"Nakamura Masao hastily said: 'Prime Minister, you can make a direct decision on this matter. I fully support your opinion. You are the Imperial General and are a hundred times stronger than me in military affairs. It's better for you to take charge yourself.'"

  Muyang smiled warmly upon hearing this and said to Nakamura Masao, "I suddenly remembered that you are still a lieutenant general, which is clearly inconsistent with your position. Tomorrow I will personally issue an order promoting you to Imperial General and granting you the title of Marshal."

  Nakamura Masao's face lit up with joy, and he quickly said: "Thank you, Prime Minister. Nakamura is what it is today, all thanks to the Prime Minister's cultivation. I will resolutely stand by the Prime Minister's side and support all of the Prime Minister's decisions."

  The next day, the Japanese Army Ministry and General Staff issued a joint statement.

  "Firstly, it is required that the Chinese Expeditionary Army, the Kwantung Army and the Air Force General Army each withdraw half of their forces from the China theatre and directly reinforce the Southern Army."

  Second, the troops that stay in China should not cause any trouble for a while and focus on strategic defense. The General Staff will not arrange any major battles anymore. Everything will be focused on the Southeast Asian battlefield. After defeating the US military in Southeast Asia, we will unify the entire Asia.

  Thirdly, please coordinate with the navy to ensure the safety of maritime traffic lines during this personnel adjustment.

  Fourthly, the Southern Army in Southeast Asia must withstand the US military's offensive and must bring out all its strength to take on a posture of decisive battle with the US military for the next fight.

  When this order was transmitted to China, many Japanese military leaders in the Chinese war zone felt that this order was simply absurd. Niimi Kazuo crumpled up the telegram material in his hand and threw it away fiercely.

  "Bastard, that conspirator Kuniaki Koiso has killed Tōjō Hideki, Sugiyama Hajime and Matsuura Mitsuru, now he's starting to investigate the army, who does he think he is? Bastard, what a bastard. If I were in Japan, I'd go kill him right away." Okamura Yasuji cursed loudly.

  As the commander-in-chief of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, Okamura knew very well that the situation in China was not as described in the telegram. The current situation in China is stable and a large number of troops can be withdrawn to support the southern army.

  When implementing the No. 1 combat plan, the Japanese army had already withdrawn a large number of troops from all local garrisons, which seriously affected the maintenance of local stability by the Japanese army. The Nationalist Army and the Communist Army both showed an upward trend. People at the bottom have made great efforts to maintain local stability.

  The General Staff now requires the dispatch of half of the army to support the Southern Army. To say nothing of whether Tōjō Hideki can send out so many troops, even if he could, he would not hand over half of his army to others.

  Besides, given the current situation in China, if he really sends out half of his troops, it's estimated that the Japanese army will be defeated by the Chinese army in a short period of time and become utterly devastated. By then, the empire's foundation, which was obtained with great difficulty over several decades, will be destroyed overnight.

  "Get in touch with Chief of the General Staff, Taigorō Matsui, and have him come here. We need to discuss this thoroughly." Okamura Teiichi said to his staff secretary.

  After the arrival of General Toshirō Matsumoto, Chief of Staff of the Chinese Expeditionary Army, the two men began to discuss in private.

  "Mr. Matsui, the internal unrest in Tokyo has already spread to the military. Just now, Kojima Kiyoshi issued an order in the name of the Army Ministry and General Staff Office, requesting that we withdraw half of our troops to support the Southern Army. Has your staff received this news?" asked Okamura Teiichi.

  Matsui Taigorō's face didn't look good either, and he nodded: "Received. The telegram strictly orders the General Staff to take responsibility for supervising this troop deployment, requiring that everything be done according to command requirements. All preparations for the transfer must be completed by December 30th, and action must begin on January 1st."

  "We only have 10 days to prepare, what a mess, this involves the transfer of 500,000 troops, what can be done in 10 days. Kojima Kiyoshige is an idiot, an idiot." Okamura Yasuji scolded again.

  "This is not the point, the point is that if we really obey and dispatch troops to support the Southern Army, China's war situation will directly fail, which is absolutely unacceptable. Does the Empire want us to directly abandon the Chinese battlefield?"

  "What should we do then? Should we just disobey orders?"

  Okamura rose to his feet, pacing back and forth inside the house several times before finally making up his mind. "We must disobey orders; this command is absurd from the start. Only a fool without brains would come up with such a battle plan - it's utter nonsense! As commanders leading troops in foreign lands, we cannot follow the arbitrary commands of fools. Matsui, I intend to order our troops to continue holding their positions. What are your thoughts?"

  Matsui Taigorō narrowed his eyes and said, "Commander-in-Chief, as the commander of the expeditionary force, you naturally have the right to do so, and I agree with your views in principle. However, how will you respond to Prime Minister Koiso Kuniaki? He is now holding the power of the cabinet and the military department, if we don't obey him, then how can our army's logistics be guaranteed?"

  It is said that the military command in a foreign land has its limitations, but there is one thing - the logistics of the army are controlled by the Ministry of War. As long as the Ministry of War cuts off the army's logistical supplies, how long can the entire army hold on? Don't expect the Japanese army to survive by looting, because there is no military force in the world that can sustain itself solely by plundering local resources.

  Okamura Yasuji sat weakly on the sofa, pulled out a cigarette from the case, and his hand holding the lighter was shaking. He was really angry at Kojima Kunio.

  After a long time, Okamura Yasuji pressed the cigarette butt that was about to burn his fingers hard into the ashtray and said to Matsui Takuro: "No matter what the outcome is, I will never carry out this order now. If we do so, it will ruin the efforts of the Empire over the years, and our battle in China will collapse instantly. This is absolutely unacceptable. I will personally telegram Koiso Kuniaki to explain the situation in China and ask him to withdraw his order."

  "What about the commanders of the troops below, how should we tell them that this telegram is a direct order to the division level, all division commanders in China know about this order, what will be the reaction from the Kwantung Army and the Air Force?" asked Matsui Taigorō.

  In fact, Okamura Yasuji was the commander-in-chief of the China Expeditionary Army, but he could not control the Kwantung Army or the Air Force, and even some other higher-level military units were beyond his command.

  "They are beyond my control, but I strongly disagree with this order. Alright, I'm going to the telegraph room to send a telegram. Matsui-gun, will you come with me?" Okamura Yasuji asked, looking at Matsui Taikō.

  Matsui Taigorō hesitated for a moment, then a faint smile appeared on his face, and he said in a low voice: "I will return to the General Staff Office and send a telegram to the Imperial General Headquarters in the name of the General Staff Office. I won't co-sign with Your Excellency here."