Comrade, your ingredients are too complicated.

The puppet army brigade commander's funny and exaggerated kneeling and begging movements really attracted the attention of many passing soldiers.

In order to put an end to this sudden farce in time, the comrade in charge of guarding the prisoner decisively pulled him up from the ground, and then warned him in an oppressive tone:
"Be honest with me!"

"If I were you, I wouldn't play any tricks! The so-called intelligence had better be authentic, otherwise you will face the wrath of the Eighth Route Army soldiers!"

Facts have proved that the traitorous leaders always have the talent to survive in a shameful way.

When faced with life-and-death crises, these people often sell out all valuable information in order to save their lives.

When the details of the enemy's deployment appeared on the military map, the fog of war on the northern front suddenly dissipated, giving a feeling of finally seeing the light.

Soon, Captain Gao, who had heard the news, also arrived at the scene.

Looking at the pseudo-army brigade commander who was desperately betraying his former master, he said with a serious face:
"You want to make amends for your crime?"

"Okay, wait, our reconnaissance company will set out later. If the information you just provided is proven to be true, our Eighth Route Army may consider giving you a lighter sentence."

Seeing that there was a ray of hope after a dark period, the puppet army brigade commander immediately put on an extremely flattering smile on his face and patted his chest loudly, as if he was about to take out his heart and show it to everyone.

There's no way, they have always been successful in failing.

There is still a way out if you stand on the wrong side, but if you don't confess actively, you will only have a dead end.

"Well, look at what you said. If I didn't have any real talent, how could I dare to recommend myself? Just wait for good news!"

As the saying goes, if you know yourself and your enemy, you will be victorious in any battle.

The reason why Captain Gao attached so much importance to pre-war intelligence work was because the enemy was by no means an ordinary person and he needed to go all out.

Compared with the troops directly under the North China Front Army and the troops stationed in Mongolia in the last battle, the 12th Army has obviously more combat experience.

They know how to play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, and how to achieve the greatest results at the lowest cost. It is obvious that they have received targeted training.

It’s just like the offensive and defensive battle that just ended.

The Japanese soldiers in the pits did not lay the mines all at once on the front of the defense line, but chose to arrange them in a dispersed manner, which greatly increased the difficulty of mine clearance for the 1st Armored Regiment.

In addition, the opponent's firepower distribution is also very particular.

Faced with the surging attack of dozens of light tanks, the Japanese no longer fired in vain at the main frontal armor. The heavy machine gun positions deployed on the flanks almost caused a disconnect between the infantry and tanks.

Even the death squad wearing ointment flags on their heads seemed more rational and sober.

Under the coordination of a squad leader, those desperate criminals hid in bomb craters or bunkers, disguised as corpses, and only rushed forward with explosives when the vibration got closer.

Such systematic cooperation brought a lot of pressure to the Armored Regiment 1. In just half an hour of fighting, the troops lost as many as four crews.

There's no way around it. The Cicada's armor protection and firepower are ultimately lacking.

When fighting on plain terrain, we still have to rely on more advanced light tanks or smaller medium tanks.

······
Thanks to the super mobility of Shandong Kongfuzi 222, the armored reconnaissance company that went to verify the authenticity of the intelligence took only more than minutes to go back and forth between the two places.

After getting off the car, Captain Liu immediately ran forward and came to his commander with the sorted report as soon as possible.

"Captain, the puppet army leader didn't lie. According to the results of the recent investigation, there is at least a large group of Japanese soldiers lying in ambush in the forest over in Kejing Town."

"The enemy must be trying to play the long game and didn't open fire even after noticing our whereabouts."

"Should we contact our superiors and temporarily modify the original battle plan to directly take the main road to attack the enemy's defensive position?"

After hearing this, Captain Gao fell into deep thought.

In the decisive battle plan of Cheng and Ding, the task of the 1st Armored Regiment was to quickly penetrate to the northeast of Jiyuan County, form a siege with the main force in the front and the 2nd Armored Regiment in the southeast, and finally eat up the dumpling filling of more than 30,000 people in one go.

There are two routes from the sealed gate to the mission coordinates.

The first option was to follow the highway all the way. However, most of the enemy's defensive forces were deployed along the way, and the troops needed to go through multiple battles before they could break through.

After careful analysis and weighing the pros and cons, Cheng and Ding decisively gave up the above-mentioned option with greater risks.

The second route is more interesting. After defeating the Japanese defenders in Xiaguan Village, the troops will plunge into the forest northwest of Kejing Town and finally complete the advance secretly via the oxcart road.

Does it look familiar?

Yes, this option is exactly what Old Dai proposed. Forest plus armored troops, it seems that someone is starting to reminisce about the summer of 1940.

But playing is playing, and joking is joking, don't make fun of Manstein and Guderian's military qualities.

The advantage of crossing the forest is obvious, that is, the enemy does not think that tanks can pass here, and the number of troops defending this place is likely to be small.

Of course, this option has its drawbacks as well.

After all, the quality and width of the oxcart road would affect the marching speed of the armored troops. Without local guides, there would even be a risk of getting lost.

After repeated considerations, Cheng and Ding finally decided to let the Armored Regiment cross the forest.

This is not because we blindly believe in the successful cases of other countries. It is mainly because the Japanese army's front defense line in Jiyuan is too dense, and even if a regiment of tanks succeeds in breaking through, it will suffer considerable losses.

The armored forces are the Eighth Route Army's treasure, and even though they are well-off now, they cannot squander them recklessly.

As for time?

It only took De Sanxen 48 hours to cross the Ardennes region, which is just a forest with a smaller area. How big a wave can it make?
After thinking for a while, Captain Gao finally made a decision. He slapped his hand heavily on the turret of the Cicada tank, and then said decisively:

"No need to contact the superiors, continue to execute the planned battle plan. It's just a forest of moderate size, we can definitely get through it with our hard power."

"You want to play dirty tricks on me? I want to see if the devils have the strength to do that!"

"Pass on my order! The whole regiment continues to move forward! Contact the Second Air Division again, tell Captain Fang about the current situation, and ask our friendly forces to help open a path!" "Yes!"

······
To the northwest of Kejing Town, the Japanese set up a preset position.

"Major, do you think the Eighth Route Army will really cross the forest? If the enemy chooses to attack head-on, the county town, which is seriously short of troops, will not be able to stop the enemy's armored forces."

"Once our superiors hold us accountable, I'm afraid neither you nor I can withstand the wrath of Commander Tsuchihashi Ichi and Lieutenant General Shigeta Tokumatsu."

"How about we hurry back to the county town?"

The Major of the Manchuria-Mongolia Youth League frowned at the unconfident speech of his own staff. As a grassroots commander who once served in a Type A division, Andar Shinji despised spineless people who were afraid before fighting.

As expected, the old devil threw a big bag at the other person's face without saying a word, and then cursed in an unhappy tone:

"idiot!
"If it weren't for the lack of staff officers in the brigade, you, a pig who disrupted the morale of our army, would have to be disemboweled to apologize! I have fought more battles than you have eaten salt, and you still dare to question my decision?"

"I have been preparing for today's battle for half a year. Now you want me to retreat. What is your intention?"

In Andersen's opinion, no matter how strong the defense is, it will be conquered sooner or later. If you just sit there and defend, you will eventually die.

Rather than passively playing a tower defense game with the Eighth Route Army, it is better to go all in and take back the initiative. The best way is to attack the enemy unexpectedly and meet the enemy with danger.

Going alone is the romance of the Great Japanese Army. What kind of soldier are you if you don't dare to rebel against your superiors?

What if you make a wrong bet and are held accountable by your superiors?
Just kidding, the old devil had no intention of returning home in an ordinary way this time.

If he wins the bet, he will lead a group of third-rate troops and the Imperial Army to defeat the Eighth Route Army's armored forces and gain military merit. If he loses the bet, he will lead his men to charge desperately and die on the way to the attack.

For a fanatical militarist, his thinking process is so simple and crude.

After venting his anger, Nobuji Ando grabbed the staff officer temporarily assigned by his superiors and immediately ordered him to prepare for battle.

"Notify all squadrons to be ready for action at any time. The previous reconnaissance team has been gone for more than an hour, and the enemy's main force is expected to appear soon."

"Once the war begins, each unit must make full use of its Imperial Army to attract firepower. Since those good-for-nothings have enjoyed their rights, let them repay His Majesty the Heavenly Locust with their lives!"

"Remember, any action must take advantage of the terrain! Don't charge lightly, and try to kill the Eighth Route Army in the forest. Let them see what a talking tree is!"

"Hi!"

As we all know, forests are a nightmare for armored forces.

In an environment with complex terrain and numerous vegetation obstacles, whether it is a tank or an armored vehicle, it will do its best to serve as a fixed artillery position.

Breakthrough? Detour? Encirclement?
The above tactics basically only exist in dreams.

In Andersen's battle plan, he decided to have his soldiers make full use of favorable terrain such as woods and bushes, attack secretly and then run away, eventually putting the enemy's armored forces into a passive position.

As long as you can deal crazy damage to the weak sides of the Cicada's armor, the majestic tank will become a sitting duck in the jungle.

In war, it's not bad to steal others' knowledge.

Since the Eighth Route Army's tactics are so effective, it is natural to use them to overthrow Tiangang.

When he was the only one left in the entire command center, Nobuyuki Ando took out a bottle of sake that he had collected for many years from his bag and actually held a celebration banquet for himself before the war.

"Tsk, leading third-rate infantry to defeat dozens of light tanks at once. This level of incredible achievements is probably unique in the entire Great Japanese Army."

"Perhaps after this battle, I will not only be promoted to colonel, but I will even have the opportunity to return to the 14th Division."

"Yoshi! Beautiful!"

Logically speaking, a grassroots commander who has experienced several large-scale battles should not make the mistake of underestimating the enemy. Even if he has a terrain advantage, he should gain a big advantage before opening the champagne.

But Nobuji Ando believed in his heart that his side would win, and he didn't even consider the possibility of failure.

Isn’t it just the armored forces of the Republic of China?

It's no big deal. I destroyed more than a dozen tanks of various models in 1938. Even the T26 is no match for them, let alone the fragile little tanks of your Eighth Route Army.

The soldiers in Xiaguan Village were trained by me. They simply rigidly applied the tactics I taught them and caused you to lose several crews.

Now that I’m here in person, isn’t it a sure thing?

······
During the Battle of Lanfeng four years ago, Nobuji Ando had followed the 200th Division and fought against the mixed armored reinforced company of the th Division.

On that occasion, Qiu Shaguan led a total of 10 Vickers ultra-light tanks, 35 Fiat CV7 ultra-light tanks, 26 Russian T3 light tanks, and even three Shandong Kongfuzi 221s.

With such a lineup, we can only say that Baldy is truly a loyal player of World of Tanks, and he must collect a large number of primary vehicles.

After the fight, due to the poor quality of the soldiers and the lack of coordination between the infantry and tanks, the mixed armored reinforced company of the 200th Division basically did not achieve the expected results.

Two of the three armored vehicles were destroyed by the Japanese cavalry even though they were accompanied by infantry.

The much-anticipated T26 was in an even worse situation. They rushed too fast and lost touch with the infantry, lost their way and mistakenly entered the position of the th Division.

The final outcome was naturally that they were all destroyed, and even the wreckage was pulled back as trophies.

There was no way, after all, whether it was the commander of the preserved fruit or the grassroots soldiers, they were all unfamiliar with foreign things like tanks. Before the victory at Kunlun Pass, even some of the Central Army did not know that they had armored units.

In addition, due to the lack of an independent defense industry, key equipment such as fuel and ammunition are all controlled by others.

In this way, daily training exercises will certainly not be able to proceed normally, and once they go to the battlefield, it will naturally feel like they are being forced into a fight.

If the Candied Armored Forces want to show their power, they have to wait until the expeditionary force gets the M3 Stuart and the Pacific Tiger M4 Sherman.

It was precisely because of the above combat experience, coupled with the preparations and targeted training that began after the Second Battle of Xinkou, that Ando Shinji was full of confidence in the next battle. (End of this chapter)