Time travel! Regrets will never happen again!

Chapter 192: The Destruction of the North China Expeditionary Force 9

The once prosperous and bustling city of Peking now seemed exceptionally deserted and quiet. The usually bustling streets now had almost no pedestrians in the daytime.

Occasionally someone walked by, looking hurried, as if they were running away from something.

The shops on both sides of the street kept their doors closed, as if they were afraid of the outside world.

At this time, the entire sky of Peking became the most lively place, because it had long been the world of the Chinese Air Force.

From time to time, one or two fighter planes would roar by and drop a large number of leaflets, which would fall like snowflakes and scatter in every corner of the city.

Neiji Okamura was sitting in his office with a flyer he had just received in front of him. The words on the flyer were concise and clear, but full of power.

"A message to all Japanese officers and soldiers! Japanese soldiers! You have been surrounded! Your reinforcements are now lying under the tank tracks!"

"Your emperor, your prime minister, and your military have abandoned you! You are in a desperate situation!"

"Think about your relatives back home, who are eagerly waiting for you to return home! Lay down your weapons! You should not work for a government that abandons you at will!"

"Go home and reunite with your loved ones! Our Chinese government treats prisoners well! We will guarantee your personal safety!"

There were also many color photos on the leaflets, and the content of them were naturally those senior officers who were killed, as well as the Japanese army’s division flags, brigade flags, and regiment flags.

There are also a large number of photos of Japanese prisoners of war who had laid down their arms and were living in the prisoner-of-war camps. In the eyes of Japanese officers and soldiers, these people seemed to be living quite well.

Neiji Okamura looked quietly at the flyer in his hand, his face becoming increasingly gloomy.

He knew that the war had reached a critical moment. Their army was in trouble, and the enemy was becoming stronger and stronger.

The content on the leaflet touched his heart deeply. He thought of his family in Japan, were they waiting for him to come home? He thought of his comrades who had fought with him, were they still alive?

Neiji Okamura silently put away the leaflets, then stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the sky outside. He knew that this war would not end easily.

Originally he thought and believed that as long as they persisted, victory would eventually belong to them, but the reality now severely woke him up from this self-deceiving idea.

"Commander! A personal letter from General Li Delin to you!"

The chief of staff handed a private letter to the commander with a serious expression. Okamura Neiji took the envelope and opened it in public without avoiding the people present.

The content of the letter was just as everyone expected, simply persuading them to lay down their arms and hoping that Okamura Yasuji could restrain his subordinates.

At this moment, many of the desperate Japanese soldiers had completely lost control. Within just a few days, many vicious incidents of robbery, rape and murder occurred.

In fact, General Okamura Yasuji had already issued an order this morning to execute these evil Japanese soldiers.

Li Delin's reminder in this private letter may seem to be an exhortation to Okamura Yasuji on the surface, but in fact, isn't it also a warning?

This is a warning to everyone in the city that their every move is clearly seen by the outside world.

Okamura Neiji stood up, walked to the conference table, put his hands on the table, scanned every general present, and then spoke in a low and majestic voice.

"Everyone! Tell us what you think! I hope you can be honest with each other and don't have any concerns. I won't pursue anyone's ideas, no matter how unrealistic they are! The situation we are facing now is very serious, and we need the wisdom and strength of each of you!"

After saying this, he slowly raised his head, which had been held high all the time, and stared at the group of subordinates below with a sharp gaze, as if he wanted to see through their eyes the true thoughts deep in their hearts.

Kawabe Masazo looked heavily at the commander and his colleagues around him. After he sighed deeply, he finally spoke.

"Everyone, the current situation is very clear. We don't need to hide it anymore. If we want to defend a city, we must have sufficient city defense forces and material supplies, and we also need a strong reinforcement force outside the city."

"However, we all know the current situation of Beiping City. If the Chinese people were not unwilling to destroy this city that carries the historical changes and cultural deposits of China for nearly a thousand years, I am afraid we would not be able to sit here and discuss this issue peacefully."

"Therefore, I think we can consider negotiating with the Chinese under certain conditions. Of course, we can further discuss the specific conditions, but I believe that as long as the demands are not too excessive, the Chinese should agree."

Before Kawabe Masamitsu finished his words, Hata Shunroku stood up impatiently, with anger and dissatisfaction flashing in his eyes.

His voice was full of authority, as if the entire conference room could feel his anger.

"Hebian-kun! You disappoint me so much! I never thought that you would have such a cowardly idea to surrender to those Chinese people! We are the invincible locust army. How can we kneel down and beg for surrender to those lowly enemies! This is simply an insult to the dignity of our soldiers of the Empire of Japan!"

Hata Shunroku became more and more excited as he spoke, and his emotions were almost out of control. However, just as he was about to continue scolding Kawabe Shozo, Okamura Neiji, who was sitting at the top, suddenly interrupted him.

"Master Hata Shunroku, please calm down! Now is not the time to argue. We need to face the current predicament together."

"No one wants to make such a suggestion, but Hebianjun is also considering everyone's life and death. Please put aside your personal emotions and prejudices and put the overall situation first."

Hata Shunroku stared at Okamura Neiji with wide eyes. Although he was full of dissatisfaction and doubt, he still resisted the urge to continue to refute.

After all, Okamura Yasuji was now the commander of the China Expeditionary Army and had the highest decision-making power, while he was just a senior general with more experience and could not directly confront Okamura Yasuji.

Hata Shunroku sat back in his seat silently and sighed in his heart. He knew that the current situation was very serious and they were facing a test of life and death.

Although deep down he was unwilling to surrender to the Chinese army, the reality was before him and he understood that this might be the only way to save their lives.

However, as a veteran soldier and a samurai with a strong sense of self-esteem, Hata Shunroku could not easily accept this fact. He once proudly believed that the Locust Army was invincible and could not be defeated by the Chinese Army.

But now, they have to face the cruel reality, which makes him feel extremely painful and helpless.