of soldiers in battle is not as important as military exploits for this person.

"Then why did Qingshi teach me how to fight this battle in Jin Province?" Shan Shanyuan asked in a deep voice with a gleam in his eyes.

Xiang Yue Qingshi was refreshed. He knew that the real test was coming. Only by passing this level could he be truly accepted by this person.

"The Chinese army has formed a defense line around Linfen, the last big city in Shanxi Province. Only by conquering this big city, the Chinese army in Shanxi Province will have no big city to defend and can only retreat into the mountains. All logistical supplies will be delivered by Shaanxi Province, and the harm will be minimized.

The surrounding areas of Linfen are all mountains. If our army wants to attack, we can attack from the southwest and southeast.

In the southwest, the Chinese army is mainly composed of the Shanxi Suiyuan Army and the Central Army. Although there are many troops, their combat effectiveness is not to be feared; on the contrary, in the Taihang Mountains in the southeast, there are the 80th Army and part of the Sichuan Army. The two units are poorly equipped and lack firepower, but the soldiers are tenacious and have strong combat effectiveness. In particular, there is an elite infantry regiment stationed there recently. This unit has continuously inflicted heavy losses on many large armies of our empire and is an enemy that our army should pay great attention to.

In my opinion, if you want to conquer Linfen, you must first take the southeast!" Xiang Yue Qingshi said decisively.

"The infantry regiment you are talking about, Mr. Qingshi, is called the Four-Line Regiment, right? I have seen this infantry regiment number several times in the battle report, but in such a war involving tens of thousands of troops, a small unit with a scale of only a few thousand people has a limited role to play and is not to be feared.

The 80th Army Group is a strong enemy. This unit has been through the battlefield, and the Chinese commander has not been able to eliminate them in ten years, which is enough to show their tenacity." Shanshan Yuan nodded.

"Mr. Qingshi, if I appoint you as the commander and lead the army to attack southeastern Shanxi to defeat the stubborn enemy, do you have confidence?" Shanshan Yuan suddenly raised his head and said meaningfully.

"Before I came, His Majesty the Emperor had set a one-year deadline with me. Time is running out!"

This sentence is a double entendre, which means that Shanshan Yuan must show an impeccable record within this year, and it also means that he will be promoted and leave after a year. Who will be given this vacant position?

It is possible to parachute in a general of the army, but it is also possible to promote from within. Xiang Yue Qingshi, the commander of the First Army, is the undisputed top general of the North China Front Army, and his chances are undoubtedly great.

Drawing big cakes is a necessary skill for almost all leaders, and Shan Shanyuan is no exception.

The key is that it is difficult for Xiang Yue Qingshi to refuse this cake, even if he knows that this cake is likely to be a mirage.

At least, Shan Shanyuan's words gave Xiang Yue Qingshi an opportunity, an opportunity to be promoted to general of the army.

"I will swear to serve the commander to the death for his kindness." Xiang Yue Qingshi immediately stood up and bowed his head heavily.

"Haha, so, you and I have a deal. Mr. Qingshi, please sit down. If you have any requests, you can raise them." Shan Shanyuan smiled.

The two generals of the Japanese North China Front Army sat in the small courtyard and talked until the early morning.

And in the distant mountains of Shanxi Province, a high-level combat meeting at the division level was held because of the replacement of generals by the Japanese side.

The meeting was hosted by the commander-in-chief of the 80th Army Group.

A day ago, the Second War Zone issued a military order, with the deputy commander of the Second War Zone and the commander-in-chief of the 80th Army Group serving as the commander-in-chief of the Jindongnan War Zone, and the commanders of each division serving as the chairpersons of the subordinate staff.

Colonel Tang Dao, the commander of the Four-Line Regiment, served as the deputy chairman of the subordinate staff of the command.