bestfiction Chapter 469: Fujino Ichiro, this coward, actually dared to disobey orders on the battlefield. Catch
Chapter 469: Fujino Ichiro, this coward, actually dared to disobey orders on the battlefield. Catch
When Sato Ichiro learned that Fujino Ichiro had escaped in disgrace, he was so angry that he started cursing. He directly issued an arrest order. As soon as Fujino Ichiro got off the plane, he would be arrested and sent to the military court. He would never allow such a coward to exist under his command. If all his officers were like this, he believed that there was no need to fight this battle anymore.
In order to maintain his dignity and better command the troops below, Sato Ichiro decided to kill Fujino Ichiro to consolidate his position in the 12th Army. As an outsider, Sato Ichiro was not taken seriously in the 12th Army, which made Sato Ichiro furious. Now Fujino Ichiro, the local snake, gave him a handle, so he just used Sato Ichiro to establish his authority!
Ichiro Fujino had no idea that Ichiro Sato was going to attack him. When he arrived above Ping'an County, the worry on his face gradually disappeared, and he successfully escaped from the pocket formation set up by Lin Zhenhua. If he was slower, the bomber formation would have suffered heavy losses, and there was even a possibility of annihilation.
"General, your command this time was too bold. You issued the order to retreat without communicating with the rear. Until now, we have not been able to prove that your decision was correct. I think we should immediately coordinate the statements to prevent General Sato from causing trouble. Since General Sato came to Taiyuan, he has been restricted in every way and is extremely dissatisfied with the commander."
"The Empire's air forces are all guys who think highly of themselves. What's more, General Sato has served in the Navy Air Force. Such people should not be offended. It is better to deal with them with caution." Colonel Sasaki persuaded cautiously.
When Ichiro Fujino heard Colonel Sasaki mention this, he was filled with worries. The Empire's Naval Aviation and Army Aviation belonged to the Navy and the Army respectively, and the relationship between the two sides was hostile. He really couldn't understand how the headquarters made this decision. They even mobilized a Naval Aviation Brigade to support the Taiyuan battlefield. Did they think the country was not chaotic enough and wanted the front line to become chaotic as well? He had to suspect that this was some people's sinister intentions.
"Sasaki, what you said is indeed very reasonable. I have already consulted the commander about this, but the commander has no way to deal with it. The order was issued by the headquarters, which proves that the navy and the army have reached a compromise in this matter, and the purpose is to compete for credit. However, because the southward plan was too smooth, the Navy Headquarters' voice in the headquarters suddenly increased, which made Sato Ichiro the commander of the 16th Aviation Division. The most annoying thing is that this aviation division is a mixed organization. There have been several conflicts between the army and the navy in recent days, but the commander has turned a blind eye to it. I don't even have a backer now, and I really can't solve the current dilemma."
"We can only take things one step at a time. Let's return to Taiyuan Airport first. I will then explain everything to General Sato. As long as General Sato can listen to my analysis, things won't be too bad. At least both sides can maintain dignity."
Ichiro Fujino was not afraid of the independent regiment air force battalion. What worried him was the internal fighting among the Japanese, especially the fighting between the army and navy, which had already made too many people deeply involved and unable to extricate themselves, and even he was affected. At the moment, he could only take one step at a time. This was good news for Lin Zhenhua. He had previously regarded the Sato Division as a big enemy, but he did not expect that the Japanese air force would start a commotion first. It sounded quite surprising, but it was normal if you thought about it carefully. After all, the Japanese were so weird!
Ichiro Fujino led the bomber squadron back to Taiyuan Airport. As soon as he got off the plane, he was arrested by the military police. He immediately asked angrily: "Baga Yalu! Let me go! I want to see General Sato!"
Military police captain Harada Yokoji punched Fujino Ichiro in the stomach so hard that he almost cried. He ordered fiercely, "Take him away and send him to the military court for trial. Anyone who dares to stop us will be killed!"
Colonel Sasaki wanted to step forward and argue a few words, but after seeing Harada Yokoji's stern eyes, he had to swallow back what he was about to say. After waiting for the military police to leave, Colonel Sasaki immediately called the Taiyuan Command and informed Commander Yoshio Shinozuka of the matter.
"Sasaki, I already know about this. I will take my men to Taiyuan Airport right now. You must ensure General Fujino's safety and never let his life be threatened!"
Yoshio Shinozuka hung up the phone in a hurry and rushed to Taiyuan Airport with Ichiro Mitsui. Upon learning of the commander's arrival, Ichiro Sato had already expected it and greeted him at the airport gate. The three of them did not get tense when they met, but exchanged a few pleasantries before starting to talk about business.
"Mr. Sato, let's talk business behind closed doors. Fujino-kun must not get into trouble. You can't send him to a military court for trial. This behavior will once again provoke disputes between the army and the navy, which is very detrimental to our current spring sweep. If there is anything, we can sit down and talk it out. There is no need to take such extreme measures. I believe that Mr. Sato is very righteous and will never do anything that will make his relatives sad and his enemies happy!"
Yoshio Shinozuka set the tone for the matter right from the start. He was not actually against fighting, but the fighting had to be controlled within a certain range, otherwise it would easily backfire on himself.
Sato Ichiro replied with a smile on his face: "Commander, I really did nothing wrong in the matter of Fujino-kun. It is the duty of a soldier to obey orders, but Fujino-kun disobeyed my orders and retreated privately. This is an act of disobedience on the battlefield. It is correct for me to enforce military law on him."
"I have only locked up Mr. Fujino and have not let the military court try him, just to avoid internal strife and prevent this incident from affecting the spring sweep. The headquarters attaches great importance to the independent regiment's arsenal and requires us to destroy it, but Mr. Fujino turned a deaf ear to my words. I cannot accept this kind of behavior of overthrowing the superior. I believe that the commander can understand my approach. I must establish prestige in front of my subordinates!"
"What Fujino-kun did this time has put me under tremendous pressure. If I can't quickly resolve this matter, my prestige will be greatly affected, and I may not be able to command the troops below. I hope that the commander can understand my difficulties."
Ichiro Sato tried to appease Yoshio Shinozuka with a plausible excuse. For him, whether or not to attack the independent regiment's air battalion was not the most important thing. The first thing to do was to gain absolute command within the 16th Air Division.
"Sato-kun, I am a little dissatisfied with your attitude. I have given you face, but you are still stubborn. Fujino-kun played a huge role in the previous war with China. It is not an exaggeration to say that you have made great contributions. Your behavior is difficult to be accepted by others. It is very likely to cause a split within the aviation division. As the commander, I absolutely do not want to see this."
"As the commander of the naval aviation force, you do look down on the army aviation force and think they are all a bunch of idiots, but wars on land and at sea are different. There is a big difference between the two. I think we should abandon our prejudices and work together sincerely to attack the base of the independent regiment and complete the mission assigned by the headquarters."
"I don't want to continue saying these clichés. Just state your conditions directly. If I can agree to them, I will try my best to agree to them. Of course, your conditions cannot be too excessive. If they are beyond my ability, I will not agree to them. You'd better be cautious when making conditions!"
"I don't want the internal conflict of the 16th Flying Division to escalate. Once Fujino-kun is put on trial, a fierce battle between the Army and Navy aviation forces will break out. In order to calm the anger, all of us will be punished! I think we should each take a step back and give both sides a decent break. What do you think of my proposal, Sato-kun?"
Mitsui Ippei also said, "Sato-kun, the commander did not give any mandatory orders. You just wanted to give everyone a decent look so that everyone can step down. The strength of the independent regiment's air force battalion is much greater than you think, and the strength of the enemy's air defense force is also beyond your imagination. Future air battles will not be easy. What we have to do now is to put aside some differences, seek common ground while reserving differences, and defeat the enemy first."
"As long as the conditions proposed by Mr. Sato are not too excessive, His Excellency the Commander is willing to give you this face. After all, your 16th Flying Division has just arrived and really needs to establish its authority!"
Ichiro Sato really wanted to kill Ichiro Fujino, but he also knew that doing so would cause a series of chain reactions, and the 16th Aviation Division might even experience internal divisions. He could only use Ichiro Fujino as a breakthrough point to establish his own prestige. Now it seems that the effect is surprisingly good. With the endorsement of the commander-in-chief, many things can be justified.
"Commander, I agree to your request. My request is actually very simple. First, the flight allowance of our 16th Flying Division must be doubled, and our material supply must be guaranteed. These are trivial matters for you, and they are very easy to solve. All I want is a promise from you, that is, I have flexible command power on the battlefield, and I can refuse an order if I feel it cannot be executed. I hope you can agree to my request!"
"I have the right to refuse missions that would send me to my own death, but I will not refuse normal attack missions. I need to be responsible for the pilots below. They are all treasures of the empire and must not be used as cannon fodder!"