Let us turn the time forward. On July 27, the 4th Cavalry Brigade surrounded by the 4th Cavalry Brigade finally sent an urgent telegram to Okamura Yasuji to request reinforcements: "Due to the battle over the past week and the total counterattack of the enemy since the 26th, countless troops in our brigade were killed or injured. In addition, long-term combat, officers and officers above the cavalry and artillery squad leader were basically killed and injured, and most of the officers and soldiers became disabled. The enemy continued to attack fiercely and had to tighten their positions. Even if they defended to the death, they were in an extremely critical state. Due to the serious lack of ammunition, even if they were close contact, they could not be lifted. Please go to reinforcements as soon as possible, otherwise our brigade would be in danger of survival!"

This is the first time the Fourth Cavalry Brigade has requested reinforcements since it was surrounded, but this first request seems extremely critical. In fact, Okamura Nishiji and Tanaka Kuichi were very clear about the situation of the Fourth Cavalry Brigade. These two people actually don’t think they can save the Fourth Cavalry Brigade. So Okamura Nishiji’s reply to the Fourth Cavalry Brigade has four words: “Stay and wait!”

What a persistent wait, but in fact, it was to let the Fourth Cavalry Brigade wait for death. It was a big deal for them to "surround" the main force of the Eighth Route Army. To put it bluntly, the Fourth Cavalry Brigade had abandoned his son. But what was more interesting was that not all the Japanese felt that the Fourth Cavalry Brigade was completely unsaved. Just when the Fourth Cavalry Brigade issued a cry for help, there were really Japanese who were actively trying to find a way to save them.

This idiot is Masato Tsuji. Many comrades may not understand this Masato Tsuji. His position has always been a staff officer and his military rank is a colonel. However, the status and influence of this guy in the Japanese army cannot be underestimated. His popularity is no less than that of the Chief of Staff and the Minister of the Army. So what kind of "glorious" resume does this Masato Tsuji have?

The Battle of Nomenhan, attacking Singapore, capturing the Philippines, Guadalcanal. It can be said that all important battles of the Japanese Army are related to this Masato Tsuji, and the combat plans of these battles are almost all from Masato Tsuji.

Of course, although Masato Tsuji participated in many combat plans, not every battle can win. Needless to say, Nomenhan, and Guadalcanal didn't need to talk about it. Anyway, this guy bullies the weak and is a good guy, and he will get diarrhea when he encounters a tough idea. And such a guy who bullies the weak and fears the strong is actually a military expert in the Japanese army, and is very famous. You will know what the Japanese think tanks are.

To put it bluntly, the most prominent feature of Tsuji Masatoshi is that he is scheming and likes to show off. He is extremely cruel and is very good at speculation. In 1902, this guy was born in a charcoal burner family in Jeuma County, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. He was quite naughty when he was young. His elementary school teacher asserted that no matter how hard he tried, he would not be able to get into middle school.

Since then, Masato Tsuji, who was "deeply insulted", has been working hard and has graduated from Nagoya Army Academy and Central Army Academy with chief results. When he graduated from the 36th session of the Japanese Army Non-commissioned Officer School, he won the first place and obtained a saber given by the Japanese Emperor. He is a member of the infamous "saber group". When he graduated from the 43rd session of the Army University, he was also ranked among the top six. Less than three months after graduating from the military academy, he was appointed as the squadron leader of the 9th Division, participated in the First Battle of Songhu and was injured. These resumes made him highly praised after entering the military industry. He served as staff in the Kanto Army, the Army Staff Headquarters of the Base Camp, the North China Expeditionary Army, the 25th Army, the 11th Army, and the Chinese Expeditionary Army. During the Kanto Army, he was regarded as the confidant of Tojo Hideki.

But to be honest, Masato Tsuji was very average in his ability to fight wars, and his best attitude was to show his own ideas. When he was a staff officer in the Kwantung Army, he spent 100,000 yuan to hold a grand funeral for Zhang Zuolin, hoping to use this to understand the negative political impact of the Kwantung Army's murder of Zhang Zuolin; in Nomenhan, the guy suddenly landed on a reconnaissance plane, then turned around and flew away, gaining a heroic reputation; in Shanghai, he scolded a military vehicle to carry a hotel as a squadron leader.

The girl's assistant officer forced the other party to commit suicide in shame; at the Nanjing China Expeditionary Force Command, he saw a senior officer fanning in summer, rushed up to tear him apart, scolding him for his destruction of discipline, which made many generals and officials very embarrassed; shortly after he became the chief of staff of the 33rd Army, he slapped a wounded soldier with a high fever on the battlefield, scolding him as a coward, and boasted that he had killed an Allied pilot who had jumped, pickled him and eaten him...

These show techniques are simply countless, but they are really fond of the idiots' appetite, which attracted the favor of the so-called "intellectual world" in Japan at that time, and they all regarded it as the most intelligent star in the military. Of course, the Japanese who are really capable also disagree with it. For example, the "Malay Tiger" Yamashita Tomoto commented on Masatoshi Tsuji: "The Tsuji No. 1 is strong, treacherous and cunning, and is a clever person, not a useful talent for the country."

However, in Japan, which is popular and likes to blindly follow the trend and lacks independent opinions, Masato Tsuji's unique and sensational behavior has deceived many people, giving the Japanese at that time a "thoughtful" feeling.

This "thinking" and "character" Masato Tsuji was afraid that the Allies would kill British pilots after the defeat, forcing the US and Philippine prisoners of war to "death march" and massacre 40,000 overseas Chinese in Singapore (informed in Singapore Middle School textbooks). He first pretended to be a monk and lurked in Vietnam. Later, he used Jiang's hatred for ** and defected to him, and scattered the Democratic Party Military Affairs Bureau and the Second Department of the Ministry of Defense (Information) to provide advice for Jiang's civil war. Under the protection of Jiang's man, this guy put on makeup and became a general repatriated soldier to Japan in 1948. Then he immediately defected to the US spy agency, and under the dual leadership of CIC (Allied General Intelligence Agency) and Cia, he carried out long-term espionage activities on New China and Southeast Asia.

Masato Tsuji, who had cleaned his old foundation, relied on his new master, and immediately changed his previous low-keyness and began to jump out to write books and brag about his personal experiences. He successively published best-selling Japanese books such as "Story of Three Thousand Miles", "Secret Activities of Thailand and China", "Fifteen-on-One", "Guadarcana", and "Normonhan". In the book, this guy tried his best to shirke his personal responsibility and win the sympathy of old Japanese soldiers. In 1951, this guy's annual income was as high as 3.5 million yen, and he used this stock

Star effect, this guy was elected as an alternate member of the Japanese House of Representatives in 1952 and was elected as a member of the Senate in 1959. In 1961, this guy went to Thailand and Laos for espionage under the name of travel, and soon lost his trace. According to rumors, this guy was executed by the Lao People's Liberation Army, and some said he fed tigers. Of course, the Japanese said that the real purpose of Masato Tsuji to the Indochina Peninsula was to find the gold buried by the Japanese army that year.

In short, it was such a clown-like figure who planned a so-called "struggle combat" plan at the end of July 1944, trying to save the Fourth Cavalry Brigade besieged by the Eighth Route Army in the martial arts talk. Masato Tsuji said confidently at the time: "The meaning of naming this battle as 'struggle' is very simple, that is, the North China Front Army lacks the spirit that the Imperial Army should have when fighting. We must fight to avenge our previous shame, and we must rise up!"

On August 1, Masato Tsuji drafted and issued the "Office of the North China Front Army" in Anyang. Its main combat idea is actually very simple. First, the Fourth Martial Cavalry Brigade must continue to hold its position and firmly restrain the main force of the Eighth Route Army. Then the North China Front Army tried its best to use the absolute perseverance of the Imperial Army to destroy the Eighth Route Army that blocked the aid, and then divided the Eighth Route Army on the spot.

At first glance, this plan seems to be without surprise at all, and there is no essential difference from what the Japanese have done now. What's so funny about such a broken plan?

Even in the eyes of soldiers who were really fighting on the front line, Masato Tsuji's plan was simply fantastic. The Fourth Cavalry Brigade was at its end. At this time, there was no ammunition and the second troops were insufficient. How to resist the attack of the Eighth Route Army, which had an absolute advantage? Isn't this a fool to let the Fourth Cavalry Brigade continue to persist?

Masatoshi Tsuji's plan has more than this problem. According to his plan, Okamura Yanji's troops should accumulate strength and then defeat the Eighth Route Army in front of them like a mountain torrent. At this time, Okamura Yanji's troops were tired and exhausted, and they did not have three ten combat power. Moreover, because the traffic conditions were too bad, the heavy artillery of the unit was still far behind. How could they defeat the Eighth Route Army in one fell swoop in this state?

Tanaka Kuichi was well aware of this. He felt that according to Masato Tsuji Tsuji's combat plan, if you want to accumulate strength, you must stop and rest and wait for the artillery troops to follow. Now the Fourth Cavalry Brigade has only one last breath left, and it is impossible to delay for a minute. Therefore, Kuichi Tanaka strongly opposed Masato Tsuji Tsuji's "struggle" and proposed to immediately launch a wheel offensive with the existing troops until the Eighth Route Army's blocking troops were completely dragged down.

However, no one listened to Tanaka Kuichi's words at that time. The reason was very simple. He was the one who killed the Fourth Cavalry Brigade. According to Tsuji Masatoshi Tsuji, he would still hold Tanaka Kuichi accountable. "At this time, a fool lieutenant general who could not even defeat the Eighth Route Army" was not qualified to say anything.

It is obvious that Masatoshi Tsuji still looks at the Eighth Route Army with an old eye, and he didn't realize that the present is not the same as before. He believed that the reason why Tanaka Hiichi failed was because he was incompetent and cowardly, and he was as cowardly as him, who was not qualified to wear the imperial army's battle suit. Fortunately, Okamura Yasuji was still rational. He knew that Masatoshi Tsuji was a bloody layman, and Tanaka Hiichi had direct contact with the Eighth Route Army, so Tanaka Hiichi's opinions were more valuable for reference.

For example, Tanaka Kuichi mentioned that the Fourth Cavalry Brigade could not last long. If this problem is not solved, and all rescue operations are meaningless, it is very meaningful to Okamura Yanji.

Of course, the cunning Masato Tsuji can always justify himself. He thinks it is very simple to reinforce the Fourth Cavalry Brigade. If there is not enough materials, airdrop, and if there is insufficient troops, paratroopers will be sent to reinforce. Well, this seems to be a good idea. At least it seems like that. With paratroopers and airdropped materials, the Fourth Cavalry Brigade can be defended?

However, this suggestion is simply nonsense for real soldiers rather than those who hide in the second line to open their brains. Not to mention parachutes, even airdrop materials are not reliable. Because at this time the position of the Fourth Cavalry Brigade had been compressed to the extreme, leaving only a small area of ​​two or three hundred meters. With such a small area, who can ensure that the airdrop materials can be accurately deployed? As for the reinforcements of parachutes, it is even more a joke. Even materials cannot be invested in, let alone a living person!

In Tanaka Kuichi's opinion, this idea was simply a whim, just playing the piano randomly. But what made him feel depressed was that he couldn't stop it because Okamura Yasuji agreed!

Could it be that Okamura Yasuji has no military literacy? It's not like that. To be fair, Okamura Yasuji still has two tricks. It once made the Eighth Route Army very uncomfortable in the North China public security war, which proves his level.

Then why did Okamura Yasuji agree to this ridiculous suggestion? The reason is very simple. Although this guy, Masato Tsukizuki, is a red-painted toilet, but he still has a lot of brainless fans. Moreover, this guy has a different relationship with Hideki Tojo, and even Nichi Okamura must sell him some face. Of course, Nichi Okamura did not let Masato Tsukizuki do it randomly, and he made a compromise. He agreed to airdrop some of the supplies to help the Fourth Cavalry Brigade first. If the effect is good, let’s talk about what’s going on!

In fact, Okamura Yanji's meaning is very clear, that is, Masato Tsuji Tsuji retreats when he sees the difficulties. As long as the airdrop materials are not effective, he will immediately deny the plan to send more paratroopers.

I don’t know if Masatoshi Tsuji understood Okamura’s real purpose. He was very happy anyway. If Okamura Nagaki had not strictly prohibited him from boarding the transport plane, this guy would have been 100% going on another show to idly go around the martial arts talk and deliver a speech to boost the morale of the Fourth Brigade of the Cavalry.

So what is the result of this airdrop operation? Hehe, don't say it, the effect is quite ideal. 75% of the weapons, ammunition and medicines under the bears fell accurately on the territory of the Fourth Cavalry Brigade, which almost ended the oil lamp and breathed a sigh of relief.

This action greatly encouraged Masatoshi Tsuji. He believed that this fully demonstrated the correctness of his opinion and strongly demanded that the parachute battle begin immediately. Of course, both Okamura and Hiroshi Tanaka were still wondering, but they had no excuses to stop it for the time being.

In desperation, Okamura Yasuji could only agree to try it again, airdropping a squadron of paratroopers to reinforce the Fourth Cavalry Brigade. Interestingly, Masato Tsuji was quite dissatisfied and believed that a squadron of paratroopers was not enough, and at least he had to airdrop a battalion. Anyway, after a difficult bargaining, Okamura Yasuji and Masato Tsuji reached a compromise, first airdropping two squadrons, if the effect is good, then airdrop two squadrons.

The Japanese paratroopers set out, but this time their luck was not as good as the last time. They were intercepted by the Red Air Force halfway. After a fierce air battle, half of the transport planes with escort fighters went to hell. After the remaining half flew over the martial arts airplanes, they were hit by the ground air defense firepower of the Eighth Route Army, and lost a part of them. Let's put it this way, only one-third of the Japanese paratroopers were really desperate to jump out of the cabin.

However, jumping out of the cabin does not mean that everything is going well. Only by successfully landing and entering the position of the Fourth Cavalry Brigade is considered to be a living, and this difficulty is quite high.

How to say it? First of all, the Japanese paratroopers were of poor quality, and they had basically no combat experience before, and they even had very little experience in parachuting. This means that in a complex battlefield environment, their success rate was lower.

Secondly, the last time the Japanese successfully dropped materials, the luck accounted for the vast majority. This good luck did not exist every time, but this time the Japanese were relatively lucky.

Finally, the last time the Japanese were allowed to successfully drop materials, the Eighth Route Army immediately learned a lesson and equipped with relatively powerful air defense firepower in this area, waiting for the Japanese to fall into the trap.

Therefore, only one or two of the Japanese in these two squadrons could land safely, and most of the Japanese were beaten into sieves in the air. Moreover, the fate of these Japanese paratroopers was quite bad after landing. Most of them deviated from their intended targets and landed on the positions of the Eighth Route Army. They were either shot to death or surrendered.

In short, the air reinforcements that Masato Tsuji had high hopes for were proved to be an absolute defeat, and there was no more use than giving heads to the Eighth Route Army.

But it is interesting that Masatoshi Tsuji did not admit this. He believed that his plan was not wrong at all, and that it was Okamura's conservative. He believed that the first airdrop was very successful. If the paratroopers completed the airdrop for the first time, the result would be completely different. He believed: "It was Okamura's conservative that made the rescue operation fail. If Okamura was more active and he devoted himself to the paratroopers for the first time, the result would be completely different!" This guy continued to write arrogantly: "At that time, the Fourth Cavalry Brigade will be able to continue to stick to it, and the energy of the Eighth Route Army will inevitably be dispersed. Our army can completely win this battle! Without saying that it will turn the world around in one fell swoop, the empire will at least not be defeated so early..."

It seems that Masatoshi Tsuji still wants to hold Kamura Nishi accountable. It seems that the Japanese army lost the Second Battle of Handan by accident. So is the real situation like this? We can completely assume that even if Masatoshi Tsuji can reinforce two squadrons or even one brigade of the Fourth Cavalry Brigade, can this change the result of its elimination? The 129th Division has an absolute military advantage, and as the Eighth Route Army's combat experience becomes more and more abundant, this advantage will become bigger and bigger. Not to mention a brigade, even Masatoshi Tsuji can airdrop a corps or even a brigade, it will only be annihilated by the 129th Division!

Let me put it this way, since the Battle of Handan began, the Japanese army had no chance of winning, and it was impossible to win at all. The only difference was the question of how much you lose, the less you lose... (To be continued.)
Chapter completed!