Tokyo, Prime Minister's Residence.

Because I worked until late at night for several consecutive nights, Tojo Hideki got up late today and did not get up until after seven in the morning to brush his teeth and wash his face.

Before brushing his teeth, Tojo Hideki turned on the radio.

A pleasant Chinese female voice immediately came out of the radio, soft and slutinous. Hideki Tojo felt that it was much better than the announcer of NHK news agency.

However, Hideki Tojo uses these fragments of time to listen to the Central News Agency, just because of the habit of a politician, and he always wants to listen to as much information as possible from hostile countries.

Tojo Hideki once served as the commander of the military police in the Kanto Army, so he could understand simple Chinese.

So, when he heard the announcer of the Central News Agency saying that the 386th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army had restored Taiyuan, Hideki Tojo could be said to be extremely shocked because the North China Front Army did not report to him at all...

At this moment, Hideki Tojo didn't have the intention to brush his teeth anymore. He hurriedly rinsed his mouth with water, wiped his face randomly, then put on his shirt and went to the office of the official residence.

The female secretary is already preparing for today's itinerary.

Seeing Hideki Tojo coming in, the female secretary said: "Prime Minister, at 8 o'clock this morning, you will meet General Yamaguchi Tatsume, of the Navy Combined Fleet..."

"Posted until tomorrow afternoon." Hideki Tojo said with a dark face.

"Ah?" The female secretary was stunned for a moment when she heard this, and then replied, "Okay."

Hideki Tojo continued: "Immediately send a telegram to the Headquarters of the North Branch Army, asking Okamura to explain what happened to the news posted by the China Central Military News Agency this morning? The Chinese Army has recaptured Taiyuan, and even the China News Agency has published a public communication. I, as the Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet, have no idea. It is ridiculous, it is simply ridiculous, it is extremely ridiculous! I must explain this matter!"

"Hayi." The female secretary responded.

"I'll arrange to send a newspaper."

...

Okamura Yasuji did not deliberately conceal the report.

Okamura Yasuji was not in a hurry to report many situations because he had not yet finalized verification. Of course, one undeniable reason is that he also wanted to take some remedial measures before reporting.

For example, destroy the weapons and ammunition stored in Taiyuan.

What's more, according to previous practice, it would be no big problem to just postpone the reporting for a few hours.

Okamura Yasuji just didn't expect that the Central News Agency of the National Government would react so quickly this time. Before the Taiyuan Battle was really over, the newsletter was published.

At this time, Okamura Yasuji had already heard the radio.

"It's broken, it's broken!" After hearing the radio, Okamura's first reaction was that it was bad. Now the Prime Minister must be mad, and he must think that they were deliberately concealing the report.

Okamura Yasuji immediately called the Deputy Chief of Staff Ai Seizo.

"Is there Mokun, have you listened to the radio from the China Central News Agency?" asked Okamura Yasuji.

"I just heard it a little." Youmo Jingsan said with a smile. "The Chinese government is really shameless. The Chinese government and Chang Kaishen can publicize lies as facts."

"This is not the point." Okamura Yasuji said, "You know that the Prime Minister often listens to Chinese radio."

After hearing this, Ao Mo Jingsan was stunned for two seconds. After reacting, he said, "Oh no, Prime Minister, you will definitely think that we are deliberately concealing the report. This is a big trouble."

"That's the problem." Okamura Yasuji said.

"We have to discuss how to explain to the Prime Minister."

As soon as he finished speaking, a communications consultant hurried in.

"Your Excellency General, this is a secret telegram just sent by the Special High School Course." The communications consultant said.

After receiving the telegram, Ao Jingsan's face suddenly collapsed: "Damn it, it's even more troublesome now."

Speaking of this, Aoshizo said to Okamura Yanji again: "Genius General, before dawn, before the attack aircraft and fighter aircraft of the Third Flight Regiment arrived, the Eighth Route Army had already transported the backup weapons and ammunition stored in the Taiyuan Arsenal to the shops in the outer city in advance. In other words, the bombing of the Third Flight Regiment will be useless."

"What?" Okamura Yanji said in a daze. "The Eighth Route Army's reaction is so fast?"

There were three meditations: "Great General, should you order the Third Flying Regiment to carry out a second round of bombing on the outer city of Taiyuan, and strive to destroy this batch of combat materials as much as possible?"

"Forget it." Okamura Yasuji waved his hand.

"This is inconsistent with our three non-policy, and it will not have much effect."

"When the combat materials of that division are put together, there is still a chance to be destroyed in a centralized manner. But now that it has been transferred to the outer city of Taiyuan by the Eighth Route Army, it must have been placed in a scattered manner and it will no longer be destroyed in a centralized manner. If the entire outer city is bombed on a large scale, how many aviation bombs will be consumed?"

You Mo Jing San sighed, it is true that the cost-effectiveness ratio of large-scale bombing of Taiyuan outer city is too low.

After a while, Mo Jingsan said again: "General, if the combat materials for this division are completely in the hands of the Eighth Route Army, we will be even more unable to explain to the Prime Minister."

Okamura Yasuji was silent, this matter really became very difficult.

Maybe he, the commander of the North China Front Army, has been over.

Thinking of this, Okamura Yanji hated the idiot Iwamatsu Yoshio even more and more.

"Baga!" Okamura Yanji said hatefully, "It's all my fault that Iwamatsu Yoshio."

Ashi Jingsan also said: "What's hateful is that Yoshio Iwamatsu no longer needs to take any responsibility for this!"

While the two were talking, another communications consultant walked in quickly and said, "Your Excellency General, General Yoshio Iwamatsu, the commander of the First Army, just sent an emergency telegram from Shouyang County to request emergency tactical guidance."

"What? Yoshio Iwamatsu is still alive? And he has fled to Shouyang County?"

Okamura Yasuji and Arimoto Seizo were stunned when they heard this, and then they were overjoyed.

As long as Iwamatsu Yoshio is still alive, he will bear all the blame.

At this moment, Okamura Yasuji said to Ariso Sesan: "Ariso, call Tokyo immediately, and say that our North China Front Army Command does not know much about the situation in Taiyuan. It is currently verified. If you are eager to know the truth of the facts, you can call the First Army Command directly to inquire."

"Hayi!" There are three final essences and three pauses.

...

Shouyang County, Gendarmerie Headquarters.

Not long after Iwamatsu Yoshio escaped to Shouyang Prefecture under the protection of Takuya Suwahara, Chief of Staff Masashi Hanaya, Director of Information Section Jiro Sakuma, Director of Communication Section Yasushi Inoue, and Director of Operations Section Masao Inamori also fled to Shouyang Prefecture, and the Noda Brigade and the remnants of Matsumoto Brigade also arrived one after another.

However, there were only less than three hundred remaining remnants of the two infantry brigades.

The other soldiers were either killed by the Eighth Route Army during the breakout, or they ran away on the road. The soldiers who ran away probably would not have a good result, because the Eighth Route Army guerrillas were everywhere.

When the Japanese soldiers who were alone encountered the Eighth Route Army, they could only die.

So at this time, there were only more than 500 remnants gathered around Yoshio Iwamatsu.

It must be a delusion to think of counterattacking Taiyuan based on just over 500 remaining troops.

That's why Iwamatsu Yoshio thought of asking for emergency assistance from the North China Front Army Headquarters, hoping that Okamura Yasuji could make a quick decision to dispatch the 110th Division and rush to assist along the Masato Road.

Yoshio Iwamatsu knew that Okamura Yasuji was planning an iron wall encirclement of the Eighth Route Army Hebei Central Military Region.

Moreover, the 110th Division has also completed the assembly and is on standby in Zhengding at this time. Therefore, with the order of Okamura Yasuji, the 20,000 elite troops of the 110th Division can quickly advance west along Zhengtai Road, and it takes less than ten hours to arrive at Shouyang County and launch a counterattack on Taiyuan before this evening.

Yoshio Iwamatsu had thought of drawing the main force of the First Army from the Taihang Military Region to return to the rescue urgently. In fact, he had issued an emergency retreat order to the 36th, 37th and 69th Divisions, who were carrying out the sweeping mission in the Taihang Military Region, ordering the three divisions to return to Taiyuan as quickly as possible.

But no matter how fast these three divisions are, it will take two days to return.

This is at least one day slower than the Zhengding 110 Division.

Yes, until now, Yoshio Iwamatsu still has a hint of luck in his heart.

He believes that as long as Taiyuan can be regained in a short period of time, he can be punished with merits and sins. At most, he will be dismissed from office and retired. At least he can save his life, and he can also save honors and treatment.

After the telegram to the North China Front Command was sent,

Yoshio Iwamatsu started looking at the wall clocks on the wall.

Seeing that it was past eight o'clock, the North China Front Army Command still did not reply. Yoshio Iwamatsu began to feel restless and said to the communications department head Inoue, "Inoue, go to the communications team to take a look."

Inoue Yasushi frowned and said, "Mr. Commander, I just asked about it five minutes ago."

"Isn't it five minutes passed?" Yoshio Iwamatsu said angrily, "Go and have a look."

"Hayi." Inoue Yasumi had no choice but to walk into the communication team next door again. The officers of Mizuhara Takuya and others gave me a pity to Yoshio Iwamatsu, just like watching a drowning person struggling desperately in the water.

Except for Yoshio Iwamatsu himself, others have actually seen his results.

Or maybe Yoshio Iwamatsu has already seen his own result, but he just doesn't want to accept his fate.

A moment later, Inoue Yasushi walked out of the communications team and actually took a telegram in his hand.

Yoshio Iwamatsu immediately grabbed the telegram like a drowning person catching the straw and said anxiously: "Is this the reply from the Front Command? Has the General agreed to transfer emergency reinforcements to the 110th Division?"

Inoue Yasushi said silently, but just looked at Yoshio Iwamatsu with pity.

Yoshio Iwamatsu quickly saw the content of the telegram, not the reply from the Front Command, but the inquiry from the Prime Minister and Army Minister from Tokyo, asking him to explain the ins and outs of the Taiyuan incident immediately.

Seeing this, Yoshio Iwamatsu immediately deflated like a deflated ball, and it was all over!

After a while, Yoshio Iwamatsu said to his adjutant, Kuroda Goro, "Kuroda, where is my knife?"

"Hayi." Kuroda Goro stepped forward and handed over the sword with his hands.

Yoshio Iwamatsu took the General's Knife, walked into the tea ceremony room next door with a miserable expression, knelt down on the tatami, then took out a sweat towel and began to carefully wipe the Taidao.

...

After eight o'clock, the Japanese aviation army bombarded the inner city of Taiyuan finally ended.

When the last Type 96 land long-range attack aircraft disappeared from the clouds in the distance, hidden in the civilian houses, shops, and various buildings outside the city, the Eighth Route Army, guerrillas and civilians came out one after another.

Li Yunlong, Ding Wei, Kong Jie, Wang Ye and others also returned to the front command center of the Soji Temple one after another.
To be continued...