I'm killing enemies with my sword and exploding equipment

Huangping Town battlefield.

As the Japanese seized the positions of the Second Battalion of the Special Forces Regiment east of the town, the Fourth and Fifth Battalions, which were advancing on the ridges on both sides of the road, were immediately at risk of being attacked from both sides.

Li Dahe and Zhao Tietou are also experienced fighters, so they would not be foolish enough to put the soldiers in danger.

So he immediately commanded the soldiers to fight and retreat at the same time.

When the Japanese brigade commander Tsuchiya Yoshiyuki saw this situation, he immediately felt relieved.

This was the most brutal battle he had ever seen in his life, and it was so damn difficult!

Fortunately, we have finally won.

He took a long breath and couldn't help but sigh:
"Although these local Eighth Route Army soldiers are few in number, their fighting spirit is no less than that of the guys we encountered during our sweep in central Hebei who dared to charge at our large forces with swords in hand-to-hand combat!
It’s incredible!”

Colonel Masasuke Shirakawa, the brigade chief of staff beside him, also nodded in agreement:
"yes!
It is truly amazing that they were able to hold out for so long with such a small number of troops under the strong attack of forces several times ours!

And now that we are retreating, no one is panicking or afraid!
He is indeed an admirable opponent!
I can't imagine what a terrible enemy they would become once all the Eighth Route Army in northern Hebei had the same powerful weapons and equipment, and inexhaustible ammunition as the enemy in front of us!

I think this is also the reason why the Commander was determined to mobilize several of our divisions to enter northwestern Shanxi for a mopping-up operation.

If we don’t completely wipe them out when they are weak, they will be too powerful to be controlled in the future!”

He looked up and saw the battlefield littered with the corpses of his own warriors.

According to a rough estimate, there may be one or two thousand bodies, which is really shocking!
It made him feel heartbroken.

There are quite a few of these soldiers, but they are all people he can call out by name!
Tsuchiya Yoshiyuki also nodded:
"Yes, once the Eighth Route Army has sophisticated equipment, the combat power they can exert is indeed terrifying!"

Then he couldn't help but curse:

"In this battle, our Locust Army's weapons, equipment, artillery, and machine guns were actually inferior to those of the Eighth Route Army. This is simply a shame for the empire!!!"

"Yes! Those idiots from the Special High Police can't even provide information on the source of the weapons for the Eighth Route Army. They are all good-for-nothings!

Otherwise, if we had let the air force blow up the Eighth Route Army's ammunition depot or arsenal first, our battle wouldn't have been so difficult!"

Shirakawa Masasuke was equally indignant.

Letting them fight in the face of inaccurate intelligence is simply a disregard for human life!

Tsuchiya Yoshiyuki continued to rant:

"All of you bastards in the baggage train should be loyal to His Majesty Tian Huang.

Our warriors are fighting on the front lines, and they can't even supply us with enough artillery shells!

Otherwise, our artillery squadron would never be completely destroyed!!!"

……

The two of them huddled together and talked sweetly, venting the nervous emotions in their hearts.

After about ten minutes, he stopped because of a dry mouth.

Tsuchiya Yoshiyuki picked up the kettle, took a sip of water, and then ordered the telegraph operator to send the news of the capture of the commanding heights on the ridge to the division commander Honda Masazo.

On the one hand, the 5th and 31st Regiments advanced to the north and south sides of Huangping Town, then set up heavy machine guns and fired at the special forces regiment soldiers in the town.

When he saw that his troops were quickly taking action, he swaggered down the ridge with dozens of guards and headed towards Huangping Town along the road.

……

After a while, he met the commander of the 16th Brigade, Nobuhiro Fujita, who was still hiding behind a blown-up Type medium tank on the road and had not advanced into the town.

Considering that the other party had made progress before him, Tsuchiya Yoshiyuki was somewhat unhappy.

So at this moment, after a simple greeting, he said:
"Fujita-kun, our warriors have already captured the enemy's position, why are you still cowering here?
Are you still worried about the artillery fire from the Eighth Route Army?

I don't think it's necessary. The Eighth Route Army has used up a lot of shells today and has no shells left."

After hearing this, Nobuhiro Fujita felt extremely disgusted.

It was obviously our own soldiers who opened the gap first, which forced the enemy to retreat.

The fact that this guy can appear in front of me is a great advantage for me. I didn't expect that he would actually play tricks on me now. He is simply taking advantage of me and still acting like a good boy!

Damn!

He immediately angrily retorted:
“Tsuchiya-kun, it was the brave warriors of my 16th Brigade who were the first to open the breach!
Otherwise, you would still be on the mountain, being suppressed and unable to move by those damned Tubalu!!!"

Of course, Tsuchiya Yoshiyuki also knew that what the other party said was objective facts.

But he would never admit this even if he was beaten to death.

That is related to the post-war evaluation of merit!
So he sneered:

"Hmph, Fujita-kun, let me remind you that you are my man now, and I will be on the commanding heights to protect you as you move forward!
It's not your people who are covering our advance westward!"

"So what?"

Nobuhiro Fujita roared.

He didn't expect that the guy in front of him was so shameless, deliberately avoiding the important issues and completely erasing the credit of their 16th Brigade!
"What? You should express your gratitude to the brave warriors of my Fourth Brigade!

Without their bloodshed, you would never have been able to capture the town!"

Yoshiyuki Tsuchiya lied with his eyes open.

Anyway, he didn't believe that Nobuhiro Fujita brought a camera to take pictures.

He is not afraid even if the lawsuit is brought to the division commander Honda Masazo.

Nobuhiro Fujita was almost fainted on the spot because of his words.

I wish I could draw the sword from my waist right away and have a samurai duel with the opponent!

It determines both victory and defeat, and also life and death!
……

Seeing that he had a murderous expression on his face and his hand still gripping the saber at his waist, Tsuchiya Yoshiyuki felt somewhat uneasy.

Not daring to provoke him again, he quickly laughed it off, turned around and walked away, striding towards Huangping Town.

Seeing this guy running away, Fujita Nobuhiro could no longer hold back and shouted loudly:
"Bageyalu! Damn bastard!!!"

Then, regardless of the fact that Chief of Staff Matsumoto Yufu was thinking about something and seemed to want to say something, he shouted loudly:

"Warriors, hurry up, rush into the town and kill those damn bastards!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he took the lead and rushed towards the west.

……

Following his order, the soldiers of the 16th Brigade all shouted and rushed towards Huangping Town.

Seeing this, Matsumoto Yufu felt helpless.

Just as I was about to catch up, I heard the roar of tanks and the sound of galloping cavalry horses from the east side of the road.

He quickly turned around and looked through the telescope, and saw four Type 97 medium tanks coming towards him, emitting black smoke.

Behind the chariots, there was a cloud of dust, and it was obvious that it was a cavalry unit.

He quickly arranged for two smart soldiers to go forward and inquire about the situation.

……

After a while, the soldiers came back to report that they were sent by the division commander to strengthen the attack.

At this moment, Matsumoto Yufu immediately understood that Honda Masazai was going to send his entire army forward.

He didn't dare to delay any longer and immediately took his men to catch up with Fujita Nobuhiro.

Inform the other side that chariots and cavalry troops were catching up from the rear.

At this point, Nobuhiro Fujita was a little anxious. It was a good achievement for him to capture the opponent's position, but now a bunch of people were coming to snatch it!
How shameless!

He could only urge his men again and again to speed up the charge!
So as to avoid losing the credit.

...As the special forces regiment retreated step by step and the Japanese invaders advanced frantically, the battlefield gradually shifted from the east of Huangping Town to Huangping Town itself.

The soldiers from the battalions of the Special Forces Regiment used the houses, walls, trenches they dug and fortifications they built in the town to resist the Japanese at every step, inflicting huge casualties on the Japanese.

The entire Huangping Town has been turned into a meat grinder!
In this complex battle environment, the sniper company led by Wang Xikui was like a fish in water and played a huge role.

They specifically targeted Japanese officers, grenade throwers and machine gunners, killing them with every shot and plunging the Japanese into chaos.

In addition to them, the soldiers of the flamethrower company of the guard battalion, who were participating in such a major war for the first time, also made the Japanese suffer a lot.

The flamethrowers in their hands could spray 20 meters away. Once they opened fire, they would often burn a squad of Japanese devils to pieces. It was a horrible sight!

……

The temporary command post of the Japanese Eighth Division.

After arranging the cavalry regiment to advance westward, the division commander Honda Masazai anxiously waited here for news from the front line.

Suddenly, a telegraph operator stood up and reported to him:
"Your Excellency, the 4th Infantry Brigade called and said they have captured the positions set up by the Eighth Route Army on the ridges on both sides of the highway!

We are currently continuing to advance westwards, preparing to cover the 16th Brigade's advance into Huangping Town."

"Yoshi! The outcome is decided!"

The anxiety on Honda Masazai's face disappeared and he was filled with excitement.

Then he waved his hand to let the telegraph operator go, and said to the division staff officer, Keihito Nagakubo:

"Kubo-kun, you stay here and dispatch the baggage train and transport the wounded.

In addition, remember to send a telegram to urge the baggage and cavalry units of the First Division to transport supplies as soon as possible!

Especially the shells for mountain artillery and howitzers, they cannot be missing!!!"

Kubo Keijin quickly took the order:

"Hi!"

Then he saw him tidying up his military uniform and seemed to be going out, so he asked hurriedly:
"Mr. Commander, what do you want?"

"I'm going to the front line to see what's so different about this group of Eighth Route Army soldiers that they were able to hold off two of my Class A divisions for nearly two days!"

Honda Masaharu answered.

Kubo Keijin was shocked when he heard this.

I quickly reminded with some concern:
"Mr. Division Commander, judging from the reports from Mr. Fujita and Mr. Tsuchiya, although the Eighth Route Army was defeated, it seems that they were not annihilated in large numbers. It would be very dangerous for you to go to the front line now!"

Honda Masazai certainly did not take his reminder seriously.

Immediately angrily responded:
"idiot!
As a warrior, what danger should I be afraid of?
It is my honor to serve His Majesty the Heavenly Locust faithfully! "

Seeing the other party speaking in a high-sounding manner, Kubo Keijin could only shut up.

If I continue talking, I'm afraid I'll be called a coward by the other party.

……

Soon, Honda Masazai and dozens of guards climbed the ridge on the north side of the road and headed west.

Yes, he was not stupid. He knew that if he took the road directly, there would be a high risk of being bombarded.

So I chose to walk up the mountain.

This way you can see far and wide and it is less likely to be hit by artillery shells.

……

This side of Shimen City.

After receiving the good news from Honda Masazai, Okamura Jining's originally gloomy mood was relieved a lot.

He immediately asked someone to call Tanabe Seigo over and told him the news with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Tanabe Shengwu was naturally overjoyed and immediately praised:

"Although the Eighth Route Army in Northwest Shanxi is strong, it still cannot compare to the Class A Division of my Locust Army!

It looks like the locust army will win this battle."

Okamura Ji Ning nodded slightly, and then said leisurely:
“It seems that the balance of victory is already tilting towards us.

But I guess this is also the result of the special forces regiment in northwestern Shanxi being exhausted after a long battle.

If they had not fought in succession in Qubei County and Xinkou area and suffered heavy losses, the outcome of this battle would probably still be uncertain!"

When Tanabe Seigo heard him raise his opponent so high, he was immediately surprised and exclaimed:

"Nani?
Commander, are you saying that if this special forces regiment was in its prime, it could fight against two Class A divisions of our Locust Army with its own strength? How... how is this possible?"

"Tanabe-kun, if you look at the battle record of this special forces group, you will know that I have never exaggerated their strength."

Okamura Jining let out a long sigh.

This time, Tanabe Seigo stopped talking.

He knew that the other party was not a person who spoke nonsense.

Although the current judgment is hard to accept, it must be the fact!
Seeing that he looked a little frightened, Okamura Ji Ning quickly comforted him:
"Now the warriors of the Eighth Division have already charged into the positions of the Eighth Route Army.

As long as this special forces regiment can be wiped out in this battle, then the death of Mr. Nakazawa and the heavy losses of the First Division will no longer be a big deal.

For our Jibei Front Army and even the Imperial Army, this is worth it."

"But, Commander, even if we destroy this special forces group, there will definitely be a new one emerging from the Tubalu!"

Tanabe Seigo was still a little worried.

Okamura Jining is about to quit his job, but he can't run away!
He was also thinking that if he had the opportunity in the future, he would also like to take the position of commander of the Jibei Front Army!
"Tanabe-kun, although the Tubalu troops in other regions have been growing in strength recently, they are still far behind those in northwestern Shanxi.

As long as you can proceed steadily and strictly implement the sweeping policy of 'slaughtering villages and destroying towns', destroying their bases from point to surface, it should not be difficult to eliminate them."

Okamura Ji Ning is full of confidence.

As he spoke, he felt infinite regret in his heart.

If it weren't for the incident in northwestern Shanxi, and if he had been given two or three divisions of mobile forces, he would have been confident that he could wipe out all the Eighth Route Army troops in the entire Jibei Front area within one to two years!

After listening to what Okamura Jining said, Tanabe Seigo felt more confident.

Nodding repeatedly:

"Hey! I will definitely continue to implement the policy of 'slaughtering villages and destroying towns'!"

……

Okamura Jining was quite satisfied with Tanabe Seigo's attitude.

After pacing around the room for a few steps, he continued:

"Tanabe-kun, you will return to the capital tomorrow and continue to be in charge of the army's affairs until the new commander of the army arrives.

Please make sure to do your best to provide supplies to all the troops in the northwest Shanxi battlefield!

Even if it means reducing supplies to other areas, it is worth it!

The frontline is difficult, but in places where there is no fighting, even if the soldiers only eat one meal a day, they will not starve to death! "

Since he wasn't going to starve, Tanabe Shengwu certainly couldn't object and quickly agreed:

"Don't worry, Commander. I understand the significance of this battle in northwestern Shanxi.

Even if I let the people in the headquarters go hungry, I will do my best to ensure the supply of each unit!"

"Yoshi! Thank you for your hard work, Tanabe-kun."

...(End of chapter)