Comrade, your ingredients are too complicated.

"You didn't expect it, it's "FV4005"

October 1942, 10, southern Jiaolai Plain.

After nearly ten rounds of fierce offensive and defensive fighting, the defense line of the Eighth Route Army's Shandong Provincial Military Region retreated more than 50 kilometers.

While the main force was cleaning up the battlefield, the 8th Division's Lieutenant General Shizuo Yokoyama hurriedly finished the work at hand, and then led a group of senior officers to leave the field command post.

Adhere to the principle of studying the war before preparing for it and knowing the enemy before defeating him.

The Japs climbed to a commanding height, and using their visual advantage they began to check for loopholes and fill in the gaps, striving to come up with a perfect battle plan before the attack began.

"Ah, the enemy is really slippery. On this plain, the speed of human legs is faster than the tracks of tanks. The reputation of the Republic of China's strongest infantry is indeed well-deserved.

"But now the situation is settled. Even if the Eighth Route Army has wings, they can't escape from my palm. The next battle will be their death!"

"Let's go, we should go back. We must not keep the divisions waiting for too long."

It was obvious that all the devils present, including Shizuo Yokoyama, were in a good mood.

After several consecutive victories, the enemies all fled for miles in disarray, which made them feel like everything was under control.

As soon as he heard his division commander's declaration of victory, Chief of Staff Ikeuchi Toda had an idea and looked out at the endless coastline and echoed:

"Your Excellency the Lieutenant General is right. The fierce attacks of the various divisions will soon force the Eighth Route Army of Shandong Province to the seashore. The enemy has nowhere to retreat and will undoubtedly be defeated."

"Haha, although the scale of our Operation No. 1 is not as large as our allies' Manstein Plan, TG's financial resources are not as rich as Britain and France, and we are also unable to replicate the miracle of Dunkirk."

"Besides, the Eighth Route Army that has lost the support of the people is like a toothless tiger. There is nothing to be afraid of."

As the war progressed, even the common people who had the most confidence in the TG began to have doubts. The atmosphere in the province was extremely depressing, and everything seemed to have returned to the nightmare five years ago.

Unlike the soldiers and civilians in Shandong Province who were "in mourning", the Kwantung Army, which had been advancing triumphantly all the way, now felt that it was unstoppable.

With the help of excessive awakening potions, the devils became more and more excited. The independent spirit with a strong Showa style has a second spring in various divisions.

Thousands of middle and low-level officers clamored wildly, shouting slogans of victory to push the enemy into the sea day and night.

With their contrast, the SS Skeleton Division, which is also a member of the Axis camp, began to look somewhat human.

Thinking of this, Yokoyama Shizuo rubbed his brows with a headache. It is indeed a good thing that the grassroots dare to fight and rush to attack, but it is a big hidden danger if they don't obey orders during the fight.

"Hey, after we go back, everyone, don't be idle. You have to represent the division headquarters and go to the front-line attacking troops to comfort them."

"The decisive battle is imminent, and the command system must not make any mistakes."

"Hi!"

······
Just as Shizuo Yokoyama led his team back, hundreds of lieutenants and staff officers from different divisions worked together to return necessary equipment such as the simulation sand table, battle situation map and large communicators to their places one by one.

These devils cooperated very well, and anyone with a discerning eye could tell that this was not the first time they had worked together.

In just twenty minutes, a front-line command building covering hundreds of square meters was built.

After a while, Lieutenant General Kanji Nishihara, commander of the 23rd Mechanized Division, swaggered open the tent door with his adjutant, holding his command sword.

After looking around, he nodded with satisfaction.

"Okay, very spirited!"

"But you still need to keep working hard. When this operation is completely over, the Kwantung Army and the Expeditionary Army Headquarters will reward you based on your merits. At that time, your efforts will be rewarded."

"By the way, if any of you want to go to the battlefield, you can always come to me and recommend yourself. The frontline combat troops have been fighting very hard recently, and the position of mid-level commander will definitely be vacant."

"Hi! Thank you, Lieutenant General, for your appreciation."

Amidst the compliments and praises, Nishihara Kanji sat down on the ammunition box and laughed so hard that he almost lost himself.

A unit like the 23rd Division, which was almost wiped out in the Battle of Nomonhan, needs victory to wash away the shame the most.

And Operation No. 1 formulated by our camp just provides them with a grand stage.

In addition, this mechanized division was always active in the flank battlefield and was responsible for pursuit, and had almost no direct confrontation with the main force of the Eighth Route Army. How could Nishihara Kanji not be happy about this good thing that he could take advantage of the opportunity without having to exert much effort?

"Okay, okay, we are all warriors loyal to our brother country, so there is no need."

Before the old devil finished speaking, the door of the front-line command post was suddenly and roughly opened from the outside. This unexpected movement immediately attracted the attention of everyone present.

The commander of the 12th Division, Lieutenant General Numata Takazo, walked into the room with a dark face and cursed.

"Idiots! Two idiots who can go to a museum!" "It's 1942, how can there still be armored commanders using tanks as mobile firepower points? As lieutenant generals, is it possible that Hoshino Toshimoto and Okada Susumu don't pay attention to the European battlefield and don't understand what it means to keep up with the times?"

"Damn you pigs, you actually made human reactive armor for your own selfish desires. Armored units are indeed very valuable, but are our infantry divisions just cannon fodder raised by a stepmother?"

Both were promoted to division commander this year and both commanded a highly mobile field horse division, but the experience of Numata Takazo was completely different from that of Yokoyama Shizuo.

Because of the wealth of his ancestors, the division's artillery regiment was strong, so the 12th Division was directly sent to the front line by Okamura Yasuji.

The division suffered heavy losses after days of fighting.

Even with the fire support provided by the 1st Tank Division and even with a large number of tanks providing golden shields, the several infantry regiments under it still showed signs of fatigue.

Hearing his colleagues' complaints, Nishihara Kanji quickly put away the smile on his face.

If they were to take advantage of the situation now, there would be a big mess within the Kwantung Army. If they disrupted the arrangements of the headquarters, everyone would be in trouble.

"Numata-kun, the commander-in-chief of the campaign certainly doesn't want the infantry to confront the armored forces. The current tactics are the optimal solution after the staff weighed the pros and cons."

"How about this, our 23rd Division is in pretty good shape and has good combat effectiveness. I'll send a telegram to Quancheng later and try to get our two divisions to swap positions."

"Compared to a frontal assault, intercepting the enemy's fleeing soldiers is obviously much easier. The next battle will definitely be a tough one, so leave the task of the main attack to me."

Although both Deutschland and HMS Japan are the big brothers in the Axis camp, when it comes to the actual organization and application of armored divisions, the former is obviously more reasonable than the latter.

The Germans concentrated their use of tanks, which were a highly mobile assault force with tank units as the backbone, combined with motorized infantry, artillery and support units that could keep up with the tanks.

This kind of fighting style can only be learned when bullying preserved fruits.

If we try to imitate others in dealing with the Eighth Route Army, it would be tantamount to seeking our own death.

It was because of the previous loss on the first line of defense that Hoshino Toshimoto proposed to split the tank unit into squadrons to serve as mobile fire points for the slow infantry units.

As soon as these words were spoken, Numata Takazo immediately cast a grateful look at him.

There is a severe shortage of manpower in both Southeast Asia and the Pacific battlefields. Once their divisions suffer heavy casualties, there is a very high probability that they will not be able to receive high-quality reinforcements for a long time.

"Thank you, Nishihara-kun. I owe you a favor. If you need us, our 12th Division will definitely provide us with our full support."

Hearing this, Nishihara Kanji nodded with satisfaction. He did not expect to have such an unexpected gain.

In fact, exchanging positions with friendly forces was not a sudden idea of ​​the Japanese soldiers just to take care of their colleagues.

It is certainly cool to pick up heads in melee combat, but without a few real battles, he really cannot wash away the shame of the division.

One year after taking office, some people in the Kwantung Army still called the 23rd Division the "tragic Komatsubara Corps". Nishihara Kanji didn't want to keep bearing this nickname that would leave a stain on his resume.

Only through a tough battle and a baptism of blood can his troops be reborn from the ashes.

Besides, the combination of armored forces and mechanized forces is the optimal solution for the European battlefield.

"Numata-kun, you and I are both generals serving our country, so there's no need to be so polite. When we completely take back North China, you can just treat me to a meal."

Just when the two lieutenant generals were being respectful to each other, Shizuo Yokoyama, who had been out observing the battlefield, finally returned to the command post.

Feeling the rather pleasant atmosphere in the room, the old devil's worries were involuntarily relieved a little.

Considering the imminent war, he took a sip of water and took a short rest before coming to the simulation sand table. He then asked in a serious tone:

"Is there any news from Luhang?"

"Have the reconnaissance planes of the Third Air Division found the enemy's armored forces? The battle is about to reach the coastline. Is the Eighth Route Army going to take its trump card to the grave?"

Hearing his lieutenant general's hasty and stern tone, the operations staff officer did not dare to keep the secret and answered directly:

"Found it. The tanks are in the southeast of Jiaolai Plain. General Gangcun guessed wrong. The TG's armored brigade has not been upgraded. Their main equipment is still the Cicada."

"Well, the 7-ton little crispy thing is nothing to worry about! Pass my order, launch the attack immediately after the rest is over, don't give the Eighth Route Army a chance to catch its breath!"

"Hi!"

······
On the other hand, just as the Kwantung Army was preparing to concentrate its superior forces to deliver a fatal blow to the Shandong Provincial Military Region, the counterattack plan of the tiger in the forest was about to begin.

Outside the battle command post, Li Yunlong, who had just arrived from Henan Province, almost popped his eyes out as he looked at the 53-ton behemoth in front of him.

"Oh my god, it turns out that Old Huang didn't lie to me! There really is a toilet head in the world that can spray tigers and leopards, and kill 4005 light fighters in seconds! Could this be the legendary FV?" (End of this chapter)