Chapter 1302 Forming the Southern Army

"Itagaki-kun, hurry up! The U.S. only gave us one week of preparation time. We have to launch an offensive after a week. This time, the Americans even gave up the Philippine Islands, which shows that they have a lot of confidence in this battle. How important it is. If we can no longer meet the demands of the Americans, the Americans may no longer support us!" Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe said solemnly.

"Hi, please rest assured, Prime Minister. We will definitely send troops to the Philippines in a week. And we will launch an attack on Dutch Indonesia as soon as possible." General Seishiro Itagaki replied.

Konoe Fumimaro nodded and said nothing more. His prime minister's control over the army is very small.

After Seishiro Itagaki returned to the Ministry of the Army, he immediately sent for General Prince Kanin Miyazaihito, Chief of Staff of the Army, General Yamada Otozo, Director of Education, and Lieutenant General Hideki Tojo, Director of Aviation.

"Gentlemen, because of our incompetence, we have to postpone our attack on Nanyang and Australia. Fortunately, the United States attaches great importance to this. The U.S. government has agreed that we use the Philippine Islands to launch attacks on Nanyang and Australia. Offensive! This is undoubtedly great news for us. With the Philippine Islands as a springboard, we can launch an attack on Southeast Asia and Australia without relying on the support of the navy." Admiral Seishiro Itagaki smiled.

"Yo Xi! This is really great news!" General Prince Zairen of Xianyuan Palace had a smile on his face.

General Yamada Otosan and Lieutenant General Tojo Hideki were also very happy. It was the first time they had heard the news.

Originally, the army of the island country was still waiting for an opportunity to launch an attack after defeating the German navy and seizing command of the sea. Now it seems that they don't have to wait any longer.

"Gentlemen, what we need to do now is to form the southern army as soon as possible, and then send troops to occupy the Philippines first, and then use the Philippines as a springboard to launch an attack on Dutch Indonesia. Finally, we will launch an attack on the Indochina Peninsula and Australia to completely defeat the troops deployed here. German army!" Itagaki Seishiro said with the general.

Several senior generals of the Japanese army nodded repeatedly. If the Philippine Islands can be used as a springboard, then this battle will undoubtedly be much smoother. Even relying on their superiority in army strength, it is not impossible to sweep across Southeast Asia and Australia.

"Itagaki-kun, this time the troops that make up the Southern Army must be elite! What we are facing is the German Army, which is known as the world's number one!" Admiral Yamada Otosan reminded.

General Itagaki Seishiro nodded heavily, although they thought that the fighting power of the island country army was also very strong, and they fought more bravely than the soldiers of the German army. But they have to admit that the combat effectiveness of the German Army is very strong. If they want to defeat the German Army, they must send elites.

"This battle is about the future of the empire. We will dispatch the most elite troops." General Seishiro Itagaki said.

"Tojo-kun, whether we want to send troops to the Philippine Islands this time, or attack Dutch Indonesia, Indochina Peninsula and Southeast Asia, we need the full support of the air force. Therefore, the task of the air force this time is very difficult." General Itagaki Seishiro had a serious face.

"Minister of the Army, the Air Force will do its best. All our pilots are ready for battle!" Lieutenant General Hideki Tojo replied.

"Masters, the survival of the empire lies in this battle, and we must do our best to win this battle!" General Itagaki Seishiro said.

"Hi!" everyone replied.

The Army Staff Headquarters of the island country has already started the formation of the Southern Army, and with the mobilization of the army of the island country, it is almost completed. They can mobilize more and more troops.

The next day, Prince Xianyuan Gong Zairen, Chief of Army Staff, submitted a plan for the formation of the Southern Army.

In the plan, the Southern Army will have five front armies, four infantry armies and two aviation armies. The total strength includes 38 infantry divisions, 23 independent mixed brigades, two tank divisions, six Flying divisions and several other units.

For the island country army that has formed hundreds of divisions, it is not a big deal to deploy so many troops. Of course, a large part of these troops are elite. It can be seen that the island army attaches great importance to this operation.

"Itagaki Sei-kun, this is just the first unit of the Southern Army. If the battle goes wrong, we can send more troops to join the Southern Army at any time!" said Prince Xianyuan Gong Zairen.

General Itagaki Seishiro nodded, although he knew that he wanted to defeat the Germans in Nanyang and Australia, such a small force was obviously not enough. But he also knew that it was impossible to send all the troops out at the beginning of the battle. After they have completely occupied the Philippine Islands and Dutch Indonesia, if there are not enough troops, they can be transferred from the country at any time. The island army plans to form more than two hundred divisions.

"These troops should be enough at the beginning of the war. After the war starts, let's gradually increase it!" General Itagaki Seishiro said.

Prince Zairen of Xianyuan Palace nodded: "Then, how to determine the commander of the Southern Army?"

General Itagaki Seishiro couldn't help but frowned. It is foreseeable that the Southern Army will soon develop into the most powerful army in the island country. If they want to conquer Southeast Asia and Australia, and defeat the 800,000 German troops deployed there, they must send more troops. There would be no doubt, then, that the strength of the Confederate Army exceeded one million men. Even reaching 1.5 million or even 2 million is very possible.

In addition, the attack on Southeast Asia and Australia is related to the fate of the island country. So they hope to win this battle.

This requires the commander of the Southern Army to be a very capable person.

Several names flashed through General Itagaki Seishiro's mind, but then he denied it.

"Itagaki-kun, how would you like to have General Nishio Toshizo as the commander of the Southern Army? Nishio-kun served as the commander of the Kwantung Army and director of education, the rank of general, and his qualifications in the army are enough to serve as the commander of the Southern Army." Kanin Palace General Prince Zairen suggested.

General Itagaki Seishiro thought for a while, then nodded: "You can let Nishio-kun be the commander. I will suggest it to the Prime Minister."

The commander of the Southern Army is undoubtedly a very important position, which must be approved by the Prime Minister.

After consulting with Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe, General Hisao Nishio received a letter of appointment as the commander of the Southern Army.