Chapter 1345： battle preparation

"Your Excellency, Commander, Kinabatangan is empty. General Suzuki Sosaku, Commander of the 35th Army, reported that when they arrived, the Germans had already retreated!" Major General Lin Yixiu, Chief of Staff of the 14th Front Army of the Japanese Army, reported road.

"What? The Germans have already retreated?" Lieutenant General Masahiro Honma frowned.

In order to ensure that the Germans can be defeated in battle, the island army is fully prepared this time. Waiting until the 14th Front Army, the 7th Front Army, and the various ministries under the 18th Front Army arrived, the attack was launched. But I didn't expect that the Germans would retreat on their own initiative, which made Lieutenant General Masahiro Honma a little confused.

"Is there any conspiracy in this?" Lieutenant General Masahiro Honma asked subconsciously.

The previous disastrous defeat of the Lanyin Front Army made him a little worried.

"Your Excellency, Commander, it is still unclear. However, this cannot be ruled out." Lin Yixiu said.

Obviously, the German army easily destroyed the Lan-Indian Front Army with its main force, which has already shocked the generals of the Japanese army.

"Let the Army Aviation Corps send an aircraft to reconnaissance, and then proceed to the next step after confirmation!" Lieutenant General Masahiro Honma ordered.

"Hi, Your Excellency Commander!" Major General Lin Yixiu replied.

Subsequently, the 7th Front Army and the 14th Front Army also successively reported that the German troops had withdrawn. Such a result made the generals of the island army a little at a loss. None of them knew why the German Army retreated? It's as if they clenched their fist and ended up punching the air.

Unable to do anything, the commanders of several front forces could only report the news to the Southern Army Command, and asked the Southern Army Commander General Hisao Nishio to decide what to do next.

General Hisao Nishio, the commander of the Southern Army, was also very surprised when he learned that the German army had retreated across the entire line from eastern Borneo. Originally, he thought that a major war would break out in eastern Borneo. Even he has already prepared for the heavy losses of the various ministries under the Southern Army. But I didn't expect that the Germans took the initiative to retreat?

"Tukada-kun, are you sure it's not a conspiracy by the Germans?" General Nishio Hiszo was also a little worried.

"Your Excellency, Commander, it should not be a conspiracy. The troops on the front line have been confirmed again and again. The Germans really retreated this time. Perhaps, they learned that we sent a large number of troops to land on Borneo, so they dare not continue to fight with us. Let's continue the confrontation," Lieutenant General Tsukada said.

General Hisao Nishio thought for a while, then shook his head: "Although we have sent a large number of troops to land, it is almost impossible to scare the Germans. The Germans must have Their purpose. However, no matter what they do, our purpose is clear, that is to occupy the entire Borneo and completely defeat the Germans!"

Lieutenant General Tsukada Gong nodded.

"Order the troops on the front line to continue the offensive. However, during the offensive, be as vigilant as possible and don't fall into the trap of the Germans." General Hisao Nishio said.

Obviously, General Hisao Nishio has always been worried about the fact that the Lanyin front army fell into the trap of the German army, which resulted in the loss of the entire front army.

"Hi, Your Excellency Commander!" Lieutenant General Tsukada Ko replied.

"However, Your Excellency, Commander. Now we have three front armies in Borneo. If the three front armies go their own way, problems are likely to arise. Then the Germans seized the opportunity and defeated them one by one." Lieutenant General Tsukada reminded road.

General Nishio Hiszo nodded, he knew that this problem was very likely to arise. Lieutenant General Masaharu Honma, commander of the 14th Front Army, Lieutenant General Shizuo Tanaka, commander of the 7th Front Army, and Lieutenant General Akito Nakamura of the 14th Front Army were not people who would easily obey the orders of others. If they are allowed to command the troops by themselves, there may be big problems in the end.

"How about this, send a telegram to the front line, and let Lieutenant General Masahiro Honma be responsible for controlling the other two front forces!" General Nishio Hiszo made a decision. The reason why he let Lieutenant General Masaki Honma be responsible for controlling the other two front armies was that Lieutenant General Masaki Honma was the oldest and very capable. On the other hand, it is because the 14th Front Army has the most powerful troops.

"Hi, Your Excellency Commander." Lieutenant General Tsukada Ko replied.

When General Nishio Hiszo's order was issued, no matter what Lieutenant General Shizuo Tanaka and Lieutenant General Akito Nakamura thought in their hearts. But they can only accept the order and temporarily obey the command of Lieutenant General Masahiro Honma.

Lieutenant General Masahiro Honma is full of ambition, and he wants to take advantage of this opportunity to defeat the German 23rd Army and establish his reputation and position in the army.

Under the order of Lieutenant General Masahiro Honma, the 14th Front Army, the 7th Front Army and the 18th Front Army of the island country army began to attack across the board and occupied the entire East Borneo. However, during the march, they have also been vigilant to avoid falling into the trap of the German army.

Fortunately, the German army has indeed shrunk its troops to the vicinity of Brunei City, and their advance can be regarded as safe and sound.

Lieutenant General Masharu Honma and others breathed a sigh of relief after finding out the truth and knowing that the main force of the German 23rd Army had gathered around Brunei. However, the main force of the German 23rd Army has gathered near the city of Brunei, which is obviously even more difficult to deal with. This made Lieutenant General Masahiro Honma and the others feel great pressure.

At this moment, the German 23rd Army is making full preparations for the battle. The 5 infantry divisions, 2 mechanized infantry divisions, 1 armored division and 1 heavy artillery brigade assembled in Brunei City, as well as the reconnaissance brigade, engineering brigade, supply brigade, etc. of the group, are doing their best to build fortifications. The intention is to build the surrounding area of ​​Brunei City into a solid defensive position. In the next battle, it will resist the attack of the island army and cause as many casualties as possible to the island army.

At the same time, the 5th Aviation Group of the Air Force also stepped up its attack and began to compete with the island country's army aviation for air supremacy. This makes the air battle more and more tragic. The losses of the 3rd Air Force and 4th Air Force of the Island Army Air Force have also become larger and larger.

At the same time, the German Navy’s Pacific Fleet and Indian Ocean Fleet also received a request from the 23rd Army, requesting them to send a main fleet to the South China Sea secretly to prevent the island navy from dispatching capital ships to bombard Brunei. After all, this place is located by the sea, completely within the range of the battleship's main guns.