Comrade, your ingredients are too complicated.

"Happy New Year, comrades!"

On October 1942, 10, the Jiaolai Plain was covered with deep pits at dusk.

Looking down from the sky, these craters are of different sizes and shapes, looking quite similar to Verdun more than 30 years ago.

If there were someone knowledgeable at the scene and observed carefully, it would not be difficult to tell that they were the battle scars left by medium and large caliber mortars, 122mm rocket launchers, 105 and 155mm howitzers, and high-explosive aerial bombs.

In Asia, only the wealthy Eighth Route Army could frequently call for such insane firepower cover.

"boom!"

Under the setting sun, the Japanese who had just finished fighting were gathered in groups of two or three. The engineers of the 1st Tank Division said nothing, but just kept sweeping mines with their Type 100 mine detectors.

After a while, a lucky Japanese soldier was the first to receive the dinner left on the battlefield by the Fifth Division of the Shandong Provincial Military Region.

There was a crisp sound, followed by an explosion. Hundreds of steel balls and metal fragments gushed out in all directions, and no Japanese engineers within a radius of dozens of meters were spared.

Blood mist splattered and flesh flew everywhere.

Although most of the Japanese were only injured and did not die on the spot, the wailing of the wounded alone made the morale of the entire engineering regiment visibly weakened.

The unknown is the greatest fear.

The mines scattered in every corner made the Japanese soldiers look around in fear. But even if their legs and feet couldn't stop trembling, they still had to bite the bullet and continue.

All I can say is, this is what militarism is like.

Ordinary soldiers only need to devote themselves to the battlefield and clear the way honestly. However, officers in the rear have too many things to consider.

Looking at the weapons collected by the engineers from the ruined positions, Infantry Colonel Taki Yuichiro was so excited that his face flushed and the corners of his mouth almost reached his ears.

"In this battle, our First Tank Division captured a lot of spoils."

"There's no need to say much about French rifles, light machine guns, heavy machine guns, and the corresponding ammunition. These things are not very valuable. Even a third-rate garrison division does not lack basic infantry equipment."

"But the 13.2mm dual-purpose machine gun, 25mm and 37mm anti-aircraft guns, and two caliber anti-tank guns are all weapons that are urgently needed for Operation No. ."

After more than twenty hours of fierce fighting, Takiichiro was already tortured to death by the shortcomings of his own division.

Others are the butchers and I am the meat.

Due to the lack of sufficient anti-aircraft weapons, his infantry regiment was almost like lambs to be slaughtered when it encountered the Eighth Route Army Air Force on the plains.

Now that they have seized a large number of high-performance equipment, the Japanese have gained confidence and are determined to compete with the little man in the sky to determine the winner and the loser.

Hearing the colonel's sigh, the lieutenant colonel staff officer beside him nodded subconsciously.

He first forced the Mas35 pistol he had just picked up into his gun bag, and then threw the Type Nambu pistol issued by the troops to the accompanying adjutant as if throwing away garbage.

Even the Japanese Army itself despises this despicable imitator with weak firepower and prone to malfunction.

If the lieutenant colonel had been financially strapped, he would have paid out of his own pocket to buy a self-defense weapon before going into battle.

"Takio-kun, the equipment discarded by the Eighth Route Army is indeed good stuff. It's just that the enemy destroyed most of the ammunition before retreating, and the shells we collected are not even a basic number."

"Besides, I don't think a mere infantry regiment like us can eat so many good things."

"The various types of artillery in front of us are enough to form half an independent artillery regiment. I'm sure the brigade commander, division commander, and even General Okamura will come here after hearing the news."

As soon as these words came out, Taki Yuichiro's old face suddenly fell.

It is true that their infantry regiment lacks anti-aircraft guns, but the various divisions of the Kwantung Army, the 12th Army and the direct units of the North China Front Army are even more lacking.

Especially in the several Type B divisions that were fighting desperately with the Eighth Route Army of Henan Province in the central hills. They lacked air defense and anti-tank means, and they were fighting with lives almost every minute and every second.

Otherwise, there would not have been such a rush to attack in the direction of Jiaolai Plain.

"Oh, I got it. Pass on my order. Keep one squad's share of the dual-purpose machine guns and anti-aircraft guns that we just captured, and hand the rest over to the division headquarters for distribution by the division commander himself."

"As for anti-tank guns, we can just leave one squad. After all, we already have a lot of Type 37 mm rapid-fire guns, and we don't have enough guns and people."

"The rest of you! Search with all your might! The Eighth Route Army is fleeing in panic, so they will surely leave behind a lot of high-value items. Even if we can't fight to support the enemy, we must fill our pockets!"

"Hi!"

After receiving the order from their own colonel to dig three feet deep in the ground and pluck the feathers of passing geese, the Japanese in the entire infantry regiment started to move.

Although there are still many anti-personnel and anti-tank mines on the battlefield that have not been cleared away, they can take their lives if they are not careful.

But unfortunately, the Fifth Division of the Shandong Provincial Military Region deliberately left behind a lot of property and handicrafts. Blinded by greed and money, the ordinary soldiers couldn't stop at all.

You can only earn a little money by serving in the military. If you really want to get rich, you have to rely on post-war business. The Osaka Division is the best example.

Half an hour later, a Japanese soldier dug a mortar crater with a shovel. The moment he turned over the soil, a 08% new Luger P and a watch made in Taiyuan immediately came into view.

The Japanese were overjoyed and quickly put the spoils into their pockets.

The thief looked sneaky and sneaky, obviously afraid that someone would appear out of nowhere.

"These Eighth Route Army soldiers are really wealthy. If they can use a properly manufactured Luger pistol from Germany, they can at least buy an ugly domestically made sedan in the southern part of the Republic of China."

"This watch is even more important. It has been in short supply since a year ago. If I were to sell it, the price would definitely not be less than 1000 yen."

"Xiaosong-kun, you are very lucky today. But we also have to thank the fleeing Eighth Route Army, otherwise we would not have had a chance to clean up the battlefield."

It is difficult to guard against domestic thieves day and night.

Just as Komatsu Tateto was secretly delighted by his unexpected harvest, his squad leader came to the bomb crater silently. The other party had a sinister smile on his face, obviously ready to take a share of the spoils.

Seeing this, Komatsu Tateto had no choice but to accept his fate. It was better to make money than to return empty-handed, not to mention that his captain's connections were indeed more wild.

"Hey! You're right."

Before the Japs could finish their words, an anti-personnel mine buried at the edge of the crater suddenly exploded, and the lucky squad leader was blown into several pieces.

As the smoke slowly dissipated, the tragic situation of Komatsu Tateto gradually appeared before the eyes of the Japanese.

The bloody body that looked like a gourd was like the silent mockery of the Eighth Route Army, making the people present both angry and frightened.

······
In the forward command post of the 1st Tank Division, the division commander Hoshino Toshimoto's face was filled with disbelief. It was because the losses in this attack were too great, almost crippling the entire 1st Tank Brigade. The old devil simply could not accept this outrageous exchange ratio, and his heart was bleeding.

It seemed that the atmosphere at the scene was too depressing. A young staff officer lost his patience and spoke up first:

"According to the battle reports from the front, the anti-tank guns of the Eighth Route Army are too powerful. Even our most advanced land warfare weapon, the Type 97 Medium Tank, can hardly resist direct fire from a thousand meters away."

"In addition, the enemy's artillery fire also played a great deterrent role. Whenever the warriors gained an advantage in a local battlefield, the enemy's artillery fire would follow."

"In summary, the division needs to be equipped with more smoke bombs to create enough attack windows for the vanguard troops."

"If conditions permit, we'd better use the civilian vehicles and armored vehicles on hand to temporarily convert a batch of self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicles to follow the main armored force."

"In this regard, our allies are clearly doing better and are worth learning from."

Although the 1st Tank Division was the elite of the Kwantung Army, they were essentially a new army established four months ago.

As for combat experience, they can only repeatedly replay the outdated Battle of Nomonhan, which is why the Japs exposed many problems in the battle just now.

The young staff officer's few words silenced the command center.

Seeing that their morale was getting weaker and weaker, Hoshino Toshimoto quickly adjusted his mood and spoke to encourage them:

"Don't be discouraged, everyone. Operation No. 1 has just begun. We just suffered the loss of the first encounter. Moreover, the sacrifice of the warriors was not in vain. The troops broke through the enemy's first line of defense."

"The Eighth Route Army retreated in a hurry. They certainly didn't have time to take their heavy weapons with them. I'm sure the infantry and engineers of the division have already cleaned up the battlefield."

"Perhaps, among the seized weapons there is the enemy's anti-tank gun. As long as we get the real thing, we can test the actual combat data and make a targeted response plan."

After a series of psychological construction, Hoshino Toshimoto's mentality has undergone significant changes.

In the old devil's latest offensive draft, he has quietly changed the main force of the attack to mobile infantry and infantry from other divisions, and added human reactive armor to the tanks.

The concentrated use of tank troops can certainly gain a strong breakthrough capability. However, the Eighth Route Army in Shandong Province not only has a multi-level deep and solid position, but also has sufficient troops.

If they continue to fight head-on, the manpower of the two tank divisions will be exhausted sooner or later.

Without tanks, how can we fight against the enemy's armored forces? Do we have to rely on suicide squads carrying explosive packs and mines?
As for other divisions that have not been trained in infantry-tank coordination, they may find themselves crushing friendly infantry on the battlefield?
Sorry, I would rather die than have a friend die. He, Hoshino Toshimoto, doesn't want to become a lone commander.

Just as the old Japanese was thinking secretly and preparing to submit a tactical report to the commander-in-chief of the operation, the commander of the infantry regiment and the commander of the engineering regiment under the division walked into the command center hand in hand.

"Your Excellency, Lieutenant General, we have seized a large amount of enemy equipment."

"Although we are slightly short of ammunition reserves, our air defense and anti-tank firepower for the next battle will definitely be greatly improved."

When he heard the word "captured", Hoshino Toshimoto immediately became alert.

Knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in a hundred battles. Only by thoroughly testing the true performance of the Eighth Route Army's anti-tank guns can his only remaining Second Tank Brigade achieve the greatest results with the least losses.

"Quick! Start testing now!"

"Hurry up and pick out a Type 100 medium tank on the battlefield that has less damage. We must find out the penetration depth of the enemy's anti-tank guns at 1000 to meters as soon as possible."

"No, we also need to test the homogeneous armor target plate. I'll give you one hour. When the time is up, the report must appear on my desk."

"Hi!"

After the order was issued, the staff officers in the command center each performed their duties and began to carry out their respective tasks.

The old devil was not idle either. He picked up the combat report sent back by the 1st Tank Brigade again, trying to find inspiration in the lines of cold text, so as to complete his own human reactive armor plan.

However, the silence did not last long as a rapid phone call broke the silence.

Seeing this, Toshimoto Hoshino picked up the receiver.

Soon, Okamura Neiji's laughter, like that of an elder from the Soul Palace, rang in his ears: "Hoshino-kun, congratulations on your wealth!"

Even through the telephone line, Hoshino Toshimoto seemed to be able to see the smiling face of the commander-in-chief of the operation.

When the old devil thought that someone had coveted his newly acquired equipment, he felt a chill down his spine. He quickly argued:
"What kind of fortune do you want to make? Our division suffered heavy losses after a great battle and is now so poor that we can barely afford to buy pants. General Okamura, where are the troops you promised to fill the line? Send me reinforcements as soon as possible."

As the head of the North China Front Army, Okamura Neiji had ample experience and was particularly good at dealing with his subordinates' jokes.

Therefore, the old devil was not misled by Hoshino Toshimoto, but simply laid his cards on the table:

"We'll talk about the casualties of the 1st Tank Division later. Now let's talk about the spoils of this battle. My staff saw it with his own eyes. Your engineers pulled back at least half of the regiment's artillery equipment."

"Why, you want to form an independent artillery regiment with your own division?"

"Then should my front army form an independent heavy artillery brigade?"

Adhering to the principle that a shameless person is invincible, the old devil took advantage of the time when Hoshino Toshimoto didn't react and struck while the iron was hot and added:

"I know the battles on the front lines are tough, and I also know it's not easy for you. How about this? I won't take your equipment for nothing. I'll exchange a brigade of troops for your division."

"Don't worry, after the equipment arrives at the rear, I will redistribute it according to demand."

"That's it, no discounts allowed!"

······
Quancheng, the Japanese Army's Operation No. 1 Campaign Command Center.

After hanging up the phone, Okamura Neiji immediately showed a satisfied expression.

A high-ranking official can crush people to death. It feels really good to bully honest people.

But to be honest, the old Japanese himself was a little surprised. He didn't even expect that begging would be so easy. After all, there was no principle within the Japanese army that all captured items must be handed over.

"Oh, my conscience is bothering me."

"Pass my order to add an infantry regiment to the reinforcement list of the 1st Tank Division. There are still many Imperial Army troops in the province. It's time for them to sacrifice themselves for our country."

Just as Okamura Neiji was gloating and giving instructions to his staff, a signalman came jogging to the battle command center with a telegram in his hand.

"General, there's a call from Jinling."

"The commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force said, congratulations on your fortune!" (End of this chapter)