I'm killing enemies with my sword and exploding equipment

Chapter 989: He died from spraining his ankle during a long march. Doesn’t that make sense?
In the county seat of Gang County, in the temporary brigade headquarters of the Japanese 2nd Brigade.

Shiro Mano drank the fragrant tea, accepted Nozawa Takao's offer of allegiance with a smile on his face, and then turned his attention to military intelligence.

He opened his mouth and asked:
"Nozawa-kun, what's the situation in the Xinkou direction now?"

When Nozawa Takao heard this, his face suddenly turned bitter.

The excitement that I just felt against his thigh disappeared in an instant.

He answered carefully:

"Your Excellency, Commander of the Brigade, a few days ago, there was a huge and intensive sound of artillery fire from the direction of Xinkou.

I sent people to the south for reconnaissance and saw a large number of gray military uniforms who had occupied the Yongxingling and Xinkouguan city lines.

They were well-organized troops and numbered at least several thousand.

The 9th Independent Mixed Brigade of our Locust Army has no... no one who can retreat north to Gang County."

"What? No one evacuated?

How can this be? "

Mano Shiro took a breath.

I feel like the other person is joking.

As a veteran who had been on many battlefields, he knew very well that a battle of defeat was not uncommon, but a battle of annihilation was extremely difficult!
And it is even more difficult to fight a war of annihilation without leaving any fish slipping through the net!

Unless the winning side has an absolutely overwhelming advantage and proper tactics, this situation will never happen!

Moreover, the 9th Brigade is not a squadron or a battalion, but a full-strength brigade with five to six thousand people!
Could it be that there weren't a few clever soldiers who took the opportunity to escape? ? ?

Although the Japanese always boasted that their warriors were invincible and would fight to the death, Shiro Mano was not one of those low-level officers who had been brainwashed and were only fit to serve as cannon fodder.

As a major general in the army, he has been in the army for 20 years and has witnessed too many cases of desertion in the face of danger.

He absolutely did not believe that the 9th Brigade would be an exception.

So now, he felt even more unbelievable!

It can prevent those who flee from the battlefield from escaping, what a joke!
Of course, Takao Nozawa also knew how outrageous his words were.

But I can only bite the bullet and explain:

“I also find it incredible!

Therefore, many warriors were sent out for reconnaissance.

But once they get 2 to 3 kilometers close to Xinkou Pass, there is no way back!

It is obvious that the Eighth Route Army is within this range and is strangling our warriors!

Prevent us from finding out their detailed intelligence!"

"Damn you! Damn Tubalu!"

Mano Shiro cursed angrily.

Then he stood up and paced around the room.

Thinking about what to do.

After suffering repeated attacks from Wei Dayong's special operations company, his brigade, which originally had about 5000 people, is now left with less than 4000 demoralized soldiers and hundreds of wounded.

Almost more than a full battalion has been lost.

It's really miserable.

What worried him the most was that the reinforced artillery battalion with 18 guns lost 10 mountain guns and field guns in the terrible fire, and was reduced to a small artillery squadron!

This situation made him completely lose confidence in being able to recapture the Xinkou Pass according to the military order issued by the front-line headquarters!

……

After pondering for a long time, Mano Shiro finally asked Nozawa Takao:

"Nozawa-kun, how many people do you have under your command now?"

Nozawa Takao felt a chill in his heart and thought: Could this guy want me to go to Xinkou with him?
That's so damn dangerous!
With his mind racing, he quickly replied:
"Your Excellency, Commander of the Brigade, I only have one squadron.

We also lost more than ten people while scouting the situation at Xinkou."

“Bagya Road!
The strength of my locust army is too tight!
Those idiots at the headquarters have transferred all our troops stationed in Mengtun and the Hebei-Northern Front to the south!"

Shiro Mano was so indignant that he wanted to rush back to the base camp and have a duel with the old devil Tojo.

Let this old bastard know the bravery of their young officers!

——Of course, this is just a thought.

If he really met the old Japanese Tojo, he, a mere major general, would probably not even dare to speak loudly.

The brigade commander dared to scold the headquarters, and Nozawa Takao, a small squadron leader, did not dare to respond.

I can only play dead and remain silent.

After a while, Mano Shiro calmed down a little, pointed to the north and asked:
"Yanmen Pass has two squadrons. Does Daizhou City have a battalion of troops?"

Earlier, when he led his men out of the mountain where Yanmen Pass was located, in order to save time, he did not go east to stop in Daizhou, but went straight south.

So at this moment, he was not clear about the military situation of Daizhou.

He thought that if there was a battalion in Daizhou, he could at least draw two squadrons to replenish his lost troops.

However, Nozawa Takao's words cruelly shattered his fantasy.

"There's only one squadron, too."

Daizhou is only seventy or eighty miles away from Gang County where he is stationed, and the two can barely be considered as each other's support.

Therefore, Takao Nozawa was also familiar with the situation in Daizhou.

Upon hearing that there was only one squadron of troops stationed in each of the two large county towns, Shiro Mano immediately wanted to curse again.

He instantly understood why the Japanese defenders in Daizhou did not send anyone out to check the situation when he was burned to ashes by the fire and the flames even burned several mountains.

This guard is too empty!
The Japanese squadron leader in Daizhou probably didn't dare to send anyone out of the city for fear that Daizhou would be lost!
……

The situation was so bad that Shiro Mano felt a little numb.

He had no way of withdrawing troops from nearby areas to replenish his losses on the road.

After thinking about it for a long time, he even felt that the most feasible option might be to send people back to Yanmen Pass and draw a squadron from there.

Fortunately, he also knew that Yanmen Pass was extremely important and could not be messed with.

Only then did I force myself to give up the idea.

He then scratched his head and thought of other solutions.

……

After walking around the room for a long time, he suddenly thought of something and asked again:

"How many people were there in the group of Locust Alliance soldiers who just helped us carry the wounded?"

“Shasang’s troops number over 300 people.

Many things in Gang County are handled by Shasang.

Especially when it comes to collecting taxes and grain, Shasang’s actions are more effective than our locust army’s actions.”

Sha Guangcai's positive attitude before made Nozawa Takao very satisfied.

So at this moment, he chose to help the other party and say a few good words in front of Mano Shiro.

If Sha Guangcai knew what he did, he would probably hold his hand and cry out: Thank you so much!
……

Hearing Nozawa Takao's words, Mano Shiro was very satisfied and nodded slightly.
"Yoshi, since this man is so loyal to our Imperial Locust Army, I will give him a chance to make meritorious contributions!"

Then he ordered:

“Nozawa-kun, three or four hundred people are still too few.

Order this Sha Sang to recruit another group of young and strong men in this county, to make up a thousand men, to wear the uniforms of my Locust Army, and to set out with my 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade tomorrow to attack Xinkou!"

"What? The Chinese are pretending to be my great locust army?
This can’t possibly have any combat power, right?”

Nozawa Takao was a little confused.

“Humph, of course I know they have no fighting ability.

But that's not important, as long as we can consume the ammunition of the Eighth Route Army, that's victory, you understand?"

Shiro Mano had a look of confidence, feeling that he was able to do it again.

Nozawa Takao suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly:
"Your Excellency the Brigade Commander is indeed wise. I will make arrangements immediately." After he left, Shiro Mano immediately ordered his telegraph operator to send a telegram to the front army headquarters and the First Army headquarters, reporting that he had arrived at the county seat of Gang County and planned to attack Xinkou tomorrow.

In the telegram, he did not dare to report truthfully that his brigade had been ambushed east of Yanmen Pass, with more than a thousand casualties.

Instead, they only said that they were attacked by the Eighth Route Army guerrillas and suffered some losses.

——This is also a basic operation among the Japanese army, deliberately falsifying casualties.

Anyway, I can just make up a reason for his death from illness and fool the higher-ups.

After all, it's reasonable to die from spraining an ankle, falling off a cliff, or being crushed to death by rocks rolling down a landslide during a long march, right?
……

At the Japanese front headquarters, Okamura Jining has already gone to Shimen to take charge.

Therefore, the person in charge at this moment is Chief of Staff Seigo Tanabe.

He received a telegram from Shiro Mano and immediately replied, informing them that the special forces regiment in the Xinkou area might have already evacuated.

The 2nd Brigade was required to speed up its advance, seize Xinkou, and then move towards Jinyang City.

……

In Jinyang City, at the First Army Headquarters, Iwamatsu Kazuo was naturally delighted when he heard that reinforcements were finally arriving.

He immediately called back and urged Shiro Mano to speed up the march and quickly reach the city of Jinyang to destroy the artillery of the special forces regiment that was still wreaking havoc outside the city.

These days, those cannons have been firing from morning to night, which is really annoying him!
……

When Shiro Mano received these two similar telegrams, he felt relieved.

He had heard that the terrain of Xinkou Pass was dangerous.

If he were asked to send the less than 4000 men under his command to attack the city gate which is heavily guarded by the enemy, he would be unwilling at all!
But now that both telegrams said that the enemy had retreated south and headed for the city of Jinyang, how could he not smile?
……

Speaking of Nozawa Takao, after he left Mano Shiro, he immediately sent someone to call Sha Guangcai.

This guy had just arranged for Hou Gui to send someone to contact our army. When he heard that Nozawa Takao was looking for him, he was instantly frightened and his face turned pale.

I thought that the person arranged by Hou Gui was caught by the other party and was looking for revenge with me.

For a moment, he even thought about leading his troops to break out of the city.

Fortunately, this guy is still sane.

Knowing that the thousands of people from the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade were in the city now, if he took his men to cause trouble, he would definitely die.

So he suppressed his fear and followed the Japanese soldier who came to find him. He ran to Nozawa Takao and asked with a lecherous look:

"Taijun, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"That's right! Shasan, I have a chance for you to make a name for yourself."

Upon hearing this, Sha Guangcai's heart skipped a beat.

What about making great achievements? It sounds very dangerous, he doesn't want to do that!
But on his face, he did not dare to show the slightest fear of the enemy or cowardice.

He immediately pretended to be overjoyed and said loudly:
"Thank you, Master Nozawa. I will sacrifice my life to serve you!"

Nozawa Takao was obviously very satisfied with his statement and nodded with a smile:

“Yoshi!
Shasang, the brigade commander has ordered that we need 700 young and strong men!

Now I give this task to you, can you do it? "

"Seven hundred young and strong men? Of course no problem!

Thank you, Nozawa-sama!

I will definitely do it well!"

Sha Guangcai was overjoyed.

I thought I was going to die, but it turned out to be such a good job!
He immediately thought that this was a great opportunity to make money!
He immediately thought to himself: Now that he has this imperial sword in his hand, among the tens of thousands of households in the county town of Gang, if any of them does not hand over their gold, silver, valuables and beautiful women, then they can't blame him for being ruthless.

Nozawa Takao didn't know what Sha Guangcai was thinking, and even if he knew, he would not care.

Anyway, he believed that if the other party gained any benefits, they would definitely give him a share.

He just suddenly reminded seriously:

“Shasang, this matter is extremely urgent, you must finish it before dark today!

Do you understand? "

"Don't worry, Madam, I'll do it right away!"

Sha Guangcai's eyes are now filled with the yellow ocean.

I agreed without hesitation.

……

Next, the county town of Gang County fell into chaos.

The soldiers under Sha Guangcai were ordered to conscript men all over the city, causing chaos.

Countless ordinary people who had no food to eat had their families broken up and their homes destroyed.

They cursed in their hearts these traitors who had forgotten their roots and should go to hell.

……

At around ten o'clock in the evening, Sha Guangcai brought several boxes of gold and silver valuables stained with blood and went to report to Nozawa Takao that the mission had been accomplished.

When Takao Nozawa saw these good things, he was naturally surprised.

He repeatedly praised Sha Guangcai for his efficiency.

He also told him to keep an eye on those young and strong men.

Tomorrow morning, after feeding these people, we will dress them in the Locust Army’s uniforms and take them to the outside of the South City Gate.

When Sha Guangcai heard his arrangement, he immediately realized that these young and strong men would probably be used as cannon fodder, and he couldn't help but curse the Japanese devils for their viciousness in his heart.

I completely forgot that I am also an accomplice!
But the next moment, the corners of his mouth curled up again, and he thought to himself: It’s not bad to be a dog for this old devil Nozawa without dignity.

At least, you don't have to be a cannon fodder yourself.

……

The next morning.

After having a hearty breakfast, the brigade commander Shiro Mano left his wounded soldiers in the city of Gang County to recuperate, and led the remaining troops out of the south gate of Gang County in a mighty force.

At this moment, Sha Guangcai had already brought more than 700 Japanese soldiers and young and strong men wearing old Japanese military uniforms and carrying broken guns, and they were waiting there in formation.

Shiro Mano took a quick look and was very satisfied with these locust soldiers and young and strong men.

Apart from being slightly taller than the Locust Warriors, these guys look pretty real from a distance.

So he immediately ordered Nozawa Takao who was following him:
"Nozawa-kun, order the Locust Army to escort these young men and march in front!
Tell them to show their courage. If they kill a local guerrilla, they will be rewarded with 10 yuan!"

He also knew that when there is a big reward, there will always be brave men.

Nozawa Takao didn't dare to have any objection to his orders.

He immediately gave a loud order to Sha Guangcai:
"Shasang! The brigade commander orders you to lead these people and make contributions to the Locust Army!

Every time you capture a Tubalu, you'll get a 10-yuan reward, no upper limit! "

Sha Guangcai had originally planned to hand over the young and strong men he had acquired yesterday and then return to the city to enjoy his life.

After hearing what Nozawa Takao said, he was stunned.

He exclaimed in disbelief:
"what?
Nozawa Tai...Taijun, you...you mean, my people...are also going to Xinkou?"

Nozawa Takao was very unhappy when he saw that this guy did not respond to orders as quickly as a dog as usual.

He immediately held the saber in his hand, looked at him unkindly, and roared:
"Baga! Shasang!

This is your chance to show your loyalty and make contributions to the Locust Army. Do you want to back down from the battlefield???"

When Sha Guangcai saw the other party's look, he immediately realized that if he dared to say "no" again, he would be beheaded immediately.

I was so scared that I almost peed my pants.

I could only quickly agree with a sad face:

"Nozawa-sama, I dare not!

Thank you Madam for your kindness... your kindness!!!"

……

(End of this chapter)